If you aren’t already listening to the wonders of The Creepy Wee Podcast, you’re in for a treat. Hosts, Liam and Rebecca, are the driving force behind the podcast, providing entertaining and informative Scottish culture deep-dives every other Wednesday.
From the Loch Ness Monster to the ghosts of Stirling Castle, the podcast covers all manner of topics to do with Scotland’s dark history and mythology. Each episode is filled with laughter and storytelling, making it the perfect place to start for someone interested in the topic of Scottish lore but unequipped to research it themselves.
When they’re not antagonising the ghost of Mary Queen of Scots, both hosts lead busy lives in different areas of Scotland.
Editor, producer and co-host, Rebecca, is a trained journalist currently working in the marketing industry. From the start, she knew she wanted to run her own podcast. According to their website, Rebecca got tired of waiting for someone else to start a spooky Scottish history podcast and so she and Liam decided to team up to create their own.
Rebecca told Brig: “Liam is from Inverness and I’m from Fife and we actually met in one of the most embarrassing ways… on Tumblr. We’ve stayed friends ever since and try to forget our past on that website.”
Liam is a co-host on The Creepy Wee Podcast and has both a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology and an MSc in medical bioscience.
When asked how the podcast started, Liam said: “We started this podcast in one of the most insufferable and predictable ways possible. We were at a party and were sharing obscure Scottish history facts and loved the sound of our own voices so much that we were like ‘we should start a podcast together’ and we did it. It was inspired by narcissism.
“My granny and mum would take me to Scottish heritage sites at a very young age and I lived right by Loch Ness so an interest in our culture and mythology has always been encouraged.”
Rebecca also developed an interest in Scottish history and lore in her early years. She said: “I don’t think a lot of people know Fife to be a really historical and spooky place, but I grew up in a small community where we were always sharing ghost stories and urban legends.
“My love of history does come from my nana though. We would drive by Loch Leven when I was wee, and she would tell me about Mary Queen of Scots and how she was imprisoned there; I would be dying to know more so she bought me lots of books about Scottish history.”
Topics discussed on The Creepy Wee Podcast include the lives of several Scottish royals, Kelpies, The Gorbals Vampire, Aleister Crowley and Scottish UFO sightings.
Rebecca told Brig: “If you listen to our show, you’ll know what I’m about to say. Mary, Queen of Scots is definitely the most fascinating story I’ve researched and written up. To see her as a political animal and flawed person instead of the captive queen who had her head chopped off was so eye-opening to me. I think she’ll stick with me for life, I love her story.”
A fascinating discussion of Mary Queen of Scots’ life and her ghost is spread over 4 episodes, with the most recent covering brand new information about the Queen, discovered in early February.
Liam’s favourite episode is The Gorbals Vampire. He said: “I really like the Gorbals Vampire because I like modern folklore and we always covered older stories; I love this story because it’s more contemporary. It’s a mass hysteria like the Satanic Panic that happened in this one area of Glasgow relatively recently, compared to the other moral panics we’ve covered like Witch Trials.”
Apart from the interesting topics, what makes this podcast special is the chemistry between both hosts, their humour throughout episodes and a clear shared passion. Rebecca and Liam are unapologetic in their opinions and identities. Both hosts are proud members of the LGBTQ+ community and strive to engage with their listeners regularly through social media.
Liam said: “The shows that larger production companies put out are obligated to produce hard journalism. Obviously, these are amazing shows but I think indie podcasts like ours have a chance to build community and be personalities. We’re able to be ourselves and we’ve interacted with our listeners from day one and it has really paid off. Both in terms of keeping listeners and also driving us to keep this show going because we know people are involved in the stories we tell.”
In 2016, Rebecca studied journalism in Fife. She stated: “I remember at my interview they asked me why I should be on the course and I think I banged on about podcasts and wanting one of my own for about ten minutes. The podcast Serial by Sarah Koenig was a groundbreaking podcast and really opened my eyes to how exciting journalism and storytelling could be.”
“The skills I gained in storytelling are what I studied journalism for, I knew it would help me write engaging scripts one day. My course also pushed me out of my comfort zone to air my voice worldwide.”
When asked for her advice to budding podcasters, Rebecca told Brig: “My main advice for podcasting is that no idea is too niche. If you and your friend want to do a silly little show about your shared interest, there will be people out there looking for that exact thing. I didn’t think so many people would want to listen to a Gen-Z take on Scottish folklore and history but here we are.”
The Creepy Wee Podcast brings with it the hope that, despite our generation’s never-ending development of trends and hobbies, traditional Scottish customs will survive. By adapting the age-old stories and myths that Scotland runs on into an engaging and easily digestible podcast, Liam and Rebecca have secured many a culturally significant tale into their listeners’ minds.
The hosts said, “people think that to be proud of being Scottish you have to have this kind of ‘shortbread tin’ ideal in your head. With the podcast, we’re able to show that a lot of our culture came from the working class telling stories and keeping themselves and their children safe. Scottish history is a lot more nuanced than kilts, ginger hair and bagpipes. It doesn’t just start with the Picts and end with Outlander. There’s so much more to share.”
The Creepy Wee Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple.
Featured Image Credit: The Creepy Wee Podcast
Journalism student at the University of Stirling. She/Her. Twitter & Instagram: @DeannaDawnn
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