Joe Nickell The Warrens who or what are the Warrens Ed and Lorraine Warren on the Sally show in 1992. What do they have to do with Nickell His insistence on documented facts led to a heated exchange with Ed and Lorraine Warren on the Sally show in 1992. was Nickell an actor " to describe his work, his evidenced-based investigations of paranormal events has not yet uncovered any miracles, ghosts or monsters. Did he work on the show I don't know. What did the warrens have to say Warrens appeared on Sally Jesse Raphael's talk show with the Snedeker family, whose reports of ghosts and demons led to the 1992 book, In A Dark Place,
Were there really paranormal activities going on
Were there really paranormal activities going on
Although Nickell rejects the term "debunker" to describe his work, his evidenced-based investigations of paranormal events has not yet uncovered any miracles, ghosts or monsters. His insistence on documented facts led to a heated exchange with Ed and Lorraine Warren on the Sally show in 1992. Nickell and the Warrens appeared on Sally Jesse Raphael's talk show with the Snedeker family, whose reports of ghosts and demons led to the 1992 book, In A Dark Place, The Story Of A True Haunting by novelist Ray Garton and the 2009 movie, The Haunting in Connecticut. After an on-air threat of violence from Ed Warren, Nickell stated: I've investigated haunted houses for some twenty years. I've not met a house that I thought was haunted; I think the Warrens have not met a house they didn't think was haunted. ...The houses that sincere people report they think are haunted usually follow a certain pattern. This is a hodgepodge of the sort of ghost tale, poltergeist, part demon, part this, part that. We saw a similar pattern with the Amityville Horror, a case that the Warrens thought was genuine. It turned out to be a blatant hoax, concocted over several bottles of wine. Nickell continues to cite the Warrens as an example of exploitative and harmful charlatans. He told Blake Smith, host of the MonsterTalk podcast, The next thing you know, the Warrens have convinced everybody that there were demons involved. Lorraine would go into one of her light trances, which would mean she would just close her eyes and haul off and say something. She would sense some demonic presence. The two of them would talk a good talk about this. You see these poor unsuspecting people who first of all don't know anything about the paranormal and not aware that there are no haunted places, only haunted people, as Robert Baker used to say. When you have someone who's an expert explaining to them that there are these different kinds of spirits and this and that and the other, they don't know any better. They think maybe these people know what they're talking about. It's interesting that in every case of this, these were Catholic families. Ed and Lorraine would show up and convince them that it was really demonic and that they really needed to use their Catholic powers of exorcism and holy water and so forth. They were converted into a demonic book and then they would get a ghost writer. All of the shenanigans would be restyled and exaggerated and spooky elements thrown in. CANNOTANSWER
Nickell continues to cite the Warrens as an example of exploitative and harmful charlatans.
Joe Nickell (born December 1, 1944) is an American skeptic and investigator of the paranormal.

Nickell is senior research fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and  writes regularly for their journal, the Skeptical Inquirer. He is also an associate dean of the Center for Inquiry Institute. He is the author or editor of over 30 books.

Among his career highlights, Nickell helped expose the James Maybrick "Jack the Ripper Diary" as a hoax. In 2002, Nickell was one of a number of experts asked by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to evaluate the authenticity of the manuscript of Hannah Crafts' The Bondwoman's Narrative (1853–1860), possibly the first novel by an African-American woman. At the request of document dealer and historian, Seth Keller, Nickell analyzed documentation in the dispute over the authorship of "The Night Before Christmas", ultimately supporting the Clement Clarke Moore claim.

Early life, education and family
Joe Nickell is the son of J. Wendell and Ella (Turner) Nickell, and was born and raised in  West Liberty, Kentucky. His parents indulged his interest in magic and investigation, allowing him to use a room in their house as a crime lab.

He earned a B.A. degree in 1967 from the University of Kentucky.

To avoid the wide draft for the Vietnam War, the following year in 1968, at the age of 24, he moved to Canada. There he began his careers as a magician, card dealer, and private investigator. After President Jimmy Carter granted unconditional pardons to draft dodgers in 1977, Nickell returned to the United States.

He returned to the University of Kentucky for graduate work, earning an M.A. (1982), and Ph.D (1987). His Ph.D is in English, focusing on literary investigation and folklore.

