It’s fitting that our 100th episode features one of the most wonderfully bonkers Dorset stories we’ve ever covered – alongside one of farmer George Hosford’s most important conversations to date. Jenny also chats to two Dorset members of the Britain’s Got Talent-winning Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir. If you’ve never dipped into the Dorset Life Podcast before, this wonderfully eclectic episode might just be the perfect place to start.
Jenny first meets historian James Brinsford to uncover the remarkable story of Dorset’s Victorian ‘Toad Doctor’ – a self-proclaimed healer who convinced hundreds of people that hanging a live toad around their neck could cure tuberculosis and other ailments. It’s a fascinating conversation about folklore, superstition, rural life and why people so often turn to extraordinary remedies when conventional medicine feels out of reach.
“He realised there was a gap in the market… and convinced people he could cure them by rubbing toads on them.”
Jenny then catches up with regular contributor George Hosford, who explains why conflict thousands of miles away in the Middle East can have a profound effect on Dorset farms. Rising diesel prices, soaring fertiliser costs and our dependence on synthetic fertilisers all come under the spotlight as George explains why regenerative farming is becoming more important than ever.
“We’re in a dreadful fix. We need to wean ourselves off this path.”
There’s also a Dorset Insider untangling the perennial mystery of who actually owns and cuts our village verges, a Grumbler from a frustrated Dorset publican asking why successful village pubs are being taxed ever more heavily, and finally, Jenny talks to Dorset farmers Ben Chick and Ellie Maguire about their extraordinary journey from Jeremy Clarkson’s beer advert to winning Britain’s Got Talent with the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir.
This episode is based on stories from the June 26 issue of Dorset Life (though they’re evergreen and relevant whenever you happen to discover them), available to read freely online. People, politics, place and purpose – all seen through a distinctly Dorset lens.
Dorset Life – named in 2025 as Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette).
Always worth your ears.
Bit different now John Newth is not in charge!