National Highway 26 (India) and Most Haunted: Difference between pages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tharkee (talk | contribs)
422 edits
No edit summary
 
SLPearce (talk | contribs)
76 edits
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox Television
National Highway 26 links [[Jhansi]] in Uttar Pradesh with [[Lakhnadon]] in [[Madhya Pradesh]]. This is 396 KM Highway, which passes through [[Deori]] and [[Maharajpur, Madhya Pradesh]].
| show_name = Most Haunted
| image = [[Image:Most h logo.jpg|250px]]
| caption = ''Official Most Haunted logo''
| format = [[Reality]], [[Entertainment]]
| runtime = Series 1 = 30 mins<br>Series 2+ = 60 mins
| creator = [[Yvette Fielding]], [[Karl Beattie]]
| developer =
| executive_producer = [[Yvette Fielding]]
| starring = [[Yvette Fielding]]<br>[[Ciarán O'Keeffe]]<br>[[Karl Beattie]] <br> [[Paul Ross]]
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| network = [[Living (channel)|Living]] & [[Paranormal Channel]]
| first_aired = [[25 May]], [[2002]]
| last_aired =
| num_episodes = 140 <ref>Episode count does not include ''Most Haunted Live!'' or ''Most Haunted Extra'' episodes.</ref> (As of Series 10 Final)
| list_episodes = List of Most Haunted episodes
| website = http://www.livingtv.co.uk/mosthaunted
| imdb_id = 0362355
| tv_com_id = 22344
}}
<!---Start of article--->
'''''Most Haunted''''' is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[paranormal television]] programme based on investigating purported [[paranormal]] activity, although a 2005 OFCOM ruling stated that Most Haunted was "not a legitimate investigation into the paranormal, and should not be taken seriously". It is shown on the [[Satellite television|satellite]] and [[Cable television|cable]] channels [[Living (channel)|Living]], [[Living2]] and [[Virgin 1]] (Formerly [[Ftn]]), primarily for the UK market. It is also shown in the [[United States]] on the [[Travel Channel]], on the W Channel in Australia and Canada, [[TV4 Plus]] in [[Sweden]], [[Sub (TV channel)]] in [[Finland]] and [[Stöð 2]] in Iceland. It is produced by [[Antix Productions]], led by [[Yvette Fielding]] and her husband [[Karl Beattie]].


''[[Most Haunted Live!]]'' returns for Hallowe'en special in October and the filming of Series 11 and Series 12 have been completed {{Fact|date=August 2008}}. One episode of the new series is the [[SS Great Britain]] in Bristol {{Fact|date=August 2008}}. Most Haunted Live USA returns on October 10 from Gettysburg and a Series will air in the USA.
Of its total length, the National Highway 25 traverses 126 KM in [[Uttar Pradesh]] and 268 KM [[Madhya Pradesh]].


==See also==
==Production==
The team travel around the [[UK]], and also [[Ireland]], [[the Netherlands]] and the [[United States]] investigating alleged paranormal activity for 24 hours at a time.
* [[List of National Highways in India (by Highway Number)]]
* [[National Highways Development Project]]


;Photography: The photographic style of the series has changed considerably since series 1. In the first series many elaborate shots were set up with an almost 'theatrical' style, with illuminated windows and dry ice. Locations were often illuminated outside at night time, with blue and green colours. From series 1 - 3 there was extensive use of the [[steadicam]], which provided gliding shots during Yvette's ghostly tales or for general views. In series 8 the team introduced a camera crane or '[[Jib (camera)|jib]]' system for elaborate aerial shots of both Yvette and the locations. Most of the photography in ''Most Haunted'' focuses on 'general views' also known as 'GV's' of a location and its surroundings. Most Haunted is filmed with both broadcast Sony DSR-570WSP & DSR-PD170P [[DVCAM]] cameras and Sony DCR-PC9E miniDV cameras with night vision facility. A Thermal Imaging camera is also used to detect & highlight cold & warm spots.
==External Links==
*[http://www.mapsofindia.com/driving-directions-maps/nh26-driving-directions-map.html Map of NH 26]