In late 2003, Nickell reconnected with his college girlfriend, Diana G. Harris. He learned he had a daughter by her named Cherette, and two grandsons, Tyner and Chase. Harris had married before but divorced. She and Nickell married April 1, 2006. Harris has since assisted Nickell in his investigative work.

Diane Harris had told Cherette that her biological father was her first husband, but the daughter questioned her lack of resemblance to him. On Cherette's wedding day, one of the guests mentioned that her parents weren't married when she was conceived. Later, based on intuition, Cherette challenged her mother directly about her father and sensed equivocation. After more conversations and a DNA test, Cherette learned that Nickell was her biological father.

Nickell used his daughter's claim that she had made an intuitive search for him as the basis for an article on the unconscious collection and processing of data. In it he concluded:
"Cautions notwithstanding, I must admit to a new appreciation of intuition, without which I would not have known of my wonderful daughter--and two grandsons! It's enough to warm an old skeptic's heart."

Career

Nickell has worked professionally as a stage magician, carnival pitchman, private detective, blackjack dealer, riverboat manager, university instructor, author, and paranormal investigator, and lists more than 1,000 personae on his website. Since the early 1980s, he has researched, written, co-authored, and edited books in many genres. 

He was profiled by The New Yorker writer Burkhard Bilger, who met Nickell during the summer of 2002 at Lily Dale, New York. The investigator had disguised himself to investigate Spiritualist psychics.

Nickell is a recurring guest on the Point of Inquiry podcast and conducts the annual Houdini Seance at the Center for Inquiry every Halloween.
 He is frequently consulted by news and television producers for his skeptical perspective.

Nickell explained his philosophy to Blake Smith of the Skeptic podcast MonsterTalk.

He served as a character consultant to Hilary Swank in her starring role in the horror film The Reaping (2007), in which she plays a paranormal investigator.

Books
Nickell's books can be divided into four main categories—religious, forensic, paranormal, and mysteries. He has also written two books for young readers and two stand-alone books, one on UFOs, one on a regional alcoholic drink, and several additional small press and "contributed to" books.

Miracles and religious artifacts

Nickell has investigated religious artifacts and claimed phenomena. Beginning in 1982 with his book Inquest on the Shroud of Turin: Latest Scientific Findings, Nickell demonstrates his research model of collecting evidence and following that evidence to a sustainable conclusion. He updated the book in 1998 with more recent historical, iconographic, forensic, physical and chemical evidence, with special explanations of the radiocarbon dating process.

In his 1993 book, Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions and Healing Cures, updated in 1998, Nickell analyzes miracles claimed by various religions. For each incident, Nickell reviews the contemporaneous written accounts, explores various natural explanations, explains the cultural environment surrounding the events, and speculates on the motivations of the affected religious community. He concludes that the claimed miracles were either hoaxes or misinterpretations of natural phenomena.

For instance, after studying the weeping St. Irene icon in Queens, New York, Nickell said,

Relics of the Christ (2007, British edition published as The Jesus Relics: From the Holy Grail to the Turin Shroud), focuses on the Christian tradition of relics. Speaking with D.J. Grothe on the Point of Inquiry podcast, Nickell proposed that veneration of relics had become a new idolatry; that is, worship of an actual deity within the relics in form of an entity that moves its eyes, weeps, bleeds, and walks. He said that although no icon in history has ever been proven authentic, in the sense of displaying such attributes, he approaches each case with a suspension of disbelief: "I'm interested in the evidence because I want us to know what the truth is ... I urge skeptics ... not to be as closed-minded as the other side is ridiculously open-minded."

In 2008, Prometheus Books published John Calvin's Treatise on Relics with an introduction by Nickell. He wrote a brief biography of Calvin and uses references from his own 2007 Relics book.

In his The Science of Miracles: Investigating the Incredible (2013), Nickell applied his investigative technique to 57 reported miracles. From the Virgin Mary's face appearing on a grilled cheese sandwich, to the Cross's regeneration after pieces were removed, to the structural deficiencies of the Loretto Chapel staircase, Nickell's describes fact and myth are presented with clarity and respect. The book was criticized in the New York Journal of Books for research limited to non-Biblical sources.

