Archive for the 'Interviews' Category

Peter Underwood Ghosthunter at Large – 26th Oct 2005

   Posted by: Paul Griffiths
in Interviews
30
Jan

Leading Ghosthunter, Peter Underwood, talks about his hunt for ghosts in Wiltshire.

The World’s leading Ghosthunter, Peter Underwood, Life President of The Ghost Club Society, has seen his fair share of spooks, phantoms and haunted places. Here he talks about his favourite Wiltshire haunts, spookiest cases, phantom dogs and ectoplasm…

Peter Underwood

 

How did you become a ghosthunter?

When I was a boy my grandparents lived in a well known haunted house in Hertfordshire. People called at the house and asked whether they could see the haunted room. My grandmother would ask me to show them and tell them the ghost story – which I did very much tongue in cheek. Often the visitors would say, when I had finished, ‘Well, we’re not surprised because we have a ghost in our house’.

This began to interest me and I kept notes of the ghost stories I was told and I then began to seek out people who claimed to have experienced ghosts. Then I was fortunate enough to investigate a haunted house in Buckinghamshire which turned out to be the first official investigation into a haunting. The result was broadcast by the BBC – one of the very few occasions when a haunting has seriously been reported in a news bulletin.

After that I was hooked and began seriously looking into reports of haunted houses and frequently spending a night in the most haunted room.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Belief does not really come into it. I am quite sure that I have spoken to people who are convinced that they have seen ghosts and experienced psychic activity and I have certainly experienced some things that I am totally unable to explain. But my object has always been to scientifically prove that what may be happening is objective and can be recorded and is not merely in the minds and imaginations of the people concerned.

Have you ever taken a picture of a ghost?

I have never taken a picture that I have been satisfied is a ghost or ghostly activity. But I have certainly seen photos that I have been unable to explain. Notably the Greenwich ghost photograph. It was taken by a visiting clergyman and his wife, with no interest in ghosts, at The Queen’s House, Greenwich. It shows a form climbing up the circular stairs which is always roped off and not available to anyone.

The authorities are unable to account for the image and repeated attempts to duplicate it come nowhere near. It is generally regarded as the most puzzling of all ghost photographs.

I spent a night at the Queens House with a few fellow investigators -but that is another story!

Have you ever been terrified on a case?

Not terrified, I think, I am usually too busy ensuring that everything we have with us is working and that everyone is fulfilling their tasks. But I have certainly been considerably surprised on occasions by loud sounds from locked and sealed rooms and such like.

Which Wiltshire haunting are you most interested in and what’s the story behind it?

Probably Littlecote where ‘Wild’ Will Darrell is said to have murdered a new-born child by throwing it into the fire and holding it down with the heel of his boot.

The charge was made in a statement by a midwife who on her deathbed revealed to a magistrate that she had been summoned one dark night to attend in secret a lady about to have a child and she was promised a large sum of money if she would do so.

She allowed herself to be blindfolded and taken to a house, she did not recognize, where she delivered the child which was then snatched from her by a man and thrown into the fire.

Too terrified to say much at the time she had the presence of mind to take a small piece of material from the bed-curtains and to count the number of stairs as she was led out, again blindfolded.

After her confession suspicion centered on ‘Wild’ Will Darrell as the villain and Littlecote as the house. Darrell was arrested and the connection established by the number of steps on the stairs and a corresponded hole in the bed-curtains.

Darrell seems to have succeeded in being acquitted but the ghost of the murdered baby seemingly appeared before him when he was riding on horseback and so startled the horse that he was thrown and died.

There were also the appearance of mysterious bloodstains in the appropriate chamber where the terrible crime was apparently sometimes reenacted.

The place where the stile stood where the horse reared is still known as ‘Darrell’s Stile’.

Where are the spookiest places in Wiltshire?

Apart from Littlecote I would probably pick Westwood Manor, near Bradford-on-avon, which was a fascinating place and had at least two ghosts. Then perhaps Lydiard Tregoze with its long history of haunting and many witnesses and then there is always Longleat with its Green Lady and other phantoms of the past.

What about animal ghosts?

There are certainly reports of animal ghosts in Wiltshire including the countrywide Black Dog seen at Brook House, Stourton and there are also phantom dogs reported at Cholderton House, Cholderton (that sometimes accompanies people crossing the driveway after dark).

And the ghostly lady in white seen on a path near the Common at Broughton Gifford is always followed by a ghostly little dog, according to reports; and then there are repeated reports of a ghost horse (some say headless!) in Bull Lane at Kilmington.

What is ectoplasm?

Ectoplasm is the name given to ’something’ that reportedly exudes from a medium’s body and seemingly builds up into a recognized human form at physical seances.

I have seen what is claimed to be ectoplasm but have not been allowed to touch it or obtain a piece for examination. Mediums say that if interfered with the ectoplasm will suddenly retreat into the medium’s body with damaging results.

Is there such a thing as ectoplasm? I will accept there is when I have obtained a sample myself, under test conditions, and had it examined scientifically.

Are there any basic things you can do to investigate if a place is haunted?

There are no basic things that anyone can do to establish whether a place is haunted. It is a case of careful, truthful, serious and objective observation over as long as it takes.

Peter Underwood is the author of over 40 books on the supernatural including ‘Ghosts of Wiltshire’, ‘Peter Underwood’s Favourite Tales of the Fantastical’, ‘Exorcism!’ and ‘Ghosts And How To See Them’.

