Uncanny (radio series)

Uncanny
The show's host Danny Robins (centre) and experts Ciaran O'Keeffe (left) and Evelyn Hollow
GenreParanormal documentary
Presented byDanny Robins
Country of originEngland
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production companiesBafflegab Productions & Uncanny Media (radio)
BBC Studios (TV version)
Original release
NetworkBBC Radio 4, BBC Two
Release23 October 2021 (2021-10-23)

Uncanny is a BBC Radio series created by Danny Robins featuring explorations of the paranormal and supernatural phenomena, first broadcast in 2021. The series is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and as a podcast on BBC Sounds.[1] A television version for BBC Two was first broadcast on 13 October 2023.[2][3]

Each episode, Robins interviews a witness who has had an uncanny experience; topics include poltergeists and other ghosts, UFO sightings and cryptids. The story is punctuated by contributions from two experts who attempt to explain the experience; one expert is usually sceptical and will look to a rational psychological or natural explanation, the other will look for parallels with other similar cases.[4] Experts include Caroline Watt, Chris French, Ciarán O'Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow.[5] The theme tune "Don't Have Nightmares" is by indie band Lanterns on the Lake.[6]

Uncanny has run for three series on radio, plus a number of Uncanny Live specials recorded in front of a live audience.[7] Episodes have featured guests such as Mark Gatiss,[8] Laura Whitmore, Laurence Rickard[9] and David Baddiel.[10] A series of cases exclusively from the United States, Uncanny USA began broadcasting in April 2024.[11]

List of episodes

[edit]

Series 1

[edit]
No overall No. Title First broadcast Notes
1 1 The Evil in Room 611 23 October 2021 A professor recounts a haunting he experienced as a student at Alanbrooke Hall, a demolished Queen's University Belfast hall of residence in the 1970s. Alanbrooke Hall formed the subject of several subsequent episodes as further witnesses contacted the programme.[12][13]
2 2 The Hanging Room 30 October 2021 A teenager and her family move to an old farm house in the countryside in search of a new start.[14]
3 3 The Todmorden UFO 6 November 2021 Policeman Alan Godfrey has a close encounter - could it be connected to an unsolved murder in the area?[15]
4 4 My Best Friend's Ghost 13 November 2021 A young woman is visited by the ghost of her closest friend.[16]
5 5 Return to Room 611 20 November 2021 Another witness to the goings on at Alanbrooke Hall tells their story.[17]
6 6 The Brooklyn Poltergeist 27 November 2021 A British model is made to feel unwelcome by her American flatmates...and the resident poltergeist.[18]
7 7 The Angel in the Bathroom 4 December 2021 A suicidal man is saved by divine intervention.[19]
8 8 The UFO in the Playground 11 December 2021 Follows up on the Todmorden UFO case, and features stories of two childhood UFO sightings in Wales and Africa.[20]
9 9 I Will Kill You All 18 December 2021 Journalist Hannah Betts recounts how her family were terrorised by the legacy of a Victorian murder.[21]
10 10 Don't Sleep in this House 25 December 2021 A climber spends a terrifying night at an abandoned cottage in the Scottish Highlands.[22]
11 11 The Curse of Luibeilt 1 January 2022 Continuation of previous episode. The climber returns to the cottage to confront the presence.[23]
12 12 Fatal Collision 8 January 2022 A delivery driver is involved in a life-changing accident.[24]
13 13 The Return of Elizabeth Dacre 15 January 2022 Moving to a large house at the seaside, a young family are haunted by visions of the house's former occupant.[25]
14 14 The Haunting of Tanfield House 22 January 2022 An art student is haunted by a poltergeist.[26]
15 15 Bloody Hell Ken 29 January 2022 Updates on the cases featured in the series - including Alanbrooke Hall.[27]
16 Special Summer Special Part 1: Canadian Horror Story 25 June 2022 Something seems very wrong during a family holiday to a fishing village in Newfoundland.[28]
17 Special Summer Special Part 2: The Room Next Door 2 July 2022 Further evidence in the Canadian case from another witness.[29]
18 Special Summer Special Part 3: Uncanny Live 29 July 2022 Recorded at the Hay Festival[30]
19 Special Uncanny Meets Ghosts 27 September 2022 Danny Robins discusses ghosts with special guest Laurence Rickard, co-creator of the sitcom Ghosts.[31]
20 Special Christmas Special 23 December 2022 A terrifying encounter for a mother and son in a Scottish council house.[32]
21 Special Uncanny Live with Mark Gatiss 30 December 2022 With special guest Mark Gatiss[33]

