Phantasm Collective is a new TV show from GhostÉire that uniquely blends the mystical with the scientific to explore the paranormal. ANN MASSEY McELROY talk to Anthony Kerrigan about the new series
Phantasm Collective Interview
For years the paranormal entertainment field has been saturated with TV, podcasts, radio and streaming shows – and we love it! With so much choice, how does a brand-new TV show stand out and grab your attention? Let’s find out! We spoke with Anthony Kerrigan of GhostÉire about his new show, Phantasm Collective.
ANN MASSEY McELROY: Anthony, can you tell us what Phantasm Collective is all about?
Anthony Kerrigan: Absolutely! The show is a deep dive into the paranormal, focusing on three main aspects: spiritual and supernatural, psychological and physiological and environmental and scientific. We explore these elements by looking into ghosts, legends, and magic. We then examine how the mind and body respond to fear. We also use cutting-edge technology to analyse what’s happening around us. The episodes were all shot in Irish locations known for reported activity.
What is Phantasm Collective about?
Each episode tackles just one of these aspects in a very focused way. We’re not just hunting for ghosts – we’re also investigating how our minds might play tricks on us, or how environmental factors could be affecting our experiences. By the end of each episode, we aim to answer a specific question related to that topic. Whether we can answer it or not adds to the suspense.
What makes it unique compared to other paranormal shows out there?
AK: What sets us apart is our commitment to blending the mystical with the scientific – we’re not just chasing shadows. We are looking at everything from historical context to psychological influences, then backing it up with scientific data. Plus, our team is made up of experts with diverse backgrounds. The team range from traditional witchcraft to technical analysis, which really enriches the investigations.
How does a typical episode play out?
Each episode focuses on one of the three main aspects and we conduct two nights of investigations. On the first night, a paranormal team, or sometimes our own team (GhostÉire), investigate the chosen aspect. On the second night, we experiment with various techniques to try and find a rational explanation. By the end of the episode, we present our findings, and hopefully, answer the central question we started with.
Besides you, who else features on the show and why are they perfect for it?
Besides myself, we have Jessica Murphy, a modern-day witch who’s skilled in tarot and mediumship. Jessica brings a deep understanding of the spiritual side, while I focus on the broader spectrum, including the scientific and psychological angles. Together, we offer a balanced perspective that’s both intriguing and credible. Plus, our different backgrounds make for some really interesting discussions and approaches to the investigations.
Do you think this show has the potential to run beyond one series?
Absolutely. The three aspects we explore – spiritual phenomena, psychological influences, and environmental data – are incredibly rich fields. There’s always something new to discover and the balance we strike between belief and scepticism will keep both sides of the audience engaged. The technology and techniques we use are constantly evolving, so we’ll always have fresh material to work with.
How did you make the filming different to other popular shows?
It’s filmed in a documentary style, but with a thrilling edge. We use night-vision cameras for mobility and more sophisticated equipment for high-quality static shots. There’s no chaotic running around. Instead, we focus on capturing the atmosphere and unique surroundings in a way that’s both informative and captivating. Our production company, Deep Red, is based in County Cork, and they’ve done an incredible job bringing this vision to life.
Historically, production companies have been accused of manipulating and faking evidence for entertainment value. What makes yours different?
Deep Red are a talented team based in County Cork, Ireland. They’re passionate about the paranormal and bring a lot of creativity and expertise to the table. Together, we’re committed to making a show that’s not only entertaining but also intellectually stimulating and visually stunning.
Finally, when and where will we be able to see Phantasm Collective?
Our show will be available in the autumn to stream on platforms such as Amazon Prime and Plex.
The Guildhall in Leicester is a 14th century building with loads of history and plenty of spooks ready to be investigated by the Most Haunted team, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: The Guildhall Location: Leicester, Leicestershire Series: 4 Episode Number: 10 Originally broadcast: 25 May 2004
Review of The Guildhall Leicester, Most Haunted
In the opening scene, Yvette tells us about phantom police, monks and ghostly footsteps, a white lady and poltergeist. Guildhall has been around since 1390, the timber framed building has been a meeting place, a library, a lockup, a theatre and police headquarters. In the last two years demolition and building the new café/restaurant took over land that was a graveyard. In the café chairs have been known to move on their own and the service bell can he heard when no one is around.
A white lady has been seen in the library, bolts on doors open and lock on their own. A monk has been known to turn pages in a bible that is left on the table, staff have commented that they will close the book at night and the next morning the bible is open again with no logical explanation. There is a black cat seen on the stairs that tries to trip people up before disappearing.
In the jury room, footsteps can be heard along with phantom voices, policemen and dark shadows have been seen, locked doors rattle, and sounds are heard from rooms that are not occupied. Outside in the courtyard a large black dog has been seen which charges aggressively at people.
Phil Wyman talks about recent building work and that since then there has been an increase in activity, he makes a comment that Guildhall has everything from policemen to phantom animals. He talks about the white lady in the library might be mistaken from a monk in white robes. The building is very atmospheric through the day, so he is really excited to see what the nighttime brings.
Derek Acorah is the medium on the show and he immediately says he picks up on the residual energy that is in the building, he can hear whispering and feels like he is surrounded by a group of men. He comments that these men thought that they were the elite, and they made the big decisions. Derek also picks up on young children and goes on to describe a classroom environment, information comes on the screen saying that Guildhall was a school between 1876 and 1921.
Derek picks up on men in old uniforms, one of the men is grounded and one resides on the higher levels. He asks his spirit guide Sam if he can get any names for these men, but he is unable to get any through.
Moving into the library, he picks up on the energy of a strong-willed woman and can hear the sound of the pages of a book being moved. He says there is a schoolteacher, who had a hidden side to her, she was cruel with the children that were in her charge. The names Winifred and Charlotte come through but as always with no surnames they cannot be traced.
David Wells join the investigation, and he starts in the cells, he feels like he doesn’t want to go inside that he is being forced through the door. Inside he senses a male energy who is mean, he thinks that he is a cannibal and is definitely a murderer. Yvette says the cells make her feel really sick and David says this is the energy from the room that she is picking up on. David can pick up the features of this male which he describes but cannot get a name for him. He feels that he was hung around the building and says there may have been gallows on the site at some point.
Derek then visits the cells, he picks up on a lot of audios, banging and screeching sounds that can be heard. Derek picks up on the surnames Smith and Gemmie, these females were in there because they were pickpockets. Information comes up on the screen saying this was the case in the Victorian era they were held for pickpocketing.
Upstairs in the police headquarters, staff of Guildhall have reported hearing movement, and one employee can hear these noises from her office when she knows no-one is around. Noises can be heard as Derek begins talking, he picks up on the energy of a man, who moves things making clattering sounds. He picks up on the name Edmund, there is a connection with this name and the building.
Back down in the library, Derek feels the energy of two men duelling with swords, he feels this fight is over power and one wants the others position in society. He picks up on the name John Fransis but there are no records found in connection with the name and the building. Derek also points out that people will hear the sound of swords in this room.
Now is my favourite part in the episode, when the team split up. Cath, John, Tom and David head back down to the cells with Yvette who is beginning to feel claustrophobic. David picks up on a heavy feeling in the room, at the same time Yvette can smell something not nice. He then picks up on the feeling of ropes on his neck and someone being ill in the room, using it as a toilet. Yvette then makes herself jump, which is funny (sorry Yvette).
Stuart and Karl then swap with Yvette and team down in the cells. Karl locks Stuart in one and he goes into the other. Nothing much happens in the cells and tiredness is getting the better of Stuart. Karl is calling out; a noise can be heard in the cell and at the same time an orb passes Stuarts legs. They try to find the source of the noise, but they are unable to.
Yvette and team are up in the police headquarters, as they are walking in, they hear a loud bang which makes everyone jump. David is feeling uneasy, so they move further into the room. He picks up on an angry spirit that is moving things around, he says the spirit feels that these objects don’t belong where they are. David is then drawn to a child’s police helmet.
Down in the library, Phill and his team pick up on some loud footsteps above them. They later speak to Yvette and Karl who inform him that they were not above him at the time of the footsteps and this can be verified by camera shots.
The episode draws to a close with a recap of the night and Yvette’s signature sign off.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, The Guildhall Leicester, in the comments section below!
The Most Haunted crew heads to Chatham Dockyards in Kent to discover maritime ghostly experiences, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: Chatham Dockyards Location: Chatham, Kent Series: 4 Episode Number: 9 Originally broadcast: 18 May 2004
Review of Chatham Dockyards Most Haunted
Murder, suicide, and a headless apparition, Yvette itroduces the episode while walking through the dockyard. Chatham was an important dockyard for many years; Royal Naval ships were made and repaired there, including the famous HMS Victory, which was Nelson’s flagship. The dockyard was at the forefront of modernisation until 1984, when it closed its doors.
Some of the spirits that appear are a young boy who was murdered and decapitated, two duelling cavalier soldiers, dark shadows, and the sound of dragging chains are just some of the noises that have been heard throughout the yard.
In the commissioners house, the apparition of the Port Admiral has been seen, along with the ghost of a grey lady on the stairs and landing. A man is believed to have been thrown from the tower, and a woman in a long dress has been in the flag room. The duty manager of the dockyard conducts ghost walks, and they have seen the apparition of a woman believed to have taken her own life, called Mary, in the commissioner’s house.
Richard Felix explains that in the joiner’s workshop, there is a dark evil figure who lurks in the shadows. People experience a sense of foreboding when they enter. Cold spots can be felt, and people have experienced the sensation of being pushed over.
The most haunted place in the dockyards is the commissioners house. A young girl hung herself, filled with grief over her lover being killed in battle. Screams and cries have been heard late into the night, and dark shadows have been seen moving around. Sightings at the commissioner’s house can be dated back to the late 17th century.
Derek Acorah is the medium on the show, and they start in the commissioner’s house. He becomes aware of a woman’s energy as she moves between rooms. Derek goes on to say that if they move to a different room, he will pick up on her energy more. This spirit is seen moving through the walls. Derek says she is a very bossy woman who he feels is grounded in the house. He says he feels that the woman died in 1956, but as always, without a name, she cannot be traced.
Derek then expresses that he would like to go higher in the house up to the attic, and he immediately picks up on the energy of a male that stalks the attic level. There are a lot of audible sounds that can be heard up there: screams, footsteps, and dragging noises.
Derek consults with Sam, his spirit guide, who offers the information that there is a woman up on the level with the male energy; she is responsible for the shadows that people see. Phil confirms that while he was conducting his baseline tests, there was a handle that was thrown in the room, and there was no one else up there with him.
Psychic artist Brian Shepard is left in the attic. He picks up on a woman who seems to be taking blankets out of the cupboard but later feels that she is then taking a rope. Brian then picks up on a stronger male presence; he feels this man is full of remorse. This is a high-ranking male who paid a price for something.
Brian picks up on the name Peter, and information comes up on the screen saying Peter Pett was the commissioner in the 17th century when the docks were attacked by the Dutch. The drawing Brian has done is a photo of Peter Pett, and they are very similar.
Ghostly Activityi in the Attic
Over in the joiner’s workshop, Derek picks up on a male presence that is causing most of the activity in there. Just as Derek is saying this, a noise can be heard, and this makes Yvette jump out of her skin. Derek picks up on the energy, not wanting them to be in there; this makes Yvette feel more on edge, and she says she doesn’t like the feeling in the building.
The energy of a soldier in uniform makes Derek jump, and then he begins trying to possess Derek. He says this person is not nice; they are a bad one. The soldier does not belong in the area, and he then becomes very aware that this person has killed someone.
As they move around the workshop, Derek expresses to Sam, his spirit guide, that this spirit belongs outside, but he is aware the team is in the building and is listening to them.
Just as he is saying this, a crew member jumps as something clips his ear. Derek calls out, asking for him to show himself. Tom feels something on his back as they are walking in the middle of the room.
Karl is in the commissioner’s house on his own; noises can be heard in the background as he is spinning around searching for the sounds; an orb can be seen; and he makes the comment that the temperature seems to be dropping. Karl then picks up a dragging sound in the room, but he cannot find a source for it. As he moves to another room, the door slams shut by itself.
Back with the team in the joiner’s shop, as Richard and Yvette were talking, dragging sounds could be heard. Being brave, they set off to find the location of the sound. Phil starts explaining that dark shadows have been seen in the shop, and Yvette begins to freak out as she hears a shuffling sound behind her. As this is happening, Richard calls out for the apparition to appear, and Yvette freaks out even more. It is quite funny that she scares so easily.
Karl is still in the commissioner’s house; up in the attic, he can hear noises, but he thinks this is the wind outside. There are then loud banging noises from inside the room. He begins to ask out as he can hear sounds all around him. The door upstairs slams shut again and scares him.
The teams swap over, and Yvette heads to the commissioner’s house and Karl heads to the joiner’s workshop. In the workshop, he can hear dragging sounds but then makes light of the situation, saying that he has left his cuppa upstairs! A loud banging sound can be heard, but he is not sure if this is coming from the door.
Yvette’s team is up in the attic of the commissioner’s house, and Derek, out of nowhere, begins laughing in a deep voice. They pick up on a young boy named Barney, who is nine; no links can be found to the name or the building. Derek also picks up on a woman named Lizzy; he becomes very aggressive when the crew tries to push him for more information. Yvette brings him back into the room, and Derek discusses how Lizzy made him feel.
Various crews begin recapping the night’s events; they look at it rationally and think that some of the noises that can be heard may have a rational explanation. Yvette concludes the episode with her signature sign off, “Until next time, sleep tight.”.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, Chatham Dockyards, in the comments section below!
Derek Acorah had many fans and detractors. GEMMA JOHNSON recounts a profound experience 18 years ago with the late TV psychic medium that left her with a lasting impression…
There can be a great deal of mistrust surrounding mediums, and quite rightly so in some cases. I have witnessed my fair share of mediumship ‘performances’ where there has been blatant cold questioning and manipulation of the answers.
