What's on UK TV/Radio

[JimTheBrit]

Intended as a sister thread to sadluxation's UK lectures/events postings, the following announcements will notify UK JREFers of fact-based, terrestrial television programmes featuring paranormal fakery and foolishness.

Your starter for 10:

Tuesday 10th June
BBC2 9pm-10pm
Talking To The Dead - Everyman
An investigation into whether mediums really can talk to the dead, following bereaved people who've lost parents, partners or children as they try to contact their loved ones with the help of Britain's most respected psychics.
(Source: http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/)
This programme is likely to feature Tony Youens from the Association for Skeptical Enquiry

[sadluxation]

I'll be the first person to add to this thread.

The current convener of Skeptics in the Pub (http://www.skeptic.org.uk/pub) London, has his own spot on Resonance FM (http://www.resonancefm.com/listings/20030615.html) on Sundays.

You can listen to it online if you are outside the London area.

S

[JimTheBrit]

I look forward to this with some trepidation:

Thursday 19th June
Five 8.30pm-10pm
Are You Telepathic?
Carol Vorderman and Charlie Stayt present a live programme that tests the phenomenon of telepathy. Celebrity telepaths, including Toyah Willcox and Gloria Hunniford, recall their own paranormal experiences, and members of the public take part in some intriguing experiments.
(Source: http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/)
Website: http://www.five.tv/telepathic/

[JimTheBrit]

They're nothing to do with the paranormal but the following radio programmes may be of interest to some here:

Saturday 28th June
Radio 4 8pm-9pm
The Archive Hour - How True?
At the end of the 19th century, sound recording gave the world a new resource of immense historical importance; the evidence of authentic witness - or did it? The BBC has a handful of recordings of Gladstone, but each is strangely different. Oscar Wilde, Queen Victoria and Henry Irving are all in the archive, but are these recordings actually them? Sean Street, Professor of Radio at Bournemouth University, investigates these distant voices - and some more recent such as Churchill's - revealing how true they are, how we know and if it matters anyway. He questions too if, in our increasingly virtual world, authenticity is possible at all.
(Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/)

Monday 30th June
Radio 4 11am-11.30am
Think About It
2/3. Ian Peacock puts some great modern day thinkers to the test in a mission to come up with a title for his programme.

He talks to a Chess Grand Master about strategic thinking, brainstorms with an advertising creative team, mind maps with a brain guru and even meditates with a Buddhist in a bid to come up with the title.

Along the way he discovers how different people think, and whether you can teach someone a new thinking style. Or is the answer to thinking through a problem to not think at all?
(Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/)
The first prog is archived at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/thinkaboutit.shtml

A reminder that the following series is highly recommended:

A History of Human Folly
Archived here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/history_of_folly.shtml

[Supercharts]

Late last night (early this AM) I caught episode 3 of Tiping the Velvet. What's the title mean and why did the main character have what appears to be a cut on her face?
Thanks.

[JimTheBrit]

Thursay 24th July
BBC2 1am-1.50am
Does Science Matter?
Many British people don't appear to know that the Earth goes round the Sun. Does this scientific ignorance really matter?

Friday 25th July
BBC2 2.30am-3am
The Search for Reality
Albert Einstein didn't get everything right - his rejection of quantum physics meant he failed to appreciate the basis of reality.

(Source for both programmes: http://www.open2.net/home/)

[JimTheBrit]

Sunday 27th July
BBC1 8pm - 9pm
Steve Leonard's Search For The Loch Ness Monster
Steve Leonard leaves no stone unturned in his hunt for Nessie, and travels to the wetlands of northern Australia to test the awesome bite of the monster's closest living relative, the Australian saltwater crocodile.
(Source: Radio Times (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/))

Taken from a small article in the current Radio Times magazine ...
"But if there's no monster, why have there been so many sightings? The programme's explanation lies in the power of suggestion and, more scientifically, on human perception. "We show why the monster is there ... in people's minds. You won't stop people believing in it, and I don't want to."

Also, from the radio archives ...

Britain's X Files
Radio 4 archive
In the post War years, RAF pilots and navigators began to report sightings of unidentified flying objects over the UK. The air crew were trained and rational observers, and their testimony was sounding alarm bells among military chiefs.
Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/xfiles.shtml
(RealPlayer needed)

[JimTheBrit]

But wait! There's more ...

Thursday 31st July
BBC1 8.30pm-9pm
UK's Worst ... Quacks?
"Instead of Nick Knowles accosting the dodgy dealers, we now have former Tomorrow's World presenter Howard Stableford. This week he doorsteps what the programme suggests are the country's most dangerous doctors. So we meet a witch doctor who claims he can cure cerebral palsy - at a cost of thousands of pounds - using an invisible medicine; an unqualified back specialist who left one patient unable to walk for five months; and a spiritual healer who claims to be able to cure cancer."
Extract from current 'Radio Times' magazine article.

Beyond Belief
Radio 4 archive
A previously aired series that includes discussions on the existence of angels (with Professor Chris French), creationism and the power of prayer.
Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/beyond_belief/archive.shtml

[JimTheBrit]

Friday 25th July
Radio 4 11pm-11.30pm
Off the Page - Superstition
Matthew Parris invites sportswriter George Dobell, journalist Lilian Pizzichini and soul singer Tony Cassidy to confess and discuss some of their more absurd beliefs.
(Source: Radio 4 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/prog_parse.cgi?FILENAME=20030725/20030725_2300_49700_11934_30))

[JimTheBrit]

Tuesday 29th July
Channel 4 4:05am - 5:05am
Back from the Dead
The Druze believe that at the point of death, they are reincarnated into the bodies of new-born babies. To outsiders, this may sound like quaint religious fantasy, but could it be provable fact?
(Source: Channel 4 (http://www.channel4.com/listings/C4/index.jsp?offset=1&position=1&startHour=23))

Also ...

Coming soon! (http://www.standroom.com/shows/psychic.html) (Thanks to Fid & wthrman for the link)

[JimTheBrit]

Monday 4th August
BBC2 7.30pm-8pm
Design Rules
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen offers practical advice and tips to create ordered and balanced rooms.

At the beginning of the 21st century most of us continue to lead very busy lives and our homes have taken on the role of providing spiritual nourishment away from the whirlwind of demands placed upon us by the outside world.

Why do human beings prefer symmetrical arrangements? Psychologists interpret this as a recreation of our own physical symmetry, it is said that we all prefer symmetrical faces because it indicates a healthy diet and strong genes. What are the principal focal points within a room and how should they be used to best effect?

Llewelyn-Bowen applies ancient rules of design that use focal points as energy lines within a room.
Source: BBC2 schedule listings (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/programme.shtml?day=monday&service_id=4224&filename=20030804/20030804_1930_4224_59937_30)

----ok, ok so this one was a complete dud - it was that last paragraph that caught my attention. Energy lines my *rse.----

***Did anyone record the programme on the Druze and reincarnation (see above post)? I missed it - has anyone got a copy they could lend me for a short time? If so, please pm me***

[JimTheBrit]

Thursday 7th August
BBC1 2am - 3am
Steve Leonard's Search For The Loch Ness Monster

*REPEAT* - see above post for details on prog

Thursday 7th August
Radio 4 (FM only) 3pm - 3.28pm
Check Up
Homeopathy is a popular therapy in the UK; one in five of us have consulted a practitioner, and the associated industry is booming. We spend £25 million a year on homeopathic remedies, with sales increasing by 20% each year.

Homeopathy works on the old adage 'like cures like', so an ailment is treated with a very dilute solution of a substance that produces the same symptoms. Devotees have found homeopathy particularly effective in treating diverse conditions such as allergies, flu, irritable bowel syndrome, phobias, sports injuries and emotional problems.

Barbara Myers will be joined by GP and homeopath, Dr Kathy Ryan, to answer all your questions. Call with your questions or comments on 08700-100-400 [national rates].
Source: Radio 4 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/search/daylist.cgi?tmp=whatson/sdk/radio4/daylist_radio4.tmpl&service_id=49700&day=Thursday)
Email is: checkup@bbc.co.uk

**Update: This program has been archived on the Radio 4 web site. Listen to it again by clicking the link here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/checkup.shtml).
Realplayer needed.**

[JimTheBrit]

Saturday 9th August
Channel 4 2.30am - 3.25am
Do You Believe in Magic?
Episode 1/3: The Devil's Work
This three-part series traces the history of the supernatural in this country. From its dominance in pagan Britain right up to its widespread acceptance into 21st century life, a belief in magic has stubbornly persisted despite the best efforts of science, religion, technology, rationalism and materialism ... more
Website & source: Channel 4 - History of the Supernatural (http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/D/do_you_believe_in_magic/index.html)

The Miracle Men
Radio 4 archive
Dr Raj Persaud travels to Lourdes to meet members of the medical bureau there whose task it is to scientifically investigate if a pilgrim has been cured by divine intervention.
Website & source: Radio 4 - The Miracle Men (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/atoz/miracle_men.shtml)
(Realplayer needed)

[JimTheBrit]

Sunday 10th August
BBC1 8pm - 9pm
Earth Ride
Did you know that you've probably been sharing your tap water with a dinosaur? This and other amazing facts are revealed in a fascinating documentary following this most precious of resources on its never-ending cycle around our planet. Combining hi-tech graphics with wildlife film, viewers are taken on an exhilarating armchair ride that encompasses humpback whales, rainforests, volcanoes, glaciers and tornadoes. Narrated by Bill Odie.
(Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/))

I include this only because it may help put claims of water memory in some kind of perspective.

[JimTheBrit]

Thursday 14th August
ITV1 Carleton Central 7.30pm - 8pm
*Note that other regions may vary*
Campaign Week: Maresa's New World
Born with cerebral palsy, Maresa MacKeith has severe difficulties controlling her movements and is unable to speak. Experts said she was unable to understand most of what was going on around her. But she has learned to communicate using a spelling board and a system called "facilitated communication". Now she's awaiting her A-Level results and is aiming for a place at university.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/)

**Of all the television programmes on quackery I have seen, this was by far the most shocking example of people discarding their common sense for the need to believe. On screen, the self deception was obvious, clumsy and would have been comical if it were not for the fact that the facilitated communications system was being presented as a serious, successful therapy. A very, very upsetting programme in my opinion. I have it recorded and will be keeping it. If you wish to borrow it for a period, please pm me.**

[b]Saturday 16th August
Channel 4 2.45am - 3.45am
Do You Believe in Magic?
Episode 2/3:The Triumph of Reason
The second episode of this series exploring man's eternal search for an explanation for life charts the impact of industrialisation and rationalism on our belief in the supernatural.
Source: Channel 4 schedule (http://www.channel4.com/listings/C4/index.jsp?offset=3&position=3&startHour=23)

*See above post for more details*

Tuesday 19th August
Five 8pm - 9pm
The Search for Atlantis
Documentary about the ongoing fascination with the fabled city first described by Greek philosopher Plato. The quest to find out whether Atlantis ever really existed has interested the likes of Christopher Columbus and Adolf Hitler, and continues to be the subject of research today.
Source: Five web site (www.five.tv)

[JimTheBrit]

Saturday 16th August
Channel 4 8.15pm - 9pm
Witness: Maidens of the Lost Ark
When Jesus returns to earth he will move into a fully furnished house in Bedford - the original site of the Garden of Eden and the only place to remain untouched by the Apocalypse. This is the future according to the Panacea Society, a small, wealthy, idiosyncratic religion based upon the writings and prophecies of 18th-century mystic Joanna Southcott. Although traditionally secretive and enigmatic, the organisation has opened its doors for the first time to allow a glimpse of its beliefs and practices in this fascinating film, the second in a series of three Witness documentaries focusing on spiritual topics.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/)

Just for kicks, Uri Geller will be starring in Stars in Their Eyes - I'm a Celebrity ... Special on ITV on the same day, 9.15pm - 10.15pm

OK, here's The Big 'Un ... (Thanks to Paul Mundy for the heads up (http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25220))

Saturday 23rd August
Channel 4 8pm - 11.35pm
Psychic Night

8pm - 9pm
Living with the Dead
Kicking off an evening of programmes looking at the growing fascination with psychic phenomena. There has been a spectacular increase in the number of people visiting psychics, and the trend reached a high point when a pay-per-view channel in the US screened an attempt to contact Princess Diana.