BBC Wiltshire

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An Exclusive Interview With Harry Price

   Posted by: Paul Griffiths
in Interviews
30
Jan

Archive footage of An Interview With Harry Price on Movietone News Theatre

 

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Harry Price – Paranormal Pioneer by Paul Adams

   Posted by: Paul Griffiths
in Ghosts & Hauntings, Interviews
1
Dec

Harry Price

Without a doubt Harry Price is a seminal figure in the field of modern day ghost hunting. Paranormal investigators of today, even though they may know little about Price himself are following the procedures that he used to bring the scientific study of psychical research firmly into the public eye over fifty years ago. However, several of his cases – the most famous and long lasting of which is the haunting of Borley Rectory – have been the subject of much critical study in the years since his death, as has Price’s own personal reputation. Controversial amongst his colleagues in the field of psychical research during his lifetime, this critical attention continues to this day and as an individual he continues to arouse interest and comment. Recent studies have uncovered much about Price the man that will of course be used by his critics to dismiss his work and the achievements obtained during his lifetime, but although as a person he was indeed a shrewd, complicated and at times calculating individual, his writings and adventures provide a legacy that continues to inspire to this day.

Harry Price was born in Holborn in London on 17 January 1881. His father was a traveling salesman for a firm of paper manufacturers and after trying his hand at several diverse types of work Harry entered this line of employment himself, becoming a salesman for the same company as his father. Despite being famous as a ghost-hunter Price never actually gave up his day job and worked in the paper industry all his life. Evening classes at Goldsmiths College where Price studied amongst other things photography and engineering gave him practical skills that he later used to his advantage.

In 1908 Price married Constance Mary Knight and the couple set up their home in the village of Pulborough, West Sussex. The Knights were a somewhat affluent family and Constance had the benefit of a small trust fund that supplemented Price’s income, enabling him to establish what would become the greatest occult library in the world. Price became interested in magic at the age of eight, developing into a competent amateur conjuror and these skills gave him an insight into the workings of the many mediums that he became interested in before and especially after the Great War ended.
Fake psychics and mediums abounded during the 1914-1918 conflict, feeding off the slaughter in the trenches. Price knew many of their tricks and became exceptionally scathing towards Spiritualism, which he described in his writings as being riddled with fraud. He came to the firm decision that when he was able he would establish a scientific facility where mediums and psychics who claimed supernormal powers could be tested to prove their claims. At this time, the dawn of the 1920s, the phenomena of the séance room was the area where paranormal study was most heavily focused.

Price’s uneasy relationship with organized British psychical research began when he was elected a member of the English Society for Psychical Research in June 1920 to whom he gave the benefit on loan of his by then vast library of occult literature. Price came onto the paranormal scene when he was nearly forty and was looking to make his mark in a career in which he was passionately interested. As a person he had a great desire to be famous and felt he had a lot to contribute to the subject. Eventually he made up his own mind that he would reorganize psychical research in Britain on his own terms and used his contacts in the SPR to gain experience of the scientific study of the paranormal before putting his plans into action.

Harry Price

Price encountered much fraud during his early years including ‘spirit’ photographer William Hope whom he exposed in February 1922, but after attending séances with the young Austrian medium Willi Schneider in Munich he was convinced that genuine paranormal phenomena did exist. In the following year he met a young English nurse named Stella Cranshaw who claimed to have had strange experiences including poltergeist phenomena. Price organized a series of sittings with Stella at the London Spiritualist Alliance and published impressive results in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.
On 1 January 1926, Harry Price’s dream of a scientific establishment for the testing of claimants to paranormal powers became a reality when the doors of his National Laboratory of Psychical Research opened in Queensbury Place, London with himself as the Honorary Director. This had involved nearly a year of not only hard work but also considerable personal expense on Price’s part as he had equipped the facility to an impressive standard out of his own pocket. His library, now known as the Research Library of the National Laboratory, was relocated from the SPR’s headquarters.

The investigation of mediumistic phenomena still took up much of his time but Price was prepared to allow all and sundry who claimed paranormal abilities to be examined including contortionists, thought readers and performance artists whose real home was undoubtedly the fairground rather than the laboratory of an organization whose aims were the scientific study of the occult. This being the case, Price’s National Laboratory attained in the eyes of mainstream science, and particularly bodies such as the SPR, a vaudeville atmosphere that consigned his work to the fringes of recognized science. Price wrote often amusing accounts of many of these experiments in several of his books but the result of all this was that by the end of the decade, Price was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the way his work was not only progressing but the response it was receiving from orthodox scientific bodies.

Price’s work shows an amazing dichotomy between the undertaking of serious scientific study and blatant publicity seeking and sensationalism. Compare his reporting of the séance room phenomena of Willi Schneider’s younger brother Rudi whom Price brought to England in 1929 with publicity episodes such as the opening of the locked box of the eighteenth century prophetess Joanna Southcott in 1927 and the Brocken Experiment of June 1932 when Price traveled to Germany to attempt the transformation a goat into a handsome young man by means of a magical formula. The former, published as a book in 1930, is a model of detailed reporting and shows the great pains that Price went in achieving scientifically acceptable conditions in which to carry out his experiments, while the latter are clearly headline generating escapades designed to keep Price and his organization firmly in the public eye. Consequently newspaper editors loved him as anything that involved Price was guaranteed to generate good copy and he soon became the most well known psychical investigator during the late 1920s and this notoriety was to continue.

During the 1930s Price’s organization underwent a period of upheaval. By 1934 Price had dissolved the National Laboratory and reformed his organization as the University of London Council for Psychical Investigation, taking advantage of the successful result of negotiations he had undertaken with the University of London to create a Department of Psychical Research. Despite the title the organization in fact had no official connection with the University although they benefited from the transfer on permanent loan of Price’s laboratory equipment and his extensive library.

