I first became aware of a world beyond this one when I was six years of age. I was living with my family at my grandmother's house at the time. One day I was coming down the stairs when I saw a man on the landing. He looked to me for all the world like an everyday man. I thought that a stranger was wandering around the home and I was frightened. I took no time at all in getting downstairs to tell my mother and grandmother about him. After checking that there was nobody around my grandmother sat me down and asked me to describe the person I had seen. She brought out some photographs and asked me whether I recognised any of the people in the photographs. One particular photograph stood out - there was the man I had seen on the stairs. I pointed to him and said "There he is! That was him." My grandmother nodded. I had picked out a photograph of my grandfather who had passed away some years before my birth. I have to explain that my grandmother was herself a medium and she recognised in me the fact that I had inherited her gift of second sight.
I had a normal childhood, my only great passion being the game of football. I had no interest whatsoever in other wordly goings on. Occasionally my grandmother would talk to me about her work and tell me that one day I would follow in her footsteps but I was not really interested and would poo-poo the idea, telling her that I had no interest in talking to "spooks".
After leaving school at 15 I became a professional footballer, commencing my apprenticeship with Liverpool Football Club under the management of the great Bill Shankly. I concluded my footballing career in Australia when, having received a serious knee injury, I had to retire. I returned to the UK and took a number of mundane jobs in order to earn a living. I kept being drawn to the Spiritualist Churches and would attend their services. My grandmother had long passed away by this time but I remembered her words. I joined a number of circles within the Churches and helped with spirit rescue work. I travelled around the North West doing demonstrations in various Spiritualist Churches. I had also commenced conducting private readings for people.
I conducted my readings at an office in Liverpool City Centre. If I say so myself, I became rather popular and was invited on to various radio stations to give telephone readings live over the air. Whilst promoting my first book, The Psychic World of Derek Acorah I was invited on to Talk Radio's James Whale Show. Such was the response to my guest spot that James asked me back on a weekly basis. This continued for a number of years until James unfortunately fell ill with kidney cancer and had to take a long time away from his work in order to recover. By the time he returned I was too busy to continue on with my weekly slot.
I was invited on to Granada Breeze, the satellite arm of Granada Television in Manchester, to take part in a programme called Livetime. I conducted readings live on air and what was supposed to be a one-off guest spot became a weekly event. Granada Breeze eventually changed the name of the programme to Psychic Livetime where I was a main contributor and also developed various programmes for me including The Psychic Zone and Predictions with Derek Acorah.
It was whilst I was working at Granada Breeze that I met Yvette Fielding who asked whether I would be interested in taking part in a pilot programme she and her husband were wanting to make. This pilot programme went on to become Most Haunted. Following Most Haunted I went on to be involved in other programmes such as Ghost Antiques, Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns, Derek Acorah's Quest for Guy Fawkes, Paranormal Egypt, and Sky 1's programme simply titled Derek Acorah. I have guested on many programmes such as Harry Hill's TV Burp, Bo Selecta, Dr. Who, This Morning, Richard & Judy, Loose Lips and many more.
If asked I would say that my greatest thrill was going along to the filming of Dr. Who and actually taking part. It may have only been a couple of seconds, but at least I can say that I have been on Dr Who! My other great achievement was addressing the Oxford Union. I believe that I am the only medium in history who has ever been invited to do this.
I have been privileged to have visited some of the most interesting buildings in the United Kingdom and ROI. I have travelled to several different sacred sites and experienced areas that are not usually open to the public. I have worked in the USA, the Middle East, New Zealand and Australia and discussions are in place for me to visit sacred places in India. There have been times when I have been frightened and wondered what on earth was to happen. Places such as tThe Detention Centre in London and Pendle have tested me sorely. It is only my innate trust in my Spirit Guide Sam that has enabled me to carry on in some investigations. All in all I consider myself to be a very lucky man indeed.
My greatest sense of satisfaction however is the fact that I am able to bring peace and comfort to people through communication with their lost loved ones. Nothing warms my heart more than to see the relief on a person's face when they realise that all is not lost, we do live on and we will all someday meet again.
Derek Acorah and TalkTalk Mobile reveal what your phone can say about you':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkP-AfcTmRY