However, I have also encountered mediums that have recalled information that there was no way of them knowing, accurate details relating to family members who have passed, and also those that are still very much alive.
Just recently, I came across a note that I had scribbled down during a private reading over 10 years ago. Several of the predictions that were made have come true. I won’t bore you with them, but needless to say, my sceptical husband was even impressed by them.
That tattered old piece of paper got me reflecting on mediumship, specifically the medium with whom I had an astounding experience with – Derek Acorah.
There is no doubt that there has been much controversy surrounding Derek. Those who watched the early days of Most Haunted will remember the infamous Creed Kafer incident, an incident that led to ridicule and followed Derek around after his time with Most Haunted had finished. Derek played a character on Most Haunted; it did draw in the viewers wanting to see his ‘possessions’ and his eccentricities, but then this created a cloud of doubt that remained with him. Even today, almost four years after his passing, the ridicule remains and has created, in my opinion, an unfair legacy of his mediumship.
Speak to anyone who knew Derek outside of Most Haunted, and they will tell you – as they have told me – that he was vastly different from his character on the programme. Derek embarked on a series of stage shows where the audience was able to see a glimpse of the real Derek away from the television cameras and the focus on viewing numbers. I went to watch Derek in February 2005 at a venue in Greater Manchester with my now-husband and my sister. We had an experience at that stage show that remains with us today.
Before I go into specifics, a little background is needed here. At the time of going to the show, we had a gravely ill family member, a much-loved aunt, who had been battling cancer for some time. The day leading up to the show was unremarkable; no news had been received from our auntie, so we went as planned.
When we arrived at the venue, we were seated on the upper level, facing the stage. The stage had a simple stool and a table with a glass of water on it. Derek was announced, and he came on to a welcoming applause. Sam (his spirit guide) was also present, and the readings began. We watched as there was a mixture of responses to the information Derek was sharing – some right on the mark, some rather vague. A general mixed bag, but that is possibly to be expected.
But then something happened. Derek was in the middle of providing information to a lady sitting close to the stage. During the reading, he seemed to be distracted and kept turning to look to his right. Becoming more and more distracted, he held his hand up, signalling to the audience that he needed to stop the reading.
I remember his words to this day: he said he was being interrupted by a very persistent lady who had come through to him; she had only recently passed, and she was adamant that she wanted to get a message to her family who were in the audience. The whole of the theatre fell silent. Derek took a really deep breath and told us, the audience, that this was very unusual and we should bear with him because she wasn’t going away.
He went on to describe the lady: she was fairly short, had bright red hair, and was wearing red lipstick. She sounded exactly like our auntie; my sister and I shot each other a puzzled look. Going on, he described what had caused her passing: she’s had breast cancer; it has returned and spread; she’s tried hard to fight it, but it was too much. Again, my sister and I looked at each other. Was it? Could it be? Someone would have told us if she had passed away, right? So, we didn’t respond.
Derek pleaded for the family members to come forward, but the theatre remained silent. My sister and I looked at each other again and agreed that no one had told us anything about our Auntie so it couldn’t be her. At that exact moment, Derek informed the audience that the lady had just realised that her family, present at the show, didn’t know that she had passed earlier that day, but when they find out, they should be comforted knowing that she isn’t in pain anymore and that she is with the family. With that, it seemed that the lady had stepped back, and Derek continued with the show.
During the drive home, we were talking about Derek and his readings, coming back again and again to the information that he shared about the lady who had just passed. It was obviously just a coincidence, but we wanted to be sure. We dropped my sister off at home; the car hadn’t even fully stopped before we both jumped out. My sister flung the door open, ran in to find my mom, and asked the question about my auntie – had she passed? Mum told us both to sit down – that’s when we knew. It turned out that she had passed early in the morning; at our auntie’s request, we were not to be told until after our night out.
I know that everyone has their opinions on Derek, and some may disagree with my thoughts here, perhaps disbelieving them or finding other explanations for my experience. Whatever your thoughts, the encounter we had at that show brought great comfort to us during the difficult times that followed. Unbeknownst to Derek, he became part of our family story that evening, a testament to the fact that we still talk about it 18 years later.
Tell us your memories of Derek Acorah in the comments section below!
The Chough Hotel in Somerset has a dark past, the perfect place for an investigation by the Most Haunted crew, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: The Chough Hotel Location: Chard, Somerset Series: 5 Episode Number: 1 Originally broadcast: 14 September 2004
Review of The Chough Hotel, Most Haunted
The Chough Hotel in Chard, Somerset, is one of the most haunted pubs in Britain, filled with poltergeist activity and apparitions. Built in the 16th century and named after a bird, the hotel has survived a fire and has more than 400 years of tales to tell.
Richard Felix talks about some of the more memorable moments for the building, including the Battle of Sedgemore in 1685, the reign of Judge Jefferies, 12 local men who were tried and hanged at the crossroads outside. The building has also been home to a school and a brothel.
Up in the children’s room, the landlord speaks about his daughter playing an imaginary friend. They believe it is a girl called Elizabeth, who in 1845, poisoned herself as she did not want to be a prostitute like her mother and sister. Dark shapes have also been seen in the room, along with a man who has been seen in the door of the office.
In the attic, it is believed that a man hanged himself, his apparition has been seen up there. Lightbulbs have exploded and objects move around on their own.
Down in the bar, males have been seen both at the bar and at the pool table. There is even a spirit couple, whose apparitions have been seen sitting at one of the tables. Footsteps can be heard and apparitions have been seen in the doorway.
Dr David Bull joins the investigation for the first time, he normally hosts Most Haunted Live events and talks about what he is expecting from the investigation. He also makes light of the fact that normally, he is sat in front of a warm fireplace when the investigations take place.
Derek Acorah joins the team, and they begin their walk around with him. Starting off in the bar area, Derek picks up on the energy of a man who he describes as a prankster, he moves things about in the area but there is no malice to him.
Over by the fireplace, Derek feels the presence of another man, who he names as George Jefferies. He says that this spirit deals out the justice, he consults with his spirit guide Sam and says that he would put people to death, information pops up on the screen confirming this.
As they continue through the bar, Derek shouts out the name Winifred, at the same time as this is happening footsteps can be heard upstairs, the landlord confirms that no one is up there. Derek feels that Winifred is associated with witchcraft and that an evil intent in the building comes from higher levels.
Derek says that Sam is communicating that he should ask about the coffin, this puzzles Yvette and the team, the landlord then says that there was a coffin found in the fireplace, which is now upstairs, but it can be confirmed that he has not told anyone about the coffin. They bring the coffin down and Derek confirms that it is the witch’s familiar inside.
Derek then picks up on George again and comments how cold it has become; David also confirms that the temperature has dropped. Derek picks up on the energy of what he is describing as a headstone. Yvette confirms that part of the bricks around the fireplace there is a headstone and even though it is worn, letters can be made out, the name on the stone starts with a W and Derek says this is Winifred’s headstone.
David, Richard and Yvette visit the crossroads with psychic Ian Lawman, who thinks that a tree just past the crossroads is where the hangings took place and people would watch from the crossroads. David is quite sceptical and questions Ian about some of the history of this area.
Back inside the hotel, Ian and David start in the first-floor lounge. Ian picks up on a male who he feels would be a woodworker, he feels this person might have lost limbs. The name he is given for this person is John. Moving into the child’s bedroom, he feels that there is a male spirit who is very strict and angry. He picks up on a child who has a disability and feels that the child died of suffocation.
Down in the bar area, Ian picks up on the surname Gillingham, information pops up on the screen saying that John Gillingham 1839-1924 was a very wealthy man, making artificial limbs. Ian says that he was a nice man, who would help anyone but has a dark side particularly if they couldn’t pay him back.
Up in the attic in night vision, Yvette is very on edge as are the rest of the team. Derek informs the team that there are a group of spirits that are in the attic watching them. He senses more female energy than male. He also picks up on the rituals that would have taken place. David is convinced that while Derek has been talking, he can see someone behind him.
Derek says he knows the individuals are able to do something, so he begins calling out. While everything is quiet a freeze makes a noise making everyone jump, the team are then informed that the power is not connected so there is no logical reason for it to make the noise.
Downstairs in the children’s bedroom, Derek picks up on children’s spirits that communicate with the landlords’ children. He also picks up on a child with a disability, which he is then informed that Ian picked up on the same thing earlier and neither have spoken to the other. He then goes on to say that the child is struggling to breathe and that is how they passed.
Moving on Derek asks the landlord if he has trouble with the electrics in the building, he says that the spirits use the energy, and the electrics will suddenly blow. Landlord confirms this and says that even the supplier cannot find a reason for this. Derek then goes on to say that the spirits are just waiting to see what happens with the team and they are wanting them to be split up.
Ian picks up on a wealthy gentleman who he describes as wearing a top hat who calls in for a quick drink. Yvette’s walkie talkie goes off as the team are hearing movement and want to confirm if it is them, which she says that it isn’t. As this is happening, Derek becomes overwhelmed and appears to be in the first part of a possession, Derek is asking Sam to remove it from him as Yvette is calling for him to come forward.
Back up in the attic, Derek calls out for the spirits but quickly becomes distressed when he says they are blocking his ears. Banging and footsteps can be heard while in the attic, the team think it is coming from the room below, so they move back to the children’s room.
David Bull decides to go it alone in the attic. He quickly becomes paranoid that he is been watched as he sees a figure out of the corner of his eye. He says that the room has a weird feeling to it, and he does not like it very much. After about 10 minutes of been alone up there, David bails and heads down to the rest of the team.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, The Chough Hotel, in the comments section below!
The Old Hall Hotel was so scary, Richard Felix admits he wouldn’t sleep there in this series five episode of Most Haunted, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: The Old Hall Hotel Location: Sandbach, Cheshire Series: 5 Episode Number: 2 Originally broadcast: 21 September 2004
Review of The Old Hall Hotel, Most Haunted
The Old Hall Hotel is one of the most haunted hotels in Britain, with 14 apparitions and a violent poltergeist. The building dates over 350 years. It has been a manor house, a parsonage, a pub and it is now a hotel.
Richard Felix talks about the house been originally built for John Radclyffe in 1656. In room 2 a man hung himself, in room 11 a person died while in their favourite chair. Current staff of the hotel talk about the noises that come from the room and guest have felt pushed under the water while in the bath.
The old building was ravaged by a fire, students who were filming in the hotel fled in terror down to the kitchen where knives moved on their own. The chef of the hotel talks about when he was cleaning down the kitchen and he was covered in ice as it fell from the sky. Some of the panelling of the new building was brought from Haslington Hall, while they were removing it a skeleton was found, and it is believed that the ghost has followed the beams.
Gabi Roslin is a guest on the investigation, Yvette asks is she is a believer, or a sceptic and she says she is definitely a believer. She has had experiences in the past while staying at her grandparents’ house. Gabi is looking forward to the night’s investigation.
The mediums on the investigation are Derek Acorah and David Wells. In the lounge/dining room, Derek picks up on a man, he says the energy is deep in thought and contemplation, he feels that he is a priest. Derek found a door in the panelling of the wall, which he says leads to a tunnelling system underneath the hotel.
Derek then picks up the energy of a man who is active in the dining room, but this spirit does not interact with the monks. Derek talks about the man’s energy is very authoritative figure and picks up on the name John. Information pops up on the screen saying that the old hall was built for Sir John Radclyffe in 1656.
Moving upstairs Derek instinctively closes one of the doors and states that he does not like the energy that is in that room. Heading towards room 11, he picks up on someone walking in and causing havoc in the room. He then gives an example of the things that the spirit would do in the room, this included a person having a bath and the water would drain or overflow in the room. Gabi begins asking if Derek knew anything about the room as she is being sceptical.
While in the room earlier, David picked up on the sound of a cat meowing and he asked if Gabi had heard the sound too. A clip then comes on showing the moment earlier. David says that the cat follows the lady’s energy. Her apparition can be seen in the chair, she has a good energy but lost her life by a possible heart attack.
Down in the kitchen Gabi feels uneasy in the room but Yvette makes her enter by saying if she can do it then Gabi can too. Derek picks up on individuals rushing into the building and been slaughtered in battle. Outside in the courtyard David has also picked up on fighting and screaming. On 3 September 1651, Scottish soldiers lost their lives in the Civil War.
Derek channels the energy of a very depressed person, says he has lost his spark and the way that he died was not natural. He begins clutching at this throat and begins trying to ask Sam, his spirit guide, to take it off. Gaining his composure again Derek informs the group that the man hung himself, that he had been pushed to his limits. He was an overly sensitive, others ridiculed him, he names the spirit as Matthew Tennant, 1659-1660. There is no record of this man, but other mediums have picked up on him on previous investigations.
Up in the attic, Derek senses the residual energy of heavy footsteps and thuds. David also picked up on these sounds earlier. Derek identifies the man as angry and violent; he was a well-known man, possibly a Lord who would take advantage of young maids. He feels the energy of the young women will be stronger in the cellar.
Venturing down into the cellar, Derek takes the crew to a wall and informs them that if they knock the wall down, they will uncover a skeleton of the young woman. Above them there is lots of knocking and banging, when Yvette radios through there is no one above them. Derek says the powers above knew what was happening to the girls, but they looked the other way.
David Wells is in room 11 and he is instantly drawn to the bathroom, he gets inside the bath and begins to feel a restriction on his throat, causing his voice to change. Cath gets in the bath after David she says she is feeling fine, but her voice begins to crack as she is talking. Cath is then convinced that she is sliding down the bath, but she is not moving. At this moment David hears the voice of a man saying that he shouldn’t mess with him.
Down in the cellar, Stuart is down there on his own said that he was all up for coming down on his own when he was with everyone but now, he is there he is feeling different about it. He begins to call out, but he seems to be getting annoyed with this. Panning the camera round Stuart thinks he has seen something but there is nothing on the camera.