9pm - 10.30pm
Ultimate Psychic Challenge
A leading psychic is put to the test in front of a live studio audience under the scrutiny of a renowned sceptic. Keith Charles, known as the psychic detective, and James Randi, who travels around the US exposing evangelists and psychics, attempt to lay each other's arguments to rest with the studio audience casting the final verdict.

10.30pm - 11.35pm
Top Ten Ways to Contact the Dead
An etiquette guide to contacting the dead including a look at some of the methods of the psychic world covering everything from seances to Ouija boards. For three dollars a word you can use Afterlife Telegrams where a terminally ill courier will memorise your message. Some of the famous names regularly contacted are Louis XIV, Fred Astaire and of course, Elvis.

All sources: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/)

[ChrisH]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JimTheBrit
OK, here's The Big 'Un ... (Thanks to Paul Mundy for the heads up (http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25220))

[b]Saturday 23rd August
Channel 4 8pm - 11.35pm
Psychic Night

9pm - 10.30pm
Ultimate Psychic Challenge
A leading psychic is put to the test in front of a live studio audience under the scrutiny of a renowned sceptic. Keith Charles, known as the psychic detective, and James Randi, who travels around the US exposing evangelists and psychics, attempt to lay each other's arguments to rest with the studio audience casting the final verdict.

This program can be seen on Discovery Channel this Sunday, 17th August, at 21:00

[sadluxation]

Times Review (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-7-773587,00.html)

[JimTheBrit]

If you're really stuck for something to watch on Sunday ...

Sunday 24th August
Channel 4 11.10pm - 12.15 am
On Holiday with ... the Gellers
Fly-on-the-wall documentary which follows paranormalist Uri Geller on holiday in Croatia with his family. Naturally his holidays also include trying out his powers on the cathedral clock in Spit, and messing with a ship's compass on a ferry trip to Hvar.
Source: Radio Times (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/)

Essential listening:

Thursday 28th August
BBC Radio 4 8.00pm - 8.30pm
It's My Story: The Indian Sceptic
Mr Premanand is a fanatical rationalist whose mission is to expose charlatans and to rid India of the superstition blighting the country. Tanya Datta joins Mr Premanand as he investigates a faith healer, tries out meditation under a pyramid and witnesses a statue growing hair.

Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)
Also Randi on Premanand (http://www.randi.org/jr/050302.html), Indian Skeptics web page (http://www.indian-skeptic.org/html/index.html)
Edited to add: Radio 4 'It's My Story' web site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/itsmystory.shtml)

[JimTheBrit]

Saturday 23rd August
Channel 4 3am - 4am
Do You Believe in Magic?
Episode 3/3: The Flight of Reason
The third and final episode in the series exploring man's eternal search for the meaning of life charts the continuing importance the supernatural has in our lives today.
Source: Channel 4 schedule (http://www.channel4.com/listings/C4/index.jsp?offset=1&position=1&startHour=23)

[JimTheBrit]

Saturday 30th August
Channel 4 7.15pm - 8pm
Witness: Jesus Comes to London
According to his followers, 42-year-old Russian ex-traffic policeman Sergei Torop, also known as Vissarion or the Teacher, is the Messiah returned to earth. Over 4,000 of his followers share a Spartan existence with him in the remote Siberian town of Petropavlovka, where they believe the new Jerusalem will be built. But Vissarion's ambition extends further than Russia, and he is now on a mission to win hearts and minds in London. Witness films the self-proclaimed prophet - surrounded by disciples and dressed in flowing robes - as he spreads his distinctive gospel.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

Thursday 11th September
Radio 4 4.30pm - 5pm
The Material World
Can science explain everything? That's a question that has been getting the curious into trouble since the time of Galileo. Are there ways in which subjects such as telepathy, out-of-body experiences and spirituality could become valid science? Quentin Cooper chairs a discussion at the British Association Science Festival in Salford.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

Sunday 7th September
BBC1 10am - 11am
The Heaven and Earth Show
As the show celebrates its fifth anniversary there's a look at belief in the 21st century. Astrologer Jonathan Cainer, theologian Robert Beckford and ex-Secular Society president Barbara Smoker discuss the results of a specially commisioned poll with Ross Kelly and Phillipa Forrester.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

Sunday 14th September
Five 8pm - 9pm
Psychic!
Alistair Cook, claiming to be one of the country's leading psychics, appears to demonstrate an amazing array of skills to members of the public. These include bending spoons, telekinesis, communing with the dead, and taking photos of spirits. But is everything what it seems to be?

Friday 19th September
Five 8.30pm - 9pm
Secrets of the Psychics: Revealed!
With psychics enjoying a renaissance in 21st-century Britain, the magician Alistair Cook sets out to uncover the truth behind their claims. Do they really have paranormal powers or is it just plain trickery?

Source for both: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

Edited to add: The May 2nd 2003 edition of Swift (http://www.randi.org/jr/050203.html) contains remarks by Jamy Ian Swiss regarding the second of these two programmes.

[UKBoy1977]

Regarding the previous post, that link to Swift with Jamy Ian Swiss is NOT related to the second of those programmes. He is talking about an American programme (which I saw recently) which is not the same as the one that will be shown on Friday featuring Alistair Cook. The two programmes just happen to have the same name.

[JimTheBrit]

Thanks for the correction, UKBoy - the title was listed incorrectly in the Radio Times and I asssumed they were one and the same programme :/

Wednesday 24th September
Channel 4 8pm - 9pm
Other People's Houses
In tonight's episode, Naomi takes a look at the outrageous things people are doing with flat conversions, and observes the transformation of interior designer and Feng Shui expert Leigh's home.
Source: Channel 4 web site (http://www.channel4.co.uk/)

Friday 26th September
Five 8.30pm - 9pm
Psychic Secrets Revealed
See above post for more details.

[JimTheBrit]

Wednesday 1st October
Radio 4 9pm - 9.30pm
Ask The Experts
A look at how modern research can combine Western science with indigenous traditions. 1: Sue Armstrong travels to India to visit a state-of-the-art hospital where traditional Ayurvedic doctors work with modern medical specialists towards a holistic health care.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

Thursday 2nd October
Channel 4 2.25am - 3.25am
Top Ten Ways To Contact The Dead

Thursday 2nd October
Channel 4 3.30am - 4.30am
Living With The Dead
Both programmes are repeats from Channel 4's 'Psychic Night' - see the relevant post above for more details.

Friday 3rd October
Five 8.30pm - 9pm
Psychic Secrets Revealed
Continuing series - see relevant post above for more details.

Quote of the week, from The Daily Mail Weekend magazine, Saturday 27th September:
"ONE TO MISS! Psychic Secrets Revealed.
Some people spoil all the fun - why do so many 'secrets' have to be revealed? Can't entertainment shows be enjoyed in the way they were intended without so-called 'experts' picking over the ins and outs of what goes on? Where's the enjoyment in that? Some things are best left unknown."

Brief mentions:
Tues 30 Sep BBC2 8pm-8.30pm Escape to the Country - presenter Nick Page finds a new house for a clairvoyant.
Fri 3 Oct C4 4.30pm-5pm Home from Home - American friends visit Glastonbury and have their auras read and fortunes told.

[davidhorman]

Tuesday 7th October
Channel 4 10pm - 10:30pm
A Very British UFO Hoax
Documentary following a team of experts as they prepared to build a UFO and fly it over the English countryside. The hoax took place one summer evening earlier this year when, after several technical hitches, the team launched a 25-foot flying saucer through the skies above Avebury in Wiltshire. This programme follows the entire process and asks questions about witness testimony, beliefs in UFOs and media reporting.

[JimTheBrit]

Friday 10th October
Five 8.30pm - 9pm

Friday 17th October
Five 8.30pm - 9pm

Psychic Secrets Revealed
Continuing series - see relevant post above for more details.

The following may be interesting .....
Tuesday 14th October
Radio 4 9pm - 9.30pm
All in the Mind
Dr Raj Persaud grapples with memory and tries to answer the mystery of recollection. How do we know what we remember is what really happened? Just how far can memories be suggested and what impact does childhood trauma have on our brains?
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)
Web site: All in the Mind (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/allinthemind.shtml)

[davidhorman]

TONIGHT
10pm - 10:30pm
Incredible stories

Looks like a sceptical "investigation" into myths and legends - all I know about tonight is that it promises the truth about vampires.

Next week's episode is about The Curse of Tutankhamun.

David

[Peter Jenkins]

12th Oct

Channel 5 - 8pm
'The greatest magic tricks in the universe'

Includes performance(s?) by Penn and Teller

P

[davidhorman]

Thursday 23rd October
BBC2, 9pm
Does Prayer Work?

"Film investigating the biggest multifaith study in to the power of prayer ever undertaken. Over the past three years, hospitals all over America and prayer groups throughout the worldhave been taking part in scientific studies."

Notable quotes from the trailer:

"We expected 1 in 3 to die. The death rate was three percent."

There was another one that I can't remember, but the way it was said made it sound like an excuse for a bad showing on the side of prayer - something about these patients have been prepared for their death by the prayer.

David

[JimTheBrit]

Wednesday 22nd October
Channel 4 3.35am - 3.50 am
Abductees
People who believe they have been abducted by UFOs relive their experiences during regression hypnosis.
Source: Channel 4 (http://www.channel4.co.uk)

Friday 24th October
Five 8.30pm - 9pm
Psychic Secrets Revealed
Last in series.

Friday 24th October
ITV1 10pm - 10.30pm
Incredible Stories
The third in the series re-examining myths and legends focuses on the alleged sightings of the Bigfoot in the backwoods of North America. Is there really something out there?
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.channel4.co.uk)

Brief mentions:
Fri 17 Oct Five 7.30pm-8pm Mission to the Deep - Explorers search for the remains of the ghostship 'Marie Celeste'.
Tues 21 Oct ITV1 10.30am-12.30pm This Morning - interview with healer and psychic Matthew Manning (indications are this will be between 10.30am and 11am)
Fri 24 Oct Mother Teresa: the Saint Making Business - Focuses on the upsurge in the awarding of sainthood. Promises to touch on the proving of miracles.

[davidhorman]

I work at a TV station (Channel Television, it covers the Channel Islands) and one our news items today is about a blind psychic called Sharon Neil. Not that anyone besides me or Stig will see it, but it's still British TV ;)

But just in case, it'll be in the Lunchtime News which is at about 12.45pm.

David

[mummymonkey]

Originally posted by davidhorman
I work at a TV station (Channel Television, it covers the Channel Islands) and one our news items today is about a blind psychic called Sharon Neil.
Think of the money she'll save on dog food.

