BBC Radio  4, December 5 2022 and BBC Sounds

 

“Between the worlds.”

Heol Fanog has been with us for 8 weeks, but it was with Liz and Bill Rich for 6 years. As we come to the end of this rollercoaster “who or how dunnit” that Danny Robins has laid out for us, the only thing I can be sure of is that I wouldn’t have been able to stick it out that long.

There’s one final visitor to meet, as we Witch Farmers indulge in a live listen-along and share in each other’s reactions to the final twists in the tail. The visitor, Eddie Burks, is a ghost hunter – a famous one from the 90s, although I’ve never heard of him. I didn’t really do ‘spooky’ as a teenager though. I find myself agreeing with Ciaran before he even reminds us that the case of James and Thomas was a matter of public record! it’s perfectly possibly for Eddie to have researched the grizzly murder nearby, so that Liz could describe his conversation with the next world as if “Eddie was repeating what somebody else was telling him to say.”

Reflecting on my own journey along the believer/sceptic spectrum over these last weeks, I find myself between two worlds too. I still believe, wholeheartedly, in life after death, but I’m less and less sure if people on that other plane of existence can effectively communicate with ours. Oh, they’re there alright, but I don’t think they’re necessarily able to talk to us – at least not in the way most people think. As for Echo’s death – and the dozens of apparitions? Well, they’re not easy to discount. Essentially, I agree with Evelyn’s hypothesis that not everything is explainable in this case. As she explains during the Twitter Spaces event immediately after the listen live, Evelyn is “struggling to put a dent in some of the weirder aspects of the case,” and so am I.

The revelation of Bill’s fate was poignant, not melodramatic. Such is real life. It was right there in the title all along – Heol Fanog was indeed a Witch Farm. Poor Bill. The deep emotions of many fellow listeners as we hear how things played out gives testament to the fact that this whole podcast has been so well crafted as a spooky, interactive piece of entertainment. A piece of entertainment that challenges listeners to analyse their own map of the world and to engage with others with a myriad of different views, and thereby to broaden our understanding. Emotions seems to have run deeper, and opinions voiced more strongly – but still the sense of respect for others and intelligent discourse remains.

When all’s said and done, that’s the true magic of the land that we’ve explored. It’s no mean feat in 2022 to subtly encourage conversations between vast groups of  people who hold very different views – or even the same views for very different reasons – without the spectre of ‘cancel culture’ haunting the chat threads.

It’s not the end of the road for Witch Farmers as Danny announces a live event in early 2023, and as those echoing footsteps close out the episode, I realise that our instincts, thoughts and feelings about ghosts and the like are so deeply personal, they’re inescapable… I think that’s why the paranormal fascinates us, no matter what team you’re on.

Verdict: A masterclass in interactive and debate-provoking true-life audio drama. 10/10

Claire Smith