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
Tag Archives: Peak District
Time-slipping beneath the Dark and Lonely Waters
‘I have heard one definition of haunting saying we are haunted by that which we cannot or cannot completely understand.’ These words of wisdom, spoken by England’s greatest living wizard Alan Moore open The Cult of Water, a dreamy, hypnotic … Continue reading
Lore & Legend on The Pennine Way
The mysterious Longdendale Lights and other legends of Derbyshire’s Peak District will feature in a new BBC series marking the 50th anniversary of The Pennine Way. First opened in 1965, the 268-mile trail stretches from Edale in the High Peak … Continue reading
On the trail of the phantom copter
The Daily Mirror has published the results of my Freedom of Information research on the phantom helicopter mystery that plagued British police forty years ago. The full story was published in Britain’s X-traordinary Files and a summary can be found … Continue reading
Mystery Booms
It’s a familiar story. Police and emergency services inundated with phone calls from concerned members of the public who have heard or seen something unfamiliar in the sky. Last month it was a spectacular fireball meteor. This month it was … Continue reading