An Investigation of Psychic Deb Webber

Originally Published 9th June 2007

Disclaimer:
The article below relies heavily on the material supplied by Melissa. Because of this we have to take at face value that what Melissa is describing is indeed true, we advise all readers to take this into account.

By Jon Donnis
I was approached recently by an Australian by the name of Melissa, she had read our First Article on Deb Webber, and wanted to tell us of her experiences with Deb Webber.

Melissa used to read Deb Webbers column in "Womans Day" magazine every week, she used to think she was "Absolutely Amazing".

Melissa tells us
"When I found her site on the net including her mobile number I called her and asked about a reading. She said she was not taking bookings for 2 years although she could fit me in next week, as well as 7 friends who also rung her."

So here we have one of the most common ploys used by psychics to try and convince potential clients that they are more busy than they actually are. Of course Deb Webber could fit them in, she could fit in almost anyone who rang her, there is no 2 year waiting list.

Melissa Carries on:
"One thing though when I rung her to make the booking my 3 kids were playing in the background and she said boy you have a noisy household and I said that's my kids.

She also told me she was one of the top 5 psychics in the world and had even been told she was better than John Edward."

Well that might sound impressive to a believer, but to anyone who has studied John Edward and his methods will realise that being better than him is not really that an impressive a claim.

"Also good psychics don't want any info, its best they do the reading not knowing anything."

Many psychics now use this as part of their spiel, they will tell you not to tell them anything, but the truth is they don't need you to tell them anything. They usually use the old quip of 'Just say yes or no, that way I can't possibly be cold reading you', and this relies heavily on the fact that most of the people that visit these psychics have no idea how cold reading actually works, because if they did, they would realise that cold reading works best when people just say yes or no.

Melissa:
"So on the morning of my reading I called with great anticipation and remembered her saying that good psychics need not know anything from you, they will tell you, so that's what I did, she asked me if there was anything specific I wanted to know, and I said no, thinking she will know what I want."

Why do I think that Deb is gonna bomb out now?

Melissa:
"Guess what, she couldn't get no info on me and asked me what I wanted to do, so I said try again in a couple of days, she did and once again could not tell me anything really at all."

Melissa shouldn't really have rang back, but for the sake of this article I am glad she did, as it shows that Deb Webber is a useless psychic.

Melissa:
"So after the reading I felt ripped off and disappointed, but thought bugger it I'm going to call and tell her, I did and said I was really not happy with the reading and that she told me nothing at all, she said 'was it because you weren't told what you wanted to hear', I said no because you never told me anything. So she agreed to give it one more go, but I was not impressed."

Deb Webber, has used a classic line here, blaming her own failure on that of the client, this is a very common ploy by psychics as a way to deflect the blame away from themselves.

Melissa:
"Anyway by attempt no 3 I was really skeptical by now, mind you I had been a believer for 34 years, so when I called she was not there. (what a surprise) So when I finally got her and had the final reading I was so annoyed and wanted to know certain things I just simply asked her the questions. I told her my brothers were like chalk and cheese and one loved being with family and the other did not need anyone and she says 'yes they are showing me one is like a soft fluffy cloud and the other is like a hard board."

And here is where Deb gets to use some classic cold reading, of course this is what she wants, she wants and needs information that she can then repeat back to the client.

Melissa:
"When I spoke of my partners dad she asked 'where is his mum', I said she died, and straight away Deb said 'oh yes she's standing here quietly in the background'"

More classic cold reading, all Deb is doing is repeating back what the client has already told her.

Melissa:
"Throughout the reading I could hear her opening cupboards and rummaging through things and thought how rude, shouldn't she be in a trance or concentrating on what my guides are telling her?"

Well if she was real then yes she should be in a trance or listening to guides and so on, but the truth is that when doing these phone readings, the psychic will often just be going about their normal daily life. Afterall if they are on the phone, why should they even treat it like real work?

Melissa:
"I told her we were building a house and she said there would be delays, in most cases this is correct, with mine it was a miss as our house went up in record time"

As Melissa rightly points out, Deb has used yet more cold reading, stating a very common occurance as something specific, unfortunately for Deb, on this occasion she was wrong.

