Somerset Supernatural: Discovering the Paranormal

Michelle: Welcome to Haunted History Chronicles, the podcast where we unravel the mysteries of the past one ghostly tale at a time. I'm your host, Michelle, and I'm thrilled to be your guide on this eerie journey through the pages of history. Picture this a realm where the supernatural intertwines with the annals of time, where the echoes of the past reverberate through haunted corridors and forgotten landscapes. That's the realm we invite you to explore with us. Each episode will unearth stories, long buried secrets, dark folklore, tales of the macabre, and discuss parapsychology topics from ancient legends to more recent enigmas. We're delving deep into locations and accounts all around the globe, with guests joining me along the way. But this podcast is also about building a community of curious minds like you. Join the podcast on social media, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share your own ghostly encounters, theories, and historical curiosities. Feel free to share with friends and family. The links are conveniently placed in the description for easy access. So whether you're a history buff with a taste for the supernatural or a paranormal enthusiast with a thirst for knowledge, haunted History chronicles is your passport to the other side. Get ready for a ride through the corridors of time where history and the supernatural converge, because every ghost has a story, and every story has a history. And now let's introduce today's podcast or guest welcome to Haunted History Chronicles, the podcast where we delve into the eerie and mysterious tales of the past, exploring haunted locations and the chilling stories they hold.

Michelle: Today, I have an especially captivating episode for you.

Michelle: We'll be diving into a fascinating and unique observational documentary titled Somerset Supernatural. Produced by Shackleton Films Limited, this documentary takes a stripped back, refreshing and honest approach to investigating the paranormal across several historically rich locations in Somerset. Somerset is a county teeming with history, legends and paranormal activity. It offers the perfect backdrop for this intriguing exploration. From ancient castles to quaint villages, the region's mystical allure and spectral tales make it a prime destination for paranormal investigation. In this episode, we'll be uncovering the insights and experiences behind Somerset supernatural with some of the individuals who brought this documentary to life. Joining me are John Shackleton, the filmmaker himself, whose vision and direction paved the way for this groundbreaking documentary Corinne Bisant, the producer for Somerset Supernatural and an experienced paranormal investigator who will help share some more insight into the three locations featured, and Kev Kerr, a seasoned paranormal investigator who will provide his first hand accounts and thoughts on investigative techniques utilized during the documentary's journey. Together, they were part of a larger team of investigators who documented the paranormal activities in a historic haunted costume. Higher warehouse in Frome, the majestic Walton.

Michelle: Castle, and the enigmatic Shepton Mallet prison.

Michelle: They'll share their perspectives and experiences, shedding light on the authentic experiences documented and highlighted in the documentary. So sit back and relax and prepare yourself for an enthralling journey into the heart of Somerset supernatural mysteries. As I introduce our guests, Kev, Corinne and John, and we begin to discuss the origins of Somerset supernatural and the three locations visited in this documentary episode.

Michelle: Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this evening. Kev and Corinne and John, do you want to just start by introducing yourself and telling everybody, listening a little bit about yourselves and your background?

John Shackleton: Okay. Hello. My name is John Shackleton. I'm a filmmaker in Bath. I've been doing this for a long, long time, but quite new to the paranormal. And I've produced and directed and shot most of the pilot episode of Somerset Supernatural.

Michelle: Kev, do you want to go next? Again, just giving that brief introduction and that background just to remind people.

Kev Kerr : Yeah, of course. I'm Kev Kerr. I'm a paranormal investigator. Sort of over 15 years experience investigating the paranormal all over the country. Mostly a skeptical investigator, usually trying to find the actual answers to any phenomena.

Michelle: And then last but not least, the lovely Corinne. Do you want to say hello and remind people as to who you are?

Karin Beasant: Hello, my name's Karine. I'm an investigator. I look after the famous Jamaica Inn in Cornwall. I am a paranormal consultant for visit Somerset. Hence why I was involved in this project.

Michelle: And all three of you have been involved, like Corinne just mentioned in this project, Somerset Supernatural, which has been the production of a documentary highlighting various different locations and paranormal, investigating what that looks like, really trying to emphasize the different investigative techniques and processes and what can be revealed and the questions that come out of that. John, as the person who kind of brought all of that together, what initially kind of got you intrigued in wanting to be part of this? I mean, you mentioned that the paranormal, the world of the paranormal was new to you, so why this particular project?

