

Assume Nothing
BBC Radio Ulster
The teams assume nothing as they examine events through fresh eyes.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 16, 2024 • 19min
Episode 8: A Heritage of Fear
June 1989, a family in West Belfast claim they are being tormented by a violent presence that seems hellbent on driving them from their home.Reggie connects the pieces of the paranormal puzzle that he has gathered along the way - what does he think really happened in 1989?Written and presented by Reggie Chamberlain-King
Produced by Conor McKay
Editor Andy Martin
A BBC Northern Ireland Production

Nov 16, 2024 • 19min
Episode 7: Forbidden Ground
In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?
Reggie wonders why stories like the 'Beechmount Poltergeist' and tales of ghosts, ouija boards and devil worshipping were so common in West Belfast in the 1970s and 80s.He’s long heard rumours about stories of black magic and Satanism being deliberately planted among the local community by British Military Intelligence, but will a man with inside knowledge agree to speak?

Nov 9, 2024 • 15min
Episode 5: A Night in the House
In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?
Reggie reads an article about three journalists who volunteered to spend a night in the empty house, but no names are given – who were they and how did the night really go?
Meanwhile, another mystery. An elusive journalist by the name of Tom Mallon - who wrote much of the early coverage of the haunting before vanishing - makes an unexpected appearance

Nov 9, 2024 • 17min
Episode 6: The Investigator
In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?
After she hears an interview with the father of the house on a BBC radio programme, paranormal investigator Sheila St Clair contacts the family to offer her support. When they agree to meet, Sheila arranges a visit by a psychic medium known as ‘Cecil’.
Late into the night, when it seems that nothing is going to happen - Cecil and his group of researchers suddenly hear a strange sound – and it seems to be coming from upstairs.

Nov 2, 2024 • 16min
Episode 3: The Priest
In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?When Reggie learns that a local priest visited the house on a number of occasions, he visits a nearby monastery to try to learn more, but will anyone agree to speak to him?
Meanwhile, it’s documented that another religious group travelled from County Waterford to offer assistance to the family – what did they discover?

Nov 2, 2024 • 15min
Episode 4: The Ghosts of Others
In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?Reggie recalls a shocking event outside the bedroom window of his childhood home and wonders if violence and fear in the area led to an upsurge in ghost stories.When an old friend tells Reggie a frightening ghost story of her own, it provides an unexpected breakthrough – a chance to reach out to the family.

Oct 26, 2024 • 15min
Episode 1: The House
June 1989. A family in West Belfast claim they are being tormented by a violent presence that seems determined to drive them from their home. The local press cover it extensively, neighbours gather outside to say prayers in the street – and the father tells the BBC that he was attacked and thrown down the stairs by a woman only he can see.
Reggie Chamberlain-King grew up in nearby Andersonstown. He was terrified by rumours of the haunting, which became the talk of West Belfast – an area in the midst of a bitter and violent conflict.
Alongside the real-life horrors taking place outside his house, stories of witchcraft, ghosts and devil worshipping were rife – but the story of a family apparently driven from their home by a violent spirit has never left him. Can Reggie uncover the truth of what really happened?

Oct 26, 2024 • 16min
Episode 2: The Book
In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?Reggie has discovered that the father of the house wrote a book documenting his family’s traumatic experience – but it’s out of print and copies are very rare. Over 30 years after the events it describes, internet forums and chat rooms are still abuzz with discussions about the haunting and the book - and full of endless speculation.
Finally, Reggie discovers a copy in the special collection of a Belfast library, a copy so rare and delicate it’s kept in a protective sleeve and must be handled under supervision – a copy signed by the author. What’s inside?

Aug 26, 2024 • 27min
Episode 1: The Search
Journalist Gordon Adair is waiting on a call from a contact – a former IRA prisoner who has spent nearly 30 years trying to locate the remains of Captain Robert Nairac.
The Army officer was abducted from a pub in South Armagh in 1977 and murdered.
Captain Nairac moved within the shadowy world of intelligence gathering, and it is believed he was working undercover at the time of his abduction. His remains have never been found.
Now – Gordon Adair’s contact believes he has finally discovered the burial site and he is waiting on confirmation from the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, who will visit the site and tell him if they also believe Captain Nairac is buried there. If they do – the Commission will soon move machinery in and dig for the remains.
Recorded across one week, this special edition of Assume Nothing captures in real time what happens as one of the most enduring mysteries of the Troubles appears to be drawing to a close.
Presented by Gordon Adair
Produced by Conor McKay
Editor Andy Martin
A BBC Northern Ireland Production

Aug 26, 2024 • 22min
Episode 2: The Contact
Journalist Gordon Adair has had a secret contact for a long time, a former Republican prisoner who ended his involvement with paramilitaries in the late 1970s. Now – the contact has agreed to go on record for the first time, telling a remarkable story of how a close brush with death inspired him to try to solve one of the most enduring mysteries of the conflict known as the ‘Troubles’