History Daily: The Loch Ness Photograph

Summary

American History Tellers: Episode Summary – History Daily: The Loch Ness Photograph

Hosted by Lindsay Graham on Wondery

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1. Audie Mackay’s First Sighting (00:08)

The episode opens on April 14, 1933, in the serene Scottish Highlands near Inverness. Lindsay Graham narrates the tense moment when Audie Mackay witnesses a mysterious creature emerging from Loch Ness:

Audie Mackay (00:08): "Audie cries for her husband to stop the car. As the car screeches to a halt, Audie shouts for him to look at the lake and with a shaking hand, she points to a shape rising out of the lake's depths."

This encounter, characterized by waves "big enough to have been caused by a steamship," ignites Audie's decision to publish her experience in the Inverness Courier. Her account sparks widespread curiosity and sets the stage for the enduring legend of the Loch Ness Monster.

2. George Spicer’s Sighting and Public Frenzy (02:44 - 08:35)

Three months later, on July 22, 1933, George Spicer experiences his own unsettling sighting while driving near Loch Ness. Lindsay Graham recounts:

George Spicer (04:00): [Descriptive narrative of the sighting]

George's report, published on August 4, 1933, describes a "prehistoric abomination with a three-arched neck and a body four feet high." His detailed account amplifies public interest, leading to a surge of sightseers, media coverage, and even a reward from a circus eager to capture the beast. However, despite the influx of enthusiasts, concrete evidence remains elusive, with most sightings dismissed as hoaxes or optical illusions.

3. Marmaduke Wetherill’s Footprint Hoax (08:35 - 14:27)

By December 1933, Marmaduke Wetherill, an actor and big game hunter commissioned by the Daily Mail, seeks to provide undeniable evidence of the monster's existence. Lindsay Graham describes Wetherill’s investigatory efforts:

Lindsay Graham (08:35): [Narration of Wetherill’s search]

Wetherill discovers unusual footprints, which he confidently presents to the Daily Mail as proof of the Loch Ness Monster. The newspaper endorses his findings, but when the casts are analyzed by the Natural History Museum, they reveal the footprints belong to a hippopotamus. This revelation devastates Wetherill, leading to public ridicule and casting doubt on subsequent Loch Ness investigations. The episode highlights the fragile nature of reputation and the profound impact of misinformation.

4. The Surgeon’s Photograph and Its Enduring Controversy (02:44 - 15:55)

On April 21, 1934, the Daily Mail publishes what is hailed as irrefutable evidence: a photograph taken by Dr. Robert Wilson, a respected London surgeon. Lindsay Graham outlines the significance of this photograph:

Lindsay Graham (10:10): "The photo came to the Daily Mail from Dr. Robert Wilson, a highly respected London surgeon. Wilson claimed to have been driving along the northern shore of Loch Ness when he spotted something moving in the water."

This image, depicting a long, serpentine neck emerging from the lake, fuels theories that the creature might be a plesiosaur—a prehistoric marine reptile. The photograph becomes iconic, sustaining the monster's legend for decades. However, skepticism remains due to past hoaxes like Wetherill’s, ensuring that the debate over Loch Ness's elusive inhabitant continues.

5. Alistair Boyd’s Investigation and Revelation (15:55 - End)

Nearly six decades later, in 1993, Alistair Boyd, a retired art teacher and Loch Ness enthusiast, uncovers a pivotal piece of evidence questioning the authenticity of the surgeon’s photograph. Lindsay Graham details Boyd’s journey:

Alistair Boyd (15:55): [Reading Ian Wetherill’s claims]

Boyd discovers a 1975 interview with Ian Wetherill, Marmaduke's son, who admits that the famous photograph was part of an elaborate hoax designed to avenge his father’s ruined reputation. Boyd's investigation leads him to Christian Sperling, Ian's stepbrother, who confirms the fabrication involving a toy submarine and manipulated photography. Additionally, a family heirloom—a hippo foot ashtray—further corroborates the deceit.

Boyd's findings challenge the longstanding belief in the Loch Ness Monster, revealing the extent of media manipulation and personal vendettas that have shaped public perception. Despite this revelation, the episode underscores that the legend of Loch Ness remains resilient, captivating audiences and adventurous souls alike.

