Not wanting to derail thread as we have big foot threads, but Sasquatch in particular is a North American indigenous mythological being. It can be both a physical entity as well as a spiritual one in several indigenous cultures. Sasquatch as a word is, for the most part, the phonetical spelling of a being that has been known to indigenous North American peoples for centuries.

I haven't listened to the episode yet, but I am interested in hearing of an account experienced by a person who, most likely, has a cultural understanding as well as personal experience with Sasquatch.

Just an article with a brief outline of
Sasquatch and its indigenous mythology:

https://dailyhive.com/canada/sasquatch-bigfoot-history-north-america
 
Great news. I really enjoyed the first Series. Expanding to 4 Episodes for Series 2 going by that press release.
Yup, really enjoyed the first tv series.

Are we at the stage were we need sub-forums for the podcast UK, podcast USA, tv shows etc?

By the way, Uncanny Fans on Facebook are having the exact same discussion of bear with mange vs Bigfoot
 
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So if it wasn't bears with mange then we have five individual Bigfoots (Bigfeet/) reported so there must be a large breeding population for which there is little to no evidence (yet). Or do we go with paranormal as these creatures seem to follow the cryptid manual as they manifest in an area, cause terror and carnage and them vanish again?
 
So if it wasn't bears with mange then we have five individual Bigfoots (Bigfeet/) reported so there must be a large breeding population for which there is little to no evidence (yet). Or do we go with paranormal as these creatures seem to follow the cryptid manual as they manifest in an area, cause terror and carnage and them vanish again?
I think this is why several of you have greater resistance/less tolerance to the inclusion of Bigfoot than to ghosts or UFOs ( I say "you" because it's not an area I take an interest in): they share the same frustrating traits as all paranormal events- the credible witnesses Vs the blurry or non existent photos. The clues to something tangible left behind. .but not an indisputable body. The being seen by plenty ...but proof always being just out of reach.

Ufos and apparitions are excused because they wear the sheen of magic so evading the physical/scientific rules and norms seems reasonable. Bigfoot however presents as a flesh and blood evolved animal and if it is one then this eternal game of hide and seek has no get out of jail free card.
 
Regarding the comments that the US episodes are of well known accounts, I wonder if this might be due to the fact that Danny is travelling for the show. Perhaps it is prudent, expense wise, to have an idea of what the people's story are before going onsite.
 
Not wanting to derail thread as we have big foot threads, but Sasquatch in particular is a North American indigenous mythological being. It can be both a physical entity as well as a spiritual one in several indigenous cultures. Sasquatch as a word is, for the most part, the phonetical spelling of a being that has been known to indigenous North American peoples for centuries.
The term "sasquatch" was first coined by a teacher called John W Burns in his 1929 book "Introducing B.C.'s Hairy Giants: A collection of strange tales about British Columbia's wild men as told by those who say they have seen them".
Burns' Sasquatch or wild men though were nothing like today's giant ape-man myth and were described as "a tribe of hairy people" who could converse with the local Douglas First Nation.
This excellent video, originally posted by Sharon over on the Bigfoot thread, is definitely worth a watch to debunk a lot of the recent mythos surrounding Bigfoot.

 
Regarding the comments that the US episodes are of well known accounts, I wonder if this might be due to the fact that Danny is travelling for the show. Perhaps it is prudent, expense wise, to have an idea of what the people's story are before going onsite.
Also...I was going to say this earlier....is it any different from previous stories? The while Danny Robins thing took off with the Battersea Poltergeist which was a national cause celebre in the media at the time....the Uncanny TV show covers the most familiar Bold Street time slip story, and the original UK podcast included the Todmorden UFO case. So clearly there never been any rule about stories not bring covered elsewhere or widely. Surely it only matters that they're not familiar to the majority of listeners.
 
Also...I was going to say this earlier....is it any different from previous stories? The while Danny Robins thing took off with the Battersea Poltergeist which was a national cause celebre in the media at the time....the Uncanny TV show covers the most familiar Bold Street time slip story, and the original UK podcast included the Todmorden UFO case. So clearly there never been any rule about stories not bring covered elsewhere or widely. Surely it only matters that they're not familiar to the majority of listeners.
I didn't mean that it is due to familiarity with the stories. I meant that he can see if there is substance to the story. I'm not sure how to explain. It would mean that he doesn't have to research the story from scratch, so to speak, and doesn't accrue extra travel and research expense in this way.
 