;Editing: The original editor, Neil Haggerty, is said by many fans{{Fact|date=February 2007}} to be responsible for the creation of the original ''Most Haunted'' look. Neil created intricate edits, using a wide range of visual effects such as dust and scratchings and luminescent transitions. He also used many other devices such as slow or sped-up images from the steadicam to create gliding shots, imposing and superimposing and many other effects resulting in the show looking sophisticated edit wise. The show was edited at 422 in Manchester from series 1 - 5 and from series 6 has been edited on Antix' own edit suites. Neil left after series 4 and was replaced by an 'edit team'. This resulted in a different editor for almost every episode. The style of editing has changed considerably with less visual effects used now and more 'edit' effects, such as lens darkening and light play used.
[[Category:Indian National Highways]]
[[Category:National Highways in Uttar Pradesh]]


;Music: ''Most Haunted'''s theme music has been composed by [[Alan Clark (keyboardist)|Alan Clark]]; however much of the score is composed of straight copies of loops and samples from the Spectrasonics sample libraries Distorted Reality, Metamorphosis and Biazzare Guitar, which are mixed together to form the overall flowing soundtrack.
{{india-road-stub}}

==Sister shows==
*[[Most Haunted Extra]] ran directly after premiere episodes of series 2 to 9, documenting behind-the-scenes antics of the cast and crew on that night's location.
*'''''Most Haunted Unseen:''''' re-release of complete series one but with added footage bringing the duration of the programme from half an hour to an hour.
*'''''Most Haunted Live!'''''
{{main|Most Haunted Live!}}
*'''''Most Haunted Live: Access All Areas:''''' similar to Most Haunted Extra. Features behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the team.
*'''''Most Haunted Midsummer Murders:''''' Eight part series where Most Haunted investigators try to solve murder mysteries in normal English villages. Hosted by Most Haunted Live historian Lesley Smith. The series commenced on a weekly broadcast from [[2007-06-19]] to [[2007-07-31]] and the team visited (in order of broadcast) [[Stoney Middleton]], [[Nantwich]], [[Castleton, Derbyshire|Castleton]], [[Pluckley]], [[Ruthin]], [[Tutbury]] [[Tarvin]] and [[Bakewell]].
*'''''Most Haunted: Recurring Nightmares:''''' Series which the presenters recall their most frightening visits.

==The team==
Most Haunted features a main [[presenter]], a [[historian]], a [[Mediumship|psychic medium]] and a [[Parapsychology|parapsychologist]]. Essentially the latter two are intended to create an even balance between paranormal and scientific explanations for the various phenomena that occur. Any information provided by the medium from claimed interactions with spirits is then analysed by the historian to see if it can be verified. The core investigation team are supported by some of the production crew, who appear in the show and are generally involved with the investigation whilst performing their normal crew role. Most of these on-screen crew members also take part in [[séance]]s.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Show role
! Crew role
! Started
|-
| '''[[Yvette Fielding]]''' || [[Presenter]] / Investigator || [[Executive Producer]] || Series 1
|-
| '''[[Ciarán O'Keeffe|Dr Ciarán O'Keeffe]]''' || [[Parapsychology|Parapsychologist]] || None || Series 2
|-
| '''[[Jason Karl]]''' || [[Parapsychology|Parapsychologist]] || None || Series 1
|-
| '''[[Lesley Smith]]''' || [[Historian]] and Studio Presenter || None || Series 10
|-
| '''[[Karl Beattie]]''' || Investigator || [[Television producer]], [[Television director|Director]]
|| Series 1
|-
| '''[[Stuart Torevell]]''' || Investigator || [[Rigger]], [[Camera operator]] || Series 1
|-
| '''Catherine Howe''' || Investigator || [[Fake-up artist|Hair and Make-up]] || Series 2
|-
| '''Iain Cash''' || Investigator || Camera Operator || Series 6
|-
|'''Geoff Adams''' || Investigator || [[Cinematographer|Director of Photography]] || Series 9
|}

The show has also featured guest mediums. So far these have been [[Ian Lawman]], Ian Shillito, Gordon Smith, [[Uri Geller]], Kevin Wade and Brian Shepherd. Some episodes have also included at least one celebrity. So far the 'celebrity' episodes have included [[Vic Reeves]], [[Nancy Sorrell]], [[Gaby Roslin]], [[Scott Mills]], [[Mark Chapman (DJ)|Mark Chapman]], [[Simon Gregson]], [[Sue Cleaver]], [[Carol Thatcher]], [[Paul O'Grady]] and [[Lee Ryan]]. For the series 10 episode from Coalhouse Fort the team were joined by Scottish Paranormal Investigator & RCPS Scotland Co-Founder [[Ryan O'Neil]].

