Episodios

  • Did Heaven’s Gate Really Predict the End?
    May 1 2025

    Nikki and Cheryl are back for Part 2 of this chilling deep dive into Heaven’s Gate. What really happened to Do, Ti, and their followers? Did Y2K cyberbullying push the cult to its doomsday end? What would a Heaven’s Gate TV show have looked like? And did they actually predict the end of the world? Nikki and Cheryl are about to find out.

    Got a theory? Been lost in a rabbit hole? We want to hear from YOU! Email queens@global.com to get in touch, or DM us @killerscultsqueens on Instagram. And follow Cheryl @cheryldragqueen and Nikki Druce @nikkimacabrelondon.

    Listen on Global Player for free. Download Global Player from the app store or go to globalplayer.com.

    If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, please consider contacting the following resources:

    The Samaritans helpline: 116 123

    Confidential Emotional Support Line: 01708 765200

    Hope Not Hate: 020 7952 118

    Exit UK: 0800 999 1945

    Safeline national male survivor helpline: 0808 800 5005

    Sexual Assault Support Line: 01708 765200

    Sane mental health line: 0300 304 7000

    Más Menos
    51 m
  • Was Heaven’s Gate the Deadliest UFO Cult in History?
    Apr 28 2025

    This week on Killers, Cults and Queens Nikki and Cheryl go back to their millennial roots to learn about the deadliest UFO cult in history. Who were the real figures behind Ti and Do? Were the cult members brainwashed, or willing participants? And what would become of Ti and Do's kingdom? Join us as we uncover the shocking truth behind this infamous mass suicide, the beliefs that led to it, and the dark legacy it left behind.

    Got a theory? Been lost in a rabbit hole? We want to hear from YOU! Email queens@global.com to get in touch, or DM us @killerscultsqueens on Instagram. And follow Cheryl @cheryldragqueen and Nikki Druce @nikkimacabrelondon.

    Listen on Global Player for free. Download Global Player from the app store or go to globalplayer.com.

    If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, please consider contacting the following resources:

    The Samaritans helpline: 116 123

    Confidential Emotional Support Line: 01708 765200

    Hope Not Hate: 020 7952 1181

    Exit UK: 0800 999 1945

    Safeline national male survivor helpline: 0808 800 5005

    Sexual Assault Support Line: 01708 765200

    Sane mental health line: 0300 304 7000

    Más Menos
    52 m
  • The Spooky Sleepover: Is the next Pope going to a Liverpudlian?!
    Apr 25 2025

    This week on The Spooky Sleepover, the special bonus episode of Killers, Cults and Queens, Nikki, Cheryl and the gang dive back into the dramatic downfall of Ruby Franke, Jodi Hildebrandt and the now-infamous YouTube channel 8 Passengers. But that’s not all! In Rabbit Holes of the Week, things get wild with a potentially catastrophic shipwreck lurking in the Thames, Lola Young’s rocky moment on the Coachella stage, and the question no one saw coming... could the next Pope be from Liverpool!?

    Got a theory? Been lost in a rabbit hole? We want to hear from YOU! Email queens@global.com to get in touch, or DM us @killerscultsqueens on Instagram. And follow Cheryl @cherydragqueen and Nikki Druce @nikkimacabrelondon.

    Listen on Global Player for free. Download Global Player from the app store or go to globalplayer.com.

    Más Menos
    30 m
  • Did Jodi Hildebrandt Brainwash Ruby Franke?
    Apr 24 2025

    Nikki and Cheryl are back to uncover the result of the toxic and manipulative relationship between Jodie Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke in part two of their double episode special of the downfall of 8 Passengers. How did a family vlogger become a criminal? Was Jodi Hildebrandt truly possessed by the devil? And will Ruby Franke ever be free? Nikki and Cheryl find out.

    Got a theory? Been lost in a rabbit hole? We want to hear from YOU! Email queens@global.com to get in touch, or DM us @killerscultsqueens on Instagram. And follow Cheryl @cheryldragqueen and Nikki Druce @nikkimacabrelondon.

    Listen on Global Player for free. Download Global Player from the app store or go to globalplayer.com.

    If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, please consider contacting the following resources:

    The Samaritans helpline: 116 123

    Confidential Emotional Support Line: 01708 765200

    Hope Not Hate: 020 7952 118

    Exit UK: 0800 999 1945

    Safeline national male survivor helpline: 0808 800 5005

    Sexual Assault Support Line: 01708 765200

    Sane mental health line: 0300 304 7000

    Más Menos
    50 m
  • Introducing: Vine: Six Seconds That Changed The World
    Apr 22 2025

    Launched in 2013 after an early buyout by Twitter, Vine quickly grew into one of the fastest growing platforms on the internet. The app created an entirely new category of online content: short, user-generated videos. It became the home of online creativity, birthed beloved memes and viral trends, and introduced a whole new generation of celebrity: the influencer. So, how did an app that was ten steps ahead die only three years after launch?

