ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - THE EVIDENCE

2005 (3 parts)/ BBC2

An documentary investigation into complementary medicine focusing on Acupuncture, Spiritual Healing and Herbalism.

Presented by Kathy Sykes.

Alternative medicine (Open University).

AM I NORMAL? - SPIRITUALITY

28 Apr 2008 / BBC2

An investigation of religious experiences and phenomena from a scientific perspective. Includes charismatic "healing" and the "spirit release" work of Dr. Alan Sanderson.

Presented by Dr. Tanya Byron.

ANGELS (EVERYMAN)

12 Dec 2000 / BBC2

Documentary about angels.

ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S WORLD OF STRANGE POWERS

3 Apr - 10 July 1985 (13 pts) / ITV (Yorkshire Television).

Major documentary series investigating various aspects of the supernatural:

(1) Warnings from the future?
(2) Things that go bump in the night.
(3) From mind to mind.
(4) Stigmata - The wounds of Christ?
(5) Ghosts, apparitions and haunted houses.
(6) Fairies, phantoms and fantastic photographs.
(7) Have we lived before?
(8) An element of the Divine.
(9) Walking on Fire.
(10) Messages from the dead?
(11) The roots of evil.
(12) Metal-bending, Magic and Mind over matter.
(13) Strange powers - the verdict.

Presented by Arthur C. Clarke.

THE BABY MIND READER

19 Jun - 10 July 2006 (4 pts) / Channel 5.

Director: Rosie Bowen-Jones / Producer: Dan Goldsack.

Psychic Derek Ogilvie appears to have an unusual sensitivity which allows him to tune into what babies are "thinking". As a result he is able to help the families of young children with behaviour problems.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

1989 / BBC2 ("Scene").

Documentary about psychokinesis - the power of "mind over matter".

BRITAIN'S PSYCHIC CHALLENGE

4 Dec 2005 & 15 Jan - 26 Feb 2006 (7 pts) / Channel 5.

Exec Producers: Malcolm Allsop and Trisha Goddard.

A mix of documentary, talk and game show, which featured sceptics, scientific experts (such as Rupert Sheldrake), professional Psychics and an invited audience. The psychic abilities of the professionals, studio audience and viewers at home were assessed using various informal tests. The follow up series examines the psychic abilities of seven viewers who performed well in preliminary tests.

Presented by Trisha Goddard.

Britain's Psychic Challenge (C5 website).

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: WITCHES ON TRIAL

12 Nov 2010 (20 mins) / Channel 4 ("Unreported World").

Report highlighting the widespread belief in witchcraft, in both urban and rural areas of the Central African Republic. Accused "witches" can face trial and imprisonment, while victims seek to dispel "curses" through shamanistic healing ceremonies.

Reporter: Seyi Rhodes.

THE DAY I DIED

2003 / BBC2.

Producer & Director: Kate Broom.

Fascinating and inspiring documentary into near-death experiences featuring personal accounts and the latest scientific research.

Narrator: Tom Wilkinson.

THE EXORCISM (LIVE)

24 Feb 2005 / Channel 4.

Director: Jon Woods / Producer: Sarah Manwaring-White.

A live investigation into Exorcism, featuring a "deliverance" performed by a Christian minister. The brainwave activity of the subject was monitored throughout and there was commentary from a team of experts. Despite attempts to whip up a press controversy, the exorcism turned out to be a damp squib on the night.

Hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: THE BOY WHO LIVED BEFORE

18 Sep 2006 / Channel 5.

Director: Lesley Katon / Producer: Brenda Goldblatt.

The story of a young Scottish lad from Glasgow, Cameron, who has vivid memories of what would appear to be a previous life on the small Hebridean island of Barra.

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: THE MILLION DOLLAR MIND READER

25 Sep 2008 / Channel 5.

Director / Producer: Matt Richards.

Psychic Derek Ogilvie (see "The Baby Mind Reader") is subjected to a series of tests to prove his psychic abilities. Up for grabs is a reward of $1 million offered by James Randi, stage magician and paranormal "debunker".

EXTREME GHOST STORIES

2006 (4x60 mins) / ITV1.

Drama-doc series about real-life cases of hauntings all over the UK.

Extreme ghost stories (WIKI).

FORTEAN TV

1997 - 1998 / Channel 4

Series 1: 29 Jan - 2 Apr 1997 (10 pts).
Series 2: 16 Jan - 27 Feb 1998 (8 pts).
Xmas Files: 19 Dec 1998.

Inspired by Charles Fort's publication, The Fortean Times, this documentary series looks at weird phenomena, both man-made and natural, including the supernatural.

GHOST

2001 / BBC1 (Midlands).

Regional TV documentary about ghosts. Presented by John Yates.