John Shackleton: Yeah, I mean, it's a fascinating space, that's for sure. And as a tv producer, I'm always on the road, always traveling. And to start with, I was doing something which some of your listeners may know, escape to the chateau DIY. So traveling across France, and I was going to lots of medieval chateaus, and I was always asking questions from the shuttle lands of, if, you know, does anything ever go bump in the night? As soon as the cameras would finish to be way more interested in the paranormal stuff than their home renovations, that's for sure. Nothing ever came of it. I did it a few times. And then straight after lockdown, strangely, I went and stayed in a chateau. And we had to in quarantine for ten days there. And something very strange happened to me and my researcher approximately the same time around 03:00 in the morning. Which was terrifying and just really reignited. It just gave me the, you know, the interest to jump in and go, hang on, what was that? And what is going on here? And then Karen is my accountant. I've told this story before, who. When I found out that she is also a paranormal investigator. Then I started to tag along and I met Kev and doctor Kate Sherrell and a few others who are into this. In this space. And, yeah, it just kind of grew from there, really. And then I've always had an interest in it. And then an introduction to visit Somerset. They said they were looking for something to sort of, you know, explore the county. A sort of paranormal trail. And, yeah, it all just seemed to gel. And I had some downtime. We've got all the equipment we need. So we just started filming. And I think they gave me the first location and the second location. And then we found a third location. And on the back of that we've got a 50 minutes documentary, which is a pilot for a tv series. We'd like to do this potentially up to eight episodes in Somerset alone. And then, you know, in an ideal world, do that again in different counties across the UK. Because these stories go on forever, which is the most exciting thing.

Michelle: I just thought it was incredible. I mean, the locations that were selected and the way that they were woven into just this one single pilot episode was just phenomenal because it highlighted some of the best of Somerset. And it also enabled you to see different things happening at different locations and different teams and different types of exploration through investigators, which you so rarely get to see in any other type of show like this. And I think it really helped to highlight the incredible work that many investigators do. Fantastic work that many people do. But at the same time, like I said, really helped to highlight some of the best of Somerset. In terms of these beautiful heritage locations and places of real significant interest. And I know, Corinne, you were kind of integral in terms of bringing together some of those locations. With the various roles and hats that you have. Do you want to just help set the scene in terms of the locations that were selected and the history, the significance and their connection with the paranormal? As to why they were chosen for this particular first pilot.

Karin Beasant: Yes, of course. So Somerset being one of the biggest counties, and, you know, historically one of the oldest, with history going back many thousands and thousands of years. It has so many hidden gems, and one is a location called bath theatrical costume hire, which is owned by the wonderful rosette. Now, she's a third generation. Her grandmother started this off in a shopping bar, and her grandmother would be sat upstairs sewing, and she would hear what she called the silk ladies. So the bell of the door would go, she would hear the rustling of long skirts up the stairs into the kitchen and teacups, but there was no one there, and she found it quite comforting. And then about 20 years ago, Russet, who was then in charge of the actual costume hire, they had so many costumes, they needed to move. So they moved to a big warehouse in Frome, where there are over 30,000 costumes. And it is such a fantastic place. You know, they have poltergeist, they have a little girl, but it doesn't bother them. You know, things get moved, they can't find them. They have to make new, like roughs, you know, the old fashioned elizabethan ruffs. They make new ones, find the old ones, because it's suddenly there in front of them. But it's a fabulous, fabulous place.

Michelle: One of the things that was so intriguing was just how you offered this scope of different types of locations, so you could really experience some of the best locations to explore and at the same time highlight that. Not every single location where you expect this type of experience, where people expect this type of experience, it's not always the same. You can find them in small locations, large, large locations, locations that look more kind of sinister and frightening, maybe from the outside, that have that terrible history associated with it. But at the same time, somewhere like bar theatrical, which has just been this place of. Of real love and part of this family for generations, where you wouldn't necessarily expect these things to occur, but do. And I think it helps to show that range. And again, just enable you to see different places being investigated for what they have in their own unique way, a.

John Shackleton: Filmmaking point of view as well. It was like the criteria in selecting these stories wasn't necessarily, you know, what's the most horrible thing that's happened here or anything like that. It was more, if somebody actually has a story to tell that is credible that they believe, then that is reason enough, in my view, to investigate, because it's an observational documentary series. It gives everybody who's involved the platform to tell their story. And then for us to investigate it, and that's what's really exciting. It's not like we've got a huge casting department and we, you know, we're looking through and we're finding the best people to speak on camera. And, you know, putting this a team together, it's like, no, these are real people, real places and real stories. And that was always my sort of hook into this. That's how I want the series to unfold. So when Karen first suggested that the actual costume hire and I went to meet Rosette, I was like, yes, please, we'll go there. Brilliant.