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Conclusion

"History Daily: The Loch Ness Photograph" intricately weaves the narrative of sightings, hoaxes, and enduring myths surrounding Loch Ness. Through detailed storytelling and compelling quotes, Lindsay Graham elucidates how historical events and personal ambitions intertwine to create one of America's most enduring legends. The episode not only explores the specific case of the surgeon’s photograph but also delves into the broader implications of belief, evidence, and the human fascination with the unknown.

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For more captivating historical narratives, listen to American History Tellers on the Wondery App or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Lindsey Graham]

It's April 14, 1933, in the Scottish Highlands, near the town of Inverness. Audie Mackay sits in the passenger seat as her husband drives along a quiet country road. Audie rolls down the window to let in the afternoon breeze, poking her head out to look in the dark water of the lake next to them. She begins to turn her head back to the road, but something catches her eye. A mysterious movement on the la. Audie looks across the water, which has been completely still until just seconds ago. Now she watches as it churns. She traces the waves back to their source and lets out a gasp. Audie cries for her husband to stop the car. As the car screeches to a halt, Audie shouts for him to look at the lake and with a shaking hand, she points to a shape rising out of the lake's depths. Audie's stomach sinks as she watches an enormous black whale like creature emerging from the water and then crashing back down below. Audie watches as waves big enough to have been caused by a steamship reverberate through the lake before disappearing in a mass of foam. Audie and her husband stare in shock as the lake grows still once more. They wait on the roadside for half an hour, but the creature never reappears. Audie's account of these events will soon be published by the Inverness Courier. Her story of a monster lurking in the depths of Loch Ness will send reporters and sightseers flocking to the lake in hopes of spotting the infamous Loch Ness monster for themselves. And as sightings continue, the legend of Loch Ness will continue to grow. But evidence of the creature's existence will be scarce until the newspaper the Daily Mail sparks an international sensation when it publishes an alleged photo of the Loch ness Monster on April 21, 1934.

[Unknown]

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[Lindsey Graham]