Series 2

[edit]
No overall No. Title First broadcast Notes
22 1 The Boy in Room 3 8 April 2023 A young woman takes a job as a cook at Ampleforth Abbey and finds herself alone in her accommodation - except for the sound of a crying child.[34]
23 2 My Family's Poltergeist 15 April 2023 A malevolent poltergeist plagues a family.[35]
24 3 Leave the Lights On 22 April 2023 Continuation of the previous episode.[36]
25 4 Inside Room 611 29 April 2023 More evidence from the haunting at Alanbrooke Hall.[37]
26 5 Uncanny Live at UncannyCon 6 May 2023 With special guest Laura Whitmore. A group of women find themselves with identical bruises after visiting Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh.[38]
27 6 An Angel Called Bernie 13 May 2023 A soldier's life is saved by the ghost of his grandmother.[39]
28 7 The Rendlesham UFO 20 May 2023 Retired USAF officer Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt recounts his experience in the famous Rendlesham Forest incident of December 1980.[40]
29 8 The Guest Book 27 May 2023 A young couple discover why the previous occupant of their Victorian shop never went upstairs.[41]
30 9 The Beast of Langeais 3 June 2023 Two backpackers visit the Château de Langeais in France and have a terrifying encounter after dark.[42]
31 10 Harry Called 20 June 2023 A student participates in a Ouija board session, and receives a message from "Harry". He is soon plagued by telephone calls and visitations.[43]
32 11 Uncanny Live at Hay 17 June 2023 With special guest David Baddiel at the Hay Festival. A London Underground guard sees the ghost of a lost girl at Russell Square station.[44]
33 12 The Ghost That Followed Us Home 24 June 2023 A ghostly girl spotted on family holiday to France appears again closer to home.[45]

Series 3

[edit]
No overall No. Title First broadcast Notes
34 Special Season 2 Case Update 20 September 2023 Looking back on some of the cases from the second series with further evidence.[46]
35 1 The Blue Man 30 September 2023 The apparition of a blue figure in a bedroom in Wales is witnessed by multiple people over many years.[47]
36 2 Uncle Jack 7 October 2023 A couple move into a dilapidated cottage - could the footsteps from the floor above be the ghost of a late relative?[48]
37 Special Miss Howard, The Bearpark Poltergeist and The Oxford Exorcism - Case Update 31 October 2023 Updates on the three cases in the television adaptation.[49]
38 3 The Ghost Who Hated Parties 8 November 2023 Three students in Waterford, Ireland find their revelries disturbing a resident spirit.[50]
39 4 Elton’s Phone 15 November 2023 A child's toy telephone starts ringing in the night, heralding a sequence of increasingly disturbing incidents.[51]
40 5 Double Trouble 22 November 2023 Two doppelgänger cases are examined - a family from Newcastle witness themselves driving the other way in their classic car, and a disabled woman's suicidal thoughts are ended after seeing a vision of herself as an older woman.[52]
41 6 Good Evening 29 November 2023 A nurse moves into a regular suburban house with her husband and newborn baby, but keeps hearing the voice of a well-spoken man in her ear.[53]
42 Special Christmas Special: The Haunting of Daisy May Cooper 25 December 2023 Danny Robins joins writer and actor Daisy May Cooper to investigate whether her house is haunted.[54][55]
43 Special S3 Case Update 14 February 2024 Updates on the cases from series 3.[56]

Three repeated 'Classic Cases' with new introductions by Laurence Rickard, Daisy May Cooper and Reece Shearsmith were broadcast on 14, 21 and 28 October while the television adaptation was on air.[57]

Series 4: Uncanny USA

[edit]
No overall No. Title First broadcast Notes
44 1 The Flood 30 April 2024 A man's Voodoo-practicing aunt dies in Hurricane Katrina. After inheriting her Ouija board, he soon regrets attempting to contact her.[58]
45 2 Dad's Phone 7 May 2024 A controlling former spy promises to contact his daughter after his death if he can find a way. After his death from cancer, his old phone starts ringing.[59]
46 3 The Platte County Poltergeist 14 May 2024 A family build their dream house in rural Missouri - but are soon troubled by poltergeist activity and visions of a man in an upstairs bedroom. Can a new house be haunted?[60]
47 4 The Hairy Man 21 May 2024 Three relatives prospecting for gold in the Alaskan wilderness encounter a tribe of humanoid creatures outside their cabin in the forest. Could it be the legendary Bigfoot?[61]
48 5 The Mystery of Willow Creek 28 May 2024 Danny visits Willow Creek in Humboldt County, California, the "Bigfoot capital of the world" and hears what happened next in the case from the previous week.[62]
49 6 Series 4 Case Update 4 June 2024 Updates on some of the cases from series 4.[63]
50 7 The Burnt Man 11 June 2024 A man is troubled by visions of a charred figure he saw as a child while living in the Mojave Desert.[64]
51 8 What Lies Beyond 18 June 2024 Double bill. An 911 emergency responder in Maine receives a call warning about a fire that doesn't yet exist. A funeral home in Kansas is troubled by one of its occupants.[65]
52 9 The Labor Day UFO 25 June 2024 Interviews with multiple witnesses and unwilling participants in the 1969 Labor Day UFO incident in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.[66]
53 10 Arthur’s House 2 July 2024 After buying a cottage in the upmarket California town of Montecito a woman finds herself made less than welcome by the ghost of its previous owner.[67]

