After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Episode: Henry VIII’s Murderous Reign

Date: November 6, 2025
Hosts: Anthony Delaney & Maddy Pelling
Guest: Gareth Russell (historian and author)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the darker side of Tudor history, focusing on the reign of Henry VIII and the devastating consequences of his rule. Hosts Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling are joined by Tudor historian Gareth Russell to examine whether Henry VIII was a product of his brutal era or something far more sinister. Together, they unpick the myths, explore the mechanics of royal violence, and provide insight into the personal and political casualties of Henry’s turbulent, bloody reign.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Enduring Allure of the Tudors (05:03–08:13)

• Why are the Tudors so compelling?
  • Gareth Russell explains the continued fascination, likening Tudor history to a “self-feeding machine,” driven by familiar names and big dramatic themes (“morality play” and “avatars for what you see in your life”).
  • Modern audiences relate to the Tudors through personality cults (the “six wives” as rival teams).
• Reality TV comparisons:
  • “If you could do a reality TV show, their confessionals straight to camera would have been absolute gold.” – Gareth Russell (06:46)
  • The court’s dramas resemble contemporary reality shows, full of alliances and backstabbing.
  • The appeal lies in both escapism and the perception of the era as the dawn of modernity.

2. Simplicity and Complexity of Tudor Power (08:36–09:37)

• The Tudor period is seen as “morally complex but politically simple,” making it accessible for audiences (“There’s not the same monarchical shorthand...if someone says Anne Boleyn or Henry VIII, people are like, yup, I know exactly what that rule looked like.” – Maddy Pelling, 08:57).
• Later centuries become harder to grasp due to complicated ideologies and party politics.

3. Henry’s Unexpected Rise—From Child of Peace to King of Blood (09:41–13:19)

• Background: Henry ascends the throne as a symbol of peace after the Wars of the Roses.
  • "He arrives ostensibly as Prince Charming." – Gareth Russell (11:24)
  • Uncontested succession, wealth, and physical attractiveness create high expectations.
• Early Signs of Violence:
  • First-year executions of Epsom and Dudley show “the propensity towards legally questionable savagery…from the get-go” (14:08).
  • Henry is shown to be “prickly, reactive, impulsive,” with a strong desire to protect and project his own reputation.

4. The Reformation – Religious Upheaval and Mass Violence (17:17–23:52)

• Reformation as Tipping Point:
  • For Russell, "the fall from the horse" is Henry's embrace of the Reformation, which sparks unprecedented levels of pushback and execution.
  • The policy begins as a conservative 'restoration', evolving into a violent break from the Catholic Church.
• Victims Beyond the Queens:
  • Early casualties: Carthusian monks, Thomas More, Cardinal Fisher—executed for their conscience (21:18).
  • Dissolution of the Monasteries: “an engine that no one was driving and it just gathered” (18:52).
• Brutality of Suppression:
  • Uprisings like the Pilgrimage of Grace and the Kildare Rebellion provoke new levels of savagery.
  • “When those big rebellions…rise up against him…Henry sends out genuinely unprecedented orders, which is kill the women and children as well.” – Gareth Russell (23:23)

5. The Court’s Reaction to Henry’s Violence (23:52–29:32)

• Obsequiousness and Fear:
  • Despite awareness of atrocities, the aristocracy rarely opposes Henry; obsequiousness is akin to existing in an abusive relationship.
  • “There’s something…about the way they live for his smiles and his charm and then they live in terror.” – Gareth Russell (31:27)
• Charisma and Stockholm Syndrome:
  • Henry's “charisma” helps explain continued loyalty (“most unquantifiable thing in history” – 29:32).
• Public View vs. Courtly Obedience:
  • Outside court, Henry was infamous and resented; inside, he inspired trembling obedience.

6. Henry’s Psychology: Charisma, Mediocre Intellect, and Abuse of Power (32:37–36:01)

• Henry is portrayed as charismatic but not as clever as contemporaries—“not stupid, but certainly not as intelligent as his son or his youngest daughter” (33:30).
• Weaponizes state apparatus; not technically a tyrant (works within Parliamentary bounds), but Parliament is unusually compliant.
• Deliberately chooses less intelligent, less threatening wives after Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn (35:21), as supported by his chilling words to Jane Seymour.

7. Henry as Transitional Figure—Last Medieval, First Modern? (37:45–39:39)

• The panel explores whether Henry is both the last medieval and first modern king (37:47).
• Henry embodies the “strong man” myth: “To make the omelet, you have to break a few eggs”—but the body count is never truly justified by the supposed results (39:18).

