About this episode

This episode provides a skeptical analysis of the famous 1959 'backseat ghost' photograph taken by Mrs. Mabel Chinnery.

A skeptical look at one of the most famous ghost photographs ever taken - the 1959 "backseat ghost" snapped by Mrs. Mabel Chinnery in Ipswich, England. This episode is distilled from a recent MonsterTalk Live stream with Blake, Karen Stollznow, and special guest Matt Baxter, who brought fresh research (and one neat new idea) to a very old mystery. It's also a companion piece to our Newby Church Ghost coverage and the spirit-photography episode of Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers (1985), which examined the Chinnery photo alongside the Cottingley Fairies and the Newby ghost. Extended show notes at our Patreon site. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

People in this episode

Host: Blake Smith

Guests: Karen Stollznow, Matt Baxter

Topics covered

• ghost photography
• skepticism
• mystery
• research
• spirit photography

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers, Cottingley Fairies, Newby Church Ghost

Places: Ipswich

More episodes of MonsterTalk

• 🐂S05E40 - Cattle Mutilations: Part 2🛸 · July 19, 2026 · 38 min
• 🐂S05E39 - Cattle Mutilations: Part 1🛸 · July 12, 2026 · 40 min
• 🦕 S05E38 - Champ Across the Border · July 5, 2026 · 46 min
• 🪓 S05E37 - The Lizzie Borden Murders · June 28, 2026 · 1h 6m
• S05E35 The Newby Church Specter · June 14, 2026 · 59 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the MonsterTalk podcast page.