Melissa:
"she got 2 kids and I said no I have 3, but I have 2 girls, and she replied that's what it is, no matter what I said she had a comeback to, and even as a believer I kept thinking I am telling her all the info and she's merely feeding it back to me"

That is what psychics do, luckily Melissa was able to notice this, and therefore was able to educate herself to the methods being used. Being a believer is always gonna make the psychics job easier.

Melissa:
"I told her I was going to university next year, and would drive the 40 km to and back each day for 3 years, she asked me what I was studying, I told her and then she said I would be in an accident hurting my neck and it would have to be cracked or put back in and would be very painful, I thought what are the chances of being on the road for 3 years travelling and being in an accident."

By making a future prediction Deb has herself pretty much covered, if an accident did happen, she could claim success, and if it didn't, well she need not worry as she has 3 years, and it is unlikely someone is gonna come back to a psychic after 3 years and ask why they never had the accident, in fact if they did, the psychic will just claim that by telling them, they helped prevent it, so you see it is a no lose situation for the psychic.

Melissa:
"I am no longer going to university next year even though she confirmed I would and that I would be successful in getting in, I'm just too busy with the kids and don't have enough time."

Again Deb bombs out, but then we are startingto expect that now aren't we!

Melissa:
"I asked her the sex of my brothers finances baby and Deb said they won't tell her because they like it to be a surprise."

Typical excuse from Deb here, in fact any time you ask a psychic a question which would need a specific answer, they will often try and fob you off. Basically when you ask a question to a psychic you are taking control of the reading, and no psychic wants to lose that control. Trust me, next time you go see a psychic try asking a specific question, they will always fail to answer.

Melissa:
"When the reading had first started she asked me who I wanted to contact and I said my Nana, and all throughout the reading she would just say 'Melissas Nana' and then ask the question. I was really feeling sorry and embarresed for Deb by the end of the reading."

No need to feel sorry for her, she was earning money by telling you this nonsense. Th fact she could not tell you your grandmothers name, is proof in my eyes that she was no in any kind of true communication with your grandmother.

Melissa:
"Deb also told me my father was quite fit looking and I said no he is very overweight, has just had an operation on both knees for bad arthritis and has sleep apnea, but one of my brothers are quited fit, to which she replied yes that's who it is."

Again simple cold reading, when Deb gets one of her guesses wrong, she simply twists it round to make it fit.

Melissa:
"She told me my mother makes me feel like I am 12 years old, well sometimes and so do all my friends mothers, she asked me who was the blondie and everyone in my family all have dark hair except my niece who is a sandy blonde so then I figured it must be her, but when I thought about it, it could've been several people and family members."

Yet more cold reading by Deb.

Melissa:
"I was so annoyed after the reading and knowing I had just wasted $160 after giving her all the info I really wanted and needed to know the truth, so a couple weeks later so she wouldn't know my voice I called her mobile blocking the number and told her I was pregnant with triplets and very scared, so she said call back that night, I did she was busy and to call in the morning, I did and I woke her."

So already Deb has made $160 without showing an ounce of psychic ability.

Melissa:
"I told her my name was Kylie from Mackay and was pregnant with triplets, had a dead hubby, was remarried, had 4 kids, owned my own hairdressing salon and was scared emotionally and financially. Deb told me the triplets would all be fine, one would be smaller than the other 2, this is common with triplets, my dead hubby set me up with hubby no 2 because he wouldn't want me to be alone, she saw me not working for a while, could not tell me the sex of the babies as the spirits like it to be a surprise, I would sell the business and invest the money, one day I would return to work as a mobile hairdresser or for someone else and that I would buy the kids clothes from charity stores. What a joke."

Well this is proof that Deb Webber works purely on the info given to her, Deb has in the past claimed that if people lie to her, then the spirits will lie too, yet Deb seemingly cant tell the difference. Wouldn't a simpler explanation be that Deb is not talking to spirit at all?

Melissa:
"When I told a friend of this she called Deb and said she was thinking of starting up a nursery business and Deb saw all the beautiful plants and green. And even told her to send her a business card when she was up and running and successful."

Deb is simply telling the client what they want to hear, it is a good way of keeping the client happy, and increases the rapour between them.

Melissa:
"She also told one of my other friends that she saw cancer and operation, and that she had a dark energy on her stomach the size of a football. My friend still has not recovered, she is a total wreck, Deb told her she couldn't tell her if it was cancer because she would carry that energy around all day, so instead gave her a name and number of a friend who reads your energy and who could let her know if it was cancer."

