Culture Babylon os bringing its 'Fear in the Fens' festival back this year:

When the music starts at 2am, is it a ghost? ...

Just one day to go until @traceynormanauthor.bsky.social and I are again speaking about DARK FOLKLORE. We will be at @scripthavenltd.bsky.social tomorrow at 7 for the Alchemy of Words lit fest. A few tickets left on this link scripthaven.co.uk/product/6l-t... Anyone followers coming along?

Who doesn't love a good dragon? They are suprisingly at home in the English countryside, as I found out from Dr. Juliette Wood in 'Wyrd Wycombe & the Wycombe Wyrm'.

Today at @conwayhall.bsky.social, I introduced @mattcole.bsky.social who talked about wage theft. Go to www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/ for a full list of upcoming events.

I'm guessing it was outside Marks and Spencer's, around 17:00 when the yellow labels start appearing.

Why did a knight fight a dragon on a British High Street? In my latest video I look for the folkloric origin of the #WycombeWyrm

Was there a dragon in Buckinghamshire? I went to #WyrdWycombe to find out.

@deborahhyde.bsky.social talk on a 21st Century Werewolf in Hull and spectral dogs in rural England was brilliant. Special thanks to @forteanlondon.bsky.social for hosting this event. #werewolvesofinstagram #werewolf #shapeshifters #demondog #folkloreofthebritishisles

'Wischt, lads had yer gobs, an ah'll tells yees all an aaf'l story, wischt lads, had yer gobs and ah'll tell you 'boot the... wolf?'

Do you need a cold beer in this heat? Of course you do. Come to The Bell with @forteanlondon.bsky.social this evening & I'll tell you about the Hull Werewolf. wegottickets.com/f/19274

Get your latest @newhumanist.bsky.social here: newhumanist.org.uk/subscribe/. I've written an article about whether AI has got religion.

Professional skeptic @deborahhyde.bsky.social asks whether AI agents have really created their own religion, philosopher @smith-ruiu.bsky.social on what magic mushrooms taught him about Leibniz, and @marcuschown.bsky.social explains why we should be grateful for the greenhouse effect (7/9)

I am pleased to say that I have resolved my technical issue on my virtual learning interface by shouting ‘Fuck off!’, slamming the screen shut and going to the cinema in a huff. I am a 59 year-old man.

Lots going on in Bedford including our talk TONIGHT (Thus. 21) with @deborahhyde.bsky.social - sitp.online/sitp/bedford/

It's my great pleasure to announce the formation of our new research cluster @cncsi.bsky.social: "Popular Occulture in the Modern Age: Encountering the Gothic and Horror Across Media." I'm excited to work with such a cool group of scholars. Do share the news! Details 👇 cn-csi.com/theme-popula...

TOMORROW! We're back on Thursday 21 May when @deborahhyde.bsky.social will tell us about 'The Green Children of Woolpit'. Are these accounts glimpses of folklore, misremembered history, or encounters with something inexplicable? Come & find out! sitp.online/sitp/bedford/ #folklore

Was a werewolf really loping around Hull in 2016? Since Alice Cooper mentioned it ... it *must* have been true? Join me at @forteanlondon.bsky.social on 26th May to look at a 21st century cryptid. tinyurl.com/mwzudwc3

A 21st-Century Werewolf in Hull? Tuesday 26 May 2026 7.30 at The Bell, E1 A peculiar story hit headlines in 2016: a werewolf was loping around Barmston drain in Hull @deborahhyde.bsky.social investigates the legend of Old Stinker. #UncannyCommunity forteanlondon.blogspot.com/2026/04/a-21...

This is a good place to visit. There's another YouTube video in the works, and this place makes an appearance. Stay tuned to find out where it is.

I have made page 7 of the Bedford Clanger! On Thurday 21st I'll be at @bedfordskeptics.bsky.social talking about The Green Children of Woolpit sitp.online/sitp/bedford/

We're back on Thursday 21 May when @deborahhyde.bsky.social will tell us about 'The Green Children of Woolpit'. Are these accounts glimpses of folklore, misremembered history, or encounters with something inexplicable? Come & find out! sitp.online/sitp/bedford/ #folklore

Reintroducing Christian prayers into council proceedings is an exclusionary step back that ignores the reality of modern Britain. Even the Council’s own census analysis shows that less than 50% of residents identify as Christian, with 4/10 having no religion.

