Most Haunted profiles of all the crew

Make no mistake. Most Haunted the fans the world over are going to absolutely LOVE this post:

Yvette Fielding - Presenter and Producer

Born on 23rd September 1968 in Stockport, Cheshire, Yvette Fielding presented the children's television show, Blue Peter from 1987 to 1992. She is the youngest ever person to present Blue Peter, being seventeen when she started. She got the job on Blue Peter after being on the television show Seaview, when she was thirteen. Since leaving Blue Peter in 1992, Yvette worked on shows such as What’s Up Doc? Heaven and Earth, City Hospital, Practical Parenting, Baby Baby, and Girls Talk. She went on to win the SOS Award for the Most Popular Woman on Television competing with Cilla Black, Victoria Wood and Kylie Minogue. She met her husband Karl Beattie when working on City Hospital, and they became a couple with Karl proposing to Yvette on TV. They were engaged within six weeks and married within six months. They married and have two children together, William and Mary. Yvette and Karl run the production company, Antix, which produces Most Haunted.



Karl Beattie – Producer

Karl Beattie started his career in television on the show Parallel 9 as a camera assistant. He was trained as a cameraman by a broadcast company called Visions. Karl has worked on numerous shows including Gladiators, Blind Date, TFI Friday, and Robot Wars. He also has numerous music credits, including Madonna's Frozen Video, Motown Mania, Sting, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Whitney Houston, Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. Karl does Martial Arts training under Otsu Maeda Sensei at the age of seven, and is the current World Traditional Full Contact Martial Arts Champion. He won the title in 1994 and still holds it after knocking out the then undefeated champion Tiju Fukura. Karl has never been beaten and holds an impressive record of eighty-five official fights, eighty-five wins, and seventy-five KO's. He is the only person to take the title out of Japan and for his efforts has been awarded a Samuraiship, one of only eight honoured outside Japan. He holds a fourth Dan in Ryukyu Kempo and Wado Ryu Karate, is a master swordsman and has trained extensively in Goju Ryu, Laido, Aikido, Jujitsu, Wing Chun and Silum Kung Fu.



Derek Acorah – Psychic Medium

Born January 27 1950, Derek Acorah (originally Johnston) spent his early life in Liverpool, where he first discovered his psychic abilities and became interested in Spiritualism. It was in this period that he first contacted his spirit guide, Sam, said to be an Ethiopian from 1,500 years ago, with whom Derek was friends in a previous life. He pursued a career as a footballer for many years, playing for Glentoran in Northern Ireland, before emigrating to Australia. Due to a knee injury, he was forced to retire from football and returned to England in the early 1980s. He then became a full time spirit medium based at his home city of Liverpool. In the early 1990s, he appeared on Psychic Livetime, made by the station Granada Breeze, which ceased transmission in July 2001. He then hosted his own show, Predictions with Derek Acorah. In 1997, he was invited to take part in a tour of the Middle East when he appeared at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dubai, the Brit Club in Abu Dhabi and the Hotel Inter-Continental in the desert location of Al Ain. In December 1998, Derek was accepted as an investigator with the International Society for the Paranormal Research (ISPR). In January 1999, Derek went to Los Angeles and took part in an investigation of a haunted Hollywood mansion. He also took part in an investigation of the famous Comedy Store. Also, whilst in Hollywood, Derek demonstrated his skills live at the Vogue Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. In April 1999 the ISPR team flew to the UK to undertake the filming of several reputedly haunted sites in England. This resulted in the production of two videos. In 2002, Derek joined the crew of Most Haunted, and shot to national fame. His theatre tours have resulted in sold out shows across the UK. Derek also appeared in The Antiques Ghost Show, and LivingTV announced in 2005 that there were going to be two new series to feature Derek Acorah, including one named Ghost Towns. Derek is the author of four books.



Ian Lawman – Psychic Medium

Appeared in series four and five. Ian is a psychic, medium, and exorcist. At sixteen, he became a dancer and fashion model. His modeling won him the accolade of being the Face of 97. In 2003, Ian shocked the media with the news that he’d been talking to the dead Kray Twins for over five years. In 2004, Ian appeared on I’m Famous and Frightened. He now also writes for the magazine It’s Fate, in which he’s their resident Ghost Doctor columnist, and also for Prediction Magazine.



