Chris Millar, alias Rat Scabies, is the godfather of punk and the most accomplished drummer of his day. He founded the seminal punk band The Dammed and produced anthems such as ‘New Rose’. He’s also a Grail hero and respected Rennes-le-Château aficionado. Serendipitously, Rat has done for punk what The Holy Blood and Holy Grail did for Rennes-le-Château; he kicked the whole thing off. And his book, Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail, which is authored by Christopher Dawe, remains on the best written books in the genre and certainly the most entertaining.

The career of Irish born author Tim Wallace-Murphy has ebbed and flowed around the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau for decades. From The Mask of the Beast, which he co-authored with the legendary Trevor Hopkins, to Rosslyn: Guardian of the Secrets of the Holy Grail (with Marilyn Hopkins). Another classic is Rex Deus, The True Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau and the Dynasty of Jesus, which he co-wrote with Graham Simmans and Marilyn Hopkins, and which is being reissued. Wallace-Murphy has contributed more, and for longer, than most. With Henry Lincoln, Tim Wallace-Murphy is truly one of the elder statesmen of the genre.

Kathleen McGowan’s publishing career began with the debut of her novel, The Expected One, on the New York Times bestseller list. The Expected One, along with the anticipated sequels that make up The Magdalene Line series, is based on 20 years of research on four continents into the history of women in Christianity and their long-forgotten role in the development of global spirituality. During her time abroad, McGowan’s quest was fueled by international folklore, mythology and universal storytelling in Europe and the Middle East. Her passion for legends that speak to the human spirit has earned her a devoted, worldwide fan base while making her a bestseller worldwide. A third generation native of Hollywood, Kathleen is as comfortable in the film world as she is in publishing, and has multiple film and television projects in various stages of development.

Guy Patton is the author of the superb Rennes-le-Chateau conflict and conspiracy book, Web of Gold. He’s lived in Malta, spent a lot of time researching in the Languedoc and now lives in England, where he chairs the esteemed ‘Rennes Group’, one of the genre’s most respected Rennes-le-Chateau research and discussion groups. Patton offers a unique blend of historical and political perspective on the mystery.

Hugo Soskin has led a fascinating life at the epicenter of Rennes-le-Chateau madness. This should come as no surprise, for he is the son of the Rennes-le-Chateau legend, Henry Lincoln. Still, it would be fair to call Hugo a reluctant Rennie, for he has little time for the alleged mystery and the craziness that comes along with it. However, that has not stopped him from embarking on his own adventure, having worked on a campsite for a season where he absorbed the culture and rhythms of life in Rennes-les-Bains. In fact Hugo’s entire life has in one way or another been in the shadow of Rennes-le-Chateau. Does Hugo have a theory on Rennes-le-Chateau you ask? You bet he does, and is it any wonder that it’s not the same as his father’s?

Radio Rennessence is celebrating its first anniversary. Over the past year, we have built up a steady and still increasing number of listeners. We would like to thank our audience for the support and the authors and researchers in the genre for their continued interest in our work. Apart from the interviews, every half year, Andrew Gough, Philip Coppens and Corjan de Raaf discuss what’s been going on in and around the mystery of Rennes-le-Château. This time, they talk about the mayoral elections, the state of the village and of course the controversial documentary film Bloodline the Movie. Only on Radio Rennessence.

Nigel Graddon has been a student of Ancient Wisdoms and the western metaphysical tradition since the late sixties. His interest in Otto Rahn began in 1995 after reading Colonel Howard A. Buechners: The Emerald Cup-Ark of Gold: the Quest of SS Lt Otto Rahn of the Third Reich, the first English language work to begin to look at the complex circumstances surrounding the enigmatic German language scholar and Grail explorer.

Henry Lincoln introduced the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau to the English-speaking world, through a series of BBC documentaries, starting in 1972. In 1982, he co-authored the landmark The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, followed by The Messianic Legacy - each with Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Lincoln went on to author The Holy Place: Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau - Discovering the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World, Key to the Sacred Pattern: The Untold Story of Rennes-le-Chateau and co-authored The Templars Secret Island: The Knights, The Priest and The Treasure, with Erling Haagensen. Lincolns legacy includes his dramatic and often murky first hand contact with Pierre Plantard and Gerald de Sède, the development of the Poussin aspect of the mystery, as well as the discovery of natural and man made pentagrams in the landscape around Rennes-le-Chateau.