Forensic investigations

Nickell's first book in the authentication genre was Pen, Ink, and Evidence: A study of Writing and Writing Materials for the Penman, Collector, and Document Detective, described as a definitive work for researchers and practitioners. Mary Hood of the Georgia Review praised Nickell's scholarship:

In Camera Clues: A Handbook for Photographic Investigation, Nickell begins with the history of photography. He presents methods of dating photographs, from the physical characteristics of the work, to the subject and contents of the photo. He explains how old photographs can be faked and how those fakes can be detected. He also describes identification of persons and places in old photos and the use of photography by law enforcement. He explains various trick photography techniques, including ghost and spirit photography. These have become even more elaborate with the use of computer images or digital camera technology.

Detecting Forgery: Forensic Investigation of Documents (1996) presents an overview of a document expert's work. He says that forged documents are often revealed by the forgers' ignorance of or inability to re-create historic typefaces, inks, papers, pens, watermarks, signatures, and historic styles. Nickell explains forgeries of Daniel Boone's musket, Mark Hofmann's Mormon papers, and the Vinland Map.

According to Publishers Weekly, Crime Science: Methods of Forensic Detection (1998) provided extensive basic information, with brief case studies.

In Real or Fake: Studies in Authentication (2009), Nickell drew on his early work related to technical aspects of paper, ink, typefaces, pens, and other keys to determining authenticity of paper documents. New material details the step-by-step investigations of specific cases: the purported diary of Jack the Ripper (fake), The Bondwoman's Narrative (date authenticated, author unknown), Lincoln's Lost Gettysburg Address (fake), and An Outlaw's Scribblings (fake).

Paranormal investigations

Secrets of the Supernatural:  Investigating the World's Occult Mysteries was Nickell's first book of his paranormal investigation genre. He and his collaborator, John F. Fisher, look for the answers to the Crystal Skulls, spontaneous human combustion, the Mackenzie House, and lesser known mysteries. On a Point of Inquiry podcast years later, Nickell explained that the same mysteries are reported over and over again because, "For each new generation, they have to re-learn that there is controversy ... Each new generation hears these for the first time ... It's an endless process in which you have to be willing to speak to the next crop of people."

Missing Pieces: How to Investigate Ghosts, UFOs, Psychics, and Other Mysteries, written by Nickell and Robert A. Baker, is a handbook that combines the practical techniques of investigating the paranormal with a description of the psychology of believers. Nickell often quoted Baker, "... there are no haunted places, only haunted people."

Mysterious Realms: Probing Paranormal, Historical, and Forensic Enigmas, written by Nickell and Fisher, analyzes 10 frequently reported mysteries, including the Kennedy assassination, Kentucky's Gray Lady ghost, and UFO cover-up conspiracy theories.

Nickell asked several researchers to investigate claims of psychic detectives. He collected their reports in Psychic Sleuths: ESP and Sensational Cases. None of the reports credits the psychics with factually supported insights. Nickell concludes that these individuals were either self-deluded or frauds. They used other psychological techniques to gain information, such as cold reading in discussions with police detectives, or retrofitting.

In Entities: Angels, Spirits, Demons, and Other Alien Beings, Nickell shows the development of ghost stories since the 17th century, and how they have been influenced by changing technology and communication methods. The faked Cottingley Fairies photographs, for example, became possible only when cameras became available to the general public.

The Outer Edge: Classic Investigations of the Paranormal is a collection of articles edited by Nickell, Barry Karr and Tom Genoni. It features Nickell and John F. Fischer's 1987 article, "Incredible Cremations: Investigating Spontaneous Combustion Deaths," along with essays by Martin Gardner, Ray Hyman, Susan Blackmore, and James Randi.

Adventures in Paranormal Investigation is a more detailed work than many of Nickell's. He ranges from dowsing to Frankenstein to healing spas. He includes an essay about learning that he had an adult daughter and accepting that she attributed her search for him to "intuition".

