It's 1721, and London is abuzz with news of notorious pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, currently languishing in Newgate Prison. It’s the perfect time for debt-ridden journalist Nathaniel Mist to exploit the public appetite and ghost-write a sensational (and hopefully best-selling) history of pirates. But as the balladeers and gossips on the streets of London build myths around the blood-thirsty, perverse lady pirates, Mist is forced to reckon with the real Bonny & Read...

The Ballad of Anne & Mary is an audio-adventure in five parts, starring musical sensation Christina Bianco, comedian and singer Sooz Kempner, Hamilton star Karl Queensborough, cabaret legend Le Gateau Chocolat, and more.

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Researching for his book on piratical history, cash-strapped journalist Nathaniel Mist arrives at Newgate Prison to interview the two notorious survivors of the captured ship Revenge. He finds Mary Read delirious with fever, and Anne Bonny in no mood for smalltalk. What will he have to bargain in exchange for their stories? Featuring Christina Bianco as Anne Bonny, Sooz Kempner as Mary Read, Karl Queensborough as Nathaniel Mist, John Henry Falle as Jonathan Barnet, Carole Stennett as Bess the Ballad Singer, Dominic Brewer as John Bonny and the Gatekeeper, James Ducker as Turnkey Scratby, Laurence Owen as Daniel, William Cormac and additional voices, Lindsay Sharman as Barbara and additional voices, Colette Boushell as Anne’s Mother, Helen Fullerton as Mrs Cormac and additional voices. Further additional voices by Hayley Evenett and Ivan Wilkinson. Written by Lindsay Sharman. Directed by Lindsay Sharman and Laurence Owen. Music, Sound Design and Editing by Laurence Owen. Artwork by Rebecca Pitt. Sensitivity Reading by Ray Stoeve. Produced by Long Cat Media. Episode 2 is released on May 6th. For transcripts and additional info about this podcast and our other productions, visit http://www.longcatmedia.com/ (www.longcatmedia.com) You can support Laurence and Lindsay by buying them a coffee! Donate a one-off or monthly gift at http://www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia (www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia), and get exclusive bonus and behind the scenes content. Follow us @LongCatMedia on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and also @BalladAnneMary on Twitter. This podcast was supported by funding from Arts Council England, the UEA Enterprise Scheme, and our Ko-fi patrons.

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Previously: Journalist Nathaniel Mist arrives at Newgate Prison to interview Anne Bonny and Mary Read for the book he is co-writing with Jonathan Barnet, the privateer who captured the pirates' ship Revenge. Unexpectedly, Barnet decides not to visit the pirates, and the two agree to meet at King's Coffee House later that night. Mist discovers that Read is ill with a fever, so he turns his attention to Bonny. After much clashing, Bonny declares that she will only tell her story if Mist passes letters between her and Read. He reluctantly agrees. She begins with her early life - growing up a bastard child in a cruel house, and running away at an early age with her new husband John Bonny to the pirate stronghold Nassau. She also tells Mist of Read's time in the British army, where she went by 'Mark Read', and her ensuing love for fellow soldier, Daniel. In this episode: Their deal now struck, Anne Bonny tells Nathaniel Mist of her arrival in Nassau, where she leaves her double-crossing husband and joins Jack Rackham's crew. When raiding an English passenger ship, they take a new recruit: an enigmatic soldier who calls himself 'Mark Read'. Meanwhile, Mist finds himself trapped in another deal with Jonathan Barnet, who asks him to probe the pirates for details about Rackham's buried treasure. Featuring Christina Bianco as Anne Bonny, Sooz Kempner as Mary Read, Karl Queensborough as Nathaniel Mist, Le Gateau Chocolat as Capt Jack Rackham, John Henry Falle as Jonathan Barnet, Dominic Brewer as John Bonny and additional voices, Laurence Owen as Captain Graham, the Old Man, Wilkins, Daniel and additional voices, Madame Magenta as Moll King, Hayley Evenett as Bob, Helen Fullerton as the Landlady, and Ivan Wilkinson as Thomas and additional voices. Further additional voices by Lindsay Sharman. Produced by Long Cat Media. Episode 3 is released on May 13th. For transcripts and additional info about this podcast and our other productions, visit http://www.longcatmedia.com/ (www.longcatmedia.com) You can support Laurence and Lindsay by buying them a coffee! Donate a one-off or monthly gift at http://www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia (www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia), and get exclusive bonus and behind the scenes content. Follow us @LongCatMedia on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and also @BalladAnneMary on Twitter. This podcast was supported by funding from Arts Council England, the UEA Enterprise Scheme, and our Ko-fi patrons.

