At 63 Wycliffe Road, the Hitchings family lived in fear of a poltergeist that seemed to target their 15-year-old daughter, Shirley. Image Credit: National Media Museum / Public Domain. Poltergeist hauntings usually last a few months - a year or two at most. Danny Robins investigates how fear can play with your mind. An ordinary family We normally associate ghost stories with castles, churches and manor houses. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. 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.. [1] The podcast is a documentary of a true story with dramatized reenactment. 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. In early 1956, paranormal investigator Harold Chib Chibbett was drawn to the case. 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). 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. ], Actress Dafne Keen plays the young Shirley in The Battersea Poltergeist. 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. Danny Robins introduces The Battersea Poltergeist. Blumhouse's Ghost Story. Do you believe in ghosts? 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. Season 6 Episode 4. Contact See company contact information Filmmakers See writer See producer Cast See preliminary cast More info Project notes, plot, and industry news 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. 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. 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 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. The podcast (hosted by Danny Robins) explores the true case of an apparent 12-year-long haunting of a family's house in Battersea. 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. Website. We normally associate ghost stories with castles, churches and manor houses. 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. 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 Battersea Poltergeist is a unique paranormal case for several reasons. The first two episodes will be released on BBC Sounds on Thursday. Some of the strangest and most unsettling alleged poltergeist cases have taken place in anonymous semi-detached houses on seemingly tranquil roads. 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. 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 series is going to be called Blumhouse's Ghost Story, and "The Battersea Poltergeist" podcast will serve as the basis for the first season. A paranormal cold case, re-investigated through a thrillin. A series of unfortunate non-paranormal events had befallen upon the Robinson family. Most significantly, Shirley herself was witnessed involuntarily moving in her bed and around the room by various family members and neighbours. 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. If you like The Battersea Poltergeist, then you'll like these 10 similar podcasts picked by our community of 20,000 podcast lovers. 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. The show was nominated for a British Podcast Award, Audio and Radio Industry Award, and a New York Festivals Radio Award. The Battersea Poltergeist. The haunted house looks like ours, the people affected are not dissimilar to us. 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. Melanie Road, whose murder in 1984 was the subject of . The next night, the same thing happened, and again the next. However, No. 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 activity allegedly began at N.30 East Drive in East Yorkshire during a bank holiday weekend in August 1966. 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. 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. And it does: this really is a strange story, and The Battersea Poltergeist is a fabulous telling of it. You can (and should) listen here. The podcast was later adapted into two television series. 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. 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. Landscaping Pioneer: Who Was Frederick Law Olmsted. The Black Tapes is a weekly podcast from the creators of Pacific Northwest Stories, and is hosted by Alex Reagan. 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. The racket could be heard out in the street. 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. It wasn't long before ghost hunter Harold Chibbett was living with the family, trying desperately to capture evidence of the legendary Battersea Poltergeist. Handwriting experts have analysed the letters and concluded that they were almost certainly written by Shirley. Photographers lingered outside the house, while newspapers reported that the poltergeist was romantically obsessed with Shirley. Written by Danny Robins, Battersea Poltergeist was the No. You can join in the investigation - email Danny at batterseapoltergeist@bbc.co.uk. We also hear Steve's strange story all the way from Australia where he saw the same woman and dog twice! Reports of poltergeist hauntings commonly start with noises. 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. How can the seemingly impossible happen in front of multiple witnesses? 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". 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. Portrait of Prince Louis XVII, 1792, who reportedly haunted the Hitchings family in Battersea via a poltergeist. A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Read 4 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. 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. (15 total). We hear more from the real-life Shirley Hitchings as, back in 1956, teenage Shirley appears to communicate with . When a strange silver key appeared at No. 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. The Battersea poltergeist became one of the most famous hauntings in Britain. Number 63 no longer exists. This investigative series dubs the incident as "Britain's strangest haunting". Discover what happens when a family in England gets haunted by a poltergeist, who the family nicknamed "Donald" and which captivated the nation. 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. That is until 15 year-old Shirley Hitchings and her family moved into 63 Wycliffe Road. David welcomes producer, writer, and presenter . Article on the case from the Sunday Graphic newspaper, with a photo of Shirley. The case of the Battersea Poltergeist has been re-examined writer and by broadcaster Danny Robin. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and. His story, however fascinating, was often changing and contradictory. Vote for the Best Historical Film of the Last 50 Years. 1. 1. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. The Battersea Poltergeists Danny Robins introduces a chilling excerpt from his intriguing new paranormal series, Uncanny. He was incredibly well connected within the world of supernatural research. 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. All available episodes The eight-part podcast will be a blend of drama and . He would end up devoting the rest of his life to trying to help the Hitchings and work out who or what Donald was. BBC Radio 4's Danny Robins joins Blurry Photos to discuss his new podcast series The Battersea Poltergeist! The Battersea Poltergeist. 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 . Get time period newsletters, special offers and weekly programme release emails. (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. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. 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. Roy Chapman Andrews: The Real Indiana Jones? 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. A paranormal cold case, re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. 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 Battersea Poltergeist | Ep. 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. Even if you haven't heard about this alleged haunting, you've . 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 . Its creator, and others, explain why the pandemic has led people to seek out scary stories James McMahon Mon 29 Mar 2021 06.00. The Battersea Poltergeist is just one of many surging up the charts. The Battersea Poltergeist book. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Their lives were changed forever one night when they were woken by deafening bangs reverberating through the house, shaking the walls and floors. #290 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. 63 Wycliffe Road in Battersea, London, discovered a silver key sitting on her pillow. [9] The scripted series is titled The Battersea Poltergeist and the unscripted series is called Blumhouse's Ghost Story. The Witch Farm We'll be exploring some of the emails we get during the series. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. 63 Wycliffe Road in Battersea, London, was a seemingly ordinary semi-detached home. Do you have your own theories or questions on the case? 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. Danny Robins investigates ghostly monks, a mongoose and creepy 'cursed' celtic heads. This led to a breakthrough. The original haunted house was demolished in the late 1960s and never replaced. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. We asked London's very own ghostbuster why he thinks The Enfield Poltergeist is hoax. Love the story within the story. The creative behind The Battersea Poltergeist, Danny Robbins, has announced a new instalment to the horror radio series called The Witch Farm. The haunting of Shirley Hitchings is getting made into not one, but two Blumhouse TV series. 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. The implications for my life and the way I viewed the world were huge. The Battersea Poltergeist was still rattling . Please read the following before sending your comments. 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. At its height, the terrifying case of the Battersea poltergeist attracted international attention, and today it continues to puzzle sleuths around the world. Extraordinarily, Spenser suffered a non-fatal car accident shortly after. Its a truly wild case.. A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. As the days and years passed quietly, the streets of Battersea once again claimed their respective ordinariness. 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. 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. A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Today the events still defy rational explanation. The house must have looked like a bloody warzone. Exorcisms were attempted and the police would check up on the house. 1 drama podcast worldwide, featuring more than 3 million downloads per month. Now a new Radio 4 drama-documentary podcast, The Battersea Poltergeist, is reinvestigating the . Number 63 Wycliffe Road was home to the Hitchings Family. 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. 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. Danny explores possible links between the Battersea case and the Enfield Poltergeist, a famous alleged haunting from 1977. 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. 63 Wycliffe Road in 1957. Who wrote the letters? 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. 63 Wycliffe Road, Shirley Hitchings and her family had no idea what was in store for them. 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. The story revolves around the experiences of the Hitchings family. 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. 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. Producer Danny Robins has an impressive track record making entertaining, open-minded supernatural content. The case became one of the biggest of his life, and his extensive records demonstrate that he authentically believed in the Battersea poltergeist. 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 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. A haunting you have to Batterhear to believe! 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. 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. 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. Who or what is Donald? The true story behind "Britain's most haunted house". Read about our approach to external linking. However, No. Shirley was invited to the head office, where she was strip-searched to ensure that she wasnt hiding anything. At this exclusive live event . 5 Things You Never Knew About Cesare Borgia, 10 of the Most Important Renaissance Buildings in Italy, 10 Relatively Unknown Facts About Russian Democracy. 