Most Haunted

Presented by Yvette Fielding, the programme investigates purported paranormal activity in a range of locations, mainly within the United Kingdom.

After four years off-air, Fielding and Karl Beattie, the producer of the programme, confirmed that, following a successful online episode, Most Haunted would be returning to screens in August 2014, aired by Really.

On 12 August 2011 it was announced that Sky Living had officially axed Most Haunted and had returned the rights to the show to Yvette Fielding and Karl Beattie.

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.

Living TV also released a CD featuring Clark's music remixed and original material written and produced by composer and producer Steve Deakin-Davies (The Official Most Haunted Soundtrack Vol 1: The Ambition Company/Solo MH104)[5] Between series 1 and series 15, Most Haunted featured a main presenter, a historian, a psychic medium, and a parapsychologist.

So far, the celebrity guests have included Vic Reeves, Nancy Sorrell, Gaby Roslin, Scott Mills, Mark Chapman, Simon Gregson, Sue Cleaver, Carol Thatcher, Paul O'Grady, and Lee Ryan.

The main guest mediums involved during this series were Salisbury native Brian Shepherd, David Wells and Scunthorpe's Ian Lawman.

Phil Whyman was replaced with (although he recently returned on the Live shows as a studio expert), then semi-regular, Ciarán O'Keeffe.

He shared this role with his colleague Matthew Smith who frequently attended the early Most Haunted Live events.

For series six, beginning on 22 March 2005 with an investigation of Bodmin Gaol, David Wells became one of the main mediums alongside Derek Acorah appearing in every episode.

This was Derek Acorah's last Most Haunted series owing to the controversy he was involved in during its production which cast doubt on his ability to perform his role.

Acorah didn't return for the show's finale at Sinai House when David Wells was the main medium.

[7] This series featured three psychic mediums: Johnnie Fiori, Nottingham native Barrie John and Brian Shepherd.

Lesley Smith replaced Richard Felix as the 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 Coalhouse Fort.

[9] She also claimed that in one area of the fort she picked up macabre images of debauchery and sodomy where sexual favours were performed in return for food and money, also from World War I.

[citation needed] Series 15 started on 12 May 2010, with an investigation into Berkeley Castle and continue to show every Wednesday on Living at 22:00 BST.

The series was made up of 10 episodes concluding with a two-parter at Weald & Downland Museum, Singleton, West Sussex.

Following the initial axing by LivingTV, Karl Beattie began a fan campaign to get the show back on the air.

It was announced on 4 June, that Most Haunted would return to TV in August 2014 with a new 10 part series to air on the Freeview channel, Really.

[IMDb 2] The series features Most Haunted's first live broadcast since 2010, as a 3 1⁄2 hour Halloween special on 31 October 2015, which took place at 30 East Drive, Pontefract - the home of The Black Monk.

The series has also aired in the UK and includes the team's investigation at the famous Waverly Hills Sanitorium in Kentucky.

Top Ten Scariest Moments was a part-mini series that consists of 10 45-minute episodes, that was broadcast on Really and is still available to watch through UKTV Play, Really's on demand service.

Included in the online series was 10-minute discussion featuring Yvette and Glen Hunt, the resident sceptic, on "the elephant in the room" after the investigation at the Wentworth Woodhouse Stable Block as to whether the footage of the 'Wentworth Ghost' was faked.

On several occasions the former spiritualist medium Derek Acorah was supposedly possessed by an entity, sometimes evil or sometimes "lost and confused".

Before the filming, Acorah had been fed misinformation twice about the non-existent ghosts of Kreed Kafer and Rik Eedles by the show parapsychologist Ciarán O'Keeffe.

O'Keeffe later revealed in the Daily Mirror that Kreed Kafer and Rik Eedles were anagrams of 'Derek Faker' and 'Derek Lies'.

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.

[14] Although not mentioned by O'Keeffe, the Mirror article also brought into question unedited footage which appeared to show Yvette Fielding and Karl Beattie faking 'paranormal' occurrences such as ghostly bumps and knocks.

Presenter Yvette Fielding during filming on Series one
The film crew for the first series, including guest Jason Karl (back, right)
Derek Acorah in series 1