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Previously: Anne’s story continues with her arrival at Nassau, and her discovery that her new husband John Bonny is a government informant. She promptly leaves him, and enlists with Captain “Calico” Jack Rackham, who, she is amazed to discover, allows women in his crew. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Mist’s deal with pirate hunter Jonathan Barnet grows murkier, as Barnet insists Mist press the pirates into revealing the whereabouts of their buried treasure. Anne then tells Mist of how they captured an English ship, aboard which the soldier “Mark” Read was a passenger. Read outs the ship’s captain as a cruel tyrant, and asks to join the crew of the Revenge, along with young cabin boy Bob. But Mist is most surprised to learn that among Rackham's crew was none other than one Jonathan Barnet... In this episode: on the Revenge, the frosty-but-curious relationship between Anne & Read comes to a head as they battle it out in a fiery sparring match, Mist begins to reap the consequences of printing seditious letters in his newspaper, and Barnet incites a mutiny on the Revenge... Featuring Christina Bianco as Anne Bonny, Sooz Kempner as Mary Read, Karl Queensborough as Nathaniel Mist, Le Gateau Chocolat as Capt Jack Rackham, John Henry Falle as Jonathan Barnet, Carole Stennett as Bess the Ballad Singer, Laurence Owen as Dobbin, Turnkey Peters and additional voices, Hayley Evenett as Bob and Wren, James Ducker as Turnkey Scratby, Dominic Brewer as Fenwick, Ivan Wilkinson as Thomas and additional voices, and Boomer as the ship's cat, Captain Crackles. Further additional voices by Lindsay Sharman. Produced by Long Cat Media. Episode 4 is released on May 20th. For transcripts and additional info about this podcast and our other productions, visit http://www.longcatmedia.com/ (www.longcatmedia.com) You can support Laurence and Lindsay by buying them a coffee! Donate a one-off or monthly gift at http://www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia (www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia), and get exclusive bonus and behind the scenes content. Follow us @LongCatMedia on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and also @BalladAnneMary on Twitter. This podcast was supported by funding from Arts Council England, the UEA Enterprise Scheme, and our Ko-fi patrons.

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Previously: On board the Revenge, the frosty-but-curious relationship between Bonny and Read comes to a head, as they clear the air with a heated sparring match. Read decides to reveal that she was born Mary, not Mark. Meanwhile, some weeks have passed, and Nathaniel Mist is on good terms with the pirates. Read, who has rallied from fever, chastises Mist for endangering himself with his seditious newspaper, Mist’s Weekly Post, which he is using to publish inflammatory letters under the name Captain Charles Johnson. Suddenly, Turnkey Scratby, furious that Anne has stabbed a ‘punter’ with one of Mist’s pencils, demands that he leave Newgate. Mist refuses, and the Turnkeys knock him unconscious. In his dream, we flashback to the Revenge, where Barnet attempts to invoke a mutiny, but is beaten in a duel by Read and forced to flee the ship. In this episode: Bob comes to Mist in a dream, and shows him the capture of the Revenge, Barnet reveals his true colours, Mist finds help in an unlikely ally, and Anne hatches a plan... Featuring Christina Bianco as Anne Bonny, Sooz Kempner as Mary Read, Karl Queensborough as Nathaniel Mist, John Henry Falle as Jonathan Barnet, Carole Stennett as Bess the Ballad Singer, Laurence Owen as Dobbin, Turnkey Peters and additional voices, Hayley Evenett as Bob and Wren, James Ducker as Turnkey Scratby, Lindsay Sharman as Gin-Soaked Jenny and additional voices, Helen Fullerton as the Landlady, and Ivan Wilkinson as Turnkey Gregory. Further additional voices by Dominic Brewer. Produced by Long Cat Media. Episode 4 is released on May 27th. For transcripts and additional info about this podcast and our other productions, visit http://www.longcatmedia.com/ (www.longcatmedia.com) You can support Laurence and Lindsay by buying them a coffee! Donate a one-off or monthly gift at http://www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia (www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia), and get exclusive bonus and behind the scenes content. Follow us @LongCatMedia on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and also @BalladAnneMary on Twitter. This podcast was supported by funding from Arts Council England, the UEA Enterprise Scheme, and our Ko-fi patrons.