The first half of CSI Paranormal is a handbook on how to investigate paranormal claims. Nickell discusses his investigative strategy to:
Investigate on site
Check details of an account
Research precedents
Carefully examine physical evidence
Analyze development of a phenomenon
Assess a claim with a controlled test or experiment
Consider an innovative analysis
Attempt to recreate the "impossible"
Go undercover to investigate
In the second half of the book, Nickell shows how this strategy has been used to evaluate the claims of the Giant Ell, the Roswell UFO, the grilled cheese Madonna, and John Edward.

In The Science of Ghosts (2012), Nickell relates several archetype ghost stories—the girl in the snow, Elvis, phantom soldiers, and haunted lighthouses, castles, ships, and theaters. By tracking the development of these stories over the years, he demonstrates that the stories are not evidence of spirits, but evidence of the effects an appropriate setting can have on susceptible witnesses. He includes an analysis of 21st-century paranormal investigators, particularly Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of the Syfy Channel's Ghost Hunters. He compares their investigations of the Myrtles Plantation, the Winchester Mystery House and the St. Augustine Lighthouse with his own.

Mysteries

Ambrose Bierce Is Missing And Other Historical Mysteries was Nickell's 1992 foray presenting historical investigations to the reading public. In the introduction, he uses the legal concepts of "a preponderance of the evidence" and "clear and compelling evidence" as standards by which hypotheses explaining mysteries should be objectively measured. Subjectively wishing an explanation is true can lead to imposing a hypothesis on the data instead of using data to test a hypothesis (the scientific method). Nickell's 2005 update of Ambrose Bierce, Unsolved History: Investigating Mysteries of the Past, is the same text with the addition of two books to its "Recommended Works".

Real-Life X-Files and its sequel, The Mystery Chronicle are a series of short essays on the histories, expanding mythologies, and likely causes of several dozen mysteries. In some cases, Nickell re-creates the legends, demonstrating that no special powers are needed to duplicate the effects. In others, he answers common lore with facts uncovered in his research. In 1982, Nickell and five of his relatives created a 440 foot long condor in a field in Kentucky by plotting coordinates of points on a drawing, a technique Nickell believes could have been used to create the Nazca Lines in Peru. "That is, on the small drawing we would measure along the center line from one end (the bird's beak) to a point on the line directly opposite the point to be plotted (say a wing tip). Then we would measure the distance from the center line to the desired point. A given number of units on the small drawing would require the same number of units—larger units—on the large drawing." In the case of West Virginia's Mothman, Nickell interviewed witnesses and conducted on-site experiments to find the most likely explanation for the original sightings. This investigation found that the mis-identification of an owl—most likely a Barred owl—was the most likely explanation.

Harry Eager of the Maui News calls Secrets of Sideshows "... virtually an encyclopedia of that nearly extinct form of entertainment."  He faults Nickell for downplaying the brutality and grim fakery of the shows, especially what he calls "prettying" the geeks.

Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures is a collaboration of Nickell and Ben Radford. Author Ed Grabianowski summarizes one of the many possible explanations for lake monster sightings,

The research for Tracking the Man-Beasts: Sasquatch, Vampires, Zombies, and More took Nickell to many locations of reported monster sightings—the Pacific Northwest for Bigfoot, Australia for the Yowie, Austria for werewolves, New England for vampires, Argentina for the Chupacabra, West Virginia for aliens, and Louisiana for the swamp creatures. Nickell traces the monsters' iconography from first reports to latest sightings, concluding that the tales reflect the evolution of their cultural environment, not any basis in fact. A quote from his guide in the Louisiana swamps provides insight into the genesis of the tales, "... frightening tales could sometimes have been concocted to keep outsiders away—to safeguard prime hunting territory or even possibly to help protect moonshine stills. Charbonnet also suggested that such stories served in a bogyman fashion, frightening children so they would keep away from dangerous areas."

Young readers

In 1989, Nickell wrote his first book for young readers, The Magic Detectives: Join Them in Solving Strange Mysteries, engaging children by presenting paranormal stories in the form of mysteries with clues embedded in the narrative. The solutions, printed upside down, follow each story. The book also contains teachers' guides for additional assignments and recommended readings.

The 1991 Wonder Workers! How They Perform the Impossible was summarized by P.J. Rooks as, "... a 200-year, biographical tour of some of the more famous shenanigans and side show splendors of both sincere and charlatan magicians ... {that} guides readers on a fascinating exposé of magical history that leaves us, at the end of every page, thinking, "A-ha! I was wondering how they did that!"

