Colin Fry: A Skeptical Examination of the Renowned Psychic Medium

By Jon Donnis

Colin Fry (1962-2015) was one of the United Kingdom's most famous psychic mediums, known for his television appearances and live shows where he claimed to communicate with the dead. His career spanned several decades, during which he built a large following. However, Fry's purported abilities also attracted significant skepticism and accusations of fraud. This article examines Fry's career and the controversies surrounding his claims from a scientific and skeptical perspective.

Early Career and Rise to Fame

Colin Fry's interest in the paranormal began at a young age. He claimed to have his first spiritual experience at the age of four. Fry's career as a medium took off in the 1990s, but it was his television series "6ixth Sense with Colin Fry," which aired from 2002 to 2008, that brought him widespread recognition. The show featured Fry delivering messages from deceased loved ones to audience members, often eliciting emotional reactions.

The Methods of Psychic Mediums

Skeptics argue that psychic mediums like Fry use various techniques to create the illusion of communicating with the dead. Two commonly cited methods are cold reading and hot reading:

Cold Reading: This technique involves the medium making high-probability guesses and reading the subject's reactions to refine their statements. For example, a medium might say, "I'm sensing a father figure who passed recently," which could apply to many people. Observing the subject's response, the medium can then provide more specific information.

Hot Reading: This involves obtaining information about the subject beforehand. This could be done through various means, such as researching audience members or using information provided during the ticket purchasing process. Critics argue that hot reading is particularly likely in television shows, where production teams have access to a wealth of personal data about participants.

Controversial Incident: The Seance Room Scandal

One of the most notable incidents casting doubt on Fry's abilities occurred in 1992 during a seance. Fry was performing in a darkened room when a light unexpectedly came on, revealing him holding a "Spirit Trumpet", which he had claimed was being manipulated by spirits. This event led to accusations of fraud, as it appeared that Fry was caught in the act of deceiving his audience. Fry later attributed the incident to an episode of "trance control," claiming he had no recollection of the event. However, this explanation did little to quell the skepticism surrounding his practices.

Scientific Perspective on Mediumship

From a scientific standpoint, the claims of psychic mediums are often met with skepticism due to a lack of empirical evidence supporting the existence of an afterlife or the ability to communicate with the dead. Numerous studies have tested mediums under controlled conditions, often finding that their success rates do not exceed what would be expected by chance.

James Randi, a prominent skeptic and magician, offered a million-dollar prize for anyone who could demonstrate paranormal abilities under scientific conditions. Fry, like many other mediums, did not accept the challenge, which skeptics argue is indicative of the fraudulent nature of his claims.

Accusations and Defenses

Fry faced numerous accusations of fraud throughout his career. Critics pointed out inconsistencies in his readings and the general nature of his statements, which could apply to a wide range of people. In response to these accusations, Fry and his supporters often argued that his work provided comfort and closure to those grieving the loss of loved ones. They maintained that the emotional benefits experienced by his clients were evidence of his genuine abilities.

Conclusion

Colin Fry's career as a psychic medium remains controversial. While he was undoubtedly a skilled performer who brought solace to many, the methods he used and the lack of scientific validation for his claims cast significant doubt on the authenticity of his purported abilities. The seance room incident, in particular, highlights the challenges in distinguishing between genuine paranormal phenomena and skillful deception. From a skeptical and scientific viewpoint, Fry's work exemplifies the broader issues associated with the field of mediumship, where emotional impact often overshadows the demand for empirical evidence.

Colin Fry Dead

News has come in this morning that Colin Fry finally lost his battle against Lung Cancer.

Let me firstly say I offer my condolences to his family and close friends.

Colin passed away peacefully in Hospital in the early hours at 2:50am on the 25th August 2015

But with that said, I do not feel sad, I do not feel happy, I feel indifferent.

I pleaded with Colin to help take down the psychic industry, the SNU and so on before he died, but he refused. For him even after death, there was too much for him to lose if he came clean, and that is sad, but I can understand that, he has to try to protect Mikey, just imagine the lawsuits that would come about from the thousands of people who Colin took money from to pretend to talk to their dead relatives. It would leave Colin's estate in ruins. So although I would have preferred he die a hero, I can understand that dying a villain was the easier option.

Colin Fry never quite reached the pinnacle of British Mediumship, he was always overshadowed by Derek Acorah, and then both were overshadowed by Sally Morgan. Colin Fry also never really got past the fact he started his career after getting caught cheating by his own peers in the now infamous Trumpet Incident.

So what is the legacy that Colin leaves behind?

He convinced thousands he was legit, but never once proved his claims in a credible scientific study.
His legacy is as empty as the promises he made.