[JimTheBrit]

Monday 3rd November
Radio 4 8pm - 8.30pm
The New X-Files
Gerry Northam follows his report last year on unexplained sightings in the skies during the postwar years, updating the story with more stories from secret government files.
Source: Radio 4 web site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/)
Last year's report - Britain's X Files - is still archived on the Radio 4 web site and can be found here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/xfiles.shtml).

Thursday 6th November
BBC2 9pm - 10pm
Everyman - Does Healing Work?
The concept of faith healing comes under scrutiny in the last of three films as healer Maureen Ramm treats three patients suffering from chronic illnesses that medical science has been unable to cure. Meanwhile, their GP visits a healer who claims to have rid himself of cancer. Is there any truth to the claims that spiritual healers can stimulate the body's natural healing process by the laying on of hands?
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

Brief mentions:
Mon 3 Nov Ch4 4.35am-5.20am Jesus Comes to London - repeat, see relevant post above for more details
Tues 4 Nov Ch4 9pm-10pm Wife Swap - spiritual healer swaps homes with ex-miner. (Repeated Thurs 6 Nov 11.15pm-12.20am)

*Does anyone know what happened to last Friday's 'Incredible Stories' programme?*

[tim]

bump

[JimTheBrit]

Thursday 20th November
BBC2 9pm - 9.50pm
Horizon: Bible Code
American journalist-turned-author Michael Drosnin claims he can predict the future using a 3,000-year-old code hidden within the Bible. With professed scientific backing from a theoretical mathematician, Drosnin believes that Armageddon could take place in 2006, while in 1994 he accurately predicted the assassination of Israeli Prime Minster Yitzak Rabin, a year before it happened. Could he have stumbled upon one of the most important discoveries ever made? Horizon puts the Bible Code to the test.

Also of interest....?
Friday 21st November
BBC2 9pm - 9.50pm
Britain's Greatest Hoax - Timewatch
Timewatch turns its attention to a historical whodunnit. Piltdown man was possibly the most famous scientific hoax in British history, but it's still not clear who was responsible. In 1912 the fossilised skull of an early human was supposedly retrieved from a Sussex gravel pit. It was hailed by experts at the Natural History Museum as the missing link between apes and humans, but 41 years later it was revealed as a fake. Was Charles Dawson, who dug up the skull, up to skull-duggery? Or was he the victim of an elaborate practical joke?
On the 50th anniversary of the fraud's exposure, Timewatch reopens the case and tries to track down the culprit. Suspects include sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. But the programme also uncovers evidence of infighting at the Natural History Museum that may have been behind the fake.

Sources of both above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

Brief mentions
Sun 16 Nov BBC1 10am-11am Heaven & Earth Show - includes investigation of Pentacostalism. Expect divine healing, prophecy and speaking in tongues.
Sun 16 Nov BBC2 9pm-10.20pm Louis, Martin and Michael - Louis Theroux seeks Michael Jackson, meets Uri Geller
Tues 18 Nov BBC1 2.30am-3am Auction Man - Valuation of a haunted house

For anyone with cable or digital, the Discovery Channel (Sky 551,NTL 500/130,Telewest 212) is repeating the 'Extraordinary People' series. On Tuesday 18th Nov, the episode 'The Man Who Paints The Future' (about David Mandell) will be shown, 8pm - 8.30pm.
'Jane Goldman Investigates' might also be worth watching (?). Living Channel (Sky 112, NTL 401/111, Telewest 129) Tuesday 18th Nov 10pm - 11pm. This week's episode: clairvoyance.

[JimTheBrit]

Saturday 22nd November
Radio 4 3.30pm - 4pm
Three Decades of Personal Transformation (Part 1)
Thirty years ago in California, a new crash course in group psychology emerged. In huge hotel meeting rooms, charismatic motivators urged participants in their hundreds to get rid of the 'rackets' in their heads. Fortunes were made, people were saved, and scandals ruined lives.
Three decades later, these forum meetings still go on in Britain, though their methods have been refined. In the first of a two part investigation, Jenni Mills travels to California to find the truth behind the sensational headlines about the Human Potential Movement.
Source: Radio 4 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/)

Saturday 22nd November
Five 8.10pm - 9.10pm
Loch Ness Monster: The Search for Truth
Documentary following a 10-day expedition last spring by a team of Swedish crypto-zoologists looking for the Loch Ness monster with new state-of-the-art sonar equipment.
Source: Five (http://www.five.tv/)

Sunday 23rd November
BBC2 9pm - 10.30pm
The Kennedy Assassination: beyond Conspiracy
No event in recent times has consumed conspiracy theorists more than the shooting of President John F Kennedy 40 years ago. Because no matter how many times the details of that day and those that followed are picked over, the assassination of JFK continues to perplex.
There are so many question marks over the evidence, the autopsy reports and whether or not Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone assassin or whether there were other gunmen in Dealey Plaza that day, that no none has been able to offer the definitive account of events.
So this documentary, for which there was no preview tape at the time of writing, makes a very big claim indeed. According to its publicity material, it aims "to close the case in the minds of virtually everyone who watches", and says it is "as close as anyone will come to being in Dealey Plaza on 22 November 1963." Whether or not that's true, it sounds as if it should be essential viewing.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/)

Brief Mentions
Sun 23 Nov ITV 5pm-5.30pm Our House - spiritualist contacts previous resident at Hatton Park, Warwickshire
Tues 25 Nov Radio4 9.30am-9.45am Blood is Thicker Than Water - in Japan, blood groups used by the young to analyse personality

[JimTheBrit]

Saturday 29th November
Radio 4 3.30pm - 4pm
Three Decades of Personal Transformation (Part 2)
Jenni Mills concludes her investigation into mass group therapy organisations by focusing on the British end of the business and looking at why so many 20-year-olds are signing up. She also persists in her efforts to see for herself what happens at one of these forum meetings.

Monday 1st December
Radio 4 8pm - 8.30pm
The Long Search -
William Dalrymple investigates the roots of spirituality in Britain. 2: God and the Air-Pump. Dalrymple gets to grips with a 17th-century piece of experimental machinery and assesses the impact of the New Science on the belief in fairies, the philosopher's stone and a miracle-working God.

Tuesday 2nd December
Radio 4 (FM only) 11am - 11.30am
The Lab and the Mosque
In Western eyes, science and religion don't mix. But Muslims see no contradiction in a belief system that embraces both science and religion. Zia Sardar visits the Islamic Al-Azhar University in Cairo to investigate the practical and philosophical links between science and Islam.

Friday 5th December
Radio 4 2.15pm - 3pm
Afternoon Play: The Confessions of Nostradamus
A new play by Tony Coult, starring Michael maloney and Rula Lenska. Born 500 years ago in December 1503, Nostradamus lived in dangerous times. He was hounded by the inquisition, especially when rumours circulated that he could cure the plague. Somehow, he had to protect himself and his family.

Source for all above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

[tim]

Friday 5th December
Radio 4 2.15pm - 3pm
Afternoon Play: The Confessions of Nostradamus
A new play by Tony Coult, starring Michael maloney and Rula Lenska. Born 500 years ago in December 1503, Nostradamus lived in dangerous times. He was hounded by the inquisition, especially when rumours circulated that he could cure the plague. Somehow, he had to protect himself and his family.


For those interested in Nostradamus, Mr Randi's book on the subject is well worth a look.

[JimTheBrit]

Of interest ... ?
Tuesday 9th December
Radio 4 11am - 11.30am
Mind Changers
New Series. As the science of psychology developed during the 20th century, our understanding of human behaviour improved. Certain landmark experiments dramatically increased our knowledge, changing forever our perception of the human mind. In the first programme, Claudia Hammond revisits the conformity experiment conducted by American social psychologist, Solomon Ash.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

Also ...
Wednesday 10th December
Radio 4 9pm - 9.30pm
Acting on Instinct
The phone rings, you answer it and it's the very person you were thinking about. You start staring at the back of a fellow commuter on the railway platform and they turn around as if they could feel your gaze. These are two of the most common examples of sixth sense or, depending on your point of view, two examples of pure coincidence. The problem with all this intuition lark for scientists is that there remains no indisputable truth. Rational listeners will be siding with the highly sceptical Professor Steven Rose, who explains that sixth sense simply cannot be recognised as fact. But, the range of true stories told here really changes preconceptions. Take the consultant clinical psychologist Elie Godsi, for example. He unashamedly admits to using his intuition to help treat patients. And then there's the presenter, Chris Yates, who was so sure he was going to catch a giant carp that he wrote to his brother telling him so before he landed the 5 1/2lb monster. I just know you'll have to listen.
Review by Jane Anderson, source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

Tuesday 16th December
BBC 2 1am - 1.30am
Ever Wondered?
Toyah Wilcox finds out what reading horoscopes says about human behaviour while Katharine Merry explores the world of astronomy.
Source: Open University TV (http://www.open2.net/home2/programmes.html)

From beonscreen.com:
"New horoscope based magazine show

Do you want help understanding your relationships and solving your problems?

We are looking for interesting people to appear on a new live horoscope based show that helps you find answers using astrology."

Any takers?



Nah, didn't think so ;)

[JimTheBrit]

Monday 22nd December
Radio 4 8pm - 8.30pm
The Long Search
William Dalrymple investigates the roots of spirituality in Britain. 5: Apes, Angels and Apparitions. Darwin's The Origin of Species contributed to a general crisis of faith in Victorian Britain. William Dalrymple finds out how the Victorians turned to both technology and the seance to answer the question that dominated their age - are we apes, angels or apparitions?
Web site: The Long Search (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/search/)

Wednesday 24th December
Radio 4 11am - 11.30am
Christmas Spirits
On a Christmas evening 50 years ago, a group of people gathered together in a Middlesbrough sitting room for their weekly spiritualist circle. They'd kept written records of who came into their midst and what they said. But that night, they had something new in the room: an early tape recorder ...
(This programme will be repeated on Thursday 1st January at 4.30pm)

Also of interest ... ?
Tuesday 23rd December
Radio 4 11am - 11.30am
Mind Changers
Part 3: Sir Frederic Bartlett and The War of the Ghosts. In this final programme Claudia Hammond focuses on the Chinese whispers experiment by the pioneering British psychologist Sir Frederic Bartlett.
Web site: Mind Changers (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/mindchangers.shtml)

Brief mentions:
Tues 15 Dec BBC1 3.25am-4.55am The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy - repeat, see relevant post on previous page for more info.
Sun 28 Dec BBC2 9am-9.45am Millennium: a Thousand Years of History - Episode 7/10. In Europe during the 1600s, science becomes a new route to gaining power.

Source for all above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

Monday 5th January through to Friday 9th January
ITV1 10.30am - 12.30 pm
This Morning
Every day this week, at 12 noon, the programme will run a segment called 'Experience the Paranormal'.
Monday: psychic Susan King.
Tuesday: haunted locations around the UK.
Wednesday: fortune telling.
Thursday: premonitions and dreams.
Friday: past-life regression.
Source: ITV Web site (http://www.itv.com/)

Tuesday 6th January
Radio 4 9.30am - 9.45am
I Should Be So Lucky
3/5: Martin Plimmer looks at the nature of luck. Do we possess the psycho-kinetic power to influence the roll of a die?
Source: Radio 4 Web site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/index.shtml?logo)

Friday 9th January
BBC2 9pm - 9.50pm
Britain's X-Files - Timewatch
1/5. The history strand returns with a look into the UFO phenomenon in Britain since the 1950's, when alleged sightings began and Clement Atlee formed the Flying Saucer Working Party. The documentary recalls how UFO's became a symbol of the communist threat during the cold war and - with access to previously secret files - show how paranoia over these mysterious vessels struck at the heart of the political, military and royal establishments.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

Brief mentions:
Wed 7 Jan Ch4 1.30am-2.30am A Very British UFO Hoax - repeat. See relevant post on previous page for more info.

