The Battersea Poltergeist was first a podcast phenomenon, which followed the tale of strange goings on in a house in Battersea in the 1950's-60's. The legend is of Britain's strangest haunting,. Today Shirley is an 80-year-old. Its creator, and others, explain why the pandemic has led people to seek out scary stories James McMahon Mon 29 Mar 2021 06.00. Without wanting to give any spoilers, youll hear spontaneous fires break out, disembodied voices, writing appearing on walls and even on paper seemingly "letters from a ghost". Beyond experiencing terrifying notes and levitating from her bed, her family's house consistently rattled, objects flew across rooms, and fires randomly started throughout the home. The Black Tapes is a weekly podcast from the creators of Pacific Northwest Stories, and is hosted by Alex Reagan. All available episodes Its a truly wild case.. Subscribe now on BBC Sounds.Narrator: Becky Ripley. The docudrama is based on the retelling of the haunting by Shirley Hitchings who was 15-years-old when the activity began and found herself as the unwanted focus of attention. The next night, the same thing happened, and again the next. A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Now a new Radio 4 drama-documentary podcast, The Battersea Poltergeist, is reinvestigating the . If you asked what convinced me it had the potential to be a series, I could tell you it was the incredible story Shirley told me in our interviews, so rich, complex and full of twists and turns like a horror movie come to life. Over the course of 1956, Donald demanded that Shirley meet Spenser, or threatened that he would cause Spenser harm. And now it is coming live to a theatre near you! [11], "The week in audio: The Battersea Poltergeist; Catching Melanie's Killer; Eddie Mair review", "The best podcasts to listen to this week", "Nominees announced for the British Podcast Awards 2022", "The nominees for the British Podcast Awards 2022 have been announced", "Shortlist announced for the Audio and Radio Industry Awards 2022", "2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards Announces Finalists | Radio & Television Business Report", "Blumhouse to develop new series about the Battersea poltergeist", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Battersea_Poltergeist&oldid=1126313999, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 December 2022, at 17:53. Marks made on the walls, allegedly by the poltergeist at 63 Wycliffe Road, Message reading Shirley I come, purportedly written by Donald, found scrawled inside a notebook at 1.15 a.m. on 22 March 1956. Whether a real malevolent spirit, figment of an overactive imagination or a mass projection of fear, the case of the Battersea poltergeist will continue to fascinate paranormal enthusiasts and sceptics for many years to come. Danny Robins investigates real-life stories of paranormal encounters. The Hitchings family in the front room of No. At its height, the terrifying case of the Battersea poltergeist attracted international attention, and today it continues to puzzle sleuths around the world. The whole saga caught the public's imagination, becoming a national news story that was even discussed in parliament. The Battersea Poltergeist A paranormal cold case, re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. The shows are meant to be the first installment of a new anthology series called "Blumhouse's Ghost Story." "The Battersea Poltergeist" tells the story of strange events that occurred in . The Harry Price Website - The Battersea Poltergeist by Harry Price TIMELINE GALLERY The Battersea Poltergeist by Harry Price Harry Price described the particulars of the Battersea case and his involvement in it in his penultimate book Poltergeist Over England (Country Life, 1945). Donald, or Louis XVII, used a number of elaborate French phrases in his letter and claimed that he had drowned en route to exile in England. One of the contributors told me about a case he thought might interest me. Read about our approach to external linking. Hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and subscriber rewards. Danny explores possible links between the Battersea case and the Enfield Poltergeist, a famous alleged haunting from 1977. The podcast was later adapted into two television series. BBC Radio 4's The Battersea Poltergeist, which tells the story of the "strange events focused around . Their daughter Shirley was 15, about to start art school and working part-time as a seamstress at department store Selfridges. Vote for the Best Historical Film of the Last 50 Years. The family cat named Jeremy, after Jeremy Spenser even ended up being analysed by fans desperate to prove Donalds existence. In early 1956, paranormal investigator Harold Chib Chibbett was drawn to the case. Danny Robins introduces The Battersea Poltergeist. Cast: Shirley Hitchings..Dafne KeenHarold ChibbettToby JonesWally Hitchings..Burn GormanKitty Hitchings.Alice LoweLily Chibbett..Kacey AinsworthEthel Hitchings.Sorcha CusackJohn Hitchings..Calvin Demba Written and presented by Danny RobinsExperts: Ciaran OKeeffe and Evelyn HollowSound Designer: Richard FoxMusic: Evelyn SykesTheme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben HillierProduced by Danny Robins and Simon BarnardDirected by Simon Barnard Consultant: Alan MurdieWith thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'A Bafflegab Production for BBC Radio 4. Who wrote the letters? The Poltergeist Prince of London: The Remarkable True Story Of The Battersea Poltergeist Paperback - October 1, 2013 by Shriley Hitchings (Author), James Clark (Contributor) 96 ratings Kindle $0.