Category: Thriller

Image Credit: Mark Douet

REVIEW: The Woman in Black

Published on by molliebiddlecombeLeave a comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“No matter how much you may brace yourself, this show is ready to startle you.”

The Woman In Black, will never grow old, terrorising those who watch it. Directed by Robin Herford, a champion of this account and adapted by Stephen Mallatratt, based in the novel by Susan Hill, get ready for an unforgettable and stormy reenactment of a paranormal encounter.

The play covers the story of Arthur Kipps, a man with a tale desperate to be told about his days working as a solicitor, travelling to a coastal town North of London, Crythin Gifford, to find and retrieve the financial papers of a client who passed away. Upon his arrival, Arthur Kipps begins to feel an air of unwelcomeness, secrets and paranormal activity. Years after his traumatising tale, Arthur Kipps desperately asks an actor to help him retell the story, to inform his friends and family after keeping this secret with him, eating him alive. Arthur Kipps and the actor begin to explore the story, reliving it to a grave extent.

Regardless of whether you have read the book, seen the play or watched the film, admittedly, there are large expectations from the stage play, it must be terrifying. The large task of creating theatre which scares unexpectedly was there, without being obvious as to when something was happening. The audience jumped and yelped at each scare, it seemed we fell into the trap every single time.

Directed by Robin Herford, the choices made seemed to be the right ones. Although this performance translated to the audience perfectly, it is understandably a story which can be easily muddled. The performance seemed honest and had great simplicity to it, nothing was too much, Herford’s direction made complete and total sense bringing two dimensions together, the theatre, where Arthur Kipps and The Actor work on bringing Arthur’s story to life and inside the story, the bleak and strange Eel Marsh House, the causeway and the unfriendly coastal town of Crythin Gifford. Herford himself has played Arthur Kipps in several different theatres across the world, conceivably, Herford’s knowledge not only as a director but as an actor, has clearly had an impact on this production.

Both actors had a heavy assignment to complete, having the complexity of being The Actor and Arthur, but also as several different characters in Arthur Kipps story, succeeding entirely in this process. Daniel Burke’s performance as The Actor and as young Arthur Kipps was honourable and had a great lightness to it, showing determination from both The Actor, perfecting the performance and the young Arthur Kipps, eager to do what is right. It was easy to differentiate between the two, which is essential for keeping the story easy to follow.

John Mackay’s Arthur Kipp was one to never forget, as well as his additional roles as Sam Daily and Keckwick. Mackay’s performance appeared to be slick, clever and precise, it was thoroughly enjoyable watching both actors tell this story.

The element usage on stage paired perfectly with everything else, lighting and sound were used effectively, yet not overdone. This play was on two different levels of excellence to watch; one, being the fact that The Actor mentions the importance of lighting and sound to aid Arthur Kipps to life, something of such simplicity but effect, and two, us watching it roll out, being hypnotised by said lighting and sound, believing it all and making this ghost story feel all the very realer.

Mystery was generally what led the production forward, in all means. Arthur Kipps perplexing experience, the paranormal and haunting doubt and the suspense as the story was told. This production is not one to be missed, and certainly is one to leave you feeling frightened.

The Woman In Black will be at the Bristol Old Vic until the 25th of April 2026. Tickets are available here.

REVIEW: Tr[ia]l

Published on by Ben BreenLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

“A mysterious medical trial raises philosophical quandaries in this near-future psychological thriller”

Subject X (Freya Popplewell) wakes up in a clinical white room; a CCTV camera focuses on her bed. She has no memory of how she got here. So begins Tr[ia]l, a psychological thriller exploring identity and human responsibility.

It transpires that Subject X is one of 20 participants in a medical trial for BrightMind, a drug aimed at dementia and other memory-based illnesses. Each participant’s memories have been temporarily wiped in a process that can be reversed “if the drug doesn’t work”. As the days go on, this intriguing premise develops into a twisting story casting doubt on the trial’s integrity, and grapples with a big metaphysical question: what is it that makes us who we are?

Waking in a sterile white room surrounded by medical plastic sheeting, with no memory of giving consent, is inherently terrifying. But this is something Subject X readily agreed to, explaining via a pre-written note that mounting student debt made the £45k payment irresistible.

Supervisor Y (Macsen Brown) explains this, and also talks through how the trial works. He pops in each day to ask the same three questions: What’s your favourite song? What’s your first memory? What animal would you describe me as?

