A History of Ghosts
BBC Radio 4

Who was the first person to feel haunted? To judge from Kirsty Logan’s entertaining 10-part series (19-23, 26-30 October), the likeliest candidate stared into the darkness surrounding a primeval campfire. From decorated bones discovered at early grave sites to letters to the departed written by ancient Egyptians, all the evidence suggests that the spectral visitation is as old as existence itself.

On the other hand, if A History of Ghosts had a single message, in among the variety of grisly tales and ghastly revenants on offer, it was that our idea of the ghost changes over time, is the result of profound psychological and social stimuli, and can be regarded, ultimately, as a protean figure, cutting its cloth to suit the historical framework in which it manifests itself.