I think this is why several of you have greater resistance/less tolerance to the inclusion of Bigfoot than to ghosts or UFOs ( I say "you" because it's not an area I take an interest in): they share the same frustrating traits as all paranormal events- the credible witnesses Vs the blurry or non existent photos. The clues to something tangible left behind. .but not an indisputable body. The being seen by plenty ...but proof always being just out of reach.

Ufos and apparitions are excused because they wear the sheen of magic so evading the physical/scientific rules and norms seems reasonable. Bigfoot however presents as a flesh and blood evolved animal and if it is one then this eternal game of hide and seek has no get out of jail free card.
I get your point and I would like nothing more than a flesh and blood Bigfoot population to be discovered but I also subscribe to the paranormal theory of cryptids.
 
Yes. Those were my thoughts too.
The reported standing height and width of the skull seemed to be a very good match for large bears.
I appreciate that these witnesses were familiar with the environment, but a close encounter at night with a family group of exceptionally large but mangy Alaskan bears (which can include the Polar bear), coupled with a supernatural dread engendered by their tribal beliefs and legends, could have been conflated into the encounter described in Uncanny.

View attachment 77107
Another picture of Danny flying hundreds of miles just to demonstrate height differences ?
 
I came back to the forum primarily to catch up on this thread, and I was surprised at how much shade was thrown at Danny for later episodes, and the near-universal disapproval of the American series.

My favourite episode of all is Harry Called, and I didn't notice much of a dip in quality for series 2 and 3 (other than the sudden cancellation of an episode - was that ever explained?).

I also loved the live show - it really felt like sitting in on a radio episode, and had a cosiness to it (perhaps because I was in a small theatre).

That said, I did raise an eyebrow when the Bigfoot episode was announced. Choosing a topic so specific to America does seem like a reach for the big bucks, and I felt like I'd read the remote-backwater-hunter's-hut-strange-creature story many times before on places like Reddit.

And, the bit that irked me the most, I noticed Danny has started playing up the "bloody hell, Ken" bit. Almost every response to Fred was "crikey" this and "gor blimey guv'nor" that. The constant repetition of very English-sounding phrases felt hammy rather than a knowing wink to the regulars. And it came across as an obvious play to the American audience: Oh he's so charming and Briddish!

Not relishing the prospect of a second episode on a topic that is almost as gripping and open for debate as The Cottingley Fairies. That said, if the sceptic from this episode comes back, then that'll be worth tuning in for. She gave the best, most compelling statements I've ever heard from that side of the table on Uncanny, and was much more entertaining than Danny "crumbs you must have shat yourself, Freddie lad" Robins.
 
I came back to the forum primarily to catch up on this thread, and I was surprised at how much shade was thrown at Danny for later episodes, and the near-universal disapproval of the American series.

My favourite episode of all is Harry Called, and I didn't notice much of a dip in quality for series 2 and 3 (other than the sudden cancellation of an episode - was that ever explained?).

I also loved the live show - it really felt like sitting in on a radio episode, and had a cosiness to it (perhaps because I was in a small theatre).

That said, I did raise an eyebrow when the Bigfoot episode was announced. Choosing a topic so specific to America does seem like a reach for the big bucks, and I felt like I'd read the remote-backwater-hunter's-hut-strange-creature story many times before on places like Reddit.

And, the bit that irked me the most, I noticed Danny has started playing up the "bloody hell, Ken" bit. Almost every response to Fred was "crikey" this and "gor blimey guv'nor" that. The constant repetition of very English-sounding phrases felt hammy rather than a knowing wink to the regulars. And it came across as an obvious play to the American audience: Oh he's so charming and Briddish!

Not relishing the prospect of a second episode on a topic that is almost as gripping and open for debate as The Cottingley Fairies. That said, if the sceptic from this episode comes back, then that'll be worth tuning in for. She gave the best, most compelling statements I've ever heard from that side of the table on Uncanny, and was much more entertaining than Danny "crumbs you must have shat yourself, Freddie lad" Robins.
Now that you mention it - great point!
I'm going to start playing Danny's exclamations Bingo from the next episode.
If he comes out with "the missus'll never believe this 'un" , I'll claim a full house.
 