In room 11, Karl, Yvette, Derek and Ray are in the room calling out for the spirit of the woman, when Derek exclaims that he can see something by the wardrobe, but nothing is visible on the camera. Derek can see a swarm of bees around a woman, Karl and Derek move closer to the wardrobe and an orb flies through the middle of them.
At the end of the night, Richard Felix returns to his room, where he finds two books stacked up on the windowsill. He is the only one with a key to the room and he swears that he did not do it. Yvette tried to recreate the balancing books and it takes her around 10 minutes to balance them. Richard is convinced that it is poltergeist activity, finishing the episode by saying “I ain’t bloody sleeping in here”.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, The Old Hall Hotel, in the comments section below!
The Most Haunted team visit The Manor House Restaurant in West Bromwich to investigate its 800-year-old mysteries, ghostly sightings and unexplained phenomena, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: The Manor House Restaurant Location: West Bromwich, West Midlands Series: 4 Episode Number: 12 Originally broadcast: 8 June 2004
The Manor House Restaurant, Most Haunted Review
Yvette opens the episode talking about the 800 years of history of The Manor House Restaurant, the dark figures that can be seen and unexplained power cuts. The building is listed in the Doomsday book and was owned by the Baron of Dudley in the late 13th century.
The building was sold and changed hands through the 17th and 18th centuries before it was set to be demolished in the 1950. It has since been restored to the restaurant that stands today.
Richard Felix discusses the house and the 800 years of habitation there, including the chapel that is part of the building. Lots of visitors have had experiences, with eyewitnesses hearing footsteps.
The chapel has its lights turned on and off by themselves and the figure of a man has been seen standing at the window. The owners found a sealed room when renovating and since then a spirit of a young girl has been seen. The strangest haunting in this building though is the ghost that has been seen in the ladies’ toilets.
Phil Wyman conducts his baseline tests, sets up his trigger objects including a cross on some paper in one of the rooms and leaves a Dictaphone running. Derek Acorah begins his walkaround in the chapel. He says he is getting impressions of heat, feeling useless and the flames are enclosing around him. He also senses a little girl running around the building and looking out of the windows. He believes that she lost her life due to smoke inhalation, as did her grandmother who is there with her. The information is displayed that a fire did break out in the 16th century.
The crew move on to a place under the building where lots of artefacts have been found and stored. Derek picks up on a murder in this room, even though there has been no record of a murder at the manor. The body is buried under the patio outside, and he was quite confident that if it is dug up, they would find the remains of this person.
Things are getting hot at The Manor House Restaurant
They venture to one of the bedrooms, where Derek picks up on flames and heat again, but Yvette feels very uneasy in this area, almost scared. Following up from the earlier energies that Derek picked up on, the little girl is called Emily, and she is active in this area. Phil comments that this is a coincidence as the staff have named the little girl Emily. Derek is unable to get a surname for the girl so as always, this information cannot be verified without one. Yvette mentions that she can feel a burning sensation on her hand, and it is tender to touch.
The team then spent the rest of the investigation split between the sealed room and the attic. While in the sealed room, the crew begin to feel nervous, with Karl developing a headache and Stuart getting back pain. Derek can hear noises coming from the attic, where he picks up on the energy of a man with the surname Clarke. Information pops up and says that the Clarke family owned the property in 1713 up until 1823.
The crew then split into smaller groups, Yvette begins a séance which results in knocks on the table and a feeling of a girl dancing round the table. Karl and Stuart are in the sealed room where they begin calling out, moving sounds can be heard coming from the room, knocking sounds are evident and the temperature seems to drop.
Karl and Stuart say that they feel quite relaxed but lightheaded in the room, as they are talking scratching can be heard coming from the panelling. There are footsteps coming from outside the room, the scratching is happening in response to the questions they are asking. Stuart says he is feeling uncomfortable, like he is being watched but Karl is the complete opposite and feels quite calm.
Yvettes’ group move to the chapel area, they begin to experience the latch on the door rattling, and everyone feels uneasy. As they are calling out the latch begins to rattle again, they can hear sounds coming from the stairs at the other side of the door and what sounds like gravel being thrown.
My favourite part of the episode is when they go to investigate the lady’s toilet, not only is it funny to watch them all try to squeeze in the space, but they all get the scare of their lives in there too. As they are talking, there is a hissing sound that sends them spiralling into terror.
However, it is Derek that says that it is just the air freshener going off!! They all feel rather silly when they realise that it is an automatic spray and not something malevolent.
The episode begins to wrap up with Derek in the sealed room, he hears a few knocking noises but not much other than that. Richard goes to the artefact room where he is convinced that he has seen a figure walk past the door and goes out to investigate. He shouts out to Stuart who says that he is nowhere near the entrance and no other crew members are around.
WORDS
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, The Manor House Restaurant, in the comments section below!
Yvette Fielding and the team explore Edinburgh’s Mary King’s Close, encountering mysterious energies in plague-affected areas, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: Mary King’s Close Location: Edinburgh Series: 4 Episode Number: 7 Originally broadcast: 4 May 2004
Mary King’s Close, Most Haunted Review
The beautiful Yvette Fielding opens the episode; beneath the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, dark figures, apparitions, and phantom body parts have all been seen. In 1645, the close was a breeding ground for the plague. In the 18th century, the Royal Exchange building was built on top of the seven-story close, and the streets were evacuated, closing the close.
Some of the homes on the close are still intact, and in one home, known as the Chesney House, staff members refuse to enter when on tours, and after lights out, shadows can be seen and an apparition of a man is seen in the doorway, along with footsteps echoing late into the night.
In the Murder House, a woman murdered her son-in-law, and his figure has been seen reliving his death over and over. In Annie’s room, staff have felt cold spots, heard voices, and seen shadows. The ghost of a little girl has been seen, looking for her mother. Visitors to the close often bring her toys to keep her company.
Phil talks to Yvette about his first impressions of the place, and he openly admits that it is dark and spooky. He then begins to talk about marsh gases that leaked into the close in 1645 and were known to cause hallucinations.
Derek Acorah is the medium for the episode, and as soon as he enters, he says he is picking up on the residual energy of several people; he can hear screaming and crying; he picks up on people being marked; and above all, he has a really horrible smell. He goes on to say that there are a lot of ill people who were not necessarily looked after like they should have been. He picks up on the plague in the close and talks about the decaying skin and flesh causing the smell down there.
In the Plague Room, Yvette openly admits that she hates the room, and while Derek is talking about the energy that he picks up on in the room, there is a moaning sound. He also picks up on the animals that were kept in a room off to the side, and information pops up on the bottom of the screen saying that this was the case. In this room, he picks up on a man’s energy that feels responsible for spreading the plague. In the close, further information pops up on the screen, saying that in 1645, a man named John Craig passed the plague on to his family.
Over in the Chesney House, movement and shouting are picked up on by Derek. He says some might pick up on the feeling of being unwanted, so they don’t want to come into the house. Derek says the man who moves in this area is responsible for causing this fear. He is unable to pick up on a name for this man but is adamant that he killed people in this area around 1651, even though he didn’t live in the house.
In the Long Room, Derek wrinkles his nose as he walks in and picks up on dismembered body parts rather than a whole person. He describes the parts and says if someone sees this, they might think they have gone crazy. Derek also picks up on a man named Thomas Weir, who was the major, but no links can be found to him or the close. Information comes up that this man was executed in 1670, not 1691, as Derek claimed.
During this investigation, they invited guest medium Derek Ogilvie, who begins to pick up on a woman almost immediately who he felt wanted to clear her lungs. Some of the spirit presences he feels are saying that it always feels like a circus, with lots of people coming and going. The name Derek picks up on is Sheila, but as always, without a surname, she cannot be traced.
Back with Derek Acorah in Annie’s room, he talks about the different energies that he can pick up on. He picks up on a little girl whose energy moves around as she is looking for her parents; he feels that she may have starved to death, but he does pick up on the energy of her mother too.
In room ten, Derek picks up on the residual energy of a man who lost his wife; he picks up residual screaming, and there is a murderer who is grounded in this area who causes lots of audible sounds and shadows that people have seen.
Cath has decided to visit the Chesney House, where she feels like she is being watched and begins to feel quite sick. Just as she is discussing how claustrophobic it is on the close, a huge light anomaly comes towards her on the camera. She also captures a couple of banging and crackling sounds while in the house.
Derek Ogilvie goes up to the plague room and immediately picks up on the energy of a man standing in the corner. He suddenly has to leave the room in quite a hurry, seeming to be overwhelmed, before he collapses on the floor.
In the main part of the close, Karl finds a tunnel that he wants to explore. In true Karl style, it is a small, cramped space, but he manages to squeeze through his feet first. Yvette can hear some banging coming from above them, which is also caught on tape, so they all go off to investigate, seeming to forget about poor Karl stuck down the hole. Karl finds the situation funny that they have left him; the source of the noises seems to be pipes creaking, nothing paranormal.
Karl, Alex, Tom, and Stuart go off to investigate in Annie’s room, where a teddy is seen by one of the crew members being thrown across the room. Noises can be heard at the same time this happened; the crew begins to feel scared; they don’t even want to look around the room.
Summing up the episode, Richard Felix says that the close is bound to be haunted due to all the tragedy that happened down there, and Phil says that even during the day there is a sombre feeling, but he would love to investigate it again.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, Mary King’s Close, in the comments section below!
The Most Haunted Team visit The Wellington Hotel, a spooky Cornwall inn with a chilling history and active hauntings, for an eerie investigation and some humorous woodland adventures, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: The Wellington Hotel Location: Boscastle, Cornwall Series: 4 Episode Number: 8 Originally broadcast: 11 May 2004
The Wellington Hotel, Most Haunted Review
Yvette opens the episode with chilling words: murder, suicide, and dark figures lay deep in a valley in Cornwall.
The Wellington Hotel is a 17th-century coaching inn, which has seen the death of the Duke of Wellington and has had lots of regal people and famous visitors over the years. The building itself is said to be extremely haunted, with rooms nine, 10, 21, and 23 all being extremely active.
The ghost of an old lady has been seen walking through a door without opening the door, and an apparition of a young boy has been seen running next to the cellar. There is also an evil presence that lurks in the cellar where a man killed himself. Furniture can be heard being dragged across the floor, especially in the dining room, and an image of a tall man has been witnessed in the corridor by members of staff.
Phil Wyman conducts all the baseline tests, including taking readings in various areas. He also looks at local maps of the area and the local history of both the buildings and the woods surrounding them. The woods themselves are believed to be haunted, and his closing statement is that they might visit there later. Spoiler alert: They do visit the woods, and some of the best recordings are captured there.
Derek Acorah begins his walk around by wanting to go upstairs to the rooms, where he picks up on the energies of two ladies. In room nine, he says that there has been an apparition of a maid disappearing through the door; she can be seen moving in the room as well as the corridor. Inside the room, they notice that it is really cold, and Derek says that people who sleep in the room will pick up on her moving things and even see her.
He says that the ladies he first picked up on didn’t die the same way as the young lady that is the maid; he says one was strangled and one committed suicide. There is information that comes up on the screen about the suicide that took place.
On the second-floor corridor, Derek senses the energy of a man with a ponytail who moves up and down. Yvette asks him how many active spirits are in the building, and he says he picks up on about eight or nine active souls, but they are not grounded; they only come in visitation.
There is a gruff man on the bottom floor who does not visit upstairs in the building. He stays at the bottom and near the cellar. Derek says he was the boss of the stables; he was in charge of taking care of things. There is a small boy who is scared of this man; he feels there is a connection with water or a stream that is close to the property. This is where the boy’s presence will be stronger.
Joking Yvette says to Derek that she would love nothing more than to venture into the cold, dark woods, but in true, most haunted style, off the venture into the elements. While the team is walking in the woods, one of the funniest moments is captured when one of the cameramen frightens the living daylights out of Yvette. She does not find this funny, but the rest of the team is in stitches.
When they reach the water, Derek picks up a life that has been lost in the area near the water, but it wasn’t the water that killed them; they were just dumped in there. He states the dates from 1914 up until 1939; the usual information flashes up on the screen, but there were no deaths related to the building or area at those times.
Now is my favourite time when the team splits into groups. Yvette splits off and goes into room nine, where she begins calling out for something to happen, the door to open, or any sign that the spirit is there. While focusing on the door, spirit lights can be seen. This opens up a discussion between Yvette and Derek about what they would do if they were spirits and that they would do anything to let people know they were there.
They move out into the corridor and begin calling out again, but there is nothing much happening till a footstep can be heard. Yvette opens up about how frustrating it can be when they don’t get a lot of activity. Everyone then jumps when Derek moves his foot.
In the Thomas Hardy room, Cath sees the pendulums of a bedside lamp moving quite violently on their own. She tries to debunk this by walking near the lamps to see if it is normal vibrations that set them off, and it is not. She begins calling out in the room, and there is a knock in response to their questions. What they don’t know is that the locked-off camera that they set up on the light captures the pendulums moving on their own.
The rest of the team go to the Thomas Hardy room, where they begin to conduct a sceance. Ian Lawman starts the sceance and immediately picks up on the spirits of children. He picks up on the spirit of Elizabeth, who cannot find her mother. Information shows that, as always, without a surname, it is hard to trace someone with that name. While in the sceance, one of the crewmembers seems to be tuning in to this little girl and is completely unaware that he is actually crying with sadness from her.
In the woods, Stuart and Rick have ventured out alone; this is one of the best bits of footage from the episode, apart from Yvette’s scare. They hear rustling in the woods, and they joke about it being animals. Rick gets really excited when he captures something on camera.
When the footage is reviewed, it cannot be determined what was seen when the recording is reviewed. Stuart begins to call out, but the more they call out, the more they scare themselves. Deeper in the woods, Rick screams like a girl (Stuart’s words), and he goes on to tell him how embarrassing he is being.
