Derek Acorah - Revision history

GaryJJSpate at 23:52, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T23:52:00Z

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	'''Derek Acorah''' (born Derek Francis Johnson; 27 January 1950 – 4 January 2020) was a British [[~~Psychic and Tarot~~\|spiritual medium]], author, and television personality, best known as the guest medium on the paranormal reality series ''[[Most Haunted]]''.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah, TV medium, dies aged 69 \|url=https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50991908 \|website=BBC News \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref>		'''Derek Acorah''' (born Derek Francis Johnson; 27 January 1950 – 4 January 2020) was a British [[Mediumship\|spiritual medium]], author, and television personality, best known as the guest medium on the paranormal reality series ''[[Most Haunted]]''.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah, TV medium, dies aged 69 \|url=https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50991908 \|website=BBC News \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref>

	== Early life ==		== Early life ==
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	=== Early television work ===		=== Early television work ===
	Acorah's first television appearances came in 1996 on the satellite channel Granada Breeze, where he presented ''Livetime'' and later ''Psychic Livetime'', followed by ''Predictions with Derek Acorah''.<ref name="~~alchetron~~">{{cite web \|title=~~Derek~~ Acorah ~~~ Detailed Biography with Photos~~, ~~Videos~~ \|url=https://~~alchetron~~.com/Derek-~~Acorah~~ \|website=~~Alchetron~~}}</ref>		Acorah's first television appearances came in 1996 on the satellite channel Granada Breeze, where he presented ''Livetime'' and later ''Psychic Livetime'', followed by ''Predictions with Derek Acorah''; he remained with the channel for five years until it was folded into the main Granada network.<ref name="occultworld">{{cite web \|title=Acorah, Derek \|url=https://occult-world.com/derek-acorah/ \|website=Occult World}}</ref> In January 1998 he travelled to Los Angeles to take part in paranormal investigations for the International Society for Paranormal Research, and returned to California in 2000 to record a pilot for a further show.<ref name="derekacorahcom">{{cite web \|title=About Derek Acorah \|url=https://derekacorah.com/about-derek \|website=derekacorah.com}}</ref>

	=== Most Haunted ===		=== Most Haunted ===
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	=== Later career ===		=== Later career ===
	After leaving ''Most Haunted'', Acorah continued working across British television and live performance, including presenting ''[[Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns]]'', which ran for three series in 2005 and 2006, and two series for Sky Real Lives in 2008.<ref name="~~alchetron~~" /> In 2009, he attempted to contact Michael Jackson in a broadcast titled ''Derek Acorah's Michael Jackson: The Live Seance'', which was widely panned by critics and viewers.<ref name="scotsman" />		After leaving ''Most Haunted'', Acorah continued working across British television and live performance, including presenting ''[[Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns]]'', which ran for three series in 2005 and 2006, and two series for Sky Real Lives in 2008.<ref name="occultworld"/> In 2009, he attempted to contact Michael Jackson in a broadcast titled ''Derek Acorah's Michael Jackson: The Live Seance'', which was widely panned by critics and viewers.<ref name="scotsman" />

	He made a cameo appearance in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode "Army of Ghosts", and in 2017 appeared on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', finishing in fourth place.<ref name="bbc" /> He also toured with live stage shows and published several books recounting his experiences as a medium, including ''The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah'' (2004), ''Ghost Hunting with Derek Acorah'' (2005), and ''[[Derek Acorah: Extreme Psychic]]'' (2007).<ref name="goodreads">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah (Author) \|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/257520.Derek_Acorah \|website=Goodreads}}</ref>		He made a cameo appearance in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode "Army of Ghosts", and in 2017 appeared on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', finishing in fourth place.<ref name="bbc" /> He also toured with live stage shows and published several books recounting his experiences as a medium, including ''The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah'' (2004), ''Ghost Hunting with Derek Acorah'' (2005), and ''[[Derek Acorah: Extreme Psychic]]'' (2007).<ref name="goodreads">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah (Author) \|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/257520.Derek_Acorah \|website=Goodreads}}</ref>

GaryJJSpate at 02:24, 4 August 2026

2026-08-04T02:24:17Z

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	{{~~PersonInfobox~~		{{InfoboxPerson
	\|name=Derek Acorah		\|name=Derek Acorah
	\|image=Derek_Acorah_2013.jpeg		\|image=Derek_Acorah_2013.jpeg

