Look around you.
Just look around you.
Have you worked out what we're looking for?
Correct. The answer is...
This programme, "Ghosts",
is discussed in chapter 15 of your textbook,
which accompanies this series.
Please ensure you have your copybook at hand,
as you'll be asked to take down notes from the screen
at various points throughout the programme.
Ghosts.
You may know them as ghouls or phantoms,
or demons, or spirits, or spirims, or spictrims.
From the sightings of the headless spirit of King Henry VIII
to the poltergeist activity of the ghost of Sir Ian Whitaker,
former General Secretary of the TGWU,
ghosts are all around us.
But there's no need to be scared of ghosts.
- (SCREAMS) - It's a very childish attitude,
as the majority of them are quite harmless.
This spirit is helping a girl with her homework,
while this one is mending its master's caravan.
Most of us are interested in the spirit world,
and if we're not reading about it in popular magazines,
we're paying a visit to our local medium.
They usually have something interesting to say.
Are you still making that lovely onion soup for yourself, dear?
An experiment was carried out
to produce a visualisation of a spirit.
In order to visualise, we'll be using this piece of equipment,
a Gloriette 80 Materialiser,
a complex arrangement of diodes, marbles and valves
which enables us to make visual contact with the dead.
The machine is turned on,
and then primed by inserting the crucifix.
(WHIRRING)
A candle is placed on a map of Cornwall
and the scientist begins his incantation.
Make sure you note it down.
Emarf wodniw eht gnitsud saw aniram.
Emarf wodniw eht...
There's our spirit. He appears to be in some distress.
Perhaps he's missing colleagues or loved ones back at home.
He may even be missing you.
Do you know this man?
(GROWLS)
Now let's see what a ghost can do under controlled conditions.
Can a spirit pass through a solid surface?
Evidently, yes.
Drink a glass of orange squash?
Thirsty work. How about trying on this hat for size?
It fits!
- (GLASS SMASHES) - If the ghost misbehaves,
we administer a strong electric current.
Note that down in your copybook now.
Not all ghosts are of living things.
This roll of sticky tape, for instance, is a ghost.
So is this van.
Sometimes, when a ghost materialises,
it leaves behind a physical residue, known as ectoplasm.
It's perfectly safe to eat.
In fact many people have likened the taste to that of pigs' milk.
One way in which ghosts are different from man
is that they can' t whistle.
Try as they might, the most they can muster is a rather feeble hiss.
Perhaps it's because their lips are transparent
and their tongues are see-through.
But despite our differences,
man and ghost can forge a successful partnership.
Let's look at this phenomenon more closely,
as we step inside the haunted laboratory.
An experiment was carried out
to demonstrate how man and ghost can work together as a team.
Let's see how the partnership works
as together they measure the effects
of nitric acid upon calcium.
Get ready to write down your observations.
First, a bottle of powdered calcium is placed upon the work surface.
Next, a small amount of calcium is poured into the beaker.
Only about 4,000 million biligrams, or 4 grams.
That's enough.
Ghosts can be a little unpredictable at times.
The scientist fetches a fresh beaker,
and the experiment continues.
Now for the nitric acid.
Nitric acid is highly corrosive,
so care must always be taken when handling.
- (GHOST) Hello! - Using a pipette,
the ghostly assistant collects a few drops of the acid.
Now the ghoul is instructed to release the acid into the beaker.
Come on.
(SIZZLING)
This is a naughty spirit. That could have hurt.
The scientist will need to rinse the affected area
with cold water immediately.
(ALARM)
(WHOOSHING AND GROANING)
It seems that for this spirit, teamwork is not on the agenda.
The scientist has no choice but to abandon the experiment.
Note that down in your copybook now.
Over the course of this module,
we've learnt a lot about the nature,
characteristics
and behaviour of ghosts.
So the next time you're playing with your Ouija board,
take a moment out to remember this.
In the end, you too will die and become a ghost.
It may be in fifty years, it may be tomorrow.
It may even be...
today.
Now hand in your copybooks to your teacher or head of class.
In the next programme, we will look at reggae.
(REGGAE MUSIC)