Tony Robinson's Gods and Monsters: Witches

Tony Robinson's series explores the weird and wonderful history of witches. Before he became James I of England, James VI of Scotland nearly died in a terrible storm at sea - which he believed was caused by a spell cast by witches. Tony follows the story of a Scottish midwife called Agnes Sampson. Witches like Agnes were believed to be agents of the Devil. Their magical powers believed to be gifts of Satan: they could make people sick, cause crops to fail, or cause misfortunes. They were said to travel on broomsticks, made to fly by the application of a paste made from the crushed bones of dead babies. Tony investigates the process of arresting, and interrogating a suspected witch; and discovers how red-hot tongs, thumbscrews, sleep deprivation and stress-positions were all used to extract confessions