26 July 2015

Colin Fry gives a reading to Dr David Bull - My Analysis

Every time I expose a medium, I will get one of their gullible deluded fans email me something along the lines of... "Yeah but how do you explain this...."

They will then mention something they saw on TV 5 years ago, or something similar, and then expect me to just magically travel back in time, to watch the reading, and of course in their mind, I wont be able to explain how it was done, thus confirming their delusions.


Well this exact thing happened, in my now infamous article pleading with Colin Fry to come clean about his fraudulent mediumship before he dies of terminal lung cancer, in the comments section this exact thing has happened. After watching an old repeat of one of Colin's HIGHLY EDITED TV shows, they demanded I explain how a reading was performed. Luckily for me that reading was with former Most Haunted Live host Dr David Bull. (Now you realise why I decided to re-publish an article that expose various lies he told us in an interview). And said reading had been uploaded by Dr David Bull to Vimeo, so with a quick google I could find the reading.


I then asked my Transcriber (Forum member girlseeksghosts) to do me a transcription, and the results are below.


First I ask you all to watch the video yourself. Now unfortunately they have disabled embedding on the video, but you can watch it at this link if you choose too - https://vimeo.com/39734211

You can also watch using these youtube videos I found.



As usual when I expose something like this, the video will often get taken down as a way to hide the fact I have just exposed a medium. If that happens, just google it and I am sure you will find another copy. 

Also I did try and contact David Bull to speak to him about this reading before I published anything, however David's Manager/Secretary? Told me he was very busy, and that he pretty much did not want to talk to me. Hardly surprising since we exposed his lies back on Most Haunted Live!


Anyway Transcription is below. And my comments will be interjected in RED BOLD LETTERING


KEY:

David Bull is in normal lettering.
Colin Fry is in BOLD
Jon Donnis is in RED BOLD

My name is Dr David Bull, I am a medical doctor. I am also a television presenter. I have presented programs such as Watchdog, also of course, Most Haunted Live on Livingtv. The reason that I went to see Colin was that I have done a lot of work with paranormal programs. I started off being incredibly sceptical and I believe the proof of the pudding is in the eating so I decided to see what Colin had to say for himself.

The connection I feel that is trying to take place is not so much a family link for you, you know, I mean one of the common expressions we use is 'they pass before their time' but you know I do actually feel as though this was a young person who had the scheme of things been other than what they were, would have had a lot longer, you know, on this side of life, so I don't feel as though they have been passed over very long.

I was very careful in the reading not to try and give away anything and initially I thought it might be one of two people I thought it might possibly have been my cousin who died at a very early age or my friend Mark.


Lets start off by making something very clear. Dr David Bull at the time of this reading was at his celebrity peak, he was well known, and could easily be researched, also Colin Fry would have known many people who either knew David, or had worked with him on Most Haunted. Would you be surprised to know that Derek Acorah worked with David on Most Haunted, also happens to be a friend and work colleague of Colin Fry. Now I am not saying he had given Colin any info on David, but if you wanted to find out information about someone, who better to ask than someone who is also dishonest, a liar, and a fraud!

So far Colin clearly has stated that he is getting the feeling of a young person (note he does not say male or female at this point), but not a family member. We then get an edit. Again remember that this reading will probably have been close to an hour long, yet on TV we only got a 15 minute clip, so keep in mind Colin will have said a LOT that simply bombed and was wrong, and that we will never get to see.
I feel with this gentleman that’s connecting with me that leading up to his passing he had commented or complained that he was getting pain or aching around the gland area underneath his chin you know the throat glands, and then I feel that there was something like a high fever, or a bout of pneumonia or a really bad virus and he recovered from that. I really feel that until the effects of this illness struck he had been incredibly energetic, very lively both in character and personality, and in the way he exerted himself in life.

Straight away Colin is now referring to a Gentleman, yet previously he was very careful not to mention a gender, there has clearly been a part of the reading cut out at this point.
You can tell that I was quite shocked because my breathing starts to increase, it was just too close and there was no doubt in my mind that it was Mark. Mark had a condition called cystic fibrosis which is a genetic condition. He died at the age of 31 and he died of a high temperature and pneumonia. 

Watch David's face very carefully as Colin is speaking, he is nodding his head, breathing heavier and so on, all of these things are giving clues to Colin he is on the right track.
Now lets quickly remind ourselves of what Colin actually said, he indicated a pain around the neck, so that could be anything from a sore throat, to throat cancer, and everything in between.