Michelle: I think it just breaks some of the normal kind of conventions of, again, what these types of shows tend to offer, which is the same locations that have that sinister feel or have that sinister history. And, like you just mentioned, you wanted it to be much more realistic, to be much more observational and true to what actually happens. And I think the selection really does help to show that journey as well as the unique stories that they have to offer.

John Shackleton: Well, there's always the worry in the back of my mind that that's all very noble and righteous as an approach. But what happens if I get there and film the entire event and nothing happens, as you hear, happens so many times with paranormal investigations, and all I can say is, of the three that we filmed for this, I wasn't disappointed. So whether we just got lucky, I don't know, or whether there's some mystical x factor thing going on here that's making it work for us, I just don't know. But we've been blessed so far, or curse, whichever way you want to look at it.

Michelle: So, Corinne, just coming back to the locations that were selected, obviously, outside of bath theatrical, do you want to take us on that brief journey to explain the other two locations and why they were the gems that were picked for the documentary?

Karin Beasant: Exactly. Well, you can't have Somerset without having Shepton Mallet prison, the oldest prison in England, built around 1624. And what we see now, it's the victorian rebuilt. But my God, that place, when you walk in, you can feel the atmosphere there. It really has something. And Jenny, who is the lady that looks after the paranormal, she is a walk in encyclopedia of the history and the paranormal reports. So it was lovely to have her and doctor Kate Sherrell together to investigate Shepton Mallett. And then John came up with a very good idea. John.

John Shackleton: Well, again, this was just to plug my paranoia. What happens if nothing occurs on the evening? So it's the world's most haunted prison. I went, well, that sounds amazing. I'm gonna have egg on my face. If we film for a night in the world's most haunted prison, nothing happens. What mitigating things can I put into place to make sure that, you know, we get something on camera of interest? So we brought in a dog. We brought in a guard dog, a professionally, it's like a sniffer dog who does festivals and looks for drugs and protects its owner at all costs. So it was a particularly fierce and terrifying dog. And that was my contingency plan, just to have the dog lead the way. And then should the dog indicate anything that would give the investigators cause to investigate that particular cell block or cell room or wherever the activity may be.

Michelle: And Corinne knows, having watched the documentary, as soon as the documentary was over for me, I said to Corinne, I want to ask questions of that dog. I want to ask questions to the handler. It was one of the most profound moments I've ever seen captured on television in terms of documenting and investigating the paranormal. I've never seen anyone do that before, ever. I've never seen it being done in a live investigation, you know, as part of a team, and I've certainly never seen it done on a television screen. And it was just jaw dropping to see that play out, to see, as you mentioned, that really kind of tough, hardworking dog, very much doing its job, focused, diligent, hyper aware, nothing getting in its way. It's its one and only focus to sniff out, to detect things, and also to protect the handler. Just turn into this whimpering mess on the floor that she couldnt get to do anything. I mean, it was incredible.

John Shackleton: When we heard the screening, there were 50 odd people in the room. And its great for me, just sitting at the back watching peoples reactions and, you know, hoping theyre going to gasp in all the right places and so on. And the dog stole the show. It really did. And people just. People, people get really upset about dogs, don't they? I don't know what it is, but they do. They just get upset about dogs. And the fact that this dog was really upset seemed to upset the entire room. And then afterwards, people saying, was the dog okay? I'm like, yes, the dog was fine, don't worry. Very, very, very odd. But, yes, it was. It was definitely a fortuitous move for us, I think, being in the, being in the dog.

Michelle: But just to see how it played into the investigation, how it then played out in terms of what Jenny and Kate did, who were there as part of the investigation of Shepton Mallon just to bring Kevin, who is someone who is a really experienced paranormal investigator and a skeptic, as you mentioned, how did you feel and respond to kind of seeing across the different locations, these different techniques and approaches being used, like the dog, to see what it showed as part of the investigation process across the whole of the documentary, if you like.

Kev Kerr : Well, it was quite interesting. I have always wondered, in regards to the use of animals in paranormal investigations, and actually when it came to individuals in the past who have said, I'm going to take my dog to this location. And I've said it's not a very good idea purely because in an unethical sense, and also at the sense of the location itself, allowing dogs in for that exact reason. But I think in this situation, especially given the fact that it's in the prison, it's not necessarily an issue, but I think it was a very good move and it does show a whole new level to investigation. What would be nice, though, is obviously not people not adopting that in every location they can, but it would be interesting to repeat it.

