The Freakin’ Shack Podcast

Halloween Special: Fear, Folklore & the Spookiest Questions

Why do we love a good scare? Trina and Steph settle into the Shack for a Halloween conversation about psychological fear, favourite horror films, trick or treating, and the traditions that make this season feel different depending on where you live.

They weigh up which monsters might be easiest to survive, ask what makes a good ghost, and wonder whether cemeteries are really frightening places. There are creepy sounds, strange creatures, and one rather large question: what would actually count as proof of life after death?

Pull up a seat, grab your favourite brew, and swing that light.

CONTENT NOTE

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CREDITS & COPYRIGHT

VOICE & AI USE

Keep your minds open and your lamps lit.

Who lies beneath Crossbones Graveyard?

In the first of two episodes, Trina and Steph travel into the history of Southwark’s Crossbones burial ground. They explore its use for pauper burials, its closure in 1853, and what archaeology has revealed about some of the people laid to rest there.

They also examine the story of the Winchester Geese and John Stow’s account of the Single Women’s Churchyard, asking how much we can establish about its connection to Crossbones. Along the way, the conversation turns to the Liberty of the Clink, the rules imposed on women working in Southwark, and the importance of remembering the people behind the legends.

Part Two will explore the stories of possible sightings and those who may still linger around the graveyard.

Content note: This episode discusses sex work, child deaths, burial conditions, and historical mistreatment.

Links & Further Reading:

John Stow, A Survey of London, Southwark passage (1598 text in Folger edition) — https://stsaviour.folger.edu/Stow1618.html 

Museum of London Archaeology, The Cross Bones burial ground, Redcross Way, report abstract — https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1085518 

Crossbones Garden, History — https://crossbones.org.uk/history/ 

Bankside Open Spaces Trust, Crossbones Graveyard — https://bost.org.uk/crossbones-graveyard 

: https://crossbones.org.uk/history/

How You Can Help:

Have a thought or a question about Crossbones? Write to us at [email protected]. If you enjoy spending time at the Shack, following the show or sharing this episode is a lovely way to help others find us.

Keep your minds open and your lamps lit.

© The Freakin’ Shack. All rights reserved. This episode, including its original script, recording, and presentation, may not be reproduced or reused without permission. Our voices, including those of Trina, Steph, and Steve as Mortimer, may not be sampled, cloned, synthesized, or used to train or generate AI audio without our express written consent.

Can a place be haunted by its history—and by the people a city chose to forget?

Pull up a seat, grab your favourite brew, and swing that light. In the second part of our Crossbones Graveyard exploration, Petrina and Steph follow the story from John Constable’s reported 1996 vision of the Goose to poems, candlelit vigils and a Garden of Remembrance.

We explore how community action helped bring the outcast dead back into public memory, and consider the difference between historical evidence, spiritual interpretation and reported ghostly encounters.

From ribbons at the gates to accounts of shadow figures and phantom children, this is a conversation about grief, exclusion, remembrance—and whether it’s sometimes the living who linger.

IN THIS EPISODE

Content note: Discussion includes sex work, death, child burials and historical mistreatment. Supernatural experiences are discussed as reported accounts, rather than established facts.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

COME AND JOIN THE SHACK PACK

Have you visited Crossbones? Have you ever felt that a place holds on to its past? Leave a comment where available, or email [email protected].

Follow the podcast, subscribe on YouTube, and share an episode with someone who might enjoy joining us in the Shack. Your comments, likes and reviews help others find us.

WATCH & LISTEN

CREDITS & COPYRIGHT

VOICE & AI USE

Keep your minds open and your lamps lit.

The Green Children of Woolpit: Folklore, History or Something Stranger?

Two children with green skin appear in a Suffolk village. They speak a language no one recognises and refuse every food offered to them—except broad beans. It’s a story recorded in medieval England, but what might have been behind it?

Pull up a seat, grab your favourite brew, and swing that light. Petrina and Steph explore the Green Children of Woolpit, from the accounts of Ralph of Coggeshall and William of Newburgh to theories involving folklore, illness and the children’s possible origins. How much can we learn from the surviving accounts, and where does the mystery begin?