Harry Price Ghost Kit

Harry Price’s new organisation existed for five years until the outbreak of hostilities in 1939 when he closed his office and retired from active investigation. These could well be described as Price’s true ‘ghost hunting’ years. As well as the Brocken Experiment he investigated an alleged talking mongoose on the Isle of Man, carried out fire-walking experiments in Surrey, investigated the Indian Rope Trick and made the first live radio broadcast from a haunted house. In all these investigations he projected the role of a modern paranormal investigator. His ‘ghost hunter’s kit’, a suitcase containing cameras, measuring equipment, a thermograph and other devices reinforced the impression of the scientific study of the supernatural. The equipment of today’s investigators may be far more sophisticated but the application of Price’s gadgets was the same.

Sadly Price was missing out on new developments taking place that were revolutionizing paranormal research. In America J.B. Rhine was ushering in the new science of parapsychology with its emphasis on the study of ESP. This was something which Price, now in his mid fifties and not in particularly good health was unable to embrace or possibly even take seriously. However, even at this late stage of his career, in terms of classic ghost hunting, the close of the 1930s saw Harry Price able to produce the magnum opus that has sealed his fame forever as the greatest ghost hunter of all time. This was his investigation of Borley Rectory, ‘the most haunted house in England’.

Borley Rectory

Borley Rectory has become the classic haunted house and one that now has legendary status. Situated in a lonely district of rural Essex, Price first became aware of it in June 1929 through his good relationship with the editor of the Daily Mirror. Over the years the Bull family who lived at the Rectory from 1863 until 1927 reported at a local level many ghostly incidents including footsteps, strange lights and apparitions. When the new rector and his wife curiously brought these occurrences to the attention of a national newspaper, the arrival of a reporter and a day later Harry Price, they set in motion the most controversial case in the history of paranormal investigation.

Initially Price was unimpressed with Borley but this was to change. In October 1931 Price returned to Borley but again was unconvinced with the phenomena the new rector Lionel Foyster and his family were apparently experiencing. Price told the vicar to his face that his wife was playing the ghost and the two men parted on bad company. The Foysters left Borley in 1935 and in 1937 Price himself rented the Rectory, carrying out a yearlong observational experiment using a hand picked team of observers recruited through the classified section of The Times. On the night of 27/28 February 1939 the next owner of Borley Rectory torched the building in an insurance scam and the ruins were eventually demolished in 1944. With his organisation disbanded the journalist in Harry Price came to the fore and by 1946 he had published two full-length books on Borley. In both he stated his total belief that Borley Rectory gave incontrovertible proof of a genuine haunting. Price was preparing a third book on the Borley case when he suffered a massive heart attack and died at his home in Pulbough on Easter Sunday, 28 March 1948.

Borley Rectory was a tragedy for Harry Price in many ways. The case came to him when he had lost his critical stance as a practical and skeptical investigator. With the watering down of his own organization to little more than an honorary title he used Borley as a means to generate interest in not only himself but also the subject in which he was still passionately interested – psychical research. By playing up the sensational side of the case he in fact missed the evidence that does exist for a genuine case of haunting at Borley. A particular tragedy is that Borley has diverted attention away from his most important contribution to paranormal research, namely the studies of Stella Cranshaw and the Schneider brothers. Here, by using the stringent methods demanded by orthodox science he demonstrated the existence of paranormal forces, which at the present time this same orthodox science cannot explain.

The above is a fairly brief look at the life and career of Harry Price. He is often described today as a ‘psychic journalist’, which is partly correct in that he only reported on the phenomena he experienced and did not put forward any specific theories to explain them. One thing is for certain; all active ghost-hunters of today owe much to ‘Uncle Harry’ and his adventures over half a century ago.

More information about Harry Price including detailed accounts of his many cases, a comprehensive bibliography of his books and writings and the latest news about things connected with his life and times can be found at the Harry Price Website www.harryprice.co.uk which was set up in December 2004 by Paul Adams and Eddie Brazil.

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Jason Dexter Karl Interview – 20th February 2007

   Posted by: Paul Griffiths
in Interviews
4
Feb

 

 

Jason karlOverview Taken from www.talismantv.co.uk/jasonkarl

TV presenter, actor, author Jason Karl is best known for co-presenting the first series of ‘Most Haunted’ (16 part series) and ‘Most Haunted Unseen’ (16 part series) – the hit television series on LIVINGtv, freeview FTN and The Travel Channel in the USA. He has recently been presenting ‘Yes Live’ on Sky channel 661 and in June 2005 he appeared in the short comedy film ‘Le Clenched Twat de Notre Dame’ for Lean Waters Productions – this was launched at The Commonwealth Film Festival in May, and is now screening throughout the UK. He is currently presenting a radio series called ‘The Ghost Zone’ for the BBC.

Jason’s first TV appearance was at the age of 14 in Anglia’s award winning ‘living computer game’ – Knightmare, now showing on Challenge TV, this was followed by various TV appearances and theatre roles. At the age of 16 Jason was lucky enough to work at Shepperton Film Studios through a family connection and his career path was born. After studying media, photography, television and film at North Oxfordshire School of Arts & Technical School in Banbury, he moved into variety work and gained his equity card whilst performing various interactive live theatre shows at Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures for The Tussaud’s Group. Jason has played various roles in touring theatrical productions including an Ugly Sister in ‘Cinderella’, the villain – Silas McNasty in ‘Red Riding Hood’ and the Genie in ‘Aladdin’.

Jason is an experienced live TV presenter, with over 1000 hours under his belt including ‘Haunted Halloween Live’ for ITV1 and ITV2. He has also presented various documentaries in recent years including two DVD series ‘Jason Karl’s High Spirits’ produced by Pure Productions and ‘Phenomena’ for Galaxi TV. In 2003 Jason presented a live segment on American television introducing ‘Diana – Spirit of a Princess’ – the controversial live television experiment to contact the ghost of Princess Diana, and made various appearances including Channel 4’s RI:SE and Optomen TV’s ‘The F**king Fulfords’, he also presented ‘Ghost Quest’ for Belgian Television.