David Wells – Psychic Medium

Appears in series four onwards David joined the Royal Navy aged sixteen and left when twenty-four, when he began a career in catering. In 1991, he returned to college as a mature student to study leisure as a career, working as a chef and waiter to fund his studies. While on a Christmas holiday in Scotland in 1992 he was hospitalized and began to undergo some strange experiences. He was referred to a woman who knew about such things and began to study Spiritualism. He is the astrologer for NOW magazine and Metro. He first appeared on the Most Haunted Greengate Brewery episode as a guest, and was asked to do more shows.



Gordon Smith – Medium

Gordon Smith is the proprietor of a barbers shop in Glasgow called The Gentry. Gordon is a seventh son of a seventh son and first became aware of his gift at the age of ten in Glasgow, when he saw a drunk walking down the street who floated up and disappeared. He later found out that the man had died two weeks previously. He continued to see and speak to dead people throughout his childhood, but ignored this until he was in his twenties. At this time, he saw a vision of a friend in his bedroom the very moment he died in a fire. Gordon is the author of two books.



David Bull – Presenter of live shows

David completed his medical education in 1993 at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School, University of London. He worked as a doctor for three years. David started broadcasting at the age of 13 when he bought his own mobile disco and he continued with this all through University. He started his television career in 1995 as an on-screen doctor giving medical advice, first appearing on Sky Travel. He joined the BBC in 1996 and was part of the children’s show Newsround. He won an RTS award for best children’s factual programme whilst working on the show. David moved into mainstream presenting when he was given his own show called Sort it!
He then worked as a presenter on The Really Useful show and in 1999 joined the team at Watchdog. He has presented a string of shows for the BBC, including and has written two books. David is often on Channel Five's The Wright Stuff as a panelist and is a regular reporter for Channel 4's Richard And Judy. He co-founded his own production company in 2000 called IncrediBull Ideas.



Ciarán O'Keeffe – Parapsychologist

Appeared from series two. When Phil Whyman left the show at the end of Series Four, he was replaced by Ciarán O'Keeffe a parapsychology lecturer from Liverpool Hope University and a member of the Society for Psychical research. As well as taking part in Most Haunted, Ciarán also featured in the National Geographic channels’ Paranormal series and I’m Famous and I’m Frightened.


Matthew Smith – Parapsychologist

Appeared from series two onwards. Matthew Smith is the Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Liverpool Hope University and has recently conducted research on replication issues in parapsychology and psychological variables associated with paranormal belief. He gained his PhD on the psychology and parapsychology of luck by the University of Hertfordshire in 1998. He has contributed to a number or TV programmes on the paranormal. Matt is a Council Member of the Society for Psychical Research. His research includes work on the psychology of luck and the psychology of deception. He is widely published in academic journals.




Jason Karl – Paranormal Investigator

Jason Karl featured as co-presenter in the first series of Most Haunted. Jason studied media, photography, television, and film and gained his equity card whilst performing interactive theatre shows at Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures for The Tussaud's Group. His television credits include ITV’s childrens show Knightmare, Haunted Halloween Live and an episode of Ghosthunters. On leaving Most Haunted he founded his own television company and was involved in numerous other television productions, with his companies: first Talisman TV, and later Pure TV. He left Most Haunted to take the role of anchor presenter of ITV's Haunted Live show and has presented series in France, USA and Belgium. He has four books and six dvd's in publication. During 2004, Jason appeared as part of Scariest Places In Britain live interactive ghost hunting events and also wrote a monthly column for Prediction. Recently, he has been presenting Yes Live on Sky Channel 661 and is a guest presenter on QVC. In June 2005 he appeared in the short comedy film Le Clenched Tw*t de Notre Dame for Lean Waters Productions. He is currently involved in a project called AtmosFEAR and is set to present a television pilot Terribly Twisted Tales in early 2006. He is also co-producing and presenting a historical documentary for DVD release titled Trial by Fire. Jason is Creative Director of Pure TV Ltd. an independent television production company with whom he has produced the five part Spellbound mini series, Spectre Inspectors, and Haunted Homes. He is also the figurehead of Jason Karl's Ghost Research Foundation, an organisation he co-founded in 1992.



