..., I have to admit I’m entering into uncharted territory by writing about Most Haunted. However, inspired by the impossibly entertaining Derek Acorah (more on him later), I have relented. Here goes nothing.
**Before I start, I mean no offence to any believers. I am open minded to a limited ... Read review
...uncharted territory by writing about Most Haunted. However, inspired by the impossibly entertaining Derek Acorah (more on him later), I have relented. Here goes nothing.
**Before I start, I mean no offence to any believers. I am open minded to a limited degree.**
Screened on Sky’s Living T.V., Most Haunted is essentially a collection of presenters, crew and paranormal investigators sent to particularly inhospitable ... ...also a mainstay of the Most Haunted team and, by some considerable margin, the funniest man on T.V. at the moment. With his shock of immaculately preened silver hair, scouse accent, diamond earrings and jet black attire, he forms the bridge between researchers and the sprit world. Apparently not previously briefed on the locations he visits, his primary concern is to unearth obscure facts, names and events which can be traced back through history, ... more
Not being a great consumer of T.V., I have to admit I’m entering into uncharted territory by writing about Most Haunted. However, inspired by the impossibly entertaining Derek Acorah (more on him later), I have relented. Here goes nothing.
**Before I start, I mean no offence to any believers. I am open minded to a limited degree.**
Screened on Sky’s Living T.V., Most Haunted is essentially a collection of presenters, crew and paranormal investigators sent to particularly inhospitable (allegedly haunted) locations around the UK. From there, they will conduct their investigations under the cloak of darkness, searching for evidence of unusual activity, and allow the viewer to formulate their own interpretations of said happenings. With the team playing host to a mixture of ‘believers’ and sceptics, the idea is to produce an unbiased and balanced account of the information gathered.
SMELLS LIKE MEAN SPIRITS
Ex Blue Peter presenter and Albino princess Yvette Fielding is the leading light of the show, and its executive producer. Her husband Carl is also an ever-present, and seems to be regularly given the jobs nobody else wants (again more later). Being a self-proclaimed sceptic, Fielding seems to possess an uncanny knack of losing all composure at the slightest provocation. Please draw your own conclusions.
‘Spiritual medium’ Derek Acorah is also a mainstay of the Most Haunted team and, by some considerable margin, the funniest man on T.V. at the moment. With his shock of immaculately preened silver hair, scouse accent, diamond earrings and jet black attire, he forms the bridge between researchers and the sprit world. Apparently not previously briefed on the locations he visits, his primary concern is to unearth obscure facts, names and events which can be traced back through history, thus proving the existence of the paranormal. Aiding Derek in this onerous task is Sam, his spirit guide, who given his selfless penchant for turning up relevant information on behalf of Derek can be considered part of the Most Haunted team. However, Sam is an invisible mute as far as I can decipher, so we’ll just have to take Derek’s word for it.
Also in tow are a gaggle of novice ghost hunters, usually part of the technical crew, who are despatched on ad-hoc lone missions in an attempt to record anything abnormal.
WHO YA GONNA CALL - (PREMIUM RATE NUMBERS!)
Like a pacifist splinter group of the Ghostbusters, the Most Haunted crew are all primed for action. Unfortunately, unlike Venkman and co., they wield no proton-packs, no ghost traps, and they don’t arrive in a converted N.Y.C. ambulance in grey overalls. Let’s run through their less impressive, softly-softly methods.
Filming almost exclusively in the green glow of night vision, the team begin by honing in on areas reputed to house active ghosts, sightings of which have been reported by visitors or occupants of the haunted property. Armed with EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) detectors, numerous cameras, and the irrepressible Derek, they are unscripted (naturally) and therefore need to ad-lib their way through whatever the night throws at them. Fielding invariably accompanies Acorah, while the rest of the team decamp to other areas alone or in pairs.
The long suffering Carl will on most occasions wind up in a far flung wing of the location, squatting in the blackness in front of a camera Blair Witch style. With startling regularity, Carl is subjected to all manner of unearthly noises and experiences, yet deals with this trauma admirably, manfully resisting the temptation to run like a big girl.
That really is all there is to it. So how does Yvette squeeze an hour of gripping prime-time viewing out of this then?
WHAT’S THAT, SKIPPY?
If you haven’t witnessed Most Haunted in full flight, this next section might leave you under-whelmed. You really need to witness this in its extravagant, beautiful flow to appreciate the genius of Derek Acorah. Suffice to say he makes this program what it is. Where on earth do I start.
