Christopher French and Deborah Hyde Chaired by Stephen Law

Psychologist Professor Chris French and sceptic and cultural anthropologist Deborah Hyde investigate the truth of paranormal claims and feature a story about 17th-century vampires as a case study.

Do some people have psychic powers? Can spiritualists like Psychic Sally really communicate with the dead? Can dowsers find underground water armed with nothing more than a bent stick? Did Nostradamus really predict 9/11? And can Uri Geller really bend spoons with the power of his mind? We investigate these and other paranormal claims in the company of two leading experts – and feature a case study involving 17th-century vampires.

French is professor emeritus in anomalistic psychology, Goldsmiths. He researches the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. French frequently appears on radio and television (including Haunted Homes) casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. His most recent book is Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience. Hyde is a British sceptic, folklorist, cultural anthropologist, Ufologist, fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and was editor-in-chief of The Skeptic. She writes and lectures extensively about superstition, cryptozoology, religion and belief in the paranormal, with special regard to the folklore, psychology and sociology behind these phenomena. Hyde is known as a ‘vampire expert’.

Discussions are chaired by Dr Stephen Law, a philosopher and academic, author of bestselling introductions to philosophy for adults and children, editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy Journal Think, and the festival’s major projects director.