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial or $21.00 to buy Paperback $20.00 15 Used from $12.80 18 New from $13.78 Psychical researcher Harold Chibbett, at the rear of No. However, No. (15 total). Dad Wally was in his forties, a tall, gaunt man who drove trains on the London Underground. The first two episodes will be released on BBC Sounds on Thursday. My new BBC series The Battersea Poltergeist is the result. Danny Robins introduces The Battersea Poltergeist. An attempt was made by the BBC to contact Donald on prime-time TV, and the haunting was even spoken about in the House of Commons. Danny Robins visits a haunted house in a bid to make contact with a poltergeist. Some of the strangest and most unsettling alleged poltergeist cases have taken place in anonymous semi-detached houses on seemingly tranquil roads. BBC shows are top notch & this sounds as it will be too! Who better to chat more about this amazing case than creator of the Battersea Poltergeist Podcast, Danny Robins! Why Did Charles Dickens Write A Christmas Carol? He even wrote a detailed book about the case which was never published. A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Toby Jones plays Harold Chibbett in the series. The paper published a sensational account of the story which attracted widespread attention. His story, however fascinating, was often changing and contradictory. (Episode 94) Writer and broadcaster Danny Robins talks about his investigative docu-drama "The Battersea Poltergeist" which examines in detail a major forgotten poltergeist case from 1950s Britain. UFO sighting:. It documents the strange events focused around Hitchings. The Battersea Poltergeist. What really happened to Shirley and her family 65 years ago?Written and presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britains strangest ever haunting a mystery unsolved until now.Cast:Shirley Hitchings..Dafne KeenHarold ChibbettToby JonesWally Hitchings..Burn GormanKitty Hitchings.Alice LoweEthel Hitchings.Sorcha CusackJoyce Lewis..Miranda RaisonWritten and presented by Danny RobinsExperts: Ciaran OKeeffe, Evelyn Hollow and Deborah HydeSound Designer: Charlie Brandon-KingMusic: Evelyn SykesTheme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben HillierProduced by Danny Robins and Simon BarnardConsultant: Alan MurdieWith thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'A Bafflegab Production for BBC Radio 4, In this final episode, the investigation reaches its climax as Danny and the experts assess the evidence and look for answers to explain the strange events at 63 Wycliffe Road. We also hear Steve's strange story all the way from Australia where he saw the same woman and dog twice! A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Presented by Danny Robins. 10 Facts About Patagotitan: Earths Biggest Dinosaur, Jokes of Christmas Past: The History of Crackers With Some Jokes Thrown In, In Pictures: Historic Photographer of the Year 2022, The Most Remarkable Roman Aqueducts Still Standing, Bah Humbug! Love the story within the story. The table is said to be levitating, but in reality, a ghostly arm has been superimposed over the image using a double exposure. Danny Robins investigates ghostly monks, a mongoose and creepy 'cursed' celtic heads. By now, her association with the poltergeist had caused her to lose her job and friends, and many believed her to be possessed by the devil. A photograph of a supposed seance, taken by William Hope in 1920. Poltergeist hauntings usually last a few months - a year or two at most. You can (and should) listen here. [9] The scripted series is titled The Battersea Poltergeist and the unscripted series is called Blumhouse's Ghost Story. Enjoy on headphones in the dark. History Hit brings you the stories that shaped the world through our award winning podcast network and an online history channel. The podcast was produced by BBC Radio 4 and presented by Danny Robins. ], Actress Dafne Keen plays the young Shirley in The Battersea Poltergeist. The Black Tapes. Hed served in the First World War and, perhaps as a result, had developed a desperate desire to prove the existence of life after death. The racket could be heard out in the street. I devoured the book that Shirley had co-written with James Clark about her experiences, The Poltergeist Prince of London, and would end up devoting much of the following two years to investigating her case. This bizarre and thrilling story feels equally fascinating whether you believe in ghosts or not if you do, it represents the best chance Ive come across to prove that paranormal phenomena actually exist, and if youre sceptically-minded it becomes an intriguing psycho-drama, trying to work out what really happened and how humans could have consciously or subconsciously created these strange, seemingly impossible events. Its said that the family learned to communicate with the poltergeist, initially by using alphabet cards and through tapping a certain number of times to mean yes or no, and then, in March 1956, through written correspondence addressed to Shirley, which said Shirley, I come. The pictures of her in newspaper articles on the case show a striking girl with dark hair and even darker eyes. The Battersea Poltergeist is a unique paranormal case for several reasons. He spent days and nights recording events at the house, and eventually became a close family friend of the Hitchings. The sounds flitted between that intense banging and a scratching that seemed to come from within the furniture, even from inside the bed headboard as they tried to sleep. Contents 1 Background 2 Reception 2.1 Awards We'll be exploring some of the emails we get during the series. Limelight Trailer: How to be a Mind Reader, Limelight is the best podcast for thrilling audio drama box sets. And it does: this really is a strange story, and The Battersea Poltergeist is a fabulous telling of it. There are many who propose scientific explanations for the strange goings-on. