Ghost Story
4.9/5
Critic Rating
Host Tristan Redman is a seasoned journalist who doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in the bedroom he lived in as a teenager. When he discovers years later that subsequent occupants of the same house have been visited by the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s curious. Because it just so happens that Tristan’s childhood home is right next door to the house where his wife’s great grandmother, Naomi Dancy, was murdered in 1937 – killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection between the ghost and the murder? Tristan decides to investigat...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4
Rebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Lara Bricker & Toby Ball • Crime Writers On • Dec 8, 2023
""Ghost Story" is an ambitious look for answers at something unlikely to be answered. The panel thought the podcast was quirky and charming. Kevin was turned off by the credence given to a hapless soothsayer. The others loved that the journey was a metaphorical ghost hunt, a search for who "Feyther" and Naomi Dancy really were and how their spirits still haunt the family."
Score: 4.8
Anna Leszkiewicz • New Statesman • Dec 7, 2023
"...strange and intimate series...This show is at its best when it’s less focused on literal ghosts, and more focused on the secrets that haunt so many ordinary families – and asks: is it always better to know the truth? …"
Score: 5
Mara Davis • Paste Magazine • Nov 17, 2023
"...wildly original series...In a crazy coincidence, he learns it was his wife’s great grandmother who was the murder victim! Redman investigates what really happened and what he discovers is a prickly past that puts the family at odds."
Score: 5
Patricia Nicol • The Times UK • Nov 12, 2023
"A joy of this twisting, psychologically compelling series is that those sceptical about the supernatural can be drawn in by the historical true crime elements, while those who yearn for the uncanny will be rewarded with a seance. Personally I was hooked from the second that Dorothy L Sayers, a queen of the golden age of detective fiction, made a real-life cameo. After subscribing I binged to the end."
Score: 5
Stephen O. • Podcast Delivery • Oct 30, 2023
"Ghost Story excels not only in its exceptionally alluring narrative but also in the way the events unfold in each episode, keeping listeners on tenterhooks. Its strength lies in how Redman successfully intertwines a gripping murder mystery with elements of the supernatural, all the while deconstructing a classically spooky story that might just turn his marriage a little topsy-turvy for even more suspense."
Score: 5
Fiona Sturges • Financial Times • Oct 30, 2023
"...unremarkable, but the tale it tells is not. Then there is the connection between the haunting and the murder, the first of the series’ many WTF moments. It’s testament to Redman’s skill as a storyteller that he’s able to nail down these many narrative strands without losing the listener. There’s a lot more to Ghost Story than a haunting, which is what makes it so hopelessly addictive."
Score: 5
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian • Oct 28, 2023
"It starts out in familiar spooky-tale territory. Then it performs a lane hop into another genre before zigzagging and turning back on itself to become something else entirely. It’s very good, but any explanation will seem bananas...it’s the family aspect that elevates this story from a gripping who- or whatdunnit into something more interesting. It’s rare to hear from the people affected by a journalist poking around in their past."
Score: 5
Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Oct 25, 2023
"The story is a conceptual turducken: a secret family history stuffed into a murder mystery stuffed into the titular ghost story, all tied together by a deliberate annunciator with a British accent. At some point, Ghost Story even takes on the glaze of a historical spy thriller. Indeed, part of the pleasure here is not quite knowing where this thing is going to go...the central narrative thrust is pretty delicious, enough to keep propelling you down the next rabbit hole."
Score: 5
Gregg Stockdale • The Podcast Geek • Oct 23, 2023
"...the remarkable story of the illustrious Dancy family. Stylistically, this show sits between the paranormal shows presented by Danny Robins, and the hard facts of a Tortoise Media investigation. The series is cleverly constructed and slips easily between these apparently disparate styles. Thankfully, the more outlandish characters seem to be kept to a thankfully short chunk of one episode. A delicious blend of true crime and paranormal investigation..."
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Oct 13, 2023
"...the true crime story turns into a ghost story, or maybe it’s the other way around...So many terrifying things going on."