The end of the Wellington Hotel episode shows lots of funny footage of the crew in the woods, slipping and sliding down hills, and it definitely ends on a high note.
YouTube’s Ghost Theory is grabbing viewers with genuine ghost hunts and live-streamed action, writes RACHAEL ELIZABETH
Live ghost-hunting shows are fast becoming the new ‘paranormal reality TV’, as truth seekers take it upon themselves to search for proof of the afterlife.
These new paranormal investigation shows come with a fresh and less dramatised angle; they show how ghost-hunting expeditions can be difficult, scary, and even dangerous.
Although the hosts constantly need to evade potential human threats, on-site security, and crumbling floors, they have nevertheless begun to dip their toes into live streaming.
The medium of live streaming gives us, the viewers, an opportunity to experience every step with the hosts in real-time, giving the show a more truthful, realistic feel.
One particular channel on YouTube provides these experiences (whether live or pre-recorded) exceedingly well, and that channel is Ghost Theory.
Ghost Theory is hosted by Elliot and Joe and is likely one of the more credible ghost-hunting channels out there. A huge part of watching these types of paranormal videos is how the viewer must put their trust in the hosts in order to deliver an honest investigation, and I can wholeheartedly advocate Ghost Theory.
If they have an uneventful expedition, they will tell you (or, more importantly, show you), but even if the show doesn’t happen to be riddled with ghostly activity, Elliot and Joe have an infectious sense of humour that will keep their viewership entertained regardless.
Ghost Theory Live Investigation
Ghost Theory’s latest live investigation is split between two locations: the first location takes place in a derelict barn on an abandoned farm, the location of which is shrouded in secrecy; the stream begins with an admirable foray into amateur acrobatics by Elliot as he (somewhat unsuccessfully) attempts to climb over a dilapidated barn door, while Joe casually films his struggling friend.
The barn itself is eerie in its abandoned state and gives beautiful ‘Blair Witch’ vibes. The investigation itself sees a lot of unusual noises, knocks, and bangs, seemingly on command, but as Ghost Theory always does, they try to explain or rationalise the noises before they make any claims of paranormal interference; if they can explain why something has happened, they will – a quality that surely improves their credibility.
Due to weather somewhat interfering with the investigation, Elliot and Joe move onto the second location, a quaint yet beautiful church, and this is when things start to get juicy…
After battling through a ‘haunted’ cabbage field and dodging a murderous owl, they arrive at the church; once inside, they begin calling out to any potential entities within the church, which appears to elicit some rather compelling and timely knocking sounds. The investigators then proceed to the back section of the church and once again start to accumulate some mysterious responses. The next step in their investigation is to call out the letters of the alphabet in order to see if any corresponding knocks may spell out a name or other information.
The first two letters they receive taps in response to are ‘G’ and ‘O’, and both Elliot and Joe agree that such a response may seem a bit unbelievable, so Elliot decides to set up the camera to show both Joe and himself in full view, to quash any notion of them being the ones doing the tapping or knocking.
As they continue, Joe reiterates that a previous investigation may have caused something to follow or attach to them, so they call out to see if they can glean an answer. Although nothing concrete emerges, they then ask if perhaps a family member or someone they once knew could be following them as a protector, to which they hear a knock.
Another creepy incident is when Joe’s phone seemingly freezes and bizarre images of people’s faces appear in red before the activity settles back down. It’s not clear whether this was caused by anything paranormal, but it is certainly an unnerving event.
The hosts of Ghost Theory in quiet reflection…
Upon watching these events unfold in real-time, the advantages brought about by live streams are clear: you experience events alongside the investigators the whole time, seeing and hearing as they do. Following the events mentioned above, the rather shaken investigators ask for whatever is following them to stop, and this appears to be when the activity ends.
I myself have been intrigued (and perhaps a little obsessed) with the paranormal for as long as I can remember, and finding these types of channels helps to keep my love for this subject alive, although I must admit I have been burned by ghost-hunting videos before, such as being presented with highly compelling evidence only to find out that it has been staged.
Once the trust has been lost, it can feel similar to how you might view a cheating spouse or partner and may be reluctant to return to the channel in question.
Ghost Theory, as their name suggests, present you with theories as to what may have happened in their investigations, whether it was explainable at the time or not. They will always present you with both perspectives where possible; not only do Elliot and Joe take an honest route with their videos, but their chemistry and interactions with the viewers are what makes this channel highly addictive.
And if you know what’s good for you, remember to wear headphones.
The Manor House Hotel investigation proved too much for the Most Haunted team, with some refusing to sleep in the spooky inn, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: The Manor House Hotel Location: Ferryhill, County Durham Series: 4 Episode Number: 6 Originally broadcast: 27 April 2004
The Manor House Hotel, Most Haunted Review
Yvette opens the episode with ghosts, poltergeist activity and a cry for help from the owners, they have come to investigate The Manor House Hotel in County Durham. There has been a building on this sight since 1500s, it has been a manor house, an orphanage and now it’s a hotel. There has been dark figures, cries of children and object with a life of their own. Richard Felix comments that due to the age and history of the building it all leads to a haunting.
The spirit of a tall woman has been seen on the stairs searching for her lost child, the owner recalls a story that she spoke to the apparition believing it to be one of the cleaning staff and when she got no response from the woman, she vanished in to the air. Skeletons of children have also been found in the grounds at the back of the property.
Room 7 there is the apparition of a large man seen standing in the corner, lamps have been thrown across the room. In room 8 dark shadows cross the room, a young boy was woken with hands around his neck, he was then thrown across the room. When reaching his parents, he was inconsolable and there were visible marks on his throat. Room 6 has children wanting to play and the sound of crying at night.
Phil Wyman conducts his baseline tests, he also sets up trigger objects in some of the other rooms. Drafty windows have been checked, the boy who was attacked in room 8 draws some pictures of the children that are in the building who want to play with him. Locked off cameras in some of the other rooms are set up and a childs toy in room 6 is set as a trigger object.
Derek Acorah joins them on the walk around, where they begin on the stairs. He expresses that he can feel the energy of people being scared and fearing for their lives, there is a dark energy that shows no mercy. Derek states that there has been several hangings in the building but there are no records to verify this.
Moving on to bedroom 7 Derek picks up on an energy that regularly visits this area, coming in when people are asleep. This would be something that wakes them up when they sense this, he also picks up on things been moved in the bedroom, the energy is trying to do harm to those inside.
What’s in Bedroom 8 of The Manor House Hotel?
In bedroom 8 of The Manor House Hotel, Derek looks destressed as he walks in the room, saying that there is something frightening in the room. He discussed the fact there is a vortex in this room where spirits come through. Yvette then comments that Derek is crying and he says that this is a fear from a child of a nasty man.
Guest psychic Ian Lawman visits the cellar on his own, he begins picking up on strange noises and states that he is becoming short of breath. Some of the energies that are being picked up on are that there is a man shouting, horse hooves outside and becomes emotional. He begins to feel very uneasy becoming scared as he picks up on lots of children crying.
Derek is the next to visit the cellar, he immediately picks up on sadness and unease in the area. As Derek is talking to Yvette, one of the cameramen makes everyone jump as he has just felt someone touch the back of his head. Derek picks up on the skeletons of children that are buried in the grounds. The next to panic is Yvette, she screams as she hears something make a sound in her ear, I do love it when she imitates the noises that she has heard. She is very upset when she comes out of the basement, what ever made the sound has shaken her.
Back in room 6, Richard Felix is watching the locked off cameras and he sees some lights in the room, he contacts the crew to go to the room. As Derek is talking about the energy that he can feel in the room, there is a loud bang outside. As they go outside, Derek states that is it an angry/nasty energy and Derek challenges him. As this is happening back in the room the cameramen see Phils clipboard thrown on the floor.
When in room 8, the crew begin to challenge the spirit, Yvette calls out asking for something to happen, as she is doing this she calls the spirit a coward. This unleashes something as Derek becomes possessed. He begins talking about confrontation in a different tone of voice and then hurls a lamp at the crew members. He then collapses on the bed and the rest of the crew try to bring him back round.
Stuart ventures down to the cellar on his own and plans a séance, he begins calling out and he becomes nervous in the space. He says he feels like someone is there with him, sharp pains then begin in his ear and his head. What he doesn’t realise is around the same time Yvette is suffering with her ear and her head too.
The last vigil of the night for the The Manor House Hotel is in room 8 with Karl, Stuart and Rick, they begin to conduct a séance. As Rick calls out he sees some lights flash in the top corner of the room, unfortunately this is not caught on camera.
Stuart sees lights flashing as Karl is provoking the spirits, this is when they all jump out of their skins, as there is a knocking noise followed by the tv turning on by itself. This is too much for Stuart and Rick, and they say that they will not sleep in that room tonight, they end up sleeping in the van outside.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, The Manor House Hotel, in the comments section below!
Croxteth Hall in Liverpool has no reason to be haunted, according to historian Richard Felix. But the Most Haunted team discover it a dark and spooky place, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: Croxteth Hall Location: Liverpool Series: 4 Episode Number: 4 Originally broadcast: 13 April 2004
Croxteth Hall, Most Haunted Review
Croxteth Hall is a massive 210 bedroomed mansion that is only five miles from the centre of Liverpool. The Hall was owned by the Molyneux family until the last Earl died and the local council took over the property. Standing in front of the mansion is the beautiful Yvette while she is talking about the background of the hall.
Richard Felix explains that he has looked into the history of the property, and he cannot find anything horrible that has happened there.
A ghost of a house maid has been seen in the kitchen, sounds of staff working has also been heard in there. There have been dark figures seen in the billiard room, where smoke can also be smelt by visitors and staff. Motion detectors go of in the breakfast room as if they have a mind of their own. In one of the upstairs corridors, a photo of an apparition has been caught and shadow figures are seen there on a regular occasion.
Phil has set up his trigger objects and the baseline tests. When discussing these with Yvette he talks about the noises that are heard and the figures that are seen. He said that he didn’t like the feeling he got when he was up in the attic/servants’ quarters. He also says that he thinks some of the activity can be attributed to the fact that there is lots of original furniture in the hall.
When Derek joins the investigation, they begin the walk around in the breakfast room where he picks up on a group of ladies’ energy. As he begins talking, there are audible bangs coming from upstairs. Phil goes up to investigate. Derek says that one of the ladies’ energies is from Charlotte but as always with no surname she is not able to be traced. During all the time that he was talking there was lots of banging and Phil was unable to find a reason for it. They contact the security on site to check that it wasn’t him walking around.
Derek picks up on a woman, saying that the other ladies are trying to protect her as she is upset. The others do not want the knowledge of something getting out. Derek then picks up on a man’s energy who he advises that he is called Philip, and he has a lady called Mary who is with him, Phil asks him for a surname and Derek says Molyneux, he then goes on to say that Philip was a good man.
For a change the crew have invited psychic artist Brian Shepard. They leave Brian in one of the rooms that was damaged by fire. Brian picks up on two ladies which come through to him and he begins to draw them. He then says that the girls vanished, and the energy was replaced by a male, William Creedy. When he communicated with William, he told Brian that he belonged in the hall. Some information came on the screen to say that there is the possibility of an illegitimate child that should have inherited the hall.
Yvette takes Derek to one of the corridors that she finds particularly scary as it is so long and so dark. He picks up on a male spirit in the area who he describes as moving quickly in that area. The name he gets communicated to him is Augustas and he feels that the surname is the same, there is no records of this person attached to the hall. Matthew Smith, who is the resident sceptic, joins them for the first time on this investigation.
The team go back to the breakfast room while Karl ventures to the attic on his own. Almost immediately they can hear thuds coming from upstairs, but when the camera flips to Karl, he is not moving. Karl says that he is feeling fine upstairs until there is a really loud bang as he thinks he has seen someone. The team downstairs rush up as they fear that something has happened to Karl. He finds a sheet of wood on the floor which he believes is the source of the sound but can’t recall if he knocked it over.
The team decide to split up at this point to cover more of the hall. Yvette starts on the corridor where the picture was captured, the girls head down to the kitchen and this is one of the funniest moments during this episode. The girls are obviously on edge and Cath coughs which sends the other two running from the kitchen in fright. Their reactions are priceless.
After there is not much activity on the corridor, Yvette and her team move down to the cellar. They begin calling out and there are a few noises that they think sound like footsteps. As they are leaving there is a loud crash behind them which spurs them on to leave.
Richard decides to brave the kitchen on his own but never actually makes it inside. He says he can hear noises, but he cannot find anyone around. He says he is trying to be really brave, but he is terrified and more so when he hears footsteps coming from upstairs. With this he makes a quick exit and never actually makes it inside. Matthew goes in next and does make it through the door but says he is quite anxious inside; nothing happens while he is in there.
Stuart braves the attic this time and tries to do a séance, while speaking out he hears one of the other doors shut which he immediately investigates. As he is in the corridor there is a really loud bang that he can not find a reason for, followed by banging from other rooms. With a few swear words he makes a quick exit from the attic, as he is on the stairs there are lots of door slams which make him hurry more.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, Croxteth Hall, in the comments section below!
The Most Haunted crew investigates haunted Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire, encountering ghosts and a dramatic possession in a charged paranormal atmosphere, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: Owlpen Manor Location: Owlpen, Gloucestershire Series: 4 Episode Number: 1 Originally broadcast: 23 March 2004
Owlpen Manor, Most Haunted Review
Yvette opens the episode, straight in with the fact that a monk was walled up in Owlpen Manor, left to starve to death. Margaret of Anjou, the wife of Henry VI, stayed at the manor while she was fighting in a battle where her son lost his life. A picture of a woman was taken in an upstairs window, but no one can say for certain if it is a ghost or not. There is a large, hooded man seen in one of the bedrooms and an alchemist/wizard who is believed to haunt the attic.