From Noiser and Airship, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is History. Daily history is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is April 21, 1934. The Loch Ness Photography it's the afternoon of July 22, 1933, near Loch Ness, three months after Audie Mackay's alleged sighting of a monster in the lake. A gentleman named George Spicer hums a tune as he drives down a hill toward Loch Ness. His wife in the passenger seat next to him, George turns on the road that runs alongside the lake, ready to begin the long drive back to their home in London. Between the trees, George catches glimpses of the glistening surface of Loch Ness. Staring at the inky water, George briefly wonders if the rumors around town of a mysterious monster are true. Though Audie Mackay's account of a creature in the lake sent shockwaves through the community, she was not the first to allege that a monster lurked in Loch Ness. Stories of a mysterious aquatic animal in the loch are rooted in Scottish folklore, with accounts dating back over a thousand years. But Audie's story reignited local fascination with the lake. But today, mythical monsters feels like an outlandish notion. To George, Loch Ness is just another beautiful Scottish lake to be enjoyed on a scenic drive during summer weather. But an exclamation from his wife interrupts his reverie. George what on earth is that? George turns his eyes back to the road. In the distance, George can make out a large gray lump stretching across the entire width of the road. He squints harder, and as he gets closer to the mysterious object, he realizes it's not an object at all. George slams on the brakes, his eyes glued on an animal, taking in its long, thin neck and enormous, limbless body. George watches as the creature jerks left and right, sliding across the road toward the lake. In a matter of seconds, the creature arrives at the water's edge, and George stares as the animal descends into the lake and out of sight. On August 4, 1933, George Spicer's account will be published by the Inverness Courier and soon picked up by major papers throughout the country. Spicer's story of a prehistoric abomination with a three arched neck and a body four feet high will spark a new level of public interest in the mysterious Loch Ness monster. London newspapers will send correspondence to the lake. Updates on the latest news from Loch Ness will frequently interrupt radio programs. And soon boats will fill the lake with outdoorsmen and Boy Scouts scouring the depths. Deck chairs will adorn the lake shores as sightseers wait for the monster to reappear. Traffic jams will fill the roadways A circus will even put up a reward for the beast's capture. But all evidence of a monster will remain anecdotal. It's December 1933, four months after George Spicer's monster sighting. Marmaduke Wetherill paces the lake's rocky shore intently looking out over the water and inspecting the ground beneath him for any evidence of the fabled Loch Ness Monster. In recent weeks, excitement over the beast has reached a fever pitch. Eager to capitalize on the moment, the Daily Mail commissioned Wetherell, a well known actor and big game hunter, to track down the creature. For the past several days, Wetherell has been at Loch Ness hunting for any evidence of the beast's existence. So far, he's come up empty handed. But today, Weatherill hopes that will change. Wetherell ventures farther from the water's edge, walking toward the grassy banks. As he does, something catches his eye. Just a few yards from where he stands, Wetherell sees an indentation in the ground. Wetherill approaches the strange pattern, careful not to step on what looks like a series of animal prints. Weatherill's heart soars as he inspects them. Closer to his experienced eye, the prints appear big enough to have come from a very powerful soft footed animal, 20ft long. WeTheRell follows the prints that lead him right to the water. He smiles, knowing that this is the evidence he's been looking for. Wetherill rushes to find a phone and report his discovery to the Daily Mail, which publishes Wetherell's report with the headline reading Monster of Loch Ness is not legend but a fact. Weatherill claims the prints are foolproof evidence of the Loch Ness Monster's existence. But at the Daily Mail's request, Wetherell agrees to send casts of the footprints to London's Natural History Museum for analysis. Wetherell waits in anticipation for the museum's conclusion. But when the results come in, Wetherell is devastated. The prints he so meticulously casted belonged to a hippopotamus. Obviously, Wetherill knows there's no hippo living in the loch. It's clear someone is pulling a prank. And indeed, the prints were man made, likely by a hippo foot converted into an umbrella stand or ashtray, a popular taxidermy choice of the day. Against Wetherill's wishes, the Daily Mail will publish the museum's findings, turning Wetherill into a subject of ridicule. And his misidentification will sully the investigation of the Loch Ness monster. Sightings will be viewed with skepticism and quickly dismissed. As hoaxes or optical illusions. Before long, Wetherell will return to London in disgrace and utterly humiliated. He will retreat from public view. But Wetherell won't give up his search for a Loch Ness monster. Instead, he will hatch a new plan and put into motion a plot to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster once and for all.

[Unknown]

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[Lindsey Graham]

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[Lindsey Graham]