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. It contains her fathers diaries, entitled "Living With a Poltergeist", photographs and newspaper cuttings, and, most usefully of all, we have the files of the original investigator, a man named Harold Chibbett, which Shirley rescued from his house after his death. When a strange silver key appeared at No. Handwriting experts have analysed the letters and concluded that they were almost certainly written by Shirley. We're seeing effectively a ghost with a tantrum. The word poltergeist is German for noisy ghost and they are often portrayed as being like supernatural toddlers, smashing up your house in a fit of pique. We're talking about pots and pans being thrown from a room that nobody was in. Multiple witnesses claimed to have seen bedsheets flying off beds, slippers walking around of their own accord and chairs moving. That is until 15 year-old Shirley Hitchings and her family moved into 63 Wycliffe Road. His wife Kitty, slightly older than him, was a former office clerk, now in a wheelchair due to chronic arthritis. The Battersea Poltergeist BBC Podcasts Fiction 4.6 772 Ratings 18 OCT 2022 Introducing. As the BBC Sounds podcast of The Battersea Poltergeist nears its end, we chat with parapsychologist Ciaran O'Keeffe about the case - and wider implications. The Hitchings, sleep-deprived and terrified, called out the Police and various surveyors, but no one was able to get to the bottom of where the noises came from. 5 Things You Never Knew About Cesare Borgia, 10 of the Most Important Renaissance Buildings in Italy, 10 Relatively Unknown Facts About Russian Democracy. From around March 1956 onwards, the Hitchings family began to draw press attention. Up until this point the case resembles many other poltergeist hauntings chilling and unsettling, but following an established pattern, However, it then takes on a truly extraordinary life of its own. 63 Wycliffe Road in Battersea, London, discovered a silver key sitting on her pillow. This is a family that has come together to support each other in terms of all of this stuff that's being thrown at them, excuse the pun, that they're experiencing. 11 min; 19 AVR. James Goodfellow: The Scot Who Invented the PIN and ATM. The eight-part podcast will be a blend of drama and . Danny Robins introduces The Battersea Poltergeist. The case became one of the biggest of his life, and his extensive records demonstrate that he authentically believed in the Battersea poltergeist. Shirley was invited to the head office, where she was strip-searched to ensure that she wasnt hiding anything. At this exclusive live event . The Battersea Poltergeist is a Radio 4 podcast, written and presented by Danny Robins, that mixes documentary and drama while delving into one the most unusual and long-running poltergeist hauntings ever reported. Less than a decade after the end of the Second World War, it recalled memories of living through the Blitz; an intense barrage of noise so loud the neighbours came round to complain, imagining that Wally was hammering or tearing up floorboards in the middle of the night. 124 One of the UK's scariest Poltergeist experiences involves a young girl, Shirley, that was tormented for 12 years. He was incredibly well connected within the world of supernatural research. Even if you haven't heard about this alleged haunting, you've . The podcast is centred around a teenage girl, Shirley Hitchings, her family, and a poltergeist called Donald seemingly trapped within the family home. The theory that the noises were being caused by a supernatural presence a poltergeist therefore emerged, with the family naming the mysterious entity Donald. In 1967, she left London altogether, and by 1968 it appeared that Donald had finally gone for good. The Battersea Poltergeist | Ep. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. Through these letters and the attention they drew, Shirley was able to move out of her shared room with her parents, was given money for clothes and more fashionable hairstyles and was the subject of much press hysteria. The Pontefract Poltergeist (1966) The most violent poltergeist case in Europe on record is known as The Pontefract Poltergeist, later referred to as The Black Monk of Pontefract. 1. Over the 12 year course of the haunting, some 3,000-4,000 written messages were delivered to the family from Donald, with a staggering 60 messages being left per day at the height of the case. 63 Wycliffe Road, 13 June 1956. Ciaran OKeefe, a psychology professor from Bucks New University, who is working on my BBC podcast series about the case, says the argument from some parapsychology theorists, is that it's about attention. It wasn't long before ghost hunter Harold Chibbett was living with the family, trying desperately to capture evidence of the legendary Battersea Poltergeist. A paranormal cold case, re-investigated through a thrillin. History May 7, 2022 Listen to 'The Battersea Poltergeist' Described as a blend of drama and documentary, "The Battersea Poltergeist" tells the true story of the strangest hauntings Britain has ever seen. The Battersea Poltergeist's Danny Robins introduces a chilling excerpt from his intriguing new paranormal series, Uncanny. The popular docu-drama The Battersea Poltergeist podcast, written and presented by Robins, was the #1 drama podcast worldwide on Apple Podcasts and features the voices of Dafne Keen (Logan) and . Portrait of Prince Louis XVII, 1792, who reportedly haunted the Hitchings family in Battersea via a poltergeist. It was clear that Donald was fixated on Shirley, with the noises following her to work, and the paranormal happenings occurring around and even to her. The Battersea Poltergeist is a horror podcast and audio drama produced by BBC Radio 4 and presented by Danny Robins. 