    Credits:

    Benedict Townsend - Host & Creator

    Mary Goodhart - Producer & Creator

    Kevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative Producer

    Patrick Lee - Sound Design & Score

    Chris Janes - Mix

    Lucy Chisholm Batten - Legal

    Sophie Snelling - Executive Producer

    Al Riddel - Head of Factual Podcasts

    Vicky Etchells - Director of Podcasts


    Archive acknowledgments:

    CBS Sunday Morning/'From 2005: Four young internet entrepreneurs'/CBS News

    Jawed Karim/‘Me at the zoo’/YouTube

    Channel 4 News Theme/‘Best Endeavours’/Alan Hawkshaw

    Channel 4 News/’A year of Vine: the six second videos rivalling Twitter and Instagram’

    The Fox News Channel Theme/‘The Five’

    FOX 5/’CEO Chris Dessi Discusses Vine on Fox 5’/Brayden Shanks/The Fox News Channel

    PacificRimVideoPress/’Vine Famous Jake Paul Interview about Getting Girls, High School, Fave Shoes & More!’

    Pop Trigger/’Breaking: Twitter Officially Shutting Down Vine’

    FOX 4 Now/’Twitter Kills Vine App’/The Fox News Channel

    Sky News/’TikTok to be banned in the US from Sunday, Supreme Court rules’

    BBC News/’Donald Trump’s inauguration set to take place’

    NBC News/’TikTok is back up again in the U.S. following a shutdown overnight’

    Mark Zuckerberg/’Mark Zuckerberg announces the end of Meta's fact-checking program in the United States’/Facebook


    Artwork acknowledgments:

    Cathleen Dovolis

    Brandon Moore

    B Bowen

    Nicholas Fraser

    James Morosky

    Ava Ryan

    Más Menos
    6 m
  • What really happened to Ruby Franke and 8 Passengers?
    Apr 21 2025

    This week Cheryl and Nikki head down the YouTube rabbit hole that is Ruby Franke and the downfall of 8 Passengers for part 1 of our 2 part series. How did a Mormon family vlogging channel go so wrong? What actually is Mormonism? And what did Jody Hildebrant's life coaching business Connexions have to do with it? Nikki and Cheryl are about to find out...

    Got a theory? Been lost in a rabbit hole? We want to hear from YOU! Email queens@global.com to get in touch, or DM us @killerscultsqueens on Instagram. And follow Cheryl @cheryldragqueen and Nikki Druce @nikkimacabrelondon.

    Listen on Global Player for free. Download Global Player from the app store or go to globalplayer.com.

    If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, please consider contacting the following resources:

    The Samaritans helpline: 116 123

    Confidential Emotional Support Line: 01708 765200

    Hope Not Hate: 020 7952 1181

    Exit UK: 0800 999 1945

    Safeline national male survivor helpline: 0808 800 5005

    Sexual Assault Support Line: 01708 765200

    Sane mental health line: 0300 304 7000

    Más Menos
    46 m
  • The Spooky Sleepover: How would you die in space?
    Apr 18 2025

    On this week's bonus episode of Killers, Cults and Queens, the team have one thing on their minds... women in STEM! After Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez went to space (with a small s), Alex treats the gang to a whirlwind tour of interplanetary death... nice! PLUS, Nikki and Cheryl hear your thoughts on the Donner-Reed Party disaster, investigate the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, the true origins of Fanta, and ask... what lengths would you go to to survive?

    Got a theory? Been lost in a rabbit hole? We want to hear from YOU! Email queens@global.com to get in touch, or DM us @killerscultsqueens on Instagram. And follow Cheryl @cherydragqueen and Nikki Druce @nikkimacabrelondon.

    Listen on Global Player for free. Download Global Player from the app store or go to globalplayer.com.

    Más Menos
    30 m
  • What made the Donner party turn to cannibalism?
    Apr 17 2025

    Nikki and Cheryl are back to continue the harrowing tale of the Donner Party! What unspeakable acts did the Forlorn Party endure to stay alive? Did James Reed survive his banishment, or did fate have other plans? And what led one man to consume four people in just three days? Tune in as Nikki and Cheryl unravel the chilling truth behind the survival of the fittest.

    Got a theory? Been lost in a rabbit hole? We want to hear from YOU! Email queens@global.com to get in touch, or DM us @killerscultsqueens on Instagram. And follow Cheryl @cheryldragqueen and Nikki Druce @nikkimacabrelondon.

    Listen on Global Player for free. Download Global Player from the app store or go to globalplayer.com.

    If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, please consider contacting the following resources:

    The Samaritans helpline: 116 123

    Confidential Emotional Support Line: 01708 765200

    Hope Not Hate: 020 7952 1181

    Exit UK: 0800 999 1945

    Safeline national male survivor helpline: 0808 800 5005

    Sexual Assault Support Line: 01708 765200

    Sane mental health line: 0300 304 7000

    Más Menos
    45 m
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