In 1980, teenager Robert Shafran arrived for his first day at college and was greeted by complete strangers who seemed to know him. Within hours, he discovered he had an identical twin he never knew existed. Soon after, a third brother emerged. In this episode, Elizabeth explores the extraordinary story of three identical triplets separated at birth and reunited by chance at nineteen. What begins as an incredible reunion soon reveals something far darker… a secret psychological study that deliberately placed the brothers into different homes and observed them throughout their childhoods without ever telling them the truth. From their rise to national fame to the hidden experiment that shaped their lives, Elizabeth examines one of the most disturbing scandals in modern psychology.

Elizabeth also talks about accidentally taking home a pre-war cast iron street sign she found walking around London… is it cursed?

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashed in the Florida Everglades in 1972, some of the aircraft's undamaged equipment was salvaged and installed on other planes. Not long after, flight attendants and pilots began reporting sightings of two familiar faces… the deceased captain and flight engineer from the doomed flight. In this episode, Elizabeth looks into one of aviation's most enduring ghost stories. From reports of apparitions appearing in cockpits and galleys to chilling accounts of the spirits warning crews about potential faults and dangers, she explores how tragedy gave rise to a legend that many airline employees swore was true. 

Elizabeth also shares an update on a documentary she's currently working on, reflects on attending the True Crime Awards in London, and recommends the gripping podcast Strangely for your next listening obsession.

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An ordinary wooden chair hanging in a museum in North Yorkshire is said to carry a deadly curse. In this episode, Elizabeth explores the legend of the Busby Stoop Chair, tracing its origins back to a brutal murder in 1702 and following the stories of those who allegedly paid the price for sitting in it. She uncovers how a real historical crime became a lasting piece of local legend and paranormal folklore. Elizabeth also shares a new horror book she’s picked up...

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected] 

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth takes us into the remote mining country of northern Ontario, where a neuroscientist named Michael Persinger has spent decades trying to understand how the brain constructs some of our most powerful experiences. At the centre of his work is a modified motorcycle helmet, fitted with coils that deliver weak, patterned magnetic fields to the temporal lobes. The idea is unsettlingly simple… could the feeling of a presence in the room, even something interpreted as God, be triggered by subtle changes in brain activity? As one journalist sits inside Persinger’s lab and undergoes the experiment himself, the line between neuroscience and the supernatural begins to blur in unexpected ways. Plus Elizabeth shares a little about the release of her new book.

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected] 

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth takes us to the wooded outskirts of Florence, where between 1968 and 1985 a killer known as the “Monster of Florence” stalked young couples parked in secluded cars. Sixteen people were murdered across eight attacks in rural lovers’ lanes. But as the investigation dragged on for decades, suspects multiplied, confessions unraveled, and the truth only became more elusive. So was this a single, methodical killer moving through the Tuscan darkness, or a case where fear and flawed policing helped create the monster? Plus Elizabeth shares a little about her recent trip to a spider convention! 

This story was provided by a Paranormia listener. If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected] 

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paranormia is back for season two! In this episode Elizabeth takes us to the remote Alaskan village where former Marine and actor Teddy Kyle Smith claimed he was being followed through the wilderness by the Inukins, mysterious little people from Inuit folklore said to live beyond the edges of civilisation. Days later, two brothers on a hunting trip stumbled across Smith hiding in an isolated cabin deep in the tundra… only one of them would escape uninjured. So what really happened in the frozen wilderness outside Kiana? A psychological break shaped by isolation and folklore, or something far stranger?

Plus, throughout season two, Elizabeth wants to share a bit more of her life outside of Paranormia… the strange stories, rabbit holes and weird moments that catch her attention during the week. From talks about alien encounters and the people who genuinely believe them, to internet deep dives sparked by a chaotic Dev Patel lookalike contest in London, this season also explores the strange things that stick with us, both on and off the podcast.

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected] 

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth checks in as Paranormia wraps its first season, with a quick look back at CrimeCon Birmingham and a glimpse into what’s coming next… From the science that might explain ghosts, including a device that can trigger the feeling of a presence in the room, to unsettling encounters linked to a real life plane crash where crew members reported sightings of those who didn’t survive… and a court case so strange it saw “demonic possession” used as a legal defence.

Plus, a reminder that if you’ve got a story you think Elizabeth should dig into, she wants to hear from you: [email protected]

Paranormia will be back in a couple of weeks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February 1945 Charles Walton, a farm labourer in his seventies was found brutally murdered in a field in Warwickshire. The scene was shocking… his throat cut with his own tool and his body pinned to the ground with a pitchfork.

As the investigation unfolded, rumours began to spread of witchcraft, ancient rituals, and something darker beneath the surface of rural life. Over time, the case became both an unsolved murder and legend. So what really happened to Charles Walton? And how did one killing turn into one of Britain’s most unsettling folklore mysteries?

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 1980s a kitsch mass-produced painting of a tearful child was linked to a spate of unexplained house fires across the UK in the 1980s. Firefighters noticed that when they attended house fires there was often one object left intact, the big blue eyes of a little crying boy, its edges singed, the frame sooty. But surviving seemingly countless fires. So how did the legend of the crying boy painting lead to a massive tabloid bonfire? Find out, on this episode of Paranormia.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2005, on the Isle of Sheppey, a young man was found wandering near a beach soaked through and unable to explain who he was or where he came from. As weeks passed with no answers his case captured global attention, and with no identity to anchor the story, speculation began to take over. Known only as “The Piano Man,” he became the centre of a mystery shaped as much by imagination as by fact. This episode explores what really happened, and how a real person became a story the world couldn’t stop telling.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.