Tour PR
Very sad to hear about the death of TV psychic Colin Fry who I worked with at Living TV on Most Haunted & 6ixth Sense
I worked with Colin Fry for over 5 years launching his programmes on Living TV.
One very proud moment was landing a five page feature in The coolest magazine of the day The Face back in the early noughties
Colin Fry, who has died aged 53, was a self-proclaimed medium who relayed messages from “the dead” to audiences in Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Japan; on British satellite television he featured in such “paranormal reality” shows as Most Haunted and 6ixth Sense.
Viewers hoping for dire warnings from beyond the grave would be disappointed. A warm and charismatic performer, Fry’s stage pronouncements tended towards the prosaic. Bereaved grandchildren were instructed to tidy their rooms; dead parents reassured their offspring that the end had been relatively peaceful.
Sceptics countered that Fry’s main talent lay in basic “cold reading” techniques – the art of analysing body language in order to make high-probability guesses about a person. In 1992 Fry was caught out at a seance when the lights were turned on unexpectedly, revealing that he was still holding a “spirit trumpet” that was meant to be suspended in mid-air. Fry later put the incident down to his relative inexperience at the time. He also denied any suggestions of exploitation, pointing to his training as a bereavement counsellor. Members of his audience were encouraged to seek professional help if Fry felt they were struggling to cope with their loss.
Though he had initially refused to appear on television on the grounds that most programmes made fun of spiritualism, Fry gave in when he was approached by producers at the age of 40. The format of the shows, however, tended once again towards the banal. A message broadcast before 6ixth Sense admitted that “differing opinions exist as to the true nature of clairvoyance and clairaudience”. None the less, the subject has proved adaptable to the small screen. Most Haunted completed its 17th series in 2015.
Colin Fry was born on May 19 1962 in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. His mother, Margaret, a student nurse, had intended to remain at home after the birth but suffered from post-partum depression and decided that work would be beneficial. Colin was raised in large part by his maternal grandmother, Lilian, with whom he shared a close – he would say psychic – bond.
From an early age, Colin became aware of an ability to perceive things that other members of his family could not. A vision of an old man – “like a taller, slightly thinner version of [Doctor Who] William Hartnell” – at the foot of his bed was a first glimpse of “Magnus”, who would become Fry’s proclaimed “spirit guide” in adulthood. Aged four, Colin announced to the table at teatime that “Old Nanny”, his great-grandmother, had died. A telegram to that effect arrived the next day.
After leaving school at 16 without any qualifications, Fry worked in the retail industry while giving demonstrations at spiritualist churches. But it was not until his stepbrother, Michael, died of Aids in 1996 that he resolved to become a full-time medium. Fry had nursed Michael for many years, and saw a chance to keep the relationship intact. “But he’s very clever,” he explained in 2003: “He’ll often pass messages to me through other mediums.”
Fry went on to become a reverend of the Spiritualist Church, and wrote several books on spiritual and mental well-being. A memoir, The Happy Medium, was published in 2012. The title seemed to contradict a life that had had its share of physical hardship. He became partially deaf aged 23 and relied on hearing aids in later years. Last April he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
A heavy smoker, he recalled an earlier encounter with a fellow spiritualist, who disapproved: “This old love said to me: ‘That’ll kill you, you know.’ I replied: ‘My love, do you honestly think that bothers me? I know where I’m going.’”
Colin Fry is survived by his civil partner, Mikey.
Colin Fry, born May 19 1962, died August 25 2015 – The Daily Telegraph
Gypsies, Come Dancing!
Press Release
Gypsies, Come Dancing!
Forget Got to Dance and Strictly Come Dancing, telly bosses are currently battling it out for the rights to bring an even more sequined dance event to our screens, the World Gypsy Dance Championships! The first and only worldwide contest for dancers from the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller community is to be hosted in London later this year. Organisers have already begun the worldwide search for the next Gypsy dance star, and are expecting stiff competition for the coveted gold medal.
Running the contest is Irish Romany Gypsy, Róisín Mullins, a former Irish Dance World Medallist and dancer with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. Róisín has judged thousands of Gypsy acts, including performing horses, in TV talent shows such as Travellers Got Talent and Gypsy and Traveller Face of the Year, alongside singers David Essex and Jentina. But now Róisín will be encouraging Travellers to swap their twenty stone wedding dresses for flamenco skirts, hitch up their wagons, and hit auditions at Traveller fairs, sites and events throughout the UK.
Róisín Mullins said: “The World Gypsy Dance Championships is a fantastic opportunity for dancers to take centre stage. We have already seen singers from the community make it on TV talent shows, but for me, the dancers represent our culture best”.
Joining Róisín to organise the contest will be her Gypsy partner, Irish dance show producer, Jack Jacobs. The pair are keen to show off a more positive side to the community, at what they hope will be the biggest gathering of gypsy dancers in history. Event organiser Jack is particularly excited about revealing the community’s hidden talent.
Jack Jacobs said: “The contest is a real first for the Gypsy and Traveller community. There are some incredibly talented dancers out there, and traditional dance styles that we, in the UK, have never seen before. So the chance to pull Gypsy dancers together from all over the world to compete against one another will be an amazing site”.
Celebrities rumoured to be taking a seat on the judging panel alongside Róisín include world famous Gypsy dancers, and stars from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
As well as heavily diamented costumes and fake tan, the contest promises to deliver an all out battle of traditional versus modern, with Flamenco and Irish dancing facing off against hip hop and street dance.
Entrants can compete in any dance style, but must be from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller background.
To enter visit www.worldgypsydancechampionships.com
Press Enquiries:
For all media enquiries please contact: siobhan@connopr.com Tel: 07966 177025 or Jack Jacobs at jackjacobs@live.co.uk
Connor PR entertainment PR Specialist, Connor PR working with Gypsies, Come Dancing