Popplewell and Brown deliver confident performances as the confused and uncertain patient, and the interested and bouncy research assistant. Supervisor Y speaks with the reassuring demeanour of a BA pilot – there’s a top note of privilege, undercut by a latent sense of fun. His voice notes narrate Subject X’s progress, marking each scene transition, summarising key findings and hinting that not all is as it seems in the research facility.

Aside from Supervisor Y, Subject X’s only company comes from a few novels, an old game of chess, and an AI welfare assistant. When she starts asking increasingly philosophical questions of this assistant – How do you know you’re not human? What body would you want if you were human? – her supervisor is clearly rattled, and the tension sharpens. Figuring things out at the same time as Subject X, the audience’s realisation gathers satisfying momentum, and this central twist collides with a second, less-telegraphed development to earn Tr[ia]l its thrilling moniker.

A short epilogue makes sense of these big revelations in a compelling discussion that zooms out from the medical trial but doesn’t quite capitalise on Tr[ia]l’s intrigue. It raises engaging questions without fully interrogating them. Implications for the in-universe characters, and also wider discussions of ethics, need more space to land their impact.

A second area requiring more time is the relationship between Subject X and Supervisor Y. Whilst there are some funny moments in the script – a satire of AI’s sycophantic responses, discomfort at losing a chess game against a test subject – the relationship lacks the texture of humour needed for the audience to fully warm to them.

Its opening is necessarily exposition-heavy. Popplewell at least gets a patient fact sheet to read from (available to the audience as they enter the theatre), but Brown’s rapid-fire monologues, dense with medical jargon, must have been a challenge to learn. This tendency to tell rather than show persists, paradoxically expecting a lot of the audience’s concentration while not trusting them to infer some obvious features of the trial.

A blackout towards the show’s conclusion would be a good opportunity to move away from exposition, but instead rehashes Supervisor Y’s earlier voice notes in the darkness. Music is generally under-utilised – a more coherent sound design would better sustain tension.

Nevertheless, as near-future sci-fi thrillers performed in the back room of a pub go, Tr[ia]l has a great deal in its favour. It remains rough around the edges – an over-explained script, sterile soundtrack and rushed epilogue – but the core idea is inventive, and its central twist pays off. Tr[ia]l’s pace and scientific focus mark it out, but the writing needs to trust its ideas as much as it explains them.

Tr[ia]l plays at the White Bear Theatre until 18th April, tickets can be purchased here.

Image Credit: Jake Thakur

IN CONVERSATION WITH: The People Behind TR[IA]L

Published on by Lucy HolzLeave a comment

Ahead of TR[IA]L, we caught up with writer Mercy Brewer, director Fiona Popplewell, technical director Sam Bell, and performers Macsen Brown and Freya Popplewell to discuss this taut psychological thriller exploring memory, control and corporate power. Running at White Bear Theatre from 14–18 April, the play follows a young woman trapped in a mysterious medical trial where nothing is quite as it seems. Book tickets here.

(To Mercy Brewer – Writer): TR[I]AL plays with memory loss, consent, and corporate power within a medical trial. What question or fear about contemporary biotech culture first sparked the story for you?

There is a lot of public distrust in corporate companies and powerful figures at the moment (without giving any spoilers, particularly tech companies and what they are developing). Recent global scandals mean that we as a general public are more aware than ever of information potentially being kept from us. This fear is one which underlies the play.

The play also deals with a central scenario: if a woman wakes up in a room alone, and the only person she can speak to is a man who explains her situation, how much benefit of the doubt do we give this man? How much do we trust this man, and dismiss the woman’s doubts and fears? So the story is as much about corporate distrust as it is about gendered power – largely, about who we choose to put trust in and why.

(To Fiona Popplewell – Director): The play unfolds in a controlled treatment room under constant surveillance. How did you approach building tension and psychological unease on stage without relying on spectacle?

Mercy’s brilliant writing creates tension and psychological unease as soon as the lights come up: Subject X is alone in a clinical testing room, not knowing how or why they are there. ‘Who watches through that camera?’ Subject X is being constantly monitored via the CCTV camera, ‘it’s black watchful eye’ taking in her every movement.

It was important to establish the moments where tension leading to psychological unease arise – both for Subject X and the audience. Indeed, this did not only have to take place in moments of spectacle. In our first rehearsal, I had the actors moving about the room as their characters to the eerie music on our show playlist. I’d give them instructions to start examining how they would move in different contexts that evoke tension. For example, I got them to move about the space and pretend to secretly hide some physical object somewhere. When they returned to the hiding spot what they had hidden had disappeared and they then became aware and had to move as if someone, they didn’t know who, was watching their every move. 