Michelle: But again, I think you saw that kind of being played out across the various different locations because there weren't things. It wasn't a simple case of replicating what happened in one and what was being done in one across the various different spots. It was very much seemed to be tailored to the experiences of that location itself and helping to convey the experience and the story of the location itself, which again, I think was the really clever part. I think it really helped to demonstrate just how mindful paranormal investigating needs to be in terms of, you know, trying to get the best out of the location and allowing the location to speak for itself in terms of what comes through or doesn't come through based on things that might work specifically for these areas or not. And a location like Shepton Mallet with those huge roaming areas. You know, having. Having an animal coming in is kind of a brilliant idea in the sense that you do have that large space for it to do its job without it being kind of a problem. And if the permission is there, it's a fantastic opportunity to take up given, you know, pets and dogs would have been something that the prison itself would have been used to.

Kev Kerr : Oh, 100%. I think it's probably the perfect prop in regards to something like that, that, you know, the use of dogs, say, in the prison for any reason, would have been used in a fear factor or a level of control, could be the perfect trigger object in that sense to create a paranormal experience. And I think definitely what happened. There was definitely an interesting situation where the dog didn't do, I suppose, as I expected it might do, which would be to kick off completely and be very aggressive. It was very intriguing to see what was a very aggressive dog all of a sudden, as you say, just turn into a puppy and a petrified one moments later.

John Shackleton: Just to add to that, which is really weird, because I'm the person that's poured through all the rushes, hours and hours of it meticulously. And I've been left scratching my chin, sitting there with headphones, and looking at the screen, going, hang on a minute. What exactly was going on there? And still can't get to the bottom of it. The dog went past the first four or five cells, and it was reduced to this terrified, trembling mess. And then as soon as it passed that fifth cell door, its tail went back up, it snare went up, and it went back to work and just carried on as if nothing had happened at all. And it was sniffing, it was looking, it was working, it went back to work. But for those five cell doors, wasn't happy. And we still don't know why or what.

Michelle: I think what that particular part of the documentary really helped to highlight, and it's something you referenced, Kev, is that, you know, the dog is this perfect trigger object in itself to try and spur on experiences, possible paranormal activity, and compare that to bartheatrical, which Corinne just mentioned. And there you've got a location where going in with a dog, not ideal. It's not as impactful, but what you have there are all the wardrobe, the different attire, the costumes that, in that case, we used as trigger objects to try and, again, see if that produced any activity with the different people as part of that investigation, with them getting, you know, getting dressed in those different items of clothing that had come through. And again, just really interesting to see the various items and things being brought in, but the same types of techniques being deployed in different manners across various different locations.

John Shackleton: Yeah, I mean, that was important to me in that each investigation would be different with different investigators using different methods, none of which, other than editions such as the Dogwood, dictated by myself as the filmmaker. This was Terran, would say, who do you want? What do you want? And then they would come with tech, or we would say, it'd be great to have a seance, for example. But I think there's a lot more investigation to be done at the costume higher place, because, as you say, so many trigger objects in that room. You know, her wedding dress from, like, 1912 or something. You know, so many lives, literally, are kind of stored within this warehouse. I think it's a fascinating place.

Michelle: And, Corinne, just to come back to the final location, do you want to explain the third. The third spot that was kind of highlighted as part of the documentary?

Karin Beasant: Yes. So I was chatting with John, and he said, I want a castle. I said, oh, you want a castle? I'll find a castle.

John Shackleton: Not demanding, find me a castle, Karen.

Karin Beasant: So there were one or two that we were looking at. They unfortunately weren't possible. And then I remembered one that I was lucky to investigate a few years back with Kev and a few other people. And it's a privately owned castle called Wharton Castle in Clevedon and Somerset. Now, this is a hidden gem, so I didn't know existed years ago, and it's owned by a lovely lady called Margarita, but it has a fascinating history. So it's on a slight hill, and it was originally an iron Age fort. So you've already going back a great deal in time. And the first reference to it was actually in the Domesday book as belonging to Gunny the dame, but it wasn't. To round about 1650, 1620, it was designed as a hunting lodge for Lord John Paulett. He was a wealthy landowner and member of parliament. And then obviously, what happened further along, you had civil war, and it ended up as a ruin for quite a long time. Sheep and cows used to graze around it, and then it. It landed in Margarita's lap, and she decided to restore it, but she decided to really make it splendid, as you'll see on the documentary. And I will hand you back to you, because the. This, to me, was absolutely an amazing night.