===Former team members===
The following is a list of former team and crew members who have had some significant input to the show so far.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Role
! Duration
|-
| '''[[Derek Acorah]]''' ||Psychic Medium || Series 1-5 (Some of 6)
|-
| '''Gordon Smith''' ||Spiritualist Medium || Series 7 (3 Episodes of Series 8)
|-
| '''[[Ian Shillito]]''' ||Psychic Medium/Sensitive || Series 8
|-
| '''[[Phil Whyman]]''' || Paranormal Investigator || Series 2-4
|-
| '''[[Jason Karl]]''' || Paranormal Investigator || Series 1
|-
| '''David Scanlan''' || Paranormal Investigator || Series 1 & Live at Dudley Castle
|-
| '''Steve Parsons''' || Paranormal Investigator || Series 8
|-
| '''[[Matthew Smith (psychologist)|Matthew Smith]]''' || Parapsychologist || Series 2-8
|-
| '''[[Louie Savva]]''' || Parapsychologist || Series 6 & Lives
|-
| '''[[Richard Felix]]''' || Historian || Series 2-8
|-
| '''Rick Fielding''' || Cameraman || Series 1-4
|-
| '''Craig Harman''' || Steadicam Operator || Series 1-3
|-
|'''John Dibley''' || Director of photography, Camera Operator || Series 2-8
|-
| '''Neil Haggerty''' || Editor ||Series 1-4
|-
| '''Warren Baxter''' || Editor ||Series 5
|-
| '''Stefan Petecki''' || Editor ||Series 5-7
|-
| '''Paul Harrison''' || Post-production Sound || Series 1-4
|-
| '''Martin Huntley''' || Location Sound || Series 1
|-
| '''Tom O'Carrol''' || Location Sound || Series 3-5
|-
| '''John Baldwin''' || Online Editor || Series 1-4
|-
| '''Rachel Phillips''' || Script Writer || Series 5-7
|-
| '''Jon Gilbert''' || Sound || Series 6-8 (Some of Series 9)
|-
| '''[[David Wells (medium)|David Wells]]''' || [[Mediumship|Medium]] || Series 4-9
|}

==Episodes==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=August 2008}}
{{main|List of Most Haunted episodes}}

===Series 1 (2002)===
For the first series, the original broadcast duration was thirty minutes for each episode. However, more recently, some episodes have been re-edited to the full hour and re-released as ''Most Haunted Unseen''. Footage so added is shown with a caption in the corner to distinguish it from the original version. The first episode to be produced was [[Michelham Priory]]. In [[#Series 8 (2006)|Series 8]] the team revisited this location to mark the 100th episode.

===Series 2 (2003)===
From the second series onwards, episodes were accompanied by the supplemental ''Most Haunted Extra''. At this point, ''Extra'' was available as a ten-minute feature after the main show, accessible to viewers via the [[Red Button (digital television)|red button]].

During Series 2, [[Phil Whyman]] joined the show as a paranormal investigator, replacing the original parapsychologist [[Jason Karl]], who left at the end of the the first series.

===Series 3 (2003)===
Series 3 continued with no signficant changes from Series 2.

===Series 4 (2004)===
Phil Whyman was sacked from the show after the end of Series 4, the reason being the team wanted a new paranormal investigator who was more sceptical. ''Most Haunted Extra'' became a thirty-minute programme, broadcast for half an hour after the main show on LivingTV.

Series 4 was the first series in which guest mediums joined the team during the investigations. This took some of the pressure off [[Derek Acorah]] who had been the only medium in the first three series. The main guest mediums involved during this series were [[Brian Shepherd]] , [[David Wells]] and [[Ian Lawman]]

===Series 5 (2004/2005)===
[[Ciarán O'Keeffe]], who had been involved with the show since Series 2, originally viewed the footage recorded during the investigations and analysed it, putting forward his own views and opinions, which usually included suggestions as to other possible causes for the phenomena encountered. He shared this role with colleague [[Matthew Smith]] who frequently attended the early ''Most Haunted Live'' events. Following the departure of Phil Whyman after Series 4, Kieran began to join the team on location.

===Series 6 (2005)===
David Wells became a main medium, alongside Derek Acorah, for Series 6, and appeared in every episode. This was Derek Acorah's last ''Most Haunted'' series and he did not appear in the final episode at Sinai House. The original run for Series 6 was originally intended to be eighteen episodes, with the last eleven being part of Series 7. Due to Acorah's departure the series was extended.

===Series 7 (2005)===
This series only ran for six weeks, although it had originally been intended to run for nine. Two of the final three episodes (at [[Bamburgh Castle]] and [[Chambercombe Manor]]) were broadcast at the end of Series 8 and the last, at [[Spitbank Fort]], was broadcast on [[Boxing Day]].