I came back to the forum primarily to catch up on this thread, and I was surprised at how much shade was thrown at Danny for later episodes, and the near-universal disapproval of the American series.

My favourite episode of all is Harry Called, and I didn't notice much of a dip in quality for series 2 and 3 (other than the sudden cancellation of an episode - was that ever explained?).

I also loved the live show - it really felt like sitting in on a radio episode, and had a cosiness to it (perhaps because I was in a small theatre).

That said, I did raise an eyebrow when the Bigfoot episode was announced. Choosing a topic so specific to America does seem like a reach for the big bucks, and I felt like I'd read the remote-backwater-hunter's-hut-strange-creature story many times before on places like Reddit.

And, the bit that irked me the most, I noticed Danny has started playing up the "bloody hell, Ken" bit. Almost every response to Fred was "crikey" this and "gor blimey guv'nor" that. The constant repetition of very English-sounding phrases felt hammy rather than a knowing wink to the regulars. And it came across as an obvious play to the American audience: Oh he's so charming and Briddish!

Not relishing the prospect of a second episode on a topic that is almost as gripping and open for debate as The Cottingley Fairies. That said, if the sceptic from this episode comes back, then that'll be worth tuning in for. She gave the best, most compelling statements I've ever heard from that side of the table on Uncanny, and was much more entertaining than Danny "crumbs you must have shat yourself, Freddie lad" Robins.
Enjoyed reading your thoughts.

I do personally feel that Series One (including the Newfoundland specials etc) reached heights that subsequent series have failed to reach, although there were still stand out episodes from 2 & 3. Enjoyed the tv series and loved his book (never been to a live show). I feel that the sheer amount of work that Danny has been putting in across radio, tv, his book and touring with the live shows is phenomenal and he deserves all the success he reaps.

Whilst the Battersea Poltergeist and The Wytch Farm were adaptations of books, with Uncanny I personally prefer episodes that feature people who are everyday sorts and have an intriguing paranormal experience to recount (eg Harry Called) rather than witnesses who are active researchers in their chosen aspect of the paranormal, have IMDB profiles, have appeared on multiple podcasts, have YouTube channels etc as I feel that is where the charm of Uncanny lies. To my mind, these active researchers should be the Team Believer experts rather than the actual witnesses. These 'famous' cases crept in with Ufology episodes and whilst they served a purpose, I still much preferred the listener UFO accounts.

The US series 4 hasn't really gripped me, the poltergeist case was the best so far but there are no shortage of such cases from the UK. Bigfoot has been absolutely done to death on cable tv channels and podcasts and although Danny found one of the more chilling and sensational accounts it is still Bigfoot and I found myself asking where was the episode about so-called alien big cats in the UK?

But these are personal preferences, Danny doesn't make these shows just for my pleasure and ultimately what will matter to his paymasters at the BBC will be the audience figures and social media interactions. The feedback from Series 4 on the Uncanny Facebook groups has been decidedly mixed with quite a backlash and some quite strong opinions about what a mistake the US series has been. I also read that visits to the Uncanny Fans Facebook page are down, so i wonder if the `Uncanny bubble is bursting or it is just a blip?
 
I think with Bigfoot, Danny is doomed if he does and doomed if he doesn't.

If he leaves Bigfoot out of the USA Uncanny then he's going to be subjected to hosts of fans (maybe those with, shall we say, a more superficial interest in the paranormal?) shouting 'Where's Bigfoot - the most iconic American supernatural being?' But if he puts it in he's subjected to the equal and opposite 'Oh no, not Bigfoot! How trite!'
 
I think with Bigfoot, Danny is doomed if he does and doomed if he doesn't.