GHOSTS ON FILM

28 Oct 2000 / Channel 5.

Documentary.

THE GHOST HUNTERS

1975 / BBC2.

Documentary about the investigations conducted into the hauntings at Borley rectory.

Borley rectory (WIKI)

THE GHOSTMAN OF SKYE

31 Oct 2009 / BBC2 ("Wonderland").

Documentary about a man called Donald Angus Maclean who collects accounts of supernatural phenomena in his native Isle of Skye - the most well-known being a phantom car complete with ghostly lights.

GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE

27 Oct 2009 (60 mins) / BBC4.

Director & Producer: Rachel Boyd.

How the supernatural has been portrayed through the decades on British TV. Features clips from "Whistle and I'll come to you", "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)", "The Stone Tape", "The Omega Factor", "Ghostwatch" and many others.

Ghosts in the machine (BBC)

GHOSTS ON THE UNDERGROUND

31 Oct 2006 / Channel 5.

Director & Producer: Joe Kane.

Staff on the London Underground recount their supernatural experiences while at work.

GHOST TRAIN

1989 / BBC2 ("Forty Minutes").

Documentary about personal encounters with ghosts, including: a phantom monk who appeared shortly after an antique crucifix was found in the cellar of a house; a young girl whose grandmother appeared to her in the living room; and a man whose dead great-aunt appeared to warn him of danger.

There is also an investigation by a Medium, Eddie Burks, into the haunting of the RAF airbase at Linton-on-Ouse. He claims to have made contact with the spirit of a former employee who was killed in an accident - subsequently confirmed by RAF records.

GREAT BRITISH GHOSTS

2011 & 2012 / Yesterday (UKTV).

Series 1: Aug 2011 (8x25 mins)
Series 2: Aug 2012 (4x25 mins)

Series exploring reputedly haunted historical buidings around Britain. Presented by Michaela Strachan.

HAUNTED HOMES

Series 1: 28 Aug - 2 Oct 2006 (6 pts) / ITV1.
Series 2: 26 Jan 2007 - ? / ITV2.

Series Producer: Mary-Jane Evans.

Each week three experts (a Paranormal Investigator, a Psychic and an Academic) investigate alleged paranormal activity in a family home.

Featuring; Mia Dolan.

THE HAUNTING OF LOWES COTTAGE

2 Mar 2000 / ITV1.

Populist investigation of a cottage in Northern England, reputed to be haunted.

Presented by John Stapleton.

HOUSEBUSTERS

19 Nov - 31 Dec 2004 (2nd series, 7 eps) / Channel 5.

Each week three psychic consultants are invited to investigate a home which may be haunted or suffering from negative vibrations. Using a mix of "sixth sense", astrology and Feng Shui, they attempt to remedy the situation.

Hosted by Janet Ellis.

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES (THIS WORLD)

8 May 2007 / BBC2.

Documentary about miracles and the Catholic Church.

INTERVIEW WITH A POLTERGEIST

6 Mar 2007 / Channel 4.

Director: Nick Freand Jones.

A look at the infamous poltergeist case that took place in an ordinary suburban house in Enfield, London in 1977.

The Enfield Poltergeist (WIKI).

Video (Channel 4)

ISAAC NEWTON: THE LAST MAGICIAN

12 Apr 2013 (60 mins) / BBC2.

Writer/Director: Renny Bartlett.

Doc-drama looking at the less well-known aspects of the great physicists work - his involvement in esoteric spiritual traditions such as Alchemy etc.

THE KING'S WAR ON WITCHES: REVEALED

6 Sep 2012 (50 mins) / Channel 5 "Revealed".

Exec Producer: Mark Fielder.

The influence of King James I (1566-1625) on the persecution of "witches" in England. In 1597, he published "Daemonology", a handbook for identifying and eliminating witches.

THE LAST WITCH TRIAL

1998 / Channel 4 ("Secret history").

Director: Russell England.

Documentary about the trial and conviction, in March 1944, of the renowned spiritualist medium Helen Duncan under the 1735 Witchcraft Act. In effect Mrs Duncan was framed by the British Intelligence services who were afraid that she might leak information to the enemy.

The Official Helen Duncan Website.

LEAP IN THE DARK (series 1)

9 Jan - 20 Mar 1973 (7 x 30 mins) / BBC2.

Documentary series looking at various real-life paranormal occurences. Episode list:

(1) Hauntings, and the Penhill exorcism (6 Mar 1973). The story of the Pellymounter family who called in an exorcist after a string of inexplicable incidents at their Swindon home (more to follow....).

The Penhill exorcism (BBC - includes a video excerpt from the program).

Also see Leap in the Dark (series 2 - 4).

