Unplugged television explodes in a basement gathering; a dark man reappears
[name withheld], from London, Ontario, Canada, calls to describe something that happened when they were about eight years old. During a gathering in a basement, [name withheld] says, an old unplugged television glowed and exploded, and only the caller saw a dark man seated on it. [name withheld] says the same dark man has since appeared to the caller out of the corner of their eye, and that they have heard their name called. The host warns the caller about the figure, while the caller says they think it may be protective.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1998.mp3”, starting at 42:59). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, who gives their name as [name withheld] from London, Ontario, Canada, says the incident happened when they were about eight years old. The caller reports that a group of them were sitting around in their friend's basement. The others decided to hold what the transcript renders as a “dance,” apparently an attempt to contact a ghost. [name withheld] says they did not take part, sat off in a corner, and did not believe in that sort of thing at the time.
The caller says that halfway through they kept hearing strange noises, and the others accused them of making them. The caller reports that something made them look toward a corner where an old television sat, which their friend's father was going to throw away. According to [name withheld], the television began to glow and after a few minutes exploded, blowing out the whole screen. [name withheld] stresses that the television was unplugged.
[name withheld] says that when they looked on top of the television they saw a dark man, whom they could tell was a man, sitting cross-legged and wearing a long coat. [name withheld] says the figure looked at them, smiled, nodded, stood up, and disappeared. No one else saw the figure, [name withheld] says, though everyone saw the television. [name withheld]'s friend's mother came downstairs yelling. [name withheld] says that since that day they have seen the same dark man every so often out of the corner of their eye, and that if they do not see him, they hear him call their name. Others have also heard the name in an empty hallway, the caller claims. [name withheld] says they are not afraid and think the figure may be protecting them. The host suggests the caller should be cautious. [name withheld] adds that since that day they have started seeing other ghosts as well.
Reported events, in order
- 0:03
The caller gives their name as [name withheld], from London, Ontario, Canada, and says the event happened when they were about eight years old.
- 0:17
The caller reports that a group of them were in their friend's basement and that the others decided to hold a “dance” or attempted contact.
- 0:32
The caller says they sat in the corner and did not take part. The caller kept hearing strange noises while the others accused them.
- 1:01
The caller says something made them look toward an old television in the corner, which began to glow.
- 1:11
The caller reports that the television exploded and the screen blew out, and that it was unplugged.
- 1:40
The caller says they saw a dark man sitting cross-legged on the television wearing a long coat. The figure looked at them, smiled, nodded, stood, and disappeared.
- 1:56
The caller says no one else saw the figure, though others saw the television, and that their friend's mother came downstairs yelling.
- 2:38
The caller reports seeing the same dark man out of the corner of their eye since then, and hearing their name called. Others reportedly heard it in an empty hallway.
- 3:18
The caller says they are not afraid and think the figure may be protecting them, and that they have since started seeing other ghosts.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 1:11
The caller says an old television in the basement began to glow and then exploded.
- observation· 1:22
The caller says the television was unplugged when it exploded.
- observation· 1:40
The caller says they saw a dark man sitting cross-legged on the television wearing a long coat.
- observation· 1:46
The caller says the figure looked at them, smiled, and nodded.
- observation· 1:50
The caller says the figure stood up and disappeared.
- observation· 1:56
The caller says no one else saw the figure, though the others saw the television.
- observation· 2:38
The caller says they have repeatedly seen the same dark man out of the corner of their eye since that day.
- hearsay· 3:03
The caller says they hear the dark man call their name, and that other people have heard it in an empty hallway.
- interpretation· 3:18
The caller thinks the dark man may be protecting them.
- observation· 3:45
The caller says they have started seeing other ghosts since that day.
- hearsay· 1:36
The caller says other people had previously called in about seeing the dark man.
- host statement· 2:21
The host says televisions do not explode.
