A new way to enjoy a bump in the night - a paranormal podcaster's fictional ghost story

My nan used to tell wonderful ghost stories, which ended with lines like: "And then we looked at his feet on the dancefloor, and they were hooves, we had been dancing with the devil."

But now, the power of a pensioner's story telling skills in a room of terrified children has been overtaken by so many new methods of communication.

One of those is podcasts, and a master of the form is Danny Robins, whose paranormal podcasts has become global hits, as well as Radio 4 staples.

But could he make the transition, cross to the other side, from fact to fiction. Podcasting is a very personal medium, whereas theatre is communal.

Well 2:22:A Ghost Story is his answer, the fictional account of a yuppies' get together in a gentrified East End home has been a hit with audiences in the West End and now at Birmingham's perfectly atmospheric Alexandra Theatre.

This was the first run for the new cast, most of the audience were fans of the podcast, others like myself and partners of fans were totally ignorant of Robbins previous work.

A full theatre has a crackle of anticipation and the set and neon pink surround with Massive Attack's haunting and taught classic Angel proved the perfect act breaker.

The protagonists were introduced amid tight dialogue and familiar tropes, the couple with a newborn who had snapped up a pensioners home to rip it apart, and the old university female friend of the husband and her Cockney builder boyfriend.

Sam, played by George Rainsford, and Jenny, Fiona Wade, bickered over her belief there was a ghost in the house which had revealed himself at 2.22am every night since he was away. Sam is the sceptic-in-chief, he could have a bear hug by Casper and put it down to a scientific reason whereas Jenny, raised as a Christian, is already hating her new dream home because of too many bumps in the night.

Lauren, played by a believable Vera Chok ,a doctor and still carrying a torch for her old Uni friend just content just to drink her way through the dinner party, has brought working class builder boyfriend Ben along.

Jay McGuinness, best known for being in boy band The Wanted and alumni of Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama, was Ben, and by far from start to finish the most comfortable and believable on stage.

Ben was the butt of the joke at the start, of course he wasn't religious but prayed because 'it was better safe than sorry' but who became the soul of the show with his tales of how his working class area were taken over by yuppies, who laughed at dead mother's old decor as he sold the house, but was self-aware enough to admit "all I did was give them a business card".

The second half of the play wound the tension up tighter than a teenager making a Ouiji Board out of a beer mat, the lady next to me had already saw the show in Manchester and still "jumped out of her skin" despite knowing what was going to happen.

Themes of spiritualism were introduced, which my nan would have loved, if she had been sitting with me she would have elbowed me when Ben said he'd been told he had "the gift" and would have said "so have you".

I always presumed she was just told me because that's what granny's do, but now, after 2:22 I might just see if I can summon some spirits, and not just when the off-license has a sale.

2:22 is at the Alexandra Theatre until January 20, and also at the Wolverhampton Grand from February 20.