Uncanny (BBC Programme / Podcast)

[blessmycottonsocks]

It was entertaining certainly.
I did find the crucial fact that this was an old, terraced house was skipped over rather superficially though.
C'mon! Surely the first thing to consider is that the banging and nocturnal footsteps up and down that were reported may have been noisy neighbours either side? Did the neighbours complain about the noise?
I look forward to part 2 of "My Family's poltergeist", but felt part one was heavily playing up the unsubstantiated woo factor and was rather lacking in objectivity.

 

[brownmane]

I just found the podcast "The Exorcist Files" that involves a priest's experiences as an exorcist and dramatizations of his cases. One case involved an infestation of a home and it was interesting that it resembles poltergeist activity. Now, I'm looking at this particular Uncanny episode My Family's Poltergeist with two different views.

 

[Cloudbusting]

I just found the podcast "The Exorcist Files" that involves a priest's experiences as an exorcist and dramatizations of his cases. One case involved an infestation of a home and it was interesting that it resembles poltergeist activity. Now, I'm looking at this particular Uncanny episode My Family's Poltergeist with two different views.

I don't want to derail the thread, but this has reminded me of a few tales I've heard from clergymen over the years (mostly uneventful I'm afraid). One CofE vicar told me that the only time he ever got contacted about ghosts was late at night when the callers were clearly off their heads drunk. He explained that he and the local catholic priest had made a bit of a game of it. If it became apparent that they were the first person contacted, they would tell the caller that they weren't able to deal with such phenomena but CofE/Catholic Church could, and give them the others number to deal with it.

The other tale I heard came from a friend who was friendly with a curate. He noticed a young mother had started attending church events and seemed a bit on edge and isolated, yet did not appear to want to leave the church at the end of the services/events. He eventually got her to open up and she explained that she didn't like being in her house as it had a horrible feeling, and odd things had been happening. The curate and vicar went to her house to see whether they could provide any support. One story recounted was that a bird started attacking a window until it injured itself so badly it dropped dead. I'm sure this is not unheard of and basically happens because the bird mistakes its own reflection for a rival bird. A more unusual part of the story was that liquids seemed to be disappearing. For example large quantities of milk would go missing from the carton in the fridge. Apparently the woman even locked an unopened can of condensed milk in a room one day, then later checked on it and the can was completely empty when she opened it. I can't remember if/how the phenomena was resolved, but apparently the curate said the house felt "very off".

 

[lordmongrove]

Series 2, episode 2.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001l1x4

 

[Mr_Hermolle]

I liked the poltergeist one better than the first one. Interesting how noises on the syairs came up. This seems to be quite a common thing with hauntings, footsteps on the stairs - and the way they were noisy as if wanting to be heard. The thing about it sounding as if on all fours spooked me out, but yeah, next doors dog. Interesting idea.
Thought I lived in a haunted house when I was a teenager and we had loud footsteps on the stairs that sounded as if they wanted to be heard. Still, funny how sounds travel. One night i heard next door go to bed - them moving about their bedroom. It was definetely them but the noises sounded exactly like they were in the room above.

 

[Frideswide]

If it became apparent that they were the first person contacted, they would tell the caller that they weren't able to deal with such phenomena but CofE/Catholic Church could, and give them the others number to deal with it.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Episode 3 - Leave The Lights On, expanded on the poltergeist account.
The brain tumour revelation added a fascinating element, but it's hard to accept how this could have externalised any phenomena to affect others, unless it was the trigger for some sort of folie à deux (or à trois) experience at No.67.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001l8vn

 

[Cloudbusting]

I can't help but think there was a bit of hysteria going on, although I also don't think it explains all the phenomena.

When he said he doesn't believe in ghosts but he believes in what happened at that house, it annoyed me a bit. I don't really respect that viewpoint and it's not the first time we've heard it on Uncanny. It's like you don't accept/respect other people's experiences but you think your experience is particularly special or different. I know he didn't say that, but that's the impression I got. I understand personal experiences can be very persuasive but no-one is an infallible witness (yes I know there were multiple witnesses).

 

[SimonBurchell]

When he said he doesn't believe in ghosts but he believes in what happened at that house, it annoyed me a bit. I don't really respect that viewpoint and it's not the first time we've heard it on Uncanny. It's like you don't accept/respect other people's experiences but you think your experience is particularly special or different. I know he didn't say that, but that's the impression I got.