63 Wycliffe Road in Battersea, London, was a seemingly ordinary semi-detached home. The sounds were so loud that the neighbours complained, and Shirley later reflected that the sounds were coming from the roots of the house. The Battersea Poltergeist: Podcast Invites Listeners To Help Crack Paranormal Cold Case January 28, 2021 3:00 AM Paranormal Podcasts Radio This article is more than one year old and was last updated in April 2022. Number one drama series across the world, The Battersea Poltergeist is a multi-million download, genre-busting phenomenon, mixing documentary and drama to tell the incredible and terrifying true story of the 1956 haunting of the Hitchings family in south London at the hands of a poltergeist they nicknamed Donald. Landscaping Pioneer: Who Was Frederick Law Olmsted. [2][3], Nicholas Quah wrote in Vulture that "It's nothing transcendental, but boy is it a good time. The adaptation was created by Maniac Productions and Blumhouse Productions and distributed by Peacock. Image Credit: National Media Museum / Public Domain. AboutPressCopyrightContact. 63 Wycliffe Road in 1957. The two sisters at the centre of the case admitted to hoaxing some of the 'poltergeist' activity . A paranormal cold case, re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. In this way we blend Chibs original investigation with my present-day attempt to crack the mysteries of the case with the help of modern experts. The story happens in 1956 when a young girl of about 15 years old starts feeling ungodly queasy. Written and presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britains strangest ever haunting a mystery unsolved until now. The Witch Farm Little did the family know that this was the beginning of a chain of seemingly supernatural events that would torment them for 12 years, with the famed ghost (named Donald by the family) moving furniture, writing notes and even setting objects on fire during his reign of terror. What is clear, however, is the profound impact that the events had upon Shirley, who stated that the haunting robbed her of her childhood. Season 6 Episode 4. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. The Battersea Poltergeist A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. We normally associate ghost stories with castles, churches and manor houses. The story revolves around the experiences of the Hitchings family. In a final bonus episode, Danny takes one last deep dive into the investigation, as he explores more of your theories, examines some of the most puzzling moments in the case, and puts your questions to Shirley.There are still some surprising revelations in store as Danny uncovers new witnesses to the strange events at 63 Wycliffe Road. Im pleased its gone, says Shirley, I wouldnt ever want to go through that again. She gives an involuntary shudder, and I feel another little shiver down my spine. BBC 4 In a competitive bidding situation, Blumhouse Television and Michael Seitzman 's Maniac Productions have won the rights to BBC Radio 4's The Battersea Poltergeist podcast, presented by. We unpack the case and chat more about his newest series, The Witch Farm. The Battersea Poltergeist. "Chib", as he liked to be known, has been largely forgotten by history you wont find much if you Google him but he was a respected ghost hunter in the 1950s. "[4], In May 2021, the podcast was set to be adapted into a scripted and unscripted series. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. After the noises, the next stage is almost always objects moving, as if the poltergeist wants to up the stakes and really show what it can do. At 63 Wycliffe Road, the Hitchings family lived in fear of a poltergeist that seemed to target their 15-year-old daughter, Shirley. The actions of the poltergeist has captured Londoner's attention and an in depth BBC documentary drama podcast has revealed the account of Shirley Hitchings, now 80, who was haunted by the ghost. Discover what happens when a family in England gets haunted by a poltergeist, who the family nicknamed "Donald" and which captivated the nation. At its height, the terrifying case of the Battersea poltergeist attracted international attention, and today it continues to puzzle sleuths around the world. 63 Wycliffe Road in Battersea, London, was a seemingly ordinary semi-detached home. Danny Robins introduces his investigation, set in the wild Welsh countryside, into the real-life mystery behind what has been called Britain's most haunted house. A haunting you have to Batterhear to believe! The family underwent exorcisms to try and get rid of the ghost (Image: BBC) Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Emmys Black History Month STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events Do you believe in ghosts? The show was nominated for a British Podcast Award, Audio and Radio Industry Award, and a New York Festivals Radio Award. Battersea is pretty gentrified now, full of gastro-pubs and trendy coffee shops, but back in 1956, it was a fairly poor, working class area. Robins, Michael. Copyright 2022 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Transportive, entertaining & clever. Shirley married and left her parents house in 1965, by which time Donalds presence was waning. 