Do your children see spirits? New TV show wants you!

**Callum Brenan** · 27th July 2009, 02:56 PM

Television production company etv is looking for contributors to take part in a pilot for a new UK based TV show.

If you have young children who are seeing things you can’t, telling stories about people they couldn’t possibly know, or have friends that are more than just their imagination, we want to know about it!

To take part, you should be willing for both you and your child to be on camera.
All stories will be taken seriously, and treated with sensitivity.

Please email me at callum.brennan'at'etv.tv

All emails will be treated in confidence.

**Mulder** · 27th July 2009, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by Callum Brenan

Television production company etv is looking for contributors to take part in a pilot for a new UK based TV show.

Who do you represent?

**Croydon Bob** · 27th July 2009, 03:35 PM

I like their website: http://www.etv.tv/

Click on "what we do" or "who we are" and you get meaningless waffle, I click on "what we think" and nothing happens...

And from their news pages: "We know how television show Big Brother is taking the UK on a storm. Yes, Big Brother is certainly a hit that even online bingo sites are raving about."

**Mulder** · 27th July 2009, 03:58 PM

The whole premise of this production is questionnable. For instance, what evidence is there that spirits exist? And if they do, that they are visible to anyone, kids or otherwise?

Visual perception is strongly influenced by experience. You recognise a table because you've seen one before. If you see something you've never seen before you may, in certain circumstances, misperceive it. An unfamiliar tree on a dark noght could be seen as a human figure and lead to a report of a ghost. (In passing, there is little or no evidence from ghost reports that ghosts are spirits!)

Clearly children have less experience of life than adultsa and will more frequently misinterpret things they see for the first time. If they have been heavily influenced by movies, video games etc showing ghosts, aliens, etc they are more likely to see them as paranormal.

The only mystery here is why anyone thinks this is worth putting on TV!

**Matt** · 27th July 2009, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by Mulder

The only mystery here is why anyone thinks this is worth putting on TV!

There's also the question of whether encouraging delusion in impressionable children is a form of child abuse.

**Trinoc** · 27th July 2009, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by Mulder

The only mystery here is why anyone thinks this is worth putting on TV!

Look at any TV listings. How many credulous paranormal programmes do you see? Easy money!

**Tony Williams** · 30th July 2009, 01:51 AM

Given the popular enthusiasm for appearing on TV, I suspect that an awful lot of children will be encouraged by their parents to talk about their "experiences".