If he leaves Bigfoot out of the USA Uncanny then he's going to be subjected to hosts of fans (maybe those with, shall we say, a more superficial interest in the paranormal?) shouting 'Where's Bigfoot - the most iconic American supernatural being?' But if he puts it in he's subjected to the equal and opposite 'Oh no, not Bigfoot! How trite!'
You make a good point. I feel the excellent Yeti series on BBC Sounds demonstrates how much time you need to give this subject to make any headway. Another aspect is the tribal culture angle. If anyone has read:

ENCOUNTERS WITH STAR PEOPLE: Untold Stories of American Indians

https://amzn.eu/d/bwNmWql

... then you will have come to question just how quite so many UFO landings and interactions with "star people' could take place without NORAD ever noticing. What is happening is events are being viewed through a tribal cultural prism and that things that aren't UFOs and star people are being interpreted as such (as are dreams etc). If anything is actually happening then it is on a spiritual or supernatural level. This is what concerns me about the Uncanny Bigfoot case i.e. that we are not seeing these events through the same tribal prism as the witnesses.
 
You make a good point. I feel the excellent Yeti series on BBC Sounds demonstrates how much time you need to give this subject to make any headway. Another aspect is the tribal culture angle. If anyone has read:

ENCOUNTERS WITH STAR PEOPLE: Untold Stories of American Indians

https://amzn.eu/d/bwNmWql

... then you will have come to question just how quite so many UFO landings and interactions with "star people' could take place without NORAD ever noticing. What is happening is events are being viewed through a tribal cultural prism and that things that aren't UFOs and star people are being interpreted as such (as are dreams etc). If anything is actually happening then it is on a spiritual or supernatural level. This is what concerns me about the Uncanny Bigfoot case i.e. that we are not seeing these events through the same tribal prism as the witnesses.
But that is true (although not with a tribal slant) of almost any paranormal event. We can never quite get to grips with any sighting of any kind through the exact same frame and focus as the witness - it could be cultural, religious or even just a matter of upbringing. Which is where the importance of not simply saying 'oh, come ON, you saw a WHAT now?!' comes in.
 
I just listened to the Bigfoot episode and near the end Danny says something along the lines of "this case is very different for us, this time we're dealing with something flesh-and-blood", which is rather leaping to conclusions, and a read of Where The Footprints End is in order - highlighting the high strangeness in many bigfoot reports. There were a few hints of that in this episode, with the strangely muffled sounds in the cabin, and the deep shadow-man type black of one of the creatures. Also, thanks to @ShadyCavalier, I now find Danny's over-the-top Britishisms intensely annoying, whereas they'd only been mildly annoying previously (I suspect his true voice is "f* this and f* that" if his book is anything to go by). I enjoyed the episode well enough, but don't particularly have an opinion on what actually happened - at least it's better than that goat-wandering-around-in-France episode.
 
I also suspect his 'over the top Britishisms' are an attempt not to swear. I work somewhere where I can't swear out loud and if I drop something and it smashes I'm quite liable to exclaim 'oh bum!' or 'golly gosh' as I try to avoid a stream of expletives slipping out.
 
I just listened to the Bigfoot episode and near the end Danny says something along the lines of "this case is very different for us, this time we're dealing with something flesh-and-blood", which is rather leaping to conclusions,
Albeit with sufficient ambiguity to keep both team sceptic and team believer on board i.e. is the flesh and blood that of an unknown giant hominid - or a manky old bear?
 
It can be both a physical entity as well as a spiritual one in several indigenous cultures.

I just listened to the Bigfoot episode and near the end Danny says something along the lines of "this case is very different for us, this time we're dealing with something flesh-and-blood", which is rather leaping to conclusions, and a read of Where The Footprints End is in order - highlighting the high strangeness in many bigfoot reports. There were a few hints of that in this episode, with the strangely muffled sounds in the cabin, and the deep shadow-man type black of one of the creatures.
I think these points might be why I love this story so much. As much as I am sceptical about it being Bigfoot, it is the whole package. Physical, cultural, paranormal, spiritual. Whatever happened to Fred out there was just so profound.

It is also interesting to see how divisive this episode (and series) has been.
 