I always got on quite well with Colin on a personal level, we had many a conversation over the years, but I could never quite get him to admit to me it was all an act, although not too close to his death I spoke to him and I asked him something, and he replied in a very interesting manner. So I will leave you with what I said and how he replied.

Jon - "When you die can you do me one favour, I want you to haunt me, I want you to do whatever you can to prove you still exist on whatever level you can.

Colin - "I think we both know that will never happen"

For those who knew him, remember the man, not the act, not the gimmick, not the tricks.
For now he is dead, he cannot take a penny more from people to pretend to talk to the dead.

Colin Fry gives a reading to Dr David Bull - My Analysis

Every time I expose a medium, I will get one of their gullible deluded fans email me something along the lines of... "Yeah but how do you explain this...."

They will then mention something they saw on TV 5 years ago, or something similar, and then expect me to just magically travel back in time, to watch the reading, and of course in their mind, I wont be able to explain how it was done, thus confirming their delusions.

Well this exact thing happened, in my now infamous article pleading with Colin Fry to come clean about his fraudulent mediumship before he dies of terminal lung cancer, in the comments section this exact thing has happened. After watching an old repeat of one of Colin's HIGHLY EDITED TV shows, they demanded I explain how a reading was performed. Luckily for me that reading was with former Most Haunted Live host Dr David Bull. (Now you realise why I decided to re-publish an article that expose various lies he told us in an interview). And said reading had been uploaded by Dr David Bull to Vimeo, so with a quick google I could find the reading.

I then asked my Transcriber (Forum member girlseeksghosts) to do me a transcription, and the results are below.

First I ask you all to watch the video yourself. Now unfortunately they have disabled embedding on the video, but you can watch it at this link if you choose too - https://vimeo.com/39734211
You can also watch using these youtube videos I found.



As usual when I expose something like this, the video will often get taken down as a way to hide the fact I have just exposed a medium. If that happens, just google it and I am sure you will find another copy. 

Also I did try and contact David Bull to speak to him about this reading before I published anything, however David's Manager/Secretary? Told me he was very busy, and that he pretty much did not want to talk to me. Hardly surprising since we exposed his lies back on Most Haunted Live!

Anyway Transcription is below. And my comments will be interjected in RED BOLD LETTERING

KEY:
David Bull is in normal lettering.
Colin Fry is in BOLD
Jon Donnis is in RED BOLD

My name is Dr David Bull, I am a medical doctor. I am also a television presenter. I have presented programs such as Watchdog, also of course, Most Haunted Live on Livingtv. The reason that I went to see Colin was that I have done a lot of work with paranormal programs. I started off being incredibly sceptical and I believe the proof of the pudding is in the eating so I decided to see what Colin had to say for himself.

The connection I feel that is trying to take place is not so much a family link for you, you know, I mean one of the common expressions we use is 'they pass before their time' but you know I do actually feel as though this was a young person who had the scheme of things been other than what they were, would have had a lot longer, you know, on this side of life, so I don't feel as though they have been passed over very long.

I was very careful in the reading not to try and give away anything and initially I thought it might be one of two people I thought it might possibly have been my cousin who died at a very early age or my friend Mark.

Lets start off by making something very clear. Dr David Bull at the time of this reading was at his celebrity peak, he was well known, and could easily be researched, also Colin Fry would have known many people who either knew David, or had worked with him on Most Haunted. Would you be surprised to know that Derek Acorah worked with David on Most Haunted, also happens to be a friend and work colleague of Colin Fry. Now I am not saying he had given Colin any info on David, but if you wanted to find out information about someone, who better to ask than someone who is also dishonest, a liar, and a fraud!

So far Colin clearly has stated that he is getting the feeling of a young person (note he does not say male or female at this point), but not a family member. We then get an edit. Again remember that this reading will probably have been close to an hour long, yet on TV we only got a 15 minute clip, so keep in mind Colin will have said a LOT that simply bombed and was wrong, and that we will never get to see.
I feel with this gentleman that’s connecting with me that leading up to his passing he had commented or complained that he was getting pain or aching around the gland area underneath his chin you know the throat glands, and then I feel that there was something like a high fever, or a bout of pneumonia or a really bad virus and he recovered from that. I really feel that until the effects of this illness struck he had been incredibly energetic, very lively both in character and personality, and in the way he exerted himself in life.

Straight away Colin is now referring to a Gentleman, yet previously he was very careful not to mention a gender, there has clearly been a part of the reading cut out at this point.
You can tell that I was quite shocked because my breathing starts to increase, it was just too close and there was no doubt in my mind that it was Mark. Mark had a condition called cystic fibrosis which is a genetic condition. He died at the age of 31 and he died of a high temperature and pneumonia. 