GaryJJSpate at 15:01, 31 July 2026

2026-07-31T15:01:21Z

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	=== Most Haunted ===		=== Most Haunted ===
	Acorah joined ''[[Most Haunted]]'' on Living TV in 2002 as the show's resident guest medium, working alongside presenter [[Yvette Fielding]]. The series followed a team investigating reportedly haunted locations across the UK, with Acorah's on-camera "readings" and reported spirit contacts becoming a central feature of the format.<ref name="bbc" />		Acorah joined ''[[Most Haunted]]'' on Living TV in 2002 as the show's resident guest medium, working alongside presenter [[Yvette Fielding]]. The series followed a team investigating reportedly haunted locations across the UK, with Acorah's on-camera "readings" and reported spirit contacts becoming a central feature of the format.<ref name="bbc" /> His time on the show ended in 2005 amid the "Kreed Kafer" controversy (see [[#Controversies\|Controversies]], below).

	~~Acorah's~~ time on the show ended in 2005 ~~following a widely reported test by~~ the ~~programme's on-set parapsychologist, [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]], who invented a fictitious long-dead South African jailer named~~ "Kreed Kafer" — an anagram of "Derek Faker" — and fed the fabricated backstory to Acorah before an investigation at Bodmin Gaol. O'Keeffe said he was "stunned" when Acorah appeared to become possessed by the invented character on camera.<ref name="itv">{{cite web \|~~title=TV mystic Derek Acorah has died aged 69~~, his wife has said \|url=https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2020-01-04/tv-mystic-derek-acorah-has-died-aged-69 \|website=ITV News \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref> Yvette Fielding later said of the incident: "We tell people everything is real, then it turns out he was a fake, so he had to go."<ref name="itv" /> The incident became one of the best-known controversies in British television mediumship and fuelled long-running scepticism about the authenticity of his on-screen readings.

	=== Later career ===		=== Later career ===
	After leaving ''Most Haunted'', Acorah continued working across British television and live performance, including presenting ''[[Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns]]'', which ran for three series in 2005 and 2006, and two series for Sky Real Lives in 2008.<ref name="alchetron" /> In 2009, he attempted to contact Michael Jackson in a broadcast titled ''Derek Acorah's Michael Jackson: The Live Seance'', which was widely panned by critics and viewers.<ref name="scotsman" /> That same period, Acorah drew criticism after being quoted suggesting missing child Madeleine McCann had died and "joined the spirit world," a claim that greatly upset the McCann family; Acorah later said he had been misquoted.<ref name="scotsman" />		After leaving ''Most Haunted'', Acorah continued working across British television and live performance, including presenting ''[[Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns]]'', which ran for three series in 2005 and 2006, and two series for Sky Real Lives in 2008.<ref name="alchetron" /> In 2009, he attempted to contact Michael Jackson in a broadcast titled ''Derek Acorah's Michael Jackson: The Live Seance'', which was widely panned by critics and viewers.<ref name="scotsman" />

	He made a cameo appearance in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode "Army of Ghosts", and in 2017 appeared on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', finishing in fourth place.<ref name="bbc" /> He also toured with live stage shows and published several books recounting his experiences as a medium, including ''The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah'' (2004), ''Ghost Hunting with Derek Acorah'' (2005), and ''[[Derek Acorah: Extreme Psychic]]'' (2007).<ref name="goodreads">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah (Author) \|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/257520.Derek_Acorah \|website=Goodreads}}</ref>		He made a cameo appearance in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode "Army of Ghosts", and in 2017 appeared on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', finishing in fourth place.<ref name="bbc" /> He also toured with live stage shows and published several books recounting his experiences as a medium, including ''The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah'' (2004), ''Ghost Hunting with Derek Acorah'' (2005), and ''[[Derek Acorah: Extreme Psychic]]'' (2007).<ref name="goodreads">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah (Author) \|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/257520.Derek_Acorah \|website=Goodreads}}</ref>

			== Controversies ==

			=== The Kreed Kafer incident ===
			Acorah's tenure on ''Most Haunted'' ended in 2005 following a widely reported test devised by the programme's on-set parapsychologist, [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]]. O'Keeffe invented a fictitious long-dead South African jailer named "Kreed Kafer" — an anagram of "Derek Faker" — and fed the fabricated backstory to Acorah ahead of an investigation at Bodmin Gaol. O'Keeffe said he was "stunned" when Acorah appeared to become possessed by the invented character on camera.<ref name="itv">{{cite web \|title=TV mystic Derek Acorah has died aged 69, his wife has said \|url=https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2020-01-04/tv-mystic-derek-acorah-has-died-aged-69 \|website=ITV News \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref> Yvette Fielding later said of the incident: "We tell people everything is real, then it turns out he was a fake, so he had to go."<ref name="itv" /> The incident became one of the best-known controversies in British television mediumship and fuelled long-running scepticism about the authenticity of his on-screen readings.

