Illuminating the Sandown Clown Legend with Paul A. T. Wilson

The AP Strange Show

AP welcomes folklorist and writer Paul A. T. Wilson to the show to discuss the fantastically weird case of Sam, the Sandown Clown- an entity reportedly encountered on the Isle of Wight in the early 1970s by a pair of young children. Listeners familiar with the story will undoubtedly be thrilled to learn that further encounters with the entity variously called the Ghost Clown or All Colours Sam have come to light. Through Paul's work in finding and interviewing "Fey", the young girl in the original story, he has documented her several later meetings with Sam and shared them in a series of presentations for the first time. In this conversation, Wilson discusses these later meetings with the motley being, how he came to uncover them, and the nature of storytelling and reporting weird tales.

Paul lives on the Isle of Wight and has a background in pre-medieval history there, as well as with writing and sharing tales of wonder related to the island. He talks about his longtime fascination with the Sandown Clown story, which has for decades been frustratingly limited in scope. In uncovering these further stories from the anonymous witness, new dimensions to the legend of Sam are brought to light which raise a panoply of new and exciting questions. Also discussed is the importance of honoring stories and the people who tell them, and respecting their wishes in regard to anonymity. He and AP also talk a bit about the island itself, and its enchanted history with dragons, mystery fogs, and more!

Check out Paul's work on Isle of Wight folklore here: https://www.wihtlore.uk/