Was I too Harsh On Spiritualist Churches?

A couple of weeks ago I replied to a lengthy comment left somewhere on the site. You can read that at http://www.badpsychics.com/2022/06/a-public-reply-to-private.html if you so choose.

Well I enjoyed writing that reply and despite the site being without regular updates these days, it got a moderate amount of views. So I thought I would do it again, purely to pass ten minutes of my times.

As before, I will reply in RED BOLD lettering, since that asserts my dominance over the internet stranger.

He or she replied to an article exposing the secrets behind Spiritualist Churches that I wrote some time ago.

Enjoy:

---

I only came to post one comment.

Just one? That's a shame.

Your site should be called bad sceptic (which is a shame, given such great work you have done!).

There is a compliment in there somewhere. Did you know that a site once called BadSceptics was indeed set up, with the sole intention of attacking me and "debunking" my work. And would you like to know who created it? It was none other than Gwen Johnson, the wife of Derek Acorah. Yep it's true, go ask her. Of course the site flopped because well, you cant take me on and win, that is just impossible.

Now, do I doubt that there are fraudulent psychics and mediums out there? Oh, absolutely not. There are fraudulent everything's out there basically. I am grateful, having perused this site for many years for the articles that do contain evidence. I remove this publishers self indulgence and congratulatory tones for doing so because the facts you are left with are indeed helpful to help identify those simply who knowingly, or indeed unknowingly - with heartfelt good intent - are not performing feats that they believe to be.

Ok this is a good start. Although I would hardly call the UK's greatest and most knowledgeable Skeptic (me) self indulgent and self congratulatory. That doesn't sound like the great Jon Donnis at all, in fact Jon Donnis is known for how humble he is, in fact he is probably the greatest at being humble. You should also hear the way he says "Chyna".

I am a sceptic, I hold doubt, and enjoy the research and find my belief switching to various degrees! This is a field it is very wise indeed to retain one's sense of proportion during deeply emotional times.

Sceptic, using that spelling, I really associate with climate sceptics, I don't know why, I always just preferred the spelling with a K. That hard K just feels better. Although if you are a sceptic or skeptic, your "belief" should never change, for being a skeptic should have little to do with beliefs, and everything to do with facts and logic.

I have been to churches, and had quite remarkable experiences, with never having been there before. I have heard recordings of readings that were utterly extraordinary. I have seen obvious fakes exposed, and not so obvious - some by this website itself.

I have also been to Spiritualist Churches as has been documented on this site, I have personally received around 300 face to face readings over 2 decades, and analysed north of 3000 readings given to others. I have also seen and heard readings that you would describe as "utterly extraordinary", the difference between me and you however is that when faced with something utterly extraordinary, I didn't just accept it at face value, instead I delved deeper, I discovered the secrets to how it was done, and much like any trick, when you know how it is done, it stops appearing to be magic.

This article however was like reading a conspiracy website. There is, inevitably, some extreme version of truth in certain circumstances. And I applaud work you have done in exposing genuine fakery.

Just a quick reminder that his comment was a reply to an article exposing the secrets used in Spiritualist Churches.

I am unsure how revealing secrets can be conflated with a conspiracy theory. As a skeptic, when presented by two options, the first being based on logic and critical thinking, and the second being one of magic and leaps of faith, to choose anything but the first one, makes you the conspiracy theorist.

I am reminded of Occam's razor

"a scientific and philosophical rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities."

What is more likely? A spiritualist medium is gaining their information from non psychic means, that are clear to see, or that they are breaking the laws of physics to pass on a message from the dead?

But to tarnish an entire element of spiritual connection that people have had long before you were around, and will be long long after this broadly bitter article is left to the confines of a web time machine, speaks of an arrogance only befitting of someone who is not open to potential - and is a closed minded so as they minds to be welded shut.

I do not tarnish the believers, for they have been fooled, they are the victims, I tarnish those behind the scam, the ones that collect the information and pass it to the spiritualist medium, and then take donations from the victims, or allow them to book private readings. 

To truly be a skeptic you must be open minded by definition, to be closed minded means your mind has been made up and wont be changed. I often hear the line "he told me something he had no way of knowing, and nothing you say will change my belief". Those are the words of someone closed minded.

For me to ask questions, and be prepared to investigate and find out the truth, regardless of where that may lead me, is the definition of being open minded.

This is a common mistake of the believer, as they project their own closed mindedness on to those who dare question their fantastical claims.

There stories myriad, nurses who have seen people visiting patients before they pass. The inner knowings of things and acting upon them.

(Googles the meaning of the world myriad)

Yes there are plenty of stories that are incredible, that does not make them true.