[JimTheBrit]

Sunday 11th January
BBC1 10am - 11am
The Heaven and Earth Show
What does 204 have in store? Kate Silverton begins a series of reports on predictions with the practice of palm reading.

Sunday 11th January
Five 8pm - 9pm
The Man Who Paints The Future
Documentary exploring the uncanny premonitions of retired London art lecturer David Mendell, whose paintings appear to foresee future events. Eerie predictions included the 11 September attacks and the Dunblane massacre, but are they genuine visions of the future or merely coincidence?

This week also sees a repeat of Graham Hancock's series Quest for the Lost Civilisation on Channel 4.
Thursday 15th January, 4.15am - 5.10am Part 1: Heaven's Mirror
Friday 16th January, 4.25am - 5.20am Part 2: Forgotten Knowledge
Saturday 17th January, 4.10am - 5.05am Part 3: Ancient Mariners
Blurb: 'Graham Hancock searches for the remains of a lost global civilisation.'
Visit the In The Hall of Ma'at (http://www.hallofmaat.com/maat/index.php) web site for a skeptical look at Graham Hancock's work.

Sources for all above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

I've placed the 'Christmas Spirits (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimmy13/Spirits.mp3)' Radio 4 programme on the Net for anyone who missed it (mp3 file, 28 mins approx, 11.2MB).

More titbits from the Radio 4 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/) archive ...

29/11/01 Woman's Hour: Psychics and Crime (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/26_11_01/thursday/info1.shtml), featuring Joe Nickell.
(Speaking of Joe, I've just noticed the Joe Nickell files (http://www.scifidimensions.com/Sep03/jnf_reloaded.htm) are back online.)

Today programme:
11/8/03 Concerns about peer review system (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today1_peer_20030811.ram), 3 mins
5/8/03 Trust in science and the independence of experts (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_scientists_20030805.ram), 10 mins
28/7/03 Who can we trust? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_trust_20030728.ram), 9 mins
4/9/03 Complementary medicine - should the government increase investment? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_ernst_20030904.ram), 8 mins
13/9/03 Values in science (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today3_cornwell_20030913.ram), 5 mins
14/10/03 Originality of Science (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_singh_20031014.ram), 8 mins
13/11/03 Piltdown man 50th anniversary (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_skull_20031113.ram), 7 mins
3/10/03 Do not pass go, do not collect £200 - Should stupid people be allowed to have children? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_nyborg_20031003.ram), 6 mins

[JimTheBrit]

Sunday 18th January
BBC2 2.30am - 3am
OU TV: Was Anybody There?
Tables shook, people levitated and seances were all the rage in Victorian society. Surely mediums couldn't trick rational men of science?

Sunday 18th January
BBC2 3am - 3.30am
OU TV: The Argument from Design
Scientists discuss whether their theories about the origins of the Universe are compatible with a religious view.

Source for both above: Open University TV (http://www.open2.net/home2/programmes.html)

Sunday 18th January
BBC1 10am - 11am
The Heaven and Earth Show
'Advice on holistic health overhaul is offered by alternative guru Jane Alexander, how flipping coins in Chinese I Ching can predict the future [...]'
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

Brief mentions:
Sat 31 Jan, BBC2 3am-3.30am OU TV: The Glastonbury Tales, unfolding stories in the lives of three residents from different spiritual traditions.

From the Radio 4 archives:
Leading Edge 11/7/02 Sceptics in science (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/leadingedge_20020711.shtml)

Woman's Hour
21/1/02 Teaching Children to Think (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/21_01_02/monday/info3.shtml), 15 mins
9/9/02 Knowing the Future (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/09_09_02/monday/info5.shtml), 8 mins (with Chris French)
19/3/03 Spiritual Healing on the NHS (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/17_03_03/wednesday/info2.shtml), 15 mins
17/11/03 Women Turning To Spirituality (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/17_11_03/monday/info4.shtml), 15 mins

[davidhorman]

I only caught the end of the announcement, but I think I heard correctly that Michael Drosnin, author of The Bible Code, will be on This Morning tomorrow morning. They've been doing a woo-woo feature all week.

David

[JimTheBrit]

Originally posted by davidhorman
I only caught the end of the announcement, but I think I heard correctly that Michael Drosnin, author of The Bible Code, will be on This Morning tomorrow morning. They've been doing a woo-woo feature all week.

David
I've just checked the 'This Morning' web site and Drosnin is listed (here (http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=629), also here (http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=1083)) although no time is given. Thanks for the heads up.

This Morning, ITV1 10.30am - 12.30 pm

I also notice that intuitive counsellor (read: psychic) Susan King has secured a regular slot on the programme to give intuitive advice (readings) to callers (Mondays, 11.30ish).

[JimTheBrit]

Sunday 25th January
BBC1 10am - 11am
The Heaven and Earth Show
[...] Kate Silverton meets a tarot-card reader [...]

Monday 26th January
Radio 4 8.30pm - 9pm
After Death, What?
Whether you happen to be an atheist or a believer, there can be few of us who have never wondered what happens when we die - which is why everyone should listen to this exploration of near-death experiences. Scientists, theologians and psychologists are on hand to offer sensible interpretations of these strange phenomena, but what makes this such a fascinating listen is the range of stories from people who have had NDEs. And, while it might be impossible to prove the validity of journeys through dimly lit corridors to lighter, brighter places where dead relatives are waiting to greet us, as Dr Mark Fox points out, "it is important that science in a variety of disciplines grasps the nettle and responds sensibly, intelligenty and deeply to these experiences".

Wednesday 28th January
Five 11am - 12pm
The Terry and Gabby Show
[...] the "Barefoot Doctor" dispenses alternative medical and spiritual advice [...]

Source for all above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

[davidhorman]

The Russian girl with X-ray eyes, recently championed by Lucianarchy of all people (this isn't Natalia Lulova) will be appearing on This Morning on Monday.

David Icke was a larf this morning :D

David

[JimTheBrit]

Yeah, I caught that Ickey interview. Does he really believe what he's saying or is he just an opportunist who's jumped on the conspiracy band wagon? Fern Britton looked as though she was having a hard time biting her tongue throughout the segment.

Tuesday 3rd February
Radio 4 4pm - 4.30pm
Shop Talk
Heather Payton takes a look at the psychic medium - an old fairground cliche. Today psychics and mediums have entered the mainstream and there are many people making money out of our increasing appetite for the paranormal.

Thursday 5th February
Channel 4 9pm - 10pm
The Diana Conspiracy
Numerous conspiracy theories have sprung up around the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a car crash in Paris in August 1997. Using documents relating to the investigation into the crash and information gleaned from the head of the French police inquiry, this documentary sets out to discover why such suspicions have developed, and whether the hypotheses stand up when weighed against the evidence.

Friday 6th February
Radio 4 11pm - 11.30pm
Off The Page: The Paranormal
Strange goings-on in the studio when Matthew Paris welcomes three writers who span the range from psychic to sceptic. Performance poet Matt Harvey writes a regular column on weird phenomena and Candid Clark is the author of Ghost Music, though her fellow-novelist Tibor Fischer once stayed in a haunted castle and slept like a log.

Source for all above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

Brief mentions:
Wed 4 Feb Ch4 3.20am-3.30am Abductees, UFO abductees relive their experiences during regression hypnosis, (probably a repeat of the Oct 22 prog.)
Wed 4 Feb Five 11am-12noon The Terry and Gaby Show, includes advice from the 'Barefoot Doctor'.

[davidhorman]

Yeah, I caught that Ickey interview. Does he really believe what he's saying or is he just an opportunist who's jumped on the conspiracy band wagon?

He's nuts. He used to think he was Jesus. What's even more worrying is that he persuaded his family that he was right.

David

[JimTheBrit]

There was nowt worthy of note on last week, IMO.

Saturday 14th February
Five 6.35am - 7am
Wide World
The principles and uses of homeopathy.

Brief mentions:
Mon 16 Feb Ch4 4.15am-5am Maidens of the Lost Ark, documentary about the Panacea Society, an idiosyncratic religion (repeat of August 16th prog)
Tues 17 Feb Radio4 9pm-9.30pm All in the Mind, includes: are "recovered memories" just an invention of psychotherapists? (Prog repeated Wed 18 Feb 4.30pm-5pm)
Wed 18 Feb Five 11am-12noon The Terry and Gaby Show, includes alternative medical advice from the "Barefoot Doctor".

All sources: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

I've just seen a trailer on Five for 'Back to Reality', starting next Sunday, starring a certain Mr Geller.

Starting Sunday 15th February
Five 8pm-9pm
Back to Reality
Two shows a day, 8pm - 9pm and 11pm - 12midnight throughout the week.

12 reality TV show veterans holed up together in a London mansion. Participants whittled down by public vote etc etc.

[xenu]

Hi

hope this is the right thread - Channel 4 is showing series 6 of South Park every Fri nite (well, Sat a.m. mostly 00:15 on Saturdays). If they work through them in order the "Biggest Douche in the Universe" anti-John Edwards ep will be scheduled 12/13th March

Xenu

p.s. I can recommend all the eps, heartily, though the above is relevant to skeptics

[JimTheBrit]

Thanks for the input, xenu!

Sunday 22nd February
BBC 2 3-30am - 3.55am
Therapies on Trial
Do complementary therapies work more by the power of suggestion than through the remedies themselves? Homeopathy is put to the test.
Source: open2.net (www.open2.net)

Of interest ... ?
Thursday 26th February
BBC2 9pm - 10.30pm
What the World Thinks of God
In a unique event, satellite link-ups bring together guests from five continents to debate some age-old questions on religion, and consider its place in the modern world. Does belief in a god make the world a better place? Which god should we worship? When is it right to wage war in their name? Jeremy Vine hosts the programme from London, and reveals the results of a unique poll in which 10,000 people from ten countries across the globe gave their opinions of religion and belief today.

Brief mentions:
Mon 23 Feb ITV1 10.30am-12.30pm This Morning, mystic Susan King offers advice to viewers.
Wed 25 Feb ITV1 10.30am-12.30pm This Morning, Fay Weldon discusses the "sixth sense".
Wed 25 Feb Five 11am-12noon The Terry and Gaby Show, includes alternative medical advice session from the "Barefoot Doctor".
Wed 25 Feb BBC2 7pm-7.30pm So What Do You Do All Day?, a day in the life of an ex-PR guru now living a New-Age lifestyle.

Sources for all (unless otherwise mentioned): Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[exarch]

Originally posted by JimTheBrit
Sunday 22nd February
BBC 2 3-30am - 3.55am
Therapies on Trial
Do complementary therapies work more by the power of suggestion than through the remedies themselves? Homeopathy is put to the test.
Source: open2.net (www.open2.net)Dang, missed it. That was last night of course :(

[JimTheBrit]

Check your private messages, exarch.