Throughout 2005 Jason appeared as part of ‘Jason Karl’s Ghost Research Foundation’ live interactive events and also wrote a monthly column for ‘Prediction’ magazine, he now writes features for various journals including ‘Chat’ It’s Fate! His third book ‘Jason Karl’s Great Ghost Hunt’ was released by New Holland Publishers on October 31st 2004, his next book ‘The Haunted Places of Lancashire’ will be published by Countryside Books in October 2006. He has recently signed a book deal with New Holland Publishers for a further 2 titles, and a 5 book deal with Carnegie Publishers; these titles will hit the shops in late 2006 and throughout 2007.

Between 2004 and 2005 Jason was Creative Director of Pure TV Ltd. an independent television production company for whom he produced the 5 part ‘Spellbound’ mini series, ‘Spectre Inspectors’ – the world’s first psychic adventure gameshow which he also presented, and ‘Haunted Homes’ which he fronted with medium Marion Goodfellow. In July 2004 he produced ‘The TV Chef’ starring Julie Goodyear and Ken Morley, the show was recently screened at the Edinburgh Television Festival.
Jason is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Journalists and British Actor’s Equity. In his spare time he collects rare Disney figurines and enjoys film, theatre and travelling. He lives in a Georgian farmhouse in rural Lancashire.

Interview with Paul & Mandy

Q: Hello Jason, firstly thank you for taking the time out to answer our questions today, and congratulations on the success of the BBC Radio Lancashire show The Ghost Zone. Can you tell us a little about the show and how it came about.

A: The show is part of a BBC Radio Lancashire programme which we have been recording at various locations over the last year, it’s a kind of documentary/investigation strand where I take a Medium or Sensitive to a haunted site to see what they can uncover.

Q: Your latest book Haunted Places In Lancashire, which ties in with the radio show, is all about places you have investigated in Lancashire with medium Veronica Charles. Would you like to tell us some of the highlights of the book and what was your favourite location and why?

A: The book has been incredibly well received locally and became a best seller very quickly. It was a great project to work on and we had lots of unusual encounters while undertaking the research. I particularly remember Hall I th Wood and Mains Hall as we experienced some very strange goings on!

Q: You have worked with a number of mediums/psychics during your years investigating the paranormal, including Derek Acorah. What is your view on the benefits of having a medium on a paranormal investigation, and who of all of them who would you say was the most impressive and why?

A: I don’t ‘rate’ mediums in line and therefore couldn’t answer this questionfully. I do think that any line of research should be taken, and mediumship is one of those, but as for saying who the ‘best’ mediums are, they are all different and have good and bad days like anyone else!

Q: In your book Jason Karl’s Great Ghost Hunt you cover in-depth your recommended method of investigation. Briefly for readers who are interested in taking the first steps into paranormal investigation what advice would you give them?

A: Join a reputable group! Don’t go it alone, and ensure you are fully equipped to undertake a serious study of the paranormal.

Q: As well as a paranormal investigator you are also well recognised as an accomplished actor. Do you feel this sometimes leads to speculation by the public you are acting as opposed to honestly reacting to something paranormal, and how do you handle that? After all the well publicised events that occurred with Most Haunted did spread some doubt on the integrity of paranormal investigation

A: I haven’t watched Most Haunted since I left, and although I have been informed about various bad press it has received, and approached by journalists for my own version and stories, I have decided not to comment at this stage. With regards to my career as an actor, the production team behind Most Haunted were well aware of my previous experience on TV, theatre and film before I signed up to the show.

Q: Of all the sites you have investigated over your career we must ask what’s the most memorable experience and why?

A: Wow, what a question! Having been to over 1000 haunted locations around the world I would hardly know where to start! I have fond memories of many places, each for a different reason, take a look at the chapter ‘Favourite Old Haunts’ in my third book – Jason Karl’s Great Ghost Hunt, to see my favourites!

Q: Reading many investigation reports there are always references to orbs and light anomalies, what’s your professional view towards them? Are they all purely reflections of light on dust? If not how do you distinguish between the two ?

A: I think in most instances these are caused by the presence of natural phenomena including dust and airborne moisture particles, however there have been a few instances where these explanations do not seem to have been the case.

Q: What have you ever experienced or caught on camera or film something that is beyond rational and scientific explanation?

A: I have some incredible things on film (forget orbs, strands of cobweb and shadows) including a full figure walking down a staircase.

Q: Is there anyone in the paranormal field today that you would like to work with on an investigation and why?

A: I occasionally make appearances on public ghost events and sometimes take part in groups investigations around the country but my career and home life (renovating a 18th century country house!) take precedence. I have been fortunate to meet and work with some passionate, creative and objective people over the years, and anyone who fits that description is welcome to approach me!

Q: Do you feel that the highlighted interest in the paranormal due to programmes such as Most Haunted and Dead Famous has been positive or detrimental to professional paranormal investigation and why ?

A: I think it has severely damaged the reputation of serious researchers, but on the other hand, it has highlighted the subject matter to a greater audience. Either way it is a fad, and will eventually die out, leaving the people that have been doing this for the last 50 years back in the driving seat again.

Q: Of the many paranormal programmes that are now on television which ones do you watch or rate ?

A: I very rarely watch television! I watched ‘Shameless’ last week as my friend was in it! And I do like Ugly Betty!

Q: We gather you have been commissioned to write a number of books over the next two years. Can you give us any inside information on what’s ‘instore’ for us?

A: Yes, I have a further three titles coming out in 2007. 21st Century Ghosts, a colour hardback. An Illustrated History of the Haunted World, a colour coffee table book, and Preston’s Haunted Heritage, a local title. I also have a further 4 books commissioned (which I can’t tell you about!) and a potential fifth which I am in discussions about at the moment.

Q: What else do you have planned for 2007, any plans for you to return to the TV screens in the paranormal field?

