Red in tooth and claw
After Dark review
Production company – History Hit
Rating – 
After reviewing so many audio dramas recently, I figured it was time to head back to the real world (albeit briefly). The question was though, which podcast to go for? I’ve also shot my true crime bolt (for now). Music is also off limits for now, so the list was getting shorter. I’m also keeping my more esoteric powder dry for now, which really only left History. Thankfully, this one has been on my list for a while, and today is the day I finally give it the attention it deserves.
I settled on this particular historical podcast, because of its rather macabre twist. So, dear readers, let me introduce you to After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds, and The Paranormal.
So what’s it about?
As you can probably guess from my introduction, After Dark is a history podcast that delights in the weird and gory aspects of the past. This is a place where ghosts and fairies rub shoulders with highwaymen, royalty and criminals.
Doctor Maddie Pelling and Doctor Anthony Delaney, both historians, take a deep dive into the dark tales of the past. This isn’t the usual cursory look into folklore that you usually get. Nor is it some sanitized glossy recounting of the past. No punches are pulled, and aside from a show like LPOTL, this is possibly the “realest” account of past tragedies and intrigues.
Is it any good?
For the most part yes. Maddie and Anthony are great hosts. They are witty and engaging, the same can be said of their guests too. This is a show that never gets boring, and its easy to spend a whole day getting through episodes with ease.
The subject matter is diverse (as I mentioned previously), and as is usually the case, there is plenty of the aforementioned “myth” in the stories. Thankfully, being historians, Pelling and Delaney are adept at debunking the more outlandish elements of the tales. You’re guaranteed to have at least one “TIL” moment every few episodes.
For the most part, the episodes clock on at the 30-40 min mark. Occasionally there are episodes that stretch to an hour, but they are mostly well under that. Which brings me onto the negatives.
My main problem with the show is that it seems that they are given their slot time, and they stick to it. Some of the stories have a lot of exposition, and just as they get to the good part, they tend to gloss over the climax of the story and say goodbye. This happens even with the interview episodes. If they can’t make longer episodes (which I would love), I would much rather them devote two or three episodes to a subject. Many times, I have felt somewhat short changed as the episode ends.
Final thoughts
As folklore podcasts go, this is great. As history podcasts go, this is also great. Maddie and Anthony go a long way to overcoming the idea that such shows are stuffy and boring. If you’re a fan of Horrible Histories, then you’ll love this. Not that the show is like HH, but it covers a lot of similar ground.
I don’t always listen to this show, I have too many others to get through. I love coming back to this every so often though. Yes, my criticisms may seem a bit picky, but that is the only negative here. As I type this, I am on episode 37 of 135, so this problem may get solved in the future, in which case this is a 5 brain show.
You could do a lot worse than add this to your subscription list very soon. I know you’ll love it.
You can get After Dark here:
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