Louie Sava – Paranormal Investigator

Louie arrived at Liverpool Hope in late 2003, when he took up a research post on a project working with Matthew Smith, examining the role of experimenter variables in ganzfeld-ESP research. He is currently in the final stages of a PhD at Goldsmith’s College, University of London. He has received funding from the Bial Foundation and in 2001 was awarded the Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship by the Parapsychology Foundation. He is a member of the Society for Psychical Research. Louie is a researcher in parapsychology at University College Northampton. He has appeared on I’m Famous and I’m Frightened.

Phil Wyman - Psychic Investigator

Phil Whyman is an artist and television star who first came to prominence on Living TVs ghost hunting show Scream Team. He appeared in Most Haunted series two to four. He plays keyboards in several electronic bands as well as working as a visual artist. Phil also runs his own Paranormal Events, where you can spend the night in a haunted location and conduct your own Paranormal Investigation. He is also a member of Haunted Britain, the UK Based Paranormal Investigators. Phil is now in the process of launching his own investigative program Spirit Seekers. Phil is also a musician and used to play keyboards in a band called PESKY. He is the author of one book.



Marion Goodfellow- Psychic Artist

Appeared in series five. Marion is an international clairvoyant medium who seeks to provide information and evidence from spirit to prove the survival of the human spirit beyond death. She was a presenter on Haunted Homes and Ghost Detectives.



Richard Felix – Historian

Appears from series two onwards Richard spent twenty-seven years in his family record business. He was also a Captain in the Territorial Army, where he spent nine years. In 1988 after a trip to York, Richard decided to sell Derby instead. After six months, he was the chairman of Derby and Derbyshire Tourism Association, where he remained for three years. In September 1992, Richard opened the Derby Heritage Centre. Richard's ghost walks around the centre of Derby have seen 95,000 visitors. Richard owns the Old Derby Gaol, which now hosts both ghost walks and overnight vigils. When the Most Haunted crew visited the Gaol, they interviewed Richard as the owner, and later made him a permanent member of the team.




Jon Dibley – Lighting camerman

Jon studied for a BA Hons Psychology but always had an interest in photography. After his degree, he was a runner and camera trainee on about four films. He then became a camera assistant for a television production company. Jon has been involved with Most Haunted from Series two onwards.



Jon Gilbert – Sound

Jon has been working in sound for fifteen years and has worked with Pulp, The Happy Mondays and Black Grape among others.



Craig Harman – Steadicam

Involved in series two and three. Craig trained in studios on Pedestal Cameras, also operating as handheld on music and children's TV. He has done a lot of location camerawork, working with a range of cameras, from PD150, to digi-beta, and most commonly the Sony DSR570. As well as Most Haunted, he has worked on music and entertainment shows for the BBC. He also provides basic lighting and sound when on location.


Tor O’Neill – Production Manager

Tor was production manager on series two to five. He left to take a more hands on role in the office and became personal assistant to Karl and Yvette and office manager. Tor graduated from Salford University with a degree in TV and radio and started working for a small independent production company making commercials and promos.





Julian Clegg - Most Haunted Live

Julian presents a show on Radio Solent.



Alan Clark - Music Composer

Alan has also composed music for Four Fathers and The Broker’s Man.


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Most Haunted

For all fans of Living TV's Most Haunted and other paranormal investigations, you will love this article from Nicholas Freville in England.

Over to you Nicholas..........

We live in a tangible, tactile world where in order to live our lives in a normal way, we are daily engaged in the physical and here and now. However, just over the horizon and when one has time to reflect and think, there is an element of mystery on life’s fringes with phenomena from Aliens and Angels to Yeties and Zombies.


Most of us go through life on a practical down to earth basis and then something intrudes on us and makes us think. Maybe we have a premonition which comes true or an out of the body experience. We hear of a haunted house or the activities of a poltergeist; maybe it is mediumship and automatic writing and many other phenomena besides. Now, there is no doubt that these things happen and they may make us feel somewhat uneasy; there may be a hint of malice or, as in near death experiences, a tremendous sense of delight. And all this confirms that beyond the everyday experience of the senses there is that extra unknown ‘something’ lurking on the horizon which maybe either neutral, or good or evil.