UFOs
In 1997, Nickell, with Kendrick Frazier and Barry Karr, published The UFO Invasion, an anthology of UFO articles written for the Skeptical Inquirer covering the topic from history and abductions to Roswell and crop circles. The editors included six of Nickell's articles in the book. Nickell explained the physiology of alien abduction stories, "People claiming to be abducted by aliens is such an astonishing thing that you think they have either be crazy or lying, and in fact they may be perfectly sane and normal. ... They probably were having these powerful waking dreams. ... In this state, they tend to see bizarre imagery. ... The other kind of experience is hypnosis. ... Hypnosis is the yellow brick road to fantasy land."

Other investigations

The Shroud of Turin
 The Shroud of Turin, claimed to be the burial cloth of Jesus miraculously imprinted with the image of his crucified body, is one of Christianity's most famous icons. The Roman Catholic Church, in possession of the Shroud since 1983, has allowed several public viewings and encourages devotions to the image, but takes no official position on the icon's authenticity. Nickell and others contend the Shroud is a 14th-century painting on linen, verified through radiocarbon dating. One of Nickell's many objections to the Shroud's authenticity is the proportions of the figure's face and body. Both are consistent with the proportions used by Gothic artists of the period and are not those of an actual person. Experts on both sides of the controversy have tried to duplicate the Shroud using medieval and modern methods. Claimants to the Shroud's authenticity believe the image could have been produced at the moment of resurrection by radiation, electrical discharge, or ultraviolet radiation; Nickell created a credible shroud using the bas relief method and contends that forgers had equivalent materials available during the 14th century.

The Warrens
Although Nickell rejects the term "debunker" to describe his work, his evidenced-based investigations of paranormal events have not yet uncovered any miracles, ghosts or monsters. His insistence on documented facts led to a heated exchange with Ed and Lorraine Warren on the Sally show in 1992. Nickell and the Warrens appeared on Sally Jesse Raphael's talk show with the Snedeker family, whose reports of ghosts and demons led to the 1992 book, In A Dark Place, The Story Of A True Haunting by novelist Ray Garton and the 2009 movie, The Haunting in Connecticut. After an on-air threat of violence from Ed Warren, Nickell stated:

Nickell continues to cite the Warrens as an example of exploitative and harmful charlatans. He told Blake Smith, host of the MonsterTalk podcast,

Aliens

Nickell proposes that alien encounters are the result of misinterpreted natural phenomena, hoaxes, or a fantasy prone personality. To explain the evolving nature of alien sightings, Nickell told the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast team,

Magazine articles and website blogs
Nickel has written the "Investigative Files" column for the Skeptical Inquirer (SI) magazine since 1995 and contributes frequently to the Center for Inquiry website. The articles reflect the range of Nickell's interests and investigative skills, including spontaneous human combustion, ghost photographs, reincarnation, voodoo, Bigfoot, quack medicine, Elvis, psychic frauds, and phrenology. In his SI article about the Bell Witch Poltergeist, Nickell analyzed the content of the alleged Bell Manuscript for anachronistic references and word use, comparing the writing styles of Richard Williams Bell, the reported original author, and M.V. Ingram, the reporter who expanded on the story 50 years later. Nickell concludes, "Given all of these similarities between the texts, in addition to the other evidence, I have little hesitation in concluding that Ingram was the author of 'Bell'".

Nickell's writing for the Center for Inquiry (CfI) includes "Nickell-odeon Reviews", written with an emphasis on the facts behind the scripts. Nickell adds credibility to the plot of the Charles Dickens movie, The Invisible Woman. "Although not mentioned in the movie, posthumous confirmation of the affair came from Dickens' letters. Although many had been destroyed by his family, some merely had offending passages inked out. But that cloak of invisibility was ineffective: Dickens scholars turned to forensics, using infrared photography to read the obscured portions. These contained references to "Nelly" and confirmed the persistent rumors."

Awards
Nickell received the 2004 Isaac Asimov Award from the American Humanist Association and was a co-recipient of the 2005 and the 2012 Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinking, awarded by CSICOP, now called CSI. In 2000 was presented with the Distinguished Skeptic award from CSI.