Yes, that annoys me too. If you're claiming that what you experienced is paranormal, then you should accept that other people have similar experiences.

I haven't listened to the latest episode yet, but the mirror falling in the previous episode is difficult to attribute to the result of loud thumps vibrating the wall etc. I have a couple of mirrors propped like that in my flat, if they were to fall as a result of vibration, they would slide down the wall, not flip over - although I accept it is difficult to generalise, a particular mirror could be top-heavy due to some feature of the frame, and the presence or absence of carpets can make the likelihood of simple slipping more or less difficult. But as I understood it, the first time it fell, it was leant mirror-face against the wall, so slipping down just wouldn't do it. It would have to flip. And it really is a stretch to have a large enough impact on the other side of the wall to do that. Then there's the second time it fell, where my understanding is it flipped, then rotated 90 degrees, the only way it would do that on its own is by bouncing off another object.

 

[AmStramGram]

When he said he doesn't believe in ghosts but he believes in what happened at that house, it annoyed me a bit. I don't really respect that viewpoint and it's not the first time we've heard it on Uncanny. It's like you don't accept/respect other people's experiences but you think your experience is particularly special or different. I know he didn't say that, but that's the impression I got. I understand personal experiences can be very persuasive but no-one is an infallible witness (yes I know there were multiple witnesses).

His reason for saying that may have been that he believed in something else, such as "demons". I don't think his intention was necessarily to negate other people's experiences. It could simply be a divergence with their interpretation.

Of course, he didn't really give his theories about what happened, so we'll never know ... Perhaps he was completely agnostic ? Perhaps it was a rhetorical device ? He seems to insist a lot on the hostility of the phenomenon. The overall mood of the story is very dark, with a former occupant of the house being found dead on the site, several members of his family dying of cancer, malign ambushes in the stairs, traps of all kinds. Given the huge popularity of the "demon" trope on the web, TV, and Hollywood movies, I wouldn't be surprised if he bent towards this interpretation, or if he felt that it couldn't be an harmless ethereal ghos sliding through the corridors.

Or perhaps he made up the whole story and needed it to be more horror movie like.

 

[AmStramGram]

Episode 3 - Leave The Lights On, expanded on the poltergeist account.
The brain tumour revelation added a fascinating element, but it's hard to accept how this could have externalised any phenomena to affect others, unless it was the trigger for some sort of folie à deux (or à trois) experience at No.67.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001l8vn

And what if there was some kind of virus, bacteria or spore in this house, affecting the brain, causing a kind of chronic inflammation which could in turn favour the occasional development of tumours, as a side effect ?

At one point the witness says that the neighbours heard crashing and smashing coming from his house at the time of the former occupant. But it seems they did not hear anything while he was staying there, while he did hear things. In other words, what he and his mother heard was not heard outside. It could indeed be that what they witnessed was the result of an "inner" condition. If it's not cancer, since he wasn't ill, it may have been a virus/bacteria/mushroom spore. This is only an hypothesis, of course

 

[MorningAngel]

What if the sounds were time slips? The crawling up the stairs could have been the previous owner going up whilst worse for wear.

 

[escargot]

The crawling up the stairs could have been the previous owner going up whilst worse for wear.

We've all been there.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

What if the sounds were time slips? The crawling up the stairs could have been the previous owner going up whilst worse for wear.

As mentioned in the Time Or Dimensional Slips thread, the distinction between time-slips and hauntings appears blurred occasionally. Seeing a figure walk apparently through a wall in an old house at the position where a doorway used to exist, or cases where apparitions have been seen partly embedded in the floor because the current floor has been constructed at a higher level, or even simply glimpsing someone in period costume, always strike me as having a liminal quality between hauntings and time-slips.

 

[SimonBurchell]

Just listened to the latest episode. Sounds like mid-level poltergeistery to me - something that didn't quite get up steam to throw stones, overturn all the furniture, leave pools of water everywhere etc. etc.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Wow, just listened to the second episode of this case, what a huge amount of raw emotion in that house. I'm really torn on this one, especially if it hasn't been established if noise could be heard from the adjoining property (I believe it was end of terrace?).

Anyone who has ever heard, for example, a bottle bank being emptied into a skip could be forgiven for thinking it was something physical being smashed up, so again we have to ask what was outside the building to eliminate such possibilities. Then sadly you have his mother's medical condition to take into account and how this impacted his father's own mental health.

