At first, actor Shaun Williamson couldn’t contend with the fact that his Kent house was actually haunted.
But when the 59-year-old, best known for playing Barry Evans in EastEnders, was pushed down the stairs of his Sheppey home – which he shares with his wife Adele – that was the final straw.
Shaun Williamson at his home with the Celebrity! Help My House is Haunted team
“When we moved into the house, there were the usual bumps every old house gets in the night. It could be wind in the attic, anything really. But then pictures started coming off walls – they were securely fastened – that’s when I knew something was up,” says Shaun.
“I remember when we were doing our kitchen extension, we got to know the builders really well, so sometimes we would go off to work on a Friday at the weekend and leave them to lock up after saying goodbye. Once, half an hour later, they phoned and said ‘You haven’t left then yet?’ but we were halfway out on the M25. They said there was a woman upstairs looking out at us.
“I also used to sit in my office, which was on the second floor, and I could feel a hand at the top of my chair, rocking me. There are all sorts of things. It was never a nasty or malignant presence, I could always deal with it. No problem. But then one day, I was walking down the stairs with a cup of tea in one hand and a plate in the other and I just fell. It wasn’t like a buckle, I went up in the air, both feet and landed on my back. My cup of tea and plate smashed. It took me five minutes to get my breath back.
“I just thought, ‘Christ, what was that?’ At the back of your mind, you wonder if it’s the ghost. When the team moved in we found out that there was a strong presence on that stairway.”
Shaun Williamson appears in Celebrity! Help My House on Thursday, January 23
Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted is a weekly series returning to Discovery+ for its fourth season, where this time six new celebrities call upon the help of paranormal experts, broadcaster Ian Lawman, TV presenter Barri Ghai, and paranormal researcher Jayne Harris.
From midnight opera singers to vengeful souls of highwaymen, the team triggers, confronts and banishes some of the most intimidating and defiant spirits of celebrity homes – including comedian and writer Dom Joly, 57, model and TV personality Jo Wood, 69, actress and singer Claire Sweeney, 53, TV personality James Argent, 37, former England rugby union player Chris Robshaw, 38, and his wife British singer Camilla Kerslake, 36, and of course Williamson.
For Shaun, his five-bedroom house hasn’t felt safe to live in. But in a dramatic spirit-trigger session during the second episode of the show, he confronts the spirit of a man named George, who murdered his wife in the 1900s.
Barri Ghai host Help! My House is Haunted
“It needed to be exorcised,” says Shaun.
“I can understand why people would say this is all crap. But there was no other reason why I fell like that. I’ve always been open to it [paranormal activity] and believed that the spirits of people linger after they are gone. But I was still 50-50 until the ghost started to inflict physical damage on you, that’s just a different league.”
Combined with the use of cutting-edge technology, the ghost-busting trio immerse themselves into the dark histories of inhabitants before them to help the celebrities reclaim their space once and for all.
“The kit they’ve got is really interesting, especially when they managed to frame his energy at the top of the stairs and create a human image,” says Shaun.
Jayne Harris is a podcaster and paranormal investigator but is best known for her roles in Discovery’s Help! My House is Haunted
“I wouldn’t call it a religious ceremony but it’s a set ceremony where they get in contact with the ghosts, which means you have to move out of your house for one night. It’s like a ritual where they also leave various things in their house, such as a crystal and gradually over time it diminishes.
“It’s all a bit weird. Even when they were gone, stuff still kept happening but not as bad. I still hear noises and sometimes the television comes on for no reason. So we got in touch with the team, who told us that it takes a while. It’s like they get the crap beaten out of them and then drain away.”
But how angry was Shaun with the spirit for disrupting his home?
“All it [ghost] did was insult me. It wasn’t great. I was angry it pushed me down the stairs, and that he wouldn’t let go of the spirit of his wife. So he’s just a wrong’en, George is an a***hole and he had to go.
Ian Lawman is one of the UK’s most highly sought exorcists
“That’s why I’m really glad of this programme, because now, even if bits of his spirit remain, it’s not doing any harm,” says Shaun.
“My wife’s brother who was interviewed in the show definitely felt it. We don’t really do that many sleepovers, so I think he’s the main member of the family who has moved into our home when we go on holiday, as an anti-burglary device. It was there, so it wasn’t just us.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like this, so it’s all new to me. It didn’t freak me out. I was more fascinated rather than frightened. I think the team has done their job, George is impotent.”
Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted comes to Discovery+ on Thursday, January 23