First look at chilling BBC drama based on ‘terrifying’ Welsh farmhouse haunting
Mark Mansfield
The first images have been released from a new BBC drama inspired by the ‘seven-year haunting’ of a remote Welsh farmhouse where a family reported poltergeist activity, ghostly apparitions and apparent possessions.
The Witch Farm tells the story of Heol Fanog, a farmhouse near the Brecon Beacons which became the focus of extraordinary claims after couple Liz and Bill Rich moved there with their family in 1989.
The four-part supernatural drama stars Welsh actor Gabrielle Creevy alongside Michael Socha and is based on accounts and events previously explored in the BBC podcast of the same name.
Socha and Creevy play Bill and Liz, who leave London with their teenage son Jonathan in search of a fresh start in the south Wales countryside.
Instead, their new life begins to unravel as unexplained events occur inside the isolated farmhouse and a mysterious figure starts to appear.
Accounts associated with the real Heol Fanog case include footsteps and slamming doors, unexplained smells, dramatic changes in temperature and electricity meters apparently spinning out of control.
The alleged disturbances became increasingly severe and the family’s experiences ultimately led to a series of attempts to rid the farmhouse of whatever was believed to be haunting it.
As the fictionalised Bill and Liz try to discover what is happening, they are drawn into the history of the property and surrounding land, while the increasingly disturbing events begin to place their marriage under strain.
The story has also been linked to an axe murder said to have taken place in the area in 1848, adding another layer to the mystery surrounding the farmhouse.
The BBC describes the series as part ghost story and part mystery, drawing on first-hand accounts, theories and real events.
Creevy, whose previous credits include The Guest and Black Doves, and Socha, who has appeared in The Cage and Showtrial, will be joined by Lewin Lloyd as their teenage son.
The BBC has also announced Sian Gibson, Robert Pugh, Jeremy Swift, Edward Holcroft and Roger Evans as additions to the cast.
Paranormal
The series has been created and written by Danny Robins, who previously investigated the Heol Fanog story for the BBC Radio 4 podcast The Witch Farm.
Robins has become known for exploring ‘paranormal events’ through the BBC podcast and television series Uncanny, as well as The Battersea Poltergeist podcast and hit stage play 2:22 – A Ghost Story.
The television adaptation is directed by Stacey Gregg and produced by Megan Ott, with Mammoth Screen producing the series.
Additional funding has been provided by the Welsh Government through Creative Wales.
The BBC has yet to announce a transmission date, but says the four hour-long episodes will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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