			=== The Madeleine McCann remark ===
			In the period following his ''Most Haunted'' departure, Acorah drew significant criticism after being quoted suggesting missing child Madeleine McCann had died and "joined the spirit world," a claim that greatly upset the McCann family; Acorah later said he had been misquoted.<ref name="scotsman" />

	== Personal life ==		== Personal life ==
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	== Reception ==		== Reception ==
	Acorah remains one of the most recognisable figures in British television mediumship, largely through his long run on ''Most Haunted''. His career was also persistently shadowed by scepticism, particularly following the 2005 Kreed Kafer incident, and he is frequently cited in discussions of the reliability of televised paranormal investigation.<ref name="itv" />		Acorah remains one of the most recognisable figures in British television mediumship, largely through his long run on ''Most Haunted''. His career was also persistently shadowed by scepticism, particularly following the 2005 Kreed Kafer incident, and he is frequently cited in discussions of the reliability of televised paranormal investigation.<ref name="itv" />

			{{VaultProfileBrief
			\|category=Psychic Medium / TV Personality
			\|relevance=Significant
			\|connection=Televised mediumship, claimed spirit communication, and one of the most widely cited exposures of alleged fakery in British paranormal television
			\|assessment=Derek Acorah was, for over a decade, one of the most visible faces of British televised mediumship, largely through his run on ''Most Haunted''. The 2005 Kreed Kafer incident — engineered by the show's own parapsychologist to test his claims — remains one of the most widely cited case studies in discussions of the reliability of on-screen psychic investigation, and continues to shape how his broader body of work and claims are assessed.
			}}

	== See also ==		== See also ==

GaryJJSpate at 14:51, 31 July 2026

2026-07-31T14:51:38Z

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	{{PersonInfobox		{{PersonInfobox
	\|name=Derek Acorah		\|name=Derek Acorah
			\|image=Derek_Acorah_2013.jpeg
			\|image_caption=Derek Acorah, 2013. Photo by Martinjcooper, CC BY-SA 3.0.
	\|born=27 January 1950, Bootle, Lancashire		\|born=27 January 1950, Bootle, Lancashire
	\|died=4 January 2020, Scarisbrick, Lancashire		\|died=4 January 2020, Scarisbrick, Lancashire

GaryJJSpate at 14:26, 31 July 2026

2026-07-31T14:26:13Z

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	[[Category:TV Personalities]]		[[Category:TV Personalities]]
	[[Category:People]]		[[Category:People]]
			[[Category:Derek Acorah]]

GaryJJSpate at 18:01, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T18:01:19Z

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	[[Category:Psychic Mediums]]		[[Category:Psychic Mediums]]
			[[Category:TV Personalities]]
	[[Category:People]]		[[Category:People]]

GaryJJSpate: /* Early life */

2026-07-29T13:02:33Z

Early life

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	== Early life ==		== Early life ==
	Acorah was born in [[Bootle]], Lancashire, and grew up in the north-west of England.<ref name="bbc" /> Before becoming a medium, he had a brief career as a footballer, on the books of [[Liverpool F.C.~~\|Liverpool]]~~ during the Bill Shankly era, but was released without playing a first-team game; he continued playing at other clubs before ending his football career in Australia.<ref name="scotsman">{{cite web \|title=TV mystic Derek Acorah has died after 'very brief illness' \|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/tv-mystic-derek-acorah-has-died-after-very-brief-illness-1366746 \|website=The Scotsman \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref>		Acorah was born in [[Bootle]], Lancashire, and grew up in the north-west of England.<ref name="bbc" /> Before becoming a medium, he had a brief career as a footballer, on the books of Liverpool F.C. during the Bill Shankly era, but was released without playing a first-team game; he continued playing at other clubs before ending his football career in Australia.<ref name="scotsman">{{cite web \|title=TV mystic Derek Acorah has died after 'very brief illness' \|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/tv-mystic-derek-acorah-has-died-after-very-brief-illness-1366746 \|website=The Scotsman \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref>