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Following, reviewing or sharing the show helps others find the Shack.

Links:

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

William of Newburgh’s account, “Of the Green Children” (Book I, Chapter 27):

Ralph of Coggeshall’s account, reproduced in a later folklore collection:

Woolpit Parish Council’s short history of the village and its legend:

Academic discussion of the Green Children and the child refugee theory (Cambridge University Press): (may be behind a paywall)

CREDITS & COPYRIGHT

Mortimer Percival Witherblight is voiced by Steve.

VOICE & AI USE

Keep your minds open and your lamps lit peeps.

If Autumn Were a Person… | The Freakin’ Shack After Dark

What’s the first sign of autumn for you? Falling nuts, changing leaves, the clocks going back—or that unmistakable feeling in the air?

Trina and Steph are back in the Shack, chatting about childhood autumn memories, rain and woodland walks, Halloween traditions, and the sounds and scents of the season. They also try to imagine autumn as a person. Expect cosy thoughts, a little crustiness and quite a few leaves.

Pull up a seat, grab your favourite brew, and swing that light.

IN THIS EPISODE

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Link: Find our Autumn Playlist on Spotify -

'The Freakin' Shack Autumn Playlist'

CREDITS & COPYRIGHT

VOICE & AI USE

Keep your minds open and your lamps lit peeps.

The Southern Storm | Tales from the Shack – Part Two

Sometimes, the oldest stories are carried on the wind...

In this concluding chapter of our special two-part Tales from the Shack story, Trina shares a dramatic tale inspired by true events that unfolded around the Shack in the heart of rural Brittany.

After weeks of relentless heat, an unsettling silence settles over the ancient woodland. Marlowe senses the change long before the first clouds appear, Mort offers his usual scientific explanations, and the old oaks seem to brace themselves for something they have witnessed countless times before.

Then the South Wind arrives.

As towering storm clouds gather, lightning tears across the sky, thunder rolls without pause, hail falls with astonishing force, and the woodland is transformed by one of Brittany's fierce summer squalls. Yet as the storm passes, questions remain. Why did nature seem to warn of its arrival? What old folklore still lingers amongst these ancient trees? And are some places simply better at remembering than others?

Blending true events, Breton folklore, nature and a touch of the unexplained, The Southern Storm is a story about listening to the land, respecting its power, and discovering that not every mystery needs an explanation.

This episode also marks the end of our summer season. After today's story, The Freakin' Shack Podcast will be taking a 6–8 week break while we research new mysteries, write fresh stories and record ahead for the next season. With Steph returning to work and life becoming a little busier for us both, this short pause will help us return with plenty of new episodes ready to share. We hope to be back towards the end of September or the beginning of October, and we can't wait to welcome you back to the Shack.

If you've enjoyed spending time with us this season, we'd love your support. Following the podcast, leaving us a rating or review, and sharing an episode with family and friends really helps independent podcasts like ours grow and reach more curious listeners.

Have you experienced something you can't explain? Do you have a family ghost story, local legend, or piece of forgotten folklore you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you.

📧 [email protected]

Finally, thank you for being part of our wonderful Shack community. We wish you all a happy, peaceful summer and hope you'll join us again when the Shack doors reopen in the autumn.

Until then...

Keep looking up.

Keep listening to the wind...

...and never forget that sometimes the oldest stories are written not in books, but amongst the ancient trees.

As this story comes to an end, so does our summer season. We'll be taking a 6–8 week break to recharge, carry out new research, write fresh stories, and record ahead so we can return with a wonderful bank of new episodes. With Steph heading back to work and life becoming busier for both of us, this short pause will help us continue bringing you the quality and variety of episodes you've come to expect.

We're hoping to return towards the end of September or the beginning of October, and we can't wait to welcome you back to the Shack.

In the meantime, we wish each and every one of you a wonderful summer. Whether you're exploring old castles, wandering through ancient woodlands, sitting beside the sea, or simply enjoying a quiet evening in your own garden, we hope you find a little time for curiosity, imagination and perhaps even a touch of mystery.

If you've enjoyed spending time with us here at The Freakin' Shack, there are several ways you can help us continue to grow:

Have you experienced something strange?

