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: UFO
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
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
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
‘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
UFO? = UAV
Chinese lanterns are the source of many ‘UFO‘ sightings – but the role played by remote-controlled drones should not be overlooked. UCAVs (unmanned combat air vehicles) are used extensively, and controversially, by both the USAF and RAF in combat operations … Continue reading
Fireball lights up northern sky
Hundreds of people reported seeing a fireball meteor that lit up the night sky across parts of northern England at 9.40 p.m. on Saturday, 3 March. Some excellent footage of the fireball has been posted on YouTube and can be … Continue reading
UFOs and the Vietnam War
Just occasionally we learn about a genuinely baffling UFO incident from a reliable primary source, such as a military memoir or pilot’s logbook. One such gem was discovered hiding in a collection of journals covering daily events during the Vietnam … Continue reading
Churchill did not ‘order a UFO cover-up’
In Bad Science this week Ben Goldacre asked “Why don’t journalists link to primary sources?”. He opined that if readers were directed to the original sources of headlines like ‘wind farms blamed for the stranding of whales’ (Daily Telegraph), they … Continue reading