Ghosts. On TV. Real ones. Possibly.
Shown on the UK's Living TV cable TV channel, this half-hour show is the brainchild of ex-Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding.
The premise is a simple one - Yvette and her crew (most of whom also appear on camera in ghost-hunting mode) spend 24 hours in one of the UK's many haunted buildings. Also along for the ride are the camp parapsychologist Jason Karl and the equally-camp Liverpudlian spiritualist medium Derek Acorah.
The first half of the programme is typically preamble, with some history of the building and interviews with building owners about the paranormal goings-on. This is usually pretty dull and only enlivened by moody shots of Yvette in a long black leather trenchcoat stalking through dry ice fumes like she has some kind of complex.
In the next half, the crew switch off the lights and proceed to wander around with night vision digital camcorders. Then, one of two things happen. Sometimes, we're treated to lots of footage of green faces peering into the darkness and dialogue along the lines of "What was that?" "Me." "Oh.". These non-events do at least lend a certain amount of authenticity to the programme, even if they make for dull viewing.
At other times, however, some genuinely spooky things are caught on tape and these usually begin with Derek channeling some of the resident spirits, much to the obvious horror of Yvette. Despite not (we're told) having any prior information about the place he's at, Derek is usually pretty accurate with his information, which makes you wonder how he does it.
Orbs are also captured on tape with some regularity but never with enough clarity to reveal whether they're really some kind of ethereal manifestation or simply a side-effect of the cameras' infra-red beams as they encounter stray moths . Sometimes, other strange things happen - doors suddenly open or close, strange noises are heard, motion detectors are tripped and perhaps least convincingly, the crew witness (but don't film) strange apparitions and suddenly experience unusual emotional states, resulting in some novel video footage.
Perhaps one of the most compelling pieces of footage was filmed in Derby Gaol. A cross was placed upon a piece of paper, onto which its outline had been traced. This was then left in a locked cell with a camcorder pointed at it and left running. Later in the evening, not only had the cross moved but the camcorder had caught the paper lifting and rolling in a most peculiar way, before being firmly yanked. Unfortunately, the camera was positioned in just such a way that the yanker was off-camera, leaving the footage open to interpretation and Yvette to gaze thoughtfully at the viewers.