1 million people could line up side by side on a beach, in the dead of a clear night, look up to the full moon, and every single one would describe a moon that appeared bigger than usual. And every single one of them would be wrong, and a simple experiment would prove it. (Get your phone out, and take a photo of the moon, quickly goes back to normal size) This is the moon illusion, and yes even when you understand why and how it happens, you will still see the illusion. Plentyful stories do not have to equate to reality, but instead can relate to just a common mistake, delusion, or misconception.

What a cold world yours must be, bereft of any richness of genuine connection.

My world is being surrounded by friends and family, my world is enjoying myself, travelling abroad and meeting new people. I have looked into the eyes of loved ones, and said goodbye knowing they would soon die. Those memories are some of the strongest I have, there is no coldness to those memories.

And, I am not writing this for you.

Oh now you tell me. Cheers mate.

I am writing it for those who are seeking to find truth and may stop at such writings as this, and I would say continue your own journey. Take with you the knowledge of fakery that this person has donated kindly to the world (with genuine thanks), but balance this with the knowledge that the likelihood of a richness of human experience to be known at this point, compared to that we may come to know, is an adventure in true human spirit.

All I ever ask people is to make up their own minds, to be in ownership of as much knowledge as possible. Never to just take my word for something, but to listen and then find out for themselves.

I have no interest in people treating me like an infallible person, I want to be challenged, I want to be questioned, and I hope that people use the type of skepticism I promote, to be skeptical of what I say, for I am just a stranger on the internet. This is what I stand for. 

Let me see this man debunk the placebo affect, for example. Of course, something is much easier to reference but until when was this truly testable?

Why would I debunk the placebo effect? I believe the placebo effect is a strong and real thing. In fact scientific studies have proven that even if you tell someone they are on a placebo, if you give them twice the dosage of the placebo, it will work better than a single dosage of the placebo. The human mind is an amazing thing, and the placebo effect actually explains much of how alternative medicine can have an effect on people, and why people believe in it.

There may come a time when we look back at the frauds and debunkers with equal disgruntlement, or perhaps even humour, and wonder how we allowed ourselves to be taken in so greatly by either.

Or, perhaps, we will simply celebrate our progress as we gain further understanding of the true depths of what it means to be human.

And, after seeing and experiencing much strangeness, and using scepticism and debunking (in its truest sense) to be left with things that do indeed appear quite peculiar, I feel it may become a little bit "Project Blue Book".

I agree.

Where the huge majority of things can be explained away by unusual weather, or perhaps website, phenomena - but there will remain a few cases for which those true inquisitors of the nature of what it is to truly be, will seek out with interest.

There will always remain phenomena that we cant explain, that is the very nature of science. Science does not have all the answers and never will, not to mention the politicisation of science, and how scientists get paid, means that we often need to be as skeptical of scientific claims, as we are of paranormal and supernatural ones. 

And, in defiance of this absolutist article - if you should receive such an instinct as to call someone for no good reason, don't let articles like this stop you.

I would also be willing, should I be a gambler which I am not, to opine that whilst seeking to rightly discredit fakes, he has used his own "instinct" to gain the information needed to publish this website.

Now, wouldn't that be the most intriguing of ironies.

I have no problem with people seeking out psychics etc, my issue is solely with payment, do not pay a psychic a penny. Do not give them anything. If you find yourself in a weak moment, and you pay one for a reading, then damn sure fight to get a refund.

As for instincts, I have very strong instincts, I go with my "gut feeling" all the time, but understand that my instincts are based on decades of experience and knowledge, which means things that might be hard to understand for a newbie, come second nature to me, watching a psychic perform, and knowing within minutes if not seconds the techniques they are using to fool people, I understand the cadence of how they speak, the vocabulary they use, the hand movements, the eye movements, everything. I am so familiar with the tricks, that my instincts tend to be spot on when it comes to such people.

I would look forward to him responding say he has never once followed a hunch he had...

My hunches are based on experience and knowledge, that are now second nature to me. It is nothing magical. Think of it like a mechanic who can just listen to a car engine, and will instantly know it is a problem with the alternator. Just from a slight tone change in the noise of the engine. He is not a psychic, he cant even really tell you how he knows, he just does, because he has spent 20 years fixing cars.

Whatever brought you to this website, particularly if it was through pain, I do hope you find peace.

And that is what I try to do, because seeking out psychics and mediums, in that desperate need for "one final message" is the last thing you need to do to find peace, and in fact creates a dependency that not only extends the grieving process, in some cases makes it never ending.

From someone who used to eating people for breakfast, who claim to eat people for breakfast. ;)

Thank you for your comments, I hope you appreciate my reply, and perhaps I will make you think about things a little different.