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 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 . Finally fans of the paranormal have a podcast designed to turn them in to armchair supernatural sleuths. Rooms are trashed, says Evelyn. In January 1956, 15-year-old Shirley Hitchings of No. 6 Top A Christmas Carol Film Adaptations. 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. In 1967, she left London altogether, and by 1968 it appeared that Donald had finally gone for good. On this front, the Wycliffe Road case doesnt disappoint. The story happens in 1956 when a young girl of about 15 years old starts feeling ungodly queasy. 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. 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. In late January 1956, Shirley discovered an ornate silver key on her pillowcase that didnt fit any lock in the house. The "haunted" house looks like ours, the people affected are not dissimilar to us. Credit BBC . The paper published a sensational account of the story which attracted widespread attention. The Battersea Poltergeist on Apple Podcasts 15 episodes A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. 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 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. The Battersea Poltergeist is a horror podcast and audio drama produced by BBC Radio 4 and presented by Danny Robins. 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 . [2][3], Nicholas Quah wrote in Vulture that "It's nothing transcendental, but boy is it a good time. Read about our approach to external linking. The Battersea Poltergeist BBC Podcasts Fiction 4.6 772 Ratings 18 OCT 2022 Introducing. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. 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. History Hit brings you the stories that shaped the world through our award winning podcast network and an online history channel. Actor Jeremy Spenser, with whom Donald was supposedly infatuated. 11 min; 19 AVR. 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. One of the contributors told me about a case he thought might interest me. It is the ghost story that has even skeptics asking questions. 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 series, starring Dafne Keen and Toby Jones in the dramatised elements, and with Ciaran O'Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow . 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. As time went on, Donalds behaviour became increasingly violent. 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. [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 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. ' 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. He even wrote a detailed book about the case which was never published. 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. Presented by Danny Robins. 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. 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 . Robins, Michael. The Battersea Poltergeist is a horror podcast and audio drama produced by BBC Radio 4 and presented by Danny Robins. 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. We will send you the latest TV programmes, podcast episodes and articles, as well as exclusive offers from our shop and carefully selected partners. 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. 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". Danny Robins introduces The Battersea Poltergeist. 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 . Shirley married and left her parents house in 1965, by which time Donalds presence was waning. The podcast was produced by BBC Radio 4 and presented by Danny Robins. My new BBC series The Battersea Poltergeist is the result. The Battersea Poltergeist | Part 7 | Strange Bones BBC Sounds.Accusations are made against Shirley in a press expos, as the haunting intensifies, putting th. Their daughter Shirley was 15, about to start art school and working part-time as a seamstress at department store Selfridges. 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. 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.". At its height, the terrifying case of the Battersea poltergeist attracted international attention, and today it continues to puzzle sleuths around the world. 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. 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. The Battersea Poltergeist with Danny Robins. CHRISTINE MILLER reviews The Battersea Poltergeist 2021 Presenter: Danny Robbins 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. Danny Robins visits a haunted house in a bid to make contact with a poltergeist. 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. 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. Its Shirley that the strange activity in the house seemed to focus around, and also the media interest. 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! Do you believe in ghosts? In 1956, in a semi-detached home in Battersea, south London, the Hitchings family began hearing strange, unexplained bangs and. Dad Wally was in his forties, a tall, gaunt man who drove trains on the London Underground. It documents the strange events focused around Hitchings. 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! As time went on, activity within the house became more extreme. 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. [From collection of Shirley Hitchings. The show was nominated for a British Podcast Award, Audio and Radio Industry Award, and a New York Festivals Radio Award. Who better to chat more about this amazing case than creator of the Battersea Poltergeist Podcast, Danny Robins! 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. The Battersea Poltergeist A paranormal cold case, re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. It didnt fit. As time went on, these events became increasingly violent. 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? 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 real-life stories of paranormal encounters. What is clear, however, is the profound impact that the events had upon Shirley, who stated that the haunting robbed her of her childhood. 