Karl Beattie (born 2 April 1963) is an English television director, producer, and cameraman, best known as co-creator, director, and executive producer of Most Haunted.
Career
Beattie began his television career as a camera assistant on the BBC's Parallel 9, before training as a cameraman and working on a range of British programmes including Gladiators, Blind Date, and Robot Wars.
In 2002, Beattie and his wife, Yvette Fielding, founded Antix Productions, whose first commission was Most Haunted for Living TV. Beattie served as the show's director and executive producer throughout its run, and also appeared on screen during investigations, often handling technical equipment and filming alongside the rest of the team. He went on to create, produce, and direct Ghosthunting With... for ITV2 in 2006, and in 2008 he and Fielding launched The Paranormal Channel, later renamed The Unexplained Channel.
In 2015, Beattie publicly rejected claims from some viewers that a [[Most Haunted#Most Haunted Live!|Most Haunted Live! broadcast had been staged, and later filmed a reconstruction responding to the allegations.
Martial arts and "samurai" reports
Beattie holds dan-level ranking in Ryukyu Kempo and Wado Ryu karate, and has trained in several other disciplines including Iaido and Wing Chun. In 2004, media coverage described him as "the only living samurai outside Japan," a title he has since downplayed, though he has said the distinction was passed to him informally by his martial arts instructor rather than through any formal modern samurai class, which was abolished in Japan in 1868.
Personal life
Beattie has been married to Yvette Fielding since 1999. They have a daughter together, and Beattie is stepfather to Fielding's son from her first marriage. They live in Cheshire.