Jon Donnis 

A Public Reply to "Private Investigations Scotland "

I recently received a notification of a comment left on this site from a group calling themselves "Private Investigations Scotland". I have never heard of them, nor am I particularly interesting in knowing anything about them. But I do think everyone has a right to speak, and a right to criticise me, but in doing that I have a right to reply.

Now instead of replying direct to the comment, which means that Private Investigations Scotland are unlikely to see it, and anyone else with the same criticisms also wont see it, I thought I would take the rare chance to reply publicly. So here I am.

Below is their message, with my replies and comments in red bold lettering.

----

The way you talk to people is disgusting! Your ego and clearly past hurt from a fake psychics has caused you to try and get national fame exposing fakes.

In your opinion, the way I talk is disgusting, I however like to think of it as "straight talking", an opinion direct from me, that does not "pussyfoot" around, or placate to fragile sensibilities, I have never been hurt from a "fake psychic", or anyone claiming paranormal or supernatural powers. In fact over the years I have considered a number of people who make such claims to be close friends of mine.

I am also curious as to your claim that I try to get "national fame exposing fakes". To this day I still turn down media requests, and in the last two years, I can only think of one time I gave a quote to a reporter, and even then I insisted purely on the name of the site being credited and not me, however they insisted they had to use my name. There was no photo of me, anywhere in the piece. And in fact you would need to go back over 15 years to find any photo of me included in any article I have wrote, or any article where I was interviewed. And even then the photo I am wearing a cap and black sunglasses, and the picture is from afar.

For someone who seeks national fame, I clearly am going about it terribly, since YOU have no idea what I look like, nor do you even know my name. When ITV's This Morning TV show approached me to appear as a guest skeptic in a segment, I turned it down and gave them the details of someone else. In fact I turned down over 100 such appearances, appearances I should say offered a fee. For example Ch4's Richard and Judy show offered £750 plus travel costs.

So to clarify, I have no interest in "National Fame", not now, not ever. Feel free to check my social media, there are no photos of me, no show reels, no "booking" email, no manager or agent. Nothing.

And this is the first original article to appear on this site in years and years.

The issue is you yourself disappeared soon after you were proved wrong! Everyone has intuition, it's that gut feeling inside you that tells you something isn't right. People call that psychic ability.

So one minute you are claiming that I seek national fame, and the next you admit I disappeared. Make your mind up. Hang on a second, are you a fake psychic trying to "read" me here, and therefore literally covered both sides of a claim, so you can appear to be right? Did you really think that would work on me?

As for being proven wrong, by who? I literally claim a 100% record when challenging psychics or mediums. So who on earth is claiming they proved me wrong? 

As for intuition, yes people do have intuition, mainly women, and specifically mothers. This is mainly due to the bond that a mother will have with their baby, and is something that a man does not have.

Nothing to do with psychic ability though, you could compare it to walking into your house and noticing that something feels wrong, and then you realise that a plant pot has been moved. You are so used to subconsciously absorbing the details around you, on a near constant basis, that when something is out of place, your subconscious realises it almost before you do. Or when you sit in your car and the seat or mirrors have been moved a few centimetres. You just "know". 

Again nothing psychic, just how your brain works.

I do believe some people use parts of their brain others do not that allows them to predict things and read energy very well. The only thing I doubt is that people can talk to the dead. When you are dead you have no consciousness and you need just that to communicate.

So you are a skeptic of the claims of mediums, why are you a bigot to mediumship and spiritualists?

There is no evidence that a psychic or anyone who claims such powers has access to a part of the brain that others do not, that is just a nonsense claim that has no basis in reality, and is just something low IQ people say, usually when they are trying to take money from you.

There will be an explanation for people who can read energy and use that to predict or appear to predict events, I'm just not sure that its mediumship. However the people who do this likley do believe they are getting it from deceased people.

Boy did this quickly turn from an attack on me to a boring lecture. Why on earth would you sit down and write this nonsense out, and then send it to me. I have done this over 2 decades, do you really think you are telling me something I haven't heard a millions times before?

Perhaps you should put your efforts into learning to speak to people properly because that's the reason you have no friends, no relationship and you spend your days playing on the computer.

There we go back to insulting me, that is what I prefer, not interested in lectures.

You are literally writing messages to a complete stranger on the internet, I am guessing the irony of your comment flies straight above your head. As for playing on my computer, yes please do check out my gaming site at www.gamingcouchpotato.co.uk where I review video games! I actually get paid to do that, can you believe it!

As for speaking to people, I actually speak 5 languages, and enjoy speaking to people from all over the world, in fact I probably speak too much. I am single though, so you got me there.

You have time after time told people they aren't bound by any laws and that is compleate rubbish!

Not sure what you are referring to here. I have in fact said the opposite, and encouraged people to report fake psychics and mediums. Why would I do that if I have also said such people aren't bound by any laws?