Watch David's face very carefully as Colin is speaking, he is nodding his head, breathing heavier and so on, all of these things are giving clues to Colin he is on the right track.
Now lets quickly remind ourselves of what Colin actually said, he indicated a pain around the neck, so that could be anything from a sore throat, to throat cancer, and everything in between.

David has made the connection here, despite the fact that in no way has Colin mentioned cystic fibrosis whatsoever.

Also many diseases and illnesses often weaken the immune system, and sadly the way you finally die is from pneumonia and high temperature. So although it sounds like Colin was specific here, the actual content of what Colin stated was very vague and all encompassing, and it is David Bull who has made the connection to his friend who had cystic fibrosis, and again all of this came AFTER an edit whereby we went from Colin not knowing if the dead person was male or female, and also stating it was NOT a family member. We come back from the and suddenly he knows the gender.

He was one of the rudest and naughtiest people I ever met in my life and over the years we became very good friends. He had obviously cystic fibrosis but he never believed he was ill and what we used to do was that we would do a doubt act and we would go to lots of charity functions to raise money to fund a cure for this hideous disease and I would start off by saying these are the facts about cystic fibrosis this is why I am here this is why we need the money and he with his little devilish eyes and charm would stand there knowing exactly what he was doing, and he would say I have cystic fibrosis, most people with cystic fibrosis will die before they reach the age of 30, I have cystic fibrosis and I am 30. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

So David and his friend did many charity events, and raised a lot of money, all of this would be in the public domain and very easy to research, especially as David at that time was at the peak of his celebrity.

And I really do get this feeling of wanting to admit to you that he went through those final days, months, weeks of his life almost in denial that there was anything actually wrong with him and yet in his heart of hearts he knew there was something seriously wrong with him.

This is a common trick of the fake psychic, they will say two completely opposite things, but in the same sentence, thereby covering all bases. So Colin is saying that he was both knowing something was very wrong with him, and also denying it both as the same time!
Clearly he had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, as had done charity work for it, so he knew he had this condition.

Now Mark sort of had a spate where he would be quite well and then really sick then really well then really sick. The problem is its a step-wise progression and he never once believed that he was ill. I remember really really well I was travelling up to film for Watchdog and I was driving up the motorway and I knew he wasn't very well I suddenly had to stop because I knew that I would never see him again and I pulled into a (I don't know why I thought that) I just pulled into a service station and wrote a letter to him which I faxed to his home and I think if I'm right it was one of the last things he kind of read and I didn't see him again so I knew he was sicker than he ever told me.

I do really get this feeling with this guy that you really really liked him or you loathed and detested him, there was no in-between with him, you either adored him or you couldn’t stand him and I think he knew that about himself.

Like previously Colin is stating two opposite things in the same sentence, he literally cant fail doing this, which is why so many psychics will use this technique.
Also notice the huge grin on David's face here. Giving Colin all the information he possibly needs.

Can you tell me his name? Can you describe him?

Ok so here we got, David Bull finally asks a direct question, something that only a real psychic could answer, what do you think will happen here?

No, the only feeling, I get no name, the only feeling that I get , and I don’t know whether its physically or mentally, I would describe him as attractive but I don’t know whether I mean physically or mentally he was an attractive person, I just know that there was something about him that he was attractive he would captivate people, he would walk into a room and hold court. 

So David's friend comes through, can give all this information about the pain he was in before he died, yet to just say one word, his name is impossible! This is an easy way to tell if a psychic is fake or not. Ask a direct question that they cannot cold read you on. They ALWAYS fail! Unless of course they have researched you.
Yeh, oh completely.

And I think that that is really why, depending on your disposition, you either would have adored him or despised him.

Absolutely. Mark was someone who would polarise people, because he was so committed and passionate about certain things. He'd tell you if he thought you were talking rubbish and that doesn’t always work well with people they can get quite upset, so I think that is absolutely right you know people did love him and people really had times when they thought enough, I cant listen to this any more, so yes I thought that was completely on the spot.

And I really do get this feeling that he did a lot for other people and I can't think of any other way of saying this, I feel from him he had to dress it up so that it didn't actually look as though he was doing it to benefit other people. He wouldn’t wanted to have been seen as being a do-gooder or a charitable person so he had to dress it up. I think if anybody had actually said to him he you are a very good man very charitable and everything he would have been acutely embarrassed by that. 

Yes completely.

People who do charity work in general are altruistic people, it's kinda the point of charity, unless you are doing it for self promotion, a bit like Colin Fry and his ilk do as a way to promote their own mediumship.

