Derek Acorah’s Ghost Towns

Derek Acorah’s Ghost Towns
Derek Acorah

‘Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns’ is a collection of stories to tie-in with the SKY LIVING tv series starring Britain's best-loved medium Derek Acorah. Ghost Towns sees Derek take to the road to meet the people of Britain.Derek Acorah is coming to a town near you. This fascinating TV tie-in follows Derek’s adventures up and down the country. At the heart of his show is the Ghost Truck, which moves from town to town seeking new ghostly experiences. In each episode, the team investigates four mysteries in a haunted town, which involves painstaking night vigils, midnight séances and contact with locals who have passed over to and now reside in the spirit world.His adventures include:• Bristol – why do the Odeon usherettes refuse to clean screen 3 alone?• Royston – who is the drunken spirit who haunts an old police station?Derek also knocks on the doors of unsuspecting members of the public to deliver psychic messages – will his Doorstep Divination always be welcome? Can he convince even the most hardened sceptics?

Derek Acorah’s

Ghost Towns

Contents

Cover (#u25afb578-2bae-546b-bb1c-abb7e13c64d7)

Title Page (#u30ca57e8-93cf-5c2d-bf86-0bf0acc9ec59)

Introduction (#uad6164a7-d252-56ce-ac96-20390499c97b)

Faversham (#uac4e5450-5d80-5ebc-8146-b5bf2cdb08d0)

The Shipwright’s Arms (#ulink_26adb18d-0550-561e-9ac1-15d25720c954)

The Crouch Family Home (#ulink_36695592-f16c-5b68-8be3-f19b66063752)

Via Mystica Shop (#ulink_fc808fde-b914-53d8-b50e-f0cf47d7e2f5)

Faversham Brewery (#ulink_a39fb0d7-1507-59fa-a959-50bbf1bf6100)

Shrewsbury (#litres_trial_promo)

The Parade Shopping Centre (#litres_trial_promo)

Pengwerne Books (#litres_trial_promo)

The Old Post Office Hotel (#litres_trial_promo)

The Haunted Flat (#litres_trial_promo)

Maidstone (#litres_trial_promo)

Profile Selection and Recruitment Agency (#litres_trial_promo)

Maidstone Museum (#litres_trial_promo)

Doorstep Divination (#litres_trial_promo)

Feng Shui Chinese Restaurant (#litres_trial_promo)

The Ringlestone Inn (#litres_trial_promo)

Northampton (#litres_trial_promo)

The Haunted House (#litres_trial_promo)

The Grosvenor Shopping Centre (#litres_trial_promo)

Greyfriars Bus Station (#litres_trial_promo)

Snappy Snaps (#litres_trial_promo)

The Wig and Pen Public House (#litres_trial_promo)

Royston (#litres_trial_promo)

Banyers Hotel (#litres_trial_promo)

Walsh’s Garage (#litres_trial_promo)

Doorstep Divination (#litres_trial_promo)

Henrick’s Hairdressing (#litres_trial_promo)

The Old Police Station (#litres_trial_promo)

Bedford (#litres_trial_promo)

New York, New York Nightclub (#litres_trial_promo)

The Swiss Garden (#litres_trial_promo)

The King’s Arms (#litres_trial_promo)

Twinwood Airfield (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Introduction (#ulink_51b04bb8-c308-55f3-8fed-d07ce8467f36)

The enormous black-and-silver Ghost Truck rolled into town. This was the start of a whole new journey for me. Where would it lead? I felt very excited. I was taking my own show on the road, going out to meet people the length and breadth of the country and using my mediumship to investigate their Ghost Towns…

Getting the show on the road

How did it all start? Since 2001 I had been working on the highly successful Most Haunted television show, but after five series and over 100 investigations I felt it was time to move on. I was asked to stay for one more series and when that was over I was ready for something different. When LIVINGtv offered me the chance to host my own show in a new format, I was delighted.

Richard Woolfe, then director of television for LIVINGtv, and Paul Flexton, managing director of Ruggie Media, who had worked with me on LIVINGtv’s Loose Lips and I’m Famous and Frightened, had a great idea: putting a show on the road – literally. We would go out to the public and investigate their stories. That meant we would investigate shops, offices, pubs, hotels, houses – anywhere in fact where paranormal activity had been reported. Anything could happen – and probably would. I was only too happy to take part.

‘Derek loved the idea. He was ready for a new challenge. He was really excited about the show and he’s loved it ever since. And we’re delighted to be working with the best medium in the country.’

Paul Flexton, executive producer

The show was commissioned in the middle of June 2005 and we had to get moving, as the first series was to go out in October.

The Ghost Towns family

Joining me on my journeys around the country would be Danniella Westbrook and Angus Purden. I first met Danniella on Granada Breeze’s Psychic Livetime, though I knew of her work as an actress and, later, as a programme presenter. She had been intrigued by the paranormal ever since she had seen a ghost in her own home and had described presenting a programme on the paranormal as her ‘dream job’, so when the show was put together her name was top of the list.

Strangely enough, Angus also worked as a presenter, was interested in the paranormal and had seen a ghost. As a child he had lived in a house on a hill surrounded by trees, and once he had looked out of his bedroom window and seen a ghostly shape silhouetted there. Later on he had felt guided by his deceased grandmother and had had an accurate psychic reading, but he still didn’t accept everything uncritically.

‘I have always been fascinated by everything from déjà vu to reincarnation, but I’ve always had a certain amount of scepticism too – a healthy scepticism, if you like! I’ve always had to analyse and question everything.’

Angus

When I met him we got on very well and I knew that his open-minded approach would be an asset to the show. And in spite of a few scares along the way, he is loving it!

‘A mad, crazy job that involved working through the night – I had to do it. And it is great fun!’

Angus

Angus and Danniella had never met before, but they also hit it off straightaway and now they enjoy spending time together talking, drinking coffee and going shopping. I have heard a rumour that Danniella has bought clothes in every town so far. She and Angus have even started shopping for colour-coordinated outfits for the show. As we’re usually filming with night-vision cameras, unfortunately the viewing public don’t often get the full benefit!