From the Radio 4 archives:
Today programme:
16/2/04 Is there too much political influence in US scientific research? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_research_20040216.ram), 5 mins
2/2/04 Science & the public: Concerns over the peer review system (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today3_peer_20040202.ram), 8 mins
21/1/04 Concerns over 'maverick' scientists' media attention (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today3_scientists_20040121.ram), 8 mins

Reel Histories - The Exorcist. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/rams/sat1530.ram) William Friedkin's cult shocker outraged and disgusted in equal measure yet cinemagoers queued up enthusiastically to see if tehy could last the course. In the series on how Hollywood reflects real life, Gerry Northam asks what the film had to do with the reality of exorcisms and how its success affected those authorised to cast out demons.
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

In addition to Fay Weldon's appearance on 'This Morning' tomorrow (ITV 10.30am - 12.30pm), the programme will feature a segment on past life regression.

Brief mentions:
Mon 1 Mar ITV1 10.30am-12.30pm This Morning, mystic expert Susan King offers more advice to viewers in Sixth Sense Solutions.
Wed 3 Mar Five 11am-12noon The Terry and Gaby Show, alternative medical advice from the "Barefoot Doctor".

Sources: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

From the Radio 4 archives:
All In The Mind
26/2/03 Consciousness (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/allinthemind_20030226.shtml), 6 mins
12/2/03 Placebo effect, also flashbulb memory (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/allinthemind_20030212.shtml)

[davidhorman]

In addition to Fay Weldon's appearance on 'This Morning' tomorrow (ITV 10.30am - 12.30pm), the programme will feature a segment on past life regression.

That was a bunch of crap. "Scientists have proved that a sixth sense exist!" Err, no. They confused the legitimate concept of "mindsight" (subconcious awareness) with woo-woo stuff.

They're being a bit more sceptical on the regression bit, though.

David

[davidhorman]

I think that Richard & Judy will be discussing the Jacqui Poole murder and the alleged psychic who was allegedly instrumental in solving the case.

5pm, Channel 4, today.

David

[davidhorman]

Oops. I was wrong about Richard & Judy, they were discussing a fictional book :o

David

[JimTheBrit]

Of interest ... ?
Saturday 13th March
Channel 4 12.15am-12.45am
South Park
The Biggest Douche in the Universe. Cartman tries to exorcise Kenny from his body.
More details about the episode can be found here: December 6, 2002 commentary (http://www.randi.org/jr/120602.html)
Thanks to PML for the heads up.

Brief mentions:
Mon 8 Mar ITV1 10.30am-12.30pm This Morning, more Sixth Sense Solutions.
Wed 10 Mar BBC1 3.10am-4.40am What the World Thinks of God - repeat. See above post for more details.
Wed 10 Mar Five 11am-12noon The Terry and Gaby Show, alternative medical advice from the "Barefoot Doctor".

As usual, sources for all above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

From the Radio 4 archives:
27/2/03 Check Up - Osteopathy (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/checkup_20030227.shtml)
"Frozen shoulders, arthritic knees and migraine don’t seem, at first glance, to have much in common. Yet they can all be treated by one therapy that is gaining popularity all the time."

[JimTheBrit]

Sunday 14th March
BBC1 7pm - 8pm
The Bermuda Triangle: Beneath the Waves
With ships and aircraft continuing to disappear at an alarming rate inside the watery depths of the Bermuda Triangle, threee new investigations employ the latest techniques to look at the truth behind the old mariners' hole-in-the-ocean tale, the mystery of Flight 19 (http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq15-1.htm), and how five wrecks wound up 730ft beneath the ocean waves.

Monday 15th March
Radio 4 4.30pm - 5pm
Beyond Belief
Nearly everyone knows their star sign; seven out of ten of us read our horoscopes. Are they just a bit of fun, useful tools for helping us make choices in our lives, or downright dangerous? Has the astrologer replaced the priest in the lives of people in Britain today? In Beyond Belief this week Ernie Rea and guests explore the roots of this ancient practice and the reasons for its increasing contemporary appeal.
Source:

Brief mentions:
Mon 15 Mar ITV1 10.30am-12.30pm This Morning, more mystical Sixth Sense Solutions.
Tues 16 Mar BBC2 3pm-3.30pm Big Strong Boys, a haunted house in Staffordshire gets a makeover.
Wed 17 Mar Five 11am-12noon The Terry and Gabby Show, alternative advice from the 'Barefoot Doctor'.
Fri 19 Mar BBC2 6pm-6.20pm The Simpsons, Bart becomes hooked on the art of faith healing.

Source (unless otherwise stated): [url=http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/]Radio Times magazine (]Beyond Belief web page[/url)

From the Radio 4 archives:
8/3/04 Woman's Hour: Should we regulate complementary and alternative medicine? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/08_03_04/monday/info1.shtml), 15 mins. "There are difficulties within testing different types of complementary medicine". Hmmm, yes. Bit of an understatement, that.

28/2/04 Excess Baggage - Haunted (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/excessbaggage/index_20040228.shtml)
"Sandi Toksvig and her guests broadcast live from Leap Castle in Ireland believed by many to be the most haunted building in Europe. In fact, during the broadcast did a ghostly something make its presence felt? Listen and judge for yourself..."
Listen to the prog from the start for full raisin'-the-hairs-on-the-back-of-yer-neck effectiveness. For those without patience, click on the 'In fact, during the broadcast ...' link in the prog description (or forward to 23 mins 18 secs) to hear Casper.

-----------------------------------------------
If there are any BritSkeps wanting a copy of Asking The Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking by Browne and Keeley, I've got one going spare. First pm'd name and address gets it @ no charge. Catch - it's edition 6 (still a worthwhile read though).

*Edited to add Beyond Belief prog details*

[JimTheBrit]

Correction: Beyond Belief web page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/beyond_belief/index.shtml)

[davidhorman]

Uri Geller will be appearing on Channel Television (the company I work for) tonight, plugging his show that's running in Jersey right now. Channel is an ITV region and anyone who's added the extra regions to their Sky box can pick it up. Should be around 6:20pm.

David

[Peter Jenkins]

BBC 1 -7.00pm Sunday 21st March
The Truth about Noahs ark
"Jeremy Bowen examines archealogical evidence which suggest that the story of Noah and his ship mates may have been based on real people and real events"

P

[JimTheBrit]

Monday 22nd March to Friday 26th March
ITV1 8.35am - 9.25am
LK Today
Features 'What's the Alternative?' - "Lorraine will be lifting the lid on alternative therapy. When is it safe to take? Is it better than conventional medicine? Find out on LK Today all week."
Source: GMTV web site (http://gm.tv/index.cfm?articleID=1)
GMTV's page for this segment can be found here (http://gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=10132).
Dr Mark Atkinson's web site can be found here (http://www.drmarkatkinson.com/).

Brief mentions:
Wed 24 Mar Five 11am-12noon The Terry and Gabby Show, alternative advice from the 'Barefoot Doctor'.
Wed 24 Mar Five 8pm-9pm The Search for Atlantis: The True Story, repeat from 19/8/03 (see page 1 of thread).
Mon 22 Mar to Fri 26 Mar Radio4 10.45am-11am (repeated 7.45pm-8pm), The First Witch, story of first woman in Europe to be put on trial for witchcraft.

[JimTheBrit]

All the episodes from the Radio 4 drama 'The First Witch' are archived here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/whour_serial.shtml). They'll be kept online for a week or so.

Monday 29th March
Channel 4 9pm - 10pm
Secrets of the Dead: Shroud of Christ?
Following the work of Swiss textile expert Dr Mechthild Flury-Lemberg who, in 2002, discovered a hitherto undetected stitch pattern on the Shroud of Turin that dated it back to the first century AD. Could the carbon dating process that branded the shroud a medieval fake in 1988 have been mistaken?

Also of interest ... ?
Tuesday 30th March
Channel 4 5am - 5.55am
Soul Searching, part 1: Know Thyself

Wednesday 31st March
Channel 4 5.10am - 6am
Soul Searching, part 2: The Undiscovered Country
Film testing theories about belief in the soul.

Wednesday 31st March
ITV1 10.30am - 12.30pm
This Morning
Features another celebrity regression

(Past life regression seems to be the flavour of the moment for Phil and Fern, with 'regression therapist' Andrea Foulkes practising on the likes of Major Charles (cough) Ingram, Sheree Murphy (from soap Emmerdale), John Scott (the show's fashion 'guru') and the presenters themselves, over the last few weeks. Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe makes the odd appearance as he investigates the cases. More on those 'investigations', and Ms. Foulkes next week ........ JTB)

Brief mentions
Fri 1 Apr BBC1 1.50am-2.50am The Bermuda Triangle: Beneath the Waves, repeat from 14/3/04 (see relevant post above)

Sources for all: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[xenu]

hi,

penn and telller's "bulls*t" on fx sunday (well, 00:15 mon) and again on monday 22:35. I can't get fx myself but if u have cable....

xenu

[JimTheBrit]

Tuesday 13th April
ITV1 6am - 9.25am
GMTV
Segment: "Is Alternative Medicine Safe? Should some holistic therapies be approached with caution? We investigate"

Wednesday 14th April
ITV1 11am - 12.30pm
This Morning
Regressionist Andrea Foulkes takes a celebrity back to their previous (Clips and reviews of previous regressions, especially last week's with an extremely skeptical Paul Ross, will be posted as soon as I figure out how to use my pc-tv card.)

From the Radio 4 archives:
22/3/04 Woman's Hour: Witches (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/22_03_04/monday/info2.shtml), 6 mins

Today programme:
6/3/04 Musical hallucinations (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today3_abide_20040306.ram), 3 mins
10/3/04 Should scientific research be published on the web rather than in scientific journals? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_research_20040310.ram) 5 mins

26/10/02 Open Country: Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/opencountry_20021026.shtml)

Also, the Royal Society has made available a lecture given in January by Sir David Attenborough, called 'Perception, Deception and Reality (http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/live/)'. Sir David draws on his vast broadcasting experience to bring us up to speed on current wildlife filming techniques, the perils of image manipulation and the need for skepticism when viewing television. Disney's involvement in the myth of lemming suicide is mentioned approximately 40 minutes into the talk. Various formats are available. Duration: 1 hour 10 mins.

[JimTheBrit]

Of interest ... ?
Friday 23rd April
Channel 4 10.10pm - 10.40pm
Derren Brown: Trick of the Mind
1/6. "The entertainer demonstrates his powers of psychological illusion, misdirection and showmanship, amazing Stephen Fry with a favourite trick, and playing chess with nine opponents at once"

From an interview with DB in last week's RT: "Science writer Simon Singh, who hosted a relatively feeble BBC4 show called Mind Games, has said that Brown's "psychological explanations [for his act] do not stand up. Viewers are left with an exaggerated idea of what is achievable through the power of the mind." It's a view with which Brown has some sympathy. "When I set out to get noticed, I was guilty of overstating the case. It's a difficult line to tread, and easy to misunderstand. Some dying people want me to cure them, and feel I'm the last resort. Even if only a tiny percentage respond like that, I wonder if I need to change what I'm doing. Of course I'm not psychic, and if I suggested I was and people took it seriously and started paying money to psychics, I'd feeel guilty. Those horrendously tasteless TV shows where they contact the dead are manipulative and morally reprehensible."