===Series 8 (2006)===
This series featured guest mediums [[Gordon Smith]], [[Ian Lawman]], [[Ian Shillito]] and [[Kevin Wade]]. Series 8 marked the last appearance of [[Richard Felix]] as resident historian.

===Series 9 (2007)===
The series was retitled ''New Most Haunted'' in television listings and on-screen from Episode 4 [[Brougham Hall]] onwards. This is the last official series of ''Most Haunted'' where ''Most Haunted Extra'' accompanied the show. After the first few episodes, ''Extra'' was moved to [[Living2]]. ''Extra'' last appeared accompanying ''Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders''. This was David Wells' last series on the show.

===Midsummer Murders (2007)===
Originally intended to be series 10, this series was later renamed 'Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders'. Yvette led the rest of the team around 8 of Great Britain's villages, investigating several locations in each to uncover the seecrets of unsolved murders. An episode, shot in Lymm Village, saw the team investigate a suspect of Jack the Ripper. This episode was not aired on television but will be released in 2009 on the Midsummer Murders Complete Series DVD.

===Series 10 (2008)===
The tenth series of ''Most Haunted'' began on [[19 February]], [[2008]] and came to a close at the end of April.
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/most-haunted-10th-series-launching-on-living/|title=Most Haunted 10th Series Launching On Living!|publisher=[http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/ UNREALITY TV]|author=Lisa McGarry|date=2008-02-01|accessdate=2008-02-03}}</ref> This series featured three psychic mediums: [[Johnnie Fiori]], [[Barrie John]] and [[Brian Shepherd]]. [[Lesley Smith]] replaced Richard Felix as resident historian on the recorded shows and travelled with the team to each location. The team were also joined by Scottish paranormal investigator Ryan O'Neill, a guest on episodes 1&2 of series 10 at The Coalhouse Fort.

===Series 11 (2009)===

Series 11 is currently in the process of filming. It is due to air on LIVING in 2009. Brian Shepherd, guest medium during series 4, 5 & 10, has now been chosen as full time medium. Several locations have been filmed so far.{{fact|date=September 2008}}
Rumours going around that David Wells would be returning temporarily during this series have been denied as have other rumours that [[Derek Acorah]] would also be making a brief return to the show. It has not been confirmed whether or not the shows first ever Parapsychologist [[Jason Karl]] will be returning for this series, however this should be either confirmed or denied in the near future.

==Controversy==
On several occasions the former "Spiritulist medium" [[Derek Acorah]] was purportedly possessed by an entity, sometimes evil or sometimes "lost and confused". Two such cases exposed Acorah. Before the filming, Acorah had been fed misinformation twice about a non-existent ghosts of Kreed Kafer and Rik Eedles by the show parapsychologist Dr. Ciaran O' Keeffe. During the investigations, later broadcast, he presented the information as fact and even behaved as though being possessed by the fictional ghosts. O'Keeffe later revealed in a national newspaper that Kreed Kafer and Rik Eedles were secret anagrams of 'Derek Faker' and 'Derek Lies'<ref name=SPOOKY>{{cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16303507&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=spooky-truth--tv-s-most-haunted-con-exposed-tv--name_page.html|title=SPOOKY TRUTH: TV'S MOST HAUNTED CON EXPOSED TV|publisher=[[The Daily Mirror|The Mirror]]|author=Matt Roper|date=[[2005-10-28]]|accessdate=2007-05-07}}</ref> . Even though O' Keeffe exposed Acorah, the paper also claimed that O' Keeffe had exposed the rest of the ''Most Haunted'' team. O'Keeffe later reported that he had been grossly misquoted and misrepresented in the article, and produced a response outlining his version of the show based on his observations and findings, saying he had exposed Derek Acorah and not the entirety of Most Haunted. The show's presenter and executive producer, [[Yvette Fielding]] said in an interview that she believes it was a fake possession<ref>[http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=23243&in_page_id=11 Metro UK, "60 SECONDS: Yvette Fielding"] by James Ellis, ''The UK Metro'', [[October 30]], [[2006]], retrieved [[November 2]], [[2006]].</ref>.

