Assume Nothing

BBC Radio Ulster

4.2 (23)
True Crime
Series

The teams assume nothing as they examine events through fresh eyes.

Episode 1

1. A Man in His Usual Health

The story of Dr William Jackson Crawford, an engineer and teacher, who carried out a series of strange experiments with a teenage medium and her family before his untimely death on the shores of Belfast lough in 1920. Dr Crawford’s findings were extraordinary and widely published – but was it all a hoax? Episode 1 – A Man in His Usual Health. The body of a man is found on a rocky shore near Bangor, Northern Ireland. In his pockets are a sealed letter to his wife, a silver watch stopped at 7.50 and a small bottle of whiskey. Dr Crawford was a respected engineer, but in the years before his death he carried out a series of elaborate and increasingly unusual experiments – to prove that Belfast teenager Kathleen Goligher could communicate with the dead. Written and presented by Reggie Chamberlain King Readings by Dave Fleming Lucy McConnell Mark Claney Stephen Beggs Produced by Conor McKay Editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland production

12 min
Episode 2

2. The Unseen Operators

The story of Dr William Jackson Crawford, an engineer and teacher, who carried out a series of strange experiments with a teenage medium and her family before his untimely death on the shores of Belfast lough in 1920. Dr Crawford’s findings were extraordinary and widely published – but was it all a hoax? Episode 2 – The Unseen Operators Dr Crawford invites a visitor to attend a séance with Kathleen and her family, known as the Goligher Circle. Sir William Barrett, a highly respected physicist and parapsychologist, is astonished when a wooden table appears to float into the air. Meanwhile, nearly one hundred years later – Reggie Chamberlain King’s plans to give a lecture about Dr Crawford and Kathleen Goligher are disrupted when a protest is announced. Readings by Dave Fleming Lucy McConnell Mark Claney Stephen Beggs Produced by Conor McKay Editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland production

14 min
Episode 3

3. Mr Splitfoot

The story of Dr William Jackson Crawford, an engineer and teacher, who carried out a series of strange experiments with a teenage medium and her family before his untimely death on the shores of Belfast lough in 1920. Dr Crawford’s findings were extraordinary and widely published – but was it all a hoax? Episode 3 – Mr Splitfoot 1848, Wayne County in rural New York. Two young sisters claim they can communicate with a strange presence in their home – the ghost of a murdered pedlar who uses raps, knocks and bangs to answer their questions. The Fox sisters become key in the creation of a new religious movement known as Spiritualism – the belief that the dead may be contacted by the living. Word spreads fast and it soon takes root in Ireland, where Spiritualism finds its way to Belfast – and the Goligher family. Written and presented by Reggie Chamberlain King Readings by Dave Fleming Lucy McConnell Mark Claney Stephen Beggs Produced by Conor McKay Editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production

13 min
Episode 4

4. A Question of Propriety

The story of Dr William Jackson Crawford, an engineer and teacher, who carried out a series of strange experiments with a teenage medium and her family before his untimely death on the shores of Belfast lough in 1920. Dr Crawford’s findings were extraordinary and widely published – but was it all a hoax? Episode 4 – A Question of Propriety Dr Crawford records his experiments with Kathleen and her family in painstaking detail – but some feel his methods, which frequently involve underwear, are not appropriate. Reggie visits the archives of the Society for Psychical Research in Cambridge to see photographs taken by Crawford during his experiments, along with dozens of handwritten letters and notes. Reggie also gets a chance to see and hold a sample of historical ectoplasm, though it isn’t quite what he is expecting. Written and presented by Reggie Chamberlain King Readings by Dave Fleming Lucy McConnell Mark Claney Stephen Beggs Produced by Conor McKay Editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production

13 min

See All Season 33 (4)

Dave Fleming

Guest
Lucy McConnell

Guest
Mark Claney

Guest
Stephen Beggs

Guest

4.2

out of 5

23 Ratings

Season 19 Femicide

06/05/2025

Rosie Kat 77

Season 19 Femicide was excellent
Boring overly dramatic and drawn out

02/02/2023

Cathals

This podcast promises a lot but simply doesn’t deliver. It’s an average, lightweight listen that draws things out unnecessarily and involves a lot of repetition. Makes promises and doesn’t deliver. There are a lot of better options out there.