Yvette and Phil talk about the active places in Owlpen Manor, including the stairs, queen’s chambers and the attic. Phil has done the baseline test as always through the day and left equipment for experiments in some of the other rooms. He also discusses the photograph, and he believes that it might be a fake.
Derek Acorah is the medium on this episode, during he walk around, he picks up on a woman, he says that she is very active in the manor, but she is displaying sadness. He describes her as regal and that she absolutely loved the home. Moving further round the building Derek picks up on the energy of a man who he claims lived in the manor during the 1700s. Derek says that he only owned the manor for a short time, but his energy comes off at evil.
In the queen’s bedroom, Derek speaks with his guide Sam who picks up on the lady from earlier, while he was getting information there is a loud bang that comes from downstair, Phil goes down to investigate. Derek continues, the lady he picks up on is not alone, she has a child with her, but Derek says the child is no more than 8 years old. He also gets the name from Sam claiming it is Margaret of Anjou, information comes up on the screen confirming this.
Moving on to the passageway, Yvette says that it makes her feel uncomfortable and she does not like this part of the building. Derek picks up on the energy of the man, naming him Daniel, but as always without a surname he cannot be traced. He also says that children run in the corridor, these can be heard, and spirit lights can be seen.
Now was the time to split off into smaller groups to investigate, the rooms that were not investigated all had cameras set up and monitors in the base room. An addition to crew for this investigation is psychic Ian Lawman, he goes up to the attic with Yvette, Karl and Stuart. While talking to the spirits Karl hears a cry and both Yvette and Stuart confirm that they have heard it too. Ian keeps calling out and there are noises coming from a doorway to another part of the attic. Yvette calls out and there is a loud bang which makes them all jump.
As they move to the other side of the attic, something hits Karl on his back, it is a book that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. The owner’s dog is with the group, and it seems to sense something as it is whining and seems on edge. There are several creaks and bangs, along with a whistling sound that can be heard from the room they just came from. Ian keeps trying to entice the spirit forward and the dog begins to bark as there is a loud bang. Just as these events are happening, Yvette catches a light anomaly that goes across the camera screen.
The crew decide to get Derek up to the attic too in hopes that they will increase the activity. They were not disappointed. Derek begins saying that there are two males up in the attic who clash when their energies meet. As Derek is talking books begin falling of the shelves. One of the books that falls, has some very dark drawn pictures inside, the owners of the property do not know where they came from.
The team begin a séance in the attic, as they are all quiet Derek begins wheezing and starts to shake. He looks visibly distressed as he gets up and begins to talk, but no in his usual voice. Ian tries to reassure everyone that it is ok, but it seems that Derek has been taken over by the male spirit. Yvette askes the spirit who they are and Derek state that they should leave him.
Filled with adrenaline, Yvette confronts the spirit in Derek, and they begin shouting at each other and end up inches from each other’s faces screaming. When it gets too much Karl and Ian bring Derek back around and he says he was possessed by the evil spirit Daniel. After the event Yvette admits that she was scared to death by what happened.
When the crew begin the recap, they admit that all the activity seemed to be centred around the attic and there was nothing much else happening in any of the other rooms.
Yvette Fielding and the Most Haunted team delve into Tamworth Castle’s haunting mysteries, uncovering eerie phenomena and historical tales in a chilling, unexplained adventure, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Looking very glamourous, Yvette Fielding opens the episode on a sunny day, with the city of Tamworth as her backdrop. She introduces the episode by telling the viewer about an entity that causes blindness and a woman who can be heard weeping looking for her lost lover.
Tamworth Castle has 800 years of history as a fortress and a home. It was originally built for protection against the Danes and has passed through the hands of several owners before the town council took ownership, the council secured the property for £3,000. Richard Felix, historian, speaks about the battles on the site between the Saxons and the Vikings.
Yvette begins to talk about the experiences that workers have had, including figures seen from the corner of the eye, alarms going off in the middle of the night for no reasons and doors opening and closing on their own. Two workers in the castle said they witnessed a blue mist coming towards them, they then got a sharp pain in their heads and went blind. When their sight was returned, they saw a blue mist swirling around them and vanishing out of the window.
On the second floor, in one of the bedrooms a lady has been seen out of the window, weeping on the battlements. She can then be seen throwing herself from the top. Richard believes that this might have been on of the princesses who won the battles but died in 918.
On the stairs, many people have seen a woman, believed to be a nun. There has been a famous photo captured of her in the 40s. There are also men’s voices that can be heard, and countless members of staff have seen apparitions and heard noises around Tamworth Castle.
Phil Wyman conducted all the usual baseline tests throughout the day, he also set up motion detectors and other gadgets, including voice recorders in the most haunted areas, in hopes of catching something.
When medium Derek Acorah arrives at Tamworth castle and begins his walk around, he picks up on the residual energy of a lady, who he then goes on to describe as a lady of the cloth, who was murdered. He also picks up on a Sir Tarquin, stating that he wanders up and down and his footsteps will often be heard. He is interrupted by the sound of a door banging below, when investigated it appears that there is no one living around that could have made the noise.
While on the stairs, Derek talks about manifestations appearing and Derek poses in the same way that the apparition would appear. He is given a name by his spirit guide Sam and the information appears on the bottom of the screen verifying the name. He also picks up on a man who takes away people’s sight, the energy does this to cause alarm to people and Derek states that he is not a nice person.
In another part of Tamworth castle, Derek talks about one of the executioners’ swords, Richard confirms that there are these instruments in the building. When seeing the sword, Derek mentions a name of the executioner that used the sword and Richard says he will look into the information, but the information comes up on the screen saying they could not find anyone by that name.
During the investigation, Karl, Yvette and Rick go into the haunted bedroom, they witness some orbs or light anomalies that go across the camera. They can also hear noises coming from outside the room on the staircase. They do have a camera locked on the stairs; the camera moves on its own, but the crew are unaware of this until they review the footage.
They go and sit on the stairs when they hear a door shutting, which they believe to be the one at the bottom. While on the stairs Rick states that he is feeling like he is being watched, and they hear what sounds like a woman crying.
The funniest part of this episode is when without warning the alarm goes off in the building and makes everyone jump out of their skin. The staff have to be called out to investigate along with the fire service. The curator of Tamworth castle says that usually when the alarm goes off it usually flashes on the device that has been triggered but they could not find which one triggered and there were no faults with the system. This is where they end the episode, as they are unable to go back in the castle until a full check has been carried out.
It was a really interesting episode with activity that could not be explained such as the moving camera and the alarm sounding for no reason at all.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, Tamworth Castle, in the comments section below!
Paranormal Reality TV enchants many, but RICK HALE sees it as mere illusion, lacking in ethical paranormal investigation.
What’s wrong with Paranormal Reality TV?
“Reality is the only word in the English language that should always be used in quotes.” – Anonymous
The great 20th-century pop artist Andy Warhol was once quoted as saying, “Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” This quote has always fascinated me, mostly because it was so prophetic of the age we live in.
People desiring the promised 15 minutes are everywhere these days. You have tens of thousands of videos on YouTube displaying this desire.
You can spend countless surfing videos of kids setting their genitals on fire or exploring abandoned buildings.
You have television shows such as The Voice, where millions of young vocalists hope to make it on the show with their vocal acumen.
Or my favourite, America’s Got Talent, which has a high freakshow turnout. Believe it or not, I actually watch this show because it’s so damn fun.
You have shows where extremely attractive people vie for love and stab each other in the back for no other reason than one-upmanship, and I quote, “I will do whatever it takes to have him. And I will beat all those bitches that stand in my way.”
This quote was so eloquently spoken by one of the charming young ladies on The Bachelor.
Yep, reality TV is everywhere, and everyone wants a piece of the action. It’s the new dream to make it big regardless of having actual talent.
Which brings us to paranormal reality TV. Commenting on paranormal shows tends to get my big, fat mouth in trouble.
So in the interest of not annoying many people, this will not be a slash and burn,because despite my objection to a few shows, I rather like some of them.
They can sometimes be very informative and entertaining. But sometimes things get a little too weird, and you’re left questioning the reality of it all.
Prior to the ‘Great Paranormal Boom’ as I like to call it, paranormal-themed TV shows were few and far between.
In the 1970s, Leonard ‘Mr Spock’ Nimoy rocked the ‘stache on national television as the host of ‘In Search Of…’.
Robert Stack brought us tales of everything from mysterious deaths to ghostly hauntings on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’.
And ‘Sightings’ pretty much had the 1990s locked down. You will find very few paranormal researchers who found these shows objectionable because they reported paranormal phenomena from a documentarian point of view.
A New Type of Paranormal TV Show Emerges
But then something happened in 2004. A new kind of television show was introduced that would change the paranormal forever. Ghost hunting shows.
In October 2004, the SyFy channel aired the very first episode of ‘Ghosthunters.’ I will be perfectly honest; I liked it. I really did.
I remember thinking, Wow, finally a TV show that shows the world that you do not need a Phd to investigate parapsychological phenomena. Needless to say, the show started an entire pop culture phenomenon.
Other shows documenting paranormal investigators at work began popping up practically overnight.
‘Most Haunted‘, ‘Paranormal State’, and ‘Ghost Adventures’, just to name a few, were instant successes because they catered to the viewer’s sense of adventure as well as being scared by the unknown.
The great thing about these shows was that they introduced the world to the possibility that intelligence survived the death of the body. In other words, ghosts.
Many old schoolers found the shows lacking substance and oftentimes exploiting a very touchy subject.
Not to mention, some of us did not agree with the methodology. Others cited a rejection of real spirituality. So let’s take a look at these concerns.
The Methodology of Paranormal Reality TV
One of the things that really got on the nerves of old schoolers was the whole provoking spirits thing.
The idea behind this was to use harsh, demanding language to provoke a response from whatever spiritual being was supposedly inhabiting a location.
Many regarded this as unprofessional behavior. Yours truly included. Thankfully, this method is rarely used anymore. Because do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The Research Is Shoddy
The thing that bothers me about a few of these shows is the lack of research.
A few stars of these shows are quick to label an unpleasant spirit as demonic or a human spirit that has somehow become a demon.
I have said it before, and I’m sure I will say it a thousand more times. Inhuman spirits are exceedingly rare.
And human spirits cannot become inhuman entities. Inhuman or demonic entities are spirits that have never been human. Human spirits can have demonic traits, but they cannot change their orientation.
This is an almost endless battle and one I rarely engage in these days.
The Shows Lack Spirituality
Those who hold this view believe the shows are overly reliant on equipment and oftentimes exploit spiritual beings. I strongly disagree with the first and strongly agree with the second.
Modern ghost hunters are not the first to use scientific equipment in the field. The controversial 20th-century ghost hunter Harry Price was the first to use cameras, thermometers, etc. This is the part about experimentation and moving the field forward.
The second point I agree with is exploitation. The producers of these shows care about two things: money and ratings.
The ghost hunters on the shows really are not exploiting. The people worried about the bottom line are.
Although I would suggest that some of the stars of these shows should step up and say no.
Accusations of trickery
Let’s face it, this is TV we’re talking about, and through the magic of television, you can fake a ghost.
This is not an accusation that should be made lightly. People’s reputations are on the line here. I’m not going to say it doesn’t happen. But I am also not willing to yell shenanigans too quickly, either.
I have been accused in the past of bagging on the shows, but one cannot help that when you’re about the truth.
So, how do we fix them? You may ask. It’s quite simply, really, accountability.
Hold Paranormal Reality TV producers accountable for their shenanigans. And hold some stars accountable as well.
They need to understand how bad it makes all of us look to the public.
If they fake evidence, then it throws this entire field of inquiry into doubt and puts all of our reputations on the line.
Some of us are trying to fix this problem, though. My colleague and cohost of The Shadow Initiative Paranormal TV, Stephen Lancaster, has created a show.
No producers, no ads, no faking evidence. Just two real investigators who didn’t answer a casting call investigating claims of paranormal activity
I can really give you details at the time, as both of us have been ripped off and plagiarised in the past.
Dive into the eerie unknown with YouTube’s ghost-hunting shows. RACHAEL ELIZABETH unveils her top four spine-chilling UK paranormal channels for a hauntingly thrilling Halloween watch
Scary Ghost-Hunting Shows To Watch This Halloween
Halloween is fast approaching; the nights are drawing in, the leaves are falling from the trees, and the glorious summer sunshine has faded to reveal the gloomy shade of autumn. October is the season for all things spooky – ghost hunts, decorations and scary videos. If, like me, you are hoping to watch some seriously creepy things this Halloween, there are a plethora of ghost-hunting shows that are sure to scratch that itch.
The YouTube channels below are in no particular order, but as someone who has an obscene amount of ghost-hunting shows under her belt, I have become adept at spotting the best and scariest.
What started as a love of watching people explore abandoned buildings, my curiosity has now led me to paranormal investigation, and I would like to share some of my favourites with you all.
So, lock your doors, turn out the lights and have your crucifix at hand, as we take a look at four of the best UK ghost-hunting channels…
Ghost Theory
Ghost Theory is hosted by Elliot and Joe, and their channel takes you with them into many creepy abandoned buildings as they search for proof of the afterlife. What makes this channel so enjoyable to watch is the light-hearted back and forth, and how they have cutaway scenes during the episode, allowing you to see them trying to rationalise their findings.
This episode starts strong, and only gets stronger as it progresses. The abandoned house they are venturing to is deep within the woods, and even as they are approaching the house, they begin hearing strange noises. Once inside the building, they move through a few rooms until, they hear a clear sound resembling footsteps, presumably of someone (or something) fleeing the building.
It’s easy to think it could simply be a person, although the rooms are filled with so much toppled furniture and debris, it would be almost impossible for someone to have been moving without being seen or making a noise. Elliot decides to leave his bag and take the K2 (EMF reader) which is already starting to flash.
The investigators then proceed to investigate a dilapidated barn, in order to seek out the person or entity in question – once again, the barn is filled with debris and would be impossible to manoeuvre around without making a noise. In the distance, they begin to hear what sounds like TV static – panicked, and rightly so, they head back towards the house to collect Elliot’s bag, but when they arrive, they find his bag wide open and with the spirit box switched on.
