Just in case anyone is interested, the guys over at Bad Psychics have given a synopsis of the recent Channel 5 documentary which followed infamous psychic and Most Haunted regular, Derek Ogilvie (the Glaswegian psychic) as he 'performed' for James Randi and Chris French. I won't spoil the ending, but lets just say James Randi still has a wad of cash stuffed under his matress.

http://badpsychics.com/thefraudfiles/modules/news/article.php?storyid=860

There are links at the bottom of the page to youtube, i watched them........ what a T****r.. but even better is the other bits on the old tube that show James Randi debunking other psychics

Love it

I watched this, and thought the "psychic" must be either very stupid or very arrogant to think he'd pass Randi's tests! Compared to the vitriol of his newsletters (perhaps he doesn't write them himself anymore?) I was surprised at how sensible and pleasant Randi came across.

If psychic powers do exist, I really don't think they're anything like what mainstream TV Acorah-alikes claim to possess, or consequently what the JREF tests for because it tends to be these TV twerps who put themselves forward. I suspect in truth it's a far more spontaneous thing. Further, I think it's useful to make the distinction between "I've seen the future" style mediumship and the intriguing apparent psychic experiences a lot of people seem to get at so-called haunted locations: apparitions, impressions of names, emotions etc.

I know that people have strange experiences, some of which seem and maybe actually psychic in nature. I know with Turtlethrone he would see actual figures and scenes appear before him, but he didn't accept the dogma his family of spiritualists expected him to and didn't accept he was seeing dead people.

I can fully accept that some people out there are having genuine experiences that make them believe they are i contact with the other side or have psychic powers...and maybe they do, I don't know. But I personally think there are some very cunning frauds out there.

I agree - it's a shame that what is, at the root of it, a very interesting and valid topic has such scope for fraud. It's also a shame that it's this fraudlent side that the media tend to focus on.

JREF newsletter on the matter:

http://www.randi.org/joom/swift/swift-october-3-2008-2.html