I think it comes down again to whether or not Uncanny represents "the largest ever investigation into the paranormal" as was claimed at the beginning or it has become spine-chilling tales of the paranormal with a smattering of celebrities? For me there was more investigations in earlier series (and the book and tv show) than there are now and so I would argue for the latter.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing at all, as long as millions of 'mainstream' listeners enjoy the show, and certainly the Fortean world is a lot better with Uncanny than without
 
Now that you mention it - great point!
I'm going to start playing Danny's exclamations Bingo from the next episode.
If he comes out with "the missus'll never believe this 'un" , I'll claim a full house.
He doesn't strike me as a "missus" type, more of an "other half" kind of fellow.

Both wretched phrases, mind you.

And I like the sound of Exclamation Bingo. Could be a drinking game - I fear we'd all by paralytic within 10 mins of the Big Foot Episode 2.
 
It should be noted that often something one of the studio guests says is incorporated into people's recollections as though it were more substantially a part of the story than it was.

In this case the whole mange thing. Nowhere in the actual account by the witness has anything been said to suggest or allude to that condition at all. It's simply something the sceptic said in relation to the facial description of ashen grey. To which one might enquire if we're to accept that element of his description as being reliable why not the cheek bones, eyebrows and "more human than ape" observations?

And also if it were important to believe it had mange ..why would that make it a bear? Could you not have a mangy bigfoot? :p
 
Enjoyed reading your thoughts.

I do personally feel that Series One (including the Newfoundland specials etc) reached heights that subsequent series have failed to reach, although there were still stand out episodes from 2 & 3. Enjoyed the tv series and loved his book (never been to a live show). I feel that the sheer amount of work that Danny has been putting in across radio, tv, his book and touring with the live shows is phenomenal and he deserves all the success he reaps.

Whilst the Battersea Poltergeist and The Wytch Farm were adaptations of books, with Uncanny I personally prefer episodes that feature people who are everyday sorts and have an intriguing paranormal experience to recount (eg Harry Called) rather than witnesses who are active researchers in their chosen aspect of the paranormal, have IMDB profiles, have appeared on multiple podcasts, have YouTube channels etc as I feel that is where the charm of Uncanny lies. To my mind, these active researchers should be the Team Believer experts rather than the actual witnesses. These 'famous' cases crept in with Ufology episodes and whilst they served a purpose, I still much preferred the listener UFO accounts.

The US series 4 hasn't really gripped me, the poltergeist case was the best so far but there are no shortage of such cases from the UK. Bigfoot has been absolutely done to death on cable tv channels and podcasts and although Danny found one of the more chilling and sensational accounts it is still Bigfoot and I found myself asking where was the episode about so-called alien big cats in the UK?

But these are personal preferences, Danny doesn't make these shows just for my pleasure and ultimately what will matter to his paymasters at the BBC will be the audience figures and social media interactions. The feedback from Series 4 on the Uncanny Facebook groups has been decidedly mixed with quite a backlash and some quite strong opinions about what a mistake the US series has been. I also read that visits to the Uncanny Fans Facebook page are down, so i wonder if the `Uncanny bubble is bursting or it is just a blip?

Someone earlier in the thread made a comparison to Second Album Syndrome. Well, a double album has more chance of providing good songs than a standard 10-track set because there's more to choose from.

I say that because series one was much longer than subsequent series. There were 14 all-new stories, whereas series two had 9, while series three only had 6 in the original radio format (this is excluding all case updates and specials). So, I'd argue that the first series had more potential to be great than the following ones.

That said, I've definitely been less excited about new Uncanny episodes as time has gone on, but I think that's mostly because there was a larger gap between series one and two (over a year if you exclude the specials) and, as someone else mentioned, something new is always more exciting. And really, when it comes to ghosts, there are only so many variations of ghostly phenomena before it starts to get repetitive anyway.

We could definitely do with a closer look at English/British folklore, perhaps a series based on eye-witness accounts from the past on things like Spring-heeled Jack and Will-o'-the-Wisps.

A sidenote - the worst episode of all, in my book, was the American one from the first series (and yes, I do get exhausted by American voices on the radio. Mind you, I didn't bat an eyelid at the Canadian one - go figure!).

Overall, I'm just glad the series exists at all!
 