Bill Kersey has quietly amassed an impressive career in RLC research. His book, Still Spins the Spider, provided insight into RLC and its secrets, while his translation of Gérard de Sède’s The Accursed Treasure of Rennes Le Chateau provided the English speaking world with their first exposure to the mystery’s original account. Today, Bill is continuing his research into the Visigoths and is rumoured to have made a discovery. Bill is a friend and research companion of Ben Hammott. He is believed to have had a hand in several of Hammott’s discoveries and is featured in the documentary, Bloodline.

Steve Berry is a lawyer turned novelist who, after 12 years of submitting manuscripts and 85 rejections, has now joined an elite group of international best sellers. Berry now has over 6 million books in print in 43 countries and 41 languages. In his novel, The Templar Legacy, a world bestseller, Barry tackled the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau and linked it with the Knights Templar, past and present. In his latest book, just out, The Venetian Betrayal, Barry writes with authority on the mystery of Alexander the Great, amongst other esoteric topics.

2007 marked the 90th anniversary of Saunière’s death and the birth of Radio Rennessence. New developments and angles to the mystery continue to be developed, and this year was no exception. Join Philip Coppens, Corjan de Raaf and Andrew Gough into the centre of the enigma, and learn their insiders’ take on the 2007 highlights.

The author of the international best seller Labyrinth, is a respected researcher who brought a refreshingly new atmosphere to medieval and modern Catharism. Like Labyrinth, her new book Sepulchre, is set in her adopted home region of the Languedoc. Only this time Mosses novel has been greatly inspired by the Rennes-le-Chateau storyline, and especially Abbé Antoine Gélis murder. Has Mosse concealed a revelation in her latest work of fiction? Rennessence sets out to uncover the truth,

Hammer caused quite a stir when he published his book Satans Song in the Netherlands. Although a novel, the author stated it was the true story of Dutch secret service art agent Tom R. who accidentally discovered a trail from Jan van Eycks famous Ghent Altar Piece the adoration of the Lamb to the Arma Christi, while he was investigating the art treasures stolen by the Nazis just after World War II. The false trail and clues he created to hide his discoveries from the CIA were, he claims, picked up by the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail. Hammer worked as a production-assistant and video editor for Dutch television, as well as creating a National Traffic radio station. In the 1990s, a family catastrophe made him decide to leave his career and concentrate on philosophy, religion and social injustice. These activities brought him into contact with a myriad of influential people in the corridors of politics and religion. In the book, he claims one of these was Tom R. Said to live like a modern hermit, Hammer is now mainly concentrating on his writing career. Satan´s Song has received interest from Hollywood production companies and several international editions are under preparation. Upon publication of the book in September 2006 in Belgium and Holland, newspapers delved into the story, wondering whether the book was indeed a true story that could only be told under the guise of fiction ? or whether it was a straightforward novel. In November 2006, some of the statements in the book even became the subject of a political debate. In the book, Tom R. claims that the relics of Christ have been carefully protected by a secret brotherhood, and that these relics are at the core of the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau and Bérenger Saunière. The relics, it´s claimed, were once hidden in Notre-Dame-de-Marceille.

For six years, Jean-Luc Robin, ran the Hotel de la Tour, the hotel started by Noel Corbu in the Villa Bethania in Rennes-le-Chateau. Originally built by Abbé Saunière to lavishly entertain his guests, Corbu converted it into a hotel in 1955. Robin ran the hotel for six years (1994-2000). Though not the owner, he did live in the Villa, following in Corbus footsteps and those of Marie Dénarnaud (Saunières housekeeper) and Henri Buthion who had bought the hotel from Corbu in 1965. An illustrious series of people indeed. Recently, Robin wrote a book on life in Rennes-le-Chateau, as well as his views on the mystery. Today, he runs a café-bar in the gardens in front of the Villa and campaigns vigorously to keep Rennes-le-Chateau on the tourist trail. His first English book Saunière’s Secret , which was translated by Henry Lincoln, is a favorite amongst the Rennes-le-Chateau villagers themselves in its original French version, due to its honest and un-sensational portrayal of the mystery. At the same time it also presents intriguing new evidence for the involvement of the Habsburgs in the enigma surrounding Abbé Saunière.

