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