So he had to dress the whole thing up.

Yep.

And even as I am talking about this feeling that I have from him, I can feel from him as I'm were talking he does not like me talking about him like this.

No. Mark worked for a charity called the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, he would go out of his way to help anyone with cystic fibrosis no matter what but he would do it with the veneer of oh let them get on with it on their own because he hated people to think that he was so caring. I think in many ways it was part of his own coping mechanism by playing down the disease by saying actually it is not a big problem he could deal with it himself by saying well I've got it and its not a big problem. If he had gone the other way by saying its terrible they really need help I've got to help them then of course he's admitting that he needs help and that’s how he did it, and it was incredibly powerful and people loved him for it 

(Colin laughs) What is this joke? Why is he joking about this saying you were the brains and I was the beauty, he just said to me you tell him he will know what I mean by he was the brains and I was the beauty. 

Well obviously, no, well I think that was really a harsh comment, we were a great double act, we combined brains and beauty, lets leave it at that.

So he can tell "jokes" now, but cant say his own name!
Colin here with another classic line straight out of the psychic handbook.
You are of course David but who's the other David I’m getting this feeling that I have to make a reference to another David and you're still friends or you still know one another.

Yes but I'm intrigued to know what he is saying about the other David.

Clearly David is an incredibly common name, Colin has just picked a name out of the air, and will let David Bull make the connection.

The thought he has just put through to me is tell David, don't tell David too much about this he will freak, hysterical laughter!

Right. 

He's actually taking a little bit of pleasure in the fact that for the other David to know that he has connected amuses him that he would be so freaked out about it.

And my word would he freak, the other David is high up in the Cystic Fibrosis Trust Charity and Mark and David enjoyed a difficult relationship at times. Mark was head of communications and David ran the business if you like and Mark and David didn't always see eye to eye.

Is that a joke, yes, you are saying that with humour ok... and you can tell him I like him an awful lot more than he deserves.

Right, ok.

and he said you know why and he will know why.

Actually they worked towards the same goal and there was huge respect passing backwards and forwards and maybe Mark never quite told him so I shall be messenger boy.

No real info coming from Colin here at all. All he has done is give out one of the most popular names in the UK, and David Bull has done all the work for him. 

Why do I hear Aida? I can hear in my mind snippets of Aida and also snippets of Toreador.

He was a massive showman and loved songs, musical shows that sort of thing.

David Bull is a celebrity, and also Gay, and I am sure Colin Fry would know very well that David would be into musicals and so on, so simply took a guess that this unknown dead person who David knew might also be into such things. After all I you dont in general hang around with people if they do not have similar interests to you.

Remember at no point did Colin state what relationship this person was to David, or even that they were male until AFTER an edit.

and like grand opera, grand Italian opera.

Anything completely over the top, yes. Mark used to love classical music the more outrageous and noisy it was the better. He was a great showman he was a 'bon viveur' he loved life and the nosier that music you know like one of those, Tosca or something oh you know it would be at full blast, that was him. 

He's thankful that you are happy at last.

Oh am I? Ok!

Within the last 4 months there's been a bit of change in the circumstances around your life yeh? and he was just saying (ok that has explained it a little bit) if you can't see that that’s made you happy at last, alright, there's something wrong with you.

Yes and no, you know, I can't think that 4 months ago I was really miserable and now I am hideously happy. I'm not unhappy, there are things that would make me happier! I think he should pay closer attention up there wherever he is.

This is classic filler. Someone has died, so of course you are going to be sad, and then months or years later you will be in a better place and happy. Most if not all people go through cycles of happiness and sadness, and simply by watching someone's demeanour you can tell what kind of place they are in mentally. So nothing at all interesting here.

He would like to thank you for your loyalty, and not really taking the opportunity to have told you that leading up to his passing.

I was really touched by that, I told his father that on the telephone afterwards. I don't really know what to say to that it was just very very touching.

And as he begins to fade you know from my thought he has just asked me to express this to you, you are one of the very few people that he would actually want to connect to. I think he has a very sentimental side to him because he has just said some friendships are made forever.

Yet he is incapable of telling Colin what his name is! How can anyone believe this?

I think that's an incredibly lovely thing to say. I talk about him more than I talk about some of my friends who are living. I think that is really really rather beautiful you know that some friendships last forever, I hope its true.

And I'm going to leave your friend's love and best wishes with you David thank you very much.

Thank you!

