Christmas Special: Nottingham vs Swansea – The Battle of the Most Interesting City

This Christmas Special podcast episode delivers a festive deep dive into Nottingham vs Swansea, as the two cities go head-to-head in a series of unusual, darkly comic, and jaw-dropping story showdowns to decide which city is truly the most interesting. Packed with urban legends, bizarre crimes, folklore, and local mysteries, this special is perfect for fans of true crime podcasts, strange history, British folklore, and offbeat storytelling.

From Nottingham’s hidden tunnels beneath the city, whispering with secrets of the past, to tales that blur the line between myth and reality, the stakes rise quickly. Swansea fires back with unforgettable stories, including the legendary Cyril the Swan, a local icon with an unexpectedly fierce reputation, and the chilling appearance of a dangerous devil dog said to stalk the shadows.

As the Christmas Special unfolds, the stories take a darker turn: a murder committed by a man wearing a wig becomes a grim but bizarre focal point, raising questions about identity, deception, and the strange details that make true crime so unsettling. Each city counters with stories stranger, funnier, or more disturbing than the last, making it impossible to predict who will come out on top.

Blending humour, horror, history, and festive chaos, this episode is a must-listen for anyone searching for:

• Christmas podcast specials

• Nottingham history and urban legends

• Swansea folklore and strange stories

• UK true crime with a twist

• Weird British history podcasts

Whether you’re team Nottingham or team Swansea, this Christmas Special proves one thing: when it comes to bizarre stories, both cities are full of surprises. Tune in to find out which city earns the crown as the most interesting — and which stories will haunt you long after the festive season ends.

This week on City Beef, it’s Durham vs. York, and the conversation immediately dissolves into a swirl of medieval chaos and questionable folklore.

At some point, dysentery gets mentioned far too casually. The Sockburn Worm barges into the chat. A 97-year-old Polish Count dwarf enters the discussion, yet somehow becomes the most sensible figure involved. Meanwhile, the rats of York burglaries keep getting brought up and of course Dick Turpin appears, unsolicited, like he always does.

Which city comes out on top?
The scholarly, stone-stacked aura of Durham, or the historical, vaguely rodent-adjacent swagger of York?

Tune in because this beef is timeless, tangled, and probably violating several bylaws.

This week on City Beef, it’s Sunderland vs. Wolverhampton.

We wander into Sunderland first, where the chat somehow drifts toward a suspiciously pale local figure, a half-man half-pig situation nobody fully understands, and a rodent-adjacent troublemaker who definitely isn’t paying council tax. Wolverhampton fires back with its own brand of folklore chaos, and suddenly we’re debating which city is statistically more likely to have produced a serial killer with poor timekeeping.

A perfectly normal comparison of two cities derails into wild accusations, confused diagrams, and one host insisting he’s being followed by a creature wearing a tiny high-vis vest. A cartoon pigeon eventually swoops in to restore order, only to escalate things by taking an official stance.

Who comes out on top?
The windy, uncompromising swagger of Sunderland, or the smoky, stubborn charm of Wolverhampton?

Tune in—because this beef is somehow both overcooked and dangerously raw at the same time.