David has made the connection here, despite the fact that in no way has Colin mentioned cystic fibrosis whatsoever.

Also many diseases and illnesses often weaken the immune system, and sadly the way you finally die is from pneumonia and high temperature. So although it sounds like Colin was specific here, the actual content of what Colin stated was very vague and all encompassing, and it is David Bull who has made the connection to his friend who had cystic fibrosis, and again all of this came AFTER an edit whereby we went from Colin not knowing if the dead person was male or female, and also stating it was NOT a family member. We come back from the and suddenly he knows the gender.

He was one of the rudest and naughtiest people I ever met in my life and over the years we became very good friends. He had obviously cystic fibrosis but he never believed he was ill and what we used to do was that we would do a doubt act and we would go to lots of charity functions to raise money to fund a cure for this hideous disease and I would start off by saying these are the facts about cystic fibrosis this is why I am here this is why we need the money and he with his little devilish eyes and charm would stand there knowing exactly what he was doing, and he would say I have cystic fibrosis, most people with cystic fibrosis will die before they reach the age of 30, I have cystic fibrosis and I am 30. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

So David and his friend did many charity events, and raised a lot of money, all of this would be in the public domain and very easy to research, especially as David at that time was at the peak of his celebrity.

And I really do get this feeling of wanting to admit to you that he went through those final days, months, weeks of his life almost in denial that there was anything actually wrong with him and yet in his heart of hearts he knew there was something seriously wrong with him.

This is a common trick of the fake psychic, they will say two completely opposite things, but in the same sentence, thereby covering all bases. So Colin is saying that he was both knowing something was very wrong with him, and also denying it both as the same time!
Clearly he had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, as had done charity work for it, so he knew he had this condition.

Now Mark sort of had a spate where he would be quite well and then really sick then really well then really sick. The problem is its a step-wise progression and he never once believed that he was ill. I remember really really well I was travelling up to film for Watchdog and I was driving up the motorway and I knew he wasn't very well I suddenly had to stop because I knew that I would never see him again and I pulled into a (I don't know why I thought that) I just pulled into a service station and wrote a letter to him which I faxed to his home and I think if I'm right it was one of the last things he kind of read and I didn't see him again so I knew he was sicker than he ever told me.

I do really get this feeling with this guy that you really really liked him or you loathed and detested him, there was no in-between with him, you either adored him or you couldn’t stand him and I think he knew that about himself.

Like previously Colin is stating two opposite things in the same sentence, he literally cant fail doing this, which is why so many psychics will use this technique.
Also notice the huge grin on David's face here. Giving Colin all the information he possibly needs.

Can you tell me his name? Can you describe him?

Ok so here we got, David Bull finally asks a direct question, something that only a real psychic could answer, what do you think will happen here?

No, the only feeling, I get no name, the only feeling that I get , and I don’t know whether its physically or mentally, I would describe him as attractive but I don’t know whether I mean physically or mentally he was an attractive person, I just know that there was something about him that he was attractive he would captivate people, he would walk into a room and hold court. 

So David's friend comes through, can give all this information about the pain he was in before he died, yet to just say one word, his name is impossible! This is an easy way to tell if a psychic is fake or not. Ask a direct question that they cannot cold read you on. They ALWAYS fail! Unless of course they have researched you.
Yeh, oh completely.

And I think that that is really why, depending on your disposition, you either would have adored him or despised him.

Absolutely. Mark was someone who would polarise people, because he was so committed and passionate about certain things. He'd tell you if he thought you were talking rubbish and that doesn’t always work well with people they can get quite upset, so I think that is absolutely right you know people did love him and people really had times when they thought enough, I cant listen to this any more, so yes I thought that was completely on the spot.

And I really do get this feeling that he did a lot for other people and I can't think of any other way of saying this, I feel from him he had to dress it up so that it didn't actually look as though he was doing it to benefit other people. He wouldn’t wanted to have been seen as being a do-gooder or a charitable person so he had to dress it up. I think if anybody had actually said to him he you are a very good man very charitable and everything he would have been acutely embarrassed by that

Yes completely.

People who do charity work in general are altruistic people, it's kinda the point of charity, unless you are doing it for self promotion, a bit like Colin Fry and his ilk do as a way to promote their own mediumship.

So he had to dress the whole thing up.

Yep.

And even as I am talking about this feeling that I have from him, I can feel from him as I'm were talking he does not like me talking about him like this.

