Best True Crime For Beginners Podcasts (2025)

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How the Tudors Had Fun by the Fire: Tudor Christmas Fun 6:14

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10h ago6:14

6:14

What did Tudor families do at Christmas once the feasting slowed, the music quietened, and the Yule log glowed on the hearth? They played games, and some of them are still incredibly fun today. Welcome to Day 4 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series! I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today we’re stepping into the warm, bustling world of Tud…

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A Light in the Dark: The Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier 1:34:11

1d ago1:34:11

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Two days before Christmas in 1996, French television producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier was found brutally murdered outside her remote holiday cottage in West Cork, Ireland. Her death shocked the quiet community and ignited an investigation that would span decades, crossing borders and dividing public opinion. In this episode, we unravel the chilli…

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Gifts Fit for a King or Queen: The Secret Politics of Tudor New Year Gifts 6:51

1d ago6:51

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Did you know the Tudors didn’t give gifts at Christmas? For them, New Year’s Day was the most political, strategic, and nerve-wracking day of the entire festive season; a glittering ritual where loyalty was displayed, and favour was won (or lost). Welcome to Day 3 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series. I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and tod…

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£13.5 Million Christmas? Inside Henry VIII’s Royal Feast 6:46

2d ago6:46

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Welcome to Day 2 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series! Today, we’re stepping into the smoky, bustling, gloriously extravagant royal kitchens of Henry VIII to uncover the unforgettable dishes served at a Tudor Christmas feast. While Advent was a month of fasting and restraint, everything changed the moment Midnight Mass ended on Christmas Day. And no…

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What Advent REALLY Meant in Tudor England 6:09

3d ago6:09

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Most of us think Advent means calendars, chocolate, and switching on the Christmas playlist… But for our medieval and Tudor ancestors, Advent meant something completely different. Welcome to Day 1 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series! Today we’re stepping into the medieval and Tudor world to explore what Advent really meant, and how it prepared peop…

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When England Apologised to the Pope 4:15

4d ago4:15

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On this day in Tudor history, 30 November 1554, England did something astonishing: Parliament itself asked to be forgiven for the kingdom’s break from Rome. This was the crucial first step toward the full reconciliation I covered in my 12 November 1555 video… but today was where it truly began. In this episode, I explore: ✦ Why England couldn’t sim…

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A Beginner’s Guide to Edward VI: The Boy-king Who Tried to Save the Reformation 8:36

5d ago8:36

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Who was Edward VI? To many, he’s the pale, serious boy in a fur-trimmed coat, a footnote between Henry VIII and Mary I. But in reality, Edward’s short reign reshaped England dramatically. In A Beginner’s Guide to Edward VI, I explore: - His sheltered childhood and intense education - The power struggle between Edward Seymour and John Dudley - The s…

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The Tudor Princess Who Changed Britain 5:42

6d ago5:42

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On this day in Tudor history, 28 November 1489, a princess was born at Westminster Palace whose life would be shaped by diplomacy, danger, and dynastic destiny. Her name was Margaret Tudor: daughter of Henry VII, sister of Henry VIII, Queen of Scots… and the woman whose descendants would one day unite the crowns of England and Scotland. Sent to Sco…

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Father of Jane Boleyn… and Henry VIII’s Scholar Courtier 4:36

7d ago4:36

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On this day in Tudor history, 27 November 1556, Henry Parker, 10th Baron Morley, died quietly at his estate in Essex. He was a nobleman, diplomat, scholar… and the father of the famous (and infamous) Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. Morley’s life spanned the rise of the Tudor dynasty, and he moved through it with skill: from a childhood in Lady Margaret…

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Special Crossover Episode - Her Name Was Sonya Ivanoff 51:17

8d ago51:17

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This episode was originally released on our sister podcast Vanished Voices, where we focus on under-reported cases and victims who too often go unheard — including Indigenous women, LGBTQ+ victims, and other marginalized communities. For crossover week, we’re sharing it here on the Crime Clueless feed so our listeners don’t miss this powerful story…

