How Haunted? Podcast | Horrible Histories, Real Life Ghost Stories, and Paranormal Investigations from Some of the Most Haunted Places on Earth

How Haunted? Podcast | Horrible Histories, Real Life Ghost Stories, and Paranormal Investigations from Some of the Most Haunted Places on Earth

Welcome to How Haunted? the paranormal podcast where each episode we explore the horrible history, and terrifying ghost stories of one of the most haunted places on planet Earth. I’m Rob Kirkup. Author, paranormal historian, and ghost hunter from the north-east of England. Allow me to be your guide as we dare to investigate in depth the, often dark and troubled, history of each location, and of course, the chilling tales of the ghosts that reside within.

Episodes

November 28, 2025 39 mins
In episode 123 we set sail for a small, abandoned island which is infamous the world over. Once a quarantine station for plague victims in the 18th century, it later became home to a psychiatric hospital with disturbing rumours of mistreatment and eerie experiments. Over centuries, tens of thousands of lives ended here, their stories lost to time—but many believe their presence remains in the form of the ghosts that have claimed th...
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Originally released for Patreons in September 2024 I hope you enjoy this very special episode. In the 25th Patreon bonus podcast you join below Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, where a historic close lies that was once a thriving community in it’s own right. It was open to the skies above, and named, unusually for the 17th century for a woman who was the most successful businesswoman here until her death in 1644. The building of t...
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November 14, 2025 63 mins
In episode 122 we head to Devon and into a castle that is known the world over by those with an interest in the paranormal. I won’t be alone for this one as I will be joined by someone who has visited this ruined fortress on multiple occasions, as fan-favourite Emma from the Weird Wiltshire Blog joins me to delve deep into the spirits that are believed by some to remain here. So join Emma and I and let us ask together, just how ha...
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In the 39th Patreon bonus podcast you join me on my way north into the remote wilderness of Northumberland in pursuit of an eight foot tall hairy monster who made headlines across Britain in the early 2000s. The sightings were considered so credible that a team of professional monster hunters came in search of the beast. And saw it. But what would my good friend John and I experience as we enter Bolam Lake Country Park just as ...
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Halloween is here... Over the past few weeks, we’ve scoured the misty shores of Loch Ness, tracked elusive footprints through Pacific Northwest forests, and followed blood-curdling tales from the deserts of the Americas. From Nessie to Bigfoot to the Chupacabra, we’ve crossed continents chasing the creatures that stalk our imaginations. But tonight… tonight, we’ve saved the strangest for last. This story isn’t just a legend—it’s...
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Originally released for Patreons in August 2024 I hope you enjoy this very special episode. In the 24th Patreon bonus podcast you join me at a magnificent building we visited back in episode 21 of the podcast, but we're doing something a little bit special. In April I found a hard drive containing audio from four investigations that I conducted in 2011 and 2012. Dozens of hours of audio that I lost around a decade ago, and I thoug...
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In episode 120 we go in search of towering, hairy beasts that are said to stalk the wilderness. From the snow-covered slopes of the Himalayas to the dense forests of North America, reports of upright, ape-like creatures have refused to die, no matter how much science tries to bury them. In this episode, we’re taking on the heavyweights of cryptid folklore — creatures with names so iconic they barely need introduction. As Monster M...
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In episode 119 we continue Monster Month in style by going in search of one of the true behemoths in the world of cryptozoology. This time we’re heading to the Scottish Highlands to look at one of the world’s most famous mysteries. For decades, people have claimed to see something strange lurking in Loch Ness. From blurry photographs to sonar scans and eyewitness reports, the idea of a monster living in the loch has captured imagin...
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In this 38th and 39th Patreon specials, Monster Month continues as in this enormous two part special - both episodes of which will be released this month - I do something a bit different as I go in search of a big cat seen across County Durham more than 200 times since the 1990s. It was most recently seen just this summer by a man who described seeing a two metre long, black, machine of a beast. Joined by my fellow monster hunters...
