Halloween Countdown 2025: Case 23: The Shop Assistant’s Partner

Uncanny

BBC

Personal Journals, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.7 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 2 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We count down to Halloween with a daily tale of terror.

Written and presented by Danny Robins Researcher: Nancy Bottomley Editing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King Music: Evelyn Sykes Theme music by Lanterns on the Lake Head of Production: Kerry Luter Commissioning executive: Paula McDonnell Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:07.7	We have a really powerful story today from Lisa who emailed to say,
0:13.1	Hi, Danny, many years ago whilst driving to work, I would call into my local shop a couple of times a week to collect milk and biscuits to take to my office.
0:22.0	So I would always chat to the shop assistant working at that particular time.
0:25.6	The regular morning assistant was a lady who was always friendly.
0:28.7	Sometimes her partner would be there too propping up the counter.
0:31.7	He too was very pleasant.
0:33.8	One morning I went to collect a pint of milk.
0:36.7	The fridges were at the back of the shop.
0:38.2	As I walked down the aisle, I saw the shop assistant's partner standing by one of the fridges.
0:42.8	The assistant herself wasn't actually serving that day.
0:45.6	I said hello, collected my milk and walked up the aisle to pay.
0:49.2	Probably a week later, I went in again to collect my milk and noticed that the regular assistant hadn't been there the last few times,
0:56.0	so I inquired if she had left. The answer was no. She was having some time off as her partner had died suddenly.
1:04.0	He died the day before I saw him standing at the fridge.
1:09.0	I have never mentioned this to the assistant.
1:12.9	She still works there now.
1:15.6	Thank you, Lisa.
1:16.6	Does this story take us any closer
1:18.7	to that elusive proof
1:20.5	that there is some form of life after death?
1:22.8	Email me your thoughts uncanny
	...

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