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The Tudor Survivor: The Life of Robert Radcliffe 3:36

8d ago3:36

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Not every Tudor courtier met a grisly end... Some outlived the danger, and shaped history doing so. On this day in 1542, Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex, died quietly after a life of high-stakes politics, military glory, and fierce loyalty to Henry VIII. From disgraced heir to trusted royal insider, Radcliffe navigated the Reformation, royal m…

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The Red Bull of Flodden 3:23

9d ago3:23

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On this day in history, 25 November 1467, Thomas Dacre was born; a man who rose from the turbulent Anglo-Scottish border to become one of Tudor England’s most influential northern magnates. Soldier, strategist, landowner, and power-broker… his story is far richer than the brief mentions he usually gets in the history books. From a dramatic marriage…

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The Disaster That Killed a King and Crowned a Baby 5:28

10d ago5:28

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On this day in Tudor history, 24 November 1542, England and Scotland met in one of the most chaotic and consequential clashes of the 16th century, the Battle of Solway Moss. I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today I’m taking you to the Anglo-Scottish border to explore how a feud between Henry VIII and his nephew James V of Scotland erupt…

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Ep. 8 Celeste Rivas Hernandez 10:04

10d ago10:04

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In this episode, we dive into the curious case surrounding rising artist d4vd, whose dark, cinematic sound suddenly found itself at the center of real-world controversy. What really happened behind the headlines? How did internet rumors, fan theories, and fragmented facts turn into a full-blown true-crime conversation? Join us as we unpack the time…

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A Beginner's Guide to Henry VIII - The Charming Prince Who Became a Tyrant 17:22

11d ago17:22

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We all think we know Henry VIII. A huge man in cloth of gold, hands on hips, staring down from a Holbein portrait. Six wives. Two beheaded. Monasteries destroyed. Rome defied. But the real Henry is far more complex — and far more frightening. In this Beginner’s Guide to Henry VIII, I take you from his birth in 1491 to his death in 1547, exploring t…

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The St Osyth Skeletons - Tudor Witch Panic, Betrayal… and a Child Witness - Tudor True Crime 7:16

12d ago7:16

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In 1921, builders in the quiet Essex village of St Osyth unearthed a chilling sight: Two female skeletons. Buried deliberately. With iron rivets hammered into their knees and elbows - a brutal, centuries-old method used to stop a witch from rising from the grave. For a hundred years, villagers have whispered the same names: Ursula Kemp. Elizabeth B…

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The Tudor Courtier You’ve Never Heard Of 4:00

13d ago4:00

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On this day in Tudor history, 21st November 1558, a devoted servant of both Queen Mary I and her husband, Philip of Spain, died tragically young. His name was James Bassett. I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s video, I uncover the remarkable story of this scholar, exile, courtier, diplomat, and loyal servant of a queen and a kin…

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The Tudor Knight Killed by a Frog?! 6:58

14d ago6:58

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The Bizarre Death of Sir Marmaduke Constable On this day in Tudor history, 20th November 1518, a seasoned soldier and loyal servant of four Tudor kings met one of the strangest deaths ever recorded: Sir Marmaduke Constable supposedly died after swallowing a frog or toad that had slipped into his drinking water. Yes… you read that correctly. I’m his…

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50 Stabs in Broad Daylight: Who Killed Penny Bell? 1:11:35

15d ago1:11:35

1:11:35

On a sunny morning in June 1991, Penny Bell left her beautiful home in Buckinghamshire and told the builders she was late for an appointment. She never came back. Just a couple of hours later, she was found brutally stabbed more than fifty times inside her powder blue Jaguar — parked in broad daylight, in a busy West London car park. No weapon foun…

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The Tudor Scholar Who Died Before Making History 6:43

15d ago6:43

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On this day in history, 19th November 1604, one of the most gifted churchmen of Elizabethan and early Jacobean England died - Richard Edes, Dean of Worcester, royal chaplain, poet, playwright, and one of the scholars appointed to help translate the King James Bible. Edes was only fifty years old when he died, and his death came just months after th…

