ShortHand: Alchemy
Turning lead into gold and living forever: that’s about the summation of our modern understanding of Alchemy. Informed by high-fantasy films and pop h...
ShortHand: Area 51
Alien autopsies, flying saucers, and top secret government programs: three things alleged to be hiding in ‘Area 51’. Officially known as Homey Airport...
Mexico's Cartel Wars: The Torture and Murder of Agent Kiki Camarena | #438
Amid the chaos now unfolding in Mexico after the February 2026 assassination of drug cartel boss El Mencho, we’re throwing it back to the 1985 torture...
ShortHand: The ‘Monuments Men’ Saving Art from Nazi Bombs
In the darkest hour of WWII, as bombs threatened Europe’s historic cities, a small unit was sent to the front lines – not to fight, but to save art hi...
ShortHand: Lake Nyos - Fog of Death
“On that day, there were no flies on the dead. The flies were dead too.” On the 21st of August 1986, 1746 people and 3500 livestock died in the Came...
The Suffolk Strangler: Ipswich's Red Light Killings | #437
In December 2006, the town of Ipswich was rocked by a spree of brutal murders targeting sex workers in its notorious red light area. But the story did...
ShortHand: Valentine’s Special (w/ Abi Clarke)
EmptyHanded is back! We’re joined by comedian Abi Clarke to discuss all things racy, risky and romantic – and read out some of the most scandalous lis...
ShortHand: The Bizarre History of Birth Control
Valentine's Day is the perfect time to dive into the surprising, and at times horrifying, history of contraception through the ages; from crocodile-du...
Brendan Banfield: The Au Pair Affair Murders | #436
When Brendan Banfield frantically called 911 in February 2023 to report a double murder at his million-dollar suburban home in Virginia, it seemed lik...
ShortHand: White Slaves & the Pirates of the Barbary Coast
For all the centuries of slavery throughout human history, you might think one group came through mostly unscathed: white Europeans. But for more than...