'Uncanny': Danny Robins Explores A Haunting Spirit Dubbed "The BBC Presenter"
In the final episode of the current series of Danny Robins' hit paranormal podcast 'Uncanny', titled 'Good Evening', listeners hear from Anne who was troubled by an irritating spirit in her seemingly ordinary house in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Anne, now a resident of a small village outside of York, recounts her chilling experiences from 1989. She had recently moved into a 1970s house with her young son and husband. The house, previously owned by an elderly man named Alf, was an average, characterless building. "It was a 1970s build absolutely devoid of any character. Just average, just like we were," Anne describes.
The oddities began after Anne and her husband renovated their kitchen. Anne experienced a startling phenomenon: a mysterious poke followed by a clear, male voice saying, "good evening." The voice, described by Anne as having a "BBC presenter voice... that kind of clipped, middle-class accent," continued to haunt her at different times of the day, often accompanied by a physical sensation of being poked.
Despite sharing these experiences with her husband, Charlie, he remained skeptical until he too encountered the strange phenomenon. The incidents escalated when a forceful poke and the slamming of a kitchen door left Anne terrified, leading her to seek refuge with a friend.
The story culminates with Anne seeking help from a vicar, leading to a ritual that appears to have quelled the disturbances. "So the vicar turned up on Sunday afternoon and he said some form of words and flicked holy water around. And then we thanked him very profusely. And he left and we thought well, wouldn't have done any good. It did because nothing else ever happened," Anne recalls.
But that's not the end of Anne's story. As Anne recounts, "I took my son for a hair appointment. There was a lass in there called Lorna... She sat me down, had my boy on my lap, and she started snipping away, making polite conversation." Anne mentioned moving into a house nearby, and Lorna casually asked, "Oh, did you buy Alf's house?"
The conversation that followed unveiled a chilling background. Lorna revealed that Alf's brother-in-law, who once lived in the house, was an ex-army man and a former radio announcer with "impeccable diction." This man, afflicted with dementia in his later years, exhibited bizarre behaviours. Anne's reaction to this revelation was one of shock and realisation: "My blood ran cold... That's the man who's been in my house. You would expect him to sit down and read you the news. Very well spoken, clear, enunciation. And it felt like some kind of answer."
What The Experts Think
As always, Danny's experts provide intriguing insights into Anne's paranormal experiences. Writer and parapsychologist Evelyn Hollow and psychologist Dr. Nilu Ahmed from Bristol University weigh in on the case, offering perspectives from both paranormal and skeptical viewpoints.
Evelyn suggests that not all ghostly encounters need to be frightening, some could simply be mildly irritating. She believes that if ghosts are spirits of the dead, they may not always intend to scare but rather seek attention or cause irritation. "I think there's a lot of people out there potentially having mildly irritating paranormal experiences and just not reporting them," Evelyn notes, adding that this might be particularly true for the British, who tend to endure such peculiarities.
Discussing the distinct personality of the voice Anne heard, Evelyn finds it interesting that Anne perceived the voice as having a specific accent and tone, suggesting a strong characterisation. This level of detail in Anne's account adds an intriguing layer to the case.
Nilu offers alternative explanations for the physical sensations Anne experienced. She mentions paraesthesia, a condition presenting as tingling or jabbing pain, which could be the body's way of signalling stress or fatigue. Nilu points out that Anne's demanding job, recent move, home renovation, and caring for a baby could all contribute to such sensations. "Her body is sending us signals to try and grab that attention," Dr. Ahmed explains.
When Anne's husband, Charlie, also experiences the phenomenon, Evelyn sees this as a significant twist, given that two individuals with different psychologies reported the same experience. This adds complexity to the case, suggesting it might not merely be an individual's misinterpretation or hallucination.
However, Nilu remains cautious, suggesting that the context in which Charlie experienced the phenomenon is crucial. She speculates that his experience could be influenced by the environment of fear and panic created by Anne's reaction. "He's been very much primed by the sense of fear... that's firing off all of those receptors in his brain," Nilu posits.
Addressing the broader context of ghost sightings, Dr. Ahmed acknowledges that while she may not believe in ghosts, she believes people experience something real to them. She emphasises the importance of communities where people can share and validate their experiences, contributing positively to their well-being.
You can listen to all episodes of the new season of 'Uncanny', as well as all of the previous two seasons, on BBC Sounds now.
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