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Welcome to Story Hotline, a bi-weekly phone call between two friends on opposite sides of the world. Each week, Tina Victoria Afshar and Ella Mumby dive into a story and share it with our listeners. From far off history to stories of everyday people, there’s a bit of everything. Join our phone calls each week and follow us on Instagram @storyhotlinepodcast
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Atlantis: Lost City or Exaggerated Legend?
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Thousands of years ago the advanced city of Atlantis sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Or did it? Often heralded as a conspiracy theory or mystery, in this episode we’re going 10,000 leagues under the sea to work out the truth of Atlantis. If you enjoy this episode be sure to let us know on Instagram – we are @storyhotlinepodcast…
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Ask someone to name a conspiracy theory and MOST LIKELY they’ll say the Illuminati. But guess what?! It’s more fact than fiction! In this episode we dive into the surprising origins of the exclusive club that (allegedly) rules the world. Plus we dial in a special guest who has a DIRECT CONNECTION to the Illuminati’s rivals… the Free Masons. Get out…
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At the height of his career, Tupac Shakur was only 25 when he was murdered in a Vegas drive-by shooting. And, in the 25 years since his death, people have been left reeling, questioning who, what why... and if he could secretly still be alive on a beach somewhere? We're diving into it all in this episode. Use these chapter markers if you want to ju…
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Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama, oooo I wanna take you… well, not to the Bermuda Triangle because that’s where hundreds of people have vanished without a trace. In this episode we’re delving headfirst into the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle… who, what, why and HOW has this 500,000 sqm space of sea cemented itself as one of the eeriest areas…
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Hop in the time machine baby, we're taking a trip to take a gander at the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. What mysteries will they all contain? Time will tell... (almost 4,000 years of time, to be exact). In this episode we cover what the wonders actually are, why they're so special and who came up with the list. All before diving into a myster…
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You've heard her name, you heard stories of her appearance... but is Nessie really real? In this episode we're diving into a tale of Jurassic proportions... it's all about the Loch Ness Monster, baby! Plus it's two mysteries for the price of one as we tackle both a questionable photograph and scientific explanation. So settle in as we take you to t…
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The Lizard People Conspiracy Theory
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You know that dead look in the eyes people in power have?.... Is that because they're not people but actually lizard overlords feeding off your negative emotions? According to a rising group of people, YES that's exactly why! In this episode we delve into one of the most delusional, *ahem*, popular conspiracy theorists about the state of power in o…
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Everyone knows the earth is round, right? Wrong! There's a growing movement that believes that we're not living on a spinning orb, but a flat disc with a.... well, you're just going to have to listen to find out the rest. We get stuck into the origins of the Flat Earth theory, and put on our scientist hats to explain exactly why this conspiracy the…
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It's 1959 in the Russian mountains, temperatures are below -25º celsius and nine hikers haven't returned from their expedition. Fearing the worst, the government is called in to form a search party. What they find marks the start of a 60 year mystery... what really happened to Dyatlov's expedition in the Ural mountains? This story has icy twists an…
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Scientology Part 2: Disappearance of The High Priestess... Where is Shelly Miscavige?
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In August 2007, Shelly Miscavige was last seen in public while heavily escorted. It's been 14 years and she hasn't been seen or heard from since (allegedly lol). What happened to the woman once so powerful she was dubbed the 'First Lady of Scientology'? In a church full of mysteries, Shelly's disappearance may be the most puzzling. What happened? W…
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Birds Aren't Real – The Story Behind Tik Tok's Favourite Conspiracy Theory
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In the 1960s the US government carried out the mass extermination of every bird in North America and replaced them with surveillance drones... or so the Birds Aren't Real movement would have you believe. In this episode we're diving into this conspiracy theory that found its wings on Tik Tok. This whacky story has ties to Trump, the Vietnam war and…
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Scientology Part 1: Operation Snow White – A Criminal Conspiracy of the Highest Order
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Remember that time the Church of Scientology infiltrated the FBI and IRS to steal classified documents?... No? Well, have we got the story for you! In our first episode of season two we're delving into the criminal conspiracy that was Operation Snow White. Just like the fairytale there's twists, turns, hidden agendas and seven dwarves. Wait, no, th…
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A Christmas Carol & Santa Around the World – Holiday Bonus Episode
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OMG WAKE UP, SANTA'S BEEN! Well by 'Santa' we mean Tina and Ella, by 'been' we mean have released a super duper special bonus episode. As our Christmas present to YOU we wanted to share some festive stories. Tina retells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, and Ella shares names for Santa Claus around the world. Whether you're listening while the turkey c…
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Season One Wrap Up: Endings and New Beginnings