This is where psychics truly cross the line in my opinion, Deb is creating fear, panic and paranoia here in someone.

Melissa:
"So my friend rung her and this lady was to read her energy for $60 and call her back. She told my friend it was not cancer but an energy from a bad sexual experience from another life. And that she cleared it for her."

What an awful thing to say, of course it is something that cannot be checked in any way, and leaves the psychic or healer in this case totally free from any blame or discussion.

Melissa:
"When we rung Deb about this she told us she did not tell her she had cancer and that nearly everyone she reads for has the cancer energy because someone in their family has it."

Again this is quite sick, Deb is creating fear and panic in people, and of course doesn't have to deal with the consequences.

Melissa:
"My friend has had blood tests, ultrasound on her abdomen, ultrasound on her pelvis and even went to hospital and got a tube down her throat to look in her stomach, next the Doctor will want to put her in a psych ward I'm sure."

There is only one person who needs to be put on a psych ward here,and it is not your friend.
I am so sorry to hear that this poor girl has had to go through all of this, and all because of Deb Webber telling her things on the phone in an effort to pass off the trade to someone else.

Melissa:
"Deb also told one of the girls that she (Deb) had a selfmade millionaire friend, and one day they were talking, he told Deb how he had done everything in his life and had nothing left to do and a week later he died, Deb told my friend if you don't live life to the fullest, your guides will think your not living life right and not learning nothing they will kill you, what sort of sick person says this to anyone?"

This truly is disgusting, to claim that spirits will kill you if you do not live life to the fullest is a disgrace. Yes people should live life to the fullest, but ultimately it is their decision and not that of some invisible being. Again this is purely about creating fear and dependancy in the client.

I will end this article with a final quote from Melissa.

Melissa Finishes by telling us:
"One thing is for sure after contacting skeptics and reading up on cold reading on the net, it is my opinion that Deb is doing just that, in fact I am 110% positive of that. I Can't believe I believed in this rubbish for 34 years, just glad now we all know the truth, and I am trying to let as many people know as possible about this bullsh*t artist called Deb Webber."

Diane Lazarus Latest Psychic To Jump on The Hunt For Madeleine bandwagon

Originally published 30th May 2007

First we had Amanda Hart & Ben Murphy jumping on the Madeleine McCann case purely for self gain and publicity, and now we have Diane Lazarus.

In a story on Sun Online it is said that she is travelling to Portugal today to join the hunt for Madeleine McCann.

She has made various claims about Madeleine, including the following:

Quote:

Maddie was targeted after being secretly watched by her abductors, including one woman

Firstly as a psychic why didn't YOU Diane see this before it happened, and try and stop it?

Quote:

She is in Spain after travelling by car on main roads from Portugal and is being well looked after

So why are you travelling to Portugal for?
You are only interested in getting publicity for your poor excuse of a career.
First you get interviewed in The Sun, maybe you are hoping to get on TV too.

Quote:

One of the culprits has olive skin, dark hair and a drawn, skinny face

Wow you have just covered pretty much the majority of the people in Portugal.

Quote:

I hope going to Praia da Luz will give me the leads to where exactly she went from there. I feel she could be in Spain.

In other words you are gonna stick you nose in their business, try and see what others are saying and that pretend that you "saw" that before.

Quote:

I have also picked up that they cut Maddie’s hair and made her look like a boy.

Strange that at least a couple of members of our forum said the same thing. It is the typical thing a kidnapper would do.

Quote:

Quite honestly I don’t think Madeleine has come to any harm. She will be returned to her mummy and daddy.

I pray to god you are right, because if you are wrong, I will come down on you like a ton of bricks, remember Sylvia Brown and the Shawn Hornbeck case, that will be nothing.

(As of August 16th 2017, 10 years later, Madeleine has NOT been returned to her parents or been found alive or dead)
Quote:

I feel there are a few people, including a woman, involved in the disappearance.

Wy dont you give us names, locations, ANYTHING, instead of this bullshit.

Quote:

I don’t think the culprits are British. I thought the prime suspect Robert Murat was innocent from day one.

We will hold you to this Diane, don't you worry.

Quote:

Diane will spend four days on the Algarve after being invited by a close friend of Gerry and Kate McCann, both 38.

