Maurice Barbanell: The Forgotten Architect of Modern Spiritualism

I join Michelle Fisher to discuss my new book, Silver Birch's Medium, and the extraordinary life of the man behind one of the most influential voices in twentieth-century Spiritualism. We explore Barbanell's remarkable journey from sceptic to believer, his role as the medium for Silver Birch, his decades editing Psychic News, his investigations into mediumship, his legal battles, and the lasting influence he had on Spiritualism in Britain and beyond.

But this conversation is about much more than one historical figure.

Together we ask how belief is formed, what people consider to be evidence, how personal experience shapes conviction, and why these questions remain just as relevant today. From science and religion to media, authority and public trust, Maurice Barbanell's story offers a fascinating window into the way people negotiate extraordinary claims in the modern world.