For the past half-century, 'genuine' mediums have been protected by the 1951 Fraudulent Mediums Act, under which prosecutors had to prove fraud and dishonest intent to secure a criminal conviction, which was difficult. There have been fewer than 10 convictions in the past 20 years. With that protection gone, there will now be nothing between the medium and the trading standards officer - and no need to prove fraud. Instead it will be up to the trader, in this case the medium, to prove they did not mislead, coerce or take advantage of any 'vulnerable' consumers.

Partially correct, in fact it was ME and THIS website that got the Government to kick out the 1951 act, so that psychics and mediums would legally come under The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations instead. I think that was 2008. And would legally put psychics and mediums in the same boat as any trader. Which is why I have been encouraging people since that very day to report mediums and psychics to trading standards, their local police and so on.

Now they have to add disclaimers if they charge for their services, no matter what!

Fact Check: False

A real psychic or medium does NOT need to use any such disclaimer. A real psychic or medium can advertise themselves in any way they choose as long as it matches what they do.

Only FAKE psychics or mediums will feel the need to use the "For Entertainment Purpose Only" disclaimer, and even then that is not a legal loophole for them to get out of being sued or taken to court.

The BCAP codes section 15.5 set out by Ofgem requires all advertising mediums to state it is for entertainment only! 👇

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/14-15/33/enacted

Nope, that is for the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951, and does not cover The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. A real psychic or medium does NOT need to add a "For Entertainment Purposes Only disclaimer.

The reason why you believe this, is because fake psychics needed a way to use the disclaimer, but then try to blame someone else, in other words a wink and a nod to their victim, that they are the real deal, but the disclaimer is forced upon them, previously they claimed it was part of some made up EU law, since Brexit they just say they are forced by the Government.

The whole reason why I worked to have the FMA 1951 repealed, was for this very reason, that mediums and psychics were using that disclaimer as a way to get out of being prosecuted for their crimes.

The current law is clear, it is "Protection from Unfair Trading", so does not matter if it is "for entertainment purposes only", the law protects the consumer, if they feel they have been conned. It is that simple.

And with that I think I have answered your points pretty clearly.

My advise to you is to stick to your little forums and social media, and don't try to shake the hornets nest. I am in retirement from exposing psychics right now, I stay nice and quiet, and perhaps it is best for the industry that you love if it stays that way. 

Jon Donnis. 
ps. See me on the next season of Britains Got Talent, as I try to get that national fame I am so desperate for. 

Interview with James Randi from 2009

Interview conducted by BadPsychics member Phil Jenkins in 2009.

Following the sad passing of the Amazing Randi I thought I'd republish this interview that we conducted in 2009......

Background.

The Blackpool Magic Convention is world's biggest annual convention of its type; regularly attracting over 3500 magicians from around the globe. For three days attendees are treated to performances and lectures from some of the worlds leading conjurors including Jeff McBride, Rudy Coby, Wayne Dobson and James Randi.

I was lucky enough to catch up with James Randi in the main concourse of the Winter Gardens and he kindly answered a couple of questions.

Question = Q

James Randi = JR

Q. Have you heard of the Badpsychics website?

JR. Yes.

Q. Do you think that it's a worthwhile venture or do you think we're fighting a battle we can't win?

JR. Unfortunately, I can't answer that. For me to give a specific answer I'd have to do some research into the website; in order to see how successful it had been in the past at achieving its goals. Having said that, anything that helps to educate people can't be a bad thing.

Q. Last year Uri Geller was presented with a 'Services to Magic' award what do you make of that? (This was a question that I heard several times over the weekend)

JR. Geller would accept an award for being the 'best dog in show' if it meant publicity. What you must remember is that it was presented to him by David Berglas (former President of the Magic Circle) who's a friend of his. What I can't understand is why David has started to take his side; after all David Berglas was the first person in the UK to expose Geller for what he is… a fake. I've not seen David for sometime but I certainly intend to put him on the spot when I do.

It's also interesting to note that Geller is starting to change his stance. He no longer wants to be called a Psychic instead he prefers the term Mystifier. Personally, I think he's created a monster that he can longer control. Over the years various governments, companies, etc have spent millions of dollars researching his claims. Just imagine what these organisations would do to Geller if he was to ever admit that he doesn't have any special powers; that he'd lied to them. I can see the lawyers queuing up now. A similar thing happened to the Fox sisters (spirit rapping) and Elsie Wright & Frances Griffiths (Cottingley Fairies) once the monster was out of it's cage they couldn't stop it.

Q. Do you believe in God?

JR. In my view atheists fall in to two categories; those who do not believe full stop and those who are willing to believe should they be presented with sufficient evidence. I would say that I fall into the second category. As it is I don't see any evidence for an afterlife.

