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Spooky Story Time With Beth review

Production company – Mercury Podcast Network

Rating –

Another show from the email inbox this week. It popped up within a day or two of last week’s review. I subscribed, and embarked on what has turned out to be a rather odd experience, one that has taught me to actually pay attention more, and given me a taste for large helpings of humble pie.

Read on and find out what I’m banging on about.

So what’s it about?

Spooky Story Time With Beth collects stories that “have been sent in or suggested by you”. These tales run the gamut from haunted houses, alien encounters, cursed objects, and pretty much any horrifying experience you can imagine.

The email stated “The podcast launched in May 2025, created by wife and husband duo Beth and Liam, to challenge the male-dominated scary podcast space. Spooky Story Time is praised for its powerful narration and immersive sound design, but it has become an expression of the female experience.

In a world where women’s healthcare is an afterthought, where the female gaze is a supporting character, and where violence against women is not just commonplace, but systemic, Spooky Story Time gives a voice to the unheard.”

Is it any good?

The stories themselves certainly are creepy. There are plenty of opportunities here to give yourself a delicious autumnal shiver down the spine. Unfortunately there are some downsides here. 

Despite the admirable mission I quoted in the previous section, the podcast itself doesn’t actually mention this at all. This is a shame, because the show has been shortlisted for three awards, and a podcast such as this may well benefit from mentioning this in the opening. Otherwise, it’s a case of IYKYK, which most people don’t.

The episodes are painfully short. Clocking in at an average of ten minutes, this is a great show if you want to cram as many stories as you can into a lunch break, if you’re looking for more depth, then you’ll be left wanting. This puts it firmly in the same boat as the Tiny Terrors podcast, albeit not as good.

The stories also sound very similar in tone. While the subject matter varies wildly, stylistically, they sound like they were written by the same person. Now, whether this is because actual real people have sent stories in that have been edited or rewritten by Beth, or because the whole “sent in by you” is a found footage style intro and all the stories are written by the same person, I can’t say. As the episodes rack up though, I’m sure you’ll notice it too.

Final thoughts

This show is well worth a listen if you’re looking for  bingeworthy bus ride fodder for the morning commute. Is it an all time classic? No. 

I have actually had to rewrite a whole chunk of this review at the last minute because I suddenly understood the show. Upon reading the awards it’s been shortlisted for, made the biggest criticism I had rather redundant. This doesn’t change the overall score, but whilst I like going into a podcast blind, sometimes it’s not such a good thing.

You can get Spooky Story Time With Beth here:

https://www.greatpods.co/podcasts/spooky-story-time-7317399

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