A crystal ball from an old loft, a famously unsettling doll, and a Ouija-board table all raise the same question: can an object carry a presence or is there another explanation? Graham Milne and Karen Swanston swap eerie stories from Scotland and beyond, weighing reported experiences against folklore and the possibility of coincidence.

The episode ranges from recurring nightmares and a haunted mummy’s head to Robert the Doll in Key West. The hosts also share personal accounts involving a family heirloom doll, a supposedly cursed necklace, and reports of haunted clothing.

Image shows artist's interpretation.

Key Topics

[00:01:07] - A crystal ball found in a loft—and the nightmares that followed
[00:04:46] - Graham’s story of an old bottle and a disturbing dream
[00:06:05] - Strange activity at Aden Country Park, including a story about a mummy’s head
[00:09:58] - Robert the Doll: his history, reputation, and visitor etiquette
[00:20:39] - A Ouija-board table and a chilling story shared by folklorist Stanley Robertson
[00:29:27] - A doll-reading experiment and Karen’s family doll, Loopy Lou
[00:36:14] - The Loch Leven necklace and reports of its unsettling effects
[00:41:08] - Haunted clothing, including an Edwardian dress and stories of phantom jackets

• Fort East Martello Museum — Key West Art & Historical Society — home of Robert the Doll

• Aden Country Park

• NHS: Sleep paralysis — a possible non-paranormal explanation discussed in the episode

From haunted heirlooms to objects surrounded by local legend, these stories leave room for both scepticism and curiosity. If you’ve had an unexplained experience with an object—or a story about one—keep it respectful, keep asking questions, and, as the hosts say, keep the lights on.

Graeme Milne and Karen Swanston explore four unsettling haunted-object stories, from mass-produced paintings blamed for house fires to mysterious carved heads, a reportedly haunted mirror, and a bone said to bring misfortune. Along the way, they weigh the eerie legends against the ordinary explanations and unanswered questions behind them.

The stories span Britain, Louisiana, and Edinburgh, with reported apparitions, strange reflections, unexplained disturbances, and one very ill-advised souvenir. These are tales of folklore and reported experiences, not settled evidence and some of their details remain disputed.

[00:01:31] - The Crying Boy prints and Britain’s “blazing curse” scare
[00:07:20] - The legend of the boy said to be connected to the paintings
[00:09:20] - The newspaper bonfire and the curse’s supposed end
[00:11:24] - The Hexham Heads and reports of a werewolf-like visitor
[00:17:03] - The Myrtles Plantation mirror and its unsettling reflections
[00:20:00] - The alleged mummy’s curse at a house in Edinburgh
[00:27:42] - What happened to the bone—and a more recent reported sighting

• The Myrtles Plantation — official website

• Crying Boy — background on the paintings and legend

• Hexham Heads — background on the objects and reported haunting

• British Museum Collection

Graeme and Karen close with a promise to return for Haunted Objects Part Two. Until then, keep the lights on—and stay a little scared.

Graeme Milne and Karen Swanston return with more stories of phantom pets and spooky animals, from a spectral chicken in Highgate to cats that seem to return after death. This episode explores the strange, touching and occasionally amusing ways animals appear in ghost stories.

Hear reported encounters with ghostly cats, a huge red-eyed hound near Blairgowrie, a phantom dog at Edinburgh’s Witchery, and even a fish that reportedly reappeared after being flushed away. The hosts also revisit the tale of a supposed poltergeist in Tarves and the very human explanation behind it.

[00:01:41] - The phantom chicken of Highgate and the story linked to Francis Bacon
[00:05:56] - A witness’s account of a huge, red-eyed phantom hound near Blairgowrie
[00:09:09] - Ghost cats: unexplained sounds, moving toys and apparitions
[00:16:01] - A ghost dog at the Witchery, and the curious story of three hats
[00:20:29] - A llama’s reported visits after death and the phantom monkey at Culross Palace
[00:26:13] - The fish that allegedly returned to its aquarium after being flushed
[00:31:20] - The Tarves “poltergeist”—and the jackdaw behind the wall

• John Aubrey’s Brief Lives

• Culross Palace — National Trust for Scotland

• The Witchery by the Castle

• Emory Digital Collections

From loyal animal companions to eerie apparitions, these stories leave room for wonder—and for a healthy dose of skepticism. Keep the lights on, and stay scared.

Hosts: Graeme Milne and Garen Swanston.