Q. Do you think that there are any special powers be they magic, psychic or esp, that might be proven over the next 15 years and are there any mysteries you can't explain??

JR. Yes, there's one… Sophia Loren! How the hell she can look so good at her age is a mystery to me (laughs). To answer the first part of your question… no. I don't believe that anything like that will ever be proven.

Q. What do you make of faith healers?

JR. These are some of the worst kind of Woo merchants. Over the years I've had lots of visits from people asking for help after one of their relatives got involved with one of these individuals. The stories are very sad "Mother has given all her money to a faith healer, she's penniless" etc. I'll offer advice where I can but often they don't have a legal leg to stand on. Not only that but many people won't go to court because it would mean admitting they've be duped.

One of the worst healers I came across was Peter Popoff who was making approximately $4 million dollars a year 'curing' people. I took Steven Shaw (better known as the mentalist Banachek) and a camera team from the BBC to investigate one of his meetings; what we found was absolutely disgraceful. Steven managed to get close to Popoff and quickly reported back that he (Popoff) was using an ear piece. We quickly set up a scanner and started to monitor the venue, within seconds we started to pick up transmissions that were being sent to Popoff by his wife. She was giving him the details of various people in the audience; what their name was, where they were sitting, what was wrong with them, etc all of which Popoff would repeat out loud to the amazed audience. Some of what was broadcast was sickening racist comments that I won't repeat here. Another thing which emerged was the use of wheelchairs as a gimmick. People would be wheeled onto the stage and subsequently cured; rising from the wheelchair and walking away. Only problem with this was that these people didn't need a wheelchair; they were just put in one in order to get them onto the stage. Then Popoff worked his magic on them and to the audience it looked like he'd cured them. The final thing we found was possibly the worst of all. In order to gain access to the venue you had to be vetted by Popoff's security team who were under strict instructions not to allow any seriously ill people in to the building. We filmed a mother with her 8 year old son who was seriously ill being refused entry; she was absolutely desperate and had been following Popoff around in the hope of meeting him but was always denied access. Finally, out of shear desperation she pushed past the security guards and managed to confront Popoff. She pleaded with him to help her child. Placing his hand on the child he said "God cure this child, I know you're busy so if you can't do it right now can you do it some time in the future. Whether it's in half an hour, a week or years from now cure this child'. What a cop out! The woman was then hustled away and thrown outside. We had the whole episode captured on film and were prepared to expose Popoff but then his lawyers contacted the BBC and threatened to sue them if they showed the footage. This would hold up the film for years and would be extremely costly; the BBC backed off and the film was never shown. Fortunately, I was able to arrange for some footage to be shown on the Tonight Show and this time we were able to include the prompting from his wife. In 1987 Peter Popoff filed for bankruptcy.

Q. Have you ever been threatened?

JR. Yes, lots of times usually by telephone or email. I just pass the information on to the FBI. Sometimes I'll get a call back saying the 'problem' has been dealt with.

Q. Can you tell us about the TV series you had in the UK in the 80's?

JR. The programme was called James Randi - Psychic Investigator which I believe was wrong. I am not a psychic investigator I am an investigator of psychics; but it was their programme so I had to go along with it.

I'm amazed we had so many people apply for the programme considering what it was we were setting out to achieve, i.e., to expose fraudulent mediums etc. Some of the candidates did get quite volatile when things didn't go their way.

I remember we had a Psychic Medium called Maureen Flynn appear on the show. She did a sitting for one of her clients; it was typical cold reading. Afterwards we interviewed the client to see how accurate she had been and he said how good she was. One of the questions we asked him was 'how many names did she bring up'. The gentleman was adamant that she had only brought up about 6 names and that most were a hit. We then showed him a transcript of the sitting and pointed out that 37 names had in fact been mentioned. He still wouldn't listen; which just goes to show how difficult it is to change the views of a believer.

Q. How do I enter the Million Dollar Challenge?

JR. It's quite simple. You fill out the form on the JREF website and send it in. Basically, you have to tell us what you can do and with what accuracy. If you are accepted to take the challenge you must first take a preliminary test and if you score high enough on that you are then invited to take the main challenge for the million dollars. To date no one has gotten past the first test.

Also, I should like to mention that there have been many claims by psychic, mediums, etc that the million dollars doesn't exist. Well, I can assure you that it does and anyone can apply for proof just by asking. The fact of the matter is that none of the psychics, etc who are making this claim have ever asked to see the proof.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to take this opportunity to thank James Randi for his time.

Interview conducted by BadPsychics member Phil Jenkins in 2009.

Psychic Medium Amanda Molloy Should be well and truly ashamed of herself.

