The strange case of twin girls who are believed to have reincarnated as their dead sisters who died in a car crash is back in the spotlight.

It also made a Hollywood star involved in reviving their story question everything thought about what happens to us when we die.

Gillian and Jennifer Pollock were born in 1958, just months after their siblings were tragically murdered in a British seaside village known as Hexham. Their story captivated the nation for years because of their father, John Pollock’s strong belief that his dead daughters, Joanna and Jacqueline, were actually their born-again twin sisters.

But after decades of fascination, including intense academic scrutiny and extensive media coverage, the Pollock family story has largely faded into oblivion.

Everything is about to change, thanks to a new Apple podcast called extrasensory, narrated by actor Will Sharpe. Known for his work at The White Lotus and currently stars in the Jesse Eisenberg-directed film, A real pain Sharpe was drawn to the project for its unique subject matter.

“It immediately grabbed my attention because at the heart of it is the idea of ​​reincarnation and whether or not it could be real, and I loved the idea of ​​this story making you think about the everyday in a different way. Sharpe said Newsweek.

“It makes you think… about all kinds of different transcendental ways of thinking and how that can change your perception of existence and life.”

Reincarnation is the religious or philosophical belief that a person’s soul is reborn into a new physical being after their biological death, according to the Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma.

Not only was the story fascinating to Sharpe, but so was the way executive producer Rosie Pye and her team pulled it together to make it an engaging listen.

Or, as Sharpe puts it, “it’s the kind of twisted, compelling story that makes you think about all those big questions.”

“The script wasn’t too serious and it leaves a bit of room to humanize the story and there are parts of it that are also quite funny,” he said. “It definitely goes to some spiritual places and some dark places along the way, but there’s also humanity in it.”

Pye, an experienced radio producer at BBCcame across the Pollocks when they were looking for ideas for a new podcast. She knew she wanted it to be about reincarnation and her interest was piqued when she learned about the “creepy twins”.

“The story became kind of a myth online because the family disappeared and so I tried to find out what the truth was,” she said. Newsweek.

When Pye learned that an American named Dr. Ian Stevenson was captivated by the Pollocks and traveled to Britain to suddenly study the story, at least that the family existed and believed the twins were reincarnations of their deceased. daughters, it was true.

“As a journalist you know it’s a gift because you suddenly realize that this thing, which is completely abstract and a myth, has become real,” she said. “And whether or not you agree with what they wrote or that the evidence is true, I want to try to find out what really happened and tell this story for the first time since the 1970s when a TV documentary was made about them”.

Both Sharpe and Pye agree that not only people interested in spirituality would love the eight-episode podcast, but also people who love mystery, great storytelling and, above all, the importance of family.

“I feel like people who like to think in a spiritual way or people who want to be challenged to think in a spiritual way would enjoy this, as well as people who like narrative or true podcasts,” he explained Sharpe, adding that the podcast score and the whole vibe is very Twin Peaks.

Sharpe also joked, “And of course people who came from another life.”

But has making the podcast changed the actor’s thoughts on death, the afterlife or reincarnation?

“The main thing it did was make me think about it, which I hadn’t done in a while,” he said. “I think parts of us go and exist again and remain in the world or universe in one form or another in a very abstract sense of holography.”

“I found myself wondering if I could bring myself to believe… I found myself saying, ‘I think I could get there,'” Sharpe concluded.

Extrasensory is available to listen to on Apple Podcasts.