We spent time examining the moments where Subject X is alone in the testing room, what she gets up to and how the atmosphere changes when Supervisor Y enters, often unannounced. We also studied the private voice-overs logging the trial’s process which only the audience is privy to and how a particular tone of voice can help put the audience on edge. The audience can never really be certain of anything. Even in moments of spectacle there always remains an underlying threat… but no spoilers. 

(To Sam Bell – Technical Director): With a single camera and a highly monitored environment central to the story, how did the technical design help blur the line between observation, control, and intrusion?

The technical design was really focused around two things: monitoring and restriction. The camera became our focus point – its position in the space drives a lot of the dialogue and action – as well as being a focal point of the twists and turns of the plot. We then used this as a jumping off point, letting it influence the set design as well as informing some of the extra-theatrical elements (we create a ‘window’ of sorts into the space through the view of the camera). The sound design is similarly influenced by these themes. It is technological, brutal, enclosing, but also quite playful, utilising music and audio as a way to reveal information slowly to the audience.

We were restricted ourselves (with our budget, limited space, and available lighting equipment) and we wanted to make the most of these constraints by using them as an analogue for the restrictions Subject X herself is facing. The set is functional and minimal, and the lighting changes are reserved for climactic moments, forming a binary distinction between the sterility of the bright lights with the boldness of block colour.

(To Macsen Brown – Actor, playing Supervisor Y): Your character operates within a system that appears calm, procedural, and reassuring. How did you work with ambiguity—so the audience is never quite sure where authority ends and manipulation begins?

I think that the line between authority and manipulation is already quite blurred, when are we ever entirely certain where one ends and the other begins? We usually use trust as our measure, if we trust someone’s authority then we view it as such; otherwise we suspect we’re being manipulated. The thing about Supervisor Y is that, out of context, he’s entirely normal. He’s friendly, kind and reassuring. My job is to be as normal and approachable as I can and let the austere, clinical setting and Freya’s uncertainty do the work. I play a character who would be entirely normal and comforting in a GP’s office, and it’s the fact that he’s ever so slightly out of place that makes him so unsettling. Or maybe he’s just very enthusiastic about medical trials! Who knows.

(To Freya Popplewell – Actor, playing Subject X): Subject X begins the play with no memory and very little power. How did you chart her psychological journey as reassurance gives way to suspicion and fear?

I usually begin my process with the script, since many clues about my character’s journey are found there. I look for and underline key “trigger words” — lines from my scene partner that might “trigger” my character to feel a certain way. For my character, Subject X, that might be words that reassure me, or words that build tension and heighten my sense of suspense. During a group read-through, I might also start noticing details that didn’t stand out before – like how a line is delivered differently, whether a moment feels genuine or forced, or even why someone pauses in a particular place. It can make me question the intention behind those choices. Overall, my process is rooted in physicality, repetition, and active listening, being present and being instinctive with the character, every-time we rehearse there is something new.

REVIEW: Exit 8

Published on by justinemsjonesLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

‘A game adaptation done brilliantly’

Exit 8, directed by Genki Kawamura, was screened at the 2026 Manchester Film Festival, drawing a packed audience to the Odeon Great Northern on Tuesday 24th March. The film first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025 and marks Yokohomo-born director’s third feature following Monster (2023) and Weathering with You (2019).

Inspired by the indie adventure game of the same name, Exit 8 vividly brings to life the monotony and chaos that fans will instantly recognise. With the familiar blend of horror and psychological tension, audiences feel as though they have stepped back into the game. At its core, Exit 8 is a spot the difference game, where players look for anomalies in a Japanese subway setting. Many of the anomalies and characters are faithfull adapted from the game to screen, offering plenty for fans to enjoy.

The film offers a glimpse into everyday life of a salaryman – a worker just trying to get by, absorbed in his own routine and worries. An unexpected phone call brings life-altering news and just like that, our main character, Kazunari Ninomiya, is in a game he did not expect to be playing. Delivering a stellar performance, he leads you through a series of challenges meeting several unhinged characters along the way, each trapped in their own game of life’s struggles. 

At times, the film moves at a slow pace. This seems like a deliberate attempt to illustrate the repetition of everyday life. For fans of fantasy world, this lingering will likely be welcome to stay immersed for longer.

The film’s deliberately simple set repeated throughout scenes is a welcome thread in an otherwise chaotic story. The set acts as the foundation across all changing environments, keeping audiences engaged as they look for differences. The sound and sound design were impressive, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats during tense moments. 