As devout Catholics I am assuming that the PARENTS of Madeleine know NOTHING of this, and in fact would be disgusted that you would try to raise your profile of the kidnap of their poor child.


Quote:

I would never go to Portugal without the consent of the family.

Really? Yet you would happily go to the newspapers and advertise the fact.

Quote:

Hundreds of people have contacted me to see if I could help.

Prove it

Quote:

Even Bonnie Tyler, who is one of my best clients, has been in touch.

Then Bonnie Tyler is a fool

Quote:

I will have to be careful not to ruffle feathers with the Portugese police because I don’t know how they feel about psychics.

I hope they lock you up and throw away the key for wasting police time.

http://www.tonyyouens.com/BritainsPsychicChallenge.htm
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=55155

Amanda Hart & Ben Murphy In Sick PR Stunt - Missing Child Madeleine McCann

Originally Published May 14, 2017

By Jon Donnis
Very rarely does a psychic make me want to throw up my dinner in disgust........ ok quite often they make me want to throw up my dinner in disgust, but this time it is even worse.

Many of you will have seen in the news the story of Madeleine McCann, the young "photogenic" child that has gone missing in Praia da Luz in Portugal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6651307.stm

Well the they still haven't found the poor child, but guess what, two of the UK's most incredulous 'psychics' have apparently flow to Portugal to join in the hunt for Madeleine.

Amanda Hart from St Albans and Ben Murphy from Watford are the two psychics in question who believe they can help, of course self promotion doesn't come into it.

Well it does actually, these two non-entities in the psychic world have stooped lower than I thought possible.

This is the kind of sick stunt I would expect from Sylvia Brown.

These two 'psychics' through a PR agency, released the press release about them travelling to Portugal.

Amanda Hart you may remember as being one of the failures on Channel 5's Psychic Challenge program, in fact she was so bad it was laughable.

You can check out exactly how poorly she did at John Jacksons excellent site
http://www.skeptics.org.uk/commentary_display.php?d=britains_psychic_challenge

As for Ben Murphy, he is not much better, his claim to fame is that he helped in tracking down the murderer of teenager Sally Anne Bowman, the truth is he did nothing of the sort.

You can see what Ben Murphy said at this link
Click Here

Forum member Meercat took a look at his claims regarding this case.
Here is what he had to say:

The information he gives is so vague.
Quote:

Sally first showed me how a man grabbed her from behind.

He could have said "Did a little jig". It's irrelevant.

Quote:

He was wearing gloves and a hooded top, but his face was blanked out.

Cant say for certain at this time what the offender was wearing at the time of the attack, although a hoody and gloves seems to be standard issue for murderers theses days.

Quote:

He had stabbed her quite a few times

As was reported before he made his comments.

Quote:

She then showed me a handbag with some writing on the side and also some of the things from her bag - a phone, some keys.

It was reported that her white Prada bag was missing. I think its safe to assume a teenage girl out on the town would have in her bag a phone and keys.

Quote:

Sally Anne then showed a man in his bedroom taking a clear bag containing a few of her personal items out of a wardrobe.

Again, at this point its not known if the offender had a bag like this in his wardrobe.
Quote:

From the bedroom she showed me a park. In the park she showed me a small hill where there was a tree and a man kneeling down at the tree.

"She said that these items are buried here and the man comes back to look at them.

Why the hell doesnt he go and find them then?

Quote:

I was also given the name Justin while in meditation.

Must have been Timberlake then as the man arrested for her murder is Mark Dixie.

I feel sorry for the mother to be in such a state of grief that she actually grasped at the 'help' this fake came up with.

If he had said "The murderer is a 34 year old chef who will be arrested on DNA evidence following a fight in a pub" I would have been impressed.
The Police and Forensic Science solve cases, 'Mediums' don't.

Details of the man arrested can be found By Clicking Here

These psychics are no more than parasites, and what makes it worse is that they are not the only ones.

It has been reported that the police and media groups are currently being deluged by psychics making offers to help, although the police are not taking these offers seriously.

So far it seems to be only Amanda and Ben who have flown over to "start their own investigation"

I really don't know what to say about these two psychics.

These people are the lowest of the low, the sickest of the sick, truly fame hungry parasites.

If Hell exists then it will have a seperate wing just for psychics like this.

