“Truth? You can't handle the truth!”

[Hawkmumbler]

Arthur C Clarkes Mysterious World is still the best series to go and watch for a proper, educational and yet still whole heartedly sceptical view on any phenomena put forward as beyond the normal. Cracking series.

Orbs and Robs are complete bullshit, by the by. Lense over exposure ever single time.

And Bigfoot, though a favourite folk law of mine is also utter horse shit.

[M.I.K.]

Most Haunted basically disproved the existense of ghosts by running for about a decade without producing a single compelling frame of evidense.

They might have got slightly better results if they'd pointed the night vision camera at anything other than their own stupid gurning faces whenever anything 'supernatural' was supposedly happening.

I really, seriously, detest that programme.

There's just as many explanations for ghosts as there are for UFOs, (from the psychological to the atmospheric to the WTF?), and there's plenty there that should warrant further investigation, but that shower of sods have ruined it for everybody because now the image in most folk's heads of yer average paranormal investigator is of an Indian-spirit-guided orb-spotting 'psychic medium' putting on silly voices and saying they're Anne of frigging Cleves or something.

[Dunk!]

now the image in most folk's heads of yer average paranormal investigator is of an Indian-spirit-guided orb-spotting 'psychic medium' putting on silly voices and saying they're Anne of frigging Cleves or something.

No, my image is, and always will be, Ghostbusters. Those guys had credibility.

Dunk!

[Fungus]

Most Haunted basically disproved the existense of ghosts by running for about a decade without producing a single compelling frame of evidense.

Oh, evidense. That's beautiful.
Except, y'know, existense. A glorious fluke, then.

[Taryn Tailz]

I stop believing that a paranormal investigation is going to provide any reliable evidence for the existence of ghosts the second that the "investigators" turn out the lights.

If you were attempting a serious investigation then being in the pitch dark is pretty much the stupidest thing you could do. Not only does it heighten paranoia and imagination in the investigator (which is presumably why they do it on TV), but it's also an incredibly absurd idea that ghosts would only appear in the dark.

I'm not saying I believe in the existence of ghosts one way or the other, but any experiences I've ever had which could even begin to be suspected of being the result of paranormal activity, have happened in a well lit environment.

[Famous Mortimer]

The "interesting theory ruined by crackpot believers" applies doubly to the worst show of them all, "Ancient Aliens".

Now, I don't believe that aliens visited us in the past, but I think a genuine study of ancient cultures can be positive – we learn, we understand more about our own history, and so on. Scratch the surface of one of these "researchers", though, and you'll get people who think they're a direct bloodline descendant of Jesus, or who think the Earth is hollow, or that the Moon is a secret CIA base. 

[JayzusB.Christ]

The "interesting theory ruined by crackpot believers" applies doubly to the worst show of them all, "Ancient Aliens".

This.  It was recommended to me by a friend.  The very first part I saw (suggesting that the wall-shattering Ark of the Covenant and trumpets were a sonar weapon) was clearly a load of bollocks - Even with my meagre knowledge of archaeology, I know that the existence of the Jericho Siege (along with the rest of Exodus) is largely refuted.

[ZenArcade]

Enter the esteemed Prof Cardigan...

[JamesC]

These programmes are all just a bit of fun though aren't they? I quite like them (apart from Most Haunted which is shit).

The best pseudo-science shows are Deadliest Warrior and that one where they see what would happen if an elephant had a fight with a rhino.

[JamesC]

The finest UFO documentary ever made:

Danny Dyer's 'I Believe in UFOs'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1RaIWZq5Q8

[Theblazeuk]

Your second paragraph brings us to people like the woman who survived one of the bombs on 7/7, and went to a meeting of conspiracists who insisted, to her face, that not only had the attacks not happened, but she was an NWO stooge for daring to pretend they had. That's an impressive amount of denial right there.

Isn't there a brilliant (as if there's any other kind) Jon Ronson piece on this?

I can't find the original thing, but there's a summary of it here-

http://www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/comments/2tgnge/the_cyberstalking_of_london_bombing_victim_rachel/

I believe this is actually in 'Them'

[Famous Mortimer]

These programmes are all just a bit of fun though aren't they? I quite like them (apart from Most Haunted which is shit).

The best pseudo-science shows are Deadliest Warrior and that one where they see what would happen if an elephant had a fight with a rhino.

I think they're comedy shows, but the problem is, being on the History Channel and looking the same as actual history shows, they have people believing them. There's a great archaeologist / writer called Jason Colavito who reviews all these shows, and he is bombarded with "why are you trying to stop the truth getting out?" emails from people who take it all at face value.

[Richmond Clements]

Your second paragraph brings us to people like the woman who survived one of the bombs on 7/7, and went to a meeting of conspiracists who insisted, to her face, that not only had the attacks not happened, but she was an NWO stooge for daring to pretend they had. That's an impressive amount of denial right there.

Isn't there a brilliant (as if there's any other kind) Jon Ronson piece on this?

I can't find the original thing, but there's a summary of it here-

http://www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/comments/2tgnge/the_cyberstalking_of_london_bombing_victim_rachel/

I believe this is actually in 'Them'

Nah, I'm pretty sure Them was out a few years before 7/7.

[IndigoPrime]

I never understood the orbs thing. I once did a website for someone who was totally obsessed by those things. He'd keep forwarding me pictures, and I'd look at them and think: exposure issue; lens issue; exposure issue; etc. Bizarre.

[Theblazeuk]

I believe this is actually in 'Them'

Nah, I'm pretty sure Them was out a few years before 7/7.
[/quote]

You are 100% right