Showcasing 52 feature films, including nine UK premieres and eight world premieres, catch the Manchester Film Festival until 29th March. Tickets are available here.

REVIEW: Death on the Nile

Published on by omarydawnLeave a comment

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

“A sharp, funny and genuinely gripping whodunit. The kind of show that reminds you why live theatre just hits different.“

Kicking off the theatre year with a show like this feels like a real win. Going in with very little knowledge of the story – aside from the promise of a murder, a famous detective, and some comedic moments – makes the experience even more exciting. It is the kind of production that leaves audiences leaving the auditorium energised and already looking forward to what else the year might have in store.

Ken Ludwig’s adaptation gets the balance just right. It’s witty and genuinely funny, but never at the expense of the tension that drives the mystery forward.  The production knows when to make you laugh and when to make you lean forward in your seat, and it moves between the two with ease..

Mark Hadfield is a joy as Poirot. His performance is warm, sharp, and his comic timing is a definite highlight. One of the most memorable moments comes in the final act, as Poirot pieces together the truth behind the murder while the cast act out flashbacks around him in real time. It’s inventive, engaging theatre and theatrical storytelling that just would not work the same way on screen.

Across the board, the cast deliver strong performances, but Esme Hough stands out as Jacqueline de Bellefort. She is absolutely magnetic in the role and brings a layered intensity that elevates every scene she’s in.

The writing also deserves credit for how well it handles the show’s many suspects. Each character is carefully positioned to keep the audience guessing, with clever moments of misdirection that is tight and the payoff is satisfying. Even without prior familiarity with the story, it’s easy to stay engaged and invested in the mystery.

Visually, the production makes excellent use of the Festival Theatre stage. The set is both stylish and practical, allowing the action to move smoothly between locations without disrupting the flow. Sound design plays an equally important role, subtly building atmosphere and tension throughout. It’s one of those elements that might not always be front of mind, but it contributes significantly to the show’s overall impact.

Crucially, this is a production that feels very accessible. There’s no need to be a dedicated Agatha Christie fan to enjoy it. The storytelling is clear, the characters are distinct, and the world is easy to step into from the outset. At its heart, it’s simply an entertaining and well-crafted piece of theatre.

With a cast that clearly enjoys the material, thoughtful creative choices, and a script that keeps audiences guessing right to the end, this makes for a strong start to the theatre year.

Death on the Nile plays at Capital Theatre until 28th March. Tickets are available here.

Photo credit: Kelsea Knox

REVIEW: Wightwater

Published on by justinemsjonesLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

“A haunting and confident debut from Frankie Lipman”

Working the graveyard shift sounds scary, but what happens when it actually goes wrong? Longlisted for the Royal Exchange Theatre’s Bruntwood Prize in 2022, Frankie Lipman’s debut play Wightwater has landed in the vaults of 53Two Theatre in Manchester.

Cleverly set in a fringe radio station, Whitewater follows a has-been radio host, Terie, holding onto the scraps of her career. Hosting the late night slot, Terie settles into The Paranormal Show where classic spooky hits are played and the public can call in to tell their ghost stories. Everything seems to be going smoothly – colleagues who don’t want to help, a regular telling the same story for the 100th time and a constant supply of coffee and biscuits. That’s until a call that seems to echo Terie past, leaves her feeling more than unsettled and leads to unexplainable events.

Isobel Middleton gives a brilliant performance as Terie. She shoulders much of the play’s emotional and narrative weight, guiding the audience through moments of dry humour, loneliness and mounting dread.Supporting her is Dylan Morris as the young, ambitious producer, whose easy realism grounds the piece and offers a glimpse into a generation that’s already looking beyond the studio walls. Barney Thompson’s Station Manager is both infuriating and familiar, the kind of boss whose indifference adds another layer of quiet despair to Terie’s world.

Lipman’s writing is clever and poetic, building tension through atmosphere, subtext and sound. The radio setting is inspired, allowing the small cast to carry such an atmospheric and intimate landscape. The play makes exceptional use of the disembodied voice, blending the uncanny with the mundane rhythms of late-night work. The pursuit of answers is a key part of Wightwater. In the conclusion of the play, there is a hope there would be more answers, more explanation of the past and the present. Perhaps that shows that there was a desire for more of Terie’s story.

George Miller’s lighting wonderfully layers the performance. Bursts of brightness and eerie shadows build tension and shock, jolting the audience at just the right moments. It is impressive to see what is possible in such an intimate space. The setting of 53Two could not be more apt. Nestled beneath Manchester’s railway arches, the venue’s echoing space enhances the play’s claustrophobic tone and further enhances the production. 