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The Banker Who Tried to Overthrow Queen Elizabeth I 12:27

16d ago12:27

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The Ridolfi Plot Explained He wasn’t a soldier, a spy, or a nobleman, but a Florentine banker who nearly toppled a queen. In 1571, Roberto di Ridolfi masterminded one of the boldest conspiracies of Elizabeth I’s reign, a plan backed by the Pope, Philip II of Spain, and Mary, Queen of Scots. His goal? To invade England, overthrow Elizabeth, and rest…

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Elizabeth I’s Forgotten Festival 5:12

17d ago5:12

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How England Celebrated Accession Day Like a National Holiday Every year on 17th November, England erupted in bells, bonfires, and jousting tournaments, all to celebrate Queen Elizabeth I’s Accession Day. It wasn’t just royal pageantry, it was faith, theatre, and politics rolled into one. Knights broke lances before the Queen, the people burned effi…

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A Beginner's Guide to Henry VII 10:32

18d ago10:32

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A thin, cautious man stepped onto a Welsh beach in August 1485 with fewer soldiers than his enemy, and more to lose than anyone in England. Three weeks later, he had killed a king, married his rival’s niece, and founded a dynasty that still shapes Britain. He was Henry VII - quiet, calculating, and absolutely not boring. In this beginner’s guide, I…

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Did Mary, Queen of Scots’ Husband Kill Her Lover, or His Own? 8:12

19d ago8:12

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A jealous husband. A royal favourite. A queen held at gunpoint. On the night of 9 March 1566, David Rizzio, secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, was dragged from her side and stabbed over fifty times in Holyrood Palace, while the pregnant queen was forced to watch. But what really lay behind this shocking act? Was Rizzio Mary’s lover? Or was her husb…

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The Abbot Who Defied Henry VIII 6:08

20d ago6:08

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The Martyrdom of Hugh Faringdon On this day in Tudor history, 14 November 1539, a man of God was executed at the gate of his own abbey. His name was Hugh Faringdon, Abbot of Reading, a scholar, royal chaplain, and faithful servant of the Church, condemned as a traitor and hanged like a criminal. Join me as I tell the powerful and tragic story of Ab…

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Jane Seymour’s Final Journey 4:40

21d ago4:40

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On this day in Tudor history, 13 November 1537, England mourned its queen. Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife and the mother of Prince Edward, was laid to rest in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Her death twelve days after childbirth plunged court and kingdom into grief. Join me as I retrace Jane’s final journey from Hampton Court Palace, wh…

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The Most Baffling Case You’ve Never Heard Of: David Glenn Lewis 1:03:29

22d ago1:03:29

1:03:29

A respected attorney in Texas sets his VCR to record the Super Bowl… and vanishes. A day later, a John Doe is found dead over 1,600 miles away on a desolate Washington highway—no ID, no car, and dressed in clothes that weren’t his. For eleven years, no one connects the two. In this episode, we dive into the bizarre disappearance of David Glenn Lewi…

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When Mary I Turned Back the Clock 5:24

22d ago5:24

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On this day in Tudor history, 12 November 1555, Queen Mary I turned back the religious clock. Parliament passed the Second Statute of Repeal, restoring papal authority and reuniting England with the Catholic Church after more than twenty years of upheaval. I explore how Mary achieved what had once seemed impossible: Undoing her father Henry VIII’s …

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The Tudor Day of Feasting, Faith… and the Winter Kill 6:44

23d ago6:44

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Today, 11 November, is Martinmas, the Feast of Saint Martin of Tours.In Tudor England, it was far more than a saint’s day. It marked the great “winter slaughter”, when families across the realm, from manor to cottage, salted and cured their meat to survive the long months ahead. In this video, I explore the man behind the feast, St Martin, the Roma…

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He Dared to Betray the Queen 6:33

24d ago6:33

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He was handsome, daring, and utterly reckless, the man who stole the heart of England’s greatest queen in her final years, and then broke it. Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, was born on this day in 1565. He rose from ambitious courtier to Elizabeth I’s beloved favourite - charming, bold, and impossible to ignore. But his pride and defiance woul…