A: I am always open to offers of any kind, but primarily I am happy to be away from the paranormal field, I think its very easy to be stereotyped. I have recently been presenting for BBC Jam (Childrens) and QVC (the worlds largest shopping TV network).

Many thanks to Jason Karl for taking part in this interview, and we wish him every success with his new books.

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Ian Shillito Interview With Paranormal United – 16th January 2007

   Posted by: Paul Griffiths
in Interviews
16
Jan

Ian Shillito

Overview Of Ian Shillito

Originally from Braintree in Essex, Ian John Shillito, is a sensitive and ghost hunter. After studying fine art and theatre design, he ended up working as a Stage Manager in London’s Theatre land. Since he was a child, he had many spiritual and paranormal encounters but put it all to one side.

The spiritual side of his life resurfaced in 2002 after a visit to Ayers Rock in Australia. Things changed from then on. He ended up developing his awareness and discovered a latent passion. He was fortunate to be asked to participate on series 8 of MH and MH live. He is the first psychic to be buried alive on national television in an experiment to discover whether a psychic can pick up on residual energy deep within the earth of a haunted moat.

Ian now runs The London Paranormal Society.

Interview by Paul & Mandy of Paranormal United

 Q: Hello Ian, firstly may we thank you for taking the time to answer our questions today. So Ian can you tell us a little about the London Paranormal Society and how it came about?

A: The London Paranormal society was created in order to give the people of London and the south-east a chance to participate in a paranormal vigil. I want to try and dispel the fear created by the current trend in the supernatural as I feel it can hamper our spiritual connection. London is one of the most haunted cities in the world and this is due to its 2000 year history and 2000 year habitation. Wherever there is history, there are ghosts. I feel most haunted locations are full of visual memories, thought forms and masses of psychic energy. I feel spirit have better things to do rather than hang around in turmoil rattling chains.

Q: When we last spoke you where in the midst of having your first book published. Can you give us an update on how pen and paper have gone and what’s in store for us?

A: ‘West End Theatre Ghosts, a paranormal journey’ is released Halloween 2007 Tempus Publishing, Myself and co-author, Becky Walsh, have investigated and compiled all the theatres ghost and paranormal stories in London’s West End. We have interviewed many West End stars and backstage staff, including Judy Dench and Donald Sinden. I’m busy editing and researching photographs. I am also working on another ghost project which will remain secret for the time being – but its great fun.

Q: It’s now over two years since you began working as a psychic medium. How old were you when you recognised you had ‘the gift’, how did you develop it and what made you make the move professionally into this field?

A: Things change so rapidly, I never really like to label things especially myself. If I have to, I prefer to call myself a sensitive these days. Society makes tremendous assumptions regarding psychics and mediums, and immediately put you into a box and expect you to act in a certain way. I am just plain old Ian from Essex. I do what I do. In hindsight I noticed strange things happen throughout my life, I seemed to attract some sort of paranormal activity. When I was very young, I remember talking to, what looked like an elemental. The being sat on top of my wardrobe most nights chatting way.
I went through a fairly traumatic time in 2002 and ended up taking myself off to Australia, it was here whilst standing alone at Ayers Rock that something happened. A wake up call I can’t really explain it. There is something very spiritual about Australia. I came back to London and started to meet people on the same path. I went to the college of psychic studies in London (a great first port of call for anyone interested in this field, tho they are not a great fan on the paranormal) I am and always will be developing or as I call it unfolding. I learn new things every day. I am not one of the x – men or have a special gift. I have what we all have – The ability to listen to our inner psychic.

Q: You are best known to us through Living TV’s Most Haunted. What is/was it like working on the show, and has it affected your professional career positively, or do you feel being in the public eye has been detrimental?

A: It was a great experience working on the show, I learnt a lot. More than anything I realised my passion lay with understanding the paranormal, after all I have experienced it for most of my life. I had the chance to travel across the country as a guest of paranormal companies. I wanted the public the experience the night vigil but more importantly I wanted them to feel something, more often than not, it is only there own psychic energy- but sometimes that is enough to open a doorway to their own spiritual journey. It is something that I continue to do. I am very bemused by the whole psychic celebrity thing and don’t really understand the nations current obsession with fame. I’m not in the public eye and don’t get recognised and I am happy with that.

Q: Would you want to go down the line of Derek Acorah & Colin Fry, to name a few, and become a regular on a TV show, which of course can bring about some criticism, normally thanks to the British press or would you prefer to stay at a less publicised level?

A: To be honest, its time to move on. It was very important a few years ago for the then minority grouped psychics to have a prime time slot. It opened a pathway and got spiritual awareness into many people’s homes. This had a time limit. They now have to pull away for a while in order to let the dust settle and let people make up there own minds up. Some of the best mediums in the world work normal day jobs although it is good to have role models, however the sceptics and press are always there sharpening there knives. It is certainly a road I would not go down now.

Q: Parapsychologists are always looking for the scientific evidence to endorse mediums gifts. Have you ever undergone any ‘tests’ of this kind and how do you warrant them?

A: I haven’t had any tests done. It’s not an area I wish to enter. If the parapsychologists need evidence then they ought to be attending some of the closed physical mediumship circles that are happening recently. Actual spirit manifestation – what more proof will they need?

Q: What would be your advice to any reader who has a gift but is unsure how to channel and develop it?

A: For starters it’s not a gift – we all have an ability to communicate, however some are highly tuned. Also stop trying! Let it happen naturally, if you are seeing actual manifested spirit forms, then go to your local spiritual church, it ok for a first port of call. If you are running around haunted locations, sensing spirit then the chances are you are psychically picking up on residual energies. Still very paranormal and interesting. Enjoy it, read as much as possible but don’t take everything on board, make your own mind up.

Q: You often hear mediums being asked if they can foresee the lottery results or help at casino. How would you answer such a question?