Brief mentions:
Thur 22 Apr Five 9pm-10pm John Travolta: the Inside Story, JT's beliefs in Scientology will be discussed.
Fri 23 Apr Five 2.05pm-3.45pm A Touch of Hope, drama based on the true story of a hands-on healer who struggled for years to overcome the scepticism of the medical community. (I couldn't resist including this one!)

Source for all above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

Of interest ... ?

Friday 7th May
Radio 4 9pm - 10pm
The Friday Play: States of Mind
"In one hospital, over one night, how many different levels of consciousness are there? From wakefulness, to dozing, from the unconscious to the sub-conscious. Every patient, nurse and doctor has a story to tell, with commentary from Sue Blackmore, Chris Idzikowski, Robert Morris, Steven Rose, David Wilkinson."
Source: Radio 4 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/) schedule

The highly recommended 'History of Human Folly' is being repeated on Radio 4 (Saturdays, 10.30am-11am). Three episodes are archived here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/history_of_folly.shtml), though the Radio Times lists the series as a four-parter. Part 3 will be aired next Saturday (8th).

[JimTheBrit]

ITV1 10.30am - 12.30pm
This Morning
Two segments to look out for this week:
Tuesday 11th May: 'Lifestyle guru' Deepak Chopra will be making an appearance, selling his wares.
Wednesday 12th May: Yet another chat with 'regression expert' Andrea Foulkes. Keep an ear out for how Andrea explains away apparent mistakes or contradictions during the regression sessions. What are we to make of these claims that something is true if there's no way to determine if they're false? Food for thought, eh?

Wednesday 12th May
Five 9pm - 10.35pm
The World's Greatest Conspiracy Theories
"Documentary which counts down the top ten hypotheses that some people believe no matter how far-fetched they may seem. An ensemble of experts offer their thoughts on various conspiracy theories - Elvis Presley is still alive, aliens have landed, humans have not been to the Moon, and Hitler faked his own suicide and fled to Antartica."
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

Wednesday 19th May
Radio 4 11am - 11.30am
The Jesus Box
"In September 2002, archaeologists stumbled across an incredibly important and equally controversial biblical find. A limestone coffin with the words "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" was found in Jerusalem. But is this an elaborate fake or the oldest archaeological link to Jesus? Biblical archaeologist Jerome Murphy-O'Connor picks through the evidence in a journey that takes him from the Wailing Wall to the bowels of the Sorbonne and asks whether we really are one step closer to proving that Jesus of Nazareth existed."
Source: Radio Time magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

'Regressionist' Andrea Foulkes conducts another session on This Morning, ITV1, Wednesday 19th May, sometime between 10.30am and 12.30pm. 'Healer' Matthew Manning (http://www.matthewmanning.com/) seems to be making frequent appearances on the prog. For more on him go to the JREF Internet Audio Show Archive (http://www.randi.org/radio/archive.html) > June 15, 2001 (http://www.randi.org/radio/asx/061501.asx) > 49 mins onwards.
Secret info on Randi? Spill the beans, Matthew. Hmmm, parallels with Sylvia's comments here.

Brief mentions:
Sun 16 May BBC2 5.15am-5.30am Background Brief - Therapy on Trial, homeopathy. Rpt from 22/2/04.
Sun 16 May Five 8pm-9pm Extraordinary People: The Man Who Paints The Future. Rpt from 11/1/04.
Fri 21 May Radio 4 11am-11.30am Three Decades of Personal Transformation part 1. Rpt from 22/11/03.

From the archives:
BBC World Service
8/5/04 The Big Question - Have We Lost Faith In Science? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/big_question.shtml), 30mins

Radio 4
Today Programme: 11/5/04 Why do we ask so many questions? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today5_why_20040511.ram), 5 mins

Note that all four episodes of A History of Human Folly are now archived on the programme's web page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/history_of_folly.shtml). Episode 4 will be repeated this Saturday (15th May, Radio 4, 10.30am - 11am).

Also,
Ireland's RTE Radio 1 'Future Tense (http://www.rte.ie/radio1/evening/futuretense/)' programme recently included a segment on the 'Mozart Effect (http://www.rte.ie/radio1/evening/futuretense/rams/23mar.ram)'.
"It's now being claimed that the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is effective in the treatment of a variety of illnesses and as a general aid in restoring body and mind", 7 mins (starting from 2mins 20secs into prog). (Details originally provided by the Irish skeptics (http://www.irishskeptics.net/))

[JimTheBrit]

As usual, more regression shenanigans with Andrea Foulkes on This Morning, ITV1, 10.30am - 12.30pm, Wednesday 26th May

Wednesday 26th May
Five 8pm - 9pm
The British UFO Files
"A history of postwar "alien" visitations in the UK, including an experienced pilot whose sighting was backed up by radar records, and a strange crater in Wiltshire."
Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/)

Brief mentions:
Wed 26 May Radio 4 3.45pm-4pm I Should Be So Lucky part 3. Repeat from 6/1/04.
Fri 28 May Radio 4 11am-11.30am Three Decades of Personal Transformation part 2. Repeat from 29/11/03.

A chioce quote taken from Jamy Ian Swiss' article 'The Limits of Critical Thinking', published in the JREF's Swift newsletter, vol. 1 no. 1 1997 (http://www.randi.org/pdf/swift1-1.pdf):
"As skeptical educators we must do more than simply provide cautionary signposts detailing a shopping list of road hazards labeled astrology, ufology, and a host of other pseudologies. We recognise that we must encourage broad-based thinking skills to help innoculate people against malicious crackpottery. That training must begin early in life, because it is the rare adult who comes to recognise the logical flaws in their own longstanding belief system. Our task is to teach the young - along with anyone else who will listen - to think for themselves, so that they can use these skills throughout their lives. Rational enquiry isn't merely an academic excercise or a chore that protects us from danger. Critical thinking enhances individual responsibility by liberating us to assess risk and embrace informed choice and thereby more fully savor the human experience. Unfortunately, thinking will never be foolproof protection against the threats of deception; fools can be very determined, as can the inclination to be fooled. Thinking is merely our best chance."

[Tanja]

Jim the Brit, I just wanted to say I really appreciate the fact that you post this information! Thank you!

[JimTheBrit]

Thanks for your thanks, Tanja :). I think it's important to keep up on how skeptic-related issues are being portrayed in the mainstream media. Plus, it's always interesting to hear the points raised and arguments used.

Soon to be aired ...

Sunday 30th May
Radio 3 9.30pm - 10.15pm
Sunday Feature: Going to Jonestown
"In a remote settlement in Guyana, 25 years ago, almost a thousand people and their leader Jim Jones killed themselves. Guyanese poet Fred D'Aguiar travels to Jonestown and talks to writers, artists and people who knew Jones and the town, to discover the social, political and mythical legacy of this extraordinary tradegy."
*Note: Radio 3 not Radio 4*

Sunday 30th May
Five 10.35pm - 11.40pm
Spontaneous Human Combustion
"What could cause people to burst into flames - spontaneous human combustion - for no apparent reason? This question, which has baffled scientists for many years, is addressed."

As already reported (http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40670) by digital goldfish .....
Monday 31st May
Channel 4 10.35pm - 11.45pm
Derren Brown: Seance
"The master of illusion hosts a one-off special which assembles 12 members of the public to re-create a traditional seance. Will there be anybody there?"
(For anyone who missed Derren's 'Trick of the Mind' series, it's being rerun on Channel 4 starting on Thursday 3rd June at 11.05pm)

Regression therapist Andrea Foulkes is listed again as appearing on This Morning (Wednesday 2nd June, ITV, 10.30am-12.30pm).

Wednesday 2nd June
Five 9pm - 10pm
The Truth behind the Moon Landings: Stranger Then Fiction
"Examining the conspiracy theory that the 1969 Moon landing was faked in a Hollywood studio. Sceptic Bill Kaysing is convinced the mission didn't happen, believing photos and footage are riddled with errors, while aerospace engineer Jay Windley strives to debunk his claims."

Sources for all above: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

Richard Bacon, if you're reading this: SKEPTIC *not* CYNIC, dammit!

Edited to add:
From the archives:
Radio 4
Public Records, Private Lives (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/publicrecords.shtml): 29/11/02 - UFO investigator Georgina Bruni discusses her research (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/rams/publicrecords5.ram), first 5 mins.

[JimTheBrit]

There'll be another past life regression session courtesy of Ms A. Foulkes, Wednesday 9th June, ITV, during the This Morning show 10.30am - 12.30pm

Brief mentions:
Sun 6 June Ch4 8pm-9pm A Very British UFO Hoax, repeat of 7/10/03 programme (details on page 1.)
Thurs 10 June BBC1 10am-11am Star Sale, celebrities auction possessions for charity - features a Mr U. Geller.
Sat 12 June BBC2 2am-2.30am OU TV: Was Anybody There?, repeat of 18/1/04 programme.

This just in from the D'oh! department:
"People are being warned they could risk damaging their eyesight if they look directly at a rare astrological phenomenon [...]" Coventry Evening Telegraph, Thursday, June 3, 2004

[JimTheBrit]

Ok, so you'll appreciate the mistake in the newspaper article excerpt above more if ya know the headline. It was 'Venus viewers warned', and was about yesterday's transit. I'll go stand in the corner.

At the begining of last month, several members of ASKE (http://www.aske.clara.co.uk/) were invited to appear on 'Now You're Talking' (the successor to 'Kilroy'), to debate psychic powers. The show will be aired tomorrow morning, apparently (Thursday 10th June, BBC1, 9.30am - 10am). A big thanks to PML for the prior notification. And if you ain't a member of ASKE yet - why not!?

Thursday 17th June
BBC2 9pm - 10pm
The Secret Swami: This World
David Butcher writes (in the Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)), "The bizarre Indian guru Sai Baba is like a figure from another age. Actually, guru is, I think, the wrong description: "living god" is most likely what he has on his passport, because that's what he and his millions of followers believe him to be. He might look like Benny from Crossroads in an Afro wig to you but his devotees believe he's an incarnation of the divine, just like Krishna or Christ.
What a surprise it is to discover this devoutly revered figure has feet of clay. A growing number of his followers have raised accusations that Sai Baba sexually abused them, and this film talks to some of them. It also meets Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Isaac Tigrett, who sent Sai Baba's message around the world by making his "Love All Serve All" mantra the corporate slogan of his restaurant empire. He now has to deal with the fact that his spiritual leader may have been a paedophile.
Maybe Tigrett should have paid more attention to Sai Baba's habit of "materialising" objects such as Rolex watches from thin air. You'd have a few doubts about any "living god" who bothered with sleight-of-hand party tricks like that, wouldn't you?"

Here's some background reading: Commentary, December 8th 2000 (http://www.randi.org/jr/12-08-2000.html)

[tim]

Thanks for the info about Sai Baba, Jim. These bas*ards really get my goat.

[davidhorman]

The show will be aired tomorrow morning, apparently

Was it any good? I could have actually tolerated Nadia Sawalha and Nick "Nicky" Ross for that!

David

[JimTheBrit]

An audio rip of the programme is still the best I can do at the moment, David. I hope you're on broadband as the file's 12 Meg in size: Now You're Talking 10/6/04: Psychics - Do They Really Have Special Powers? (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimmy13/NYT100604.mp3) (30 mins approx)

Tuesday 15th June
Radio 4 3.45pm - 4pm
Strange and Sundry Stuarts
"2/5. Justin Champion queries one of the most enduring stories of witchcraft in Restoration Britain - the Tedworth Drummer."

