Welcome
I am a folklore researcher, author and broadcaster. I began my career as a journalist at the Sheffield Star and spent four years working as a Press Officer. But my passion was always for folklore and in 1999 I completed a PhD in Folklore at the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield. I moved to Sheffield Hallam University in 2005 where for two decades I taught journalism and media law before I was promoted to Associate Professor. Working with colleagues who shared my interest in folklore, I co-founded the Centre for Contemporary Legend research group at SHU in 2018. I was Project Lead the AHRC-funded National Folklore Survey for England until I left the university in 2026 to return to full-time writing and broadcasting. My books include The Angel of Mons, How UFOs Conquered the World and Space Age Folklore that will be published by Reaktion in 2027. Contact me by email at furnival.news at googlemail.com
Author Archives: Dr David Clarke
UFOs over RAF Lakenheath
70th anniversary of ‘the most puzzling and unusual’ radar case from the files of Project Blue Book. The early hours of 13/14 August 2026 marked the 70th anniversary of the RAF’s closest ever encounter with UFOs over East Anglia. In … Continue reading
CONDIGN UN-REDACTED
I learned of the existence of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region, or ‘the Condign report’ as it was code-named, a quarter of a century ago. It later emerged that defence scientist Ron Haddow was commissioned to write the … Continue reading
Summer Solstice: One in four are enchanted by our prehistoric heritage
The latest results from the National Folklore Survey for England A quarter of people say the summer or winter solstices are of spiritual significance to them personally, according to the National Folklore Survey for England. In the results, one in … Continue reading
Won’t Get Fooled Again?
The Alien Autopsy Scandal (Sky Documentaries) Read my Substack preview of this excellent three part series, directed by John Dower of Mindhouse productions, that premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival in Sheffield on 11 July. In the series I … Continue reading
Four Million English Folk have seen UFOs
The first results from the National Folklore Survey reveals data on a range of extraordinary experiences and beliefs The results of the first National Folklore Survey for England have revealed more than four million people say they have seen ‘something in the … Continue reading
35 Years of Mystery
What is the truth about the Calvine sighting that has been proclaimed as ‘the world’s best UFO photograph’? To mark the 35th anniversary of the unexplained sighting at Calvine, near Pitlochry in Perth & Kinross, a public talk will explore the … Continue reading
A Close Encounter of the Poetic Kind
Peasant Poet John Clare experiences UAP I’ve seen the midnight morris-dance of hell On the black moors while thicker darkness fell, Like dancing lamps or bounding balls of fire, Now in and out, now up and down, now higher, As … Continue reading
DROPPED OBJECT
A Christmas story from Britain’s Roswell: the Rendlesham Forest UFO legend ‘What the hell is it?… Who is in charge?’ These were the questions that Airman 1st class Kurt Loutzenheiser asked US Air Force Security Police when he was confronted with … Continue reading
The National Folklore Survey
I am pleased to announce the launch of the National Folklore Survey #NFS In Charlie Cooper’s new series Myth Country (streaming on BBC I-player) the actor and writer reveals his passion for folklore and how the peculiar rituals and traditions of this … Continue reading
Extraterrestrial Archaeology
Did aliens build the mysterious Nazca lines in the Peruvian desert? Are they linked with the so-called ‘Nazca mummies’ recently promoted as ‘non-human’ fossils that some claim are more than 1,000 years old? The answer to these two questions is a simple No…. … Continue reading
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