Uncanny (BBC Programme / Podcast)

[escargot]

A fairly typical crisis apparition, the first 10 minutes were interesting, downhill from there, skeptical "I believe Laura believes what she says but she imagined the whole thing" yawn, followed by a medium, yawn. Skeptic's comment near the end: "The classic cases in all areas of the paranormal are the ones where it can't be explained away easily but that doesn't mean that it can't be explained away at all." Ummm, absolutely everything can be explained away, but that doesn't mean the explanation is correct...

I agree totally. Not impressed so far.
Especially with the UFOs which just don't interest me, but hey that's just my take.

There's a BBC radio programme still available (last I looked) called I Saw A Ghost where a group of people each describe their one spooky experience.
Apart from one old bloke trying to interrupt and mansplain everything it's all very engaging, with not a parapsychologist or medium in sight.

We really don't need to be told it's all bunkum and hysteria. We can make our own minds up.

 

[lordmongrove]

Uncanny episode 4
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0011jxv

 

[GNC]

Agreed - the way the episode was built up at the start I thought there would be a few more parts to the tale, so to speak. Certainly interesting but a little underwhelming.

Especially when Danny said at the start it was the strangest case so far. Er, not really!

 

[MorningAngel]

I agree totally. Not impressed so far.
Especially with the UFOs which just don't interest me, but hey that's just my take.

There's a BBC radio programme still available (last I looked) called I Saw A Ghost where a group of people each describe their one spooky experience.
Apart from one old bloke trying to interrupt and mansplain everything it's all very engaging, with not a parapsychologist or medium in sight.

We really don't need to be told it's all bunkum and hysteria. We can make our own minds up.

I presume it’s this. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b03lph1d

 

[escargot]

I presume it’s this. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b03lph1d

Yup, that's the one. It's well-known and has been discussed.
There was a spate of similarly-themed podcasts soon afterwards that seem to have died out now. Similar in feel to the FT Letters/IHTM features.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Other than it being rounded it isn’t very similar. The ‘windows’ are squared/oblong and double layered not rounded and single layered.

One side of the futuro house had double windows:

https://thefuturohouse.com/Futuro-Berlin-Germany.html

The latest Uncanny was interesting. A family member had a similar apparition but in this instance the other person was undergoing surgery rather than passing away (I've posted about it on here and the observer was definitely unaware the surgery was taking place). However, I can't help feel that she was set up by family/friends as regards the medium. The fact the ticket was offered to her for free. Then the fact that she left her group with the medium and then returned a bit later. Also her anger, did she subconsciously know she had been set-up but repressed this...? I feel her companions may have let slip about her earlier sighting (the apparition) and the skilled medium then extracted the further information. Her companions then clam up as they know she will be thoroughly p****ed off with them.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

I presume it’s this. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b03lph1d

I enjoyed the matter-of-fact ghost boy in the episode (and agree about the one who wouldn't shut up!)

 

[MorningAngel]

I enjoyed the matter-of-fact ghost boy in the episode (and agree about the one who wouldn't shut up!)

The one who wouldn’t shut up was a posh man who’s used to having his opinion being more important than anyone else’s.

 

[escargot]

The one who wouldn’t shut up was a posh man who’s used to having his opinion being more important than anyone else’s.

I wouldn't have put up with that.

 

[MorningAngel]

I wouldn't have put up with that.

They were already against his explanation before he said it though

 

[Cloudbusting]

The one who wouldn’t shut up was a posh man who’s used to having his opinion being more important than anyone else’s.

So true.

I found it ironic how his experience (out of all the experiences discussed on the episode) was probably the one most likely to disprove the theory he'd come up with. If this were a phenomena caused by the fabric of buildings and/or magnetism (it was all a bit vague wasn't it) why would putting up the supposed ghost's portrait stop the phenomena?

 

[Mr. Banooka]

When I heard the bit about the translocating cows I immediately saw a Gary Larson cartoon in my head.

Edited to add:

@Cloudbusting, according to this article he did undergo hypnotic regression but it doesn't go into details.

Godfrey has also written a book about what happened called "Who or What Were They?"

Edited again to add this newspaper article that gives more detail of the abduction. I wonder why this wasn't part of the programme!?

Translocating cows? It’s Skinwalker Ranch all over again.

 

[escargot]

They were already against his explanation before he said it though

The phrase WILL you just SHUT UP! might have been heard.

i have done this. My days of putting up with being talked over by old men are LONG past.

 

[escargot]

So true.

I found it ironic how his experience (out of all the experiences discussed on the episode) was probably the one most likely to disprove the theory he'd come up with. If this were a phenomena caused by the fabric of buildings and/or magnetism (it was all a bit vague wasn't it) why would putting up the supposed ghost's portrait stop the phenomena?

That puzzled me too. Stupid old git.

 

[GNC]

If this Alanbrooke Hall hadn't been demolished, Yvette Fielding could have basically moved in. Episode 5, more weird anecdotes about the student accommodation, this is the most consistent bunch of hauntings I've heard in a while. The bloke who theorised the lift cables were vibrating and messing with residents' brains might be onto something, but that doesn't explain how they moved on their own. The guy who was nearly defenestrated - bloody hell!