According to the schedules, Andrea Foulkes will be conducting another regression during This Morning, ITV, 10.30am - 12.30pm. That'll be on Wednesday 16th June. Regression segments seem to be fortnightly, so I'd actually expect to see the next session aired on the 23rd.
Later in the week (Friday 18th June), we'll be treated to healer Matthew Manning's powers as he tackles eczema. Expect "Well yes Fern, I did feel something when he put his hands on me."

Also of interest ... ?
Wednesday 16th June
Five 9pm - 10pm
The Real Flying Saucers: Stranger Than Fiction
"The ever-intriguing cult phenomenon of the flying saucer is explored in this documentary, which examines how the US military first spread rumours of "alien visits" in the 1940s to cover up evidence of top-secret military aircraft."
More disinformation courtesy of the MIB and their media puppets ;)

Brief mentions:
Sat 19 June BBC2 2am-2.30am OU TV: The Argument From Design, repeat from 18/1/04.

The Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/) is the source of all quoted text, as usual.

[JimTheBrit]

Just to prove me wrong, there is a regression on the This Morning show later today (at 11.45 am). A woman who was a witch in a past life, no less. Another session is due on Wednesday 23rd June. Show's on from 10.30am 'til 12.30pm

If you didn't catch the little gem of a programme that was 'Strange and Sundrie Stuarts: The Tedworth Drummer' yesterday, click here (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimmy13/TedworthDrummer-150604.mp3) (it isn't archived on the Radio 4 web site). Does any of it sound familiar? (mp3 format, 5.5 Mb, 14 mins)

Thursday 24th June
Radio 3 9.30pm - 10.15pm
Night Waves
"Whether through the legend of King Tut, the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle or films such as The Mummy Returns, the mummy was walked through all aspects of Western culture. But it almost always starts its journey at the British Museum. As a new exhibition - Mummy: the Inside Story - opens at the British Museum, Paul Allen explores the strange tales, bizarre deaths and curses associated with the "mummy in the museum".

Friday 25th June
ITV1 11.35pm - 12.30am
The World's Scariest Ghosts: Caught on Camera
*Will only be shown if there is live football*
"Video footage of spectral activity"

Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.beeb.com/content/features/magazine/)

[xenu]

Hi,

Miised the Sky One broadcast last week, but it's repeated on Sky One Mix tomorrow. Nice skeptical look at Joe Smith and his religion.

» 1 South Park - Jun 22 01:00 on Sky One Mix
Animated comedy series. When a Mormon child moves into the area, Stan and his dad become fascinated with the religion.

[xenu]

Originally posted by davidhorman


Was it any good? I could have actually tolerated Nadia Sawalha and Nick "Nicky" Ross for that!

David

hi

not bad I just watched the (taped) show - my original opinion was that my fellow skeptics were too aggressive. After watching the show I have changed my mind - they sounded excellent on TV!

The show mentioned the Randi $1m prize as well, on a banner subscript! Excellent

[exarch]

Originally posted by JimTheBrit
Brief mentions:
Sat 19 June BBC2 2am-2.30am OU TV: The Argument From Design, repeat from 18/1/04.Brief mention? I saw that, quite by accident really. Richard Dawkins can really express himself so easily, without sounding like a card carrying atheist like some of the other skeptics on the show.

[JimTheBrit]

Originally posted by xenu hi

not bad I just watched the (taped) show - my original opinion was that my fellow skeptics were too aggressive. After watching the show I have changed my mind - they sounded excellent on TV!

The show mentioned the Randi $1m prize as well, on a banner subscript! ExcellentI don't think the skeptics came across as aggressive but they did appear to be on the defensive for most of the programme (but then that's always the case, isn't it?). It didn't start particularly well IMHO, with the proclamation that "these ideas [that people have psychic powers] don't make any sense really [and] are ridiculous". I thought the following remarks that "all of the evidence is that when our relatives die, that's the end of it, there is no afterlife [...]" were also ill-founded given that there was a roomful of people who were convinced the evidence showed otherwise. Psychic Dennis kinda shot himself in the foot with " not given any specifics - hard evidence". It's hard to take anyone claiming accurate readings seriously after saying that. Um, another observation - in future it might be better to introduce an electronics fault as the cause of random television channel changing, rather than ask "Do you have a cat?" Ah well, it was a good attempt to fight an uphill battle. Kudos to all who went. I'm lookin' forward to the write-up of the time spent with the 'rescue psychics'.

[i]Originally posted by exarch Brief mention?Yup, 'twas a repeat from earlier in the year.


Wednesday 30th June
ITV1 10.30am - 12.30pm
This Morning
Andrea Foulkes. Regression. You know the score. (Paul McKenna does the same thing during Tuesday's shows with nary a mention of past lives, incidentally.)

Of interest ... ?
Saturday 26th June
2.30am - 3am
OU TV: Lifelines
The story of the intellectual struggle that established the theory of evolution as the cornerstone of our understanding of life.

Brief mentions:
Sun 27 June Radio 3 Noon-1pm Private Passions, Francis 'How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World' Wheen guests

From the archives:
BBC World Service
The Big Question (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/big_question.shtml): 19/6/04 - Can we trust history?
Patterns of Faith (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/patterns.shtml): 19/6/04 - Can dreams simply be all in the mind? (Ain't listened to this yet, no idea if it's relevant.)

[JimTheBrit]

Prof Gary Schwartz is on the This Morning show in 2 mins time, ITV1

Edit: He appeared with Montague Keen's widow, talking about Mr Keen's activities since his death. He's a very active spirit, apparently. I'll post a sound clip of the segment in a couple of hours.

Note that both Mrs. Keen and Prof Schwartz have promised to return to the programme on Monday morning (10.30am - 12.30pm, ITV1) to present more evidence of Mr Keen's survival after death.

Intriguing.

[davidhorman]

I've posted a link to a video of the interview in this thread (http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42339).

David

[davidhorman]

Tonight, ITV1, Meridian region and possibly others:

DOCUMENTARY: The World's Scariest Ghosts Caught on Camera
Time: 23:35 to 00:30
A look at some of the scariest real-life ghost stories, investigating cases of haunted houses and poltergeists and speaking to some of the people involved in such events.

David

[JimTheBrit]

As promised, Prof Schwartz and Veronica Keen return to the This Morning show today to present the "compelling evidence" for life after death. Tune in at 12.10pm (ITV1).

[davidhorman]

More clips of this morning's This Morning (Keen and Schwartz) in "official" thread:

http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&postid=1870517214#post1870517214

David

[JimTheBrit]

Here's an audio rip of another 'Now You're Talking!' show that's lain undiscovered in my video collection. A fortnight before the 'psychic powers' discussion aired, this show asked 'Spiritual Healing - Cure or Con?' You'll hear from healer 'Andrew' (who cures ailments with the aid of dead physicians ala Stephen Turoff) and GP Dr Trevor Stammers (who makes some very good points). Some may recognise the voice of Wendy Grossman.

Now You're Talking! 26/5/04 (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimmy13/NYT-SpiritualHealing.mp3) (mp3, 11Mb, 30mins approx)

Friday 9th July
BBC2 12.05am - 12.45am
Time Shift: Gurus
"Time Shift considers how the philosophy of the Indian guru has entered mainstream British society."
More details on this programme can be found here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/timeshift/gurus.shtml)

Also of interest ... ?
Friday 9th July
Radio 3 9.35pm - 10.20pm
Night Waves
"Paul Allen and guests, including Keith Ward and Martin Palmer, discuss the impact of Eastern thought on Western thinking about religion and spirituality."

Source of quoted text: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

Thanks to TY, we may now know why those with a skeptical bent are so unenlightened. According to Daily Express correspondent Anna Pukas (and based on comments made by Fife psychic Emma King) we rationalists only use a meagre 12 per cent of our brains. In contrast, those more attuned to their intuitive side utilise a whopping 88 per cent of the grey jelly. Skeptics can take heart, I suppose, with the knowledge that 12 per cent brain usage is a 20% increase in the figure usually quoted (http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?articleID=000B077E-AD46-1047-AD4683414B7F0000&catID=3&chanID=sa008). According to the Express article, anyone wishing to hone their sixth sense may try these development exercises:
(1) Guessing the next playing card.
(2) Sensing auras.
(3) Sensing who's calling you before answering the phone.
(4) Trying to spot the most overused example of the existence of a 6th sense in the UK ... clue: it's (3)
No mention is made of how many repetitions of these exercises are needed to reach the 13% mark, nor the dip in percentage caused by much rolling of the eyes and slapping of the forehead.
The article, entitled 'Do we all have a sixth sense?', is based on the results of "remote staring" and "direct mental interaction" experiments conducted at Germany's Freiburg University (and published in the British Journal of Psychology). If you want to get yer hands on the June 28th article, it's available from all good libraries' archives.

[JimTheBrit]

In lieu of Gwyneth Paltrow's bruised appearance (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3879447.stm) at a film premiere, Newsnight tonight will feature another (http://www.randi.org/jr/070904that.html#4) report on complementary medicine. If my own experiences of acupuncture are anything to go by, Ms Paltrow got off very lightly indeed.

Friday 9th July
BBC2 10.30pm - 11pm
Newsnight

[tim]

Originally posted by JimTheBrit
In lieu of Gwyneth Paltrow's bruised appearance (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3879447.stm) at a film premiere, Newsnight tonight will feature another (http://www.randi.org/jr/070904that.html#4) report on complementary medicine. If my own experiences of acupuncture are anything to go by, Ms Paltrow got off very lightly indeed.

Friday 9th July
BBC2 10.30pm - 11pm
Newsnight

Thanks for this Jim - and thanks for all the time you put in keeping this thread up to date. You're a hero!
Cheers! (raises glass of beer to Jim!)
:D :D :D

[JimTheBrit]

Ta Tim!

Tuesday 13th July
Radio 4 9pm - 9.30pm
All in the Mind
"Dr Raj Persaud looks at the contentious issue of recovered memory. Are people who recall childhood abuse and trauma in later life really tapping into lost memories or are they, as some people think, drawing on false memory? [...]"
Some very moving personal stories about recovered memories can be found in the archives of WBEZ Chicago's 'This American Life (http://www.thislife.org/)' programme. Specifically, act 1 of episode 215 ('Ask the Expert'), dated 14th June 2002. Bear them in mind the next time someone asks "what's the harm?"

Wednesday 14th July
ITV1 10am - 12.30pm
Another regression with Andrea Foulkes.
Surprisingly, Ms Foulkes has only now established a web presence (http://www.andreafoulkes.co.uk) even though she's been a frequent guest on the 'This Morning' show since January. According to This Morning's website (http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=1374), an initial regression session with Ms Foulkes "is two hours long and costs £160, any subsequent sessions are 1-2 hours based on a price of £75 per hour." That ain't a bad earner.

From the archives:
Radio 4
Today programme: 10/4/04 - How important is religion today? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today3_religion_200
40410.ram) 12 mins

Source for all quotes (unless otherwise specified): Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[davidhorman]

ENTERTAINMENT: Derren Brown Plays Russian Roulette
Channel: Channel 4
Date: Thursday 15th July 2004
Time: 23:25 to 01:00 (starting in 1 hour and 56 minutes)
Duration: 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Another chance to see the now infamous stunt performed by psychological illusionist Derren Brown in October 2003 when a chosen member of the public loaded a handgun with one bullet. Brown then held the gun to his head, pulling the trigger repeatedly until he came to the live chamber. Derren addresses some of the questions raised about the stunt and demonstrates some more street magic.

