Everday story of country folk
The old lady is listening to The Archers, the long running Radio 4 drama series. The Archers began in 1950 on the BBC's Midlands Home Service. Its intention was to provide entertainment, while also providing essential information to farmers. The educational remit was dropped in 1972, but the production team still prides itself on the quality of their research and the programme's reflection of real rural life.
Pass-the-parcel
The children's party game pass-the-parcel is descended from ancient rituals used to decide future rulers or victims of sacrifice. One variant is the Celtic Caisan Uchad, in which a lighted sheep's head was passed round a group of people. The person left holding it when the flame went out deemed very unlucky.
Nimrod
Nimrod was the founder of the city of Babylon, as described in the book of Genesis: "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord." The name Nimrod may come from the Hebrew verb 'nimrodh', which translates as "Let us revolt". Nimrod is also referred to as a "gilor", which translates as "tyrant".
Carey on
Toby is revealed to be a fan of Jim Carey the rubber faced comedian who found global fame with the 1994 film Ace Ventura - Pet Detective. Prior to this role he had wowed American TV audiences with his strange characterisations on In Living Color (1990-94). Other roles include The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Batman Forever and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.
Elementary
Jude's quote "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" comes from chapter six of the Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Variations on the quote appear in the Holmes tales The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans and The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet.
Floral prints
Strange's refers to the designer Laura Ashley, who produced a range of wallpaper, fabrics and clothes based on original 19th Century designs. After Laura achieved some success she launched a chain of boutiques to sell her wares. Laura died in 1985 after falling down some stairs.
The truth about vampires
The word vampire is derived from the Russian word "upir", first known from a 1047 document referring to a Russian Prince as "Upir Lichy", or wicked vampire.
Count Dracula
The legend of Count Dracula was based on Vlad Tepes, the fifteenth century ruler of the Romanian State of Sighisoara, just south of Transylvania. Vlad assumed the name Dracula, meaning "Son of a Dragon", because he was a member of the Roman Order of the Dragon, set up to fight the Turks.
Vlad Tepes used to drink the blood of his enemies to instil fear - not uncommon at this time. He was also a very strict ruler who used to punish criminals by impaling them. In 1897 Bram Stoker adapted Vlad's legend for his famous novel.
