Last Podcast On The Left – Episode 643: The Battersea Poltergeist Part I: The French Prince

Date: November 21, 2025
Podcast Network: The Last Podcast Network
Hosts: Marcus Parks, Ben Kissel, Henry Zebrowski

Episode Overview

This episode marks the beginning of a two-part deep dive into the infamous Battersea Poltergeist case—a uniquely bizarre and quintessentially British haunting that began in 1956. The hosts tackle the strange saga of 15-year-old Shirley Hitchings and the poltergeist “Donald,” whose eccentric antics would bewilder not only her family but the entire UK press for over a decade. The show sets the tone for a blend of skepticism, humor, and open-minded curiosity as they explore themes of paranormal obsession, mass hysteria, and the weirdness of psychic phenomena tangled with British social norms.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Social Context

[03:04] Marcus Parks:

• Announces a “two-part journey into the land of the spooky” – the Battersea Poltergeist.
• Sets up a palate cleanser after darker series, promising a story with “only one dead child this whole series.”
• Frames the case as “more of a Carrie” than a traditional haunting, comparing it to telekinesis and adolescent turmoil.

2. The Battersea Poltergeist Case: Origins

[03:55] Marcus Parks:

• In 1956, Shirley Hitchings’ family became the focal point of “an incessant, sometimes violent poltergeist named Donald.”
• Unlike slow-burn cases, this haunting “broke incredibly quickly” and became a British media sensation.
• Donald stood out as a poltergeist by being “a prolific writer of messages and letters to an almost overwhelming degree,” communicating obsessively via knocks, scribbled notes, and increasingly silly missives.

3. Donald: The Writing Poltergeist

[04:45] Marcus Parks:

• Harold Chibbett, the psychical researcher, wrote a book titled The Poltergeist That Can Write—a title the hosts roast for its lack of imagination:
  “It should be the poltergeist that can talent manage,” jokes Ben Kissel [07:41], referring to Donald’s efforts to insert Shirley into the world of TV stardom.

4. The Hitchings Family Dynamics

[11:14] Marcus Parks:

• The household at 63 Wycliffe includes Shirley (15), her parents Wally and Kitty, and the elderly Ethel.
• The adopted adult son ignores the haunting altogether—a refrain on how public claims of supernatural activity can fracture families.

5. Early Haunting Phenomena

[14:05] Marcus Parks:

• Shirley finds a mysterious key in her bed—a classic poltergeist trope.
• The disturbance accelerates to loud nightly knocks and scratches, culminating in Shirley’s sheets being tugged forcefully and claims of levitation.
  Notable quote:
  “Suddenly, Shirley went fully rigid before she was lifted up… as if a force was pushing her to do so.” — Marcus Parks [29:50]

6. Poltergeist Activity at Work

[28:30] Marcus Parks:

• The disturbances follow Shirley to her job as a dress cutter; coworkers hear tapping, and scissors reportedly move on their own—causing enough disruption that Shirley is asked to take time off.

7. Naming the Spirit and Escalation

[27:30] Marcus Parks/Ben Kissel:

• The poltergeist is variously named “Charlie Boy,” “Spooky Willy,” and then “Donald”—the last sticking after a silly “Donald Duck” joke.
• Naming cements the haunting, increasing its power and notoriety.

8. British Media Frenzy and Public Spectacle

[32:05] Marcus Parks:

• The press runs wild; 12 newspapers eventually cover the case.
• The British public descends on the Hitchings’ home, mirroring the public’s obsession with haunted locales.
• Shirley becomes a minor celebrity, even appearing on the BBC for a small fee—with the hosts highlighting the lack of any real profit or motive for fakery.

9. Investigators and Would-Be Exorcists

[19:17] Marcus Parks:

• Shirley’s dad’s coworker, Harry Hanks, offers to “help” as a spiritualist medium, bringing his family to conduct seances—adding to the circus atmosphere.
• Later, the infamous amateur exorcism features “Harry Hanks' African spirit guide, Sambo,” discussed with appropriate historical and ethical horror by the hosts [49:32], laying bare midcentury racism in British spiritualism.

10. Testing, Hypnosis, and Big Toe Exposé

[52:18] Marcus Parks / Henry Zebrowski:

• Reporters push for hypnosis to “expose” Shirley, but she resists.
• The press fixate on Shirley’s “hammer toe,” running a story called “It Spook Was in Girl’s Big Toe” after noticing her toe produces loud cracks—a nod to the Fox Sisters’ method of faked knockings.

