Secret North Yorkshire

Explore fascinating stories from North Yorkshire.

Radio York,92 episodes

Episodes

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The story of Ripon's ancient hornblower ritual
Antony Collins investigates a Yorkshire tradition that dates back over 1,100 years.
31 May 2026,5 mins
Why Clifford's Tower sits on a mound of Roman bones
Hannah Sackville-Bryant investigates the secrets of a York landmark.
17 May 2026,6 mins
Charles Laughton: Scarborough’s Oscar winner
The story of Charles Laughton, from Scarborough beginnings to screen legend.
10 May 2026,4 mins
The mysterious history of York's cat obsession
Hannah Sackville-Bryant investigates the history of York's many cat sculptures.
26 Apr 2026,5 mins
The medieval scroll that was found in a shoebox
Elly Fiorentini sees the Arma Christi scroll at the Bar Convent in York.
19 Apr 2026,7 mins
The gruesome execution site where Dick Turpin died
Hannah Sackville-Bryant investigates the grizzly history of York Tyburn.
12 Apr 2026,8 mins,
Meet the York time lords
Discover the hidden team winding York’s turret clocks every week.
29 Mar 2026,6 mins
The inspiration behind Yorkshire’s ‘Secret Garden’
Seb Cheer investigates the North Yorkshire links behind the famous story.
22 Mar 2026,7 mins
Why is Robin Hood's Bay named after Robin Hood?
Bek Homer finds out why a seaside town is associated with the story of Robin Hood.
15 Mar 2026,6 mins
Who carved a tiny chapel in a Knaresborough cliff?
Freya Cox explores The Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag.
08 Mar 2026,6 mins
Gormire: A bottomless lake or a gateway to hell?
Jericho Keys investigates the fact and fiction surrounding Gormire Lake.
22 Feb 2026,5 mins
The York butcher’s wife who died for hiding priests
Elly Fiorentini hears the story of St Margaret Clitherow.
15 Feb 2026,6 mins
How York's Jewish past has shaped the city
Fiona Callow takes a tour of significant sites in York's complex Jewish history.
08 Feb 2026,5 mins
The medieval abbey that was once a hidden paradise
Hannah Sackville-Bryant investigates the secrets of Byland Abbey.
01 Feb 2026,6 mins
How a cast iron cod's raised money since the 1800s
Bek Homer hears the story of Robin Hood's Bay's RNLI fish.
25 Jan 2026,5 mins
Crackpot and Blubberhouses: Odd names explained
Antony Collins investigates the stories behind North Yorkshire's strangest place names.
18 Jan 2026,6 mins
The story of Knaresborough's blind road builder
Freya Cox looks into the story of pioneering civil engineer John Metcalf.
11 Jan 2026,7 mins
The Thirsk man who gave cricket a home
The story of Thomas Lord. His dream built the stage for cricket’s greatest moments.
04 Jan 2026,4 mins
How Yorkshire inspired Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Antony Collins finds out how Charles Dickens took inspiration from Malton.
21 Dec 2025,6 mins
Why is there a dead cat at the Mansion House?
Fiona Callow looks into a magical story inside a York landmark.
14 Dec 2025,4 mins
When a future Queen lived in a Yorkshire castle
Hannah Sackville-Bryant explores Catherine Parr's links to Danby Castle.
07 Dec 2025,7 mins
How unpaid ransom money built a Yorkshire church
Jack Hadaway-Weller investigates the tragic origins of a church near Ripon.
30 Nov 2025,7 mins
From a family project to world's 'strangest place'
Freya Cox explores Forbidden Corner in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
23 Nov 2025,5 mins
The religious rivalry behind the Bar Convent clock
Elly Fiorentini visits York's Bar Convent.
16 Nov 2025,7 mins
A brief history of North Yorkshire's music venues
Declan Vink looks into the history of music venues in York and North Yorkshire
04 Nov 2025,7 mins
Why the 'screaming tunnel' gives people the creeps
Jericho Keys finds out why a tunnel in Whitby is the subject of local superstitions.
02 Nov 2025,6 mins
The ghosts of Byland Abbey
Discover Byland Abbey’s chilling ghost tales from 15th-century Yorkshire.
26 Oct 2025,5 mins
Secret Railways
How York's railway journey began
Hannah Sackville-Bryant hears the story of York's first railway stations.
19 Oct 2025,5 mins
Secret Railways
Sitting on the world's longest railway bench
Bek Homer discovers something special about Scarborough railway station.
21 Sep 2025,5 mins
Secret Railways
Inside York's love affair with Flying Scotsman
Elly Fiorentini looks at the locomotive's history and how it came to make York its home.
11 May 2025,7 mins