Mysteries and Monsters

This episode I welcome Kate Rae to the show to dive into her love of the Fae and Folklore and the paranormal whilst also looking at one of Nottinghamshire's strangest cases, that of the Wollaton Gnomes. Kate and I discuss her overcoming her paranormal fears, embracing the weird and her fascination with the Wollaton case and how it almost seems to have called to her throughout the years. You can fi...

On this episode, we travel the globe on the hunt for some of the most dangerous vegetation in the world, the plants that view humans as prey: you’ll be meeting such fearsome plants as the Man-Eating Tree of Madagascar, the Vampire Vine of Nicaragua and the Terrible Tiger Tree of India! Joining me to dive in to this cavalcade of Boys Own Adventure stories on a whole different level is our good frie...

This episode I welcome author and Bigfoot enthusiast Kevin LeStarge to the show to dive into his fascination with the legendary cryptid. Kevin grew up in Wisconsin and has always had a fascination with Sasquatch, which has led him to go on many expeditions across the country seeking the great mystery. Kevin shares life lessons he’s learned through friendship, exploration, the power of patience, re...

Back in 2020, I had an opportunity to speak with renowned Ufologist Peter Robbins, but once the interview had concluded, when I went to find the file, it was seemingly corrupted. That was until last weekend, when searching for something else, I stumbled across the actual edited show that I had done, and clearly misfiled back in October 2020. So as a Christmas bonus for you all, here is that lost i...

Ruth Roper Wylde's databases have been mentioned on our previous converstations over the years, but we've never discussed some of the trends, facts and peculiarities of the date Ruth has collated.  In the Paranormal community, certain cliches, tropes and bad information often gets trotted out. Nobody sees modern ghosts, all Black Dog encounters are frightening, nobody sees the Fae anymore and so o...

For the most part, the investigation of strange events or an alleged haunted site can cause many to be excited, intrigued and even mystified by strange sounds, snatched glimpses of figures and movements in the corner of your eye. Yet, even the most experienced researcher and investigtors have a line in the sand for their fear factor and Steve Mera returns to discuss some of the occasions that he's...

We head to Asia today as I welcome authors Komal Salman and Shaherzaad Laila to the show to discuss their fantastic new book "Heartstrings of the Kyhber - A Collection of Pashto Folktales". This collection of stories has been published in English for the first time thanks to the diligent work of Komal and Shaherzaad in locating, researching and translating these wonderful stories for our enjoyment...

October 20th 1967 is a day burned in to most lovers of Bigfoot as the day everything changed with 59 seconds of footage of alleged undiscovered hominid striding through Bluff Creek in California. For the two men who caught that footage, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin, life would never be the same again and in his new film, Bigfoot Enterprises: The Trueish Adventures of Patterson and Gimlin, direct...

It's a warm welcome back to author, journalist, creator and film critic, Peter Laws as we delve in to his love of the supernatural and his stellar YouTube channel, Into The Fog. We touch on some cases, the power of belief, the reluctance to come forward and the perils of dealing with the supernatural in an every day situation. Peter's channel can be found here: Peter's website is here: Thank you t...

Some of Texas's strangest locations await us tonight as head out on the hunt for some of its overlooked haunted locations and sights of high strangeness inside it's borders. Joining me as our guide around the lone star state is the marvellous Adam Lynch, host of Houston Strange and co-host of Weekly Creep with his wife Dulce! We visit the site of America's largest loss of life through natural disa...

In 1977, the quiet island of Colares, Brazil, became the center of one of the most astonishing UFO investigations in history. Known as Operation Saucer, this secret Brazilian Air Force mission documented strange lights, unexplained burns, and encounters that terrified an entire community. Now in his new book, MUFON Brazil's International Director, Thiago Ticchetti has compiled an extensive overvie...

On this episode, we dive in to the mysterious cases from around the world of allegedly fatal attacks by Cryptids. From infamous Sea Serpent attacks, the mystery of the Lusca, Brain eating bears in Africa and probably the most famous cryptid serial killer ever from France. Returning to share these stories with us is our good friend Richard Freeman. Richard's books can be found here: The CFZ can be...