	== Career ==		== Career ==

GaryJJSpate at 13:01, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T13:01:42Z

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	=== Later career ===		=== Later career ===
	After leaving ''Most Haunted'', Acorah continued working across British television and live performance, including presenting ''		After leaving ''Most Haunted'', Acorah continued working across British television and live performance, including presenting ''[[Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns]]'', which ran for three series in 2005 and 2006, and two series for Sky Real Lives in 2008.<ref name="alchetron" /> In 2009, he attempted to contact Michael Jackson in a broadcast titled ''Derek Acorah's Michael Jackson: The Live Seance'', which was widely panned by critics and viewers.<ref name="scotsman" /> That same period, Acorah drew criticism after being quoted suggesting missing child Madeleine McCann had died and "joined the spirit world," a claim that greatly upset the McCann family; Acorah later said he had been misquoted.<ref name="scotsman" />

			He made a cameo appearance in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode "Army of Ghosts", and in 2017 appeared on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', finishing in fourth place.<ref name="bbc" /> He also toured with live stage shows and published several books recounting his experiences as a medium, including ''The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah'' (2004), ''Ghost Hunting with Derek Acorah'' (2005), and ''[[Derek Acorah: Extreme Psychic]]'' (2007).<ref name="goodreads">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah (Author) \|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/257520.Derek_Acorah \|website=Goodreads}}</ref>

			== Personal life ==
			Acorah lived in [[Scarisbrick]], near Southport, with his wife, Gwen, whom he married in 1995.<ref name="bbc" /> In 2014, he was banned from driving for 28 months, fined £1,000, and ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge, after admitting careless driving and failing to provide a breath test following a car crash the previous year.<ref name="bbc" />

			== Death ==
			Acorah died on 4 January 2020, aged 69, following a short illness. His wife, Gwen, announced his death on his official Facebook page, writing: "Farewell my love! I will miss you forever!"<ref name="bbc" />

			== Reception ==
			Acorah remains one of the most recognisable figures in British television mediumship, largely through his long run on ''Most Haunted''. His career was also persistently shadowed by scepticism, particularly following the 2005 Kreed Kafer incident, and he is frequently cited in discussions of the reliability of televised paranormal investigation.<ref name="itv" />

			== See also ==
			* [[Most Haunted]]
			* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]]
			* [[Yvette Fielding]]

			== References ==
			{{Reflist}}

			== External links ==
			* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1500350/ Derek Acorah on IMDb]
			* [https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50991908 BBC News — Derek Acorah, TV medium, dies aged 69]

			[[Category:Psychic Mediums]]
			[[Category:People]]

GaryJJSpate at 13:01, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T13:01:16Z

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	}}		}}

	'''Derek Acorah''' (born Derek Francis Johnson; 27 January 1950 – 4 January 2020) was a British [[Psychic\|spiritual medium]], author, and television personality, best known as the guest medium on the paranormal reality series ''[[Most Haunted]]''.		'''Derek Acorah''' (born Derek Francis Johnson; 27 January 1950 – 4 January 2020) was a British [[Psychic and Tarot\|spiritual medium]], author, and television personality, best known as the guest medium on the paranormal reality series ''[[Most Haunted]]''.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah, TV medium, dies aged 69 \|url=https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50991908 \|website=BBC News \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref>

	== Early life ==		== Early life ==
	Acorah was born in [[Bootle]], Lancashire, and grew up in the north-west of England. Before becoming a medium, he had a brief career as a footballer, ~~spending time~~ on the books of Liverpool F.C. before ~~a leg injury ended~~ his ~~playing~~ career.		Acorah was born in [[Bootle]], Lancashire, and grew up in the north-west of England.<ref name="bbc" /> Before becoming a medium, he had a brief career as a footballer, on the books of [[Liverpool F.C.\|Liverpool]] during the Bill Shankly era, but was released without playing a first-team game; he continued playing at other clubs before ending his football career in Australia.<ref name="scotsman">{{cite web \|title=TV mystic Derek Acorah has died after 'very brief illness' \|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/tv-mystic-derek-acorah-has-died-after-very-brief-illness-1366746 \|website=The Scotsman \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref>