Dark Arts TV
A great aspect of Dark Arts TV is the locations – they always find the creepiest, most terrifying places that are truly spine-chilling by themselves. This channel is also great due to the many different guest YouTubers that are featured, giving us even more insight into other ghost-hunting channels.
This episode starts with the weirdest energy. Even as you sit and watch at home, you too are likely to pick up on the uncanny vibes – and this is only the start. As the episode progresses, the team find what can only be described as a disturbing piece of artwork. It has what looks like a mask breaking out from the pages of a book, with the writing on the pages found within containing some distressing words.
In this episode, the team conduct a spirit box session via the Estes method. The Estes method requires you to listen to a spirit box independently and with your ears blocked by headphones, while another person will ask questions that, in theory, only a present spirit or entity can hear. Karl and Andy proceed to go first and within seconds the responses being called out go beyond anything they could have imagined. Words like “abuse”, “help me”, and “murder” appear throughout the entire session; towards the end of the video, the team find photocopies within an old set of drawers, and although the images are blurred, you can imagine just how twisted they are. At the end of this episode, due to how creeped out they are, they inform the police of their findings.
Grizzly Gaz
Grizzly Gaz does not rely on fancy ghost-hunting equipment, just a camera, a go-pro and a voice recorder. One of the best aspects of this channel is his beautiful (and incredibly well-behaved) French Bulldog, Fendy, who accompanies him on each trip. The camping aspect of these videos and the stripped-back equipment give strong Blair Witch vibes.
This particular episode is quite short in length, but many creepy and unexplained phenomena happen. The back story to this particular video is based on a local legend of a ‘Lady in White’ who haunts the woods, so naturally, this is where Gaz sets up his tent. During the night you can distinctly hear a wailing/crying surrounding his tent – the creepy thing about this is you can tell the noises are not animal-related – it sounds like a woman sobbing, and every so often the sobbing becomes louder and then fades away. All this happens within 20 feet of Grizzly Gaz’s tent and camera, but no one or nothing can be seen. Eventually, the wails morph into a chilling whistle, and at this point, he decides to get Fendy and his gear and head back to his car!
Adam Mark Explores
Adam Mark Explores is a great channel, as it contains general urban exploration alongside paranormal investigations. Adam’s videos have beautifully spooky opening credits, that make you feel as though you are watching a high-budget documentary. Another wonderful aspect is how the beginnings of his paranormal explorations always start with an exploration through each room of the building, allowing you to see it as it is during the day, as well as at night.
This episode shows Adam and Matt conducting a paranormal investigation in an abandoned house, deep within the woods. In the opening credits, you are informed by Adam that the house was built on a 5000-year-old ancient burial ground (already we are off to a brilliant start!). At quite a long video of 51:49, it starts off not too frightening, but highly engrossing – until the investigators draw their attention to the attic. In one particular room, they hear bangs, thuds and knocks coming from the attic room above, and get a clear ‘Necrophonic’ reading asking them to take pictures.
Adam proceeds to take photos with a Polaroid camera, and when they look at the developing images, the room below the attic appears to have some form of hand on a frosted window pane – not a human hand, but a genuinely horrifying, almost X-ray looking hand pressed against the glass. Throughout the episode, the investigators are also constantly experiencing activity from the REM Pod (a type of electromagnetic field and temperature detector) along with the ‘Necrophonic’ device, and many knocks and bangs that can be heard seemingly on cue to their questions.
Each of these ghost-hunting shows delivers something new, exciting and in some cases downright terrifying. The episodes mentioned in this list are but a small ghostly drip in the pool of the paranormal – every channel has a myriad of brilliant yet horrifying videos packed with chills, laughs and unexplained phenomena, that would make even the most brave of us toy with the idea of sleeping with the light on.
What do you think of these ghost-hunting shows? Tell us your favourites in the comments section below!
RACHAEL ELIZBABETH is a lover and writer of history, the paranormal and true crime. When she isn’t writing, she loves to read ghost stories, to tag along on paranormal investigations and to wander derelict graveyards.
The Most Haunted team dives into the spine-chilling mysteries of Fitz Manor in Shropshire and discovers apparitions, mysterious noises and psychic insights, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: Fitz Manor Location: Montford Bridge, Shropshire Series: 3 Episode Number: 7 Originally broadcast: 18 November 2003
Fitz Manor, Most Haunted Review
Yvette Fielding opens up the episode by introducing the beautiful Fitz Manor in Shropshire. The manor is originally a Saxon-built house, and it is mentioned in the Doomsday Book. The manor has its own church on the land, where it is believed that a priest was tortured and crucified in the manor itself. Dark figures can be seen, along with noises, and there are even hidden tunnels believed to go from the manor to a church and local manor house. The family that now owns the property has seen apparitions, heard noises, and believed they had seen the apparition of a priest.
Walking through the house, Yvette talks about the noises that can be heard, including sobs. The families’ dogs refuse to enter certain rooms and have been known to bark intensely while staring into the corners of the rooms. A Victorian lady has been seen in one of the rooms and has been witnessed 14 times in the last four years. The family has found a photo in the attic that resembles the woman. Cigar smoke can be smelled in one of the bedrooms when no one in the house smokes, but the family reports smelling it on a regular basis.
Phil Wyman explains that he has conducted the baseline tests while walking around, taken temperature readings in the rooms, and set up trigger objects and motion detectors in the more active rooms.
The crew began the investigation accompanied by psychic medium Derek Acorah. They begin on the stairs, where Derek picks up on the smell of smoke. He states that the spirit enjoyed smoking when he was alive, and he continues now, not caring who knows it or smells it in this case. Yvette leads him out of the room into the passageway.
Derek says that someone walks between the rooms, and the footsteps will be heard by people in the house. He picks up on a lady who is active in both the bedroom and the passageway and who is linked with the family that currently owns Fitz Manor. Derek gives a name, but as always, without a surname, it is very difficult to trace the person.
Down in the drawing room, Derek immediately picks up on the energy of a priest. He discusses that the priest was being hurt and that the people who took his life were very judgmental of him. Derek calls on his spirit guide Sam to find out further information about the priest. Sam tells Derek that the priest was crucified for his sexual orientation. He does clarify that the priest has moved on but has still come back for visitation.
Feeling brave, the team decided to venture out to the grounds and head to the graveyard on the property. Armed with night vision cameras, head off to where a Victorian lady has been seen walking. In true Most Haunted fashion, Yvette spooks herself out when she sees a tree looming in the distance.
Derek is drawn to an area where he says that there is the spirit of a little boy who wants him to go to an archway in the basement. Derek says that is where the hidden tunnels are, and that is where the boy lost his life in an accident. While in the graveyard, they all search for the name that Derek came up with in the room, but they do not find any with her name on it.
Down in the basement, Derek leads Yvette to the archway; he believes that the tunnels are behind. Yvette makes a note to ask the owners, if they do look behind, if they will let them know what they find. While explaining about the tunnels, Rick, one of the crew members, says that he is feeling sick while standing in the doorway for the tunnel.
When it is time for the crew to split off, we see groups in the drawing room where the priest died, down in the cellar, and off to one of the bedrooms. In the drawing room, everything is calm; no one feels any presence, and even the dogs are relaxed, sprawled on the floor, sleeping. The only interesting thing that happens in this room is that the owner sees a couple of fleeting flashing lights, but unfortunately, they are not captured on camera.
Rick and Yvette go back down to the cellar. Both of them start describing a funny smell; however, due to their being in a cellar, this might be nothing more than damp. They decide to venture further and sit on a bench. Yvette feels a vibration on the bench.
Just as she is talking to Rick, he says that the smell seems to be disappearing, but he feels pins and needles in his neck and back. Just as they are leaving the cellar, Rick catches something with his foot, and poor Yvette nearly hits the ceiling. They are both in fits of laughter as they leave until Rick sees something dart in front of them, and they both leave screaming.
Karl and Stuart head down into the cellar to see if they can experience anything. Dragging and shuffling noises can be heard, and then something that sounds like glass falls from somewhere. They both decide to sit in separate rooms to see if they can pick up on anything, but there doesn’t seem to be much happening until a possible orb goes across Stuart’s camera.
Yvette recaps other activities that the crew has experienced: Kath, the makeup lady, kept feeling like she was being watched, and Phil Wyman was having a problem with a door that kept moving and then got pulled out of his hand.
It was a great episode, with lots of things happening throughout the programme. Fitz Manor is a stunning location with beautiful gardens and lots of history.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, Fitz Manor, in the comments section below!
JOANNA HAGUE says: “I write fiction stories and in my spare time love ghost hunting: I have dabbled in the paranormal since I was a little girl. I currently live in Yorkshire. My latest book is on Amazon: Ashfield Asylum and Other Haunted Memories.”
Most Haunted team explores Aberdeenshire’s Leith Hall’s eerie past, including a hanging tree and a ghostly WWI soldier, with mixed investigative results, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: Leith Hall Location: Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire Series: 3 Episode Number: 4 Originally broadcast: 28 October 2003
Leith Hall, Most Haunted Review
Stunning as ever Yvette Fielding opens the episode. Up in Scotland stands Leith Hall.
James Leith built the hall in 1660, and it was passed through his family up until 1939, when the Lairds died within years of each other. The house is now in the hands of the National Trust, which lovingly takes care of it and maintains the history of the building. Along with a family home, the hall was used as a military hospital during the First World War.
Richard Felix, who is a historian, features in the episode and begins discussing the history of the building in more detail. He talks about some of the family ghosts that can be seen, including a man with a bandage on his head who resides on the stairs. He is said to have been killed in the building by being shot in the head.
The medium featured in this episode isDerek Acorah. While out in the gardens of the hall, Derek is explaining what he can pick up on. Yvette, in true form, is asking Derek several probing questions, trying to find out what else he can pick up on. We then go back to Richard Felix to find out if what Derek is picking up happened at the hall.
Derek picks up the hanging tree that stands on the grounds. Richard says that it was common for the Laird of the land to conduct and carry out punishments, such as hangings, and they usually occurred on the grounds of the property. Richard is certain that this tree is where these punishments took place.
When they are doing the walk around inside Leith Hall, Derek picks up on the residual energy that can often be seen at times in visitation. He then picks up on the man with the bandage on his head, begins to talk about having a headache, and begins holding his head. He says that the spirit is putting the condition on him.
While the rest of the team are in the hall, ever the adventurer Karl Beattie and Richard Felix venture out into the dark grounds and make their way to the hanging tree. Before you know it, Karl is up the tree and searching along a branch, looking for the rope marks Richard is sure he will be able to find. True to his word, Karl finds part of the tree where the bark is smooth and there is no moss growing in the grooves; this could indeed indicate that people were once hanged from that branch of the tree.
On the inside, we then catch up with Yvette, Derek, and Phil back on the staircase. Derek is again picking up at the hospital and offers that he can smell surgical spirit. There are several members of the team set in different locations around the hall; the girls are in the corridors where cold spots and dropping temperatures can be felt. The boys are in a different part, and they report seeing lights in the room with no explanation as to where they come from.
The bravest one of the evening, though, would be Kath, the makeup artist, who, against her better judgement, goes off to the grounds alone. She begins to freak out when she starts hearing noises all around her. I do suspect, though, that this is just the local wildlife coming out to see what is going on. It does, however, cause her to become frozen in fear, and she is definitely regretting her decision to go outside alone.
Drawing the episode to a close, Yvette recaps some of the things that have happened during the evening, including an automatic writing experiment that did not create any results other than some lines on the paper. While in the music room, there is a loud bang that can be heard on the door, and in true Most Haunted form, the fear quickly spreads through the group, but no explanation can be found for the noise.
We also see the events of the music room that were captured, when the crew can hear voices coming from behind the door, and in true fashion, Yvette tries to replicate the sound that she has heard. At this point, I did giggle. I do like Yvette’s noises. This is when Derek comes in, saying that they are annoying the spirits and maybe it is time to leave.
Leith Hall is a stunning place steeped in history. This episode does not have a lot of evidence captured, but it can never be guaranteed in any investigation. It is definitely full of history and worth a watch for the historical information that is provided by Richard Felix, as most of the hall still has the original furniture.
Tell us your views of this Most Haunted episode, Leith Hall, in the comments section below!
The Stately Ghosts of England is paranormal TV 1960s style at its finest, writes RICK HALE. as he looks back at the TV special that sees Margaret Rutherford journey some of England’s greatest haunted houses
The title screen for The Stately Ghosts of England 1965 TV Special.
TITLE: The Stately Ghosts of England RELEASED: 1 January 1965 DIRECTOR: Frank De Felitta CAST: Margaret Rutherford, Stringer Davis, Tom Corbett
The Stately Ghosts of England 1965
It’s very rare that I ever watch paranormal TV shows. In my opinion they tend to be boring and formulaic. Not to mention suffering from severe bouts of bad acting and unnecessary screaming.
However, recently I was scrolling through YouTube when I came across an old lost paranormal documentary called, The Stately Ghosts Of England.
Now, being the unabashed Anglophile I am, especially where ghosts are concerned, I watched this documentary and immediately loved it.
The film follows the travels of some very unlikely ghost hunters as they travel to three of Britain’s most fabled haunted houses.
Leading this journey into the unknown is famed actor of stage, screen, and TV, Dame Margaret Rutherford.
A talented actress who fostered a lifelong fascination in ghosts and hauntings.
Joining her, as she travels to three of Britain’s most famous haunted houses is her husband, Stringer Davis. As well as the clairvoyant, Tom Corbett.
Although I highly recommend this almost lost piece of media to anyone to watch, it’s definitely great for Spooky season.
But what are these three houses that attracted these famous personalities to their front doors? These Stately ghosts of England.