Further Reading
Tony Youens looks at Ben Murphy
http://www.tonyyouens.com/Commentary120306.htm#mdw

John Jacksons write up of Psychic Challenge with Amanda Hart
http://www.skeptics.org.uk/commentary_display.php?d=britains_psychic_challenge

Fifteen Minutes of Fame - Psychics And The Media - By Emma-Louise Rhodes

Anyone can be famous, or so the media tells us. The Big Brother society that has been created over the past ten years in Britain has demonstrated that the least talented and the most desperate can aspire to becoming a ‘star’, regardless of the cost. Yet among the endless list of wannabe singers, actors and presenters all baying for their brief spell in the limelight, another kind of ‘celebrity’ has emerged: that of the TV psychic.

Day in day out, the viewing public is bombarded with talent contests to seek out ‘real’ talent and market it. The message is clear – if you have what it takes, then it could be you. Of course, stage schools and performing arts courses are hugely oversubscribed with those frantic for fame (along with those who truly believe in their art) and the competition is immense. Therefore anyone who is ‘gifted’ in another, less likely, field stands slightly more chance of grabbing their fifteen minutes of fame and gaining the love/hate of the fickle British public.

EARLY PARANORAL PHENOMENA AND INSTANT FAME

Since the dawn of the Spiritualist movement, many mediums have been awarded celebrity status. Margaret and Katie Fox of Hydesville, New York were the first Spiritualists who achieved notoriety (post Swedenborg and Andrew Jackson Davies) – their elder sister swiftly securing press interviews and a theatre tour as soon as the ‘rappings’ created by the girls became public. The revelations surrounding the Fox sisters soon gave way to a nationwide craze, with everyday folk claiming that they possessed supernatural powers in order to capitalise on the Spiritualist frenzy. 

In particular, young women became attached to the movement. In her book, The Darkened Room: Women, Power and Spiritualism in Late Victorian England, Alex Owen writes of early Spiritualism in Britain:

Quote:

‘The 1870s ushered in the beguiling, youthful
creatures …These young women introduced new,
thrilling and daring phenomena and a theatrical style
of mediumship which emphasised visual spectacle
and display.’

Both Florence Cook (who produced the ‘materialisation’ of the famous spirit Katie King) and Mrs Guppy (who conjured up flowers, fruit and blocks of ice on her séance table) could well have been stage actresses or vaudeville entertainers as opposed to the infamous Spiritualists they instead became. Women attracted to mediumship were both the flamboyant and the bold; those who desperately wanted to break free from the constraints of Victorian life and ‘become’ something or someone else. This, coupled with the dashing Daniel Dunglas Home representing the make faction, made Spiritualism something which was, not only exciting and out of the ordinary, but also hugely saleable on the worldwide stage. 

The response from the general public, both in the US and Britain, was that of fascination. This search for knowledge by individuals who had never before considered the supernatural, fuelled the need for mediums to make themselves known and become minor celebrities in the process. The fact that the Fox sisters had performed in theatres early in their career, immediately placed Spiritualism in the entertainment bracket, as well as forming itself as a fringe religion. Mediumship and performance soon went hand in hand – a partnership which has not been separated to this day. 

THE NEED FOR CELEBRITY STATUS

The renaissance of the ‘medium as celebrity’ in the UK was undoubtedly led by Doris Stokes in the early eighties. As the first medium to appear at the London Palladium, Stokes, for the first time in over fifty years, became a psychic who was a well-known household name. Her books sold millions of copies worldwide and, although claims of fraudulence were abundant both in and after her lifetime, Stokes undoubtedly secured herself notoriety as one of the most famous British mediums of all time. 

The advent of the TV show Crossing Over with John Edward in the US in 1999 again sparked interest in celebrity mediums. In the UK, Living TV’s Sixth Sense with Colin Fry followed in 2002, along with Most Haunted in the same year. Millions tuned in to Most Haunted Live specials, to watch medium Derek Acorah being apparently possessed by the spirit of witch finder Matthew Hopkins, highwayman Dick Turpin and more infamous characters from history. 

Mediums are always ready to cite their experiences of contact with a famous deceased individual and, in doing so, many hope to secure such prominent status themselves. TV medium Sally Morgan (‘Psychic to the Stars’) has often spoken of her alleged psychic banter with Marilyn Monroe and mediums Craig and Jane Hamilton-Parker are always happy to exploit their ‘The Spirit of Diana Séance’ (where a group of people who had worked with the Princess ‘contacted’ the late Diana via the Hamilton duo). 

