Uncanny (BBC Programme / Podcast)

stu neville said:
Exactly, especially in a long, narrow and relatively featureless room such as a hallway. As I said my cat used to leave his kills on the same floor tile in the kitchen, but they were big floor tiles in fairness.
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I think her willingness to believe that a ghost was killing the hamsters and not a combination of the wrong cage and their own pet cat is pretty telling about how they interpreted events in the house (also, are we to assume this murderous ghost was a cat lover but had it in for hamsters?). I suspect that in her heart of hearts she knows it was most likely the cat but is under pressure to come up with more evidence.

Also, do we have an age for the other daughter?
 
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A lot of tv soaps are, apparently, declining in quality because these shows are onscreen far more frequently than they were in the past; could Uncanny also be suffering in a similar way (at least in terms of some arguably poor, 'obvious' or frivolous recent content) due to demands caused by the franchise's popularity? Or by the need for Danny & company to 'strike while the iron's hot' when Uncanny is highly popular? As an example, it hardly qualifies as genuinely mysterious or compelling when the subject is a ghost allegedly killing pet hamsters and the chief suspect is actually a cat...
 
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Steven said:
A lot of tv soaps are, apparently, declining in quality because these shows are onscreen far more frequently than they were in the past; could Uncanny also be suffering in a similar way (at least in terms of some arguably poor, 'obvious' or frivolous recent content) due to demands caused by the franchise's popularity?
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*one half of the FT's TV critics replies*

Yes.
 
I've just watched "Emily's Room" over lunch and bizarrely the least believable thing for me was Danny being in Southport when the tide was in!

I must admit I rolled my eyes at the dead hamsters. Definitely the cat.

I also did wonder where "Dad" was during all these events? As mum and dad are no longer together, was there animosity between mum and dad at the time that could be causing an 'atmosphere' in the house. Was there a lot of shouting and screaming? Trauma can affect kids in many ways.
 
Swifty said:
Also as opposed to THE SHAMEN who sang about Terrance McKenna's theories and Professor Brian Cox playing the keyboard for D-Ream. Come to think of it, the charts were full of Fortean types back then.
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Steve Hillage played guitar on the song Scientas on the Shamen's Boss Drum album for another Fortean connection.
 
Mr. Banooka said:
I've just watched "Emily's Room" over lunch and bizarrely the least believable thing for me was Danny being in Southport when the tide was in!

I must admit I rolled my eyes at the dead hamsters. Definitely the cat.

I also did wonder where "Dad" was during all these events? As mum and dad are no longer together, was there animosity between mum and dad at the time that could be causing an 'atmosphere' in the house. Was there a lot of shouting and screaming? Trauma can affect kids in many ways.
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I think the dad had left. I got the impression that much of what Emily experienced was after he left. So, her seeing a man, imo, was her wish fulfillment that her dad was back.

Mom just seemed to reinforce that she'd actually seen anything. Imo. And putting on my psychoanalytical hat (no degrees needed lol) I think mom was in her own period of denial and didn't recognize the trauma her daughter was experiencing because of the separation.
 
Steven said:
A lot of tv soaps are, apparently, declining in quality because these shows are onscreen far more frequently than they were in the past; could Uncanny also be suffering in a similar way (at least in terms of some arguably poor, 'obvious' or frivolous recent content) due to demands caused by the franchise's popularity? Or by the need for Danny & company to 'strike while the iron's hot' when Uncanny is highly popular? As an example, it hardly qualifies as genuinely mysterious or compelling when the subject is a ghost allegedly killing pet hamsters and the chief suspect is actually a cat...
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Going back to series one of the podcast there have always been questionable episodes quality-wise, such as devoting an entire show to the lock on a bathroom door, but the strength of the other episodes more than compensated.

This second TV series felt weaker that the first for me and I feel it is such a shame that the additional episode was devoted to yet another haunting in a building/house that affected some but not all of the inhabitants/family and that has since been sold. No space for the Ufos, time-slips, cryptids/beasts, reincarnations/past lives or doppelgängers that have all featured successfully in the podcast. Just feels like a big missed opportunity, especially given the evident successes of Charlie Cooper and Sian Eleri (Broad Haven) in bringing viewers something Fortean other than hauntings.
 
Stormkhan said:
While I enjoy the Uncanny podcast and was mildly amused by the TV show, I'm getting the impression that he's flooding 'the market' - radio, TV, theatre, books, merch ... what next - a Netflix film? :roll:
While the demand is there then good for him. Nice little earner and some exposure for Fortean stuff. But how long before Uncanny becomes a reference source? Some members of the general public might become interested in further delving but I suspect most will get bored and drift away.
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escargot said:
Yup, and there also might be a backlash.
If enough sceptics dig sufficiently hard they might start unearthing solid debunkery. Or pranksters coming clean.

Dunno; he's done his research and checked everything out but then there are the dodgy photos.

I'm still a fan of the Rottingdean house and the boarding school, though. :bthumbup:
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@Stormkhan and I called it last year. :nods:
 
escargot said:
@Stormkhan and I called it last year. :nods:
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There is already some interesting chatter on places like Reddit from people who claim to know certain Uncanny witnesses. One particular post was quite convincing and involved a friendship group who had experienced events along with the Uncanny witness but criucially unlike said witness did not believe anything paranormal had taken place. One of the group was even shocked to hear that the witness claim they had been violently assaulted by an entity when they believed nothing of the sort!* The poster chose not to reveal their identity but it might only be a matter of time before conflicting accounts emerge.

* I think maybe The House That Hated Parties...?
 