- host statement· 3:09
The host suggests that one day the figure will take the caller with him.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The story is firsthand and includes a concrete childhood sequence and specific details. But the central figure was seen only by the caller, the memory goes back to about age eight, and ordinary explanations fit parts of the report.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a specific age, place, setting, and sequence of events.
- The caller separates what they saw from what others saw or heard.
- The caller describes the television as unplugged and says others saw it explode.
- No witness speaks on air to back up the story.
- The figure was reportedly seen only by the caller.
- The events are remembered from childhood, and some terms are unclear in the transcript.
- The labels showing who is speaking, and some words, are uncertain in the transcript.
- The gathering is rendered as a “dance” and “sands,” so the exact activity is unclear.
- 0:08
- 0:24
- 1:22
- 1:56
What the model inferred (not said on air): I treat this as a direct memory from childhood. The specific details support a mid-range score. No one else backs it up, and ordinary explanations are available, so the score stays lower.
The evidence is the caller's word and claimed witnesses, with no documentation or on-air confirmation. The town named could in principle be checked, but it was not.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a town and province: London, Ontario, Canada.
- The caller claims other people saw the television and heard their name.
- No physical evidence is presented or examined.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- The figure was reportedly seen only by the caller.
- The transcript may mislabel speakers and some words.
- 0:03
- 2:01
- 3:03
What the model inferred (not said on air): Because the support is only the caller's word plus claimed others, this falls in the low range for evidence that can be checked independently.
The central image is unsettling: an unplugged television glowing and exploding while a man in a dark coat sits on it and smiles. It is followed by repeated sightings that feel like being watched, and a name being called. The host's ominous comments add a sense of threat, though the caller repeatedly says they are not afraid.
Evidence for and against
- An unplugged television reportedly explodes in a basement.
- A dark man is reported sitting on the television, smiling and nodding before disappearing.
- The caller reports repeated sightings from the corner of their eye and hearing their name called.
- The caller says the figure does not seem harmful and may be protective.
- The story is told in a conversational way, not with steady dread.
- The exact tone and delivery cannot be judged from the transcript alone.
- 1:11
- 1:40
- 2:38
- 3:09
What the model inferred (not said on air): I rate the story as moderately unsettling because of the intrusion into a childhood basement and the returning figure. It is not higher because the caller describes the figure as not threatening and the story lacks steady menace.
The story uses familiar elements, such as a dark figure, a basement gathering, and a name being called. But an unplugged television glowing and exploding with the figure seated cross-legged on top is a distinctive combination.
Evidence for and against
- The exploding unplugged television is an unusual, concrete detail.
- The figure is described sitting cross-legged on the television and smiling.
- The returning events include both sightings from the corner of their eye and a name heard by others.
- The dark man and the name-calling are common ghost-story motifs.
- The basement séance or attempt at contact is a familiar framing device.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is provisional, and the transcript has unclear words.
- 1:22
- 1:40
- 2:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): I score originality in the middle range. The frame is familiar, but the image of the figure on the exploding unplugged television is a distinctive detail.
Scoring confidence 0.75 · analysis confidence 0.80 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story; Claimed witnesses to the television explosion and name-calling, not speaking on air. The originality score blends the model's score (58) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- The old television may have failed physically, producing a flash or implosion that the children read in light of the tense mood of the gathering. · The television is described as an old set that the friend's father was going to throw away, and the caller says the screen blew out.
- A child's imagination, or seeing a face in random shapes, during a frightening group activity could explain the figure only the caller saw. · The caller was about eight years old, the group was trying to contact a ghost, and the caller says no one else saw the figure.
- Later sightings from the corner of their eye and hearing a name could come from expectation and unclear sights and sounds. · The caller reports seeing the figure out of the corner of their eye and hearing their name in an empty hallway.
What stands out
The story combines an unplugged television glowing and exploding with a child seeing a smiling man in a dark coat seated cross-legged on it. It is followed by years of sightings from the corner of their eye and a name being called, which others reportedly heard.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.