Richard Burton Centenary children’s drawing competition in his hometown of Port Talbot is on display at Aberafan Shopping Centre. Congratulations to the winners! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 #richardburton100

Richard Burton (1925-1984) was born 100 years ago today. For his centenary, I recently visited his final resting place in Céligny, Switzerland - the idyllic Genevan village he called home for nearly 30 years. “Seren Cymru a’r byd” – star of Wales and the world. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

On a recent trip to Geneva , I visited the Holy Grail of Gothic literature: Villa Diodati. It was here that Lord Byron, Mary & Percy Shelley and John Polidori wrote ghost stories in the stormy “year without a summer” of 1816 - giving us Frankenstein and The Vampyre. 🦇🕯️

This is the Mametz Wood memorial in the Somme, France, sculpted by Welsh artist David Petersen. A red dragon faces the woods, clawing at barbed wire, in honour of the 38th (Welsh) Division who fought here in July 1916. #RemembranceSunday #Wales

Ahead of his centenary on 10 November, I travelled to Switzerland to follow in the footsteps of Wales’s greatest actor, Richard Burton - who made the Genevan village of Céligny his home for nearly three decades. Read about the full journey in today’s Western Mail Weekend magazine.

Looks like I've been adopted by a lucky black cat 🐈‍⬛️

Today is the feast day of St Illtyd - Welsh saint and cousin of King Arthur. His school at Llanilltud Fawr is one of Britain’s first centres of learning, and legend says he turned two robbers to stone - one still stands on the misty slopes of Mynydd Illtud, Bannau Brycheiniog. 🌫️

Fireworks over a Gothic Revival Castle: Bonfire Night 1994 at Bodelwyddan Castle, Wales. 🎆🏰

Remember, remember, this 5th of November... always check inside your bonfire before lighting it! 🔥 #BonfireNight

Don't forget to check for hedgehogs this Bonfire Night! 🦔🔥

...and that’s a wrap! 🎃 Final Halloween talks of 2025 done and dusted at "Night of the Spirits" in Margam Park last night. A perfect way to end spooky season - until 2026! 👻🍂

Happy All Souls’ Day!✨ Welsh folklore tells us to give our eyes a blessing today: “In almost every parish there was a holy well, and on All Souls’ Day old women generally washed their eyes in the waters so that their eyesight might retain its strength” 📸 St Non's Well #folkloresunday

TONIGHT! I’ll be talking ghosts, folklore & Halloween (Nos Calan Gaeaf) at "Night of the Spirits" in the Orangery, Margam Park, Port Talbot. My final talks of spooky season, it’s going to be extra spooky - with a quick walk to one of the park’s “most haunted” spots afterwards!👻🎃

Happy November the 1st! Halloween is over, Christmas is coming. It's Mari Lwyd time... 💀🐴

Gwaed ar y Sêr is on S4C (and BBC iPlayer)! A little Welsh-language folk horror for Halloween/ Nos Calan Gaeaf... 🎃

A cheeky autumnal coffee before they all get replaced with gingerbread tomorrow. Happy Halloween! 🎃

Happy Halloween! 🎃🍂 It's the most wonderful time of the year... #halloween

Check out this amazing Nos Calan Gaeaf (Halloween in Wales) papier-mâché wassail bowl at National Trust’s Dinefwr! 🎃 Created by artist Melissa Petitt, it features the Ladi Wen (White Lady), the Hwch Ddu Gwta (tailless black sow) and the three ravens of the Rhys family. 👻🍂

Opening night of Halloween Nights (Nos Calan Gaeaf) at St Fagans: Welsh folklore, Dracula on stilts, ghosts in the houses - and the Wicker Man burning to chase away evil spirits before winter. 🎃🔥🍂

"Some black cats are witches in disguise. Some witches are black cats in disguise." Folklore of Wales | 1909 🎨Raphaël Vavasseur #NationalCatDay

Nos Calan Gaeaf hapus/ Happy Halloween! 🎃👻 A wonderful Welsh-language Halloween party at University of Wales TSD today. Anyone seen the Cutty Black Sow or the White Lady? Parti Calan Gaeaf gwych yn Nhrindod Dewi Sant heddiw. Unrhyw un wedi gweld yr Hwch Ddu Gwta neu’r Ladi Wen?