Do you have a family ghost story, a local legend, an unexplained encounter, or an unusual piece of folklore you'd like to share?

You can email us anytime at:

[email protected]

We read every email and your stories may inspire a future episode of the podcast.

© 2026 Petrina Missons. All rights reserved.

The Southern Storm and all accompanying written material are original works written by Petrina Missons. No part of this story may be reproduced, republished, adapted, distributed or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by applicable copyright law.

The voices, writing, performances and original creative content featured in The Freakin' Shack Podcast are not licensed for artificial intelligence training, voice cloning, synthetic voice generation, machine learning datasets, or any other AI-related use.

No permission is granted to copy, reproduce, synthesise, imitate, clone or otherwise use the voice or likeness of the presenters, or the original written works, for AI purposes under any circumstances without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Finally...

Thank you for welcoming us into your homes, your headphones, your walks, your cars and your quiet moments. Thank you for every kind message, every review and every story you've shared with us. Little by little, you've helped create something very special—a wonderful community gathered around our little Shack in Brittany.

Have a wonderful summer.

Look after yourselves.

Keep listening to the wind...

and we'll see you back at the Shack very soon.

With love,

Trina, Steph and Mort

The summer has been relentless.

For weeks, the Brittany countryside baked beneath an unforgiving sun. The streams slowed to a trickle, the ancient oaks stood motionless, and even the woodland seemed to be holding its breath.

Then... everything changed.

Join Trina as she welcomes you back to the Shack for the first of a special two-part storytelling series inspired by real events. As the silence deepens, Malo the ever-watchful husky senses something long before anyone else, Mort offers his usual scientific explanations, and an unsettling stillness settles over the woodland.

Is it simply the calm before a storm... or is there something far older stirring amongst the trees?

This atmospheric tale blends nature, folklore and a touch of the unexplained, inviting you to leave the screen behind and let your imagination do the rest.

Next week - In Part Two, The Southern Storm, the South Wind finally arrives... and with it comes a dramatic reminder that nature always has the final word.

If you've enjoyed this story, we'd love to hear from you. Share your own unexplained experiences, local legends or family folklore by emailing us at [email protected].

If you're enjoying The Freakin' Shack Podcast, please follow the show, leave us a rating or review, and share the podcast with someone who loves mysteries, folklore, history and the unexplained. It really helps us reach more curious listeners and keeps the Shack growing.

Until next time...

Keep listening to the wind.

<|TIMESTAMPS|>

00:00 - Introduction to "Tales from the Shack" and setting the tone

00:38 - The change in summer weather and atmosphere

02:10 - Description of Brittany's heatwave and drought conditions

03:06 - The tired appearance of the natural surroundings and the shack

03:35 - The narrator's humorous attempt at a rain dance

04:23 - Steve’s invisibility during chores and the peaceful household scene

05:21 - Introducing Marlowe, the expressive husky with a haunting howl

06:20 - Marlowe’s calm watchfulness and her unique eyes

07:06 - The shack’s cozy interior and its connection to the emotional home

08:05 - Reflection on the shack’s state as a safe haven and storytelling home

09:04 - Mention of Mort, the Victorian ghost, and paranormal signs

10:28 - The strange, heavy silence and Marlowe’s alertness

11:25 - The narrator senses approaching change and stillness in nature

12:20 - The realization that something is coming, and the silence deepens

13:20 - Malt’s commentary explaining the meteorological event 14:19 - The moment the unseen force lifts a leaf, signalling something unnatural

15:20 - The ominous rumble and the build-up to the storm’s arrival

16:10 - Wrap-up, call for stories, and teaser for next episode

Summer has a habit of reminding us that not every story needs to arrive with horror & thunder on our paranormal storytelling podcast..

During these summer specials, we take a step back from longer recordings to provide a summer full of ghost and spooks, folklore, unexplained mysteries, and eerie, strange tales & also celebrate the quieter magic that surrounds us every day.

After completely losing a whole recording, we decided not to chase perfection—instead, we are embracing the slower pace of summer and leaning into - why stories often find us when we least expect them.

