Husband and wife Martin Vaux, 40, and Eleanor Conlon, 37, research, write, record and release The Three Ravens Podcast from their home in Newick.
Launched in 2023, the podcast has just completed its sixth series, during which the pair completed their second lap around all 39 of England’s historic counties. During each episode, the couple take one county and discuss its history and folklore.
The couple met working at the same school – Martin as an English teacher and Eleanor working on costumes for the school play.
“She worked on wardrobes at Glyndebourne and trained at The Globe – I thought, this is a very impressive human being”, said Martin.
Eleanor also runs her own theatre company which takes productions based on Old English folk tales on tours around the country.
Eleanor grew up in Plumpton and Martin moved to Lewes from London.
After bonding over their shared love of writing, the couple got together and were living together by the time the pandemic struck.
“I wasn’t well during pandemic and thought, I could die at any time. I have to do the things I’ve dreamt about – and that was writing”, said Martin.
The Three Ravens podcast was launched in March 2023 and has been ranked Top 10 in Apple and iTunes UK Fiction Podcast Charts.
“It’s just crazy”, Martin said. “The Archers is in the top 10.”
The couple release three episodes a week during which they “explore each county’s heritage, legends, landscapes and traditional foodstuffs”.
“Each episodes contain retellings of traditional stories written and performed by us,” Martin said.
“From legends of mermaids and ghosts to the Devil and England’s half-forgotten heroes.
“We have taken inspiration but played with it and updated it into like a Roald Dahl Tales of the Unexpected type of story.”
Due to the podcast’s success, they were invited by The History Press to write a book based on their lap of the 39 historic counties.
Published on July 17, the book – The Three Ravens Folk Tales – contains 39 short stories based on folktales from the 39 historic counties and has already seen the pair compared to Roald Dahl, Terry Pratchett, Angela Carter, and M.R. James.
“We’re overjoyed with our listener base,” said Martin
“I graduated from my masters in January, we married in April and our book has now been published – it’s a really exciting time for us.”
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