Final "Halloween in Wales" talk done for 2025* - time to celebrate with a cheeky pumpkin spice among the autumn leaves of Port Talbot. Cheers! 🎃🍂

Heading out to do my final - FINAL! - "Halloween in Wales" library talk of 2025 at Gorseinon Library, Swansea, this morning at 11am. Pop in and say hello if you're in the area! 🎃

To begin at the beginning… Happy birthday to Dylan Thomas, born in Swansea, Wales, on this day in 1914. The thin night darkens… 📷 "Dylan Thomas" (1948) | John Gay | National Portrait Gallery, London #DylanThomas #DylanDay

Happy #NationalBlackCatDay! Black cats are amazing and, as Welsh folklore tells us, bring good luck to the home: "A black cat, I’ve heard it said, Can charm all ill away, And keep the house wherein she dwells From fever’s deadly sway."

I’ll be live on BBC Radio Wales with Robin Morgan around 2.15pm today chatting ghosts, folklore & Halloween 👻 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... Also, the "Nos Calan Gaeaf: The Welsh Halloween" documentary is back on BBC Sounds: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... More times/dates coming this week!🎃

The scariest thing you'll see this spooky season: my gigantic face on the side of Swansea Arena for "Halloween in Wales"! 🎃🍂

Cheeky pumpkin spice at Oystermouth Castle ahead of my Halloween talk in Mumbles. Anyone see a ghost? 🎃🍂

One week until Halloween. 🎃

I'll be talking "Halloween in Wales" - with lots of ghosts and folklore - in Swansea TWICE this Friday (Oct 24). Free entry, free goosebumps - pop along! 👻 🎃 11.30am Killay Library 🎃 2.30pm Oystermouth Library #Halloween #Wales #Folklore

I would like to watch this right now please: "The Last Sacrifice review – how a gruesome rural murder embedded folk-horror in the British psyche" www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...

Fair play, they've got some great books for Halloween in whatever WHSmith's is called nowadays. 🎃

Cofiwch Aberfan / Remember Aberfan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Today marks 59 years since the Aberfan disaster. At 9:15am on 21 October 1966, a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village of Aberfan, tragically killing 116 children and 28 adults. One of the darkest days in Wales’ history — never forgotten. #wales

Kicked off my "Halloween in Walk" talk tour in Swansea this morning - thank you, Morriston! Next stop: Killay Library... 🎃

Anyone got a spare two million? "A 19th Century gothic revival castle in north Wales has gone on sale for about £2m." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Music, art, literature – and a little Halloween – in Castell Nedd at the Neath Arts Festival. A wonderful festival, with most events donation-only - no ticket, no booking, just walk on in. Some amazing venues too – look at that church! Bravo!

Never mind the pumpkins – THESE are the original jack-o’-lanterns! 🎃

🎃 HALLOWEEN IN WALES: EXTRA DATES! 👻 Very pleased that my spooky season tour of Swansea has been extended with two extra talks at SPOOKS IN THE CITY for those who can't make the library talks. I’ll also be at Margam Park, Port Talbot, for NIGHT OF THE SPIRITS. Details below!👇

Wonderful day filming the Paranormal Unpacked Halloween special at The Duke of Wellington in Neath - said to be one of Wales's "most haunted" pubs. Video coming soon! 🍂🎃

Filming Paranormal Unpacked Halloween special in Neath today. Quick pumpkin spice before the spookiness. Bring on the ghosts... 👻🎃

I am indeed. 🍂

Dracula and Frankenstein's monster on the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon! Halloween has started early at the House of Terror... 🎃🍂

🍂 Autumn in Shakespeare country 🎃 Back in Stratford-upon-Avon for the RSC’s Measure for Measure — and a cheeky pumpkin spice — where spooky season’s in full swing.

It’s spooky season 👻 Nos Calan Gaeaf @reviewwales.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/6T9F...

Paranormal Wales series all stocked up for spooky season - Halloween talks and events starting soon! 🎃👻

Richard Burton Centenary Exhibition: Belonging to Pontrhydyfen A taster of the art and artefacts on display at Studio 40, Neath — including a few from Elizabeth Taylor. It complements the Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood exhibition across the road at Queen Street Gallery. Both run until 25 October.

If anyone needs me, I’m in a queue for Kenneth Branagh in the RSC’s The Tempest, watching a stick man walk along a grey bar. Please send coffee.

Thousands join biggest-ever UK environmental lawsuit over river pollution: Almost 4,000 people have signed up to the lawsuit over allegations of "extensive and widespread pollution" in three rivers - the Wye, Lugg and Usk. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

To begin at the beginning... Popped in to see the lovely new exhibition inspired by Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood at Queen Street Gallery, Neath, which runs until 25 October.

Final day of Porthcawl Fair, final ride on the ghost train. It won't be the same without you, Coney Beach! 👻🚃 (Full video coming soon!)