- A frightened television crew had to be rescued from the
dark depths of Epping Forest after stumbling upon the ghost of Dick Turpin
during a live night-time broadcast.
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- The crew from the LivingTV cable and satellite channel
went into the forest with a psychic medium who, live on air, tracked down
the famous highwayman's spirit and enjoyed a revealing conversation with
him.
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- However after the close encounter the crew realised they
had strayed from the path and were hopelessly lost.
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- They were in the forest as part of a three-day live shoot
following Dick Turpin's last days for the channel's Most Haunted series.
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- Fronted by former Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding,
the crew headed into the Loughton Camp area of Epping Forest, just outside
Loughton, in the late evening on Tuesday, December 30, armed only with
torches, and their equipment.
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- The crew, who were filming in infra-red with remote wireless
cameras, tracked the highwayman's spirit down after an hour in the forest.
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- LivingTV's director of programming, Richard Woolfe, said:
"The psychic medium was basically trying to show Yvette Fielding the
spirit of Dick Turpin, which actually presented itself in the undergrowth
and this was why they went off the footpath and deeper into the forest.
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- "They suddenly realised they had no idea where they
were. They hadn't got a clue."
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- After the encounter the team was forced to radio for
help and luckily head forest keeper Keith French was nearby and able to
lead them out.
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- Mr Woolfe said: "It was fortunate he was nearby
because otherwise we don't know what we would have done."
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- Recounting his experience to the Guardian, Mr French
said: "I drove down to where the sound crew were and walked off into
the forest with a torch looking for them. They'd just become disorientated
in the dark but seemed very grateful that I found them."
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- The ghost of Turpin told the medium, Derek Acorah, that
he spent most of his time in the forest these days, ever since being hanged
in 1739.
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- "He revealed all sorts of things about what he does
in the forest. He rides through regularly and a lot of viewers got in touch
with us saying they've been in the forest and heard hooves and felt someone
watching them," Mr Woolfe said.
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- The show has been LivingTV's most successful live broadcast
with three million viewers over the three days.
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- The shoot started in Hampstead Heath on December 29 and
finished in York, where Turpin was hanged, on New Year's Eve.
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- Mr Woolfe said the response from viewers regarding Epping
Forest had been great with many local people reporting strange goings on
during the programme, such as power cuts and lights going on and off.
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- "One of the crew's torches mysteriously drained
as well, even though it had brand new batteries," he added.
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- Dick Turpin was born in Essex in 1706 and was hanged
33 years later. He got his highwayman reputation when he and his partner
in crime used to hide out in a cave in Epping Forest and rob unsuspecting
passers-by of their belongings. Before this he robbed homes in the area.
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- Epping Forest attracts many film crews who all have to
operate under strict regulations and have to obtain a licence to film from
the Corporation of London.
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- Other programmes which have used the forest include period
dramas, nature programmes and ITV's football soap drama Footballers' Wives.
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- http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/headlines/
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