Lauren Dent was not only a victim of a bad reading from fake "psychic medium" Amanda Molloy, but when she asked for her £10 back, she had what can only be described as a bit of a threat from the woman who pretends she can speak to the dead.

Check out the message thread between Lauren and Amanda Molloy, is Amanda Molly insinuating that Lauren is going to die in 3 years time? Imagine the psychological damage that something like this could do to a vulnerable young person.

Luckily it seems that Lauren, despite getting conned by a fake psychic, does have her head screwed on somewhat, and made this post about it.

I fully agree with Lauren here. Amanda Molloy should be well and truly ashamed of herself.

Take this lesson Lauren and NEVER EVER give a penny to these people again.

And for anyone reading this, thinking of having a reading with Amanda Molloy. Think twice.

By Jon Donnis

REVIEW: Derek Acorah's The Past Hunters - SE2 EP1 - Thackray Medical Museum - Never Aired On TV

At the start of this year (2020) after a brief battle with illness, Derek Acorah died.

I wrote a piece about Derek on that day, you can read that here.

But just when you thought Derek was out of your life, almost like a Phoenix rising from the flames, Derek is back from the afterlife and gracing your screens once more!

Many of you will remember that Derek did a show that aired on "YourTV", but unfortunately that Station was closed down by it's owners, and the second season of The Past Hunters was left on the scrap heap, never to be aired, never to be seen again.

But out of nowhere the "ghost hunting" group that appeared on the show with Derek have decided to air the show on their youtube. And since it is Halloween and there is no other similar ghost hunting show out there to watch, that features an entertaining fake psychic on it, I thought I would review this instead. After all whats the worse that can happen? Derek ain't gonna come after me..... Or is he? No he is not. He has had his chance to haunt me, and he has decided to leave me alone.

Anyway on to the blurbage of the show.

Derek Acorah's, The Past Hunters investigate Thackray Medical Museum, believed to one of Leeds most haunted buildings. Workers claim to have witnessed constant paranormal activity in the museum and one claim is that two Victorian ghosts are trapped inside of the location.

Now before you read my review, you can watch the whole episode on the embedded player below, or you can go to the youtube page itself to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-8ZQ1dwDNE

As the opening theme plays and the obligatory screams, and over acting from Derek is previewed, I just feel so at home.

And first thing you will notice is the half decent production value, so rare these days, and then there is Rebecca Palmer, also known as "The Nigella of Ghost Hunting".

She has everything you need in a good female host, the good looks, the hair flick, and the seductive looks to camera. 

Anyway they are in Thackray Medical Museum, a 19th century medical museum. Just about as spooky sounding as you can get. We get a nice little package covering the location, it's history, and the fact it is known as "Leeds most paranormally active location", a claim that you could literally give to any place in Leeds, mainly due to the fact that ghosts do not exist.

After the package finishes, we get a truly unique and excellent scene in what I assume is Derek's minivan. Yes really! I wonder if Gwen was driving?

We get our first full hair flick from Rebecca, or Bex as she likes to be called. A perfect drinking game for those watching, down a shot for every hair flick.

We learn how someone who works at the museum decided to contact The Past Hunters for help to find out what is going on. Of course this is a totally genuine call for help, and not an attempt to get some publicity for what does look like being an excellent museum. Derek does his best "I have never heard of this Museum", despite it being billed as Leeds most paranormally active place, and that was literally Derek's job to know about places like this! But let us be fair here, if Derek said "Oh yeah I know Thackray Museum, was there last week with Gwen", then that wouldn't be as much fun.

There is a third person in the car, I assume it is Sean Reynolds, if Wikipedia is to be trusted, for some reason only Bex had her name pop up on screen, and Derek truly needs no introduction.

I should also say that there is a good chance that I have in the past had run ins with either Bex or Sean, I say that not because I remember any run in, but because a lot of these ghost group types tend to mix around, and I have argued with so many of them other the years, made fun of them and so on, and they are such touchy people, that there is a good chance I have pissed off both of them, so if that is the case I will happily apologise right now, and I give you both a completely fresh and clean slate. I cant remember what you have done in the past, it was forever ago that I watched previous Past Hunter episodes, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt, and know that me making fun or having a joke, is purely done in a light hearted manner with no offence meant. And if you are offended, tough.

Right I reckon that will cover me for a bit.

After some more talking in the Fiat Scudo Panorama Diesel Estate, they arrived at the location.

Frustratingly we can't see who was driving? Was it Derek, or was it someone else. These are questions that need to be answered! Our first true unexplained mystery of the day.

Now I am never one to comment on people's trousers, for I have an unusual taste myself, and I like bright colours, however.....

These trousers are unacceptable!