11. Donald’s Evolving Identity and Motivations

[62:27] Marcus Parks:

• Through laborious “Ouija-by-knock” sessions, Donald writes increasingly elaborate notes.
• He claims to be “a French prince drowned in the Channel after the Revolution,” with aims to connect Shirley to handsome TV stars and—bizarrely—help her achieve TV stardom [07:41].
• The hosts speculate about adolescent projection and psychic hysteria, but remain open to poltergeist theory.

12. The Arrival of Investigator Harold Chibbett

[67:00] Marcus Parks]:

• Chibbett, an old-school paranormalist, embeds himself with the family, sometimes escalating the haunting with his presence.
• The style of “Fortean” research—observe, don’t interfere—is debated by the hosts as both earnest and intrusive.

13. Violence: Fire Follows Threats

[74:07] Marcus Parks:

• After Donald threatens arson, Shirley’s bedsheets catch fire, severely burning her father when he intervenes.
• Official fire investigators are unable to explain the blaze, and the episode ends on this first incident of true danger, teasing that “next week we’re going to be getting some actual deaths. Many deaths. Quite a few deaths actually.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This poltergeist tale, I honestly view this as more of a Carrie.”
  — Ben Kissel [03:33], referencing parallels to psychic adolescent turmoil.
• “There’s only one dead child in this whole series.”
  — Marcus Parks [03:21], lampooning the difference from previous dark episodes.
• “It should be the Poltergeist that can Talent Manage.”
  — Ben Kissel [07:41], on Donald’s TV ambitions for Shirley.
• “They made what is considered a grave mistake…”
  — Marcus Parks [27:07], who then pauses for several comedic “pun intended” riffs on naming the poltergeist.
• On exorcism ritual:
  “Harry’s consciousness was very suddenly overtaken by a so-called African spirit guide. Oh boy. Yeah, see this was England in 1956. So the African spirit guide had the incredible racist name of Sambo.”
  — Marcus Parks [49:32], highlighting problematic British spiritualism.
• Big Toe Theory:
  “And we know that hammers knock.”
  — Henry Zebrowski [60:02], riffing on the infamous “spook was in girl’s big toe” headline.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:04] — Introduction to the Battersea Poltergeist
• [03:55 – 05:46] — Case background, Donald’s unique “writing” power
• [14:05 – 16:00] — Shirley discovers mysterious key, onset of poltergeist activity
• [19:17 – 21:17] — Introduction of Harry Hanks, seances, failed interventions
• [27:30 – 29:01] — The poltergeist’s evolving names: Charlie Boy, Spooky Willy, Donald
• [28:30 – 29:50] — Haunting spills into Shirley’s workplace; early levitation claim
• [32:05 – 35:17] — Media and public frenzy; no real profit for the family
• [49:32] — The racist “Sambo” mediumship episode
• [52:18 – 54:39] — Hypnosis and the infamous hammer toe explanation
• [62:27 – 63:48] — Translation of Donald’s first long, cryptic letter
• [67:00 – 70:54] — Arrival of Harold Chibbett, Fortean investigative style
• [74:07 – 75:27] — First poltergeist-caused fire and its investigation
• [75:41 – end] — Closing thoughts, teasing next week’s bloodier second half

Tone & Style

The hosts maintain their signature blend of morbid curiosity, dark humor, and self-aware skepticism throughout. British quirkiness, adolescent angst, and tabloid sleaze are all lampooned in classic LPN style, with riffs on class, pop culture, and the paradoxes of believing in psychical phenomena.

Notable is a refusal to dismiss the wormhole of weirdness out of hand:

“That’s the most infuriating thing about the paranormal… two things can be true at once.”
— Marcus Parks [31:07]

Summary Takeaways

• The Battersea Poltergeist case is as much a study of postwar British society and the birth of tabloid ghost obsession as it is a story of supernatural weirdness.
• Donald the poltergeist, with his writing, matchmaking aspirations, and increasingly outlandish behavior, stands out as a unique case in psychical research history.
• The episode ends on a cliffhanger as violence escalates—leaving listeners eager for Part II and a promised “psychedelic tumble down the mind of a 15-year-old psychic girl.”

Stay tuned for the bloody, even stranger conclusion in Part II!