Although not mentioned by O'Keeffe, the Mirror article also brought into question unedited footage which appeared to show Fielding and [[Karl Beattie]] faking 'paranormal' occurrences such as ghostly bumps and knocks. Fielding denied the claims. To follow this up Living asked the Mirror to see the footage that they had claimed they had, Living are still waiting to get the footage. <ref name=SPOOKY/>

Further controversy centred on Derek Acorah again in the [[West Country]], this time in [[Devon]]. On the first night filming "Terror in Torbay", Acorah mentioned a woman incarcerated by her jealous sister in the cellar of Lupton House, even coming up with the names Margaret and Eleanor. In this case, the facts were right, but the location was wrong. This is the well-known legend of [[Berry Pomeroy Castle]] which was to be the last night's location. On the final night, at Berry Pomeroy, Fielding reminded Acorah that he had mentioned the incarcerated sister two nights prior. Acorah glossed over his mistake and changed the subject.

Another incident occurred when a spirit apparently entered Derek Acorah causing him to exclaim "Mary loves Dick". This incident, which can be seen on Youtube, supposedly ended with Yvette linking back to the studio, but instead the feed continued and revealed the crew laughing, along with Yvette saying to Derek "What got me was "Mary loves Dick"." It's currently unknown whether or not this segment was transmitted live. Whilst this may show that the incident was a hoax, it may have just been a case of the crew finding the situation funny. However, whilst laughing, the crew seemed to lose all their fear and cautiousness, which they had previously, about the area they were investigating.

An investigation was ordered by the Television Regulator in the [[UK]], [[Ofcom]], in which ''Most Haunted'' was cleared of any [[deception]] of its viewers, in which it stated that "Most Haunted is an entertainment show, not a legitimate investigation into the paranormal, and should not be taken seriously."<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4500322.stm BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Ghost show cleared of deception<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

== References and notes==
{{Reflist}}
^ Steven Davies (2008-04-23). "How Real Is 'Most Haunted'?". http://www.horror-asylum.com/blog/2008/04/how-real-is-most-haunted.html
<br>^ Scottish Paranormal (Latest News - 20/02/08). http://www.scottish-paranormal.co.uk/
<br>^ About Us (2008-09-13). "Ryan O'Neill (Scotland) - RCPS Scotland Co-Founder". http://www.freewebs.com/rcps-scotland/About%20Us.htm

==External links==
* [http://www.livingtv.co.uk/mosthaunted The Official Most Haunted Homepage]
* [http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Most_Haunted The Most Haunted Homepage - The Travel Channel (U.S.)]
* [http://www.antixproductions.com/ Antix Productions] - Production company for ''Most Haunted''

[[Category:Paranormal television]]
[[Category:LivingTV television programmes]]

[[simple:Most Haunted]]
[[sv:Hemsökta hus (TV-serie)]]

Revision as of 10:06, 12 October 2008

Most Haunted
File:Most h logo.jpg
Official Most Haunted logo
Created byYvette Fielding, Karl Beattie
StarringYvette Fielding
Ciarán O'Keeffe
Karl Beattie
Paul Ross
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes140 [1] (As of Series 10 Final) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerYvette Fielding
Running timeSeries 1 = 30 mins
Series 2+ = 60 mins
Original release
NetworkLiving & Paranormal Channel
Release25 May, 2002

Most Haunted is a British paranormal television programme based on investigating purported paranormal activity, although a 2005 OFCOM ruling stated that Most Haunted was "not a legitimate investigation into the paranormal, and should not be taken seriously". It is shown on the satellite and cable channels Living, Living2 and Virgin 1 (Formerly Ftn), primarily for the UK market. It is also shown in the United States on the Travel Channel, on the W Channel in Australia and Canada, TV4 Plus in Sweden, Sub (TV channel) in Finland and Stöð 2 in Iceland. It is produced by Antix Productions, led by Yvette Fielding and her husband Karl Beattie.

Most Haunted Live! returns for Hallowe'en special in October and the filming of Series 11 and Series 12 have been completed [citation needed]. One episode of the new series is the SS Great Britain in Bristol [citation needed]. Most Haunted Live USA returns on October 10 from Gettysburg and a Series will air in the USA.

Production

The team travel around the UK, and also Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States investigating alleged paranormal activity for 24 hours at a time.