Halloween: Trilogy of Terror

[edit]
No overall No. Title First broadcast Notes
54 Special Halloween Special with Stewart Lee 29 October 2024 Danny is joined by comedian Stewart Lee to examine some spooky cases; a man tells the story of a child being physically moved by a ghost near Loch Ness, a man recalls sharing a dream with Rick Astley, a man's father is terrorised by Black Shuck in The Fens and a woman experiences a time slip back to a World War II pub.[68]
55 Special Halloween Special: Meadow Cottage Part 1 5 November 2024 A family are terrorised in their 200 year-old house in the Lake District.[69]
56 Special Halloween Special: Meadow Cottage Part 2 12 November 2024 The story of Meadow Cottage continued.[70]

Halloween Countdown

[edit]

A series of short cases from listeners' emails released daily on BBC Sounds in the run-up to Halloween 2024, beginning on 1 October 2024.[71]

Television version

[edit]

A television series for BBC Two was broadcast from Friday 13 October 2023 for three episodes. Each episode is one hour long and features experts from the radio series.[2]

No overall No. Title First broadcast Notes
1 1 Miss Howard 13 October 2023 Two separate families are troubled by repeated appearances of an Edwardian spectre in a house in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire.[72]
2 2 The Bearpark Poltergeist 20 October 2023 A boy living in a house in Bearpark, County Durham witnesses poltergeist activity.[73]
3 3 The Oxford Exorcism 27 October 2023 Three students find their student house in Oxford plagued by an evil spirit.[74]