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A Beginner’s Guide to the Tudors 11:27

25d ago11:27

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Power. Passion. Intrigue. Revolution. The Tudors ruled England for just over a century, but they changed it forever. In this Beginner’s Guide to the Tudors, I explore how a Welsh courtier’s secret marriage to a queen created one of the most fascinating dynasties in history. From the scandalous rise of Henry VIII and his six wives, to the tragedy of…

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The Queen’s Hidden Child 8:06

26d ago8:06

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The Mystery of Arthur Dudley A secret heir to the English throne… or one of the cleverest impostors in Tudor history? In 1587, a young Englishman was captured by Spanish sailors off the coast of San Sebastián. He called himself Arthur Dudley, and claimed to be the illegitimate son of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Was he th…

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From the Tower’s Master to Its Prisoner 5:29

27d ago5:29

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On this day in Tudor history, 7th November 1565, Sir Edward Warner, soldier, courtier, Member of Parliament, and twice Lieutenant of the Tower of London, died at his Norfolk home. He was a man who lived at the heart of Tudor politics, serving four monarchs, guarding rebels and queens alike, and somehow surviving the shifting loyalties of an age whe…

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The Rose and the Lily 5:04

28d ago5:04

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On this day in Tudor history, 6th November 1514, the streets of Paris glittered with banners, music, and colour. Eighteen-year-old Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII, had been crowned Queen of France the day before… and now she was the radiant heart of a lavish royal procession. Imagine it: a fountain flowing with a lily and a rose, pageants of …

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Three Blocks From Home - The Night Lauren Spierer Vanished 1:23:45

29d ago1:23:45

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On the early morning of June 3, 2011, 20-year-old Indiana University student Lauren Spierer walked out of a friend’s apartment barefoot — leaving behind her phone, shoes, and purse — and vanished somewhere between College Avenue and her apartment just three blocks away. What followed was one of the most exhaustive missing person investigations in c…

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The Gunpowder Plot: How Guy Fawkes Nearly Blew Up Parliament and the King 6:27

29d ago6:27

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“Remember, remember the Fifth of November…” It’s one of the most famous rhymes in English history, but behind the fireworks and bonfires lies a night of terror, faith, and betrayal that almost changed the course of Britain forever. On 5th November 1605, guards discovered Guy Fawkes in the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster, surrounded by 36 …

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A Tudor Scholar’s Balancing Act 4:33

1M ago4:33

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On this day in Tudor history, 4th November 1551, theologian, royal chaplain, and scholar John Redman, the first Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, died of consumption. Redman was one of Tudor England’s most brilliant and balanced minds, a man who sought to reconcile faith, scholarship, and conscience in an age of division. Serving both Henry VII…

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The Brilliant Cambridge Scholar History Forgot 5:09

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On this day in Tudor history, 3rd November 1568, a remarkable mind was lost to the world of learning. Nicholas Carr, physician, classical scholar, and Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge, died after a lifetime devoted to scholarship and teaching. Though his name is rarely remembered today, Carr stood among the generation of Tudor humanists who k…

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The Mind Behind the Videos: An Interview with Claire Ridgway 56:05

1M ago56:05

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What inspired me to dedicate my life to Anne Boleyn and the Tudors? Why did I move to Spain? And yes — what do my tattoos mean? In this special behind-the-scenes interview, my husband Tim takes the interviewer’s seat and asks me questions submitted by our amazing YouTube members. From my early fascination with Tudor history to the unexpected journe…

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Did Henry VIII Really Sacrifice Jane Seymour? The Truth Behind the Caesarean Myth 9:20

1M ago9:20

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When Queen Jane Seymour gave birth to Prince Edward on 12th October 1537, and sadly died on 24th October. From celebrations to tragedy in just 12 days. For centuries, a dark rumour has followed this story: that Henry VIII ordered surgeons to cut Jane open to deliver their son, sacrificing his queen for an heir. It’s a tale that fits Henry’s reputat…

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What Halloween Was Really Like in Tudor England 5:21