I do however fully approve of Derek Acorah and his Rupert The Bear scarf. 

Oh God we are only five minutes in and I am already referencing Rupert the Bear.

The team get introduced to the museum by the man who called them in, and they are shown around. 

Derek talks about residual energies, and 4 different levels of activity. No idea what that means, but it sounds good.

We start the investigation and Sean appears with a creepy "haunted doll" that says "I'm watching you" when you press it, along with some motion detectors. 

He sets the doll up next to some museum mannequins, which are creepy as hell in their own right. 

We now cut to a "baby centre" and he has another doll, a less creepy one this time, and he puts a vibration sensor inside the doll, all of these dolls have static cameras filming them, which is a smart decision. Because if anything happens, I want to see it.

Bex and Sean lead Derek to a room and they have some items placed on a table, Derek is asked to do some "Psychomotrising" on them. Basically he is gonna handle them and say what he feels. He describes a fat old man, and describes his character. This is some classic Derek. He is a fun story teller. And I think everyone can enjoy Derek here, you can tell he is enjoying himself, and regardless of your beliefs it is fun to watch. Derek comes up with the name ALFRED, and we get a note on screen confirming that an Alfred has been connected to the Thackray Museum.

I would suggest that the name Alfred would have been incredibly common in the 19th century, so that on it's own is not so impressive.

Derek is now talking to Alfred while holding his bag, I always love the way that Derek reacts to the ghosties, almost like a grandparent would when on the phone to someone and his hearing is starting to go. Here is a question for you all, has there ever been a famous deaf medium? I know there has been blind ones, but a deaf one? Answers on a postcard please.

We now have a ghost called Christina who has appeared, a screen overlay confirms that a Christina has been confirmed to have been an old inmates housekeeper in the early 1800s.

Derek on a roll here!

Bex does a good job here of questioning Derek, asking him what he is experiencing, what he sees and so on. 

Derek starts to play with one of the contraptions.

"I feel like I have got white powder, it's not drugs, but it is a drug, but it's not drugs"
Glad that has been cleared up.

We get another overlay on screen, confirming that the contraption has been confirmed to have been used to make tablets. Wow! Derek is right again. How does he do it! It is almost as if he has visited a medical museum before.

The items used for "psychometrising" are now moved to another table, and they are going to conduct a seance.

Sean want's to ask questions to the ghosties, but Derek stops him, and says that the ghosts react better to a woman's voice, and asks Bex to speak out to them. Derek is very smart here, he knows that Bex makes better TV. 

Poor Sean.

I suspect Derek might be building up to something here. We can only hope.

A ghost is now stroking Derek's cheek, Christina is stroking Derek's cheek. (His facial cheek you filthy perverts!)

Nothing else happens so they move on to a recreation of a Victorian Street, apparently it stinks, so I wonder if Most Haunted had filmed there previously?

They hear a noise and we get this awesome reaction from Bex!

Bex is the Queen of the reaction shot. I feel a bit sorry for Sean here, as Bex moves right in front of him and blocks his shot to camera.

Poor Sean.

A few more noises and Bex gets a bit scared so quickly grabs the most manly and safe person in the room..... Derek.

Poor Sean, this is not fair. He is her Husband (Maybe fiance). It's those pink trousers. He needs to wear more manly trousers.

They keep investigating, they hear a breathy noise, and some cold breezes. The usual stuff.

"My name is Isaac", A ghost tells Derek, another overlay on screen confirms that the name has been connected on other paranormal investigations. Now that is interesting, maybe Derek's research was not just relegated to the Thackray website, but also other groups who have investigated there.

More hair flicking from Bex, if you are not drunk by now then you have not been paying attention to the drinking game.

And finally we get a bit of old school Derek now as he goes into one of his legendary possessions! COME ON!

Derek is fully in character now, even growling. 

As Isaac he says to Bex "You deserve to be on your back, that's all you're good for".

Sean is trying his best not to laugh here.

Look, if you are not watching, or don't want to watch and are just reading this review, please just watch this bit as it is brilliant, starts about 27 minutes in. 

"Wenchy Wenchy, Witchy Bitchy".

Derek as Isaac is trying to get Bex to have sex with him. I have not laughed this much in a while.

Derek at his best here. 

Poor Sean.

"Your delicious eyes and hair, so be quiet"

Also worth watching Sean as he keeps trying to get on camera.

And before you know it Derek is back. Possibly the best 5 minutes of Paranormal Investigation TV I have seen in over a decade. Just brilliant.

Sean is now filming the camera crew with a thermo cam, however it just looks like his Smartphone that he is holding, so not sure if it just an App, or a real thermo cam here.

He also detects movement, however he is filming through a window, so is it just picking up their reflection. They get quite excited at what they are filming in a room. Personally I cant quite see what they are getting excited about. 