A: I don’t feel it is possible to foretell the exact future, as we all have fee will. It is said that one can’t use ones abilities for financial gain. However we can start to use the universal law of attraction – like attracts like and positive thinking. Create a positive thought and put it in the present – ‘ I am financially abundant’ visualize yourself sitting in a bath of dosh – the day I did it, I received the phone call from my publisher!

Q: Returning to your paranormal experience. Of all the sites you have investigated in your career we must ask what’s the most memorable experience and why?

A: Bodelwydenn Castle in North Wales, with my mates from Haunted Experience. We all witnessed, what can be only described as a mini universe of light and starts appear all over a wall and ceiling. One sceptic guy started crying at the beauty of it all. Then a small blue light appeared in the centre pulsing. It was amazing.

Q: Last year you were buried alive for two hours with Karl Beattie (Most Haunted) in the grounds of Southsea Castle. Many viewers saw your initial reaction. Can you tell us about this extraordinary event and your thoughts now you have had some time to reflect?

A: It was all very quick to be honest, after the first 30 mins I relaxed. I came out of it realising that we all have residual images flicking continuously through our sub conscious mind. If we takeaway a sense and other distractions then we start to go into a mild medative state. The images then become more apparent. It’s a great ice breaker at parties!

Q: We have read you are going to investigate the Secret Nuclear Bunker 20 miles outside London in March 2007. What made you want to investigate such a place, what do you hope to find, and will you be covering the whole bunker, including the laboratory, dorms, military HQ etc?

A: I am very interested in proving history and time can create ghosts.( residual replay) I am also interested how we all create psychic energy under certain psychological conditions. The bunker is a three floored concrete cell hidden 100 feet in the ground – the longer one stays the stranger one feels. Turn off the lights and anything thing could happen. I am planning to concentrate on light anomalies created by our fear. I adore this location. I am fed up with haunted castles and pubs

Q: What other sites you are planning to investigate in the near future and what interests you about them?

A: That’s a big secret – I am currently going on rekkie’s in London and found some hidden gems I never knew existed. I try to find places that haven’t been investigated before. However, I have been asked to participate with this years paranormal trade show 12th+13th May – The Mystic Arts festival. LPS are holding 2 special events that weekend. On Sunday 13th, we are very privileged to investigate The London Dungeon. To book – www.themysticarts.co.uk, also we are coming to Sunderland and the North East Aircraft museum on march 17th to book – enquiries@londonparanormalsociety.co.uk

Q: Is there anyone in the paranormal field today that you would like to work with on such an investigation and why?

A: I would like to work with Chris Fleming (Dead Famous); I like his enthusiasm and passion. Also I would like to work again with Steve Parsons (Para-science) I like his attitude, sense of humour and his interest in the science of spirit.

Q: Of the many paranormal programmes that are now on television which ones do you watch or rate?

A: To be honest, I rarely watch them anymore. I did see a few episodes of USA show – Ghost hunters a while back- very down to earth.

Q: We know of late you have been asked to become the patron of The Alex Galpin Foundation. Can you tell us about the foundation and why it is so important to you?

A: The Foundation was created in order to raise money for a care home for the spiritually minded. Alex was in tune with spirit and unfortunately became very ill. Eventually, he had to go into a care home. His spirit awareness was seen as a side effect to medication and not treated sympathetically. Obviously, this was very frustrating for Alex. We hope to raise awareness to this issue and in term open a suitable home. I am first on the list!

Q: What else do you have planned for 2007, any plans for you to return to the TV screens in the paranormal field in the near future?

A: I want to concentrate getting the society up and running and also establishing my series of Ghostly Encounter workshops throughout the year. There is always space for paranormal TV, but I feel the psychic programmes are becoming tiresome. I have several projects that can eventually morph into possible TV shows but at present it’s all on paper. Who knows what lies in store? Not knowing is part of the fun

Many thanks to Ian Shillito for taking part in this interview, and we wish him every success with his new books and investigations.

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Phil Whyman Interview With Paranormal United – 11th January 2007

   Posted by: Paul Griffiths
in Interviews
11
Jan

Overview Of Phil Whyman

Phil Whyman

Phil Whyman is the former paranormal expert / presenter of Living TV’s much acclaimed flagship television series, ‘Most Haunted’.
His knowledge and views on all things paranormal have been called upon on numerous occasions for radio, television and newspaper articles and his fresh and rational approach to the subject has seen Phil become a respected figure in this genre.
In July 2002 he was chosen as one of the main on-screen cast members from 1500 applicants to investigate reports of occultism, ghosts and hauntings for Living TV’s successful 10 episode series ‘Scream Team’. Phil’s appearance on the show brought him to the attention of Antix Productions, the production team behind Living TV’s phenomenally successful ghost investigation show ‘Most Haunted’.
Here Phil Whyman became the resident paranormal expert / presenter working alongside Yvette Fielding and Derek Acorah for 3 series (30 episodes). He also adopted the same role for 7 ‘Most Haunted-LIVE’ events, each of which amassed viewing figures averaging almost 1 million.
Phil is also a keen musician and used to play keyboards in a band called PESKY. He has his own CD, ‘Within the Matrix’, which is for sale via his website.
Phil is now working freelance while running Dead Haunted Nights, where he takes the public out on overnight paranormal investigations sharing the knowledge he has amassed over the last 12 years as a paranormal investigator.

Phil Whyman Interview by Paul & Mandy of Paranormal United

Q: Hi Phil, happy new year and thank you for the chance to talk with you today. Firstly congratulations on the success of Dead Haunted Nights, can we ask what’s it like going out with the public to such renowned sites as Galleries Of Justice and Woodchester Mansion in comparison to with a full TV crew and renown psychic?

