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Rylan Clark teams up with anthropologist Professor Alice Roberts to investigate one of the darkest and most harrowing chapters in Essex’s history - the murder of hundreds of women accused of witchcraft. Each episode centres on a specific witch trial, with Rylan and Alice opening a cold case into the stories behind some of the women accused of witchcraft during the 16th and 17th centuries, many of whom were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. They visit the towns and villages in Essex where the women lived and died. Guided by original court documents and a team of historians, psychologists and medical experts, they explore these women’s lives, alleged crimes and trials.
Rylan and Alice reopen the 1566 Chelmsford Witch Trial, where Agnes Waterhouse, her daughter and sister face deadly accusations of witchcraft, spirits and dark magic.
Rylan and Alice investigate the 1582 St Osyth witch hunt, where a petty disagreement over money spirals into mass hysteria and death.
Rylan and Alice investigate 1645 Manningtree, where Witch Finder General Matthew Hopkins terrorises women with brutal Puritan zeal and torture.