Rather than giving you a scene by scene breakdown of the show, we’ll explore the stories that brought them to the houses. I would hate to spoil the surprises that await.
The Stately Ghosts of England TV special was based on the 1963 book of the same name by Diana Norman.
Longleat House
Our first stop on this tour of the stately ghosts of England, brings our trio of ghost hunters to the south west of Britain to the historic, Grade I listed, Longleat House.
Built in 1568, Longleat house was an Augustinian priory, the house went through several owners before becoming the seat of the Marquess of Bath.
During the 20th century, Longleat was used as a hospital during the Great War. And later during World War II was an evacuation point for the Royal School For the Daughters Of Officers Of The Army.
So, as you might imagine, Longleat House has a long and complicated history. So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that this Stately home has its share of ghosts.
According to staff and visitors alike, Longleat is home to two very active ghosts. The first being the Grey Lady.
In life the grey lady was believed to be Lady Louisa Carteret, wife of the 2nd Viscount of Weymouth, Thomas Thynne.
When the Viscount discovered his wife was running around on him with what he considered to be, a lowly footman, he challenged the man to a duel.
When he won, Thynne secreted the body away in the cellar of the house which now serves as the Tea Room.
The story was confirmed early in the 20th century when the 5th Viscount discovered the mortal remains of the footman under the floor.
As for Lady Louisa, she returned from the grave to forever inhabit the house, undoubtedly distraught over the death of her lover.
Lady Louisa is most often seen wandering the hallway of the upper floor of the house. Staff rightly refuse to venture into her domain at night and have called the hall the grey lady’s walk.
The Bishop’s Ghost
Our second ghost is one of ecclesiastical origins.
Bishop Thomas Ken, was appointed by Charles II as chaplain to Princess Mary, wife of William of Orange.
Bishop Ken and William had a tempestuous relationship and often fought, rather loudly at times, over marriage.
Although a deeply religious and devout man, Thomas Ken was sent to the Tower of London for not agreeing with the spiritual beliefs of James II.
Upon release from the dreaded tower, Ken took up residence at Longleat where he lived out the rest of his days.
The ghost of the former Bishop is regularly seen in the red library studiously reading a book before vanishing from view.
Salisbury Hall
After the trio of ghost hunters depart from Longleat House, they make their way to Hertfordshire and a house that has been on the paranormal community’s radar for many years, Salisbury Hall and the ghost of Nell Gwynne.
For over a thousand years, a manor house had sat on this ancient site, but the present house was built around 1668 by London banker, James Hoare.
The intervening years saw a succession of owners including farmers. As well as the mother of Sir Winston Churchill who took up ownership in 1905.
The house took on a much different purpose in 1939 when the de Havilland Aircraft Company set up shop to test their prototype Mosquito aircraft.
Today, the house is a museum dedicated to de Havilland and a workshop where visitors can watch projects as they come together.
Although this has made Salisbury Hall famous in its own right, it’s the ghost of its most famous occupant that makes it legendary among ghost hunters, Nell Gwynne.
Star of the stage, Nell Gwynne was considered to be the greatest actress of her generation during the Restoration period.
But it was her side hustle that truly made her famous, mistress to the king of England, Charles II.
Gwyn and the King carried on a hot love affair, even providing him with children, until the death of Charles in 1685.
It was only a mere two years later that Nell Gwynne perished from a stroke.
Although Nell Gwynne is the most active ghost experienced at Salisbury Hall, there is one other, the spectral figure of a cavalier.
According to legend, rather than being captured by Parliamentarian troops, a cavalier took desperate measures and killed himself in Salisbury Hall.
He is said to emerge from a wall and go back to where he came from.
Dame Margaret Rutherford in The Stately Homes of England 1965.
Beaulieu Abbey
Our third and final Stately old English haunt brings Dame Margaret Rutherford and her companions to the bucolic Hampshire countryside and ancient Beaulieu Abbey said to still be haunted by the Monks that lived there so long ago.
Beaulieu Abbey may now be a charming house; it was founded in 1203 by King John as a Cistercian monastery for Monks from France.
For centuries, the Monks lived at Beaulieu and served their god until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.
With the Monks gone, the building was given to the 1st Earl of Southampton, Thomas Wriothesley.
Upon taking possession of the house, Wriothesley went about tearing down the church and building a Mansion, using the existing gatehouse as the basis for the house we see today.
Today, the former Abbey and Manor house is the National Motor Museum as well as a garden.
The house is open to the public and welcomes thousands of visitors a year.
The Monks who once inhabited this ancient home may be long dead, but their ghosts remain.
For hundreds of years the locals who live around Beaulieu have reported seeing the figures of Monks in both brown and white robes wandering the grounds.
One well documented story details a group of boys who were terrified by the image of a Monk as they hunkered down in an unused boathouse during a violent storm.
Lastly, the unmistakable sound of prayers and chanting can be heard coming from the old Abbey and is believed to be an omen of death.
The Stately Ghosts Of England, starring Margaret Rutherford can be found on YouTube and is a great early example of paranormal documentary filmmaking.
I would ever consider it a must watch by anyone interested in the ghosts of Britain.
And I leave you with this, Happy Halloween.
Have you seen The Stately Ghosts of England 1965? Tell us your thoughts on the comments section below!
Dr Ciarán O’Keeffe talks Ghostbusters and scepticism with Spooky Isles’ JOHN AMBROSE MARTIN at Ireland’s Day of the Unexplained in Wexford.
Dr Ciarán O’Keeffe with some fellow paranormal enthusiasts at Ireland’s Day of the Unexplained in Wexford on 18 February 2023.
Dr Ciarán O’Keeffe is a parapsychologist and member of the Society for Psychical Research. He is known for his work on The Battersea Poltergeist and several TV appearances, however his most notable role has been parapsychologist and paranormal investigator on TV’s Most Haunted.
Forthright and definitely not sitting on the fence with his work, the Academic and University lecturer has dug deeply into some dark cases. During his work on the BBC’s podcast series on The Battersea Poltergeist, Dr O’Keeffe said of the phenomenon, “the argument from some parapsychology theorists is that it’s about attention. We’re seeing effectively, a ghost with a tantrum.” In his work as a forensic psychologist, Ciarán has gone as far as to say he “sees what the killer sees.”
During his time on Most Haunted, Ciarán O’Keeffe was not only vocal on his scepticism of the show and “performances” of participants, he went so far as to organise a sting to effectively out self-proclaimed medium Derek Acorah as a fraud.
These revelations have not harmed the media career of the Norwich-born ghost hunter and he crossed the Irish Sea to Irish para-con Day of the Unexplained where Spooky Isles’ JOHN AMBROSE MARTIN caught up with the ghost hunter to find out more:
JOHN AMBROSE MARTIN: So what Ciarán, brought you to Day of the Unexplained, why did you decide to come over to us?
CIARÁN O’KEEFFE: I enjoy meeting ghost hunters and other people involved in the paranormal, but what really brought me here was Anthony Kerrigan (GhostÉire). Anthony has done some courses with me, ‘Deliver Us From Evil,’ (kind of an Exorcism course) and he said come over here to New Ross. I have been up the road in Carlow, I know some ghost hunters up there and I’ve got family in Dublin and Cork so, a perfect opportunity to come over here for a paranormal conference.
John: What got you into the paranormal?
Ciarán: Ghostbusters! How long have we got (laughs)? I have always been fascinated by ghost stories, like reading fiction and then Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World and then Ghostbusters in ’84 I think, cemented it – thinking as a teenage boy that’s what I could be, which I didn’t end up being because I don’t have a proton pack or the lovely car – but yeah that was kind of what cemented it, a boyhood fascination with ghosts. It grew from there, but more the academic route.
John: Are you a total sceptic, an open minded sceptic? How would you describe yourself?
Ciarán: I’m a total sceptic in the true sense of the word, open minded, but questioning, I think that’s the best way of explaining it. I’m not cynical by any means, but I’m also not dogmatic, it’s kind of that middle ground and that’s the best way to be.
So we leave Dr Ciarán O’Keeffe to lecture on the paranormal to an attentive crowd before continuing his exploration of the spooky county of Wexford!
Many people, cite Ghostbusters as a reason for the love of the paranormal. Are you one of them? Tell us in the comments section below!
Ghostwatch celebrates its 30th anniversary this Halloween. MACSEN MATTHEWS says the spooky masterpiece still holds strong today, leaving a legacy of real life terror in its wake
Sarah Greene, Michael Parkinson and Mike Smith, from 1992’s Ghostwatch
Believe it or not, 1992 was a great year for horror, with the likes of Candyman, Evil Dead III, and my own monstrous birth, proving to become the stuff of nightmares for adults and children alike.
That fateful year, one of the most infamous and legendary pieces of horror media came to grace us from one of the most unlikely of places – A BBC special.
Ghostwatch aired BBC1 on Halloween night, 1992. It is best described as a “mockumentary”, although the term had not quite entered the pop-cultural dictionary in the early 90s. It was not the first of its kind – many had used the pseudo-documentary format before – however, Ghostwatch was among the first to delve into the realms of the supernatural, presenting the classic ‘ghost story’ in a factual manner, without the satire that often accompanies the ‘mock-’ part of the genre.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise how this one off piece of fiction accidentally fooled the nation.
The Plot
If you haven’t yet seen Ghostwatch, you should dip out of this article now and come back when you have, because this is the lowdown:
Presented by good old Michael Parkinson, Ghostwatch follows the “live” investigation of a house in Greater London, home to Pamela Early and her daughters, Suzanne and Kim.
The family report strange happenings centered around a ghost they nicknamed Pipes – named after the initial belief that the noises were “just the pipes”.
The on-site investigation is led by Blue Peter’s Sarah Greene with Craig Charles, who are in seemingly good spirits (pun intended) at the beginning of the night. Back in the studio, Parky is joined by Mike Smith, Greene’s real-life husband, and Dr. Lin Pascoe, a “paranormal expert”, portrayed by Gillian Bevan.
Throughout the night, the weirdness increased, very much mirroring the real-life Enfield Poltergeist case, even to the point of “catching” the girls initiating some of Pipes behaviors. When they are caught red-handed, Parkinson – being the reliable, down to earth presenter that he is – dismisses the entire haunting as a hoax, but Dr Pascoe is undeterred, as are the supposed “live viewers”.
Throughout the show, a number is displayed, encouraging viewers to call in and report their own ghostly visitations and share their opinion on the events taking place. These “viewers” begin to report sightings of Pipes in the background of the broadcast, and eventually, a caller reveals that unknown to Dr Pascoe and her research, a former tenant of the house, Raymond Tunstall, lived and died there, whilst believing himself to be haunted by the spirit of a 19th century baby farmer, Mother Seddons – Inspired by the real-life Amelia Dyer.
Even as the girls are discovered creating some of the activity, calls continue to escalate, with “viewers” claiming bizarre happenings are taking place in their own homes and that their own children are acting strangely.
Through this, Dr Pascoe realizes the broadcast has manifested a “national séance” which provides Pipes with incomprehensible power. The broadcast is disrupted and the police arrive at the Early house, only for Sarah Greene to be dragged back inside and trapped, much to her husband’s dismay. Pipes takes control of the studio, blowing out lights and causing panic.
Now alone in the darkened studio, our host, Michael Parkinson wanders aimlessly. His speech disintegrates until, in Pipes own voice, he chants nursery rhymes and the film ends abruptly.
A tense scene from 1992’s Ghostwatch
Aftermath
What was meant to be a frightfully fun mockumentary ended up traumatizing a nation. I mean that quite literally.
A report in the British Medical Journal in February 1994 and its subsequent responses suggested Ghostwatch caused post-traumatic stress disorder in six children between the ages of 10 and 14. If this were a tabloid article, it may earn the heading, “Ghostwatch gave my kids PTSD!” But this claim isn’t quite as serious as it sounds. Even the article itself goes on to describe the children’s states as a “brief anxiety reaction to the television program”. In layman’s terms, kids were scared of a TV show, then when on with their lives. The same thing happened to me when I watched Watership Down, and I haven’t brought it up to my therapist. Yet.
However, if this was the only instance of an adverse reaction to a single program, we wouldn’t be here, would we?
It’s said that the BBC switchboard received over one million calls following the broadcast. Not all of these were complaints – many were praising the film’s dynamic format and some were callers trying to report their own ghostly experience or join in with the show. Still, some report an estimated 30,000 angry calls, with Parky’s own mother among them.
People – especially children – were terrified. Sarah Greene even appeared on Children’s BBC the following Monday, to assure youngsters she was fine and the film was a piece of harmless fiction.
But the tabloids were not finished with Ghostwatch.
Certainly, the most tragic tale to come out of the whole affair was the very real death of 18-year-old Martin Denham. Martin was a factory worker, reportedly living with unspecified learning disabilities, who according to his parents, became terrified of ghosts following the program and went on to commit suicide five days later. His own house was said to host a faulty heating system and he connected the knocking of the pipes to Pipes the ghost. In their rather understandable anger, Martin’s parents blamed Ghostwatch for his death, however, the Broadcasting Standards Commission refused this complaint, along with 34 others which claimed the film caused viewers psychological distress. They were however, required to hear the complains and respond, stating that “The BBC had a duty to do more than simply hint at the deception it was practicing on the audience.”
In response, the BBC issued an apology, recognizing that had they predicted the audience response, they would have made Ghostwatch’s fictional nature more clear.
Ghostwatch – written by Stephen Volk – has never been re-aired on any UK television network. However, this did not mean it went unnoticed.
Impact
As is often the way, the delectably taboo status of Ghostwatch probably helped to encourage its cult status. Even before it’s VHS release in 2002, as well as the upcoming Blu-ray, the phenomenon that is Ghostwatch went on to inspire the creative endeavors of a generation.