'Widow's Bay' is scary and hilarious. Watch out for the boo-scares!

For Walpurgis Night, @hummler and I talked about witches. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR0V...

You need to watch 'Weapons'. Original story idea, great storytelling and very unsettling. Morgan le Fay meets the Pied Piper.

Tomorrow is launch day for @humanists.uk's new podcast, 'Unholy Histories'! With history so often told through a single lens, this podcast uncovers the stories of radical reformers and rationalists in the shadows – from ancient atheists to Victorian reformers.

According to this, one third of Gen Z believe they have psychic powers. Of course they do - they're in that demographic. There's nothing like being young & powerless to make you seek any type of agency. tinyurl.com/yey2pxht

Our new podcast #UnholyHistories launches Wednesday! From ancient atheists to pre-Enlightenment skeptics and long-forgotten heretics, humanist historian Madeleine Goodall and our Chief Executive Andrew Copson explore the ideas and individuals who shaped our modern world. humanists.uk/2026/04/22/u...

A while ago I wrote an article (copy: deborahhyde.com/beware-teena...) about 'dangerous' dog breeds & whether dogs or owners were to blame. Summary: 'dangerous' dogs were usually owned by young men. Now this research looks at owner behaviour & canine aggression. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37508106/

Since we all like werewolves so much (Amiright?!), put this in your diary. @forteanlondon.bsky.social 26th May I'll be talking about werewolves in Hull. forteanlondon.blogspot.com

I'll be on BBC Radio 4's 'Anti-Social' programme today talking to Adam Fleming about whether Britain is a Christian country. You can guess my answer! Programme starts at 12pm if you'd like to listen live. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I'm very excited for the paperback publication of 'Paganism Persisting'! 🌞📚 Thank you to everyone at @uexeterpress.bsky.social for making this possible www.exeterpress.co.uk/products/pag...

I have huge fun every year attending the @ASSAParanormal Seriously Strange conference. Nice crowd, fascinating weekend. Join us all there: www.assap.ac.uk/about/confer...

The afternoon session of #StrangeCentral opens with 'Mysteries, Monsters, Ghosts & UFOs' from Jamie Lewis & Andrew Bartlett. @ForteanLondon @ConwayHall

Here is @tetzoo.bsky.social talking about sea monsters at #strangeCentral from @forteanlondon.bsky.social at @conwayhall.bsky.social

My dad threw coins into the sea whenever we were at memorials to shipping disasters or maritime war memorials, in case the sailors who died didn't have enough on them to pay the ferryman.

Roman & early Christian burials often have coins in their mouths to pay the ferryman #strangeCentral

The type of silver coin (x 30) that would have been paid to Judas! #StrangeCentral

Dominic Chorney starts the second session at #StrangeCentral from @forteanlondon.bsky.social & @conwayhall.bsky.social 'History's Weird Money: Treasures of the Occult'.

First up at #StrangeCentral from @forteanlondon.bsky.social & @conwayhall.bsky.social is @davidwclarke.bsky.social 'Deception, Conspiracy & New Folklore of the Calvine UFO'.

Here is Scott Wood introducing the very first #StrangeCentral from @forteanlondon.bsky.social & @conwayhall.bsky.social It's going to be a good day!

My fashion expertise extends to buying black stuff bought from a lady who returns on a broomstick at 3am on a moonless night. For everybody else, I'm delighted to see this season's aesthetic is 'deckchair chic'. These photos just need a 99 ice-cream and a donkey. Don't get lost on a zebra crossing.

Today in Covent Garden I found a mural of Dick Dastardly. This is a nostalgic one for me since as a kid I thought he was female because he looked like my Nanna. My Nanna was not flattered.

I'm going to say coz we're all thinking it: Donald Trump has a gift - he unites people. Who else could have got the Iranian Mullahs and the Pope singing from the same hymn book?

Was talking to the hubby about my favourie cereals: "Weetabix, All Bran, Shredded Wheat ..." I said. "So ... you basically like the taste of the packet" he insightfully replied.

Driving around this Easter Sunday has reminded me of the Sundays of my childhood, when the only leisure activity was sitting and watching your Nan smoke. It was grim. Rampant capitalism has a lot to answer for ... but there are a few good things too.

Driving around this Easter Sunday has reminded me of the Sundays of my childhood, when the only leisure activity was sitting and watching your Nan smoke. It was grim. Rampant capitalism has a lot to answer for ... but there are a few good things too.