1M ago5:21

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Forget pumpkins and plastic skeletons, in Tudor England, Halloween was sacred. On 31st October, All Hallows’ Eve marked the start of Hallowtide, a three-day festival blending pagan Samhain customs with Christian devotion: - All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) – ringing bells, lighting bonfires, wearing masks to ward off spirits, and “souling” for cakes to…

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Did Elizabeth I Have a Secret Baby? Roger Ascham’s 1566 Letter Examined 8:16

1M ago8:16

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On this day in Tudor history, 30th October 1566, Queen Elizabeth I’s former tutor, Roger Ascham, wrote her a long, heartfelt letter of praise and moral guidance. Centuries later, this same letter would be twisted into something sensational, supposed proof that Elizabeth secretly married Robert Dudley and bore a child… the future philosopher Francis…

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The Halloween Party Murder of Chelsea Bruck 1:09:51

1M ago1:09:51

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In October 2014, 22-year-old Chelsea Bruck put on her handmade Poison Ivy costume and headed to a massive Halloween party in rural Michigan. She never made it home. What started as a night of fun among hundreds of costumed guests ended with Chelsea vanishing into the dark — and a six-month search that gripped her community. In this episode, we unra…

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Mary, Queen of Scots: Martyr, Heroine… or Traitor? 6:55

1M ago6:55

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On this day in Tudor history, 29 October 1586, Parliament met to decide the fate of Mary, Queen of Scots, just days after she was found guilty of conspiring to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I. Their verdict was clear: the queen’s own cousin and fellow sovereign must die. But more than four centuries later, the question still burns: was Mary a martyr,…

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The Man Who Survived Them All: Sir John Gage and the Tudor Thrones 6:19

1M ago6:19

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On this day in Tudor history, 28 October 1479, a man was born who would rise to the highest offices of state, and somehow survive the reigns of four Tudor monarchs. I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and today I’m talking about Sir John Gage: soldier, administrator, and courtier to Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. Gage’s life was…

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The Bonfire That Helped Spread the English Bible 6:19

1M ago6:19

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Imagine trying to stop a book so hard… you end up funding its next edition. On this day, 27 October 1526, Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall ordered copies of William Tyndale’s English New Testament to be burned at St Paul’s Cathedral. The goal: to stop heresy and control what the people could read. But Tunstall’s crackdown had an unexpected twist. To destro…

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Did Henry VIII Cover Up a Violent Crime for Thomas Culpeper? 14:02

1M ago14:02

14:02

He was handsome, charming, and one of Henry VIII’s most trusted courtiers, until he fell from grace with Queen Catherine Howard. But whispers survive of a darker story: an accusation of violence, a royal pardon, and a crime that seemed to vanish from the record. Was Thomas Culpeper guilty of a shocking offence, and did Henry VIII himself protect hi…

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The Sound of Elizabethan England: In Conversation with Jane Moulder of PIVA – The Renaissance Collective 1:32:11

1M ago1:32:11

1:32:11

Step back into the sound world of Elizabethan England. In this exclusive interview, I talk to Jane Moulder, musician, researcher, instrument maker, and founding member of PIVA: The Renaissance Collective, about their stunning new album, The Faerie Round: Music from the Time of Elizabeth I. Together, we explore how Renaissance music was performed, w…

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Jane Seymour’s Death - A Deep Dive into the causes 13:30

1M ago13:30

13:30

When Jane Seymour gave birth to Henry VIII’s long-awaited son, England rejoiced. Bells rang, bonfires blazed, and Henry finally had his male heir. But just twelve days later, the joy turned to sorrow, Queen Jane Seymour was dead. For centuries, her death has been shrouded in confusion and myth. Some say she died after a Caesarean section. Others, c…

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The Human Cost of the Dissolution 6:28

1M ago6:28

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On this day in Tudor history, 23 October 1538, a frightened monk put pen to paper as the world he knew collapsed. Thomas Goldwell, prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, wrote a desperate letter to Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief adviser and the man overseeing the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Goldwell begged to keep his “poor lodging” for life,…