8. Targeted Brutality and the Psychology of Humiliation (40:44–46:29)

• Henry's punishments are marked not just by severity but by ritualized humiliation:
  • Execution of the Irish nobleman Silken Thomas and his uncles—supporters and opponents alike swept up to send a message (41:52).
  • “Henry’s a petty bitch.” – Maddy Pelling (41:51)
• Executions of wives and advisors (Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Cromwell):
  • For Henry, they represent threats to his pride or evidence of “narcissistic rage attacks” (43:21).
  • “There is a humiliation kink…I think that he has that pushes a lot of this stuff forward. So when you’re looking at those executions…it’s Henry smash.” – Gareth Russell (45:47)
• Vicious, unnecessary public degradation, e.g., the annulment of Anne of Cleves.

9. Assessing Henry’s Reign—Failure Beneath the Bloodshed (48:05–53:45)

• Henry debased the currency, left massive debts, and was an extravagant, incompetent king.
  • “Let’s acknowledge his incompetence as well, which doesn’t ever…there’s this idea that he was a brilliant king apart from the wife-murdering oops, which is just not the case.” – Gareth Russell (49:39)
• His policy failures extended to foreign affairs, relationships with Ireland and Scotland, and a navy that was “underfunded and overbuilt” (Mary Rose as metaphor).
• England’s bureaucratic resilience and people’s “innate small ‘C’ conservatism” saved the monarchy from collapse, not Henry’s strength.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "He spent his reign carving his will into the bodies of his realm...This is Henry VIII’s England, where killing passed as governance. And not even silence could grant you survival."
  – Anthony Delaney (02:06)
• "If you could do a reality TV show, their confessionals straight to camera would have been absolute gold."
  – Gareth Russell (06:46)
• "The propensity towards legally questionable savagery is there from the get-go."
  – Gareth Russell (14:08)
• "All of those ingredients that we’ve talked about are there. And I think at his core, he cannot handle disobedience or embarrassment."
  – Gareth Russell (17:35)
• "Henry sends out genuinely unprecedented orders, which is: kill the women and children as well."
  – Gareth Russell (23:23)
• "There is something in these people at court that they don’t break rank and they are aware that he’s not this myth that generates itself…"
  – Gareth Russell (30:20)
• "There is a humiliation kink I think that he has that pushes a lot of this stuff forward. So when you’re looking at those executions…it's Henry smash."
  – Gareth Russell (45:47)
• "There’s a lot of Henry Smash, not Henry Build."
  – Gareth Russell (52:23)
• "I don’t know where you would put him in the evil meter, but I certainly would not be putting him in the top 20 of the country’s best monarchs by a considerable margin."
  – Gareth Russell (53:42)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:03 – Why We Love the Tudors: Familiarity, drama, and modern relatability
• 09:41 – Henry VIII’s inheritance: The end of the Wars of the Roses to unrivaled kingship
• 14:08 – Early bloodshed: Epsom & Dudley executions
• 17:17 – The Reformation’s ground-level impact and wider casualties
• 23:23 – Brutality of rebellion suppression: Orders to "kill women and children"
• 29:32 – Why the aristocracy stayed loyal: charisma and control
• 35:21 – Henry’s choices of wives: avoiding being overshadowed
• 37:47 – Henry as transitional monarch: the last medieval, the first modern
• 41:51 – The execution and humiliation of Silken Thomas and others
• 45:47 – Humiliation as power: Anne of Cleves and the public degradation of enemies
• 49:39 – Henry’s incompetence and failures beyond body count
• 52:23 – "Henry smash, not Henry build" – summary of his legacy

Tone, Language, and Style

The episode teems with dark humor, historical insight, and lively banter. The hosts and Gareth Russell combine sharp critique with witty asides (“petty bitch”), seamlessly blending rigorous history with playful modern analogies (reality TV, Taylor Swift). The discussion is richly detailed but always accessible, making complex political and psychological dynamics both intelligible and gripping.

Conclusion

This After Dark episode demolishes the sanitized myth of Henry VIII as only the king who beheaded his wives, painting instead a picture of a ruler whose reign was marked by impulsivity, insecurity, and relentless, purposeless violence. Through insightful commentary and memorable examples, the hosts and Gareth Russell remind us of the body count, the trauma, and the chilling personality behind the familiar historical mask—leaving listeners to rethink the meaning of power, brutality, and legacy in Tudor England.