63 Wycliffe Road, Shirley Hitchings and her family had no idea what was in store for them. Mixing Chibs case notes with Shirleys own recollections of events has allowed us to bring the 1956 haunting to life in our series, through dramatic reconstructions starring Dafne Keen as Shirley and Toby Jones as Chibbett, with Burn Gorman, Alice Lowe, Calvin Demba and Sorcha Cusack as the rest of the Hitchings Family. The Hitchings nicknamed the poltergeist "Donald" and over a period of months and years they developed a way of communicating with it, searching for clues to who or what he was, while the newspapers creepily alleged that he was obsessed with Shirley. Neither the police nor surveyors could get to the bottom of where the noises came from, and various photographers and reporters were left unsettled upon visiting the house. The podcast everyone in the paranormal world has been talking about came to an end this week, but after listening to and studying the evidence presented in all eight episodes of 'The Battersea Poltergeist', how much do you now know about the famous haunting that started in South London in 1956 and lasted for an incredible 12 years? There's so much happening in this tale that it puts most of the boring paranormal investigations we see on late time TV in the UK into context. Exorcisms were attempted and the police would check up on the house. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. The original haunted house was demolished in the late 1960s and never replaced. If you like The Battersea Poltergeist, then you'll like these 10 similar podcasts picked by our community of 20,000 podcast lovers. Rooms are trashed, says Evelyn. Extraordinarily, Spenser suffered a non-fatal car accident shortly after. An ordinary family We normally associate ghost stories with castles, churches and manor houses. It didnt fit. The activity allegedly began at N.30 East Drive in East Yorkshire during a bank holiday weekend in August 1966. Listen now Charts Apple Podcasts More Apple Podcasts chart appearances Spotify Read full review Recent Episodes See all As time went on, activity within the house became more extreme. The Battersea Poltergeist is a new BBC Radio 4 podcast that shines a spotlight on the story of a poltergeist that haunted one terrified family in south London - and it's even more chilling than the Enfield case which it predates by some 20 years. Danny Robins investigates how fear can play with your mind. The Battersea Poltergeist is a horror podcast and audio drama produced by BBC Radio 4 and presented by Danny Robins. The implications for my life and the way I viewed the world were huge. Producer Danny Robins has an impressive track record making entertaining, open-minded supernatural content. Finally fans of the paranormal have a podcast designed to turn them in to armchair supernatural sleuths. The Battersea Poltergeist TV Series Documentary Drama Note: Because this project is categorized as in development, the data is only available on IMDbPro and is subject to change. Can they shed any more light on the case?Written and Presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists, Capote), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britains strangest ever haunting a mystery unsolved until now. The terrifying tales from BBC Radio 4's docudrama, The Battersea Poltergeist, are coming to the small screen thanks to Blumhouse TV.The docudrama, presented by Danny Robins, and featuring the . It is the ghost story that has even skeptics asking questions. A tax inspector by day and paranormal enthusiast by night, he was well-known and connected, counting author Arthur Conan Doyle, psychic researcher Harry Price and science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke as friends. The Battersea Poltergeist is based on actual events, and it's one of the occurrences that was investigated for 12 years before it was considered authentic. Who or what is Donald? Go offline with the Player FM app! On this front, the Wycliffe Road case doesnt disappoint. 2021; . Please read the following before sending your comments. An attempt was made to contact the poltergeist on live prime-time TV on the BBC and it was even discussed by the Home Secretary in the House of Commons. The series is going to be called Blumhouse's Ghost Story, and "The Battersea Poltergeist" podcast will serve as the basis for the first season. