'I'm fascinated WITH WITCHES'

Rylan Clark talks about his new deep dive into the dark history of Essex

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October is spooky season, filled with witches, pumpkins and dark nights. And thrust into the mix this year is Rylan Clark, who is fronting a new show with Professor Alice Roberts that looks at three historic witch trials - all of which occurred in his beloved Essex.

The series begins with the Chelmsford Witch Trial of 1566. The pair examine the case of a family of poor women forced to answer to the Queen's Attorney General in the first test of a new Witchcraft Act, under which it was a felony punishable by death.

After lighter shows such as The X Factor, This Morning and Dating Naked, Rylan, 36, is now taking on the tragic history of some of Britain's most vilified women. We caught up with him to find out all about it.

Why did you want to do a show like this?
I'm really interested in this area of history. And, obviously, Alice is such a wonderful woman, and we hadn't worked together before. When it came along, I thought, ‘I want to do this’. When Alice and I met, we got on really well, so it was a no-brainer.

Where does your interest in history and witchcraft come from?