One of the most well-known examples of this is illusionist, Derren Brown’s TV special Séance, in which a false story of a student suicide pact is presented as real to a group of Roehampton University students. During the televised séance, viewers were invited to participate on their own and encouraged to report and strange goings on they experienced. If you hadn’t already guessed, the story was fiction and the “ghost” the student’s believed they were channelling – a woman named Jane – appeared alive and well at the end of the show. While this was an example of the unintentional mind games at play during any attempted séance, Brown has stated that he was directly inspired by Ghostwatch.
Another excellent example of the legacy of Ghostwatch can be seen in the black comedy series, Inside No. 9, and their Halloween special, Dead Line. Broadcast live, the filming of the episode seems to go astray, with interference in sound and picture resulting from Granada Studio’s alleged real-life ghost. Throughout its duration, audience’s and actors interact with each other on Twitter in real time.
I’d also argue the echoes of Ghostwatch inspired the development of the contemporary paranormal-reality program trend. Ghost hunting shows, the likes of Most Haunted and Ghost Adventures, although controversial in themselves, exploded as a genre in the early 2000s. Prior to this we had Unsolved Mysteries, and Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World, which dramatized the occasional ghost story, but they never really put us, the audience, in it with them. Although intentionally fictional, Ghostwatch showed us the scares that can come from the investigation itself. It propels us to the edge of our seat with rising tension, a structure which is mirrored in paranormal TV.
Despite conflicting reports on exactly when its directors saw Ghostwatch, we couldn’t pass by the similarly infamous Blair Witch Project, which became a corner stone of the found footage genre. Both films give their in-universe ghosts a voice through “locals” who convey the relevant lore and take some of their narrative starting points from real-life hauntings, in this case, The Bell Witch.
Why It Works
But what is it that makes Ghostwatch so scary? Thirty years later, we can re-watch and notice how its scenes and acting are clearly scripted, it’s fair to question just how anyone thought it was real at the time. It aired at 9pm, post watershed, as part of BBC’s Screen One – a fictional anthology series, so why were so many people fooled?
What Ghostwatch did so well, was blur the lines between fact and fiction. It’s casting was genius – hand picking a variety of our most trusted famous faces and getting them to deliver fictional content. Who would believe Michael Parkinson would try and fool us? He’s not an actor, is he? That’s what makes his end possession scene especially chilling.
Sarah Greene, a well-known children’s presenter – on something as wholesome and trusting as Blue Peter – would never be put in any actual danger, would she? That’s not very family friendly, and that’s what makes it brilliant. When she and Mike Smith – her real life husband – show genuine affection and fear for the other’s safety, it makes the audience believe it too.
We expect the cast to deliver us factual news. They’re not actors. They’re not playing a role and so we expect to trust what they say and what they do. Putting these innocent, everyday TV presenters in fictional situations doesn’t just break the fourth wall, it tears it down and threatens us with it. We’re inclined to believe the horrifying happenings are true, and that means it could happen to us just as easily.
As for audience interaction, I’ve already mentioned the phone line. Of course, with fictional “callers” furthering the plot by reporting sightings of Pipes behind curtains and in shadowy bedroom corners, real callers tried to do the same. The ghost can be spotted throughout the program, in some cases, passing by unnoticed by all involved, encouraging the real life audience to call in to report it.
As a fictional show – prerecorded, of course – the real life caller was met with a message reinstating that the show was fiction, but asking the them to share their own paranormal story if they wished. What could not have been predicted was the sheer number of calls Ghostwach received. There were so many, in fact, that the switchboard crashed and the nice, reassuring little message, was not played. As prerecorded “calls” were still discussed on the show, a fun little piece of interactivity took on a whole new realism.
Even mirroring the infamous and supposedly true Enfield Poltergeist case, and including a baby farmer inspired by a real murderer worked to sway the public into belief. Those in the know would have thought, “Oh, I’ve heard of that!”, and without the likes of google to support or deny the details of such things, the audience likely recognized the stories and this swayed their belief, even on an unconscious level.
Of course, this wouldn’t happen today. Not in this age of social media – something Inside No. 9 used in its favor during its own Halloween broadcast. Today, a quick google search would have (probably) told us we were watching a piece of interactive fiction. Unlike the pseudo-horror documentary style fiction before it, such as Cannibal Holocaust, Ghostwatch didn’t intent to fool its viewers. Much like Orson Welles’s War of the World radiobroadcast, it wasn’t really meant to be believed. But just like that day in 1938, people tuned in and were fooled.
Ghostwatch completes this divine trinity of ‘true’ horror media. If War of the Worlds is the father and Cannibal Holocaust is the bloody son, Ghostwatch is indeed the Holy Spirit. After 30 years, an unofficial BBC ban, later cult followings, personal-mass screenings and subsequent documentaries, Stephen Volk’s masterpiece still hold strong today, leaving a legacy of real life terror in its wake.
Tell us your memories about Ghostwatch in the comments section below!
Medium Marion Goodfellow talks to Spooky Isles about her adventures on top paranormal television shows…
Marion Goodfellow first communicated with spirits when she was three years old, when she saw her grandfather’s ghost.
Marion talks to Spooky Isles about her psychic ability and how it has lead her to appear on television shows such as The Ghost Detectives, Most Haunted, Scream Team, Northern Ireland’s Greatest Haunts and Richard and Judy!
We learn what it’s like to be be medium and how’s she not afraid to tell reality show producers what they don’t want to hear!
Tell us your thoughts on this video in the comments section below!
Brian J Cano talks to Spooky Isles about his ghosthunting career, including Haunted Objects and Paranormal History
Brian J Cano is a New York-based paranormal researcher, lecturer and author, who is well-known for appearing on TV’s Haunted Collector and Paranormal Caught on Camera and Haunted Collector.
Brian’s coming to Wales for a paranormal tour in July, so he’s talking to Spooky Isles about his career, his travelling History of the Paranormal Exhibit and his new book, Grains of Sand, Tales of A Paranormal Life.
Most Haunted heads to Delapré Abbey in Northampton with members of the English Rugby Team for an investigation. Guest writer CLAIRE DAVY takes a look at the episode…
Episode Title: Delapré Abbey (with English Rugby Team) Location: Northampton Series: 15 Episode Number: 5 Originally broadcast: 18 September 2014
Delapré Abbey Most Haunted review
I have chosen to review this particular episode as it combines a few of my very favourite things – Delapré Abbey and its stunning grounds, ghosts and rugby. Ok, and rugby players too. Hope you enjoy it!
We are welcomed to the episode as always by the charming and lovely Yvette telling us the past history of tonight’s Most Haunted investigation. Delapré Abbey is a former monastery and was built on wetlands to the south of Northampton in 1145 and was actually one of only two Cluniac monasteries of women in UK (together with Arthington Priory in Yorkshire). There were somewhere between 12 and 20 nuns in Delapré at any one time during its incarnation as a priory but the Abbey was closed in 1538 during the dissolution of monasteries.
The advent of the 1460 Battle of Northampton at Delapré between Yorkists and Lancastrians seemed to provide earliest apparitions of which there are still accounts, including clashing swords in the dead of night, marching boots and the frenzied shouts of battle.
Following that tumultuous period, Delapré then passed family to family till 1940 when the war office took over the Abbey.
(NB: the building at the time of this programme airing had mostly been empty with a bit of a bleak future but in 2013, it obtained Heritage Lottery funds and has undergone extensive renovation and is now open to the public on a daily basis).
The investigation at Delapré Abbey
Yvette heads first to the reputedly haunted to the underground tunnels and cellars and talks about some of the Abbeys resident wraiths, including the famous (in Northamptonshire anyway) Blue Lady, who wanders the corridors between the (now) library and the chapel ,the blue of her appearance apparently in keeping with the blue of the nun’s habits.
Henry VI also makes a plaintive appearance, seemingly from when he was held prisoner in the cells of the building (of which we’ll discuss more later) and there is the obligatory ‘black dog’ who emanates from the tearoom and patrols in and around Delapré’s beautiful grounds, waiting to bring news of an impending death or tragedy to an unfortunate visitor. To finish up this cache of creepies is the auditory phenomena dating back to when families loved privately in the house, including rustling skirts, shouts and footsteps, accompanied (according to Yvette) by an oppressively creepy atmosphere.
(NB: The wife of Edward I, Queen Eleanor passed away unexpectedly in 1290 while the couple visited Nottingham and her body was borne south to her burial site in Westminster via 12 stops along the way. One of these stops was the Black Dog at Delapré and now the Eleanor Cross, one of only three surviving examples of the 12 stands proudly on the roadside near the abbey walls, in testament to this sombre final royal journey.)
Regular Most Haunted contributor and ‘demonologist’ Fred Blatt then takes over and tells us the history of the abbey (which is largely a rehashing of Yvette’s introduction) but adds that some soldiers killed in the battle were laid to rest in the nuns graveyard on the site.
Fred and Yvette stroll through the Abbey and despite calling it ‘one of her favourite locations’, Yvette then goes on to say that the building itself could be the location for a horror movie – as a horror fan I fully understand that anathema though!
Yvette and Fred go on to explore the dungeons in more detail, providing enlightenment as to the possible reason for the appearance of Henry VI – he was apparently held here during the Battle of Northampton.
Much of Fred’s answers to what Yvette and the gang can expect to hear should they do a vigil in the cells and cellars seems rather…obvious shall we say?
Yvette: “What can we expect to hear in these cells where people were held captive and died Fred?”
Fred: “Crying, praying, moaning”
Yvette: “And what might we hear in the chapel area?”
Fred: “Praying, penance, walking”
Yvette: “And what might we hear in a dentists”
Fred: “Screaming, drilling, gurgling” – (I digress but you see my point!)
We then move on to the rugby boys – Ben Foden, a previous stalwart of both the Northampton and England teams, has brought with him Dylan Hartley, Chris Ashton and two other strapping fellows who try to mask their nervousness about forthcoming events by resolutely jamming their hands in their pockets and shuffling from one foot to another. Ben is perhaps the least sceptic of the avowed ‘sceptics’ as he has lived in ‘old houses’ (and his then wife Una was a guest of Yvette on an episode featuring her band, The Saturdays).
Yvette then reveals that ‘things have already started knocking and banging’ before the lights have even been switched off. (Evidently, the lads, weighing roughly 70 stone combined were startled by a pebble while doing their walk around.) And when Yvette announces ‘it’s time to begin’ they follow her out of the room like reluctant schoolboys following the caretaker to the headmasters office.
As they entered the first room of the location, Yvette calls out to the spirits of past visitors to the Abbey (many of whom likely succumbed after seeing the price of a scone in the tearooms).
For the cynical among us there is a certain amount of ‘leading’ going on, Yvette asks the spirits how many if them are present, then listens intently for a response – after a while she looks to one of the players who seems to be more ‘invested’ than the others and asks “did you hear two, did you hear five’ etc. and he nods meekly in response.
After a while however the ‘knocking’ does become more audible and the players are visibly quite nervy. As they depart that room, apparently a little disappointed at the lack of phenomena, a stone appears to come out of nowhere and hits the ground behind the departing team.
One of the crew alleges they felt a tap on the back as the stone was thrown – a cupboard previously shut was found to be open and Yvette decides they will depart and the last person to leave that room will throw the stone back into the room for the spirit to see if it wants to play.
The team move on and seemingly interact with the spirit who can identify 15 of them in the room which turns out to be correct, that aside the interaction does seem to be sporadic and they move on to do a seance. In my personal opinion I feel that the five players plus Yvette taking part in the ouija board may have been a little over the top as there was barely room for all the fingers.
The team seem to agree that Chris Ashton is the focus for the spirit’s interest so he decides to interact with it by asking it questions about his first car – interestingly the spirit of what could have been a 12th century nun or 15th century monarch correctly identified that it was indeed a BMW and not a Mercedes or Audi, which is telling in itself I think.
That being said, it was apparent that, as is the case with most ghost hunts/walks/investigations, the rugby players and the Most Haunted crew are split along the lines of those who clearly believe in the paranormal and are fully engaging, listening out for anything that could be interpreted (or misinterpreted) as a spooky occurrence and those who are visibly struggling to get enthused, either through lack of interest or a genuine fear of the unknown. This is definitely the case here and it makes for an interesting dynamic.
When the players and other members of the crew depart, only four brave team members are left standing for the duration of the night.
Karl and the ever pragmatic Stewart then head up the creepy stairs to spend a few hours vigil in the attic area and swiftly discover some creepy dead roses and have the door slammed shut on them by an unknown entity. Using a creepy blue tinted flashlight may not have been the wisest option, however, as its sporadic flashes are likely to induce a unconscious autosuggestion regarding the blue nun.
After using some less than complimentary language to ‘call out’ for the spirits (Karl “Stop f*****g around and do something else” and Stewart “Come on you shower of s***s”) they have a stone thrown down the stairs at them which I would say is the least they deserve to be honest. As they make their way down the stairs they are startled by a massive bang which makes the already skittish Karl beat a hasty retreat.
The four decide that the centre of the activity seems to be focused on the stairs and all of them head to it to investigate further – they experience whistles, bangs, and the crescendo of a massive crash all set to the rhythm of Yvette’s particularly girly squeals, at which point they decide to call it a night at Delapré Abbey.
Meanwhile, Yvette and Rick head for the cellars where they try calling out and have some hefty thumps around them as reward for their bravery and a stone appears to manifest in the only entrance/exit to the cellars which they feel has been thrown towards them.
The show then takes in the opinions of Dr John Callow who posits that the nervous laughter, especially by the players when they were taking part in the ouija board session, belies the truth of a very unsettling evening but in reality, all the show proves is that no matter the size of our biceps or the power of our scrum, we are all afraid of the dark…
CLAIRE DAVY lives in Northampton but comes from the remote west of Ireland. She’s been passionate about all things paranormal since she was a child and has a particular fascination for the Chase Vault case in Barbados and visited the haunted tomb for her 40th birthday. She’s a member of Ghost Club, the SPR and ASSAP and has hosted webinars and taken part in paranormal podcasts about all things spooky! You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