Before I describe Most Haunted’s greatest strength, let me advise you open minded readers out there; do not expect to be blown away by the accuracy or consistency of Acorah’s information. I’ve never once seen him disclose some unthinkable secret, provide a certifiable name of such obscurity that it defies logic, or unlock any previously unknown secrets concerning a location. In fact, the only time he actually hits the mark is when recounting something I could quite easily research in ten minutes via Google.
Example:-
[Furrows Brow] “I’m getting a, sort of like, burning smell?” [Gasps] What’s that Sam? [Waves finger through air like a sparkler] 1-7-2……..6? [Looks quizzically at Fielding like Manuel to Basil Fawlty] – Whatever could that mean, Derek?!
A subtitle will then scroll past, smugly confirming the unfathomable – a fire ravaged Ponsenby-Smythe Mansion in 1726! (Totally fictitious but you get the picture). Are you convinced? I’m not, but it’s amazing fun watching Derek run through his De-Niro repertoire.
Derek’s spirit guide Sam frequently takes on the Skippy-esque role, in being capable of communicating with him but seemingly not with sufficient clarity for it all to be decipherable. Derek has some fantastic hit and miss conversations with Sam, as he gropes around for his next discovery. Presumably Sam has some form of speech impediment.
What is more interesting though is the hilarious language and drama that sporadically spumes forth from the mouth of this scouse phenomenon. With alarming frequency, Derek loses the plot to such extents that you cannot fail to double up in uncontrollable rapturous laughter.
Oh, yes; recently, poor Derek has been ‘possessed’ by evil spirits. One occasion saw him lay into tiny Yvette with a tirade of scouse abuse, growling and hissing like a feral-cat. One experience left him so drained, he collapsed. These episodes provide comedic value unrivalled in the last decade of T.V.
Also captured by the team are plenty of orbs, unexplained balls of light which scoot across camera. This is supposedly a classic sign of spirit activity, and is categorically not dust OR insects.
Other than that, expect your usual bevy of strange knocking/creaking/dragging sounds, some of which are interesting, but how many strange sounds does something old, vast and wooden make? Lots.
INCONCLUSIVE CONCLUSION
I didn’t want my scepticism to proliferate as I wrote this, but it’s very difficult to buy into the premise of Most Haunted. Rarely do you witness Derek Acorah emerging from a site claiming “there’s bugger all in there, chuck”, and as previously mentioned, he is about as credible as American defence intelligence. He also has the luxury of effectively pulling untraceable names out of a hat, safe in the knowledge that those who want to believe will swallow it whole. There are times when Acorah is quite clearly making it up, as he reels off whole passages of nonsensical garbage, which is undoubtedly amusing but certainly not believable.
Finally, the neutral members of the crew are obviously influenced by being sent away alone into a dark, dank environment, where the senses are heightened. Any sharp gust of wind/rustling of leaves leads to a hysterical outburst of squealing, which given their surroundings is understandable, but again, false.
I’m not categorically claiming the paranormal doesn’t exist, but if you’re looking for proof, then your search will certainly not culminate with Most Haunted. If, however, you want a slice of amateur dramatic hilarity, then look no further. It is somehow engrossing and compulsive viewing, and there is an interesting slice of history thrown into the mix as well. What really binds this all together though, is a combination of slick production, and my silver haired Scouser friend. Fantastic.
Advantages: Entertaining TV which raises interesting questions Disadvantages: Lack of proof, People's reactions to the questions it raises
...of the phenomenon that is Most Haunted, I’ll give a brief summary of the premise behind the show. The show has been running for around 4-5 years now and has investigated over 60 locations. Mid way through March 2005 the 6th series started with much aplomb, with the promise of new locations in North America.
The programme itself is a paranormal investigation, and when it started in 2001, it was groundbreaking as the first show of its type to seriously ... ...this is one of the most fundamental questions that Human Beings urge to know the answer to. And in bringing their investigations to the mass market as Most Haunted has done (recent live shows, more of which later, have attracted over 2 million viewers, making it, and Living TV, the most poplar satellite channel), the efforts of the Most Haunted team are to be commended.
However, I digress….