Photography
The photographic style of the series has changed considerably since series 1. In the first series many elaborate shots were set up with an almost 'theatrical' style, with illuminated windows and dry ice. Locations were often illuminated outside at night time, with blue and green colours. From series 1 - 3 there was extensive use of the steadicam, which provided gliding shots during Yvette's ghostly tales or for general views. In series 8 the team introduced a camera crane or 'jib' system for elaborate aerial shots of both Yvette and the locations. Most of the photography in Most Haunted focuses on 'general views' also known as 'GV's' of a location and its surroundings. Most Haunted is filmed with both broadcast Sony DSR-570WSP & DSR-PD170P DVCAM cameras and Sony DCR-PC9E miniDV cameras with night vision facility. A Thermal Imaging camera is also used to detect & highlight cold & warm spots.
Editing
The original editor, Neil Haggerty, is said by many fans[citation needed] to be responsible for the creation of the original Most Haunted look. Neil created intricate edits, using a wide range of visual effects such as dust and scratchings and luminescent transitions. He also used many other devices such as slow or sped-up images from the steadicam to create gliding shots, imposing and superimposing and many other effects resulting in the show looking sophisticated edit wise. The show was edited at 422 in Manchester from series 1 - 5 and from series 6 has been edited on Antix' own edit suites. Neil left after series 4 and was replaced by an 'edit team'. This resulted in a different editor for almost every episode. The style of editing has changed considerably with less visual effects used now and more 'edit' effects, such as lens darkening and light play used.
Music
Most Haunted's theme music has been composed by Alan Clark; however much of the score is composed of straight copies of loops and samples from the Spectrasonics sample libraries Distorted Reality, Metamorphosis and Biazzare Guitar, which are mixed together to form the overall flowing soundtrack.

Sister shows

  • Most Haunted Extra ran directly after premiere episodes of series 2 to 9, documenting behind-the-scenes antics of the cast and crew on that night's location.
  • Most Haunted Unseen: re-release of complete series one but with added footage bringing the duration of the programme from half an hour to an hour.
  • Most Haunted Live!
Main article: Most Haunted Live!
  • Most Haunted Live: Access All Areas: similar to Most Haunted Extra. Features behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the team.
  • Most Haunted Midsummer Murders: Eight part series where Most Haunted investigators try to solve murder mysteries in normal English villages. Hosted by Most Haunted Live historian Lesley Smith. The series commenced on a weekly broadcast from 2007-06-19 to 2007-07-31 and the team visited (in order of broadcast) Stoney Middleton, Nantwich, Castleton, Pluckley, Ruthin, Tutbury Tarvin and Bakewell.
  • Most Haunted: Recurring Nightmares: Series which the presenters recall their most frightening visits.

The team

Most Haunted features a main presenter, a historian, a psychic medium and a parapsychologist. Essentially the latter two are intended to create an even balance between paranormal and scientific explanations for the various phenomena that occur. Any information provided by the medium from claimed interactions with spirits is then analysed by the historian to see if it can be verified. The core investigation team are supported by some of the production crew, who appear in the show and are generally involved with the investigation whilst performing their normal crew role. Most of these on-screen crew members also take part in séances.

Name Show role Crew role Started
Yvette Fielding Presenter / Investigator Executive Producer Series 1
Dr Ciarán O'Keeffe Parapsychologist None Series 2
Jason Karl Parapsychologist None Series 1
Lesley Smith Historian and Studio Presenter None Series 10
Karl Beattie Investigator Television producer, Director Series 1
Stuart Torevell Investigator Rigger, Camera operator Series 1
Catherine Howe Investigator Hair and Make-up Series 2
Iain Cash Investigator Camera Operator Series 6
Geoff Adams Investigator Director of Photography Series 9

The show has also featured guest mediums. So far these have been Ian Lawman, Ian Shillito, Gordon Smith, Uri Geller, Kevin Wade and Brian Shepherd. Some episodes have also included at least one celebrity. So far the 'celebrity' episodes have included Vic Reeves, Nancy Sorrell, Gaby Roslin, Scott Mills, Mark Chapman, Simon Gregson, Sue Cleaver, Carol Thatcher, Paul O'Grady and Lee Ryan. For the series 10 episode from Coalhouse Fort the team were joined by Scottish Paranormal Investigator & RCPS Scotland Co-Founder Ryan O'Neil.

Former team members

The following is a list of former team and crew members who have had some significant input to the show so far.