Michelle: And, Kev, this is where you were involved as part of the investigation process. And again, one of the masterful strokes, I think, to the whole documentary and how it was brought together was the fact that you had different types of investigators with different perspectives and different kind of voices and opinions and approaches all coming together. And something that you and I have spoken about is how often the voice of the person who is more rational and more skeptical doesn't necessarily come through in experiences like this, in programs like this. So how did you feel being brought in and being part of this? And what do you think? Having that skeptical mindset, that skeptical approach that, you know, skeptical investigator added to the documentary as a whole, I was.

Kev Kerr : Very happy to be able to bring that perspective forward, because I've been lucky enough to work with John previously on a small project, and I trusted him enough to allow me to go on camera I suppose one of the biggest worries is people usually make these kind of shows and documentaries kind of twist it to their own agenda. And John has kind of allowed me free rein to be a skeptical investigator, as I am, and to be able to bring forward my opinion and be able to communicate with the rest of the people who are doing the investigation and kind of have that open discussion. And for that to come forward as well in the show was absolutely fantastic when it came to Walton Castle. Luckily, the. The investigators who we were there with, I've investigated with for well over ten years. So there is a massive element of trust for me with those people. And to be able to bring forward that kind of skeptical aspect pretty much live whilst the investigation has taken place is such a brilliant thing and probably a very brilliant thing for John to be able to catch on camera.

John Shackleton: That was priceless.

Kev Kerr : It certainly was. As it began to open up. Should I say that was. Yeah.

John Shackleton: Well, yeah. As Michelle was saying, it's just the opportunity to have six investigators together, three of whom I'd never met before, all completely different personalities, all bringing completely different things and completely different approaches to the table. It was fascinating to watch. Luckily, that day there were three cameras filming, so we could capture a lot of different things that were going on when the investigation sprinted into different areas. Because obviously, it's quite a large space and there's quite a lot to investigate, and we can't have six people chasing the ball type thing, you know? So I think it worked out really well. And then also in the edit, putting it together as a program, it was a joy because the fact that Kev is the skeptic, it made me draw those things out because that aided the storytelling and just, just made it a joy and made it a real fun thing to put together and a really interesting and exciting piece to present. Really. I can't wait to see what people make of it. I know it's had an effect on Kev already.

Michelle: We're definitely going to have to come to that moment. Most definitely. Before I do, though, I just want to say, I just think, again, it was just so ingenious, because I think, Kev, you struck on the right words when kind of describing it from your perspective. It just allowed this really collaborative, open dialogue, and I think it enabled people to see lots of different people working together, coming together with these different approaches and different skill sets, to really show the different approaches that can be brought into investigating the paranormal and how they don't have to sit alone. You know, we can do this together, and by doing it together. Often the end result is much more powerful because we can really learn and evaluate and critically evaluate the experiences as a whole whole when we see other people's perspective on that same moment. And again, I just think it was so smart and very kind of clear never to have been done before to bring together a team like that with so many different people, with different voices and perspectives, as I mentioned, and skill sets. It was so smart.

John Shackleton: I don't know if it was smart or if it was just naivety one or the other, but I'm grateful of the way it played out.

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Michelle: And then, as I say, we've got to come back to that moment. I don't know if, Kevin, if it was your favorite moment or just how you would describe it, but it certainly, the look on your face watching, it was just absolutely incredible. Do you want to just explain the moment that you experienced at, you know, the location that you were at and why that's so significant for you?

Kev Kerr : I think. I think it's the best way is to put forward that significance. And what kind of led to that situation is we. We never planned on the seance situation that we were in. It was not pre planned. It was not pre set up. I am always very aware of outsiders within an investigation, you know, even in a situation where we are filming. I have worked with John before and I trust him enough to portray me correctly. But at the same time, I will always have an eye out, you know, in the corner to make sure that nothing's being tampered with or there isn't anything to kind of try and fool me as an investigator. You know, my reputation is very important to me.

John Shackleton: Yeah, sorry to interject there that we hadn't even planned for that part of the evening. We had planned a completely different investigation that we were reined off from. So this was literally an afterthought. What can we do to use the rest of our time, basically?

