PATSY SORENTI takes a look back at Most Haunted: The Ostrich Inn
Episode Title: The Ostrich Inn
Location: Colnbrook, Berkshire
Series: 1 Episode Number: 3
Originally broadcast: 2001-2002
Summary: The village of Colnbrook near Heathrow is home to the third oldest pub in Great Britain, The Ostrich Inn. Legend has it that in the 1400s over 60 people met their death there and Jarmin, an evil landlord, murdered visitors by throwing them in hot oil.
Review: As with the other episodes it begins with Yvette telling tales of murder and mayhem at the Inn, with employees and staff giving details of their own experiences.
Spooky commentary, diffused lighting and cut away shots provide all the spine chilling elements that the production wants to convey.
Derek Acorah is once again the medium and like as always, we are treated to several ‘trance’ episodes throughout the programme.
At one time during a vigil in the Inn’s kitchen, Acorah appears to ‘dip’ his head into a deep fat fryer, seemingly entranced with the spirit of a murdered man who was boiled in oil.
Apart from two spirits, Acorah’s ‘trances’ are with people who according to record, did not exist.
Jason Karl, an actor, is once again on hand to provide a ‘scientific’ viewpoint, playing the role of a parapsychologist.
He acquaints the audience with an array of gadgets, which surprisingly, actually work.
He is not afraid to get involved in the proceedings and neither is Karl Beattie, and we see a flavour of his later antics as he takes a look at the old attics, where allegedly a book, detailing the murders, is to be found.
Predictably, no such book is located in the attics and again, tales of a hidden staircase are also disproved (the ‘hidden staircase’ also presented itself in the earlier episode at Michelham Priory.)
Fortunately for us, even though Yvette looks puzzled and worried at some points during the episode, we see nothing of the screaming and running away that spiced up later series of the programme. At least we can be thankful for that.
PATSY SORENTI has been interested in the paranormal since childhood, believing that one day the ‘supernatural’ will ‘slot’ into known physics and this may be possible some day with the investigations into quantum theory. A qualified accountant, she has been a teacher of geology and economics and a published author of four books: ‘The Highgate Vampire Casebook‘, ‘Raining In My Heart (The Story of Buddy Holly)’, ‘Susan Chick – A Lady Of Bedfont’ and ‘The Ghosts And Legends Of Middlesex’ co-authored with Ricky Sorenti. She is currently researching the Highgate case again with a view to a second edition of Vampire Casebook.She has one adult son and two grandchildren.
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