However, back on paranormal territory, given that the children heard their 'mother' calling their names, was it possible the father saw a doppelgänger of his wife stalking the house whilst she was asleep and that was why he couldn't even talk about it? Pure conjecture, of course, but we know the activity ceased when she passed away.

Very excited to hear there is a new witness for Romm 611...!

 

[Cloudbusting]

The Uncanny listen along (series 2, episode 4) starts at 9pm tonight.

EDIT: It has been postponed!

 

[Tempest63]

The Uncanny listen along (series 2, episode 4) starts at 9pm tonight.

EDIT: It has been postponed!

WTF?

 

[escargot]

The Uncanny listen along (series 2, episode 4) starts at 9pm tonight.

EDIT: It has been postponed!

So... what was I listening to?

 

[Mr_Hermolle]

I can't help but think there was a bit of hysteria going on, although I also don't think it explains all the phenomena.

When he said he doesn't believe in ghosts but he believes in what happened at that house, it annoyed me a bit. I don't really respect that viewpoint and it's not the first time we've heard it on Uncanny. It's like you don't accept/respect other people's experiences but you think your experience is particularly special or different. I know he didn't say that, but that's the impression I got. I understand personal experiences can be very persuasive but no-one is an infallible witness (yes I know there were multiple witnesses).

I can kind of understand this viewpoint. I've heard from various friends of weird stuff happening that they knoe happened but they don't believe it can happen, which adds an extra level of distress.
One thing that does annoy me with Uncanny is that many of the witnesses are presented as scaptics, and the fact they are sceptics or unbelievers is viewed as lending more credibility to their story. Those of us who might 'believe' in 'paranormal' phenomena seem less credible as witnesses.

 

[Cloudbusting]

So... what was I listening to?

... Let's do the time warp again!

 

[escargot]

I've heard from various friends of weird stuff happening that they knoe happened but they don't believe it can happen, which adds an extra level of distress.

Yup, we're talking cognitive dissonance. My ex was a high school science teacher who prided himself on holding no superstitions or spiritual beliefs.
Over the years, the ghost cats, Phantom Drips, mind reading and everything else he didn't believe in but couldn't deny happening got to him.
The cognitive dissonance was strong. Messed wi'is 'ead.

 

[DougalLongfoot]

I wonder what is going on? Episode 4 never got posted and Danny Robins absent from social media since he announced the postponement.

I know life gets in the way sometimes, but it is a BBC production, not some amateur independent outfit.

 

[SimonBurchell]

I wonder what is going on? Episode 4 never got posted and Danny Robins absent from social media since he announced the postponement.

I know life gets in the way sometimes, but it is a BBC production, not some amateur independent outfit.

well, if it's a live event and he's ill, that kind of scuppers it.

 

[escargot]

I wonder what is going on? Episode 4 never got posted and Danny Robins absent from social media since he announced the postponement.

I know life gets in the way sometimes, but it is a BBC production, not some amateur independent outfit.

One'd almost suspect a publicity stunt.

Danny's apparent withdrawal looks serious though especially with no explanation.

Trying to put this tactfully: if he is not up to participating because of some family disaster, which of course we hope is not the case, the last thing on his mind might be other people's ghosts.

 

[DougalLongfoot]

well, if it's a live event and he's ill, that kind of scuppers it.

The episode wasn’t live, it was supposed to have a live online chat at a certain tim.

 

[DougalLongfoot]

One'd almost suspect a publicity stunt.

Danny's apparent withdrawal looks serious though especially with no explanation.

Trying to put this tactfully: if he is not up to participating because of some family disaster, which of course we hope is not the case, the last thing on his mind might be other people's ghosts.

Which wouldn’t stop them releasing a pre recorded episode.

 

[SimonBurchell]

Which wouldn’t stop them releasing a pre recorded episode.

In that case, last minute legal challenge?

 

[escargot]

Which wouldn’t stop them releasing a pre recorded episode.

How selfish of him.

@SimonBurchell's idea of a legal challenge seems likely. Can't see how that'd shut Danny down completely though unless he's had stern legal advice to keep schtum until it's sorted.

The Guardian used to run a Talk feature, a bit like Mumsnet, which was abruptly closed down with no warning.
Nobody knows why, well, somebody does but they're not telling. It must've been a big deal for the Guardian to buckle.

 

[SimonBurchell]

I eat my words. New episode now available, although not the episode as planned:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001lhl2