ITV hits the depths again with "star psychic" Sally Morgan

ITV really is leading the race to the bottom at the moment. Not content with burning all viewer trust with a number of premium-rate telephone scandals they are now doing further damage to any remaining idea that what you see on ITV is any way, real, true or trustworthy.

The latest embarassment is Sally Morgan Star Psychic. The ITV hype claims: "Yes, now you can join our superstar psychic as she uncovers the real truth and gossip within the lives of celebrities, past, present and deceased!" Wow,  not a single note of caution, no mights or maybes, she really does uncover the "real truth".

So it's thanks to Tony Youens for beginning to take apart this nonsense of a programme:

"If you're like me and haven't  previously heard of Sally Morgan a bit of background might be helpful. According to her website, "Sally Morgan, with the ability to see and hear psychically, since she was a child, practices as a psychic medium internationally, and at her office based near London, United Kingdom". It also informs us that, "Being psychic means having the ability to see, hear and communicate with those who passed over to the spirit world." Hmm, I'm not sure where that leaves you if all you can do is bend spoons.            

Chatting with the dead has obvious advantages such as helping solve murders, etc. and Sally claims to have helped with, "police and other investigations". Apart from claiming to assist with the theft of sunglasses (no really!) she also claims to have helped pinpoint the location of the body of a girl murdered 8 years earlier. The only downside to this undoubtedly useful information is that the body is still missing. Apart from that minor detail I'm sure the police found her insights invaluable. Enough background, let's look at the programme...

"...So let’s look at some of the tests. Before Sally arrived to give a reading to a celebrity she was shown a photograph and told who it was. Why? This did nothing at all to help the process, all it did was give her the opportunity to dig for information. Whether she did or not I haven’t a clue but to provide her with the opportunity is just plain stupid. In fact having someone fairly well known as the sitter is also stupid, but then after all they are in the business of entertainment – not truth.             

In one test Sally was expected to guess, sorry I meant psychically determine, what someone’s profession was simply by touching their hand. Before explaining how they when about this let me describe what I would consider a more suitable protocol i.e. not one as watertight as a colander with extra holes drilled in it.

You could begin by having about 10 people from which 5 will randomly be selected. Their order also determined by the random throw of a dice (10 sided obviously). Each person would put their hand through a small opening so that Sally is unable to see them at all. Their hands should in no way offer a clue about the job they do (e.g. rough skin/brick layer). Their dress should in no way give a clue as to their occupation. Sally should then proceed to tell us their jobs and she would only be told how many she got correct when the test was completed. Even this doesn’t offer definitive proof of course but it’s still practical to be used for television and a good deal better than what actually happened.             

In the actual test 5 subjects were dressed in the outfit they worked in, e.g. nurse uniform, cook, fireman, etc. and Sally had a scarf tied around her eyes to act as a blindfold. As any magician will tell you this is entirely useless, just a peek down her nose and Sally would have easily seen the lower half of the person’s body along with their uniform. Once during a lecture I had my eyes covered with half dollars, black gaffer tape wrapped around my head several times so as to completely cover my eyes, on top of which I had a metal blindfold (checked by the audience) and a black hood – and yes I could have told them what their profession was too.

Never the less Sally did tell the belly dancer that she had once been raped. How she knew this exactly I couldn’t say but I find it quite bizarre that someone is invited to take part in a psychic test and ends up with the fact that they had once been raped announced on a television programme. It was also a bit strange that the belly dancer didn't seem very surprised. Was this information passed on to a researcher before the reading took place? Perhaps she gave prior permission for this information to be used? Again we’ll never know.             

I guess the thing that annoyed me most about this programme was that it tried to pretend that it was carrying out genuine testing when in reality it was doing nothing of the kind. The programme was not about testing Sally Morgan, it was about promoting Sally Morgan and showing her in the best of all possible lights. Television producers know that there is a readymade audience keen to lap up this particular type of bilge. Belief in the paranormal seems to grow from the symbiotic relationship between a gullible public eager for more and television companies equally eager supply it. Supply driving demand and vice versa. The phrase ‘dumbing down’ doesn’t really do it justice. I believe Uri Geller appears in a later episode - I can hardly wait."

Comments

[Martin Bentley]

Isn't there some old witchcraft law still on the books we can dig up to prosecute her on?

The case being that if this, and say for example the Christian Faith are to be taken seriously then we should burn her at the stake. Not that I'm advocating burning witches.... well OK maybe Thatcher can get her toes singed a little.

[Robert]

As for helping the police, they need all the help they can get, once a football match comes up in my town the police are gone, you can steal rob and kill, and all you get when you phone them is the words we do not have an officer available at the moment, nope they are all off watching the game.

So if she can help perhaps they can put us through to her. After all she might know more then a copper watching football .

[Steve Priestley]

If she's the "real deal" why doesnt she take the The James Randi Educational Foundation million dollar challenge. Even if she doesnt need the money she can give it to charity and also be famous around the world! she can even design her own test! what a con artist

[Dave Loughran]

I wanted to believe it but it was all too happy for me.. someone who can see dark things by holding someones hand like she did wouldn't be so smiley and bubbly! Infact damn scared and afraid to leave the house.... The Green Mile Being the perfect example!!

Maybe they should test her again properly in public.. but then Derren Brown fools the public too!!

If she is real, she would be like the next christ and help millions, not just the few actors and celebs and the program trying to promote something.. ie... Toploader guitarist - Travel program... Singer (who shamed her "ex" on national TV) - Album release... Skateboarder - Skateboard park.

Its all a bit suss for my liking!!

www.myspace.com/daveloughran

[Tracy]

What a load of utter drivel you sceptics come out with ... can't you just believe that there really might be something out there after death, or is it just fear that makes you this way????!!! We might as well be back in the dark ages where witches were tried and murdered for their beliefs when most of them were just trying to help people.

And this "Dave Loughran" - trying to get a bit of publicity for your music? Maybe you should try her out for yourself as you are "famous"??!!

[The Labour Humanist]

"something out there" (calls cost £1.50 per minute. Evidence not supplied)

[helen williams]

Before anyone starts to make comments about Sally Morgan maybe they should stop and think that she is not doing anyone any harm. And if it helps someone feel better who's suffered a loss of a loved one it can only be a good thing. My family had suffered a terrible loss of someone very young in our family and beliving in mediums has helped with the pain of losing them.

[harry barnes]

hello sally im writing to you about my nan margie she lost her mum a few years ago and she needs your help as she is really sad and she isnt the same she had cancer my nan and she has got a lot of worries and needs to here from my great nan also called margie please help sally i need my nan back please help my lovley nan xxxxxxx

[Gee Holt]

To test if Sally is the real deal...then she needs to meet me! If she could highlight just one thing going on with me then..she is the deal...otherwise....

[Harry Barnes]

Harry Barnes: to distinquish us from one another I might have to revert to my proper name of Harold Barnes.

[Holly Bulger]

I think its quite funny that you can judge someone without even meeting them. Sally doesn't just make her tv show showing her readings with celebrities before this she did work with 'normal' people if she wasn't good at what she does why would she be doing so well!?. And i think you are all pathetic who are talking about witches and burning people. Let people believe what they want too. Its not hurting anyone.