The point I was trying to get at, in a convoluted way ...
coleman123 02.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Most Haunted
Advantages: Guarenteed stupidity and yarn spinning Disadvantages: The events sadly lack the excitement of the buildup
...that floats about) of which most can be attributed to insect life. We get so close to catching something, but always just miss out. Either a camera isn’t in the right place or the cameraman just misses out, due in part to some clumsy buffoonery. Numerous sightings have happened, each bringing with it fresh hope, but unfortunately it appears the moment any camera gets near to where an unfortunate crewmember stumbled into an apparition, the trail turns ... ...more.
At this moment most of you will be thinking hang on I'm reading the words of a ranting madman, who believes in something that has and probably will never be explained. Whilst I may be insane, fortunately I watch the show as a cynic, I see the unbelievable as just that, and something that is unbelievable tends to be something that is in fact unreal. Whilst I used to watch it in the vain hope that one day an astonishing breakthrough would change ...
stephen_logan 22.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Most Haunted
Advantages: You get a chance to be on TV (whoopeedoo) Disadvantages: It you are not in the same place where the investigations are taking place, dont go!
...started a new series called Most Haunted; I was over the moon to say the least. Most Haunted is on Sky only unfortunately, so anyone that only has analogue TV, you are out of luck. If you have Sky and have never watched it, its on Tuesday nights at 9.00 pm and the repeat of that show is on the following Sunday same time. It is now finished series 3 and I am still as intrigued as the first time.
Most Haunted is about a team of paranormal investigators ... ...tour around Britain visiting the most haunted locations and stay 24 hours, using Derek’s skills to pick up anything from the spirit world. I have seen Derek on stage and he was amazing, every message that cam through somebody took, he received a standing ovation at the end of his show. Derek’s ability is amazing and he is genuinely nice guy. However when he gets possessed this is quite distressing, he is physically drained after one of these experiences. ...
debbie_marway 20.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Most Haunted
Advantages: Its entertaining, can occasionally give ideas as to venues in which to conduct investigations, often hilariously funny and occasionally, just occasionally, they capture something interesting! Disadvantages: Don't show the REAL side to paranormal investigations, the team are too quick to jump to conclusions, I could go on... read review!
...an end!) Most Haunted is now about to embark on its fifth series. It is aired on Living TV (otherwise known as UKLiving) which can be picked up on Sky and I believe you can also get it on Digital. You can generally find it on every Tuesday night between 9pm and 10pm and then repeated again at the same time on Sunday nights. The fifth series is going to be slightly different to those that have been before, more on this later though.
Series 5 is due ... ...already!) is to find the most haunted venues throughout the UK. To do this, a team of people spend 24 hours in what is said to be the UKs most haunted venues in order to conduct an investigation to try and capture evidence of the paranormal on camcorder and whatnot.
It sounds like a good idea, and, for its time, it was! Nothing of this sort had ever really been seen on TV before, certainly not in the UK and certainly not on a weekly basis. Most ...
Sarah_Louise 27.04.2003 (30.08.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Most Haunted
Advantages: We were on TV! Disadvantages: Cold, wet, uncomfortable, boring, costley.
...sheer disappointment at the last Most Haunted Live held over the course of three days. It was held over 19th, 20th and 21st June this year, the summer Solstice weekend.
After reading another review, which also depicts my feelings, I felt I had to inform anyone wishing to attend a “Live” haunting experience of exactly what my friends and I endured.
Incase anyone reading this has no idea what Most haunted is all about, this is brief outline of the ... ...place after someone from the Most Haunted team emailed her a list of local places to stay. I expected to find Paul and Barry Chuckle running it, but it wasn’t so friendly. Never mind, it was a port in a storm and I did not want to drive back home that evening. The parking in Derby is pretty horrendous but we found a disused car park around the back of the Bath Common (or recreation ground) where we were going to be situated.
My friend had an email ...
dumples 29.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Most Haunted
Quality and consistency...
Range of programming
Quantity of advertising
Value for money
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I'm quite a fan of paranormal television, watching investigations and all things ghostly, I also have an avid interest in ancient Egypt so you may think Paranormal Egypt would be the perfect television event for me, a combination of ancient Egypt and ghost hunting, surely it would be on my list of programmes to watch? Sadly not!
Paranormal Egypt-
Paranormal Egypt, on LivingTV, follows hot on the successes as such popular paranormal shows as MostHaunted and Dead Famous. Starring Derek Achorah, a psychic medium who reached the height of his fame on MostHaunted, and historian Tessa Dunlop the show visits ancient Egyptian tombs and monuments in an attempt to communicate with the dead and reveal ancient secrets and mysteries.
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