He was also presented an award for promotion of science in popular media at the 3rd Annual Independent Investigative Group IIG Awards, held on May 18, 2009.

In October 2011 asteroid 31451 (1999 CE10) was named JoeNickell in his honor by its discoverer James E. McGaha.

Major works
 Inquest on the Shroud of Turin: Latest Scientific Findings (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1983). Revised edition, 1998.
 Secrets of the Supernatural: Investigating the World's Occult Mysteries (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1988, 1991; with John F. Fischer).
 The Magic Detectives: Join Them in Solving Strange Mysteries (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1989).
 Pen, Ink, and Evidence: A Study of Writing and Writing Materials for the Penman, Collector, and Document Detective (Oak Knoll Books: New Castle, DE; 1990, 2000, 2003).
 Wonder-Workers! How They Perform the Impossible (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1991).
 Unsolved History: Investigating Mysteries of the Past originally published as Ambrose Bierce is Missing and Other Historical Mysteries (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 1992, 2005).
 Missing Pieces: How to Investigate Ghosts, UFOs, Psychics, and Other Mysteries (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1992; with Robert A. Baker).
 Mysterious Realms: Probing Paranormal, Historical, and Forensic Enigmas (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1992; with John F. Fischer).
 Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions and Healing Cures (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1993, 1998).
 Psychic Sleuths: ESP and Sensational Cases (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1994).
 Camera Clues: A Handbook for Photographic Investigation (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 1994, 2005).
 Entities: Angels, Spirits, Demons, and Other Alien Beings (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1995).
 Detecting Forgery: Forensic Investigation of Documents (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 1996, 2005).
 The Outer Edge: Classic Investigations of the Paranormal (CSICOP: Amherst, NY; 1996, co-edited with Barry Karr and Tom Genoni).
 The UFO Invasion: The Roswell Incident, Alien Abductions, and Government Coverups (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 1997; co-edited with Kendrick Frazier and Barry Karr).
 Crime Science: Methods of Forensic Detection (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 1999; with co-author John F. Fischer).
 Real-Life X-Files: Investigating the Paranormal (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 2001).
 The Kentucky Mint Julep (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 2003).
 Investigating the Paranormal (Barnes & Noble Books: New York; 2004).
 The Mystery Chronicles: More Real-Life X-Files(University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 2004).
 Secrets of the Sideshows (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 2005).
Cronache del Misterio (Newton Compton editori: Rome, Italy; 2006).
 Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures, (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 2006; with co-author Benjamin Radford).
 Relics of the Christ(University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 2007).
 Adventures in Paranormal Investigation (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 2007).
 Tracking The Man-Beasts: Sasquatch, Vampires, Zombies, and More (Prometheus Books: Amhurst, NY; 2011).
 Real or Fake: Studies in Authentication (University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY; 2009).
 CSI Paranormal, (Inquiry Press): Amherst, NY; 2012.
 The Science of Ghosts (Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 2012).
 The Science of Miracles: Investigating the Incredible(Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY; 2-13).

References

External links

Skepticon 4, Undercover! Paranormal Investigations by Joe Nickell November 30, 2011 on YouTube, 38 minutes.
Dragon*Con 9 Joe Nickell and Graham Watkins Discuss Cryptozoology September 15, 2009 on YouTube, 64 minutes.
Darwin Week 2012 Investigating the Paranormal by Joe Nickell February 19, 2012 on YouTube, 76 minutes.