Mobile.Com It's April 1934 in London, four months after the Daily Mail published the results of Wetherill's embarrassing mix up inside his living room. Wetherill and his two sons huddle around a toy submarine, but they're not playing a game. They're plotting the best way to make this Toyota look like the Loch Ness Monster. In a staged photograph, Wetherell stares at the small toy and smiles, reveling in the absurdity of his plan and the thrill of possible revenge. The hippo foot fiasco left an indelible stain upon Wetherill's reputation as a big game hunter. After the Daily Mail published his embarrassing mistake, Wetherill's resentment toward the publication grew into a thirst for revenge. Now the time has come for Weatherill to exact it. Weatherell watches as his son Ian begins layering wood over the toy submarine's tower. Slowly, Wetherell recognizes the shape of a neck beginning to take form. Wetherell nods approving before helping his stepson Christian attach strips of lead to the submarine's base. Wetherell finds a paintbrush and opens a can of gray paint, ready to put the finishing touches on their creation. Wetherell stands back to examine their handiwork and smiles at their 12 inch tall model of the fabled Loch Ness Monster. Wetherell turns to his sons and sneers. They want a monster. We'll give them their monster. Soon Wetherill returns to Loch Ness with his son Ian and their newly crafted creature. He finds a quiet bay and then lays the makeshift monster on its surface, making sure to include the scenery of Loch Ness in the background. Satisfied with its position, Wetherell sets up a camera and snaps a photo of the monster. Wetherill prepares to take another photo, but the sound of nearby footsteps deters him. Quickly, Weatherill sinks his model into the water and rushes back to his car. As he drives back to London, Wetherill ponders how to get his photo developed and out onto the front page of the Daily Mail. He knows he can't do it himself, not after the hippo foot fiasco. He needs someone else. Someone respectable and credible. It's the morning of April 21, 1934, at the Daily Mail's headquarters in London. At his desk, a reporter inspects the front page of the day's paper. Taking up most of the page is an image of a long serpent like neck jutting out of the water of a lake. Underneath a headline that screams London Surgeon's photo of the Monster. The reporter smiles, knowing sales will be good today. The photo came to the daily mail from Dr. Robert Wilson, a highly respected London surgeon. Wilson claimed to have been driving along the northern shore of Loch Ness when he spotted something moving in the water. With a camera luckily on hand, Wilson stops his car to snap a photo of the mysterious animal. The reporter picks up the paper again, closely inspecting the dark silhouette of the mysterious creature. He knows this photo corroborates the description of the monster given by the many alleged witnesses over the years. But after the hippofoot incident, doubt still lingers in his head. Still, the reporter knows they did their due diligence early this time. The Daily Mail already had Scottish experts examine the photograph yesterday. None believed the creature to be any marine animal or fish known to inhabit British waters. In fact, they couldn't even hazard a guess as to what the animal could be. Plus, Dr. Wilson, a respected surgeon, hardly seems like a man to be party to some elaborate hoax. Still, the reporter does not know the answer to the question in the story's does monster really exist? For many, the surgeon's photograph, as it will come to be known, is irrefutable evidence of the Loch Ness monstrous existence. The photo will even launch the popular theory that the creature in Loch Ness is actually a plesiosaur, a prehistoric marine reptile that has been extinct for over 65 million years. And for decades, the photo will be considered the best evidence of the Loch Ness Monster. But then, in 1994, 60 years after the photo's first publication, a man named Alistair Boyd will unveil the truth, revealing the photograph as nothing more than another hoax.

[Unknown]

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[Lindsey Graham]

In Essex county, almost 60 years after the Daily Mail first published the surgeon's photograph. On the couch in his living room, Alistair Boyd sits and examines an old, old newspaper clipping. Boyd begins to read the article, a little known 1975 interview with Marmaduke Wetherill's son, Ian. Soon, Boyd pauses in disbelief as he reads Ian's claim that the iconic surgeon's photograph was simply part of an elaborate plot to dupe the Daily Mail. Boyd is a retired art teacher, but has researched Loch Ness ever since he spotted a large animal in the lake 15 years ago. For years, Boyd has sought evidence to corroborate what he thinks he saw that day. And for years, the surgeon's photograph was the most convincing evidence that Boyd and others were not just imagining things. Though Ian's interview, rebutting the validity of the photograph, was released almost two decades prior, the article never gained much traction. But as Boyd reads and rereads Ian Wetherill's claims, he's struck by the feeling that the media missed a major story, that the famous photograph may indeed be fraudulent. Boyd decides to investigate further. Ian Wetherell is deceased. So Boyd tracks down Ian's stepbrother, Christian Sperling, and drives down to the south of England to meet him. Now 93 years old and near death, Christian confesses his stepdad's elaborate ploy to get revenge on the Daily Mail. And during their interview, Boyd makes one more discovery. A suspicious Wetherill family heirloom. An ashtray with a stuffed hippo foot at its base. Whether Marmaduke Wetherill made the prince at Loch Ness himself is unclear. But a few months after meeting with Christian Sperling, Boyd will reveal to the media that the surgeon's photograph was a hoax. But far from becoming one of the legend's biggest detractors, Alistair Boyd will remain a stalwart supporter of the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. And he will not be alone in his conviction. Marmaduke Wetherell's deception will not spell the end for the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. The mythology of the monster, as well as the hunt for its existence will endure captivating audiences long after the Daily Mail first captured the world's attention with its infamous photograph published on April 21, 1934. Next on History Daily, a April 22, 1993. While waiting for a bus, 18 year old Stephen Lawrence is murdered in a racially motivated attack that changes Britain forever. From noiser and airship, this is History Daily. Hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham. Audio editing and sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written and researched by Alexandra Curry Buckner. Executive producers are Steven Walters for Airship and Pascal Hughes from Noiser.

[Unknown]

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