In Of Verse and Veil, we turn our gaze back to London’s fog‑laden streets, where wit, skepticism, and deduction converge in a city alive with secrets. Oscar Wilde, Harry Houdini, and Arthur Conan Doyle find themselves drawn into a world where art, illusion, and belief collide — and where the line between performance and perception grows dangerously thin. At the heart of it all stands Dr. Joseph Bell, a man whose piercing observations reveal truths others would rather leave hidden.

This episode explores the tension between narrative and evidence, the allure of the occult, and the fragile power of reputation in a city that thrives on spectacle. It’s a story of masks and mirrors, of verse and ritual, and of the unsettling ways belief can shape reality.

The Midnight Dispatch is a historical fiction anthology podcast blending real people, places and events with the strange and supernatural. Season 1 reimagines the Jack the Ripper murders through the eyes of famous figures who may be more than they seem.

Written and produced by Joe Ferguson.

Send your theories, questions and comments to: themidnightdispatch@gmail.com