Extraordinary People: The Million Dollar Mind Reader Thursday 25 September
9:00pm - 10:00pm
Five
You may remember a dubious series from 2006 called The Baby Mind Reader. It featured a glib "psychic supernanny" called Derek Ogilvie, who claimed to understand toddlers via telepathy. Only four episodes of The Baby Mind Reader were ever made, but now Derek's back and in this intriguing documentary he undergoes scientific tests, hoping to prove that his powers are real and he's not just, consciously or unconsciously, using other methods. You have to admire Derek's willingness to submit to stringent experiments in London and Miami (in the latter, under the venerable James Randi) to prove, as he wails tearfully on camera, "I'm not a liar!" But that's about all you have to admire about him. The programme affects to keep an open mind about his powers - and if he convinces James Randi, he'll win a million dollars. I've written previously in RT that Derek is, in my view, "about as psychic as my stapler," but I'd hate to spoil the outcome of the programme, so I'll leave you to guess whether he wins the money and shames my stapler.
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