BBC Radio 4, December 4; BBC Sounds

Angelic Saviours in the South of England

“If people were sitting around a campfire and they started telling ghost stores to spook one another, this is the story I would tell, because it happened to me… but I can’t explain what happened.”

After the demonic tale of the last episode, we are taking a walk on the lighter side this week, as we hear a story that talks of the benevolent side of paranormal activity rather than the sinister. ‘Tom’ describes a young man from a Muslim family: ‘Yousuf’, who was deeply troubled, and made an attempt on his own life in the bathroom of their family home.

We dive into fascinating aspects of Muslim belief, aided by expert and writer Shereen Malherbe – aspects that are shared by other faiths too. Where a Muslim may speak of a ‘jinn’ possessing them, a Christian might speak of a ‘demon’. The concept of a lighter, benevolent side to paranormal activity seems to be a strange one to Danny Robins, but there is enough talk in paranormal circles of the darker side, why shouldn’t there also be a force for good, protecting us, guarding us?

Ciarán O’Keeffe, always stepping back and remaining objective, moots other fascinating lines of scientific enquiry as the case investigation goes deeper – psychokinesis and ‘intentional spotlight’, which is the new thing I’ve learned today, Uncanny, being entertaining and informative once again.

My take on case 7: It’s not magic. It’s something much more prosaic: love. The love of a being – whatever name you give them – that defies human understanding. It speaks of redemption and contains hope at its heart.

Verdict: This case even has the king of sceptics, Ciarán O’Keeffe, admitting that this ‘could’ be paranormal. That should be front page news! 9/10

Claire Smith