1944 births
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century American writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American writers
American historians
American humanists
American magicians
American male bloggers
American bloggers
American male non-fiction writers
American skeptics
American social commentators
Critics of alternative medicine
Critics of conspiracy theories
Critics of parapsychology
Cultural critics
Historians of magic
Jack the Ripper
Living people
People from West Liberty, Kentucky
Researchers of the Shroud of Turin
Social critics
Trope theorists
University of Kentucky alumni
Writers about religion and science
20th-century American male writers
{{Infobox television
| name                = Paranormal Witness
| alt_name            = Paranormal Witness: True Terror (2015–)| image               = ParanormalWitness.png
| caption             = Series title card
| genre               = 
| picture_format      = 
| creator = 
| composer            = Joel BeckermanTy Unwin
| starring            = 
| narrated            = 
| country             = United States
| language            = English
| runtime             = 60 minutes (inc. adverts)
| executive_producer  = Bart LaytonDimitri Doganis
| producer            = Mark LewisSimon MillsAmy Lee-Jones (story)Sarah Zammit (assoc.)Kate Harrison (Can.)Steffan Boje (field)
| cinematography      = Joel DevlinGary ClarkeWill Pugh
| editor              = Julian HartBjorn JohnsonIain Kitching
| distributor         = NBCUniversal Television Distribution
| company             = Realand Productions, LLCRaw TV
| network             = Syfy (United States)Really / Watch / Pick (United Kingdom)
| first_run           = United States
| first_aired         = Original series – Revived series| last_aired          = 
| num_seasons         = 5
| num_episodes        = 64
| list_episodes       = #Episodes
| preceded_by         = 
| followed_by         = 
| related             = Ghost Hunters
| website             = http://www.syfy.com/paranormalwitness
}}Paranormal Witness''' is an American  paranormal documentary television series made by a British production company which described itself as "true tales of supernatural hauntings and explanation-defying paranormal experiences, which are brought to life through recreations". The series premiered on September 7, 2011, on Syfy in the U.S. It is also shown in the UK on Really, W, and Pick.

Ranked as one of the top 10 new original series, it was renewed for a 12-episode second season which premiered on August 8, 2012. Based on the high ratings of the first three episodes of season two, Paranormal Witness was renewed for a 20-episode third season which premiered on June 5, 2013.

Although Syfy did not announce the series' renewal following its third-season finale, it was reported that a fourth season had begun filming. On October 29, 2014, the series was officially renewed for a 13-episode fourth season, which premiered on August 26, 2015, under the new title Paranormal Witness: True Terror''.

On November 18, 2015, Syfy renewed the series for a 13-episode fifth season, which premiered on August 3, 2016.

Reception
While Deseret News writer Mark Rappleye characterized the show as "full of mind-numbing creepiness", he said that the show "will likely appeal more to believers and less to the even mildly skeptical". According to Rappleye, "Paranormal Witness” simply tells the story, insinuating that everyone should simply believe it as having actually occurred the way it is presented. This leaves little, if any, room for intellectual challenge or edification". New York Times reviewer Neil Genzlinger criticized the show, saying, "It doesn’t bother hunting for hard evidence; it simply uses first-person testimony and re-enactment to sell the idea that someone has had a psychic encounter". Reviewing the show's "Long Island Terror" episode, science writer Sharon A. Hill said, "Paranormal Witness, is not what I would consider a fair documentation. It is not wise to take TV shows at face value. People put forth their story as they perceive it but it may not be how others perceive it or how it actually occurred. Saying there is a demon and Satanic activity associated with the house is a steep claim. Evidence is suggested but without verification we can’t go anywhere with this story".

Series overview

Episodes

Season 1 (2011)

Season 2 (2012)

Season 3 (2013)

Season 4 (2015)

Season 5 (2016)

References

External links
 Official website
 
 

Alien abduction in television
Demons in television
Television series about ghosts
Television about werewolves
Witchcraft in television
Paranormal reality television series
2010s American documentary television series
2011 American television series debuts
2016 American television series endings
2010s American reality television series
English-language television shows
Syfy original programming
UFO-related television Really is a British free-to-air digital television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Ireland, currently owned by Discovery, Inc. The channel launched on 19 May 2009 as UKTV's channel for female audiences. The channel shows a mixture of lifestyle, medical, real life, crime and paranormal programming. It is available on satellite through Sky and Freesat, cable through Virgin Media and also on digital terrestrial provider Freeview.

History
The channel was launched on 19 May 2009 as part of the major rebranding and repositioning of the UKTV network. The new channel was created to provide fashion, medical, real life, and crime programming on the UKTV network, by airing programming previously aired on UKTV Style. As part of the repositioning of UKTV Style to Home, this channel would focus primarily on home and garden programming. As part of this, UKTV Gardens was closed, with programmes merged with Home. The new channel Really would launch from UKTV Gardens' broadcast slot and would replace the channel on that service. Responsible for launching Really would be the channel head: Clare Laycock since July 2008. The channel was originally available only on satellite and cable services, however on 14 June 2011, UKTV announced that Really would launch on Freeview channel 20 on 2 August 2011. The channel, along with
Drama, were added to Virgin Media in Ireland on September 2018.

