Uncanny returns with a spine-chilling first episode, The Haunting of Hollymount Farm, where a family’s terrifying encounters lead to the discovery of a tragic history, writes GAYLE FIDLER
Uncanny is back for a second television series. The show aired on BBC 2 at 9pm on Friday, 31 January 2025. This was a long-awaited spooky treat for the Uncanny fanbase. A community of sceptics and believers alike, brought together by their interest in the paranormal.
Danny Robins did not disappoint. He graced the screen with his trademark messy hair, red jumper and sincere style of interviewing. Robins is a people person. He is genuinely interested in what his guests have to say and interviews them with warmth and tact. There is no judgement by Robins. Perhaps this is why the series is so successful. People are not afraid to speak honestly and openly about their worst nightmares.
Season two is made up of four new cases followed by a half hour “Post Mortem” visual podcast episode which dissects the cases in more detail.
The Haunting of Hollymount Farm
The Haunting of Hollymount Farm is a dark episode to begin the season. It deals with disturbing themes and poses several questions to be deliberated over by the Uncanny community.
Viewers are introduced to a rural property in Lancashire, in the north of England. Hollymount Farm, managed by the same family for three generations since the late 1960s. It has since been sold, presumably to the relief of the Uncanny witnesses.
The episode begins with the first witness, Liam, who emailed Uncanny to tell his story. Liam is a likeable chap and a credible witness. Now in his early thirties. He was once a semi-professional rugby player. He contacted the show because he was looking for answers.
Liam experienced terrifying childhood encounters in his family home, which still haunt him as an adult. The ex- rugby player is not afraid to admit that even as a grown-up, he was too scared to go to the toilet alone at Hollymount Farm.
Robins’ interviews Liam with sensitivity. They discuss the fear Liam felt in his childhood home. The space that should have been a safe haven but turned out to be a living hell.
For as long as Liam can remember there was a strange, overwhelming feeling in the house. Liam felt like someone was always watching him. He tried to tell his parents, but as parents often do, his feelings were dismissed. How else would you reassure a child who hears mysterious footsteps running up and down the stairs when there is no one there? Sometimes It is safer and easier to call it imagination. Nothing to worry about. Especially, as we later find out Liam’s parents knew all along something was very wrong at Hollymount Farm.
Liam recounts an incident on Christmas morning in the year 2000. Occurrences at the farm began to take an even darker turn. Liam had snuck downstairs before the rest of the family awoke. He got more than he bargained for that Christmas morning.
As always, Robins consults his team of experts to unpick Liam’s story. Team Sceptic, psychologist Dr Ciarán O’Keeffe and Team Believer, parapsychologist Evelyn Hollow.
O’Keeffe poses the idea that Liam may have been suffering from a sleep disorder, called exploding head syndrome. This causes sufferers to hear loud bangs and noises. Hollow focuses on apparitions. Did Liam really see something that was not there?
O’Keeffe has yet another explanation. The psychologist sends Robins off to conduct an experiment on his own family. An experiment that viewers can join in on and judge the results for themselves.
As Robins rejoins Liam for more of the story, we discover that as Liam became a teenager he decided to once again confront his parents about his fears.
“It felt evil,” Liam says, as he describes nights in his bedroom. Too afraid to do anything but hide under the covers.
We are introduced to Liam’s dad, Jim. A tough, hardworking northerner with sparkling eyes and a cheeky smile. The jolliness does not last. Jim’s face changes as he begins to tell his story. Either Jim is a very good actor or is a man recounting genuine fear. A father who tried desperately to protect his children from something that he could not comprehend. Something, that to him was very real. He knew this because he had seen it himself.
Jim speaks openly about his experiences at Hollymount Farm. His childhood bedroom later became Liams. Jim heard noises, saw a dark presence lurking in the shadows, witnessed objects seemingly levitate. However, Jim admits that he was not the only one to have the experiences. His own parents saw things too. Three generations with a corroborating story.
Back with the experts, Hollow talks of poltergeists. O’Keeffe has another theory. Convection Currents. Robins’ heads to Southampton University where he meets Dr Stephanie Gauthier to put the theory to the test and talk about wind.
A few moments of amusement ensue. Robins’ dons’ safety goggles. Is roped into a wind tunnel whilst he worries about his hair and asks, “Can we really invoke a wind powered poltergeist?”
The humour is short lived. A return visit after five years to Hollymount Farm follows for Liam accompanied by Robins.
The farm is currently under development so there is no access. There are however camera shots of the outside. Robins describes it as “an oddly featureless, grey building”. Indeed, it looks nothing like the traditional depiction, of a creaky old, haunted house. But things are sometimes not what they seem. Liam warns the house is deceptive.
Eagle eyed viewers will catch a glimpse of something passing across the inside of the downstairs window. It could be a builder; it could also be a ghost. That is one for the Uncanny community to figure out. Whatever it is, it adds to the atmosphere and the camera crew timed the shot well.
The case keeps on giving. Robins meets two of Liam’s childhood friends. George and Henry who refused to spend a full night at the farm. As children they would make excuses and return to the safety of their own homes.
Interestingly the three of them never discussed their experiences until they became adults for fear of being branded crazy. “We are normal, rational people,” agree the friends, yet they add “his house was terrifying”.
The last witness is Liam’s mum Sarah. She moved to Hollymount Farm when she was 23 years old. Sarah tried to keep up some pretence of normality for the sake of her children. Pretending everything was fine. Sarah is a scared woman. She is visibly upset as she speaks of her experiences. Like the other witnesses, they corroborate each other’s stories.
As the episode nears the end, the story takes an even darker turn. Robins visits the Bury archives and meets historian Dr Elosie Moss from Manchester University. Dr Moss has researched the history of the land surrounding the property and discovered some horrific truths.
This is where viewers are reminded that ghost stories are not just a bit of fun. Not always something to share for enjoyment on a dark and stormy night. Caution should be taken, the case details horrific abuse and treatment of children that suffered at the hands of people that were entrusted to care for them. The site was once a convent that also housed a school for orphans and disadvantaged children. Terrible things happened at that school.
Robins deals with the topic sensitively. He is visibly upset as he sadly reminds viewers that every ghost story starts with a death.
Did you watch The Haunting of Hollymount Farm? What do you think – paranormal activity or rational explanation? Share your thoughts in the comments!
How do I get tickets for uncanny in York