Name Role Duration
Derek Acorah Psychic Medium Series 1-5 (Some of 6)
Gordon Smith Spiritualist Medium Series 7 (3 Episodes of Series 8)
Ian Shillito Psychic Medium/Sensitive Series 8
Phil Whyman Paranormal Investigator Series 2-4
Jason Karl Paranormal Investigator Series 1
David Scanlan Paranormal Investigator Series 1 & Live at Dudley Castle
Steve Parsons Paranormal Investigator Series 8
Matthew Smith Parapsychologist Series 2-8
Louie Savva Parapsychologist Series 6 & Lives
Richard Felix Historian Series 2-8
Rick Fielding Cameraman Series 1-4
Craig Harman Steadicam Operator Series 1-3
John Dibley Director of photography, Camera Operator Series 2-8
Neil Haggerty Editor Series 1-4
Warren Baxter Editor Series 5
Stefan Petecki Editor Series 5-7
Paul Harrison Post-production Sound Series 1-4
Martin Huntley Location Sound Series 1
Tom O'Carrol Location Sound Series 3-5
John Baldwin Online Editor Series 1-4
Rachel Phillips Script Writer Series 5-7
Jon Gilbert Sound Series 6-8 (Some of Series 9)
David Wells Medium Series 4-9

Episodes

Main article: List of Most Haunted episodes

Series 1 (2002)

For the first series, the original broadcast duration was thirty minutes for each episode. However, more recently, some episodes have been re-edited to the full hour and re-released as Most Haunted Unseen. Footage so added is shown with a caption in the corner to distinguish it from the original version. The first episode to be produced was Michelham Priory. In Series 8 the team revisited this location to mark the 100th episode.

Series 2 (2003)

From the second series onwards, episodes were accompanied by the supplemental Most Haunted Extra. At this point, Extra was available as a ten-minute feature after the main show, accessible to viewers via the red button.

During Series 2, Phil Whyman joined the show as a paranormal investigator, replacing the original parapsychologist Jason Karl, who left at the end of the the first series.

Series 3 (2003)

Series 3 continued with no signficant changes from Series 2.

Series 4 (2004)

Phil Whyman was sacked from the show after the end of Series 4, the reason being the team wanted a new paranormal investigator who was more sceptical. Most Haunted Extra became a thirty-minute programme, broadcast for half an hour after the main show on LivingTV.

Series 4 was the first series in which guest mediums joined the team during the investigations. This took some of the pressure off Derek Acorah who had been the only medium in the first three series. The main guest mediums involved during this series were Brian Shepherd , David Wells and Ian Lawman

Series 5 (2004/2005)

Ciarán O'Keeffe, who had been involved with the show since Series 2, originally viewed the footage recorded during the investigations and analysed it, putting forward his own views and opinions, which usually included suggestions as to other possible causes for the phenomena encountered. He shared this role with colleague Matthew Smith who frequently attended the early Most Haunted Live events. Following the departure of Phil Whyman after Series 4, Kieran began to join the team on location.

Series 6 (2005)

David Wells became a main medium, alongside Derek Acorah, for Series 6, and appeared in every episode. This was Derek Acorah's last Most Haunted series and he did not appear in the final episode at Sinai House. The original run for Series 6 was originally intended to be eighteen episodes, with the last eleven being part of Series 7. Due to Acorah's departure the series was extended.

Series 7 (2005)

This series only ran for six weeks, although it had originally been intended to run for nine. Two of the final three episodes (at Bamburgh Castle and Chambercombe Manor) were broadcast at the end of Series 8 and the last, at Spitbank Fort, was broadcast on Boxing Day.

Series 8 (2006)

This series featured guest mediums Gordon Smith, Ian Lawman, Ian Shillito and Kevin Wade. Series 8 marked the last appearance of Richard Felix as resident historian.

Series 9 (2007)

The series was retitled New Most Haunted in television listings and on-screen from Episode 4 Brougham Hall onwards. This is the last official series of Most Haunted where Most Haunted Extra accompanied the show. After the first few episodes, Extra was moved to Living2. Extra last appeared accompanying Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders. This was David Wells' last series on the show.

Midsummer Murders (2007)

Originally intended to be series 10, this series was later renamed 'Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders'. Yvette led the rest of the team around 8 of Great Britain's villages, investigating several locations in each to uncover the seecrets of unsolved murders. An episode, shot in Lymm Village, saw the team investigate a suspect of Jack the Ripper. This episode was not aired on television but will be released in 2009 on the Midsummer Murders Complete Series DVD.

Series 10 (2008)

The tenth series of Most Haunted began on 19 February, 2008 and came to a close at the end of April. [2] This series featured three psychic mediums: Johnnie Fiori, Barrie John and Brian Shepherd. Lesley Smith replaced Richard Felix as resident historian on the recorded shows and travelled with the team to each location. The team were also joined by Scottish paranormal investigator Ryan O'Neill, a guest on episodes 1&2 of series 10 at The Coalhouse Fort.