David

[JimTheBrit]

Repeat:
Sunday 18th July
BBC2 4am - 4.50am
OU TV: Does Science Matter?
Originally broadcast 24th July 2003 - see page 1.

More to follow shortly.

[JimTheBrit]

Thursday 22nd July
Radio 4 9.30am - 9.45am
Test Tubes and Tantrums
"4/5 William Hartson rakes through the muck kicked up as a result of great scientific disagreements. Plant scientists in Stalinist Russia came under pressure to increase food production and science was sacrificed to politics, with tragic results"
Enter comrade Lysenko, stage left. Exit scientific investigation, stage right.

Also of interest ... ?
Monday 19th July
Channel 4 9pm - 10pm
Pagans
"1/4 Sexy beasts. Anthropologist Richard Rudgeley demonstrates how contemporary British attitudes to subjects as diverse as the supernatural, luck, sex and the environment have their roots in Europe's pagan past. Rudgeley begins by examining how our pagan ancestors related to the animal kingdom, and exploring their perspectives on sex, death and power. How did paganism come to be synonymous with licentiousness and anarchy, and did pagans really deserve their reputation for indecency?"

Brief mentions:
Mon 19 July Radio 4 12.15am-12.45am The Innermost Master, includes searching for hidden numerical messages in the works of J S Bach.
Tues 20 July Radio 4 3.45pm-4pm Blood is Thicker Than Water 2/5, repeat from 25/11/03 (page 1)
Thur 22 July Five 8pm-9pm Loch Ness Monster: the Search for the Truth, repeat from 22/11/03 (page 1)

Cable:
I notice that the UKTV Documentary channel is rebroadcasting (what I assume is) the Horizon programme tomorrow:

Monday 19th July
UKTV Documentary 10pm - 11pm
Homeopathy: The Test
"Testing the validity of homeopathic medicine."

And though I'm unsure of the kind of programme quality you get on cable, on the basis of the above repeat, the following might also be worth watching (earlier the same day):

Monday 19th July
UKTV Documentary 11am - 12noon (repeated at 2pm and 5pm)
The Day I Died
"Could the mind live on beyond the death of the brain?"

Plus, very early in the morning ...

Monday 19th July
Discovery 1am - 2am
Placebo: Cracking the Code
"The placebo is one of the biggest mysteries of medicine. We explore the truth behind the lie that heals and ask whether the placebo can do more harm than good."
Source: Discovery channel (http://discoverychannel.co.uk/_home/index.shtml) listings

Source for all quotes (unless otherwise specified): Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

Monday 26th July
Channel 4 9pm - 10pm
Pagans
"2/4. Magic Moments. The series that uncovers modern Europe's forgotten pagan heritage continues. Anthropologist Richard Rudgley turns his attention to science and superstition, exploring how some of our pagan ancestors exploited what were perceived as magical forces to gain power and prestige."

No comment.

Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

[JimTheBrit]

Wednesday 11th August
Radio 4 8pm - 8.45pm
The Commission
"New series 1/8. From passive smoking to whether mobile phones can reduce fertility - health scares frequently make the headlines. But how is the public to judge the seriousness of each claim? Nick Ross asks if we are too easily frightened."

Friday 13th August
Radio 4 12.30pm - 1pm
Face the Facts
"4/6. John Waite investigates a religious movement that claims it has the answer to female infertility: miracle babies that defy all scientific explanation."

Of interest ... ?

Tuesday 10th August
Radio 4 8pm - 8.40pm
Converting Britain
"Fifty years ago Billy Graham hit London with the force of a thunderbolt. His evangelical crusade drew more than two million to Harringay Arena. Many of them went forward to dedicate their lives to Jesus. Jane Little sets out to discover how Graham's message and his followers have fared since those days and investigates the claim that Graham's crusade was part of an organised strategy against communism."

Source, as always: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)


More soon ...

[JimTheBrit]

The Sky News channel will be running a feature on alternative medicine at 11.30am later this morning.

[JimTheBrit]

Newsnight tonight (10.30pm – 11.20pm): “Tom Carver will be looking at how George Bush is hoping to capitalise on the fervent support he gets from church goers, and asking if he is treading in dangerous territory mixing politics with religion?“ Source: Newsnight newletter (http://www.bbc.co.uk/email/newsnight)

Saturday 4th September
ITV1 12.00am-12.40am
The Dan and Dusty Show
"Psychic Uri Geller joins the two singing puppets on the sofa tonight where, as well as bending the odd spoon, he will be attempting to get Dan and Dusty's single to number one."

Thursday 9th September
BBC1 7pm – 7.30pm
Should I Worry About …?
“New series 1/8. Mobile Phones. Forty percent of people believe that mobile-phone masts are a health hazard. Some even claim that mobiles can “cook� the brain – but is there any hard scientific evidence to support such lurid rumours? In the first of his light-hearted investigations into headline-grabbing scare stories, Richard Hammond meets scientists in the know, gathers evidence on safe mobile usage – and confronts industry insiders dodging tough questions.�

Thursday 9th September
Channel 4 9pm – 10pm
The 9/11 Conspiracies
“Within hours of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001, dozens of theories began circulating about “the truth� behind the event. This enlightening documentary seeks to examine these conspiracy theories – from the intriguingly plausible to the downright absurd – through the evidence of official investigators, intelligence sources and eyewitnesses.�

Brief mentions:
Wed 1 Sep BBC1 12.40am-1.40am Star Sale, featuring Uri Geller. Another chance to see that sterling example of Mr Geller bending a spoon using other-than-paranormal powers. If ya can’t wait ‘til tonight, see it http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimmy13/Geller-SpoonBend-StarSale-100604.AVI]here ( (.avi, 2.5Mb, 20 secs).
Wed 1 Sep BBC2 9pm-10.30pm The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy, repeat from 23/11/03 (see page 1)
Thur 2 Sep Five 9pm-10.30pm Greatest Chat Show TV Moments, no doubt starring a (turquoise clad?) Mr Icke and a Mr Wogan at some point.
Wed 8 Sep BBC2 7.30pm-8pm A Seaside Parish, a group of pensioners try to use the power of prayer to help a friend who’s unwell.
Thur 9 Sep BBC2 6pm-7pm Get a New Life, features aura photography.

Source for above quotes and info: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

Those who caught “This World: The Secret Swami�, may be interested to know that journalist Tanya Dutta‘s report on premier Indian skeptic Basava Premanand is still available in the Radio 4 archive, here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/itsmystory_280803.shtml).
There was one important question left unanswered for me at the end of the This World programme; what was it that caused the Rahm family’s faith in Sai Baba to be crushed by their son’s accusations about the guru? They could have just as easily dismissed the allegations as insidious attempts to smear their sacrosanct swami, or accepted them as true but inconsequential (as in the case of Hard-Rock-Café-founder Isaac Tigrett). Faith is a curious, unpredictable thing.

I caught the third and fourth episodes of Mind, Body and Kick Ass Moves on BBC3 and there were more amulets, Gods, ghosts and Qi forces than you shake a stick at. Chief among the supernatural-power-invoking martial artists had to be the Sun Gong, whose spokesperson, Sifo Cho, confidently asserted, “Our performances are proof that Gods and ghosts exist.� A quick review of those demonstrations:
-Lying on broken glass and having a stone tablet broken on the chest using a hammer, replicated here ( http://www.exn.ca/video/?video=exn20030611-shaolin4.asx) (.asx, 6 mins)
-Smashing bricks over body parts, another example of the above, IMO.
-Leaning onto a spear with the point pressed into the throat, kinda http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimmy13/Willey-ArrowBreak-PTBS9.AVI]like ( [url) this (.avi*, 10.5Mb, 1 min).
-Stamping on broken glass, a variation on this (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimmy13/Willey-GlassWalk-PTBS9.AVI) (.avi*, 10Mb, 1 min) -although one participant was so enthusiastic I dare say the Gods must’ve been with him if he remained free from cuts.
-Resisting machete blows to the paunch of the midriff. Okay, this one beat me, I ain’t got no suitable clips to hand.
-Chewing broken glass without injury … about as humdrum as an amazing power gets.
The Sun Gong could’ve been protected by Gods and ghosts but with so many of the techniques and forces used to perform very similar feats clearly understood, the onus is on them to show the intervention of supernature.
*Source: Penn & Teller: BS series 1 episode 9 “Self-Helpless�

In the fourth episode of MB&KAM, presenter Chris Crudelli explains "If you don't know what Chi is, there's a saying that might help you: You can live for three months without food, you can live for three days without water, you can live for three minutes without air, but you can't live for one single second without Chi."
Er, that didn't really make things any clearer for me, Chris :(

Mind, Body and Kick Ass Moves continues tomorrow, Wednesday 1st September with episodes seven and eight at 10.35pm ('til 11.35pm) on BBC3 (repeated Thursday at 11.30pm).

From the archives:
Radio 4
Home Truths:
21/8/04 Humanists (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hometruths/20040823 humanists.shtml), 9 mins
On a similar note, BBC4 will be broadcasting "Jonathan Miller's Brief History of Disbelief" ("the first TV history of atheism") in the not-too-distant future.

Today programme:
14/8/04 Lourdes and the pope's visit (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today0_pope_20040814.ram), 4 mins

[JimTheBrit]

If you've got Sky or cable, tonight (Monday 6th September) on the Discovery Channel, 9pm - 10pm: Mythbusters 2. "Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage find out if a toilet explodes when a flammable substance is sprayed into the bowl." Source: Radio Times magazine (http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/magazine/)

If you haven't seen the trailer already, there'll be the return of a familiar young lady later this month on the same channel. Details tomorrow ....

[Diamond]

Originally posted by JimTheBrit


Saturday 4th September
ITV1 12.00am-12.40am
The Dan and Dusty Show
"Psychic Uri Geller joins the two singing puppets on the sofa tonight where, as well as bending the odd spoon, he will be attempting to get Dan and Dusty's single to number one."


This is sad on so many levels...

[JimTheBrit]

Originally posted by Diamond
This is sad on so many levels... I find the show excrutiating, and it was only Uri’s appearance that made it bearable! Speaking of the cutlerymeister, here’s another clip of him plying his powers - germinating a seed (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jimmy13/Geller-SeedGrow-OnHolWithGellers-240803.AVI) in ‘On Holiday with the Gellers, broadcast in August last year (.avi, 11Mb, 1 min). A demonstration of this feat with nary a mention of paranormality can be seen in episode four of Channel 5’s past series, ‘Psychic Secrets Revealed’.

Of interest … ?

Sunday 12th September
ITV1 11.15pm – 11.45pm
Not Just on Sunday
“How much should religious belief influence political life? Tory MP Ann Widdercombe, the president of the Liberal Democrats, Lord Dholakia, and the Bishop of Oxford, Richard Harries, join presenter Melvyn Bragg to discuss the issues surrounding religion and politics.�

Thursday 16th September
BBC2 9pm – 9.50pm
Horizon: The Truth About Vitamins
“Britain is becoming a nation of pill-poppers. But while we consume over £300 million-worth of vitamin supplements, are they actually doing us any good? Horizon examines some of the latest research – and commissions some experiments of its own – in an attempt to determine just how beneficial these “natural remedies� are. Could they actually be causing us harm?�

Brief mentions:
Mon 13 Sep Ch4 3.05am-4.05am The 9/11 C