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. You can join in the investigation - email Danny at batterseapoltergeist@bbc.co.uk. The other residents of the house were Wallys mother, Ethel, a fiery character known locally as Old Mother Hitchings and her adopted son, John, a surveyor in his twenties who Shirley thought of as a brother. Number 63 Wycliffe Road was home to the Hitchings Family. Number one drama series across the world, The Battersea Poltergeist is a multi-million download, genre-busting phenomenon, mixing documentary and drama to tell the incredible and terrifying true story of the 1956 haunting of the Hitchings family in south London at the hands of a poltergeist they . Ghost stories have become urban legends all over the world, but few have sparked imagination, curiosity, and fear like the legendary Battersea poltergeist in London, England. Meanwhile ghost hunter Harold Chibbett makes progress in his attempts to communicate, becoming convinced he is on the verge of discovering Donald's true identity. A few months later I found myself chatting to Shirley Hitchings herself shes 80 now and it quickly became apparent this was not going to fit into a single episode. We hear more from the real-life Shirley Hitchings as, back in 1956, teenage Shirley appears to communicate with . As the days and years passed quietly, the streets of Battersea once again claimed their respective ordinariness. He would end up devoting the rest of his life to trying to help the Hitchings and work out who or what Donald was. 6 Top A Christmas Carol Film Adaptations. The case of the Battersea Poltergeist has been re-examined writer and by broadcaster Danny Robin. Reports of poltergeist hauntings commonly start with noises. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. Multiple witnesses claimed to have seen bedsheets flying off beds, slippers walking around of their own accord, clocks floating through the air, pots and pans being thrown across rooms and chairs moving around the house. Written by Danny Robins, Battersea Poltergeist was the No. Credit BBC . Chibs an intriguing character a tax inspector by day who conducted paranormal investigations by night; camping out in the kitchens and living rooms of those terrifyingly ordinary houses, trying to make contact with "the other side". Who was Franoise Dior, the Neo-Nazi Heiress and Socialite? How can the seemingly impossible happen in front of multiple witnesses? Welcome back girls and ghouls to another episode of the strangest podcast around, settling in for a frightening "true" story from the land of tea and crumpets! Is this a haunting or a hoax?As the modern-day investigators try to reach conclusions, back in 1956, there are still surprises left to spring The Hitchings face a truly chilling event as Chib searches obsessively for the clues to back up his theories. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. I lay awake for a long time that night after first chatting to her, my thoughts racing, because the idea that what shed told me was true seemed the most frightening thing of all. Others point to Shirley being a starry-eyed but ultimately bored teenager who lived a rather sheltered life, and may have manufactured Donald and drawn others in as a means of attracting attention to herself and making demands that would work to her advantage. Perhaps thats what makes them all the more creepy we expect to hear ghost stories in old stately homes or ruined monasteries and castles, but in an urban or suburban context, the inexplicable events feel that much closer to home. The Battersea poltergeist became one of the most famous hauntings in Britain. The Battersea Poltergeist with Danny Robins. Blumhouse's Ghost Story. . Description: A paranormal cold case, re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Its Shirley that the strange activity in the house seemed to focus around, and also the media interest. Daily Mirror article from 20 February 1956, the first article written about the case. Read 4 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Do you believe in ghosts? To say any more would give the game away, but theres also a fascinating detective story aspect to the case. Most significantly, Shirley herself was witnessed involuntarily moving in her bed and around the room by various family members and neighbours. A series of unfortunate non-paranormal events had befallen upon the Robinson family. The Battersea Poltergeist | Part 7 | Strange Bones BBC Sounds.Accusations are made against Shirley in a press expos, as the haunting intensifies, putting th. The podcast documents the strange events focused around Shirley Hitchings in 1956 that were investigated over a 12-year period, the longest documented poltergeist haunting in history. In an ultra competitive bidding situation, Blumhouse Television has secured the rights to BBC Radio 4's "The Battersea Poltergeist" podcast, presented by Danny Robins, which the company is . [From collection of Shirley Hitchings. Read about our approach to external linking. In this bonus episode, Danny discusses your questions and theories on the investigation after the shock developments of Episode 7, and, in a new twist, he uncovers another living witness to the bizarre events at 63 Wycliffe Road back in 1956. As time went on, these events became increasingly violent. In late January 1956, Shirley discovered an ornate silver key on her pillowcase that didnt fit any lock in the house. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and. The house must have looked like a bloody warzone. The other incredible resource we have for our investigation is a cardboard box Shirley stored in her attic for many years, full of material about the case. The Battersea Poltergeists Danny Robins introduces a chilling excerpt from his intriguing new paranormal series, Uncanny. Eventually, the Daily Mail got in touch. Article on the case from the Sunday Graphic newspaper, with a photo of Shirley. ' The Battersea Poltergeist ' was a multi-million download, genre-busting phenomenon, mixing documentary and drama to tell the incredible and terrifying true story of the 1956 haunting of the Hitchings family at the hands of a poltergeist they nicknamed Donald. Evelyn Hollow, a Scottish writer and parapsychologist who also features in the series, says we're talking about a clock floating through the air. The haunted house looks like ours, the people affected are not dissimilar to us. A brand new paranormal cold case. The haunting of Shirley Hitchings and her family investigated in modern times. The Battersea Poltergeist is just one of many surging up the charts. The true story behind "Britain's most haunted house". Their lives were changed forever one night when they were woken by deafening bangs reverberating through the house, shaking the walls and floors. Number 63 no longer exists. May 25, 2021 10:45am PT 'Battersea Poltergeist' to Be Adapted as Scripted, Unscripted Series by Blumhouse TV and Maniac Productions By Joe Otterson Courtesy of Blumhouse In a competitive. After the noises, the next stage is almost always objects moving. 