I just listened to the Bigfoot episode and near the end Danny says something along the lines of "this case is very different for us, this time we're dealing with something flesh-and-blood", which is rather leaping to conclusions, and a read of Where The Footprints End is in order - highlighting the high strangeness in many bigfoot reports. There were a few hints of that in this episode, with the strangely muffled sounds in the cabin, and the deep shadow-man type black of one of the creatures. Also, thanks to @ShadyCavalier, I now find Danny's over-the-top Britishisms intensely annoying, whereas they'd only been mildly annoying previously (I suspect his true voice is "f* this and f* that" if his book is anything to go by). I enjoyed the episode well enough, but don't particularly have an opinion on what actually happened - at least it's better than that goat-wandering-around-in-France episode.
You're most welcome! It's not the words themselves, per se, it's the frequency with which he says these things now. "Bloody hell, [NAME]" and equivalents were like a Hollywood Handshake - one every other episode. Now he trots them out with gay abandon, they've lost their charm.
 
It should be noted that often something one of the studio guests says is incorporated into people's recollections as though it were more substantially a part of the story than it was.

In this case the whole mange thing. Nowhere in the actual account by the witness has anything been said to suggest or allude to that condition at all. It's simply something the sceptic said in relation to the facial description of ashen grey. To which one might enquire if we're to accept that element of his description as being reliable why not the cheek bones, eyebrows and "more human than ape" observations?

And also if it were important to believe it had mange ..why would that make it a bear? Could you not have a mangy bigfoot? :p
Well, the sceptic also picked up on his comment about eyes, and compared it to bears, too. Her job is to come up with a rational explanation, and bears in Alaska makes sense. Throw in his already heightened sense of fear, combined with a lack of sleep and light, and you can make a reasonable conclusion about the rest of the things he described.
 
Someone earlier in the thread made a comparison to Second Album Syndrome. Well, a double album has more chance of providing good songs than a standard 10-track set because there's more to choose from.

I say that because series one was much longer than subsequent series. There were 14 all-new stories, whereas series two had 9, while series three only had 6 in the original radio format (this is excluding all case updates and specials). So, I'd argue that the first series had more potential to be great than the following ones.

That said, I've definitely been less excited about new Uncanny episodes as time has gone on, but I think that's mostly because there was a larger gap between series one and two (over a year if you exclude the specials) and, as someone else mentioned, something new is always more exciting. And really, when it comes to ghosts, there are only so many variations of ghostly phenomena before it starts to get repetitive anyway.

We could definitely do with a closer look at English/British folklore, perhaps a series based on eye-witness accounts from the past on things like Spring-heeled Jack and Will-o'-the-Wisps.

A sidenote - the worst episode of all, in my book, was the American one from the first series (and yes, I do get exhausted by American voices on the radio. Mind you, I didn't bat an eyelid at the Canadian one - go figure!).

Overall, I'm just glad the series exists at all!
You make a good point about the diminishing number of episodes per season. I wonder if this is because material is being held back for the live shows? So many positives from Uncanny and it is fantastic the tv series is coming back, just hopefully not from the USA.

I also do wish all Uncanny content would come out after the clocks have gone back in the Autumn. I like to picture Danny in his garden shed after dark and find it harder to feel spooked when it is still light at 9pm :)
 
Anyone missing the British Uncanny might want to try the following show with seven paranormal witness interviews and a resident skeptic and believer:

Inspectre Paranormal​

Tom Barrow​

podcast art

Inspectre Paranormal shines a light deep into the dark corners of the world of the unexplained and investigates some very strange ghostly phenomena! Each episode features the first-hand spoken testimonies from real-life witnesses, who've experienced some baffling and terrifying encounters. Each week, Host Tom Barrow takes on a brand new case and is joined by a team of experts.

An example episode:

S1. Episode 6: Gallows Court

University student Chris has just started his new job - working at a Laser Quest in the Northern England city of Carlisle. However, beyond the dry smoke and laser beams Chris soon discovers through some terrifying encounters of his own, that the building (previously the site of the city’s most infamous prison) might still be holding on-to it's dark and mysterious past. In this first of a two part investigation, the Inspectre team set to find out what happened and uncover the truth. Hosted by Tom Barrow, this

https://sites.libsyn.com/510723?fbc...hon0afypi31Aefe_EEY1Px4FFCiF54S3hmW1d1XEeEtI0


Bloody Hell Ken...!
 
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