Why are there so many Forest of Dean stories of ghosts, hauntings and spooky places?

There’s a small but enthusiastic community of paranormal investigators and ghost hunters in the Forest, and in recent years plenty of books published detailing mysterious apparitions, unexplained cold spots, bumps in the night…Many of these present-day hauntings can be linked back to historical events - the final curse of a dying man, a wrongly accused woman, a fatal dispute. The stories are often associated with old houses but there are as many, it seems, linked to places - spots in the landscape where you don’t want to linger as the sun starts to go down. Is there something special about the Forest landscape that lends itself to these ghostly manifestations? In this episode we look at how Forest of Dean authors have used ghost stories to not only send a chill down their readers’ spine, but also to explore contemporary issues and, unresolved history. Join us as we look back to the hey-day of the ghosts story, and gain insights from present-day authors Tiffany Murray and Andrew Taylor. And, we investigate the story behind the story of one of the most iconic Forest of Dean ghosts stories – the slave boy of Littledean Hall.

Presented by Dr Jason Griffiths and Dr Roger Deeks. Featuring Interviews with Dr Tiffany Murray, Andrew Taylor, and Harry Cole, and extracts of a reading by Keith Morgan. Also featuring the voices of Anna Grimmett, Oscar Grimmett, Darren Hoskins and Rachel Griffiths.

Series promo: The Stories Behind the Stories