Stage show

[edit]
The stage set for an Uncanny live show in 2024

The programme has been adapted into a touring stage show, Uncanny Live which toured the UK in 2024, hosted by Danny Robins with appearances from experts such as Ciarán O'Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow.[75]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Uncanny". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Uncanny, the spookily successful BBC Radio 4 podcast, commissioned for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer". BBC Media Centre. 12 February 2023.
  3. ^ Bushby, Helen (1 October 2023). "Danny Robins: Paranormal activity can bring people comfort". BBC News.
  4. ^ "The week in audio: Uncanny; Just One Thing; Built to Thrive and more". TheGuardian.com. 20 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Uncanny". Bafflegab Productions. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Danny Robins, creator of The Battersea Poltergeist, returns with Uncanny - a new paranormal investigation for BBC Radio 4". BBC Media Centre. 13 October 2021.
  7. ^ Kelly, Laura (5 April 2023). "Danny Robins on the return of Uncanny: ghostly monks, poignant poltergeists and famous UFOs". Big Issue.
  8. ^ "Uncanny Live with Mark Gatiss". BBC Radio 4. 30 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Uncanny Meets Ghosts". BBC Radio 4. 27 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Uncanny Live at Hay". BBC Radio 4. 17 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Danny Robins takes BBC Radio 4's smash hit podcast stateside in new Uncanny USA". BBC Media Centre. 4 April 2024.
  12. ^ "The Evil in Room 611". BBC Programmes. 23 October 2021.
  13. ^ Campbell, Niamh (21 November 2021). "QUB's haunted halls: More former students share paranormal experiences of university accommodation 40 years ago". Belfast Telegraph.
  14. ^ "The Hanging Room". BBC Programmes. 30 October 2021.
  15. ^ "The Todmorden UFO". BBC Programmes. 6 November 2021.
  16. ^ "My Best Friend's Ghost". BBC Programmes. 13 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Return to Room 611". BBC Programmes. 20 November 2021.
  18. ^ "The Brooklyn Poltergeist". BBC Programmes. 27 November 2021.
  19. ^ "The Angel in the Bathroom". BBC Programmes. 4 December 2021.
  20. ^ "The UFO in the Playground". BBC Programmes. 11 December 2021.
  21. ^ "I Will Kill You All". BBC Programmes. 18 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Don't Sleep in this House". BBC Programmes. 25 December 2021.
  23. ^ "The Curse of Luibeilt". BBC Programmes. 1 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Fatal Collision". BBC Programmes. 8 January 2022.
  25. ^ "The Return of Elizabeth Dacre". BBC Programmes. 15 January 2022.
  26. ^ "The Haunting of Tanfield House". BBC Programmes. 22 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Bloody Hell Ken". BBC Programmes. 29 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Summer Special Part 1: Canadian Horror Story". BBC Programmes. 25 June 2022.
  29. ^ "Summer Special Part 2: The Room Next Door". BBC Programmes. 2 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Summer Special Part 3: Uncanny Live". BBC Programmes. 29 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Uncanny Meets Ghosts". BBC Programmes. 27 September 2022.
  32. ^ "Christmas Special". BBC Programmes. 23 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Uncanny Live with Mark Gatiss". BBC Programmes. 30 December 2022.
  34. ^ "The Boy in Room 3". BBC Programmes. 8 April 2023.
  35. ^ "My Family's Poltergeist". BBC Programmes. 15 April 2023.
  36. ^ "Leave the Lights On". BBC Programmes. 6 November 2021.
  37. ^ "Inside Room 611". BBC Programmes. 29 April 2023.
  38. ^ "Uncanny Live at UncannyCon". BBC Programmes. 6 May 2023.
  39. ^ "An Angel Called Bernie". BBC Programmes. 13 May 2023.
  40. ^ "The Rendlesham UFO". BBC Programmes. 20 May 2023.
  41. ^ "The Guest Book". BBC Programmes. 11 December 2021.
  42. ^ "The Beast of Langeais". BBC Programmes. 3 June 2023.
  43. ^ "Harry Called". BBC Programmes. 20 June 2023.
  44. ^ "Uncanny Live at Hay". BBC Programmes. 17 June 2023.
  45. ^ "The Ghost That Followed Us Home". BBC Programmes. 24 June 2023.
  46. ^ "Season 2 Case Update". BBC Programmes. 20 September 2023.
  47. ^ "The Blue Man". BBC Programmes. 30 September 2023.
  48. ^ "Uncle Jack". BBC Programmes. 7 October 2023.
  49. ^ "Miss Howard, The Bearpark Poltergeist and The Oxford Exorcism - Case Update". BBC Programmes. 31 October 2023.
  50. ^ "The Ghost Who Hated Parties". BBC Programmes. 8 November 2023.
  51. ^ "Elton's Phone". BBC Programmes. 15 November 2023.
  52. ^ "Double Trouble". BBC Programmes. 22 November 2023.
  53. ^ "Good Evening". BBC Programmes. 29 November 2023.
  54. ^ "Christmas Special". BBC Programmes. 25 December 2023.
  55. ^ "BBC Radio and Sounds delivers a Christmas cracker of a schedule for listeners this festive period". BBC Media Centre. 27 November 2023.
  56. ^ "Bonus Episode: Uncanny S3 Case Update". BBC Programmes. 14 February 2024.
  57. ^ "Episode list". BBC Programmes. 5 December 2023.
  58. ^ "Case 1: The Flood". BBC Programmes. 30 May 2024.
  59. ^ "Case 2: Dad's Phone". BBC Programmes. 7 May 2024.
  60. ^ "Case 3: The Platte County Poltergeist". BBC Programmes. 14 May 2024.
  61. ^ "Case 4: The Hairy Man Poltergeist". BBC Programmes. 21 May 2024.
  62. ^ "Case 5: The Mystery of Willow Creek". BBC Programmes. 28 May 2024.
  63. ^ "Case 6: Case Update". BBC Programmes. 3 June 2024.
  64. ^ "Case 7: The Burnt Man". BBC Programmes. 11 June 2024.
  65. ^ "Case 8: What Lies Beyond". BBC Programmes. 18 June 2024.
  66. ^ "Case 9: The Labor Day UFO". BBC Programmes. 25 June 2024.
  67. ^ "Case 10: Arthur's House". BBC Programmes. 2 July 2024.
  68. ^ "Halloween Special with Stewart Lee". BBC Programmes. 24 October 2024.
  69. ^ "Halloween Special: Meadow Cottage Part 1". BBC Programmes. 5 November 2024.
  70. ^ "Halloween Special: Meadow Cottage Part 2". BBC Programmes. 12 November 2024.
  71. ^ "Halloween Countdown". BBC Programmes. 2 July 2024.
  72. ^ "Miss Howard". BBC Programmes. 13 October 2023.
  73. ^ "The Bearpark Poltergeist". BBC Programmes. 20 October 2023.
  74. ^ "The Oxford Exorcism". BBC Programmes. 27 October 2023.
  75. ^ "Uncanny Live". Danny Robins. 12 June 2024.
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