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
CALVINE UFO REVISITED
The latest revelations about the ‘Pitlochry Thing’ The mysterious Calvine UFO photographs are making headlines again – with the latest on my investigations published by the Daily Mail. My new story opens with the narrative of former chef Richard Grieve … Continue reading
Phantoms of the Sky
RAF test pilots reveal their close encounters with UFOs UFOs – or UAP – are a worldwide phenomenon. Since 2017 when new testimony from US Navy aircrew first emerged media attention has been focused on North America. But British military … Continue reading
‘Fraught with Perils’: Jimmy Carter and NASA’s last strange trip into UFO territory
A number of US Presidents have expressed an interest in UFOs and extraterrestrials but only one has ever reported a sighting: Jimmy Carter. The 39th President held office from 1977 until 1981 during a period of intense public interest in … Continue reading
LOST AND FOUND: Project Condign, the UK MoD’s secret UFO study
The summer of 2023 may mark the highpoint of a renewed resurgence of interest in UFOs both in the corridors of the Pentagon and for the world’s media. But all the online debate around whistleblowers and imminent disclosure obscures the fact … Continue reading
Top Secret: clandestine introduction of nuclear weapons into the UK
Much has been written about the dread experienced by J. Robert Oppenheimer following the detonation of Trinity in 1945, depicted in Christopher Nolan’s new movie biopic of ‘the father of the atomic bomb’ But one of the most chilling outcomes of the Cold War … Continue reading
SAVING THE UFO ARCHIVES
‘This is a valuable record of occurrences connected with visits to this planet by unknown entities in flying saucers and other unidentified flying objects. It must not be destroyed or taken apart…it is hoped that in the event of some … Continue reading
Case Closed: 30th anniversary of the Cosford UFO flap
How a classic UFO ‘mystery’ was solved by a cold case investigation. Three decades ago in the early hours of Wednesday 31 March 1993 dozens of people across western Britain saw UAPs in the night sky. Read my latest SubStack … Continue reading
Alien Conversations: how to make UAPs respectable
Unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) have long been SETI’s elephant in the room. Astronomers seek evidence of ET intelligences by searching for exo-planets and listening for signals from alien civilisations. But should the search effort be restricted to outer space? What if … Continue reading
Sheffield Hallam University to host 40th contemporary legend conference
Folklore experts from across the world will gather in Sheffield this summer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the birth of urban legend studies in Steel City. Sheffield Hallam University was chosen to host the International Society for Contemporary Legend … Continue reading
The Calvine UFO photo: an unsolved mystery
They say that nature abhors a vacuum and that is definitely true in the case of the mysterious Calvine UFO photographs Last week the Scottish Daily Record reignited the hunt for the elusive photographer when it revealed the name Kevin Russell. That name appears on the … Continue reading
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