The real-life ghost story so gripping even sceptics are drawn in: Case of a 1950s family home that was haunted by strange notes, flying objects and unexplained fires is brought to life in BBC's Battersea Poltergeist

• BBC Radio 4 podcast The Battersea Poltergeist explores a real-life ghost story
• In 1956, the Hitchings family of south London reported strange goings-on 
• Unexplained bangs and scratches were heard, and object moved on their own
• Strange markings on the wall and a note from 'Donald the ghost' were found 
• At the centre was their teenage daughter Shirley, who appeared most affected 

It is the ghost story that has even skeptics asking questions. 

In 1956, in a semi-detached home in Battersea, south London, the Hitchings family began hearing strange, unexplained bangs and scratching sounds. Some of the noises were so loud, they could be heard by the whole street.

Then, objects began moving without being touched. Pots and pans were thrown out of seemingly empty rooms; bedsheets flew off beds without warning and slippers were seen 'walking' across the floor.

As time wore on - the haunting spanned a period of 12 years - the residents at 63 Wycliffe Road named the presence 'Donald'.