This 3-series Channel 4 show (UK TV) from the late ’90s was made by the Rapido company, the same people responsible for Eurotrash, and it’s with that same tongue planted firmly in cheek that Fortean TV took to our screens. The subject matter, however, was quite different.

Charles Fort was an American writer who became a world authority on matters which pushed the boundaries of known science, unnatural phenomena and the supernatural. He published several books, some of which influenced the science fiction of the time and when he died in 1932, the term Fortean became accepted parlance for anything a bit spooky. His cult following led to the creation of the publication The Fortean Times, upon which this series is based.

Each week, unusual phenomena from all over the world are investigated, ranging from ghostly sightings in rural England, monsters in Norwegian lakes, holy cows in America or the face of Mother Theresa miraculously turning up in a cinnamon roll…

So much for the content, a sometimes fascinating and sometimes gleeful look at the unusual.

But what makes Fortean TV well worth your time is the producer’s genius selection of host, Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe. A bonafide man of the cloth, Fanthorpe was, and remains, a writer fascinated with the very same things that had excited Charles Fort. With his shaved head, white beard and leather biker jacket, Fanthorpe wouldn’t look out of place propping up the bar at a fetish event in Berlin, only his dog collar betraying his heavenly calling.

His playful presentation, warm wit, and soothing tones elevate the programme beyond its modest production values. Fanthorpe even throws in a song to finish each episode. He’s just lovely.

This collection has every episode, including the final series, Fortean TV Uncut, and the Christmas special, Xmas Files. Great fun.

Fortean TV is available on DVD from November 21st.