On 1 April 2019, it was announced that UKTV co-owner Discovery Inc. would acquire the BBC's stake in Really.

Identity

Really's identity originally centred on a pop art style cartoon of women in various situations which as the ident goes on resolves itself into an unusual outcome. At this outcome, the characters are shown with speech bubbles containing the Really logo, which then forms into the centre of the screen. Really used a generic promotion layout, consisting of the logo starting off the promotion before being located in the bottom right corner of the screen throughout before forming in the centre of the screen, alongside one of the ident characters, at the end.

Really received a new look on 15 May 2013, created by Red Bee Media, along with a new slogan 'Really gets you'.

On 31 March 2016, Really received new idents. This time, the screen is split into two at a 45-degree angle, and that 2 objects come together to form one, these idents are similar to the launch of the UKTV network in 1997. For example, a rose and a hypodermic needle, a camera and a bank safe and X-ray and ink.

On May 29, 2017, Really received another new identity.

In January 2021, Really introduced a new set of idents whilst retaining the old logo.

Programming
The majority of Really's programmes came from the programme archives of the BBC, through their once part ownership of UKTV. Due to a similar remit between the two channels, Really re-broadcasts many programmes previously shown on the channel BBC Three , and a few from BBC One, ITV Channel 4 and Channel 5.  The channel also has UK exclusive airings of the US shows Hart of Dixie and Covert Affairs.

Since the channel began airing in 2009, Most Haunted Live! 2015 remains the most watched programme in the channel's history. The episode featured a paranormal investigation at '30 East Drive'.

Really's current schedule of programmes include:

10 Years Younger
A Life of Grime
A Place in the Sun
Addicted to Beauty
Antiques Road Trip
Being Human - (Series 1)
Bizarre ER
Boston Med
Bridezillas
Britain's Missing Top Model
Celebrity MasterChef
Cheaters
Covert Affairs
The Clothes Show
Destination Fear (2019 TV series)
Divorce Court
Don't Tell the Bride
Doctor Who
The Ellen DeGeneres Show - (Series 9 and 10)
Escape to the Country
Extreme Makeover
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Final Witness
Four in a Bed
Freaky Eaters
Gavin & Stacey
Ghost Adventures
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Nation
Grey's Anatomy - (Series 1, 2 and 3)
Hart of Dixie - (Series 1 and 2)
Haunted Collector
Haunting: Australia
Helicopter Heroes
Hitched or Ditched
How to Look Good Naked
I Survived Evil
Kill It, Cook It, Eat It
Mary Queen of Shops
MasterChef Australia
MasterChef New Zealand
MasterChef South Africa
Missing Persons Unit
Most Haunted
Most Haunted Live!
That Mitchell and Webb Look
The Mighty Boosh
The O.C.
One Born Every Minute
Paranormal Lockdown
Paranormal Lockdown UK
Paranormal Witness
The Rachel Zoe Project
The Sex Inspectors
Snog Marry Avoid?
Smart Guy
Undercover Boss
What Not to Wear

Medical programming
City Hospital
Doctors at Large
Doctors to Be
Medical Emergency 
Medics of the Glen
Trauma
Your Life in their Hands

Real life programming
999
999 Lifesavers
Accident and Emergency 
Ambulance 
Lifeboat Rescue 
Rescue Heroes

Crime programming
Autopsy
Blues and Twos
Chopper Coppers
Cops
Crimes and Firelines
Crime Pursuits 
Crime Squad
Forensic Fles
Global Cops
Inside the Criminal Mind
Killer Cult
Mind of the MurderersRaw Blues Scenes of CrimeSerial Killers Traffic Cops''

See also
 UKTV
 Television in the United Kingdom

References

External links

Television channels in the United Kingdom
Television channels and stations established in 2009
Discovery Networks
UKTV
UKTV channels