Wightwater is a haunting and confident debut from Frankie Lipman. It’s a meditation on the ghosts we carry with us, wrapped in the eerie crackle of a late-night broadcast and a great spooky fix the industry needs more of. This is a production well worth tuning in for.

Wightwater plays at 53Two Manchester until 7th November. Tickets are available here.

REVIEW: DARKFIELD: ARCADE

Published on by justinemsjonesLeave a comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“What makes it extraordinary is how singular the experience becomes”

Darkfield have built a reputation for leading the way in immersive theatre, known for crafting unsettling yet unforgettable experiences across the globe. They bring intimate moments that catapults you into a different world, very much like a video game.

The excitement of DARKFIELD productions is going in blind, and they ensure that with the total pitch black darkness you find yourself in for the 30 minute duration. After a briefing, you enter the space and are surrounded by 80’s arcade machines and fluorescent lights. Once the headphones begin the narrative and the darkness engulfs your senses, each member follows their own, unique journey through a cleverly crafted story.

What makes it extraordinary is how singular the experience becomes. Whilst there are grounding themes to keep everyone on a shared path, different choices unlock new characters, environments, and play times. No two journeys are quite the same, and when shared with a friend, comparing storylines afterwards is half the fun – like swapping notes on a dream you both had but in entirely different versions.

Darkfield’s work is also a reminder of how powerful theatre can be when it strips everything back to its rawest tools: sound, imagination, and a carefully designed environment. Without visuals to illuminate your journey, your mind does the heavy lifting, conjuring vivid images and scenarios that feel almost tangible. It’s this clever use of absence – of light, of certainty – that makes the return to the outside world feel sharper and somewhat changed.

Arts Council England has enabled the showcase of three different DARKFIELD experiences across Manchester ARCADE at Lowry, FLIGHT at Aviva Studios, and SÉANCE at HOME Manchester. They all run until 21st September and tickets are available here.

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Danny Robins

Published on by justinemsjonesLeave a comment

A brand new Uncanny stage show, Uncanny: Fear of the Dark for a UK tour from September 2025 – March 2026. The first Uncanny live stage show I Know What I Saw was one of the best-selling paranormal shows in theatre history. Now, Danny Robins and his team of experts are back with all-new, thrillingly terrifying, real-life stories and witness accounts that will have audiences utterly gripped. We sat down with Danny to discuss his upcoming tour.

You’re heading out on tour again with a brand new show off the back of the massive success of the podcast, two seasons of the TV show, a book, and more. I’m sure your fans will all return for this newest iteration, But for the benefit of those who are new to Unanny, what should they expect?

Uncanny is real people telling me their ghost stories. And, the more I’ve told, the more people have sent me. It’s this beautiful thing now that we have thousands and thousands of stories coming to us in the wake of the TV series, and some of them are just absolutely sensational.  So, the tour is brand new stories that have not been heard anywhere before, not on television, nor on the podcast. A selection of stories, some ghosts, some to do with all sorts of different aspects of the paranormal, including even cryptozoology, the idea of beasts that might be out there, lurking, like Bigfoots and yetis and Loch Ness monsters.

In terms of the cases this time around, what stage are you at in terms of choosing which case studies will be featured in the new show? Any hints?

We’re going through stories at the moment and the great thing is there’s just a huge amount of brilliant stories out there really. And I think the thing that I always feel is really powerful with Uncanny is that these are stories that quite often haven’t been told to anyone else before; that people just haven’t known how to talk about them, or where to talk about them. Sometimes I am the first person they feel comfortable telling them to.  They haven’t even told their own partners about it. So, I always feel really privileged and honored to have these stories in my possession and to try and help people make sense of them. And I think it says something quite powerful about the Uncanny audience actually that people feel comfortable sharing these stories with them as well. 

That’s one of the lovely things about the show, that it’s built up this great community around it. And all of us, whether we’re skeptics or believers, are all here for the same purpose: to try and listen to these stories and try and make sense of them. And as we go out on tour, just in the same way as with the podcast or TV series, we’ll be asking the audience to ask us their questions or share their theories on the night. You’ll be part of this audience trying to work out what the hell’s going on with these stories. If you want, you can actually tell us your stories as well. There’ll be a section of the show where you can tell us your own ghost stories. The stories that always set my pulse racing are the ones that come from somebody who says, “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I think I might have seen a ghost.”

