My guest for this episode is writer and researcher Paul A.T. Wilson, who joined me to talk about his ongoing involvement in developments relating to a paranormal encounter that happened on the Isle of Wight in the UK over fifty years ago – that of Sam the Sandown Clown.
To describe the events of the initial encounter as unusual is somewhat of an understatement. In 1973, two young children were out playing near Sandown when they met the titular Sam – who was described as wearing a pointy hat, having triangular markings for eyes and a square nose on a pale face and arms and legs that seemed wooden. The children spent some time with Sam in a small hut and spoke with him, after which they left, and both he and his dwelling had disappeared. This encounter eventually featured in a journal of the British UFO Research Association in 1978 after which, the strange events of that day in 1973 faded somewhat, becoming a small part of paranormal history.
That was until a few decades later, when Paul was put in contact with someone who claimed to be one of the children who encountered Sam and has been given the pseudonym ‘Fay’. Paul was allowed to meet with Fay and talk to her about her initial encounter with Sam in the process of which she revealed she had met him again on four other occasions. These developments have been part of a renaissance of interest in the Sandown Clown incident, which has seen the adoption of Sam by Sandown as something of a fortean mascot, and him becoming an important part of the islands recent folklore.
The interview begins with Paul providing a brief summary of the initial incident, after which we talk about how his own interest in those events started, and how he came to meet with Fay. We discuss the memories she has of her first meeting with Sam, and then go into the subsequent encounters she had with him, exploring the themes they include which may offer some clues as to Sam’s true nature. We end by talking about the recent upsurge of interest in the Sandown Clown case, what makes Sam an important part of the Isle of Wight’s culture.
You can find Paul on Bluesky as Tales of Wihtlore.
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The podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.