Much better episode than last week. Next week - a demon (groan).

 

[Mr. Banooka]

Episode 2 is a classic poltergeist case, not sure if we needed the explanation of the polt being the ghost from centuries before when there are polts that appear with no such background. But the hanging was really horrible, she had a lucky escape.

Good news that Episode 1 generated such great feedback, with a lot more information, can't wait to hear what they say in a few weeks' time!

Reminded me of this

that someone posted on this board a while ago.

 

[SimonBurchell]

If this Alanbrooke Hall hadn't been demolished, Yvette Fielding could have basically moved in. Episode 5, more weird anecdotes about the student accommodation, this is the most consistent bunch of hauntings I've heard in a while. The bloke who theorised the lift cables were vibrating and messing with residents' brains might be onto something, but that doesn't explain how they moved on their own. The guy who was nearly defenestrated - bloody hell!

Much better episode than last week. Next week - a demon (groan).

I agree, great episode.

 

[MorningAngel]

If this Alanbrooke Hall hadn't been demolished, Yvette Fielding could have basically moved in. Episode 5, more weird anecdotes about the student accommodation, this is the most consistent bunch of hauntings I've heard in a while. The bloke who theorised the lift cables were vibrating and messing with residents' brains might be onto something, but that doesn't explain how they moved on their own. The guy who was nearly defenestrated - bloody hell!

Much better episode than last week. Next week - a demon (groan).

This was a good episode. The lift cables do explain the things moving or the hammering on the door. I googled it to see if there’s any pictures of the place (the mention of a chimney had thrown me a bit) and there’s so many articles about it.

I think I’ll skip the demon.

 

[MorningAngel]

 

[lordmongrove]

Uncanny episode 5.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011rlm

 

[lordmongrove]

Reminded me of this

that someone posted on this board a while ago.

Wow, it stars Darren McGavin, Kolchak The Night Stalker himself.

 

[escargot]

Wow, it stars Darren McGavin, Kolchak The Night Stalker himself.

I had to sing Here they are now, Morecambe and Wise! but that's just silly.

 

[Who me]

Hmm I quite like the broadcast and how he tells it .
The alanbrooke episodes were good

 

[SimonBurchell]

Hmm I quite like the broadcast and how he tells it .
The alanbrooke episodes were good

I like it, but I think he's a little melodramatic, lots of things along the lines of "and then it went to a whole new level", "the most shocking incident yet" etc. etc. Let alone the "biggest study of its kind" nonsense. Having said that, I am enjoying it, well the witness testimony anyway!

 

[GNC]

I like it, but I think he's a little melodramatic, lots of things along the lines of "and then it went to a whole new level", "the most shocking incident yet" etc. etc. Let alone the "biggest study of its kind" nonsense. Having said that, I am enjoying it, well the witness testimony anyway!

For me, it's all about hearing a good story, I don't mind if there are explanations. If there's a convincing explanation, I'm happy to hear it, but I do love a good mystery and this is (mostly) delivering.

 

[escargot]

I like it, but I think he's a little melodramatic, lots of things along the lines of "and then it went to a whole new level", "the most shocking incident yet" etc. etc. Let alone the "biggest study of its kind" nonsense. Having said that, I am enjoying it, well the witness testimony anyway!

Yup, the aspect I like most is the possibility of people coming forward to corroborate others' stories.

This is what often happens. I've worked in places where someone's blurted out a strange thing they've seen, and another worker has said 'That happened to me lat year!'

 

[Kingsize Wombat]

The similarity between PC Godfrey's description of the UFO and the Todmorden Futuro house is quite striking:

That image isn't really PC Godfrey's drawing of the UFO.

This however is, and it's rather different.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Especially when Danny said at the start it was the strangest case so far. Er, not really!

The compelling aspect for me of his Battersea poltergeist investigation was the multiple witness accounts of activity that are therefore difficult to dismiss. One person saying they saw CD cases moving or whatever will always be open to speculation on the witnesses's state of mind/sate of wakefulness. Thus far, only the haunted student room has provided multiple witness accounts (yet to listen to the most recent episode).

 

[Paul_Exeter]

That image isn't really PC Godfrey's drawing of the UFO.

This however is, and it's rather different.

View attachment 48287

Arthur C. Clarke argued that alien technology would be indistinguishable from magic:

https://bigthink.com/13-8/clarkes-three-laws-alien-technology/

It is possible he saw something so alien that his subconscious could only compare it to the futuro house, much as a neanderthal might compare a smooth, flat and shiny black iPhone to a smooth, flat and shiny black pebble (if such a thing were possible).

Have to say that bearded 'grey' looks an awful lot like a bearded oriental man, for example:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/122441683594182761/

Would just need to change the hairline a little. Odd how oriental faces keep popping up in UFO lore.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

The latest episode back with Room 611 was back to Danny’s best work, tracking down witnesses and digging out informatio.

Yes, the lift shaft hypothesis is in some ways compelling and yet seems to evade some of the bigger questions as to how the lift and the internal phones could activate themselves in an empty building. Also what the witnesses are seeing (the ’evil’ man at night) and hearing (the banging door) is all very similar, so why just these experiences if the lift shaft harmonics are the cause, why not images of, say, dolphins swimming in the room…?