There’s something quite powerful really about somebody who’s forced to reassess their entire world view, their whole concept of the universe because of something they have seen or experienced. That’s something I feel keenly because I’ve always wanted to see a ghost and yet I hear these stories and think ‘be careful what you wish for ‘ because once you do have an experience like this, whether it’s a ghost or a UFO whatever it is, I think it totally changes you as a person and you can’t step back from that. Maybe you felt a level of fear you’ve never felt before but certainly you it leaves you having a different understanding of the way the world works.

If the dead really can come back to life and appear in front of you,…then that fundamentally rewires our whole understanding of the universe. It’s a simultaneously frightening and exciting thing.

With all of this material,…how do you choose?

It’s very simple. It’s the ‘shiver down the spine’ test. and people often ask me, “How long does it take me to decide on the story?” And normally it’s instant. I read an email and there’s just something about it that sends a little frisson of fear through me. And then you talk to the person who it happened to and you see the whites of their eyes, and you hear that little tremble in their voice, and you realize that they are still frightened often after maybe as long as 50 years. And for me, that’s a mystery I want to solve.

I want to try and understand what could make an ordinary person, someone like you or me, who lives in an ordinary house, experience that level of fear in a place they should feel safe and comfortable. So I am drawn to these mysteries but I’m drawn particularly to try and make sense of fear because I think all of us as human beings fear fear, if that makes sense. Yet fear has kept us alive throughout the ages. It’s the thing that makes you outrun a predator. It’s the thing that sort of stops you from going into situations that might be the end of you. But then when you experience that kind of incredible level of fear in a normal domestic environment, where does that come from? What is it in your house that is doing this? Is it that incredibly powerful thing the human imagination? Is it something to do with your environment? Or is it that it is genuinely paranormal,  something that sits outside of normal, that is in your house. and if so, how the hell do we explain that?

The Uncanny live show isn’t just a podcast on stage. Can you tell us a bit about what makes it so different from other live podcast experiences that some people may have experienced?

I think the average podcast show is people sitting around talking on stage and this is definitely not that.  It’s kind of an ‘all singing and dancing’;  not actual singing and dancing, that would be terrible, I can’t sing or dance, but it’s an explosive burst of theatricality live on stage. I’m somebody who grew up loving the theatre. I love the magic of theatre,  I love what you can do in a darkened auditorium with lights and sound and sets and props.  I remember very clearly going to see The Woman in Black as a teenager and just being blown away by how exhilarating and frightening theatre could be. I’ve created my own frightening play as well, 222 A Ghost Story, so I’m drawing on all of that tradition and that love of the theatre.  Uncanny is bringing stories to life, basically. These real life stories of the potentially paranormal. I evoke these stories through a mixture of storytelling and video projection and lights and amazing soundscapes and illusions that make scary stuff happen in front of you on stage. The aim is to create something that feels genuinely exciting and adrenaline-filled.

It’s a night out that will have you jumping out of your seat and hopefully chatting long into the night, debating the question:  ‘Do ghosts exist?’ We get to do this together in a theatre every night. We get Ciaran and Evelyn,, our team skeptic and team believer experts together with an audience and we try to solve these mysteries.

 Tell me a bit about your audience experiences. Would you say they are majority believers, or is there a good, healthy skeptic contingent?

I think it’s very divided, and I like that. And I think Uncanny is unusual. Most paranormal shows almost always cater to one or the other. you either kind of have those shows that very much preach to the converted and have people camping out in stately homes and castles trying to sort of spot ghosts and getting mediums channeling spirits on command, the flip side of it is that idea of debunking the paranormal and pouring a huge tub of cold water on it,  the skeptic approach. And so the idea of sitting in the middle and getting skeptics and believers together and actually just listening to these stories in a non-judgmental way and not jumping-to-conclusions way, and saying that it’s okay to be unsure. I think that’s really important.

It’s okay to say ‘I don’t know’ and to be in that kind of gray space between, black and white. The uncertain nature of this whole thing, I think, is so important. And so, yeah, I mean, we’ve got the people who turn up and buy the team skeptic t-shirts and the people who turn up and buy the team believer t-shirts, and they’re often couples, or close friends. One’s a believer, one’s a skeptic. I just love it and I think, if we can agree to disagree, that’s a pretty good thing. We’re encouraged to be very opposed to each other at the moment. If you step out on social media, you will always see people arguing, taking one side or another. you’re encouraged to define yourself by what you disagree with, what you hate, who you’re opposed to. And actually, you don’t have to always be like that.

