Alternative Ulstours

04/09/2026

If you came to our Ulster’s Doctor Death talk at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, you will know we had a very special ‘reveal’ at the end…

Yes, we are pretty sure we were the only show at the Fringe to feature a genuine pair of serial killer’s glasses! 👓

This was thanks to our friend Philip Hutchinson, actor, theatre director, author of many books (including the fantastic Haunted Guildford), veteran Jack the Ripper tour guide and all-round top bloke.

Philip bought John Bodkin Adams’s specs at auction and kindly lent them to us for the duration of our Fringe run, along with a silk scarf and two photographs also formerly owned by the not-so-good doc.

These prized items of ‘murderabilia’ are now winging their way back to Guildford, where Philip operates the long-running The Ghost Tour of Guildford. Spook Philip up if you’re in that neck of the woods! 👻

Thank you again, fine sir. 🙏

04/09/2026

💀 BANGOR GETS BURKED! 💀

Terror Talks returns to Northern Ireland's newest city on Sunday 25th October for our debut event at the home of Bangor Drama Club, the lovely Studio 1A Theatre. 🖤

Join us for Burke & Hare: Body Snatchers, Serial Killers, Ulstermen - the untold story of 'Scotland's grave robbers', who weren't Scottish and never robbed a grave! 😱

Tickets on sale now. 🎟️

https://www.ticketsource.com/studio1a/burke-and-hare-body-snatchers-serial-killers-ulstermen/e-mvdbax

03/09/2026

👻 Eerieland is coming to Portrush! 👻

We’re really excited to be heading back to The Playhouse - Portrush on Tuesday 27th October with our evening of ghost stories for Halloween week. 🎃

Not only is this Art Deco cinema one of the most stunning heritage venues in Northern Ireland, but it is also… haunted! 😱

Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 9am. 🎟️

https://www.ticketsource.com/the-playhouse-portrush/terror-talk-eerieland-ghost-stories-of-the-north-of-ireland/e-mvogyx

02/09/2026

🎃 Halloween is coming, and we can't bloody wait! 🎃

October through to the start of November is always a very busy period for us. This year, we have talks or tours across Ireland (and a few in London) every day from 1st Oct to 3rd Nov. 😱

September is the calm before the storm, but we do have a handful of hellaceous hometown happenings this month. 🔥

On Friday 18th September, Culture Night Belfast returns to the city streets and Andrew will be out there, delivering a mini version of our Spirits of Belfast walking tour to those who fancy a fright.

These free, hour-long tours will depart from outside the Linen Hall Library at 4pm and 6pm. No booking required. Just show up. There will be a cut-off for numbers, so first come, first scared! 🫵

https://culturenight.ie/event/spirits-of-belfast/
https://culturenight.ie/event/spirits-of-belfast-2/

Next, on Tuesday 22nd September, we are back at Boundary Brewing in east Belfast with Witch! The Horrors of Ireland's Witch Hunts. This always popular Terror Talk is already sold out, but keep an evil eye on the Eventbrite page in case of returns. 👁️

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alternative-ulstours-terror-talks-witch-tickets-1998428039061

Then, on Saturday 26th September, Andrew takes the stage of Belfast's Sunflower Public House & Live Music once again with Eerieland: Ghost Stories of the North of Ireland for National Ghost Hunting Day.

We have just a handful of tickets left for this special Halloween tour warm-up, so grab 'em before they disappear into the ether! 👻

https://www.ticketsource.com/alternativeulstours/terror-talks-eerieland-ghost-stories-of-the-north-of-ireland-national-ghost-hunting-day/e-pdxarx

We also have our regular Black Belfast horror and true crime walking tours every Saturday afternoon throughout the month. Tickets for all dates via our TicketSource page. 🎟️

https://www.ticketsource.com/alternativeulstours

So, why not creep it real and boo-k yourself a talk or tour? We're dying to meet you! 💀

02/09/2026

The Spookies winners have been announced!

Alas, Andrew was not crowned Stand Out Performer, but massive con-bat-ulations to winner Kirsty Mann for Kirsty Mann: Co**se and to runner-up Amy Clayton for The Good, the Bad and the Almighty (Early Doors Productions) - and to all winners and runners-up in the other categories as well. 👏

Just to have been shortlisted alongside such incredible talent in a highly competitive field of amazing horror shows is truly humbling. We never saw it coming.

Thank you to the Edinburgh Horror Festival for considering us. We shall see you next year for another stab! 🗡️

01/09/2026

Four stars from The Edinburgh Reporter for Ulster’s Doctor Death: The Killer Case of John Bodkin Adams! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nice to see our ‘other’ Fringe show getting some love! 🖤

Thanks to Richard Purden for coming along last week and reviewing the performance. 🙏

https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2026/08/fringe-review-2026-ulsters-doctor-death-the-killer-case-of-john-bodkin-adams/

01/09/2026

Now we’re back home after our 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe adventure, it’s time for some thank-yous!

Firstly, to the punters who spent their time and money coming to hear Andrew gibber on about serial killers in a small, darkened room when there were 3,891 other shows you could have been watching - THANK YOU. 🙏

We loved meeting you all, from the first day to the last (pictured). 🖤

To Chelsea, Georgia, JD, Katie, Kayleigh, Phoebe and the rest of the amazing Greenside Venue staff at Riddle's Court, Edinburgh - THANK YOU. 🙏

You made each day brighter and every performance better. 🖤

To the fellow creatives in our rooms before or after us - Supernova, Sounds Q***r to Me, Bombs Over Byker - and to all the other friendly performers we encountered in the dressing room/lift/corridors across the month - THANK YOU. 🙏

It was lovely being part of such a supportive group. 🖤

The Fringe can be a tough gig for some, but we are really pleased with how things went for us this year. It is what you make it.

Andrew and Willie will return to Auld Reekie in 2027 for even more historical horror spoken word. Watch this grim space! 💀

29/08/2026

More crazy news…

Andrew has been nominated as Stand Out Performer for Burke & Hare in the Spookies - Edinburgh Horror Festival’s Horror at the Fringe Awards! 🏆

This is just such an honour. There have been so many incredible horror shows in this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, to be included in the shortlist is humbling and mind-blowing. 🤯

We saw so many incredible performers this Fringe, it was difficult to reduce it down to just three for our shortlist.

So here is the shortlist of Stand Out Performers:
Kirsty Mann (Kirsty Mann: Co**se)
Amy Clayton (The Good, the Bad, and the Almighty)
Andrew Johnson (Burke and Hare: Body Snatchers, Serial Killers, Ulstermen)

29/08/2026

We did it. 🙏

28/08/2026

The highs and lows of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe…

Doing a sold-out show and meeting interesting audience members afterwards… then seeing your flyer lying in a gutter across town! 🤣

But hey.

We’re now just FIVE tickets off selling out our full run of Burke and Hare: Body Snatchers, Serial Killers, Ulstermen. 🕶️

Ulster’s Doctor Death is coming in around 50% sold out across its run. 👌

Forty shows down, two final performances to go tomorrow.

Bring it on. 💀