Jesus of Nazareth: Messiah, Emmanuel, King of Kings, and probably the most widely recognisable figure in human history. So why do so many people believe in the ultimate sacrilege: that he never even existed?

We take a look through all the evidence we have of a historical Jesus, bridge the gap between circumstance and scripture, and go on a journey to find the Gospel truth. This is the ShortHand.

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Sudden mental break or hunted by a pack of mysterious men? The disappearance of 28-year-old Lars Mittank has left authorities and armchair sleuths alike, dumbfounded. The only record of his last twenty-four hours being some mysterious calls with his mum suggesting he was being followed, and edited heavily CCTV footage showing him sprinting out of Varna Airport, hopping a fence, and running off into the woods, never to be seen again.

Why did Lars suddenly sprint away? Was he really being followed by some strange men? Where could he be now? Find out on this week’s episode of ShortHand!

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After Kouri Richins’ husband Eric died suddenly in what was ruled to be a tragic accidental overdose, the Utah mum bravely published a children’s book about grief to help their kids cope…

But just a month after appearing on local TV to promote it, Kouri was arrested and charged with murdering Eric herself.

So who is Kouri Richins? A grieving wife trying to rebuild her family’s life? Or a Black Widow who plotted to poison her husband for his money, so she could run off with her secret lover?

We’re reading between the lines of this sensational case: and it’s anything but a cosy bedtime story. 

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They said she'd mastered a Chinese sex technique that could "make a matchstick feel like a Havana cigar". Top Nazi Joachim Von Ribbentrop allegedly sent her 17 carnations for each night they slept together. After three botched facelifts, she became a bed-bound recluse scammed by her evil French lawyer.

Wallis Simpson – the woman King Edward VIII famously abdicated the crown for in 1936 – was no stranger to wild rumours: from exotic bedroom secrets to her not-so-secret love of fascism. But how much of the gossip was actually true? 

In this week's ShortHand, we're uncovering the real story of 'That Woman': the scandalous American divorcee who threatened to topple the British crown forever. 

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“The Kinsey Reports” – Alfred Kinsey’s 1950s studies into how people like to have sex, and with who – did a lot more than ruffle a few feathers. Even acknowledging that some of us like a bit of light biting or partner-swapping was enough to make headlines. The rest was enough to blow conservative America’s minds…

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In 2017, British glamour model Chloe Ayling went through a terrifying ordeal: abducted from a fake modelling shoot in Italy, held hostage for days by an obsessed stalker, and told she’d been put up for sale into sex slavery on the dark web…

Against all the odds, Chloe escaped – and lived to tell the tale. The only problem? No one believed her.

With headlines declaring her story a hoax and dismissing her as a fame-hungry wannabe, Chloe was only vindicated when her captors were convicted. But even now, the doubts still haven’t gone away.

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As long as a walking stick. A billiards cue. Thin as a nub of wax at the base, thick as a man’s fist at the tip.

These are just some of the eye-watering descriptions of what King Ferdinand VII – Spain’s worst ever king – was allegedly hiding beneath his britches...

This week, H&S are lifting the sheets of the royal bedroom to meet a king who wrecked an empire, traumatised his young brides, and left the Spanish court buzzing with scandal – all because of his deeply unfortunate anatomical affliction. 

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With great esoteric power, comes great esoteric responsibility.

Aleister Crowley was considered many things, a poet, an artist, a master of the dark arts, and a prophet of Thelma. But who was the man behind the mask? And how did he go from being a leading figure and social commentator to dying in relative obscurity?

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Bodies unearthed in the desert seemed like the final piece in the puzzle for McStay Family Murders. However, the four years that had passed left more questions than answers, and a whole lot of people with a whole lot in their pockets.

Despite all the mystery, Chase Merrit found himself firmly on the stand. Rightly or wrongly? Listen to find out.

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In October 1993, River Phoenix crashed out of Johnny Depp’s exclusive club, fell onto the pavement, and died. An hour earlier, the 23-year-old rising star had snorted a lethal combination of cocaine and heroin known as a ‘speedball’ in the toilets. As he staggered around the club, no one offered Phoenix anything more than a valium to "take the edge off”. 

How did Johnny Depp’s club become such a den of iniquity and excess? And more importantly, how did it survive after the death of Hollywood’s golden boy?

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The year was 1917, and revolution was in the air in Russia. After sustaining heavy losses in WW1, the fall of the House of Romanov seemed inevitable. And one night the Tsar, his wife, and their five children, were shot, stabbed, burned with acid, set on fire, blown up with grenades and buried deep in Koptyaki forest. 

But then, rumours began to circulate that there had been survivors of the massacre… And over the years, numerous women came forward claiming to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia. What follows is a story of “delusion, fabrication, sham, romance, burlesque, travesty and humbug”. Press play to solve the mystery.

Listen to our episode on Rasputin here

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