Most Haunted Live Halloween 2008

The Living TV programme Most Haunted Team former Blue Peter Yvette Fielding, husband Karl Beattie, Stuart Torevell, Cath Howie, Historian Lesly Smith, Medium Brain Shepherd, and parapsychologist Ciaran O'Keeffe to name just a few are doing a first ever week long paranormal investigating.

Yvette, Karl and fellow team members are spending seven nights investigating the former Denbigh Asylum, which today is a decaying Victorian Hospital in North Wales. Yvette, Karl and their fellow team members, which does include expert mediums and parapsychologists can be seen on Living TV from 8pm on Saturday 25th October 2008 for seven nights. The show is being branded as Denbigh 'The Village of the Damned' as the Most Haunted team willspend seven nights lurking around ancient buildings and edificies whilst trying to discover and uncover 'the truth about this ghost-riddled asylum'!!

This is the first ever in Most Haunted Live history that the team have ever visited a 19th century building that is believed to stand on the ground cursed by witches that were tried and executed there.

On there first night (Saturday 25th October 2008) Yvette will join mediums Brain Shepherd and Billy Roberts, and parapsychologist Dr Ciaran O'Keeffe, who will take part in a gripping first night of action as they will conduct a 'time slip' experiment. This 'time slip' experiment will consist of two individual's being strapped into straitjackets in separate padded cells, whilst Yvette will hold a seance to try and entice the spirits of patients, who once housed their in order to try to uncover exactly did happen there.

Dr. Ciaran O'Keeffe is Most Haunted's parapsychologist will use a range of various paranormal equipment and experiments in order to try to determine whether the Most Haunted team's experiences might be paranormal or could their experience be related to other attributable factors.

After the first night at Denbigh Asylum, the Most Haunted team will spent the rest of this first-ever seven night special hunting for witches throughout Denbigh Asylum's desserted hospital wards, attics and cellars and then into the chapel. Although the chapel is situated inthe grounds of the hospital, it is a separate building situated away from the main building.

It is thought that witches were executed in this par of the grounds and buildings, so it is believed that the Most Haunted team will end their seven night special with an exorcism, by burning the church to rid the whole area of any spirits thus preparing it for habitation.

A spokesman for the Most Haunted Live show has been quoted as saying 'Our visit to Denbigh should be something very special as the most Haunted Live returns for the most amazing supernatural spookfeast so far'.

Denbigh Asylum was situated in North Wales first lunatic asylum was the first psychiatricinstitution; construction started in 1844 and was completed in 1848 inthe town of Denbigh. The U-shaped tudorbethian style hospital was built due to the word spreading that the Welsh pople who were incarcerated in English asylum's were seemingly being mistreated. John Ablett, a local welsh landowner, donated 20 acres of his land for the hospital complex to be built on. This North Wales Hospital was going to be a haven for all Welsh speaking residents to get treatment that they required without prejudice or a language barrier.

Extensions and renovations were made at the North Wales hospital between 1867 and 1956, when it reached its maximum capacity of holding 1,500 patients living within its walls and employing 1,000 staff.

Physical treatment such as cardiazol, malarial treatment, insulin shock treatment, and sulphur based drugs were used and developed during the 1920s and 1930s. during 1941-1942 the Electri Canvulsive Theraphy (ECT) and Prefrontal Leucotomy (Lobotomy) treatments were invented.

In 1960, Enoch Poweel visited the North Wales Hospital and later announced the 'Hospital Plan' for England and Wales, which proposed that psychiatric care facilities should be sttached to general hospitals and favoured community care over institutional settings. This was the beginning of the end for the North Wales Hospital and other hospitals like it; in 1987 a ten year strategy to close the hospital was formed. The North Wales Hospital was closed in sections from 1991 till 2002; most notably was the closure of Denbigh Asylum's main building in 1995.

On 12th July 2004, Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, visited Denbigh Asylum and administered a speech detailing his Phoenix Trust, a historic building trust that prevented the structure of the building being demolished. The hospital is currently slated to be converted into private homes. Asbestos abatement has started in October 2008.