The size of that thing!


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staticgirl said:
Even though I know that's a man in a bodysuit it's still quite creepy! Excellent disguise.
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I think I posted on here that a facebook friend with a very tall son (she is tall) posted pictures of him in one of these suits. He had taken to standing in the corners of rooms in the house in it to freak them all out.

It looked very creepy. I could imagine getting caught out by this and screaming the house down before shouting at him for doing it. Then laughing later.....
 
I wonder if the premise of believer vs skeptic is not allowing openings for any other discussions that are very open ended and don’t fit with the particular spin the show producers want to present.

We know that trying to prove real or unreal is not possible when people and their psyches are involved. Paranormal experiences can open avenues of discussion and thought beyond the dichotomy of yes or no.

I doubt that many adult listeners of Uncanny go beyond the individual stories to explore further, other than those of us who already have Fortean interests. After all, they are only ghost stories to tell in the dark.:)
 
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Paul_Exeter said:
Going back to series one of the podcast there have always been questionable episodes quality-wise, such as devoting an entire show to the lock on a bathroom door, but the strength of the other episodes more than compensated.

This second TV series felt weaker that the first for me and I feel it is such a shame that the additional episode was devoted to yet another haunting in a building/house that affected some but not all of the inhabitants/family and that has since been sold. No space for the Ufos, time-slips, cryptids/beasts, reincarnations/past lives or doppelgängers that have all featured successfully in the podcast. Just feels like a big missed opportunity, especially given the evident successes of Charlie Cooper and Sian Eleri (Broad Haven) in bringing viewers something Fortean other than hauntings.
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Yes 2nd season of Uncanny on Tv is like the 2nd diffcult album some bands make.
 
Just got round to watching the fourth episode last night - one thing they mentioned but didn't really explore was the idea that someone was staying in the house without their knowledge. While I don't think that someone being there all the time was likely, it was mentioned the house was squatted before they moved in, which made me wonder if there was maybe a way to access the house they didn't know or think about e.g. in some blocks, there's no dividing walls in attic spaces. It's possible there may have been people in the area aware of this.
As they didn't show or examine the house, it's difficult to assess, but perhaps someone came in once or twice and that was enough to give the kid the fear it was a ghost?
I worked in housing for 20 years, and never came across a confirmed case of phrogging but did occasionally see cases where folk thought someone was getting into their property somehow.
 
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WulversStane said:
Just got round to watching the fourth episode last night - one thing they mentioned but didn't really explore was the idea that someone was staying in the house without their knowledge. While I don't think that someone being there all the time was likely, it was mentioned the house was squatted before they moved in, which made me wonder if there was maybe a way to access the house they didn't know or think about e.g. in some blocks, there's no dividing walls in attic spaces. It's possible there may have been people in the area aware of this.
As they didn't show or examine the house, it's difficult to assess, but perhaps someone came in once or twice and that was enough to give the kid the fear it was a ghost?
I worked in housing for 20 years, and never came across a confirmed case of phrogging but did occasionally see cases where folk thought someone was getting into their property somehow.
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The row of houses I spent the first 4 years of my life in didn't have dividing walls between houses in the loft when they were built. One of my earliest memories is of being scared that a 'baddie' would come and get me through the loft hatch. It didn't help that the loft-hatch was over my bed.
 
Mr. Banooka said:
The row of houses I spent the first 4 years of my life in didn't have dividing walls between houses in the loft when they were built. One of my earliest memories is of being scared that a 'baddie' would come and get me through the loft hatch. It didn't help that the loft-hatch was over my bed.
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I do not like loft hatches. They feed my over-active imagination. I think it must stem from a creepy dream I had when I was 6 or 7. At least I think it was a dream......

Having a loft hatch immediately above my bed would unnerve me.
 
Aye, the squatter aspect was interesting but underexplored, it could have had an effect from both a sceptical or paranormal viewpoint. I wonder if the park in question was frequented by drug users or street drinkers?
My mate was a gardener for the council for a while and a fair part of his job involved chasing drug users and drunks out the park.
 
Another thing that just occurred to me is it would be interesting to know the history of the house prior to them moving in- how did it end up abandoned and squatted? Did the previous owner die without next of kin or had they disowned them, with the property sitting empty long enough to attract squatters?
Another thing that occurred to me that while I'd never come across a confirmed case of phrogging, it was quite common for us to have to take back tenancies where the tenant had done a bunk/died/gone to jail or whatever and the property was being used as a drinking or drug den. We'd put a steel door and shutters on the windows but we'd sometimes get break ins, usually to try and recover stashes. I wonder if one of the squatters had stashed drugs in the house and had snuck in to try and recover them? If the property had been secured, they may have not been able to do this while it was empty and had maybe wriggled in through an open window or something?
 
Mr. Banooka said:
The row of houses I spent the first 4 years of my life in didn't have dividing walls between houses in the loft when they were built. One of my earliest memories is of being scared that a 'baddie' would come and get me through the loft hatch. It didn't help that the loft-hatch was over my bed.
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Reminds me of how my sister once owned an apartment in a huge old vicarage, splendid old building with a four ace garden. Her neighbour had a five-year-old-son and they discovered the man who lived on the other side of them was covertly building an attic room above their son's bedroom.

One explanation for the podcast episode The House That hated Parties is that a neighbour was able to access the kitchen. That was a terraced house and given the students had parties it may have driven a neighbour to bang on pipes/slam things every time they overheated the discussion of parties.

But I also agree with @MorningAngel that people who fall into serious substance abuse can often seem to attract darkness (for want of a better word)
 
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