Kev Kerr : And it was. It was in an area that none of us had been into. Maybe on the walk arounds we've been pointed at, but that that room actually has a full glass front, so there's no need to enter there. And it just kind of become a, we're going to go over there and we're going to. We're going to do a seance. And as John said, what we had previously planned had completely scrupled by the weather. So we said, okay, that's fine. We went in, we moved the table into position, we sat down, and I was going to have a sort of an onlooker situation for me, you know, the idea of, we're going to do a seance, I kind of rolled my eyes and was like, okay, fine. Let's sit down and do that. The environment was completely controlled. The table itself was chosen at random and just placed, you know, where we sort of thought, oh, there'd be a nice kind of corner and a nice shot. Myself and Rachel were present the entire time. So for me, we were in a completely controlled environment around that table. And as I say, the people who are around that table were also very much trusted by me from years of various different investigations and things where I know that what they want to find is the truth, regardless of what that is. So that is to put into place what this situation was. And as a skeptic as well, to experience what happened, it was completely mind blowing, almost career changing in a way.

John Shackleton: I thought that the main character of that evening, who had the biggest life changing experience would have been John. And then it turned out to be Kev, which was quite a surprise, even for me.

Michelle: It was definitely brilliant. It was fantastic. So I think one of the key things that comes out of that moment that you were referencing, Kev, is that this is something that was spontaneous. It wasn't set up, and it wasn't staged or planned in any way. And I think that element of spontaneity and lack of planning for that moment, I think, helps to highlight just how real it was and being experienced in the moment. And I suppose that comes back to something that I think is quite significant about the documentary is really highlighting the key aims that come out of it, I think, which are really trying to put across this message of what paranormal investigating should be like and can be like. And I suppose that comes back to you, John, and then everyone involved in terms of what would you say you want people looking and watching the documentary to take away as the key mission statement and the key purpose of what you're trying to highlight and show, really, in terms of paranormal investigating?

John Shackleton: Well, for me, I am the viewer because I'm behind the lens. And, yes, it's unscripted. Yes, it's largely unplanned. And we film what happens and then I piece the story together afterwards. So I approach these things with an open mind, with a skeptical open mind, as I would imagine most of our audience would be. So this is hopefully, it's as interesting and exciting and as intriguing for them as it is for me when things take such a dramatic turn. So it's just. Yeah, it's that honesty and that integrity that's key for me to put forward. I will take the risk of filming and nothing happening and still tell that story because that's as important in some ways as the bigger things that happen. So for me, I just love real observational documentary, and that's what I've always strived to do. So when there's nobody telling me how to shoot or edit something, that's what I go back to each time. It's my happy place. But, yeah, in terms of the investigation, I let these guys do their thing. I seldom interfere.

Kev Kerr : If you would agree with that, kev, 100% even. Basically, probably the only involvement John has is to go, can I just move the camera here? Yeah, that's no problem. We, as investigators, were allowed to completely try any method that we wanted. We could put any control in place that we needed. John and the team were. Were basically, as long as they faced the camera in the right direction. That was all their worry was we just did what we did.

Michelle: Corinne, would you add anything to that in terms of your perspective and your role?

Karin Beasant: Yes, certainly. For me, the paranormal investigators chosen were there because of their ability, their honesty, but also realism. It's so refreshing to be involved in a project that shows. Sometimes it's the little subtle things are more important than wham, bam, Alakazam type of thing. I've seen a ghost because that's the reality of paranormal investigating. And to be in these wonderful, historic places, to show how lovely they are, is such a joy, for myself, especially.

Michelle: So I think one of the moments that really helps to highlight what Corinne was just saying was that moment with Lucy and Chris at Bath theatrical, where I think Lucy actually says, you know, sometimes it can be something so simple as the movement of a dress, something very slight, hard to spot. You might miss it, but that can be the profound takeaway. It doesn't have to be like Corinne said something all singing, all dancing. It's the little things, the little shifts that you try and notice. And again, I think each location allowed these stories to be conveyed in terms.

Michelle: Of the real experiences.

Michelle: You just allowed people to get on and do what they do. And that was the magic of each place. It was really enabling the people to show off their skill set, to bring to the table what they do, you know, in terms of their work. And that was so refreshing. It wasn't. Wasn't overhyped. It wasn't. It wasn't staged in any way. And I think it was so evident from beginning to end.