No. Mark worked for a charity called the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, he would go out of his way to help anyone with cystic fibrosis no matter what but he would do it with the veneer of oh let them get on with it on their own because he hated people to think that he was so caring. I think in many ways it was part of his own coping mechanism by playing down the disease by saying actually it is not a big problem he could deal with it himself by saying well I've got it and its not a big problem. If he had gone the other way by saying its terrible they really need help I've got to help them then of course he's admitting that he needs help and that’s how he did it, and it was incredibly powerful and people loved him for it 

(Colin laughs) What is this joke? Why is he joking about this saying you were the brains and I was the beauty, he just said to me you tell him he will know what I mean by he was the brains and I was the beauty. 

Well obviously, no, well I think that was really a harsh comment, we were a great double act, we combined brains and beauty, lets leave it at that.

So he can tell "jokes" now, but cant say his own name!
Colin here with another classic line straight out of the psychic handbook.
You are of course David but who's the other David I’m getting this feeling that I have to make a reference to another David and you're still friends or you still know one another.

Yes but I'm intrigued to know what he is saying about the other David.

Clearly David is an incredibly common name, Colin has just picked a name out of the air, and will let David Bull make the connection.

The thought he has just put through to me is tell David, don't tell David too much about this he will freak, hysterical laughter!

Right. 

He's actually taking a little bit of pleasure in the fact that for the other David to know that he has connected amuses him that he would be so freaked out about it.

And my word would he freak, the other David is high up in the Cystic Fibrosis Trust Charity and Mark and David enjoyed a difficult relationship at times. Mark was head of communications and David ran the business if you like and Mark and David didn't always see eye to eye.

Is that a joke, yes, you are saying that with humour ok... and you can tell him I like him an awful lot more than he deserves.

Right, ok.

and he said you know why and he will know why.

Actually they worked towards the same goal and there was huge respect passing backwards and forwards and maybe Mark never quite told him so I shall be messenger boy.

No real info coming from Colin here at all. All he has done is give out one of the most popular names in the UK, and David Bull has done all the work for him. 

Why do I hear Aida? I can hear in my mind snippets of Aida and also snippets of Toreador.

He was a massive showman and loved songs, musical shows that sort of thing.

David Bull is a celebrity, and also Gay, and I am sure Colin Fry would know very well that David would be into musicals and so on, so simply took a guess that this unknown dead person who David knew might also be into such things. After all I you dont in general hang around with people if they do not have similar interests to you.

Remember at no point did Colin state what relationship this person was to David, or even that they were male until AFTER an edit.

and like grand opera, grand Italian opera.

Anything completely over the top, yes. Mark used to love classical music the more outrageous and noisy it was the better. He was a great showman he was a 'bon viveur' he loved life and the nosier that music you know like one of those, Tosca or something oh you know it would be at full blast, that was him. 

He's thankful that you are happy at last.

Oh am I? Ok!

Within the last 4 months there's been a bit of change in the circumstances around your life yeh? and he was just saying (ok that has explained it a little bit) if you can't see that that’s made you happy at last, alright, there's something wrong with you.

Yes and no, you know, I can't think that 4 months ago I was really miserable and now I am hideously happy. I'm not unhappy, there are things that would make me happier! I think he should pay closer attention up there wherever he is.

This is classic filler. Someone has died, so of course you are going to be sad, and then months or years later you will be in a better place and happy. Most if not all people go through cycles of happiness and sadness, and simply by watching someone's demeanour you can tell what kind of place they are in mentally. So nothing at all interesting here.

He would like to thank you for your loyalty, and not really taking the opportunity to have told you that leading up to his passing.

I was really touched by that, I told his father that on the telephone afterwards. I don't really know what to say to that it was just very very touching.

And as he begins to fade you know from my thought he has just asked me to express this to you, you are one of the very few people that he would actually want to connect to. I think he has a very sentimental side to him because he has just said some friendships are made forever.

Yet he is incapable of telling Colin what his name is! How can anyone believe this?

I think that's an incredibly lovely thing to say. I talk about him more than I talk about some of my friends who are living. I think that is really really rather beautiful you know that some friendships last forever, I hope its true.

And I'm going to leave your friend's love and best wishes with you David thank you very much.

Thank you!