Ah I was gob-smacked, I went in there thinking oh here we go a right load of hooey! I came out quite shaken actually because I wasn’t, if anyone was going to connect with me I didn’t think it would be Mark. I thought it was likely to be a member of my family I don’t know really what I expected. I thought Colin would be fishing a lot more, you know, did anyone die when they were younger you know that kind of thing. I was surprised and you know I couldn’t stop talking about it for 2 days. If you are a scientist you really can't, you have to look for evidence you have to weigh up chance, probably and things like that. There are things that Colin said that put together paint a really impressive picture. I’m still not sure how much is how much my brain wanting it all to connect. You know its a bit like if you see a visual image like an optical illusion your brain sees what it wants to and tries to draw it into an image and I sit there thinking well come on maybe I’m now putting it all together 2 and 2 making 17 but maybe some of the things he came out with are just a bit too close maybe you just can't guess those things and maybe there is something in it.

David kinda realises that it is more him wanting to believe than any actual evidence given.

Lets look at everything Colin said that was specific and true. 
He said it wasn't a family member, but then if you state that early on, then of course the person being read, is gonna think about non family members who have died!

Colin stated it was a gentleman, but only AFTER an edit, so we have no idea what was said or suggested, or asked before this. But even then, its a 50/50 statement, which in turn will direct the rest of the reading.

Colin said that pneumonia was ultimately the cause of death, and although this is true, the pneumonia was because of Marks cystic fibrosis, something Colin did NOT mention.

In fact looking back through the whole reading, the ONLY specific thing that Colin said that was completely correct, and would not be subject to David fitting things to the reading, was the statement about his friend liking Musicals!

Yep Colin Fry told and openly Gay man, that a friend of his who died, was a fan of musicals and show tunes!

So we will have to give it to Colin right there. Guessing that a friend of a Gay man would like Musicals, is surely proof of an afterlife right?

The one time David Bull asked a direct question, that being the name of the person Colin was claiming to have connected too, Colin could not answer.

Everything else was your usual cold reading nonsense, whereby things were said in a vague manner, or incredibly common statements were made, and it was left for David Bull to connect the dots.

Overall a very poor reading, and not sure how anyone watching this would consider it proof.
In fact it was so heavily edited, that if that was truly the best bits of the read, I dread to think how awful the rest of the reading was.

Anyway that's all for now.
Jon Donnis

Please guys check out http://www.cff.org
That is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website.
This is a terrible condition, and if you are unaware of the condition you would do well to educate yourself about it, and learn about how science has helped extend the lifespan of sufferers as well as look into how you can help too.

Colin Fry Has Terminal Lung Cancer

UPDATE 25/08/15
Colin Fry has died - Read more at http://www.badpsychics.com/2015/08/colin-fry-dead.html

UPDATE 22/04/15:
I spoke directly to Colin Fry whereby I put a lot of the points I made below to him straight, I spoke in depth with him. I am getting a lot of abuse for what I have wrote below, which is to be expected, however I want to quote Colin directly.

"I have no fear of death what so ever" - Colin Fry

He said that directly to me, he does not consider himself to be dying in the same way perhaps I would. Therefore although my comments below seem harsh, if you are a true believer/spiritualist, then you should have no problem with discussing death, or taking peoples opinions about what you should do before you die, however harsh they may sound. I would never say anything unless I was prepared to say them directly to Colin, which I did. So the more abuse you send me, the more you prove that deep down you do not truly believe. I stand by everything I say below, and if you don't agree, there are two things you can do about. 1. Nothing - 2. Like it. - Jon Donnis

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On Colin Frys website, earlier today a post was made revealing that Colin has been diagnosed with Terminal Lung Cancer.

He has also revealed he will continue touring as "the show must go on".

I have emailed Colin personally but I also wanted to say a few things in public as well.

Over the years I have exposed Colin Fry as a fraud, I have dissected his readings, exposed his stage shows, dug up old stories of him getting caught cheating in a seance. You name it I have done it.
I exposed Colin as it was the right thing to do since he was in my opinion doing a bad thing and I wanted as many people to know the truth as could tell.

However cancer is a terrible disease, I have lost many close relatives to this disease, so I know first hand how horrible it can be.

But one thing in Colins statement really disappointed me, the whole "the show must go on" thing.

Colin you have time to make things right, you have time to clear your conscience, to die a honest man. Mortality is man's greatest fear, but it can also bring out the strength in us all.

It wasn't spirit that told you you had cancer, it was doctors. It isn't Reiki or spiritual healing that will help you deal with the pain, or help you live that little bit longer, it's science. Medicine will take away the pain and help you cope.

If you do not come clean now, while you can, then your name will forever be sullied and used by others. Every fake psychic Tom, Dick and Harry will claim to be in contact with you, and claim to pass on your message, and you know it will all be a lie.