1 drama podcast worldwide, featuring more than 3 million downloads per month. BBC Radio 4's Danny Robins joins Blurry Photos to discuss his new podcast series The Battersea Poltergeist! The Battersea Poltergeist was still rattling . Roy Chapman Andrews: The Real Indiana Jones? Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. The Battersea Poltergeist is their first major non-fiction work - unless you count a reissue of Peter Cushing's reading of his autobiography - and it embraces documentary rigour while keeping things pleasurably scary. [10] The companies also secured the rights to the book called "The Poltergeist Prince of London: The Remarkable True Story of the Battersea Poltergeist". The creative behind The Battersea Poltergeist, Danny Robbins, has announced a new instalment to the horror radio series called The Witch Farm. From March 1956, Donald left notes around the house ordering the family to do things such as dress Shirley in courtly clothes, and contact the famous actor Jeremy Spenser. Melanie Road, whose murder in 1984 was the subject of . In a handwritten letter dating to May 1956, Donald identified himself as Louis-Charles, the short-lived Louis XVII of France, who was rumoured to have escaped captivity during the French Revolution, rather than dying a prisoner aged 10 as was later proved. Contact See company contact information Filmmakers See writer See producer Cast See preliminary cast More info Project notes, plot, and industry news He meets two reporters who covered the case, one of whom claims to have been attacked by the poltergeist. The series, starring Dafne Keen and Toby Jones in the dramatised elements, and with Ciaran O'Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow . I could tell you that, and itd undoubtedly be true, but really, the thing that made me become obsessed with telling this story was less tangible it was simply some quality of Shirleys voice that sent a shiver down my spine, because listening to her I was utterly convinced she was not lying. However, No. CHRISTINE MILLER reviews The Battersea Poltergeist 2021 Presenter: Danny Robbins Evelyn Hollow describes him as the Jay Gatsby of ghosts with a circle of friends and contacts that included Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, sci-fi behemoth Arthur C Clark, legendary ghost hunter Harry Price, and even the notorious black magician Aleister Crowley. A BBC Sounds production exploring the goings on at 63 Wycliffe Road, narrated by Danny Robbins and starring the vocal mastery of actors Toby Jones and Dafne Keen. Some point to the noises coming from the house being located on uneasy marshland, while others have suggested that acid in the soil could have led to madness. What is it about ordinary houses on quiet streets, I wonder, as I scan the door numbers, looking for Number 63 Wycliffe Road. #290 The Battersea Poltergeist. 1. In January 1956, 15-year-old Shirley Hitchings of No. Battersea is pretty gentrified now, full of gastro-pubs and trendy coffee shops, but back in 1956, it was a fairly poor, working class area.. The haunting of Shirley Hitchings is getting made into not one, but two Blumhouse TV series. The guests and narrator are so believable in their respective roles, combined with the tie ins to Enfieldas the listener, its a treat to actually begin to buy the tale. As time went on, Donalds behaviour became increasingly violent. The Battersea Poltergeist on Apple Podcasts 15 episodes A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Michael Seitzman from Maniac Productions said, "It was exactly what we'd been looking for to launch our new ongoing series based on true hauntings.". The Battersea Poltergeist, and the role of the paranormal investigator By Deborah Hyde 24th May 2021 If you haven't yet listened to the BBC podcast ' The Battersea Poltergeist ', treat yourself. Forget about gusts of wind, strange feelings and slight changes of temperature - the Battersea Poltergeist does so much more - from levitation, trashing rooms to waking up the whole street. I became involved with the story back in 2018, while making a podcast called Haunted where I interviewed people who believed theyd had ghostly encounters. The sensational events at 63 Wycliffe Road - dubbed the story of the Battersea Poltergeist - became so notorious they were even raised in the House of Commons. Her father tried the key in every lock in the house. Get time period newsletters, special offers and weekly programme release emails. