Bafflegab goes to Hollywood as The Battersea Poltergeist is picked up for development

We’ve reported before on podcasts becoming dramas, and we’re delighted to say this one’s a UK podcast, and it’s made by our friends Bafflegab Productions. Here’s part of their news story:

Blumhouse, the studio behind Paranormal Activity, Get Out and The Invisible Man, have secured the rights to the BBC Radio 4 podcast, which was the #1 drama podcast worldwide. It’s being developed as the first season of a scripted ongoing series and a companion unscripted series, titled Blumhouse’s Ghost Story.

“It’s been an amazing journey making the podcast for the BBC and now I couldn’t have hoped for a better partner than Blumhouse, a leader in the genre, when looking to further develop it,” says executive producer and series creator Danny Robins. Executive producer Michael Seitzman says, “Once you listen to the gripping and terrifying true story of Shirley Hitchings, it’s easy to understand why Danny’s podcast inspired two-page spreads in every newspaper in the UK. As he did with his podcast, Danny Robins will have viewers sleeping with the lights on after they watch his show!”

If you didn’t catch it when it was on Radio 4, and till on BBC Sounds, it’s:

A mix of documentary and drama, written and presented by Danny Robins (Haunted) and stars an amazing cast including Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Alice Lowe (Prevenge), Burn Gorman (Torchwood), Calvin Demba (Life) and Sorcha Cusack (Father Brown).

For a more US/ commercial take, Deadline reports:

In a competitive bidding situation, Blumhouse Television and Michael Seitzman’s Maniac Productions have won the rights to BBC Radio 4’s The Battersea Poltergeist podcast, presented by Danny Robins. Blumhouse TV and studio-based Maniac are developing as a scripted series and a companion unscripted series, titled Blumhouse’s Ghost Story. Additionally, the companies have also secured Hitchings’ life rights, as well as the rights to her and James Clark’s book, The Poltergeist Prince of London: The Remarkable True Story of the Battersea Poltergeist.

The report also notes Blumhouse TV and Maniac took with a scripted and unscripted Detroit Youth Choir series, which subsequently landed at Disney+. We’ll be watching this story closely! Congratulations to Bafflegab and everyone involved.