Whether you have true faith in an afterlife or not, doesn't matter, what does matter is dying with dignity, and allowing those around you to get away from this disgusting business of spiritualism.

I want you to fight every day Colin, fight to live longer, but fight for right, fight for honesty, speak out against those you know are frauds, hell what can they do? NOTHING.

You truly have nothing to lose now, and everything to gain.

Don't die a villain, Die reformed, Die honest. There's still time.

Tell the truth die a hero.

Jon Donnis


You can read the press release from Colin Fry at the link below.
Read the release here

Official Statement from Colin Fry regarding Sally Morgan and her Husbands, Homophobic actions and Mark Tilbrook

We are getting plenty of opinion and statements from Skeptics and the Skeptical community, so I thought I would do something different and ask self proclaimed psychic/medium Colin Fry for his opinions. Here is what he had to say

"I deplore all forms of prejudice, and of course I have personal reasons for particularly detesting any form of homophobia. Every one is welcome to attend my shows of any race, gender , religion or sexual orientation, even skeptics! and my tour company operate a zero prejudice policy. 

Although Mark Tilbrook and i shall have to agree to disagree , as long as he does not harass my audience entering or leaving my shows his presence makes no difference to me at all.

It's not my place to attack or defend Mrs Morgan or her family this they must do for them selves."

Colin Fry 

Colin Fry was nearly on Derren Browns Experiments show about Luck!

Remember the TV show that Derren Brown did The Secret of Luck? You will remember a brief appearance of Sally Morgan on the show where she was totally humiliated after claiming she could pick up psychic feelings from the so called Lucky Dog in the village. Well what she didn't know (despite claiming to be psychic) was that the dog was not lucky, and instead was a gimmick set up by Derren Brown. As usual Sally ended up making a fool of herself and further cementing her reputation as one of the worst psychics in the country.


Well did you know that Channel 4 and Derren Brown had originally put psychic Colin Fry in the position to be setup!


I recently sat down to speak with Colin Fry about a number of topics and Sally Morgan came up. Colin told me

"Last year I was approached by channel 4 to appear in a program about luck , I booked two days to cover filming they sent confirmation day before I was due to go up a researcher called me to ask me my angle on this, I explained I did not believe that luck was a force or power but people create their own luck by thinking positive , they asked me if I would do my "thing " over a supposed lucky bronze dog in a park up north!"

Colin goes on to tell me...

I burst out laughing and said if there was any luck it was only because people had convinced themselves their good fortune was down to the bronze dog and it was bullshit, but harmless if it gave them the feel good factor, the researcher said she was surprised and I had not given her the respounce she had expected. 

Later that evening she phoned back and cancelled me - I was f*cking furious as I had cancelled two days bookings to accommodate them, we invoiced them for 50% of the agreed fee for wasting my time! 

However in my fury I told them they had played the typical channel 4 tactic of trying to stitch up a medium and the only reason they had cancelled me was that I was too clever to be made a fool of and if they wanted a someone they should call Sally Morgan, which is what they did.

Colin finished by making a very astute observation

I dispair we idiot mediums will do anything to be on TV.

And there you have it. Colin Fry was the original person chosen to be stitched up by Ch4 and Derren Brown, but "luckily" he didn't play along and instead Sally Morgan ended up being humiliated.



Funny how Colin Fry ended up being quite lucky with regards to a show about luck!

Interview with a "Psychics" Tour Manager

As part of my reintroduction into the world of Skepticism, I decided that I should do something never done before.

Recent months the main subject of interest has been the allegations made against Sally Morgan, now unfortunately Sallys people are on full alert and not speaking to anyone.

However I still wanted to get the opinion of someone who has worked with a famous medium and who could tell me a bit more about the whole process of putting on a mediumship show in a theatre.

I got in contact with Colin Frys tour manager to ask the tough questions, but I didn't realise when I started how interesting it would be, and how the conversation would develop.

This interview is brought to you by Jon Donnis, and remains full copyright of Jon Donnis any reproduction without prior approval is strictly prohibited.

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1. First of all can you introduce yourselves to us, and explain to us briefly your job title, who you work with and what it is exactly you do?

My name is Tony Lewis & I'm tour manager & cameraman for Colin Fry, I work mainly with Colin but occasionally work with Derek Acorah.

As my job title suggests I manage the tour for Colin, this mainly consists of getting the production on stage.

In the days prior to us arriving at a theatre I will have sent a technical rider & talked to the theatre technicians about what is required regarding lighting & sound etc & also talked with the theatre regarding ticket sales, publicity etc. I will check all hotel details are are correct & send out a call sheet to the crew.