Along the way, we will highlight listener and storyteller Gary D from up in Ontario, Canada.. and share some of the mysterious and weird experiences he has been generous enough to share with us all. You can find Gary D here: @gary_d_up_in_ontario_canada  

Over the summer we will explore the way fiction and true-life encounters sit comfortably beside one another, and reflect on how birdsong, drifting clouds and peaceful moments can become stories in their own right.

Whether you joined us for paranormal mysteries, folklore, haunted history or simply enjoy spending time at The Freakin' Shack, we hope this episode feels like you're sitting beneath the ancient oaks with friends who understand that the world is still full of wonder.

Sometimes the quietest stories stay with us the longest.

Timestamps

00:00 – Summer's quiet magic and our missing recording

00:30 – Choosing to slow down

00:59 – Gary's mysterious stories from Ontario

01:30 – Stories as postcards from another world

02:10 – Listening to nature

02:50 – Fiction and imagination

03:30 – Why storytelling heals

04:10 – When stories arrive unexpectedly

04:50 – Celebrating authentic experiences

05:30 – Finding your own story

Become part of The Shack Pack!

The Freakin' Shack isn't backed by a big production company or a network—it's simply a mother and daughter recording from a little shack in Brittany, surrounded by ancient oak trees, with our black cat Jedd keeping watch and our wonderfully sarcastic Victorian ghost, Mortimer Witherblight, occasionally wandering in to cause mischief.

We don't have Patreon and we don't make money from the podcast. The best way you can support us is simply by being here.

So: Subscribe, follow the podcast, leave us a review, like and share an episode with someone who loves the strange and unexplained. Better still, send us your own stories—whether they're paranormal encounters, family legends, local folklore or those little moments of everyday magic that can't quite be explained.

Every comment, every shared story and every recommendation helps our little Shack Pack grow. We'd love for you to pull up a chair by the fire and become part of our community, because the best stories are the ones we discover together.

contact us: [email protected] 

The Tower of London has witnessed centuries of executions, betrayal and royal intrigue—but could it also be home to some of England's most famous ghosts?

In this episode of The Freakin' Shack, we explore the lives and legends of Margaret Pole, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey. Each woman met a tragic end during the Tudor period, and each has become part of England's rich history of ghost stories and paranormal folklore.

Together we examine the historical events behind their deaths, the hauntings reported at the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace, and the intriguing idea of Stone Tape Theory—   the belief that traumatic events may somehow become imprinted on a place itself.

If you are intrigued with Tudor history, haunted locations, or unexplained mysteries, join us as we separate historical fact from centuries of legend.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

Help grow our Shack community -

Follow us

Give us a review

Share with anyone you think might enjoy listening

Share your comments/thoughts and Stories via email

At: [email protected]

Pull up a chair...

The Shack door's open -

Thanks for listening...

In this episode, we journey into the eerie corners of London’s old riverside districts to uncover the stories of three spectral messengers whose unfinished business still lingers. We explore the haunting tales of Eleanor Hart, Tommy the Lantern Boy, and Samuel Keane — each tied to messages lost, forgotten, or never delivered.

Topics include: • Haunted London and its ghostly legends • Spirits connected to emotion, memory, and place • The meaning behind messages from the afterlife • How history preserves — and distorts — the stories of the dead

Perfect for listeners who enjoy paranormal stories, London history, and ghostly mysteries.

Topics include:

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to the Shack: Heat and Makeup Freedom

02:59 Ghost Stories: The Three Spectral Messengers

05:45 Eleanor Hart: The Milk Street Widow

11:20 Tommy: The Limehouse Lantern Boy

21:55 Samuel Keane: The Clerk of Unfinished Letters

30:05 The Lost Messages of History

34:12 Unfinished Business: Ghosts and Their Stories

37:57 The Nature of Ghosts: Messages or Memories?

43:46 Seeking Truth: Messages from the Past

48:44 Faith, Religion, and Personal Experiences

53:30 The Power of Community and Connection

57:25  Thanks & Farewell

link: https://youtu.be/dpHpKeXm-B0?is=NlOsr-ogaTq9yzmy

Help Support the show: • Follow the podcast • Rate & review to help others discover us • Share the episode with friends who love unexplained and strange stories

Contact us at: [email protected]

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