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Previously: Bob appears to Mist in a dream, and shows him the capture of The Revenge by pirate-turned-privateer Jonathan Barnet. Anne and Read fight to the last, Bob is shot in battle, and dies in Mist’s arms. Mist then awakes, incarcerated in Barnet’s house, where a raging Barnet tells him that he is planning to torture Anne and Read for the location of Rackham’s treasure - but, Scratby insists, only after 4 o’clock tomorrow, as the pirates are scheduled to be visited by a high-paying baroness. Barnet then makes Mist a fugitive by exposing treasonous documents collected from his lodgings. Mist is then rescued from captivity by Bess, who helps him escape through Barnet’s window, and hides him at her gaff. Meanwhile, Anne hoodwinks a well-meaning turnkey into delivering a coded letter to Mist that outlines her plan to escape Newgate, with Read at her side... In this episode: It’s prison break time, you slubberdegullions. Featuring Christina Bianco as Anne Bonny, Sooz Kempner as Mary Read, Karl Queensborough as Nathaniel Mist, John Henry Falle as Jonathan Barnet, Carole Stennett as Bess the Ballad Singer, Laurence Owen as Pippin, the Musician, the MP, Turnkey Peters and additional voices, Hayley Evenett as Bob and Henrietta, James Ducker as Turnkey Scratby, Lindsay Sharman as the Baroness, the Midwife and additional voices, and Ivan Wilkinson as Turnkey Gregory. Further additional voices by Dominic Brewer and Helen Fullerton. Produced by Long Cat Media. Artwork by Rebecca Pitt. Sensitivity Reading by Ray Stoeve. Episode 4 is released on May 27th. For transcripts and additional info about this podcast and our other productions, visit http://www.longcatmedia.com/ (www.longcatmedia.com) - You can buy The Ballad of Anne & Mary Songbook Programme here! You can support Laurence and Lindsay by buying them a coffee! Donate a one-off or monthly gift at http://www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia (www.ko-fi.com/longcatmedia), and get exclusive bonus and behind the scenes content. You can also buy The Ballad of Anne & Mary Songbook Programme here as well! Follow us @LongCatMedia on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and also @BalladAnneMary on Twitter. This podcast was supported by funding from Arts Council England, the UEA Enterprise Scheme, and our Ko-fi patrons.

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Subscribe to Magenta Presents on your podcast player of choice!

Hey folks, Laurence here...

And today we are so excited to introduce OUR new show.

We have a new podcast that's just started, it's called MAGENTA PRESENTS.

It's a horror anthology series, in the tradition of classic anthology shows like Tales From The Crypt and Elvira, in which Madame Magenta is your horror hostess and guide to the unnatural and the bizarre.

And the first story in Magenta Presents is a five-episode miniseries called GHOSTED.

A full audio drama, written and directed by Lindsay, with music and sound design by me, and starring Beth Eyre and Lucy Roslyn in the main roles.

Perched on a rain-battered cliff edge is a former lighthouse; now a charming, boutique hotel. Owner and sole occupant Beth has spent months renovating, absorbing its essence into her bones, preparing for her first guest to arrive. But when they do, to Beth's horror, it is a figure from a past she has tried to forget. Keira. Face-to-face for the first time in years, the pair must reckon with old mistakes, old grievances. And something else, besides. Because the lighthouse has a past too.

We're going to play you the first episode now, and you can hear the next episode by subscribing to Magenta Presents wherever you get podcasts, you can also go to www.longcatmedia.com, or you can tap the link in the show notes of this episode.

And now we really hope you enjoy GHOSTED, episode 1.

www.longcatmedia.com

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Hello, Laurence & Lindsay here. We've got a big problem, and we need your help.

If you're listening to this on Spotify, we're asking you to stop, and switch to another podcast player.

As I'm sure most of you know, there's plenty of evidence that Spotify is a terrible company with a long history of exploiting and underpaying artists, but that's only part of why it's so bad.

It's been reported that Spotify's CEO, Daniel Ek, has recently invested millions of Euros of your subscription fees in an AI weaponry company called Helsing. This company has developed an automated target identification system, with the option to keep a human in the loop. In other words, it's machines selecting which humans to kill on the battlefield.

It's also been reported Spotify donated $150,000 to the Trump campaign, and it's recently been running ICE recruitment ads. It is a powerful force for bad.

So here's our problem. Almost half of our total listenership comes from Spotify, and the adverts that we run are how we make our money. If we just pulled our podcasts straight away, that would be a huge financial blow for us.

So we would like to urge you to listen elsewhere, on another podcast player. Lots of people recommend one called Pocket Casts, we've also heard good things about Podcast Addict. In the last month, we've had downloads from about 50 different podcast players, so there are plenty of alternatives.

We've going to take our podcasts off Spotify as soon as it becomes clear that there is a real movement to cancel Spotify subscriptions and move to other platforms, and that movement is growing.

For you, thankfully, this doesn't cost anything. Podcasts are, and will always be, free to listen to on any platform. Like we said, a lot of people seem to like Pocket Casts, and as far as we know, they're not evil. There are also a ton of others to choose from - all very accessible, and all free.

If you've ever enjoyed our podcasts, or you're about to discover them, thank you so much for listening. Let's try and do the right thing.

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