Not a ghost of a chance this show is serious

Published on Tuesday 6 December 2005 02:11

MAKERS of the cult supernatural show Most Haunted were in high spirits last night after being cleared of allegations that they duped viewers.

Several people complained that the Living TV show, featuring psychic Derek Acorah, had deceived viewers when it claimed to have uncovered paranormal activity.

But in one of its more unusual rulings, the watchdog Ofcom said the programme could not be taken seriously and therefore could not be a fake.

The show routinely visits allegedly haunted venues in an attempt to commune with the spirits of the dead. Sudden nocturnal bangings, camera work similar to horror film The Blair Witch Project and heavy use of green night filters are trademarks of the format.

However, Ofcom took a more down-to-earth view of Most Haunted and its equally successful spin-off, Most Haunted Live.

It said: "The show contains a high degree of showmanship that puts it beyond what we believe to be a generally accepted understanding of what comprises a legitimate investigation.

"On balance we consider that overall Most Haunted/Most Haunted Live should be taken to be a programme produced for entertainment purposes."

Most Haunted, now in its sixth series, has routinely attracted audiences of one million per show - an impressive feat for a digital TV channel.

Its stunts have included attempts to get inside the mind of Jack the Ripper and stalking the footsteps of ghosts said to linger at Tower Bridge in London.

Ofcom appeared unimpressed by "occasional assertions" that what viewers were witnessing was a genuine paranormal occurrence.

"This programme should be seen in the light of shows where techniques are used which mean the audience is not necessarily in full possession of the facts," the watchdog said.

The Most Haunted format has been sold to the United States and further spin-offs involving the undead are in the pipeline. Coming up next year is Derek Acorah's Top Ten Possessions, in which the Virgin Radio DJ Christian O'Connell examines the psychic's best "possessed moments".

In other Ofcom rulings yesterday, the David Jason detective series A Touch Of Frost was criticised for showing violent scenes before the 9pm watershed. In one programme, a masked intruder stabbed to death a mother and daughter after breaking into their home. Detective Inspector Jack Frost, played by Jason, was seen inspecting the mother's bloodied body in the episode, screened in September.

Ofcom said: "The sinister build-up in the family home, the attack on the mother and the images of her bloodied body were all potentially disturbing elements, particularly to children."

The Channel 4 prank show Balls of Steel, which revolves around practical jokes, drew 71 complaints from viewers, but Ofcom cleared it of breaching programme guidelines.