From Colne to Costa | Derek Acorah

Derek Acorah is probably Britain’s best-known spiritual medium, with hundreds of live shows and dozens of radio and television appearances to his credit. He has embarked on his nationwide Enlightenment Tour, which is taking him the length and breadth of the country up until September. On Thursday, 3rd April, he will appear at The Muni, Colne, and Colne Life editor Karen Shaw spoke to him to get a hint of what Colne audiences can expect.

You’re coming to Colne on your Enlightment Tour. What have we got to look forward to?

“Well I open a very upbeat exciting demonstration, purely and simply because in this last year or so I decided that I wanted to give a little bit more in my demonstration. In other words for the time allotted, which is only about two hours to try and get to more people in the evening. Because, in our work, it has been known for mediums to be telling people in the audience who’s with us and the reaction’s not immediate, waiting for people to put their hands up. “So I decided what’s going to happen now with me as soon as I really know where I am in the audience I’m off the stage and I go direct to people, so it saves a lot of time.”

So it’s more interactive?

“Definitely and of course the audience is more interactive. By doing it this way I like to think that they enjoyed it. The audiences on the tour have told me they’ve really enjoyed it, they really felt part of the evening. Even if they don’t get that specific connection on the evening, they’ve still gone out and enjoyed the evening. “I have a crew with me; Eddy who’s my tour manager, and Andy and Lee on cameras and sound. We have a big screen on the stage. Once the show starts, one of them is panning out in the audience and you see the audience on the screen. The audience see the persons I’m actually talking to so they can feel part of it. In the old days before we incorporated the screen, people used to have to just turn round especially if you were at the back of the theatre. So it also helps if people can look to the front and see the expressions, how the people are receiving the messages, how truthful, how accurate and all this stuff.
“There’s laughter too, maybe through the anecdotes of whoever we’re communicating with. Whatever type of person they were, they’ll still express that personality.”

We’ve seen you for years on our screens. How does TV differ to performing live?

“There’s no contest. It’s still my favourite and always has been for years. In the live events you are touching upon people’s lives, you’re seeing the reaction, you’re seeing what help they’re receiving, and it brings great satisfaction to me as a medium. With television, when you’re looking down the lens of a camera there’s no feedback coming back. The dynamics are absolutely, totally different. “However, I’m not saying I’ve not enjoyed the television work because I have. Just now I’m in the middle of filming, between the touring, for my new television programme. It will be coming out in a six-part series of one hour shows, hopefully around autumn time.”

Your tour schedule looks pretty exhausting. One day you’re in Colne, the next the Costa Del Sol…

“Wherever I get called I go. I’ve never been shy of work. I’ve got a low boredom threshold – my wife would tell you that. Two days at home and I’m twiddling my thumbs. I love being at home with my family and my animals, but I’m one of those people who have to work. I feel worthless if I’m not working.” How do you relax when you’re not working? “Very simple things, really. I’ve got quite a few pets at home. I’ve got chickens, ducks, a few geese, a couple of dogs. I relax up there in the daytime, I like to see a bit of TV, I’ve got a pool table in one of the rooms and I get the family coming round.”

When you’re performing live, do you ever have a day when you draw a blank, you have an off day and you’re not feeling it?

“Every medium has what they call a lesser day than another, because there’s never one show that’s the same as another. It’s not scripted, it’s happening in the moment spontaneously. Sometimes your connections, your links, can be a little bit weaker than with others, so we have to accept that but if I find that that’s happening I will draw from a little bit of extra energy on the psychic level, and then I’ll be telling people the things that I’m seeing for them in the immediate future. Then once the links strengthen up we go back to them and we get those connections. “I’ve not being big-headed but up to now I’ve never had one evening where it’s been a total blank, never.”

Read more about Derek Acorah, how he discovered his talent, his Catholic background and his African spirit mentor ‘Sam’ in the next issue of Northern Life out at the end of March.