Series 11 (2009)

Series 11 is currently in the process of filming. It is due to air on LIVING in 2009. Brian Shepherd, guest medium during series 4, 5 & 10, has now been chosen as full time medium. Several locations have been filmed so far.[citation needed] Rumours going around that David Wells would be returning temporarily during this series have been denied as have other rumours that Derek Acorah would also be making a brief return to the show. It has not been confirmed whether or not the shows first ever Parapsychologist Jason Karl will be returning for this series, however this should be either confirmed or denied in the near future.

Controversy

On several occasions the former "Spiritulist medium" Derek Acorah was purportedly possessed by an entity, sometimes evil or sometimes "lost and confused". Two such cases exposed Acorah. Before the filming, Acorah had been fed misinformation twice about a non-existent ghosts of Kreed Kafer and Rik Eedles by the show parapsychologist Dr. Ciaran O' Keeffe. During the investigations, later broadcast, he presented the information as fact and even behaved as though being possessed by the fictional ghosts. O'Keeffe later revealed in a national newspaper that Kreed Kafer and Rik Eedles were secret anagrams of 'Derek Faker' and 'Derek Lies'[3] . Even though O' Keeffe exposed Acorah, the paper also claimed that O' Keeffe had exposed the rest of the Most Haunted team. O'Keeffe later reported that he had been grossly misquoted and misrepresented in the article, and produced a response outlining his version of the show based on his observations and findings, saying he had exposed Derek Acorah and not the entirety of Most Haunted. The show's presenter and executive producer, Yvette Fielding said in an interview that she believes it was a fake possession[4].

Although not mentioned by O'Keeffe, the Mirror article also brought into question unedited footage which appeared to show Fielding and Karl Beattie faking 'paranormal' occurrences such as ghostly bumps and knocks. Fielding denied the claims. To follow this up Living asked the Mirror to see the footage that they had claimed they had, Living are still waiting to get the footage. [3]

Further controversy centred on Derek Acorah again in the West Country, this time in Devon. On the first night filming "Terror in Torbay", Acorah mentioned a woman incarcerated by her jealous sister in the cellar of Lupton House, even coming up with the names Margaret and Eleanor. In this case, the facts were right, but the location was wrong. This is the well-known legend of Berry Pomeroy Castle which was to be the last night's location. On the final night, at Berry Pomeroy, Fielding reminded Acorah that he had mentioned the incarcerated sister two nights prior. Acorah glossed over his mistake and changed the subject.

Another incident occurred when a spirit apparently entered Derek Acorah causing him to exclaim "Mary loves Dick". This incident, which can be seen on Youtube, supposedly ended with Yvette linking back to the studio, but instead the feed continued and revealed the crew laughing, along with Yvette saying to Derek "What got me was "Mary loves Dick"." It's currently unknown whether or not this segment was transmitted live. Whilst this may show that the incident was a hoax, it may have just been a case of the crew finding the situation funny. However, whilst laughing, the crew seemed to lose all their fear and cautiousness, which they had previously, about the area they were investigating.

An investigation was ordered by the Television Regulator in the UK, Ofcom, in which Most Haunted was cleared of any deception of its viewers, in which it stated that "Most Haunted is an entertainment show, not a legitimate investigation into the paranormal, and should not be taken seriously."[5]

References and notes

  1. ^ Episode count does not include Most Haunted Live! or Most Haunted Extra episodes.
  2. ^ Lisa McGarry (2008-02-01). "Most Haunted 10th Series Launching On Living!". UNREALITY TV. Retrieved 2008-02-03. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b Matt Roper (2005-10-28). "SPOOKY TRUTH: TV'S MOST HAUNTED CON EXPOSED TV". The Mirror. Retrieved 2007-05-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Metro UK, "60 SECONDS: Yvette Fielding" by James Ellis, The UK Metro, October 30, 2006, retrieved November 2, 2006.
  5. ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Ghost show cleared of deception

^ Steven Davies (2008-04-23). "How Real Is 'Most Haunted'?". http://www.horror-asylum.com/blog/2008/04/how-real-is-most-haunted.html
^ Scottish Paranormal (Latest News - 20/02/08). http://www.scottish-paranormal.co.uk/
^ About Us (2008-09-13). "Ryan O'Neill (Scotland) - RCPS Scotland Co-Founder". http://www.freewebs.com/rcps-scotland/About%20Us.htm

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Highway_26_(India)&oldid=244747294"