Daisy May Cooper Invites Uncanny's Danny Robins To Spend The Night In Her Haunted House
In the Christmas special of Danny Robins' supernatural podcast 'Uncanny', we delve into a tale of ghostly happenings in a seemingly perfect new build in the Wiltshire countryside, which is home to Daisy May Cooper, the comedy actor and writer best known for 'This Country'. In a first for 'Uncanny', Danny spends the night at Daisy's house and even embarks on an active investigation.
Danny begins by setting the scene of this story, unique in its setting of a brand new house, as opposed to the typical old, storied buildings often associated with hauntings. Daisy, having moved into this dreamlike property by a manmade lake, soon finds her new life there marked by a series of bizarre and unsettling events.
"The way she described it to me is like somebody getting some saucepans and throwing them on the floor, downstairs in the kitchen," Daisy recounts about an incident her police officer friend Sarah experienced, thinking it was a burglary. This incident was just the beginning of a series of unexplained phenomena including disturbing sounds, the scent of cigarette smoke, shadowy figures, and even inanimate objects behaving peculiarly.
Daisy tells Danny about an eerie occurrence involving her shower turning on by itself at night, with the tap turned fully on, something she found deeply unsettling. But it's not just Daisy who's experienced these odd happenings. Her father, Paul Cooper, and friend Selin Hizli also share their chilling encounters. Paul tells Danny about seeing a mysterious figure outside by the hot tub, a sighting made more inexplicable by the secure nature of the property. Selin recalls a night in the guest room where she and her partner heard a whispering sound, a shared experience that left them deeply unnerved.
But Daisy's most terrifying encounter in the house was yet to come. She describes seeing what appeared to be the legs of a child, running around her bed and then vanishing: "It was the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen."
Things get even weirder with the revelations that Daisy's housekeeper told her she was aware of ghostly Romans and Cavaliers in the home. Unconvinced, Daisy takes it upon herself to explore these supernatural claims, even purchasing ghost-hunting equipment like a REM-Pod, a device believed to detect paranormal activity.
After a lesson on REM-Pods, Danny, along with Daisy, Paul, and Selin, embarks on a ghost hunt within Daisy's house. They set up a REM-Pod motion sensor in the top bedroom, a room with a history of strange occurrences. Each member of the group asks a question, hoping for a sign. The tension mounts as the REM-Pod beeps in response, and Danny observes fairy lights swaying inexplicably.
Danny spends the night in the haunted room, sharing his own jittery feelings and mistaking his reflection for a figure in a moment of heightened nerves, but ultimately had a peaceful night's sleep in the notorious room.
The next morning, Daisy discusses her theory about the cause of the haunting: the idea of 'ghosts of the future'. She speculates that the phenomena might be manifestations of a family who will live in the house in the future, a twist on traditional ghost stories that usually revolve around visions from the past. Daisy muses, "It also makes me think if this future family does exist, and they do move in, are they going to start seeing ghosts of me?"
What The Experts Think
As always, Danny is joined by his panel of expert, which this time consists of Dr. Ciarán O'Keeffe and writer and parapsychologist Evelyn Hollow. Evelyn challenges the common perception that paranormal phenomena are exclusive to old, historical buildings. She suggests that hauntings might be connected to the land, an object, or a person, rather than the physical structure of the house. Ciarán highlights that new builds, like Daisy's house, can have their own issues, including plumbing or foundation problems, potentially causing misinterpreted noises.
One compelling aspect of Daisy's case is the multiple witnesses to the strange occurrences, including her police officer friend. Ciarán finds this particularly intriguing, considering how the Selin's initial experience might have influenced subsequent interpretations of events in the house.
The discussion around the use of the REM-Pod during the ghost hunt reveals how this tool, favoured by ghost hunters for detecting motion, behaved peculiarly. Danny recalls a moment during the EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) recording session when the REM-Pod responded simultaneously with a beep, adding an interesting layer to the investigation.
Daisy's experience of seeing disembodied legs running around her bed is examined by the experts. Ciarán draws a parallel to a similar phenomenon at Drury Lane Theatre in London, suggesting that such apparitions, albeit rare, have precedents. Evelyn adds that these could be residual hauntings, where past events imprint themselves on a location. However, she notes that this theory might not apply directly to Daisy's new house but instead to the land it's built on.
Evelyn's research into the land's history uncovers its rich past, dating back to prehistoric times, and its connection to the Boer War. She reveals a tragic incident from 1959, where a young boy drowned in the lake near Daisy's house, potentially linking the property to a historical event.
You can listen to the Christmas special of 'Uncanny', as well as all of the previous three seasons, on BBC Sounds now.
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