BBC announces second series of Paranormal with Sian Eleri

Following on from the success of the first series, which has been streamed over 2.7 million times on BBC iPlayer, Radio 1’s Sian Eleri is set to dive into a new realm in the world of the paranormal – UFOs.

Sian will investigate a series of strange events regarded as one of the largest reports of UFO and extra-terrestrial activity in history.

Along the south and west coast of Wales in the 1970s and 1980s, dozens of ordinary and unconnected people in cities, seaside resorts and rural villages reported a spate of unexplained and terrifying sightings.

Celestial adventure

Sian Eleri says: “A second series is upon us! It’s been so eye-opening to investigate such open-ended issues, with series one raising questions challenging my own beliefs, so I can’t wait to get started on the next celestial adventure.

“The world of UFOs, extra-terrestrial activity and other theories around what exists in our skies is vast, so who knows what we might discover? I’m intrigued to find out.”

From tracking down eyewitnesses and researchers who have made it their life’s work to find answers, to those who suspect a hoax or psychological phenomena, Sian will delve into every theory in search of the truth.

Following in the footsteps of the first series, Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and the Gravestone, in which Sian investigated an apparently haunted farmhouse in north Wales, Sian’s natural scepticism will once again be tested.

Clare Sillery, Head of Documentary Commissioning for the BBC, says: “It’s been great to see how our audience enjoyed the first series of Paranormal. I’m delighted Sian Eleri will be returning – this time for a dive into the weird world of Ufology.”

Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning at BBC Wales says: “Our nation’s obsession with all things paranormal is confirmed with our smash hit first series. Why wouldn’t we go again?

“This time to outer space and if some of the rumours are to be confirmed and the archive believed, Sian’s about to uncover an extraordinary true story…or is she? This is what we love about this series and BBC Cymru Wales is right behind (the sofa) as Sian and her team take us on another terrific adventure. You couldn’t make it up.”

The village that saw aliens

It’s 1977, and 14 schoolboys from a village in west Wales make headlines around the world after they claim to see a UFO in the playground.

The media frenzy is fuelled by the fact the boys had been placed under exam conditions and asked to draw what they saw. All depict a large, silver craft with eery similarities. But their “close encounter” is only the start. It triggers a wave of unexplained phenomena along the coastline.

Digging out reports about the schoolboys, natural sceptic Radio 1 presenter Sian Eleri feels compelled to find out what really happened. She heads to the seaside village of Broad Haven where it all began; her first mission to track down the boys.

She’s soon in deep, managing to trace the original drawings and chasing leads on the lads. But will any of them speak to her after all this time?

There’s a breakthrough when Sian tracks down the case files of original investigator Randall Jones-Pugh. They’ve been locked away for more than 30 years – until now.

She’s struck by first-hand accounts of how petrified the boys were. And the case files themselves come with a caution. Randall dropped the case when something spooked him. On one old VHS tape Randall himself warns: “If the public knew the truth behind UFOs, they would run for their lives.”

Sian tests other theories – did the boys see a military craft? Was it a playground joke that went too far? But things take a chilling turn when Sian meets a woman who was at the school at the time and is still haunted by it all.

She’s clear it wasn’t just the children who saw something… And Sian’s about to find a tape of a new witness who takes the extraterrestrial encounters to another level.

All episodes of Paranormal with Sian Eleri will be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer from 14 June.