Derek decides to put Bex in a room on her own for a lone "vidgual". She seems a bit scared by the suggestion, but she agrees. 

Bex is alone in "The Pig Room" with a K2 Meter and a Crystal. She is actually filming the room and not up her own nostrils, which is a pleasant surprise.

Just a quick note on the use of night vision. They are using real night vision as opposed to a filter as far as I can see, however it is not really that dark, but they never once claim that it is pitch black or anything, so I wont moan too much.

Unfortunately Bex has bowed to the pressure and decided to film up her own nose.

Blair Witch Project has so much to answer for.

The Queen of the Reaction shot does it again, her K2 meter flickers slightly.

You have to give it to Bex, she is very entertaining. And I think a lot of it is natural as well, you just cant fake these reaction shots.

Derek has come up with another name, Sadie, and yes the overlay confirms that she has also been connected to the location, but only by other paranormal investigators.

Sean hears a noise and grabs Derek for protection, Derek doesn't flinch, what a professional. No ghost is gonna scare Derek.

Poor Sean.

Bex gets scared, screams and calls for help. To be fair it seems like a real reaction, a bit of hysteria that you can easily create for yourself when in the dark, especially when you are supposed to be in a haunted place. Hilariously she comes back to the group and the first person she hugs is Derek. 

Poor Sean.

And with that the investigation is over, and they are now sat in an office discussing the events of the investigation.

Looking back at the episode I want to point out that nothing was thrown. There were no obviously faked events, noises, things being moved and so on. The investigation as a whole was a fair and honest investigation. Now obviously things like the K2 Meter are evidentially worthless. I am a bit suspicious about the Thermocam which looks like an App you buy from the App store. But we have to be realistic, sometimes you need a few gimmicks to make things interesting, and although Bex reacted to the K2 meter going off, and Sean claimed to be seeing something moving on the thermocam, this was not necessarily them trying to con the viewer, instead it was them reacting to the equipment they were using. So you can blame the equipment here. I did not think at any point that they were trying to con the viewer or make claims that were too over the top etc. 

Remember a 100% legit investigation, with 100% scientific legitimacy, would be the most boring thing ever.

Now I did just say nothing was deliberately faked, yet we had Derek being possessed by Isaac and trying to have sex with Bex. Was Derek really possessed by a ghostie here, of course he wasn't, but what do you want him to do here? Derek is a performer, he is famous for getting possessed. Think of it like employing Carol Vorderman to be on your show, and she wears loose fitting clothes, and refuses to do any maths, everyone would be pissed off.

There is no point for me to slate Derek now, to prove him a fraud, to go on a deep dive of his claims, and so on. Believers of his will always believe, and skeptics of his will not. Instead think of Derek Acorah as a character createdby and played by Derek Johnson, a psychic medium who gets possessed by the dead, are you entertained by his act? If yes then enjoy him. If not, then do not watch.

Summary:

The Good

Well produced episode, Derek was at his best, and I genuinely laughed out loud at his possession, it was classic Derek. Bex is great, her reaction shots are almost perfect, she is like-able, and does her job really well.

The Bad

Pink jeans. Sean trying his best to get on camera, and grabbing Derek when he heard a noise. Sean needs to man up!

Overall

I thoroughly enjoyed the episode. Often when reviewing these types of shows, I find myself bored shitless, I end up rambling on just to fill an article, this episode I actually enjoyed, and would have happily watched even if I didn't write the review. It is only 45 minutes long. And if that is too much for you, just watch 5 minutes from27 minutes onwards, you wont be disappointed.

8/10

Review by Jon Donnis

If you would like to show your appreciation for me sitting here for hours writing this, then why not donate an Amazon Email Gift Voucher to me to show your appreciation. I do this for free and I will never try to get you to sign up to a Patreon or other monthly subscription, so the only way I get anything out of writing, or running this site is if people donate. And the more people donate, the more motivation I have to do more.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Gift-Card-eGift-Voucher/dp/B006AUF6X0/

Just click the link above, and you can donate anything from £1 to £1 Million!

Just send any voucher to webmaster@badpsychics.co.uk

This is the best way to show your appreciation for the work I do. So if you enjoy the site, then how about donating me a voucher, and I promise I will only spend it on good stuff like video games or whiskey! And if not that's ok. I will keep doing my reviews regardless.

After your donate feel free to drop me an email and I will say thanks.

Please leave your comments below.

Tweet me directly on @JonDonnisShow and send your abuse to @TheBadPsych

You can also join the Forum and share your thoughts there.

We are also on Facebook, just search BadPsychics and you will find us, we have a Facebook Page you can like and a Facebook Group you can join.