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To celebrate an incredible debut season, we're revisiting all of our stories, baby! In this super-special-bumper episode, we cover new developments (like what the hell is happening with Britney Spears), funnies relevant to the stories (like 100 tampons in space), answer your questions (what's it even like making a podcast?) and much, much more. Whe…
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In 1981 a riot broke out in South London between police and the locals – most of them black people who had been maligned for years at the hands of police and systematic racism. These clashes were so monumental that they were dubbed The Brixton Uprising. But what caused the events? How did locals respond and what was the aftermath? In this episode w…
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British Gang Culture and the Peaky Blinders
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A blindingly handsome gang of boys from the 1890s trying to get control of Birmingham... have we peaky-ed your interest? This episode is all about the REAL people the show Peaky Blinders is based on. Whether you're a Thomas Shelby stan like Tina, or a Sam Neil novice like Ella, you're sure to LOVE this episode. We cover the history of gangs in Engl…
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Every fifth of November, people across the UK light fireworks, create bonfires and burn effigies of a 400-year-old man. But why??? Well, brew a cup of coffee, plug us into your ears and we'll tell you! It all revolves around an assassination attempt, religious persecution and a King that was supposed to see both sides of the argument. Whether you k…
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Let's talk about online sex work, baby!!! Why did a former Disney star turn to a multi-million dollar website to sell semi-naked photos of herself? And what impact did it have on sex workers who rely on the platform to make money? For this episode we call in the wonderful sex worker Jessica, who gives us the full low-down on everything we need to k…
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Double, double toil and trouble it's a SPOOKY HALLOWEEN SPECIAL from our Covid bubble 🧙♀️ Delve into the darkness of The Salem Witch Trials with us as we learn how history is scarier than our imagination. You'll be SPOOKED when you hear about the cake eaten to ward of witches, how the accused tried to defend themselves and the barbaric Book of Sat…
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*Bring bring*... the Hotline has a caller! Grandma Joan is on the line to tell us all about The Irish Troubles and her experience growing up in Belfast. We learn how the English tried (and kind of successfully) used religion to drive a wedge between the Irish population during a time of civil unrest. We ALSO learn how Grandma crossed the Irish boar…
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20 years ago she won the Olympic race that cemented her forever as one of Australia's national heroes... She's Cathy Freeman! *the crowd goes wild* In this episode we're travelling back in time to the turn of the millennium to explore how Cathy became the icon she is today. Our story contains blood, sweat and tears, and a little bit of flimsy math …
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Oh baby baby... how did one of the biggest pop stars of all time end up under the control of her father? And what does a conservatorship really mean for Britney Spears? In this Episode of Story Hotline, Tina and Ella discuss how #FreeBritney isn’t a conspiracy theory. It’s a disability rights issue and we need to pay attention to what’s happening s…
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She fought discrimination for over 60 years, almost 30 of those as a Supreme Court Justice. She was the Notorious RBG. In this episode, recorded a week before Ruth Bader Ginsburg's sad passing, Tina and Ella discuss what a force RBG was in the fight for equality. We cover formative advice from her mother, how she navigated a 99% male law school, ho…
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For 28 years the Berlin Wall separated East and West Germany. As suddenly as the wall went up overnight in 1961, the iron symbol of the Cold War came crumbling down in one evening almost three decades later. But wait. WHY did it go up? And HOW did it come down? In this episode of Story Hotline, Ella and Tina discuss the events that led to the wall …
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Is she really a witch that broke up The Beatles, or is it actually a little more complicated than that? In this episode of Story Hotline, Tina takes Ella down Penny (and memory) Lane to discover what really went on between Yoko Ono and the Beatles, and who Yoko was before she became ‘Mrs. Lennon’ (you’ll be shocked!). Plus, we also talk about what …
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Did you know that the chances of a pirate dying of natural causes is 1 in 96,294? Okay, that statistic is made up, but this story of Ching Shih the Fierce Pirate is 100% true! In this episode of Story Hotline, Ella tells Tina all about one of the most prolific pirates of all time. Ching Shih lived in the 19th century and commanded a fleet of around…
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Determined to prove that numbers aren’t unlucky, NASA launch their 13th space mission to the moon at 13:13. But instead of proving a point, it all goes terribly wrong. In this episode of Story Hotline, Tina takes Ella through one of history’s most successful failures – Apollo 13. Listen on to find out about the six terrifying and uncertain days tha…
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Before Tik Tok and Instagram Reels there was Vine, a multi-million-dollar app which was taking over the world… until it wasn’t. In this episode of Story Hotline, Ella tells Tina how the video-sharing platform went from leading the industry to losing its creators and viewers. How did it go so terribly wrong and what can other social media apps learn…
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Want to listen in on a phone call and hear an interesting story? This is the podcast for you! Welcome to Story Hotline, a weekly phone call between two friends on opposite sides of the world. Listen to our trailer to find out who we are and what our theme for the season is going to be. Plus, don’t forget to follow us on instagram to join the conver…
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