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2. Working with Colin Fry for many years, you are obviously there at every show working behind the scenes and making sure everything runs smoothly, how would you describe the general run up to a live show, with regards to once you turn up to a theatre for example?

You are right that I have been working for with Colin many years, about 8 in fact. I'm freelance & Colin is my major client. I started with Colin as a cameraman on 6ixth Sense & the tour & about 4 years ago was asked to be Colin's tour manager, a job I really enjoy. I continue to work as a cameraman on other tv shows & productions.

On the day of the show I will check with the hotel that everything is ok regarding our stay & call the theatre to confirm our get in time, which is usually 1pm & check everything is ok at the theatre end.

In the afternoon I set up the show, assisted by Colin's PA Kevin. This will entail, setting up & plotting lighting states, setting up & testing microphones & setting up my camera & screen. This set up usually takes about 2 hours, after which I will check everything is ok with Colin's dressing room. For example, that tea & coffee is available. It's not a rock tour, so that's all we require really.

After set up, we'll check into the hotel, where I'll spend a hour or so doing work for the tour & having a bite to eat before returning to the theatre at around 6pm.

We'll then do a sound & lighting check with Colin. We thoroughly check all the audience mics with Colin, Colin is hard of hearing & has to wear hearing aids ( I assure you they are only hearing aids! ), so it's very important that Colin hears the audience clearly through the stage monitors.

I will then discuss the running of the show with the theatre duty manager, Colin's show is 2 x 1 hour halves with a 20 minute interval, I discuss late comers, our no alcohol in the auditorium policy & the logistics of Colin doing an autograph signing after the show.

The show usually starts at 7.30pm when I will introduce Colin on stage from the stage wings. I then operate the camera during the show, putting the people who are receiving messages up on the big screen.

Once the show has started it is purely Colin interacting with the audience & nothing else.

After the show, we derig all our gear & load it into the van before going front of house to be with Colin at the signing. After which we return to the hotel for a couple of well earned drinks.

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3. In recent months, questions have been brought up with regards to how mediums work while on stage, when Colin is performing, does he receive any instructions from anyone off stage, and if so what instructions are these, and how does he receive these instructions?

I assume you are talking about a medium who has admitted wearing an earpiece on stage, for which she says she receives stage direction only. The only direction Colin receives is from me, I'm on stage with him as I operate the camera, the only direction Colin receives from me is a hand signal to tell him he has 10 minutes left & another signal to tell him when it's time to wind up the half. There is absolutely no need for Colin to receive any other stage directions, it's his show & he doesn't need telling what to do.

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4. If someone was to see Colin on stage and the fact he wears a hearing aid, this could easily be confused as an ear piece, would you and Colin be prepared to allow me to inspect his hearing aid, and verify it is only a hearing aid and in no way an ear piece?

Colin makes a point of telling the audience that he wears hearing aids & offers to let anybody see them. He has made more of a point of since the recent controversy. But, he is as deaf as a post without them. He would be happy for you to inspect them & we would also be happy for anybody to have a scanner in the audience to prove they are only hearing aids.

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5. Why do you film Colin on stage? is it purely for a live big screen feed for people in the theatre to watch, or do you keep copies of each show?

It is purely for screen so that the rest of the audience can see what is happening. We do not tape the show as I feel it would be not be good to keep such personal information. However, I get asked by people who have received messages if I have filmed it as they would like a copy. The only time we tape the show is for tv or DVD & the audience are informed beforehand.

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6. One of the known methods for fake psychics is to have people hang around in the foyer before shows and listen in on peoples conversations, this info is then gathered and passed onto the psychic, either through notes on a pad which the psychic quickly memorizes, or even fed to them live during a show through an ear piece. As tour manager, who has access to Colin apart from you before a live show, and how can you make sure that Colin does not implement such methods regardless of your belief or trust in him?

Only myself & Kevin, Colin's PA have access to Colin before the show. Darren is front of house, selling merchandise, but he has no access to Colin before or during the show. I make a point of not going front of house so that people can't have such suspicions. Another example is, Colin will often have mail from the public delivered to venues. I take all mail, read it & don't allow Colin to see it until after the show, to make sure, again, nothing suspicious is happening. Also, should an audience member start telling Darren why they are there, Darren will ask them not to say anything as it may spoil the message should they receive one & because we don't want anything to look like information could have been fed to Colin.

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7. If we put to the side the laws regarding what a psychic can and cannot claim, entertainment only disclaimers, scientific experiment disclaimers and so on, would you be prepared to state professionally and on your own reputation that no hot reading, no prior research in any way is performed by Colin, and that as far as you are concerned when Colin steps on stage to perform he has no prior knowledge of anyone in the theatre, and that no information reaches him other than through his own claims of mediumship?