Ah I was gob-smacked, I went in there thinking oh here we go a right load of hooey! I came out quite shaken actually because I wasn’t, if anyone was going to connect with me I didn’t think it would be Mark. I thought it was likely to be a member of my family I don’t know really what I expected. I thought Colin would be fishing a lot more, you know, did anyone die when they were younger you know that kind of thing. I was surprised and you know I couldn’t stop talking about it for 2 days. If you are a scientist you really can't, you have to look for evidence you have to weigh up chance, probably and things like that. There are things that Colin said that put together paint a really impressive picture. I’m still not sure how much is how much my brain wanting it all to connect. You know its a bit like if you see a visual image like an optical illusion your brain sees what it wants to and tries to draw it into an image and I sit there thinking well come on maybe I’m now putting it all together 2 and 2 making 17 but maybe some of the things he came out with are just a bit too close maybe you just can't guess those things and maybe there is something in it.

David kinda realises that it is more him wanting to believe than any actual evidence given.


Lets look at everything Colin said that was specific and true. 
He said it wasn't a family member, but then if you state that early on, then of course the person being read, is gonna think about non family members who have died!

Colin stated it was a gentleman, but only AFTER an edit, so we have no idea what was said or suggested, or asked before this. But even then, its a 50/50 statement, which in turn will direct the rest of the reading.

Colin said that pneumonia was ultimately the cause of death, and although this is true, the pneumonia was because of Marks cystic fibrosis, something Colin did NOT mention.

In fact looking back through the whole reading, the ONLY specific thing that Colin said that was completely correct, and would not be subject to David fitting things to the reading, was the statement about his friend liking Musicals!

Yep Colin Fry told and openly Gay man, that a friend of his who died, was a fan of musicals and show tunes!

So we will have to give it to Colin right there. Guessing that a friend of a Gay man would like Musicals, is surely proof of an afterlife right?

The one time David Bull asked a direct question, that being the name of the person Colin was claiming to have connected too, Colin could not answer.

Everything else was your usual cold reading nonsense, whereby things were said in a vague manner, or incredibly common statements were made, and it was left for David Bull to connect the dots.

Overall a very poor reading, and not sure how anyone watching this would consider it proof.
In fact it was so heavily edited, that if that was truly the best bits of the read, I dread to think how awful the rest of the reading was.

Anyway that's all for now.
Jon Donnis

Please guys check out http://www.cff.org
That is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website.
This is a terrible condition, and if you are unaware of the condition you would do well to educate yourself about it, and learn about how science has helped extend the lifespan of sufferers as well as look into how you can help too.




11 comments:

Woody said...

Indeed, Jon, with some information easily available, the old warm-reading, cold reading and an easy guess or two creates a reading some site a 'proof'', as something that needs to be explained by sceptics.
Holy Shit!

Alithea said...

Hi Jon.

Thanks for your analysis. I have no particular stake in this, one way or the other, but I do want to point out the following (post is in two parts)

There seems to be an apparent contradiction in your analysis of the transcript...you imply the Colin Fry would have had easy access to information about David's friend (due to his celebrity profile and public charity events etc) - see quote below:

"So David and his friend did many charity events, and raised a lot of money, all of this would be in the public domain and very easy to research"

If this is true then and Colin Fry had conducted such prior research then he would obviously, de facto, know the name of David's friend. Therefore he would have been able to produce it when asked about it, which he failed to do...which you then comment upon saying:

"So David's friend comes through, can give all this information about the pain he was in before he died, yet to just say one word, his name is impossible! This is an easy way to tell if a psychic is fake or not. Ask a direct question that they cannot cold read you on. They ALWAYS fail! Unless of course they have researched you."

So either Colin Fry DID conduct the prior research or he did not...but you seem to be implying in one instance that he did do the research, but then saying that the reason he doesn't know the friend's name is because he is a fake. But these two conclusions contradict and cancel each other out.

Similarly, if he had really done research about David's friend and his charity work then he would also know that the friend had Cystic Fibrosis - which again he fails to mention - as you yourself highlight, when you said:

"Colin said that pneumonia was ultimately the cause of death, and although this is true, the pneumonia was because of Marks cystic fibrosis, something Colin did NOT mention."

If he did do prior research then he would have, of course, easily have been able to reveal both the name and the condition of the friend....but if he did not, then your explanation of how he supplied the previous information is either insufficient or incorrect.

Continued in next post (as close to word limit for this posting)...

Alithea said...

Continuation of previous post:

If, as you ascertain, he did conduct prior research then the only explanation for him not revealing his knowledge of David's friends name and the disease he had is that of (a highly elaborate, and somewhat unbelievable) double bluff i.e. he withheld the full extent of his knowledge so as not to seem too "on the point"...

