Is Alton Towers Haunted?

Mike is off this week, so EB flies solo from the Indiana studio for a spooky-season episode built around one very good guest: Tom Pointon, the self-described ghost expert of Alton Towers in England.

In the first half, EB addresses the tragic accident at Six Flags Over Georgia, points listeners to a ride mechanic's video explaining how B&M clamshell restraints work, and notes that the full story isn't known yet. In Quick Hits, Hersheypark reopens Candemonium after inspections by state-certified and independent inspectors, and EB shares the park's full statement about the ride's redundant safety systems. Construction is also underway inside Kentucky Kingdom's old 5D theater, and everyone is guessing it's a new indoor coaster.

After the break, Tom explains what Alton Towers actually is: a Gothic Revival house with roots going back centuries, an Iron Age hill fort, a king of Mercia, and a theme park built around it, home to Nemesis, Oblivion, The Smiler, Wicker Man, and Hex. He tells the story behind the ghost tours he created for the park. It starts with a staff ghost hunt in 2011 where three people, including a skeptical Tom, burst into tears at the same moment. Along the way he shares:

• The legend of the White Bridge and why he thinks it's probably made up
• The curse of the Chained Oak, the real tree that inspired Hex
• The night a shadowy figure kept following his tour group through rooms behind them
• The night he went into the towers alone after the park closed and lasted about 20 minutes
• How the tour sold out three times in a week

He also covers who comes on a ghost tour, what the 60-minute version looks like today, and why he thinks these stories matter to English culture. Tom shared photos from the tour, which you can see in the YouTube version of this episode.