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In episode 118 we’re picking up where last week’s episode left off,  as we look at some of the strangest, scariest, and in some cases most plausible monsters to be found outside of the British isles. We will travel to the most far flung corners of the globes in search of these curious creatures that take the form of gigantic killer worms, dinosaurs, snowy tickle monsters, and a reptilian livestock-slaying demon. So join me as Mons...
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In this bonus episode, we continue Spooky Season in style as I'm joined by a very special guest. Dr Icy Sedgwick is a folklore expert, podcaster, Gothic fiction, and dark fantasy fiction writer, and the author of the wonderful new book Ghostlore: Unveiling 50 Phantoms that have Haunted History. So join Dr Icy Sedgwick and I, and join us in asking what is Ghostlore? Check out Icy's website, and get in touch with her, at https:/...
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October is here, welcome to Monster Month..... Episode 117 is the first of five extended episodes, building to a monstrous Halloween Spooktacular, we’re diving headfirst into the shadows in search of the strangest and scariest creatures ever whispered about. We’re going cryptid crazy—tracking the towering Yeti, peering into the depths of Loch Ness, and chasing legends like the bloodthirsty Chupacabra, the fearsome Kasai Rex, the w...
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In this bonus episode, to celebrate the arrival of October, we’re heading somewhere which isn’t considered by many, if any, as one of the scariest places on the planet. But you join me in conversation with someone looking to change that. She is a horror writer, photographer and parapsychologist who’s lived in Milton Keynes since 2002 and is undertaking an ambitious project to take a look at the city’s little-explored darker side. ...
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Originally released for Patreon supporters in July 2024 I hope you enjoy this very special episode. In the 23rd Patreon bonus podcast we're doing something a little bit special. In April I found a hard drive containing audio from four investigations that I conducted in 2011 and 2012. Dozens of hours of audio that I lost around a decade ago, and I thought was lost forever. These were four absolutely incredible locations, and I have...
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September 19, 2025 45 mins
In episode 116 we’re revisiting what some might consider the scariest aspect of the paranormal – haunted dolls. Those, supposedly innocent, inanimate, companions of young children the world over, which may well be, in some cases, vessels for the dead. I am joined by Fiona Dodwell to discuss her new book - A Cursed Collection of Haunted Dolls: From Real Life to Literature and Movies – and find out about her own experiences with hau...
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September 17, 2025 4 mins
October is coming and this is going to be the biggest, scariest, most content-filled episode of the podcast to date. Listeners will get EIGHT episodes - Five Monster Month specials, two spooky conversations, and a three-hour-long ghost hunt. Patreon supporters will get two extra bonus episodes too. If you want to make sure you don't miss out on this exclusive content check out the Patreon at www.patreon.com/howhauntedpod. There...
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In the 37th Patreon bonus podcast you rejoin me and fellow Newcastle-based folklore podcaster Icy Sedgwick at a building in Sunderland which dates back to the 1800s and was formerly a hospital during World War 1 providing care and treatment for the wounded and today is a theatre. But what would Icy and I experience, alongside our team of Ghost North East guests as the second part of our night gets underway? Would we hear the laugh...
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September 5, 2025 68 mins
In episode 115 we find ourselves in Lancashire at a building dating back to the early 16th century that was a location that a listener requested that I cover, and what a location it is. Considered by some to be one of the most haunted places in the county, and some would even consider it amongst the most active places in all of Britain. But is this truly the case, and who are the, in some cases very high profile ghosts that may be ...
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Originally released for Patreons in June 2024 I hope you enjoy this very special episode. In the 22st Patreon bonus podcast we're doing something a little bit special. In April I found a hard drive containing audio from four investigations that I conducted in 2011 and 2012. Dozens of hours of audio that I lost around a decade ago, and I thought was lost forever. These were four absolutely incredible locations, and I have covered a...
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Episode 114 brings our trilogy of episodes from Edinburgh to a close. Last episode I told you all about the long, bloody, history of Edinburgh Castle, and this time out I am joined by Wayne from the Eerie Edinburgh podcast to discuss the spirits that are believed by some to be found here. So join Wayne and I and let us ask, just how haunted is Edinburgh Castle? Enormous thanks to Wayne for being so great across these episodes, an...
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