Tony “Doc” Shiels, the famed charismatic showman and self-proclaimed wizard, has died. NEIL NIXON pays tribute to his lasting legacy on the field of British paranormal phenomena
The death of Tony “Doc” Shiels may well mark the end of an era in the British paranormal community. His death, on 11 July 2024 in Ireland prompted an obituary that opened with a list of accomplishments: “Artist, musician, actor, magician, writer, playwright, showman, and wizard of the western world.” A larger-than-life description for a character whose highest profile days were well before the internet and relied very much on fragments of evidence sneaking out, sufficient to fuel the discussions that maintained a reputation that truly was, legendary.
Born into an Irish family in Salford in 1938, Doc was central to strange happenings in Devon and Cornwall, where he lived for many years, apparently conjuring up the local sea monster and having a multi-layered involvement in the local “Owlman” events (involving a creature half man, half owl and very much in the tradition of America’s Mothman).
Doc’s paranormal involvement went alongside an ability to perform stage magic, working as “The Wizard of the West” at live events in the west country during the 1970s. He’d studied the subject as a young man and returned to after years involved in the art world. He also wrote nonfiction and plays, all very much in an uncompromising and very personal style.
One play – The Gallavant Variations – (starring Doc and his family) so scandalised audiences (who took exception to his 14-year-old daughter’s swearing and a topless appearance by her elder sister) that the local paper reported regular walkouts by paying customers.
Doc’s one appearance at a Fortean Times Unconvention was a raucous affair, replete with explicit photographs apparently showing witchcraft occurring deep in woodlands. All the above is merely surface detail on a life so colourful anyone interested might want to start by reading Doc’s own Monstrum: A Wizard’s Tale, or The Owlman and Others, the second title being a joint venture between Doc and his close friend and partner in many crimes, Jon Downes.
Doc’s best days pre-dated the intrusions of the internet, and the mass eruption of all things woke, neither development did Doc or his work too many favours. But his contributions to British paranormal history remain out there and the online world is at least user friendly regarding allowing his greatest moments to remain accessible.
Doc’s monster-raising in the mid-seventies claimed to have conjured up “Morgawr” a Cornish sea creature largely ignored before this, and the presence of a coven of naked witches helped to attract press and television interest, much of it now available in the predictable online places for those interested. Monstrum, with An introduction by Colin Wilson is his insider’s account, and remains readily available. His work was tabloid friendly, if not always likely to impress the scientific community. The Daily Mirror did agree to publish his Loch Ness Monster photos on the front page, though subsequent and serious-minded content on the subject has sometimes ignored them.
The many people who met Doc during a lengthy and varied life are unlikely to forget him in a hurry, and for others digging back into the history of the strangest creatures ever encountered in our Spooky Isles, the discovery of Doc’s work will probably be a welcome discovery for years to come.
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