A wispy figure can be seen moving between two trees while May speaks at Pompeii. *(Amazon Prime)*

A ghostly figure appeared to walk behind English television presenter and journalist James May during the third episode of his recent docuseries, James May: Our Man in Italy, released July 14th.

The figure seemingly comes out of nowhere and travels a short distance before fading away.

May was visiting a mass grave in Pompeii, where, in 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, killing thousands.

Astute viewers quickly took to social media to point out the mysterious apparition.

May responded by tweeting, “My thanks to everyone who has pointed out the ‘ghost’ in ep3 of my new Italy series. Nobody saw it at the time, so it’s either a real ghost or (more likely but also more boring) just a bit of digital file corruption.”

My thanks to everyone who has pointed out the ‘ghost’ in ep3 of my new Italy series. Nobody saw it at the time, so it’s either a real ghost or (more likely but also more boring) just a bit of digital file corruption.
— James May (@MrJamesMay) July 15, 2022

Soon after, similar apparitions were spotted in episodes two and four of the series.

I came to ask about the ghost in episode 2. As you say "this is a mass grave" it walks across the street! pic.twitter.com/1lM0z1XA9S
— Danielle Daly (@danielledaly147) July 15, 2022

Some viewers speculated that a past tragedy might have contributed to the sightings. In both episodes two and three the apparitions were seen near the sites of mass graves.

Others pointed to the frequency of apparitions appearing in the videos as evidence of an editing mistake. It’s not unusual for passersby to be digitally edited out of footage, and an error made in this process could potentially explain the ghostly figures.

Still other viewers suspect that the apparitions might be deliberate.

I've just spotted another ghost in ep4 at 15mins. I have a feeling there's an editor having a giggle or it's a clever marketing strategy to generate social media buzz. Fun little easter egg pic.twitter.com/AxxxzAz0tQ
— The Noizician (@TNoizician) July 16, 2022

While hoaxes of this sort are not unusual among television shows, there is currently no direct evidence that the apparitions were added deliberately.

Regardless, some viewers expressed hope that this might be viral marketing for a ghost hunting show starring May.

“A reveal of a ghost hunting show hosted by James would be cracking television,” one fan commented.

No plans for such a show have so far been announced.

All of the episodes mentioned above are currently available to watch streaming on Amazon Prime.

To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

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