John Shackleton: It means partly as well, perhaps, because I'm new to this and it's not my space. I'm looking at it with childlike eyes. You know, what's going to happen. I've got no idea. And sometimes we film things, and as you say, it's never obvious. The takeaways from any paranormal experiences that I've ever had are not obvious, and there's nothing I can do with them. They don't give me any answers to anything. They give me 100 questions. And you just literally left scratching your chin at the end of the night each time. But in the bath theatrical hire, again, it was quite low key, but quite, quite pleasant in terms of the activity that was experienced. But then smaller things I find in the edit afterwards, because the moment where Chris says, did you hear something? And she said, what was that? And he said, footsteps. I'm watching that. And there was nothing there in the edit. So I invested in some proper headphones and dug deeper into the audio files, and lo and behold, there were three footsteps. And I know exactly who was in the room at that time, and I had to bring in other people. My partner came in. I said, you tell me what you heard there. Footsteps. And I said, okay. I could account for every single person. And we knew that nobody was moving. So those little things, it's the tiny things that, almost insignificant, could have been overlooked. If I'd have, I don't know, gone for a cup of tea, I might have just skipped through that and not heard it or just ignored it and cut it from the piece. So, for me, just finding all these little things as we go along, and it's always utterly unpredictable and very strange. I guess you guys are used to that more than me. But, you know, I'm still expecting the big, full blown apparition. It's not happened yet.

Karin Beasant: For me, the highlight was seeing the shock on Kev's face when we did the seance. And to see all these emotions across his face. And as John said, this. This wonder of experience, something that shocked him to the core. And I don't think I will ever forget that as long as I live.

John Shackleton: If you do, we'll put it on replay. You can see it again. Don't worry.

Kev Kerr : I guess you probably have it just about the small little snippet of my face in that moment. But it was one of those moments of. I think all of those things that I've mentioned about that were controls, and things in place had shot through my head and was like, this can't happen in this situation. And so it was like, okay, how? How? Because what you don't see on the documentary is the, you know, the full 45 minutes of. Of communication. In that sense, it was just absolutely incredible. And to know there were so many things that I did to try and suss out what was happening. And like Craig looking under the table now, Craig is a fantastic investigator and runs on a very open minded, skeptical level who used to be one of my teammates many, many moons ago. And he looks under the table and there's absolutely nothing there. And then there was a knock that actually happened sort of right in front of me, which meant if someone was reaching underneath the table or doing something to make that knock happen, that I would have felt someone, because I had all of about an inch between sort of my leg to the table. It wasn't something that could physically happen. And I think that is like, John's done a really good job at capturing my face at that minute where that realization kind of settled in. It's exactly it, the sudden go, okay. And I think it's even in the final edit, is me going, I've waited 15 years for this, and now I don't know what to say.

John Shackleton: Yeah, absolutely brilliant. It really was. And, you know, I was trying to put you on the spot after that had happened because you are known as the biggest skeptic and your eyes were like saucepans. And I was saying, what happened was that a paranormal experience? And I think you gave me 96% certainty you wouldn't go to a full 100. So I'm just wondering now, with the, you know, looking back, what percentage would you, would you attribute to that as a potential paranormal experience?

Kev Kerr : I'd give it 98 because I have three. Three of my deepest regrets. And one is it happened whilst filming the documentary. So if me in skeptic mode would lose all sense of legitimacy, usually, if I saw someone who had filmed that, but I can say to anyone who's listening and anyone who's going to watch it, it was controlled by what would be considered an experienced skeptic. And then the second would be, I didn't put my hand. I could tell where the knock was coming from. That noise was coming from a certain point on the table, and I didn't put my hand on it to see if it was vibrational. And then the next part is not lifting up the tablecloth because I completely forgot the cameras were there at one point, just completely involved in the situation to lift. Lift up the tablecloth so that there was a clear view that nothing was going on underneath. And they're my free regrets. And if I could go back to that, I would hit it 100%. Wow, 98 is good. I'll stick with 98.

Michelle: So what next for the documentary and for Somerset supernatural.

Michelle: What do you hope to work towards and to achieve as next steps?

John Shackleton: There's a big old list of places to visit. I'm sure Karen can point the direction of some of the locations, but I don't want to make a series entirely about haunted locations. I think there's county has a lot to offer, and there's lots of other really interesting supernatural phenomena to be explored. So it might not be about the location. It might be about trying different techniques. It might be about trying different technologies, all of those things. But what I'm trying to build is a framework which will allow us to explore whatever comes up on of interest, whatever excites us the most. We can. We can go after it. So it would almost be like a. Hate to say, like a magazine show almost, where, you know, you could do lots of different things within it, but you know, you are always going to have one or two paranormal investigations in it. But then something else that may be a bit more left field than that, or just something a bit more thought provoking or something, even if it's just the historical aspects as well, want to be open to try different things. So the viewer never quite knows what they're going to get in the next episode. That's the vision for it, really.