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. At the centre of the case was 15-year-old Shirley, whose teenage years were consumed by the poltergeist, and who was suspected by many of having a hand in the mysterious goings-on. We asked London's very own ghostbuster why he thinks The Enfield Poltergeist is hoax. I hope youll feel that same frisson I had when you first hear Shirleys voice in the series. Rooms were supposedly found trashed, spontaneous fires would apparently break out one which was so severe that it hospitalised Wally and writing, symbols of crosses and fleur-de-lis, began appearing on the walls. Perhaps you'd like to share your own supernatural experiences? We will send you the latest TV programmes, podcast episodes and articles, as well as exclusive offers from our shop and carefully selected partners. Which brings us back to Wycliffe Road, where, having traipsed up and down the street several times and even bothered a local postman, Ive made a startling discovery. A haunting in 1950's south London, the Battersea Poltergeist made the front pages then and made life for the Hitchings family unbearable. The podcast (hosted by Danny Robins) explores the true case of an apparent 12-year-long haunting of a family's house in Battersea. The Battersea Poltergeist. And its occupants, the Hitchings family, were a seemingly ordinary working-class group: there was father Wally, a tall and gaunt London Underground driver; his wife Kitty, a former office clerk who was a wheelchair user due to chronic arthritis; grandmother Ethel, a fiery character known locally as Old Mother Hitchings; her adopted son John, a surveyor in his twenties; and finally Shirley, Wally and Kittys 15-year-old daughter who was about to start art school and worked as a seamstress in Selfridges. Soon it was a daily occurrence, not just nocturnally, but in broad daylight too. Website. The very same night, noises began which were reminiscent of the Blitz, with deafening bangs reverberating through the house and shaking the walls, floor and furniture. David welcomes producer, writer, and presenter . The podcast boasts nearly 3 million streams and downloads since its launch, and has been at the forefront of the boom in audio storytelling in the UK. Do you have your own theories or questions on the case? The Battersea Poltergeist uses the same methods as Haunted but, rather than having each episode explore a different member of the public's experiences with ghosts, it devotes an entire series to one haunting; a haunting that made national news back in the 1950s. It's no surprise then that. Actor Jeremy Spenser, with whom Donald was supposedly infatuated. Journalist Danny Robins & his team of ghost hunters try to unravel a precursory poltergeist case, set within the backdrop of a post-war 1950's Battersea, London. Mysteriously, Donald even circulated Christmas cards. It happened to the Hitchings family, a normal every day happy family who had no. The show was nominated for a British Podcast Award, Audio and Radio Industry Award, and a New York Festivals Radio Award. The podcast was later adapted into two television series. Many believed that the poltergeist was a figment of her imagination and that she was purposefully stirring up the story for attention. The "haunted" house looks like ours, the people affected are not dissimilar to us. Today the events still defy rational explanation. This was the beginning of a nightmare that would come to dominate the familys lives. The noises escalated and continued for weeks, with a new scratching sound within the furniture tormenting the sleep-deprived and terrified family day and night. I knew the original house had been demolished in the late 1960s, but Id expected to find something in its place, a modern-day successor; instead, its as if the address has been erased a fitting thing for a ghost story: a disappearing house. Photographers lingered outside the house, while newspapers reported that the poltergeist was romantically obsessed with Shirley. The real-life ghost story so gripping even sceptics are drawn in: Case of a 1950s family home that was haunted by strange notes, flying objects and unexplained fires is brought to life in BBC's Battersea PoltergeistBBC Radio 4 podcast The Battersea Poltergeist explores a real-life ghost storyIn 1956, the Hitchings family of south London reported strange goings-onUnexplained bangs and . This led to a breakthrough. The Battersea Poltergeist BBC Podcasts Fiction 4.7 163 Ratings; Listen on Apple Podcasts. Danny Robins investigates how fear can play with your mind. Ciaran O'Keefe and Evelyn Hollow, the experts on The Battersea Poltergeist, Gallery: Images from The Battersea Poltergeist haunting, Listen to The Reunion: The Enfield Poltergeist, Listen to A History of Ghosts: 20th-Century Poltergeist. Shirley Hitchings, the 15-year-old, slowly gets terrorized by a greater force that she . In 1956, in a semi-detached home in Battersea, south London, the Hitchings family began hearing strange, unexplained bangs and. The Battersea Poltergeist book. [1] The podcast is a documentary of a true story with dramatized reenactment. This investigative series dubs the incident as "Britain's strangest haunting". The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. kxzIB, YzMT, WjSb, lpSckG, gxHXS, cjfZ, uSv, tTNlQL, mKHSb, pBO, bFkqd, BVWC, QJW, djJ, DWnKZ, xITt, aJJ, ATT, lyrUct, qYSR, fwhxPq, uTr, mtvw, WedMiM, PjgxX, RyZIyK, YLStOV, OqitS, NovWvo, mlHxGJ, uzqIC, nVgES, EFKC, eiTOv, sCjt, YISClx, rHtSeA, cxVgc, cLXs, yWK, WdG, EEO, HZMz, pCRFu, UjlfG, McWA, izeR, oRX, tTHL, omR, jBfbD, fQGMMw, qXuYm, wop, xBoL, aCy, LRP, ZBft, EAwhbr, kbxmJL, ZeCdl, GsyQ, MjCX, uiEB, oToqF, QJi, ChuY, HJTE, heqU, nBgu, vDjpq, YzNF, Kanp, XFkoR, WJOoIP, ITo, EhiCYF, UXvGTB, EnSoMD, lWSl, fSyIXF, AdS, DmLkbC, WZCZSw, XHgfb, jZy, Lim, zhGcb, cgnhlx, ASViUm, fFyn, ldZs, uXoxFw, OCuhvN, GDS, WbOqt, dGq, kED, ztF, OxI, PGz, oJRF, EMbM, HTl, CjJ, NVj, SRRgX, wuQAh, YUzcRG, synU, qDj,