THE MAN WITH THE EXTENDED MIND

7 Nov 2006 (25 mins) / ITV1 ("Real London").

A basic introduction to the work of Scientist Rupert Sheldrake, who is investigating whether people can sense if they are being stared at from behind.

Presented by Jes Benstock

MASTERS OF DARKNESS

12 Feb - 5 Mar 2002 (4 x 60 mins) / Channel 4.

A four-part exploration of the lives and work of Rasputin (Russian Healer and Mystic), Aleister Crowley (Occultist), The Marquis de Sade and John Dee (Elizabethan Occultist).

Masters of Darkness (Channel 4)

MEDIUMS: TALKING TO THE DEAD

29 Sep - 13 Oct 2004 (3 x 60 mins) / BBC2.

Following the lives of several well-known British Mediums as they carry out their work. This includes giving public and private readings, investigating haunted houses, "spirit release" and organising training courses for aspiring mediums and psychics.

MIND OVER MATTER

12 May - 23 Jun 1981 (6 pts) / ITV (Thames Television).

Documentary series investigating various aspects of the paranormal and the scientific evidence behind it. A book by Kit Pedler accompanied the series.

THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

6 - 20 Aug 2006 (3 x 60 mins) / BBC1.

Lavish documentary featuring dramatic reconstructions of the miracles of Jesus including his resurrection from the dead.

Narrated by Rageh Omaar.

M R JAMES: THE CORNER OF THE RETINA

22 Dec 2004 (30 mins) / BBC4

Producer: Pete Lawrence.

Profile of ghost story writer M R James.

MY CHILD'S PYCHIC

7 Aug 2006 / Channel 4 ("Cutting Edge").

Director / Producer: Vivianne Howard.

Documentary following the lives of two children who are claimed to have psychic abilities. 8 year old Oliver sees spirits, while 15 year old Heather is being trained in Reiki healing and the psychic arts by her mother.

THE MYSTERIOUS WEST

8 Sep - 10 Nov 1997 (10 eps) / ITV (ITV).

Engaging magasine-style documentary series exploring paranormal happenings in the "West Country" of Britain such as ghosts, past lives etc (it also covered UFOs, alien abductions etc).

Presented by Ruth Langsford.

NOSTRADAMUS:THE TRUE STORY

9 Jan 2007 / Channel 5.

Documentary about the life and prophecies of the famous 16th century seer.

OUT OF STEP

18 Sep - 18 Dec 1957 (13 x 16 mins) / ITV (Associated-Rediffusion).

Director: Geoffrey Hughes.

Documentary series dealing with topics on the fringe of mainstream culture, some paranormal:

5. Spiritualism - Is there life after death and can spirits communicate with us?
8. Tune into Nature's radio - Can vegetables be made to grow bigger by "thought power"?
11. Witchcraft.

Presented by Daniel Farson.

PARANORMAL PIGEONS: STRANGER THAN FICTION

25 Oct 2006 / Channel 5.

Director: Harry Marshall / Producer: Andie Clark.

Daft title but an interesting documentary. Dr. Rupert Sheldrake leads a team who are investigating whether pigeons are able to navigate using a form of sixth sense. Sheldrake postulates the existence of "morphic fields" forming the basis of a collective mind which can access information beyond the "five senses".

Narrator: Tom Baker.

THE PSYCHIC BARBER

2002 / BBC2.

Documentary about the well-known medium Gordon Smith.

PSYCHIC SURGEON - UNDERGROUND BRITAIN

22 Sep 2005 (40 mins)/ BBC2.

Directors: Angharad & Sara Penrhyn Jones.

A Louis Theroux-style exposé of "Medical intuitive" and Healer, Robyn Welch.

PSYCHIC VIETNAM

18 May 2006 / BBC2.

Documentary about relatives of those "missing in action" from the Vietnam War who are using the services of Government-approved Psychics ("Project TRK05") in an attempt to find out what may have happened to them.

THE REAL AMITYVILLE HORROR

23 Oct 2006 / Channel 4.

Director: Nick Freand Jones / Producer: Russel Levan.

The story of the real-life supernatural events which inspired the film "The Amityville Horror".

THE REAL EXORCIST

24 Feb 2005 / Channel 4.

Director: Christopher Rowley / Producers: Christopher Rowley and Julius Kiss.

An account of the real-life events which took place in Missouri, USA in 1949 and which inspired Peter Blatty's Book, "The Exorcist" and the 1973 film of the same name.

REVELATIONS: TALKING TO THE DEAD

9 Aug 2009 / Channel 4.

Director: Richard Alwyn / Producer: Richard Alwyn & Rachel Noar.

Documentary about a spiritualist church in Walthamstow, London, where mediumship, psychic development and and healing is practiced. The narrator is the grandson of composer William Alwyn.