It's a warm welcome back to the show for the wonderful Dr Kate Cherrell. We catch up with her to discuss the success of her recent gothic fiction novel "Begotten", her continued adventures in graveyards around the UK, celebrity seances and the preservation of a county's heritage and accents along with ghosts and ghouls. The book can be found here: Dr Kate's website is here: Thank you to Dr Cherrel...

It's a warm welcome back to Ruth Roper Wylde as we dive in to a selection of new experiences that feature in the upcoming sixth volume of These Haunted Times. We've a collection of witness accounts from a trio of haunted hospitals from around the UK along with an intriguing animal ghost encounter as well. Ruth also tells us about a few recent ghost hunts along with some unusual haunts as well. Rut...

As long as there has been a movement in the corner of your eye, a strange noise in the dark, or a chilling feeling in your stomach, there have been ghost stories. In her latest book, Ghostlore, Icy Sedwick collects 50 of the worlds most unusual hauntings to chill our blood at any time of the year. We cover a few from international borders, from Australia to South Africa and an unusual collection o...

Travel puts us all in liminal spaces. But despite many practitioners' affinity for spaces betwixt and between, these areas have many practical and magickal dilemmas. A Traveler's Guide to Making Magic provides templates and examples for practicing in a broad range of locations and circumstances. Lisa McSherry provides an experienced and insightful guide for modern practitioners seeking to incorpor...

On this episode, I welcome best selling author and award winning podcast host Mike Browne to the show. His podcast, Dark Poutine has consistently set the bar for True Crime podcasts over the best part of the last decade and we discuss some of Canada and beyonds most notorious serial killers, personal experiences, UFO's and the strange case of Granger Taylor! Dark Poutine can be found here: Mike's...

Richard and Tobias document first-hand witness accounts and conduct investigations of sightings, hoping to encounter the famous flying cryptid themselves. Their discoveries include large concentrations of sightings in the Chicago and Lake Michigan area, suggesting where the mysterious Mothman may reside and travel. We also dive in to the ethics of the fortean, the trouble with catch all explanatio...

My guest this week had a childhood punctuated by a strange encounter but it was only when he enrolled in the British Army that he found himself experiencing some high strangeness. In his YouTube channel, Shadows and Sightings, Andy discusses his experiences and shares some with us including a perplexing series of events whilst based on Dartmoor, a barren yet powerful moor in the south of England....

Why are some of us terrified by the thought of harmless doll becoming haunted? Why is this fear so palpable for some of us and why do some people actively seek them out and even collect them? In her new book, author and paranormal enthusiast Fiona Dodwell joins me to discuss some of the more notable haunted dolls around the world, her personal collection and experience of owning more than few and...

It's a warm welcome back for author John Olsen as the latest book in his Stranger Bridgerland series hits the shelves. This time, John takes us to the gem state, Idaho, for another collection of first person encounters with all manner of high strangeness. From haunted apartments to stranger creatures in the woods that don't fit the normal woodland cryptid templates, to missing time, haunted battle...

The history of the old west is littered with tales of bloodthirsty outlaws, renegade cattle barons, gunfights, lost treasure and ghost towns, but in his latest book, author and researcher John Lemay takes us on a tour of its most notorious and some would say frightening ghostly legends.  From the spirit of Billy the Kid and the legends surrounding his supposed survival, to the ever wandering spiri...

The use of dolls in human civilisation goes back to some of the earliest graves and shrines we've discovered around the world regardless of the cultures we are finally uncovering. In her brand new book, Dollcraft, Patti Negri dives into all aspects of dolls, from how to make your own magickal poppets and how to identify and care for haunted dolls and shares some of the craft with us along with a c...

I'm delighted to welcome the director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, Jonathan Downes to the show. A lifelong love of strange animals and a chance meeting with Doc Shiels at the Fortean Times Unconvention saw the CFZ born and sent Jon on a lifetime of high strangeness, international exhibitions and speaking with thousands of people who have experienced and seen creatures that allegedly do not e...

Jason Offutt returns to the field of cryptozoology with his latest book, a follow up to 2019's brilliant Chasing American Monsters which is an essential book for anyone who loves cryptids. In this latest book, Jason takes us from Greenland to Guatemala and all points in between as we discover some overlooked creatures to some of the more famous members of the cryptid fraternity. Jason's books can...