American film director Bruce Burgess made his name when he flew into America’s top secret research facility, Area 51 more than a decade ago. His light aircraft was escorted out of the base that did not officially exist by two F-16s. In 2004, Bruce shifted focus to Rennes-le-Chateau. As soon as he set foot in the village and announced his documentary Bloodline, he became the mystery’s most wanted man. Together with producer René Barnett, the pair of documentary film makers has worked on the project for more than three years. Their voyage has taken them to mysterious meetings with alleged members of the Priory of Sion and deep into the secret of Rennes-le-Chateau. The documentary which will be released before the end of this year, centers around Ben Hammott’s much published discovery of a tomb near Rennes-le-Chateau. The tomb we are led to believe may contain none other than Mary Magdalene. As Bluebook films, Bruce and co-producer René Barnett are not newcomers to the field: in 2003, they made "In Search of the Holy Grail" and in 2004, "The Ark of the Covenant Revealed". For the latter, the team rebuilt the Ark of the Covenant and queried whether it was a 3000 year old battery.

Klaas van Urk (1958) has so far been known to the public only in the Netherlands and Belgium as well as in a small but exquisite, predominantly French circle of long time researchers. His book Search for the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant was a bestseller in the Netherlands. In his 10-year quest for the Ark of the Covenant he followed the trail of its whereabouts across Israel, Ethiopia and the South of France. Like no other, he knitted all the known and lesser known facts together in a compelling and believable account of what really happened to the Ark and its contents. He made a number of remarkable discoveries along his journeys. He discovered the ruins of a Templar Chateau on the mount of Montferrand near Alet-les-Bains of which no-one believed it actually existed. Another scoop was linking the Knight Relief over the entrance of the Bieta Mariam in Ethiopia, to the almost identical right panel of the Dalle des Chevaliers (Knights Stone) found by Bérenger Saunière in Rennes-le-Chateau. Known as the Indiana Jones of the lowlands, Klaas van Urk is the real deal, including the wax coat and the hat.

There’s a new name in Rennes-le-Chateau research: Patrice Chaplin. City of Secrets, Chaplin’s controversial new book unveils an entirely new twist to the conventional mystery and in the process delivers the most refreshing work in the genre in years. Oh, and it’s a love story. Patrice Chaplin’s provocative new book In City of Secrets, Chaplin draws on a life time of esoteric experience, research and associations, including friendships with Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí and Umberto Eco, to offer new insights into old enigmas. No less intriguing is Chaplin’s romantic and lucid writing style, which has often been compared to Beat Generation legend Jack Kerouac, amongst others. No other Rennes-le-Chateau book reads quite like it. This is a love story, spanning half a century, and Rennes-le-Chateau is simply the milieu for Chaplin’s revelations, which unfold late in the novel, but are worth the wait. Patrice Chaplin is a novelist, writer and playwright, with dozens of works to her credit. Her books include Albany Park and Siesta, which was made into a film staring Jodi Foster and Isabella Rossellini. Part of the Bohemian scene of the 50’s and 60’s, she was married to Charlie Chaplin’s son and lived in Hollywood. Chaplin stared in a Cocteau film and was friends with Lauren Bacall and other Hollywood icons.

Radio Rennessence is a collective effort of individuals who realised that strength lies in numbers and a shared vision. It exists to inform, support and challenge the greater Rennes-le-Chateau community. We hope you enjoy it. We ask that you respect the copyright of each interview and seek our permission to reproduce them for all non-personal use. Please do not put Rennessence in a position where we have to set the ghost of Bérenger Saunière loose on you…

Radio Rennessence offers you a monthly interview and any additional news from our roving reporters, going deeper into the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau, than anyone else. We bring you ear-to-ear with some of the big names, new authors, or those researchers having worked diligently in the background. This is the mystery through the voice of its initiates; literally. The only thing that now separates you from illumination is your ears. We will make sure they tell all… only on Radio Rennessence.