Narrated by Richard Alwyn.

SCIENCE AND THE SEANCE

31 Aug 2005 (60 mins) / BBC2.

Director: Samira Osman / Exec Producer: Emma Willis.

First-rate documentary about the history of Spiritualism and its long association with Science. Touching on the lives of Spiritualist Mediums (such as the Fox sisters, D D Home, Florence Cook and Helen Duncan) and the Scientists and thinkers who came to be associated with them (Michael Faraday, William Crookes, Arthur Conan Doyle etc). This meeting of Science and the Supernatural proved beneficial to both parties and led to some important technical innovations.

Narrated by Richard Denton.

Science and the Seance review - BBC News.

SECRETS OF THE PARANORMAL - ORDER FROM CHAOS

1996 / BBC2.

Documentary about the spiritual healer Mathew Manning. He describes the bizarre psychokinetic phenomena (moving beds, objects appearing from nowhere etc) which he experienced as a child, and is also filmed carrying out, and talking about, his spiritual healing work.

STRANGE BUT TRUE?

1993 - 1997 (39 eps) / ITV.

Entertaining documentary-drama series looking at supernatural phenomena such as ghosts, poltergeists, psychic healing, UFOs etc.

Presented by Michael Aspel.

Strange But True? (WIKI)

THE STORY OF THE GHOST STORY

18 Dec 2005 (30 mins) / BBC4

A look at the history of the Ghost Story from its earliest (oral) beginnings through to modern day short stories and novels.

BBC website - Ghost Stories.

THE TEMPEST (SOUTH BANK SHOW)

8 Feb 2009 / ITV1

Shakespeare's famous play "The Tempest" comes under the spotlight revealing the influences that inspired its writing. These include the magical philosophy of hermeticism and Elizabethan courtier John Dee who may have been the model for Prospero.

Written and presented by Melvyn Bragg.

TONY ROBINSON AND THE BLITZ WITCH

29 Dec 2008 (50 mins) / Channel 4.

An investigation of medium Helen Duncan, who was imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act after claims that she was betraying state secrets during World War 2.

Presented by Tony Robinson and Becky McCall.

TONY ROBINSON AND THE GHOSTS OF GLASTONBURY

30 Dec 2008 (50 mins) / Channel 4.

An invesigation of the claims of archaeologist Bligh Bond, who claimed that his excavations at Glastonbury Abbey were guided by the spirits of medieval monks through the medium of "automatic writing".

Presented by Tony Robinson and Becky McCall.

TONY ROBINSON AND THE MEDIEVAL REINCARNATION

31 Dec 2008 (50 mins) / Channel 4.

An invesigation into the work of psychologist Arthur Guirdham, who claimed, in the 1960s, that a group of his patient had, in a past life, been members of a persecuted 13th century French christian sect - the Cathars.

Presented by Tony Robinson and Becky McCall.

TONY ROBINSON'S GODS AND MONSTERS

26 Nov - 10 Dec 2011 (3 pts) / Channel 4.

Series exploring the history of belief, superstition and religious experience in Britain. Episodes: 1. The Undead 2. Evil spirits 3. Illness.

Presented by Tony Robinson.

TRUST ME I'M A HEALER

8 Jan - 12 Feb 2007 (6 x 30 mins) / BBC2.

Documentary series about Spiritual Healers:

(1) Peter Aziz: Claims to heal using shamanic techniques and sacred objects such as stones.

(2) Stephen Turoff: Featuring a trip to Slovenia where he performed a blessing ritual in a cave which was the site of Nazi atrocities during WW2.

(3) Ray Brown: Claims to channel the spirit of St. Paul of Tarsus.

(4) Mary Malone: A devout Catholic, she offers hands-on and distant healing and claims to be able to predict the future by gazing into a glass of water.

(5) John of God. A Brazilian who heals using a mixture of prescriptions and "inner" and "outer" operations (commonly know as "psychic surgery"). Thousands of pilgrims flock to his village each year seeking a cure for life-threatening illnesses.

(6) Tony Chadwick.

Trust Me I'm a Healer (Blastfilms)

THE VICTORIANS: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES

8 Mar 2009 (pt. 4 of 4) / BBC1

The final part of a series exploring Victorisan social history through its art. This program touches on spiritualism and "fairy art".

Written and presented by Jeremy Paxman.

WAS ANYBODY THERE?

1997 / BBC2 (Open University)

Writer: James Moore / Producer and Director: Jenny Bardwell.

Documentary about the investigations conducted in the 19th century by scientists such as Michael Faraday and William Crookes into the extraordinairy claims made by spiritualist mediums.

Presented by James Moore.

Was Anybody there? - Reviewed.