# Ghosts, grief and the paranormal

An episode of [HistoryExtra podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/256580326), 27 Oct 2025, 40 min.

Audio: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR7434134344.mp3?updated=1761297902

Why are we so spooked – and yet so fascinated – by things that go bump in the night? And can science really prove that ghouls exist? Alice Vernon talks to Jon Bauckham about the evolution of ghost-hunting over the past 200 years, and how tales of pesky poltergeists and ectoplasm-filled séances have turned even some of the hardest sceptics into true believers. (Ad) Alice Vernon is the author of Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting and Why We Keep Looking (Bloomsbury, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fghosted%2Falice-vernon%2F9781399418706. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.