124 One of the UK's scariest Poltergeist experiences involves a young girl, Shirley, that was tormented for 12 years. Toby Jones plays Harold Chibbett in the series. Soon it was a daily occurrence, not just nocturnally, but in broad daylight too. 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. 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. James Goodfellow: The Scot Who Invented the PIN and ATM. 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. The pictures of her in newspaper articles on the case show a striking girl with dark hair and even darker eyes. The Battersea Poltergeist. Eventually, the Daily Mail got in touch. Many believed that the poltergeist was a figment of her imagination and that she was purposefully stirring up the story for attention. The adaptation was created by Maniac Productions and Blumhouse Productions and distributed by Peacock. Listen now Charts Apple Podcasts More Apple Podcasts chart appearances Spotify Read full review Recent Episodes See all Mysteriously, Donald even circulated Christmas cards. A haunting in 1950's south London, the Battersea Poltergeist made the front pages then and made life for the Hitchings family unbearable. His wife Kitty, slightly older than him, was a former office clerk, now in a wheelchair due to chronic arthritis. 63 Wycliffe Road in Battersea, London, was a seemingly ordinary semi-detached home. Subscribe now on BBC Sounds.Narrator: Becky Ripley. Today Shirley is an 80-year-old. 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. The whole saga caught the public's imagination, becoming a national news story that was even discussed in parliament. 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,. A brand new paranormal cold case. Over the course of 1956, Donald demanded that Shirley meet Spenser, or threatened that he would cause Spenser harm. 2021; . And now it is coming live to a theatre near you! Hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and subscriber rewards. A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. Her father tried the key in every lock in the house. Enjoy on headphones in the dark. Who was Franoise Dior, the Neo-Nazi Heiress and Socialite? To say any more would give the game away, but theres also a fascinating detective story aspect to the case. The sounds were so loud that the neighbours complained, and Shirley later reflected that the sounds were coming from the roots of the house. We unpack the case and chat more about his newest series, The Witch Farm. The family cat named Jeremy, after Jeremy Spenser even ended up being analysed by fans desperate to prove Donalds existence. After the noises, the next stage is almost always objects moving. The true story of one of Britain's strangest hauntings, with Dafne Keen and Toby Jones. 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. Go offline with the Player FM app! From around March 1956 onwards, the Hitchings family began to draw press attention. This was the beginning of a nightmare that would come to dominate the familys lives. 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. BBC Radio 4's The Battersea Poltergeist, which tells the story of the "strange events focused around . UFO sighting:. Transportive, entertaining & clever. Shirley Hitchings, the 15-year-old, slowly gets terrorized by a greater force that she . Limelight Trailer: How to be a Mind Reader, Limelight is the best podcast for thrilling audio drama box sets. "[4], In May 2021, the podcast was set to be adapted into a scripted and unscripted series. The family underwent exorcisms to try and get rid of the ghost (Image: BBC) It's no surprise then that. Daily Mirror article from 20 February 1956, the first article written about the case. 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. The two sisters at the centre of the case admitted to hoaxing some of the 'poltergeist' activity . Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. The Hitchings family in the front room of No. 63 Wycliffe Road, 13 June 1956. 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. Danny Robins investigates how fear can play with your mind. BBC shows are top notch & this sounds as it will be too! 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. 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. The Battersea Poltergeist BBC Podcasts Fiction 4.7 163 Ratings; Listen on Apple Podcasts. Perhaps you'd like to share your own supernatural experiences? Copyright 2022 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Contents 1 Background 2 Reception 2.1 Awards The Battersea Poltergeist's Danny Robins introduces a chilling excerpt from his intriguing new paranormal series, Uncanny. Description: A paranormal cold case, re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. [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. 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. Psychical researcher Harold Chibbett, at the rear of No. The haunting of Shirley Hitchings and her family investigated in modern times. The Black Tapes. 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. 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. . 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. He spent days and nights recording events at the house, and eventually became a close family friend of the Hitchings. 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. 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. A photograph of a supposed seance, taken by William Hope in 1920. Danny Robins introduces The Battersea Poltergeist. Why Did Charles Dickens Write A Christmas Carol? 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 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. The Battersea Poltergeist A paranormal cold case re-investigated through a thrilling blend of drama and documentary. It happened to the Hitchings family, a normal every day happy family who had no. The podcast was later adapted into two television series. He meets two reporters who covered the case, one of whom claims to have been attacked by the poltergeist. What is it about ordinary houses on quiet streets, I wonder, as I scan the door numbers, looking for Number 63 Wycliffe Road. 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. I hope youll feel that same frisson I had when you first hear Shirleys voice in the series. 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