It could be argued that this is part and parcel of the skill of a good cold reader (i.e if you are too precise it might be perceived as suspiciously accurate, because it might be seen as "too good to be true").

However, within the context of this reading - and following the logic of your argument about this being a highly edited segment in which the producers and Mr Fry would be aiming to highlight as many "hits" as possible and striving to make him look as accurate as possible - the fact that he does not say the name or name the condition (both of which would of course have made highly impressive "hits") - does not seem to align with the overall conclusions and general thrust of your analysis.

You seem to be saying that Mr Fry is an outright fake and must have done prior research - and therefore could of produced a number of hits using "hot reading" that would have made him look remarkably accurate - while simultaneously implying that his reading was very vague and full of cold reading techniques. But if, as you imply, he was in possession of easily researched facts about the deceased person, why does he - as you go on to say - appear to be using the vague, fishing approach of cold reading?

Your parallel accusation that he is employing both hot reading and cold reading does not make seem to make sense in this instance, as you are simultaneously highlighting the failings of the reading as proof that he is simply "cold reading" and is not in possession of any true knowledge about the deceased person - while also dismissing some of the "hits" as proof that he is hot reading and has in fact researched and obtained detailed information about the deceased person - therefore there is a huge contradiction at the basis of your analysis.

JD said...

I think the point is that which ever way you look at it Colin Fry did not conduct a successful or real reading.

I wrote my analysis as I watched, I did not watch and then go back and re-watch, so I gave my opinions in a live manner.

The old double bluff idea is actually more common than you would like to think.

You gave me this reading as proof positive of genuine mediumship, of something I would be unable to debunk.
Yet clearly it was possible both as a total cold read, and also as a hot read that was held back as to not be too obvious.

The only thing that is 100% here is that no real mediumship took place.

There were no real hits, there was no statements of fact, everything was quite vague, and David clearly made connections.

The huge amount of edits meant that it was actually quite difficult as to if this was a pure cold read, or a well worded hot read.

Looking back a second time, I am actually quite positive it was a pure cold read and that Colin did not hot read or do prior research, what he came up with would not indicate that as it was simply too poor, even if you go the double bluff route.

I think it was a pure cold read, probably around an hour long, which was edited down to roughly 15 minutes, with the best bits left in, and the HUGE amount of misses cut out. And even then, even after all the misses were cut out, the edits performed, the clear manipulation, it was still a very poor reading.

As I said the only true hit in the whole reading was that the dead person liked musicals! Yes a dead friend of an openly gay man, who was also likely gay as well, liked musicals.

So now you have read my analysis, have heard my final opinion, do you still see this as a piece of genuine mediumship? Or are you prepared to admit that you got taken in my television magic, cleverly edited footage, and the manipulation of Davids emotions as a way to hook the viewer and convince them of something that simply was not true?

What is more likely? Everything we know and is proven about the universe, science, psychology, along with television production, editing and so on.
What is more likely, my simple, provable, obvious, measurable, replicable explanation is right, or that a PROVEN exposed fraud, who has been caught cheating in the past, on this one occasion really spoke to a dead man who would not tell him his name, the condition that caused his death, or even if he was male or female?

Use logic here and clearly I am right and you were wrong.

Alithea said...

Hi Jon

Thanks for your reply - but you seem to have mixed me up with another poster (I have never asked you to debunk this reading, as this is the first time I've ever posted anything - although I have read your site for many years). As such I'm in no position to admit that I was "wrong" about it, as I've never stated any opinion about its veracity one way or the other.

Anyway - I agree that it is far more likely that this reading was done using pure cold reading, as it is mostly very vague - so in my previous post I was just trying to point out that your breakdown of the transcript contained a logical contradiction - as it seemed highly unlikely that if Mr Fry had researched the subject beforehand, as you had suggested, that he would be so reticent to use that information to produce some direct hits (even if he was double-bluffing).

JD said...

Apologies, yes I was confusing you with the person who challenged me to debunk this video, so apologies again for my tone towards you.

Alithea said...

Hi Jon
No worries - and thanks for the responses. Always enjoy reading your site!

JD said...

Glad you enjoy the site, make sure to join the forum too for more stuff.

Unknown said...

If you really had a gift you would help people... NO CHARGE!!!!

JD said...

Well he aint charging anyone right now since he is dead

Herbie Hopkins said...

I find it very suspicious that the photo for David with Mark they show in the video appears to have a much younger Colin Fry lookalike standing alongside them!

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