(I wrote this post in October 2025).

Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper’s NightWatch, an unscripted new series that I, as they say, binged in one night. I have not seen This Country which these two are known for, but I enjoyed Charlie Cooper’s Myth Country which came out this time last year, and I enjoyed listening to Daisy’s episode of Uncanny with Danny Robins.

‘So, buckle in’ for a (spoiler-including) look at NightWatch. As Charlie says in the intro to the programme: ‘Some people want to climb Everest. We just want to see a ghost.’

Ep.1 – Gloucester Prison: They sleep in a cell for the night. Despite the fact that at least 123 people had met their end at the prison (faced execution), and that the lights went out for no apparent reason at one stage, no ghosts were seen. Featuring an entertaining story about a burglar.

Ep.2 – Four Crosses Inn: This inn – parts of which date from the 1660s – apparently has a white lady ghost that haunts the women’s loos, and also a misogynistic poltergeist called Drunk Charlie. Other Charlie tells Daisy at the beginning of the episode that they have a highwayman ancestor. The siblings score full marks on a telepathy test, but do not see any ghosts. And they discover at the episode’s conclusion that their highwayman ancestor, is the one and only Dick Turpin!

Ep.3 – Chillingham Castle: A castle with approximately 1000 years of history (including royal visits), multiple ghosts and a Spanish witch. The Spanish witch curses you if you steal anything. Again, despite Charlie taking a walk in an area that apparently has a 100% success rate for ‘paranormal experiences’, and the laying of ‘a poltergeist trap’, there are no ghosts witnessed. However, in what is for me the episode’s highlight, Charlie does find a medieval coin whilst metal detecting, which he dutifully gives to the owner.

Ep.4 – York: York is reputably Europe’s most haunted city. We begin in a cinema, haunted, naturally. The main event of the episode though, is a stay at The Golden Fleece, the most haunted pub in the city. This pub is, local legend says, haunted by the ghost of a Canadian airman from WW2, although I did some googling and apparently he wasn’t actually Canadian. There’s also a ghost that moves furniture, and this may have happened in the background. Daisy hears footsteps during the night outside her room, but again, there are no apparitions. The stop in York finishes with a visit to Dick Turpin’s grave, which I found surprisingly moving.

Ep.5 – Carew Castle: This ruined Welsh castle is probably most noted for its being haunted by the ghost of a vicious ape. (There has also been a sighting of the ghost of a young Welsh princess, though that was not mentioned in the episode). Charlie and Daisy leave bananas for the ape, and hear a mysterious horn. Their canine companion is also spooked out by a particular area which their guide tells them is haunted by two wolfhound ghosts and therefore avoided by dogs. Still, there are no sightings.

Ep.6 – Scottish Bothy: I thought the bothy in question might be Luibeilt, which was featured on Uncanny, but was not surprised to find that it actually was Ben Alder Cottage, which is what came up when I had, post-Luibeilt episode, put ‘haunted highland bothy’ into Google. There are two ghost legends surrounding Ben Alder, one of which Charlie mentions, though he does acknowledge that it has ‘been debunked’ [as has the other]. Both were created to keep people away from the area. Despite this, they still read of an apparent haunting in the guest book. Charlie and Daisy both relish the beauty and stillness of the Cairngorms, but are once again disappointed by their lack of ghost encounters. Charlie goes for a ‘dip’ in the loch before they depart, describing the cold as ‘like a thousand knives’. This was of particular interest to me because that is how Charles Lightoller of the Titanic described the cold of the North Atlantic. In terms of the existence of ghosts though, Charlie is now less of a believer, whereas Daisy is more of one and doesn’t ‘want this journey to end’. I hope that means we get series 2.

Now that is October 2026, I can assume, sadly, that we are not getting a series 2. But we are getting daily mini episodes of Uncanny with Danny Robins every day in October concluding with the launch episode of a new series.

Of course I’m excited. I’m always excited and intrigued by ghosts, unless I’m scared.

All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

— ‘Haunted Houses’, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

— ‘Haunted Houses’, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow