BBC Radio 4 for BBC Sounds

Do the dead stay dead?

“Do you believe in ghosts?”

“No. Categorically, no.”

“Have you seen one?”

“Yes.”

You know when a connoisseur of creepy of Danny Robins’ calibre describes an email as sending one of the biggest shivers down his spine that he’s ever had, you should be concerned. This episode gets a bit deep (just like this review) as it unpacks the thorny topic of life after death – a belief central, one would have thought, to a belief in ghosts. If you do not believe that life in some form continues after a person dies in this life, then by extension ghosts cannot be real. So if you believe that, what do you do when you’re equally certain that your deceased best friend is communicating with you from the other side?

This episode challenges me, and it may challenge you, and that’s a good thing. I could not disagree more wholeheartedly with Laura, our witness this week, about life after death. That’s precisely why it’s good for me – and anyone else on #TeamBeliever – to be able to hear her testimony and her views, as it opens us up to a viewpoint that we may never have considered or understood at all, and that’s the gift that Laura gives me in this episode.

An opportunity to engage with that which we do not know or believe allows knowledge-sharing and fosters understanding. Even if we find it sad to hear, understanding our fellow human without judgement can surely never be a bad thing.

The only judgement that can be made about Laura is that she is resilient and brave, evidenced both in her story and the testimony of her encounters with Anna. The anger she describes is not only understandable in the context of her belief, but relatable – if I felt as Laura does, I am sure my reaction would be the same. There are also, as always, some possible explanations offered, but these don’t smother one belief or another in their presentation – they merely open an interesting debate.

If only all podcasts opened up opposing points of views in such a clear, no-nonsense fashion, without vilifying or ridiculing those with a different view. What a peaceful world that would be to live in – before or after death.

My take on case 4: I don’t have an answer any more than Laura does, but Anna doesn’t need Laura to believe in ghosts to want to reach out to her beloved friend with a word of comfort. I also like the idea that love is the force that powers such encounters, but then I’m soppy like that.

Verdict: A necessary and entertaining unpacking of an emotive topic that’s central to discussions concerning (alleged?) ghostly encounters, one of Uncanny’s key themes. 9/10

Claire Smith