So these are detective stories and if you’re a skeptic it’s a ‘how done it?’ If you’re a believer it’s a ‘who done it?’ Who is the ghost? and long may that continue.

Do you have any memorable anecdotes from the previous two live tours of Uncanny Spooky going on in theaters, or chilling audience member stories you want to mention?

The beautiful thing was that we did a kind of survey of haunted theaters.  Every single theatre we went to seemed to have a ghost story attached to it and we collected these as we went around and I just became fascinated by theatre ghosts. So, I absolutely love that. But also the ghost stories that audience members told us as well, there were some great ones.  I remember a woman in Southampton who told us that when she opened her cereal cupboard in the morning to get her cornflakes out saw the floating disembodied head of her late neighbour, that’s one that sticks out. She seemed completely unfazed by it. Didn’t bother her. There was a Geordie we met who claimed that the ghost of his gran had eaten his Doritos. That will live long in the memory as well. But amongst all of that, there were some really powerful stories as well. There were some really really emotionally raw stories about people who felt that they’d connected with people that they had loved and lost. A woman who felt that she’d seen the ghost of her dad in the backseat of her car warning her to slow down just at the moment that she would have been about to have an accident.  Stories like that, really really powerful moments where somebody felt that they had this little moment of contact that changed their lives. So, you feel very privileged that people are comfortable enough to share these stories with you really.

Uncanny has captured the public’s imagination. How would you explain such a diverse community’s fascination with it?

I think there’s something about the times that we live in that make us particularly interested in this subject right now. We’ve lived through this very strange unsettling era. We have the threat of climate change, we have war creeping ever closer to us.  All these things make us question our mortality and think about the idea of what happens to us when we die. I think that just living in strange chaotic times makes you think about these things as well. I think the more frightening our own world becomes the more we look to find another world beyond it.

And you definitely see, in times of unrest, a real interest in the paranormal. You saw it back in the 1960s. You see it right back to Jacobean times, and certainly in the wake of the second world war. A huge boom of interest in the supernatural,  people wanting to contact the dead, the invention of the Ouija board, the kind of era of mediums who were rock stars.  There’s a hunger and a fervor I think for trying to understand this subject at the moment and I think what Uncanny does is treat the subject with a seriousness and intelligence, but. It’s also fun. It’s entertaining. But it’s not just there to entertain you. The greatest detective story,  the greatest mystery of all, asks ‘What happens to us when we die?’

I always think that Uncanny is one half of a conversation and…whether it’s on the podcast or the TV series where we’re inviting people to send in their questions and theories live and in an auditorium it only makes sense when we are with our audience and otherwise I would just be a crazy bloke sitting in the shed at the bottom  of his garden. obsessed by ghosts. Getting out there and actually having real contact with fans and sitting in a theatre full of people and just getting to talk about this subject together. I really get off on that. And also, to be able to travel around with Kieran and Evelyn and take that sense of a team really, that the three of us have become a lovely team over doing the show.

Whether you’re seeing us sitting in The Ship pub on television talking about this subject kind of trying to bash out and solve these mysteries, or whether we’re doing it live in a theatre,  I think all three of us feel really excited to be kind of living out our passion All three of us are kind of ghost junkies. We’re obsessives. We’re people who’ve been into this subject since we were kids and have never ever been able to kind of scratch this itch, basically. It’s the kind of obsession that’s dominated our lives. It’s just a thrill, basically, to go out and do this every night.

Uncanny: Fear of the Dark tours the UK from September 2025 to March 2026. Tickets are available here.

Image Credit: Jason Locke Photography

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Michael Morpurgo on the Making of War Horse

Published on by justinemsjonesLeave a comment

The brand-new tour of the National Theatre’s War Horse is coming to Newcastle Theatre Royal for the first time later this month (Wed 10 – Sat 20 Sep 2025). Sir Michael Morpurgo, whose acclaimed novel inspired the smash-hit production, is in the hot seat.

What did you think when you saw the first night of the original production of War Horse?

I realised that the team had created something magical. It was wonderful; history being told supremely well, but also the frailty, idiocy and the joy of humanity.

Have you ever appeared in the play?

I have been permitted to make an occasional appearance as a farmer in the horse fair scene.  I was terribly worried about remembering when to say my line, so the first time I did it the actor playing the auctioneer reminded me. All I had to say was ‘Seven Guineas.’ When it was my turn to speak he prompted me, saying “And Mr Morpurgo, are you bidding or just standing there, sir?”  I came in immediately with my ‘Seven Guineas’! The team spirit of actors is wonderful. They let me keep one item of costume from each appearance, so I have a full farmer’s costume circa. 1913 hanging in my cupboard!