Magazine programmes, such as This Morning and Richard and Judy, realise that their target audience (predominantly women) generally share an interest in psychic phenomena (as is so often illustrated in the cheaper female magazines) and, due to this, it provides an interesting topic for discussion. Psychics regularly appear on daytime TV, desperate to show off their talent and win viewers over. However, as is so often the case, such segments nearly always demonstrate to the astute viewer nothing more than predictable cold reading by the mediums in question. 

The debunking of medium Craig Shell on the Bad Psychics website (1) illustrated a typical example of a young man, desperate for fame, fortune and celebrity status who was willing to do whatever it took to establish himself alongside the likes of Colin Fry and Derek Acorah. Although completely unknown before the BP expose, Shell’s website proclaimed: “Do you need a celebrity figure to open an event or fate?(sic) Craig will be happy to attend and speak with any guests and to become involved in any day to day activities (price on application)”. The site - titled Celebrity Medium - also included the Living TV and Most Haunted logos at the bottom of the page (although he had no association with either). 

Should such people be scorned and punished for taking advantage of the basic human need to be reconciled with a dead loved one? Certainly there should be appropriate laws in place to discourage such behaviour (and prosecute when necessary) and the general public made aware of the fraudulent techniques used by such persons. Yet, regardless of their gross manipulation of the bereaved, it is surely as important for us to understand the need for fame in today’s throwaway world, and the psychology of those who will do whatever it takes to gain renown. Although exploiting the grieving is far more damaging to society in general than, say, appearing in a pornographic movie, there is really very little difference. The need to break out from the mundane nine to five lifestyle and ‘make it’ often ensures that countless individuals leave their morals behind in search of the apparent fulfilment of fame and, in doing so, are swept along with the imaginary façade that they have created.

REALITY TV?

The numerous TV channels that have been created in the past ten years in Britain have caused an influx of the diverse and the drab. This, along with the need to publicly recognise and embrace the supernatural (regardless of how ludicrous this might seem) has seen a desperate increase in programmes ‘investigating’ the paranormal. Such investigations rarely fulfil their criteria in terms of uncovering the truth behind Spiritualism and merely encourage the dangerous belief that a mortal can transmit the thoughts and wishes of the deceased. ‘Celebrity’ mediums usually feature, typically showing off their ‘abilities’ by summoning up the dead in a two-up, two-down semi in Bradford. Regardless of the sense brought to these programmes by sceptics such as Professor Chris French, the producers are always keen to leave a question mark over the possibility of life after death and careful never to knock the psychic in question too harshly. 

Many programmes carry a disclaimer at the end of the credits, not unlike that which appears on Sixth Sense with Colin Fry stating:

Quote:

‘This is an entertainment programme only.
Differing opinions exist to the true nature of
clairvoyance and clairaudience.’

Yet medium Craig Hamilton-Parker expressed his dislike of the way the media treats psychics by stating the following:

Quote:

‘Mediums often have to put up with a lot of stick.
If we demonstrate on TV we are expected to have
a sceptic on the show to add balance - unless it is
billed as entertainment, which to most Spiritualists is
abhorrent.’ (2)

It seems that Hamilton-Parker does not find theatre tours or once featuring as ‘resident psychic’ on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast in order to promote his work abhorrent, although these are deemed as entertainment to just the same extent. Spiritualists who remain firmly in churches, giving readings for free, must sometimes cringe at certain mediums who appear in the media for (it appears) their own personal gain. On the other hand, one would consider that surely a psychic who has a special webpage titled ‘Psychic’s TV’ with numerous clips of his ‘portfolio of TV shows’ wouldn’t be too offended by the word ‘entertainment’. But, in a somewhat contradictory way, Craig Hamilton-Parker obviously is.

The dislike of the need for questioning is always very apparent in mediums. Many project a ‘Why should I have to prove myself to you?’ attitude, yet know that their TV career depends upon it. If they don’t come up with the goods, then the chances are they will not be hired again. 

The basic need to be respected and admired can manifest itself in different ways. The desire to be rich and famous burns in many, and striving to attain this often sees those who might, on the surface, have high principles selling out in order to grab the public’s attention. Regardless of whether the medium in question has made a cold and calculated decision in manipulating the public, or whether they honestly believe that they have a gift and should make themselves known nationally due to this, the want for recognition of some kind in an undeniable element in undertaking such a career path.