A: Hi all, and Happy New year to you too! In some respects going to locations with the general public is actually easier than with a film crew. Filming a TV show is much more constructed and tighter with the way things are run and you are always having to think about what you are saying and doing as if you get it wrong it can be very time consuming. Whereas with the public you can relax more, have a laugh (vital if someone is frightened about doing an investigation to chill them out a little) and not worry about fluffing what you say. I find it fascinating seeing how people cope with being in such places as those that you mention…lol.

Q: How did Dead Haunted Nights come about and how did you meet Chris, Nick and Vince, and how do they find working with you and your zany sense of humour?

A: Lol…Dead Haunted Nights came about in 2004 when I was chatting to Ian Lawman concerning working together on projects. There were a couple of groups already doing overnight events and we just thought ‘we can do that…’, so we did. Of course people had the added bonus of asking either myself or Ian about our TV experiences. I met Nick and Chris in June / July 2004. Nick works in one of the stores in Lincoln city centre and I met him when I went into where he works, and from there I met Chris who is a friend of his. Chris does the DHN website updating etc. Vince actually came on a location with us as a paying member of the public, where I got to know him and eventually asked him to become a DHN team leader. He’s a member of Swadlincote Paranormal Investigation group too. I must admit they are all great and without them DHN would have struggled…cheers guys! As for my sense of humour…we’re all similar in that dept, so they cope fine!

Q: Which places are you looking forward to investigating with them this year?

A: I’m looking forward to doing Margam Castle in Wales as well as the Coalhouse Fort (Essex). We’re really lucky this year as we have some great new venues coming up which I can’t wait for. We’ve also got Darlington Civic Theatre (Darlington) and Valentines Mansion (London) as well as old favourites the Galleries of Justice (Nottingham) and The Red Lion (Avebury). Should be interesting!

Q: Do you feel that the highlighted interest in the paranormal due to programmes such as Most Haunted and Dead Famous has been positive or detrimental to professional paranormal investigation and why ?

A: I think it has done no harm at all. After all, the paranormal subject was something that people did not really understand and a few people even looked on it and frowned. However, that has all changed and in no small part to the screening of such programs as MH and DF. It is always hard to get the mix right in a TV show – some will love it, others hate it – but it does not stop paranormal investigators getting out there and doing what they enjoy!

Q: Do you miss the limelight of television and do you have any plans to return to our screens? We know you did a pilot of your own programme called Spirit Seekers, what progress is there with it?

A: I do miss it…who wouldn’t. But the general public have been very kind to me and sometimes it still amazes me at their generosity, it’s like I’m still on the box every week and people are constantly stopping me for a chat! ‘Spirit Seekers’ has gone to the great graveyard in the sky reserved to pilot shows…lol. Looking back at it I did enjoy doing it, but I would have done things differently (I even asked if I could help direct / produce the pilot using the knowledge gained from MH, but was turned down!).

Q: Of all the sites you have investigated over your career we must ask what’s the most memorable experience and why?

A: Crikey…erm…tough question! This tends to change each time I am asked this as I usually remember another incident, lol. I have had a couple of strange experiences at Peterborough Museum, very recently too. The first was when I was in one of the rooms and I was sat talking to one of the guests on an event DHN held there. As I turned to face the chap in question I saw a bare arm, bent at the elbow, right in front of my face! I don’t normally mention an experience if I am not certain I witnessed it, but this I swear was there. The other was in the cellar at the museum. A group of us were sat in there when something quite heavy was thrown onto the materials in front of us…made us jump I can tell you! Brannigans nightclub with MH was one location I will always remember, very spooky and only the second one I ever did with them!

Q: Reading many investigation reports there are always references to orbs and light anomalies, what’s your professional view towards them? Are they all purely reflections of light on dust? If not how do you distinguish between the two?

A: I’m not an orb fan myself well, not of 90% of them at least. I think there are far more down to Earth explanations for these anomalies like dust or other airborne particle. However, I have seen some on TV programs that are very intriguing. These are normally larger than the usual little things seen frequently on cameras, and tend to zip about and change direction at pace before vanishing. I haven’t seen many though in all honesty. But, I’m not here to persuade you one way or the other, so please come to your own conclusions (as with all paranormal incidents).

Q: What have you ever caught on camera or film yourself that is beyond rational and scientific explanation?

A: I was at a famously haunted location in Goosnargh (Lancashire), and I took two 35mm Infra-Red B/W shots, one right after the other, of the stairway there. I’m quite a keen photographer. When the film was developed there was a blur of ‘something’ coming from the middle of the stairs towards me and then bending to the right, at the point approximately where I was stood. To the right of me was an open doorway. Was this something coming down the stairs towards me and evading me by going out the door? The next shot in the sequence was fine by the way…I have been lucky enough to do this location a number of times, each one had a strange incident or two.

Q: What is your view on using psychics on investigations? We are aware you have worked with the Psychic Bad Boy Ian Lawman, how do you rate his ‘gift’ and how was it working professionally with him?

A: This is always a difficult question to answer as far as rating someone’s psychic ability / awareness is concerned. I don’t discount anyone’s claims of psychic powers as there is not one person of a medical / scientific standing that can categorically say 100% that these abilities are not possible within the human makeup. I think Ian is very talented and I always found it immense fun working with him.

Q: Is there anyone in the paranormal field today that you would like to work with on an investigation and why?

A: I have always admired Peter Underwood. He has done so many investigations one could learn a lot from him. It would be interesting to attend an investigation with Peter. My ultimate would have been Harry Price, whose book’s I remember reading when young…especially concerning Borley Rectory.

Q: This year is obviously going to be exciting for you with the launch of your book Phil Whyman’s Dead Haunted: Paranormal Encounters and Investigations in April 2007. Can you tell us about it, how it differs from other paranormal books and how it came about? I know from seeing the proof last year it’s taken a lot of work and unlike other current paranormal books it’s not ‘ghost’ written if you will excuse the pun.