How did Steven Spielberg come to make the film of War Horse? 

He came to see the play because his daughter liked horses. That was lucky! 

How did the war affect you?

I was aware, very early on in life, of the damage that war did. After the war the country was in shock.  The divorce rate multiplied by four and my family was one of these. I was a war baby who grew out of the war with the taint of it still there and unexplained.  

What was your experience of being in the army?

I was reasonably good at it, but I couldn’t shoot to save my life – literally. But after a year I thought more about 1914 and the Christmas truce; the two sides coming out of the trenches, playing football and shaking hands. I thought this was how it should have ended, so I left the army on a point of principle. 

Should people with a first edition of War Horse get excited?

When I wrote the book there was a small print run. It only sold about 800 copies. The play and film really improved sales, so if you have a first edition it could make you a fortune! 

What’s the story about you and Roald Dahl?

War Horse was once shortlisted for an award. Roald Dahl was chairman of judges. I didn’t win and he told me that children didn’t like history. Fortunately, he was wrong! 

How do you relax?
At 81 the motor wants to keep on running but you have to be careful you don’t run out of petrol. But to keep the creative spirit you have to stay close to the world around you. To relax, I walk. Mostly by the river Torridge where Tarka the Otter grew up, which is beautiful. I remember all the people I have done the walk with. As you get older memories become more important.


War Horse plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Wed 10 – Sat 20 Sep 2025. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

REVIEW: The Croft

Published on by Claire McArthur1 Comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

goosebumps and intrigue

Ali Milles’ chilling thriller “The Croft” is a story of many elements – part Scottish folklore, part real-life history, part family drama, combined with love, grief, violence, hatred, and ripples of consequences from past decisions. 

The play, directed by Alastair Whatley, unfolds in an old crofter’s hut in Coillie Ghillie – a deserted village in the Highlands, out of reach of the rest of humanity. Laura (played by Gracie Follows) and Suzanne (Caroline Harker) arrive after a long drive up from England, and over the course of a few days, and amidst unexpected events, a tangle of threads emerges from past and present lives connected with the croft. We hear Coillie Ghillie described as ancient, and a ruin built on a ruin, that you need to feel in your blood to be welcome within. 

Laura and Suzanne’s weekend unfolds with the stories of Laura’s parents, Ruth (Caroline Harker), Tom (Simon Roberts), and the local ghillie David Ross (Gray O’Brien); and that of a far older history, dating back to 1970s, with Enid (Liza Goddard) on the verge of eviction following claims of witchcraft and blasphemy, and Eileen (Gracie Follows) who’s ultimate fate was never understood. 

Much of the focus is on Laura and Suzanne’s storyline, and their interactions with David, who knew Laura as a child. The performances are solid, and there are moments of comic levity peppered throughout to offset tenser moments, frequently delivered in a typically Highland deadpan manner by David, such as crowning Suzanne “the banshee from Barnet”.  Although there are distinctly Scottish undertones, there is sufficient exposition provided to make it understandable for those not familiar with folklore. A noted example being the “Selkie vs Selfie” conversation, between the three. Gracie’s portrayal of Laura is wonderful, however, it felt at times the character was veering on the more petulant side. As the play progressed into the second act, (and without spoiling anything!) some of the parallels in the relationship felt a little over-emphasised. 

With the set being a deceptively simple cut through of the croft’s living room, the onus is on the actors to denote the different characters they play, and they change cleanly and rapidly, often as we watch them on stage, with something as simple as whirl of a shawl. The lighting design by Chris Davey, is especially evocative, with no additional light from the house lights, the on-stage lighting created a deeper intimacy in the changing storylines. 

This is not a play with a continuous string of jump-scares, but there are some genuinely spooky moments in Act 1, and this increases in Act 2, as the tension ramps up, and I had definite goosebumps as it reached the climax of the play. Judging by the audience reactions around me, others felt the same way, with sharp intakes of breath and rapt attention. 

However, the story of the croft is more than a ghost story – much like David notes when comparing spirits and ghosts, it is more complex. The story culminates in a satisfying conclusion of the various threads, but the characters remain with you, long after the show. 

The Coille Ghillie may not be in your blood, but everyone looking for a tale of relationships with chills and intrigue should consider heading for “The Croft”. 

The Croft runs at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre from Wednesday 25th – Saturday 28th June 2025. For tickets, see: https://www.capitaltheatres.com/shows/the-croft/