Michelle: Kevin, Corinne, where would you like to.

Michelle: See the project going next? And what would you say you would hope that it would be able to offer paranormal investigators and teams in the future, as well as people just interested in the paranormal field in general?

Kev Kerr : For me, I think it's a very good opportunity to show the show the original way of doing things, the basic way of doing things. And like John said, if he wants to introduce different methods, look at different phenomena, that kind of thing. That was the good old days of, like, you know, 14 tv, that kind of situation. I think as for the paranormal community as a whole, it's such a good direction to go, to kind of go, whoa, whoa, whoa. You know, let's simplify this and look at it properly. And I think, I hope that this project can bring forward that balance, and especially when it. When it comes to the skeptical aspect and like, the actual things that are happening and people actually being able to explain what those. That phenomena might be, whether it's from a believer point of view, whether it's from a skeptical point of view, open minded, anything else. And I think there is an opportunity there to look at things as a whole. And we haven't had that in the paranormal for such a long time. I think it will be a refreshing course for the project.

Michelle: Oh, I completely agree. I think the documentary just provided this very down to earth, very rational perspective that allowed you to truly immerse yourself into each unique experience being demonstrated, being investigated. This very much stripped back approach, as you mentioned, kev, just allowed you to have less of that frantic pace that we often see being portrayed in the paranormal field on other documentaries, other type shows. And instead, what you were allowed to do was to just immerse yourself in that experience, to have it explained much more fully, have it play out more fully over the course of that period of time and again, almost feel like you were part of that moment because of the way that it was handled. And the approach of the documentary itself being this observational documentary, I think it gave anybody watching it a far deeper understanding of paranormal investigating. Corinne, would you add anything to that or would you have a different take on this?

Karin Beasant: Yeah, for me as well, just going through the lists of visit Somerset clients, there are some amazing quirky places that probably you wouldn't think to investigate. And with all the ideas of new experiments that's been discussed amongst us, I think there's going to be some wonderful surprises along the way.

Michelle: Oh, I really hope it's a something that is readily available on everybody's tv screens very, very soon. I mean, hands down, I think it's one of the best documentaries that I've ever seen. I think it has huge potential in terms of what it offers the paranormal community. And so I really do hope that it's something that is picked up because I think it has such an important message. I think it has, and I think.

Michelle: It has such a huge amount to offer.

John Shackleton: Thank you for very much. They're very, very kind words, as I say.

Kev Kerr : That's one big reason why I'm quite proud to be involved with this. And I know that John isn't coming at it from a point of view of thinking this is what the public want, and we're going to give the public what they want. It's more of a, let's look at this honestly and with integrity. And I think that's something very rare that's coming forward and something that definitely, we need the community to get behind, you know, to show that valid point and share the trailer, you know, share everything around and try, try your best to promote it, because it is that very honest, balanced view of the paranormal and the reality of it, even the quiet times.

John Shackleton: And for me, I want to try whatever happens. I. I mean, I do have access to broadcasters and commissioners, and we will be taking it to people and seeing what kind of reactions we get from it. But for me, if I get into negotiations for broadcast, I think that integrity is key to this, to moving it forwards, that I have got absolutely no interest in making something that's derivative, you know, something that is reality based or, you know, I've just honestly, I've worked on so many tv shows over the years, this is a breath of fresh air for me to make because it feels real. And if somebody wants to commission it but take that element away from it, I will not be interested. So, yeah, it's really important to me just to. Just to keep it on the same tracks that we've established here and move it forward along those lines. And then I think we've got the space to explore something really interesting, really different, that will command a wider audience than perhaps you might normally get from your average tv ghost hunting shows you.

Michelle: Had in this documentary. The perfect combination of people both in front of the camera and behind the camera, just very much with this same goal of wanting to produce something with real integrity, real honesty. And I think that just allowed every single paranormal investigator across every single location, many of whom we haven't named, to really just allow them to do what they do best and to utilize the skills that they bring to the investigation and to help to demonstrate the skills that they bring to investigating.

Michelle: So it was just incredibly well done.

Michelle: And, you know, certainly from my perspective, I thank you all very much for giving up your time to help bring the documentary to people's awareness. I will make sure that the trailer for the documentary is readily available in the podcast description notes as well as on the podcast website so that anybody wishes to take a look to find out more about it, to find out more about the project, to follow you on social media can easily be signposted to get behind this documentary. So thank you so much for your time, everyone. And I will say goodbye to everybody listening.

Michelle: Bye, everybody.