A: Lol…pun excused! Dead Haunted the book came about in 2005 when I was looking in my then local bookstore in the paranormal section. I was looking at my good friend Richard Jones’ books and thought I might give it a go. I spoke to him over the next few days and decided to see how it went with writing the first few chapters. The book contains everything a person would need to know about hauntings and ghosts, as well as theories and possible explanations for activity. Also included are real paranormal incidents as provided by members of the general public, and my very own investigation accounts from some of the locations I have visited. It’s available in hardback and paperback and is out in April…in all good bookstores, as the saying goes!

Q: So what does 2007 hold for you, what’s your next project art, music or paranormal? (We will not accept no comment!)

A: I am currently working on two fiction books (closely guarded secret!) and I am also hoping to get another album done of my music, it’s been a while!
As for other stuff, especially TV, we will have to wait and see what’s in store.

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Yvette Fielding Interview – 60 Seconds Metro – 30th Oct 2006

   Posted by: Paul Griffiths
in Interviews
30
Oct

Yvette Fielding is the 38-year-old presenter of Living TV’s spookfest, Most Haunted. In the show, Yvette and a team of paranormal investigators spend 24 hours in supposedly haunted locations to try to prove or disprove the existence of ghosts. The show’s resident psychic, Derek Acorah, was replaced last year by former Metro astrologer David Wells.

Oi, you poached our astrologer.

Did we?

Well, he won’t write for us now.

I’m really sorry. We didn’t mean to nick him. We just saw this fabulous talent. He’s bloody amazing. He’s the best medium I have ever worked with. He makes you realise just how bad fake ones are.

Why do you never do anywhere that has no obvious spooky history that can be researched by the mediums?

Down the line, we want to be able to make a programme where we take haunted locations but have one that is not haunted and see if the mediums can work out which is which. We know it’s a stick that people beat us with, that the medium could know the history of a place.

Why are mediums often camp?

Most tend to be either women or camp men. Perhaps it’s something to do with sensitivity. I have never come across the Mr T version of a medium, that’s for sure. Can you imagine Mr T talking to his spirit guide? [Adopts Mr T voice]: ‘No fool. I can’t hear what you’re saying. I don’t believe in no ghosts.’

After eight series of the show, do you now believe in ghosts?

I’m now leaning towards their existence. In the series on TV at the moment, we caught something on camera no one can explain. We did a show on two ships moored in Dundee harbour. On one, we have caught on camera a rope bending as though someone was putting pressure on it. We’ve also had increases in activity. We seem to be seeing more objects thrown at us and more instances of poltergeist activity. I’m not saying I believe 100 per cent in ghosts but the rope has pushed me closer to believing.

Why do you think you are witnessing more phenomena?

Because we’ve had the same group of people working on the show for a long time. Some will say it’s because we create psychokinetic energy as a group. But if you look at successful spiritualist circles, they also have the same group of people meeting week in, week out and they claim the closer a group is, the more phenomena you will get.

Sceptics would say that eight series in, with no conclusive proof, you must be more inclined to fake results.

People have said we fake it from the first series. All I will say is, if you don’t believe us, come to see how we work.

The rest of the crew are becoming celebs in their own right. Have any acquired an ego?

Not yet. There’s a really lovely atmosphere. The team is great and most of them are moving from around the country to Manchester so we all live closer.

So why did Derek really leave?

Unbeknown to us, Ciaran O’Keeffe [the show’s resident sceptic] had suspicions about Derek and decided to plant some information to see if it would be repeated. He left a piece of paper around with the name ‘Kreed Kafer’ on it and said, within earshot of Derek, that he was a nasty South African jailor. When we started filming, Derek decided to get possessed by this fake person. The name is actually an anagram of Derek Faker. We tell people everything is real, then it turns out he was a fake, so he had to go.

Did you feel let down?

I was more angry than anything. I was upset that someone we considered to be close could do that. And then we had the possessions but we were getting three every show and, in every one, Derek would have the same voice. He’d also attack the crew members when he was supposedly possessed so it could have got dangerous for us.

Where does that leave the show’s credibility?

Where does it all stop? Are these mediums that do theatre shows all set up as well? You get little old ladies who pay £20 or £30 to see a theatre medium and you have to ask – are they being duped? Ciaran and I are trying to work out a system where mediums and ghost groups could be policed.

Last time we interviewed you, you said your make-up lady, Cath, had once been so scared, she wet herself. Has she learned to control her bodily functions?

No, she’s got worse. She’s not literally sh**ting herself but the more she experiences, the more scared she gets.

Most Haunted, Series 6, Volume 3, is out on DVD now.

You get little old ladies who pay £20 to see a theatre medium and you have to ask – are they being duped?

What do you think of the copycat programmes?

I’m not impressed with them, to be honest. So far, I’ve seen nothing on them that makes me think: ‘Oh, my God.’ They are making television programmes, though; we are not. We are more interested in investigating the paranormal. Ciaran and I have written a book together called Ghost Hunters – plug, plug, it’s on the shelves now. We are now writing a second book. We have taken it to the next step. I have genuinely become so passionate about this and finding some proof of paranormal existence, one way or another. When Karl [Yvette’s husband], Ciaran and myself meet, we spend all the time talking about our next experiment and how to go about it. People must think we are total nerds.

How do you recommend the public go about doing their own ghost hunts?

They should join a ghost club or group and make sure it is a reputable one that has some kind of history. What you should not do is just find the club closest to your house and go with them for sake of proximity. Just as there are an awful lot of fake mediums out there, there are also fake ghost clubs. Do a bit of research, find a good one and go with them. But do not just go on your own. You need to go with someone who knows what they are talking about.

Metro by James Ellis

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