I'm more than happy to say professionally that no hot reading takes place. As far as I'm concerned Colin doesn't do any prior research, we have no access to box office details of the audience, Colin doesn't scour the obituaries or walk around the local cemetary. There simply isn't time to do any this! I can confirm that Colin steps onto the stage with no prior knowledge of the audience. Of course, there are occasions when there are people Colin or myself know in the audience. However, should Someone we know wish to claim a message, then Colin will inform the rest of the audience that he knows this person & then say that the message is not for them.

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8. You mentioned that Colin is very open to his audience with regards to his hearing aids, but the question remains why does a medium need to wear hearing aids at all? One of the known methods used by fake psychics is that they rely on feedback from the person giving a reading, wouldn't it be more impressive if Colin could not hear the person getting the reading at all, and that he only make statements, would Colin, do you think be prepared to try an evenings mediumship whereby he has no hearing aids on, and infact ear plugs put in to prevent any hearing at all, and also some kind of partial blindfold so that he could not see anyone in the audience at all, but could for example see his feet so he doesn't walk off the edge of the stage, feel free to ask Colin that one yourself, as I don't think such an experiment has ever been done like this before and it would make for a fascinating demonstration.

It would make a very interesting demonstration if Colin was blindfolded & wearing ear plugs, but you hit the nail on the head when saying Colin must be able to see his feet as knowing his total lack of direction he would be bound to walk straight off the front of the stage.

I must disagree though as I think Colin does need to hear the responses from the audience for a couple of reasons. Firstly, to know that the message is with the right person & secondly, to know that the information is correct. However, I do know of mediums who will move on to another message if they get 3 no's in a row.

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9. But surely any feedback only facilitates the potential for cold reading, either Colin is speaking to spirit or not, he shouldn't have to rely on feedback from someone in the audience at all, the very nature of someone saying yes or no means that he is receiving feedback which in turn could direct the reading in different directions.

Surely if Colin ever wants to satisfy those who doubt him, he must give readings without any feedback, making only direct statements. After all isn't his conversation supposed to be with spirit and not the person he is giving the reading to? So are you stating in your professional opinion as tour manager that without the feedback from the person getting the reading Colin would be unable to successfully give readings to a room full of people?

In my professional opinion I think it's important to have feedback from the recipient of the message so that the rest of the audience can hear whether Colin is correct in the information he is giving, otherwise it could be a very boring show. My job is to make sure it's a good show for all of the audience & not just the recipient of the message. I also think Colin believes that spirit are speaking to him rather than the other way round. Colin is not worried what those who doubt him think, he's more concerned with those who believe. But, I do think that without feedback Colin could give successful messages.

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10. Surely Colin should be most concerned with providing proof of survival, instead of giving a good show. I happen to believe that if a medium is genuine he does not need any feedback whatsoever, the fact that Colin relies on the person for feedback opens him up to a world of criticism, when simple controls could be put in place to prevent any accusations of Cold Reading. Also it could also be said that if Colin received 0% feedback during a show and still was accurate that that would be much more impressive, and the people visiting the show would be more impressed. The only feedback any medium should receive is at the end of the reading, not before or during. Anyway I look forward to seeing Colin work first hand whereby I can better judge what is going on. My final question relates to the state of professional mediumship in the UK right now, would you agree that there has been a steady decline in the past few years, and if so what would you blame this on? Usually in times of economic and social problems, the reliance on mediumship increases, but it seems that professional mediumship these days is "dying on its arse" with the exception of a few of the top names.

I'm sure Colin is more concerned with providing proof of the afterlife, whereas I, being Tour Manager want to provide a full evening for all of the audience.

I think over exposure on television may be the answer to your final question. In recent years Derek Acorah became the 1st Medium to become famous through television, closely followed by Colin. In very recent years Sally Morgan has become very famous through television. However, I think some small satellite tv channels thought they could jump on the bandwagon & produced some poor tv shows. With so many mediums & psychics appearing on tv, lot's of so called psychics thought, "I can do what Colin Fry does & I want to be famous". So, they get a few cards printed & call themselves a psychic medium. If you look around lots of psychics claim to have been on tv & they think this gives them credence. They then approach a few theatres & think they can do a tour like ours & can't understand when they don't sell any tickets. In other words there is far too many psychics who want to be famous rather than wanting to help people. There are lots of very good people out there that do very good work, but there is also a lot that don't.

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I would like to thank Tony for this interview and for answering some pretty tough questions.

I very much look forward to seeing Colin Fry work in person, and perhaps I can convince him face to face to eliminate the need for feedback during his shows.

Jon Donnis