In a society where we are constantly inundated with, literally, the good, the bad and the ugly on our television screens, the division between reality and fantasy becomes increasingly blurred. It is surely up to the viewing public to make their own informed decisions about truth and lies, right and wrong, yet the very fact that a programme such as Most Haunted has been running for over five years (with strong viewing figures) and never actually captured the whole form of a ghost on camera, dictates otherwise. Do the viewers really believe, due to the documentary style format of such programmes, that they are one hundred per cent fact, or do they suspend their disbelief and enjoy an hour of television where celebrity mediums are possessed by the souls of the dead all in the name of entertainment?

Perhaps by questioning some of our own personal motives and agendas we can come to understand the psychology of the celebrity medium. In an article published in the New York Times in 2006, Benedict Carey wrote on the strong motivation of fame:

Quote:

‘… fame-seeking behaviour appears rooted
in a desire for social acceptance, a longing
for the existential reassurance promised by
wide renown.’

By understanding the need to belong, along with the desire for celebrity we can begin to comprehend just why ordinary people decide to deceive and manipulate others by fraudulently conjuring up the dead spirits of departed loved ones - be it at a local Spiritualist fete or on a nationwide morning talk show.

By Emma-Louise Rhodes

REFERENCES

(1) www.badpsychics.com
(2) Hamilton-Parker, Craig, ‘We’re No Frauds’, Daily Express, 2 June, 2004

Carey, Benedict, ‘The Fame Motive’, New York Times, 22 August, 2006
Owen, Alex, The Darkened Room: Women, Power and Spiritualism in Late Victorian England, University of Chicago Press, 2004

BBC3's Bullshit Detective - Exposes Philip Holden, Kevin Wade & Goldy

The very excellent Bullshit Detective on BBC3 has come up trumps again with their latest show.

A while back Ciaran O'Keeffe was approached by the program makers, with the idea that they wanted to expose 3 psychics.

Philip Holden
Kevin Wade
Goldy

Ciaran was asked to come up with a fake story that would be planted onto 'The Chocolate Factory' website, Wikipedia, and also published on some leaflets.

Here is the final edit of the story based on the story that was submitted by Ciaran

Quote:
Although it’s now a fashionable arts complex, the building did, at one time, house a London chocolate factory. A couple of stories from the 19th Century, when it was a working factory, may help explain some of the haunting experiences that have been reported since.

The Chocolate Factory was dogged with bad luck as soon as it opened in the mid 1870s. Close to a year’s takings were stolen a few days after Christmas in 1878. The management at the time were unable to recover the losses and had to sell stock and some machinery to a rival factory. There were rumours that a local burglar, Charles Pearce, may have been responsible for the burglary. Following the burglary several accidents befell the workers. These ranged from burnt hands due to the ‘conching’ process that came into effect in the early 1880s to broken bones as a result of sloppy cleaning on the factory floor.

The worst accident happened to an American, George Bull, who had managed the factory since its founding. He was a fat, aggressive, ruthless man from Maine, who ruled the company with an iron fist and had accumulated considerable wealth from cutthroat business deals over the years.

Early one morning whilst supervising a delivery he became impatient with the delivery man and grabbed the final crate himself and threw it into the factory where it shattered. In the commotion, the delivery cart’s horses were startled and bolted, crushing George beneath in the process and cutting his legs from the knees down. The driver ran off after the cart and, wanting to avoid reprisals, ran off himself, knowing he was the only witness to the incident. He was caught later by the police who simply logged it as an accident.

Some staff have reported hearing, late at night, the sounds of horses braying and also what sound like horses hooves on cobbled floor. Some stagehands who used to work in the theatre reported times when they heard a loud crash on the stage and rushed to find no-one there, and, nothing smashed on the stage itself. A local ghost group back in 1985 investigated the place and, during a ouija board got the name Otto.

The current owners of the venue have, in the past, kept these stories quiet, not wishing to put off theatre-goers, but now realize that, if anything, it would attract visitors, living that is!


So the BBC now had a great made-up story, they planted it on the Chocolate Factory website, as well as on Wikipedia and on leaflits, all they needed now was to call in 3 of the top psychics in the UK, and let them do the rest.