	== Career ==		== Career ==

	=== Early television work ===		=== Early television work ===
	Acorah's first television appearances came in 1996 on the satellite channel Granada Breeze, where he presented ''Livetime'' and later ''Psychic Livetime'', followed by ''Predictions with Derek Acorah''.		Acorah's first television appearances came in 1996 on the satellite channel Granada Breeze, where he presented ''Livetime'' and later ''Psychic Livetime'', followed by ''Predictions with Derek Acorah''.<ref name="alchetron">{{cite web \|title=Derek Acorah ~ Detailed Biography with Photos, Videos \|url=https://alchetron.com/Derek-Acorah \|website=Alchetron}}</ref>

	=== Most Haunted ===		=== Most Haunted ===
	Acorah joined ''[[Most Haunted]]'' on Living TV in 2002 as the show's resident guest medium, working alongside presenter [[Yvette Fielding]]. The series followed a team investigating reportedly haunted locations across the UK, with Acorah's on-camera "readings" and reported spirit contacts becoming a central feature of the format.		Acorah joined ''[[Most Haunted]]'' on Living TV in 2002 as the show's resident guest medium, working alongside presenter [[Yvette Fielding]]. The series followed a team investigating reportedly haunted locations across the UK, with Acorah's on-camera "readings" and reported spirit contacts becoming a central feature of the format.<ref name="bbc" />

	Acorah's time on the show ended in 2005 following a widely reported test by the programme's on-set parapsychologist, who fed ~~him~~ fabricated ~~background details about entirely fictitious~~ "~~spirits~~" — Acorah ~~went on~~ to ~~describe contact with them~~ on camera ~~as though they were~~ real. The incident became one of the best-known controversies in British television ~~[[Psychic\|~~mediumship]] and fuelled long-running scepticism about the authenticity of his on-screen readings.		Acorah's time on the show ended in 2005 following a widely reported test by the programme's on-set parapsychologist, [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]], who invented a fictitious long-dead South African jailer named "Kreed Kafer" — an anagram of "Derek Faker" — and fed the fabricated backstory to Acorah before an investigation at Bodmin Gaol. O'Keeffe said he was "stunned" when Acorah appeared to become possessed by the invented character on camera.<ref name="itv">{{cite web \|title=TV mystic Derek Acorah has died aged 69, his wife has said \|url=https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2020-01-04/tv-mystic-derek-acorah-has-died-aged-69 \|website=ITV News \|date=4 January 2020}}</ref> Yvette Fielding later said of the incident: "We tell people everything is real, then it turns out he was a fake, so he had to go."<ref name="itv" /> The incident became one of the best-known controversies in British television mediumship and fuelled long-running scepticism about the authenticity of his on-screen readings.

	=== Later career ===		=== Later career ===
	After leaving ''Most Haunted'', Acorah continued working across British television and live performance, including presenting ''[[Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns]]'' and co-presenting ''[[Paranormal Egypt]]'' alongside historian [[Tessa Dunlop]]. He made a cameo appearance in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode "Army of Ghosts", and in 2017 appeared on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', finishing in fourth place. He also toured with live stage shows and published several books recounting his experiences as a medium, including ''[[The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah]]'' and ''[[Derek Acorah: Extreme Psychic]]''.		After leaving ''Most Haunted'', Acorah continued working across British television and live performance, including presenting ''

	~~== Personal life ==~~
	Acorah lived in [[Scarisbrick]], near [[Southport]], with his second wife, Gwen. In 2014, he was banned from driving for 28 months after admitting careless driving and failing to provide a breath test following a car crash.

	~~== Death ==~~
	~~Acorah died on 4 January 2020, aged 69, following a short illness. His death was announced by his wife.~~

	~~== Reception ==~~
	Acorah remains one of the most recognisable figures in [[:Category:United Kingdom\|British]] television [[Psychic\|mediumship]], largely through his long run on ''[[Most Haunted]]''. His career was also persistently shadowed by scepticism, particularly following the 2005 fabricated-spirit test, and he is frequently cited in discussions of the reliability of televised paranormal investigation.

	~~[[Category:Psychic Mediums]]~~
	~~[[Category:People]]~~

GaryJJSpate at 12:40, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T12:40:11Z

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	[[Category:Psychic Mediums]]		[[Category:Psychic Mediums]]
			[[Category:People]]