Let’s take coincidence. Coincidences in fact are really quite common and it is probably rare to come across anyone who has not experienced a coincidence of some sort. Life is full of connections and intersections but it is only when we are aware of these intersections that they are meaningful. Coincidences usually come out of the blue with the consequences of making one think and ponder whether they have an ulterior meaning or purpose or are they just a coincidence and nothing more?


Here are two coincidences from my own life. For over six months I had been helping a lad preparing for his GCSE Maths. We formed a good relationship and he duly acquired the grade he needed. About a year later I was walking through a distant country park in connection with a social outing and I had raced on ahead until in the distance I saw a young man and his girl in which I called out to enquire whether they had passed a group of ladies – yes, they had they replied, and we immediately discovered our previous relationship and exclaimed: ‘what a coincidence!’ This is minor and instances like this happen to people all the time.


Here now is a more amazing coincidence. My wife and I are regular ramblers and recently we got to know a certain family quite well from the walks. Well one month we had to break off our regular rambling routine and flew out to Australia for a five week tour of the country. Now our last leg before flying back was a visit to Perth and as we were exploring the city centre a voice called out showing recognition; it was the family we knew from our home rambles.

All this brings us to ‘meaning’. Take dowsing. Dowsing is best known as the means to find underground water, but it can also be used to find metals, lost objects and even lost people using maps. Dowsing is a real ability possessed by some people who can detect certain items or energies without using the normal five senses.


So there is something beyond our five senses and the gift of premonition is a further one of these abilities which some people have but are often too embarrassed to admit.


Nobody can know how frequent premonitions are or how many are reported to other people, other organisations, or the media at large. After a major event, many people claim that they foresaw it although some may be hoaxing and others may be deceiving themselves, but the overwhelming evidence for premonitions is that they do happen. A well known and impressive case is that of the primary school at Aberfan in Wales. Nine year old Eryl Jones attended the Pantglas school in the mining village of Aberfan. On 20th October 1967 Eryl told her mother that she had dreamed about her school but that: “there was no school there - something black had come down all over it.” The next day the school was buried by the coal tip which towered above the village. Over a 100 children and adults died including Eryl Jones. This disaster was foretold by many and London psychiatrist John Barker concluded that 60 of the claimed premonitions were genuine.


Coincidences give us that ability to think and wonder; dowsing and premonitions show that there is a further sense and ability.


But what about ghosts, poltergeists and apparitions? These are things which are seen and observed and the evidence for their existence is overwhelming. Of all paranormal experiences, ghosts or apparitions are probably the most reported phenomena: from the ghostly goings on at Borley Rectory in Suffolk – reputedly the most haunted house in Britain at one time – to crisis apparitions and presumed visions of the Virgin Mary which regularly pop up all over the world.


Then there are cases of people who hear: ‘voices inside their heads.’ A good percentage of these of course are people with a mental illness such as schizophrenia. However, perfectly normal, well balanced people from all walks of life can hear voices in their heads. The problem is what is the origin of these voices; to many they are simply delusions with no consequence or meaning at all. However, it is a fact that many people do hear voices and they do have a meaning or sometimes a message. Many years ago David, a young man of 42, had a ‘near death experience’ following a heart attack and a stroke which led to brain damage and to being partially sighted. On regaining much of his health he insisted to his wife, that because of his experiences in another dimension, his whole way of life had to change and that their house had to be sold; this of course did not go down well with the rest of his family. However, David’s wife Jill kept getting a voice in her head which repeatedly said: “give up” with regard to the house. “It was so clear and insistent that I decided I’d be a fool to ignore it.’said Jill.


But of course one can go on and tell about UFOs, crop circles, phantom hitchhikers, psychic surgery, firewalking etc. so where does this all lead us?


What it does show is that life need never be mundane and boring but there is that spark of mystery which can crop up in anybody’s life. Depending on our attitude we can either forget and bury our experiences, or enquire into them thus discovering how interesting the world really is; whether we have been abducted by aliens or experience an unusual coincidence, strangeness is all around us.