| I Don’t Believe in Ghosts
Bill Paterson reveals why he doesn’t have time for the supernatural. In BBC1’s supernatural Sea of Souls, Bill Paterson is always investigating chilling ghostly events. But he’s never been spooked by any of the stories in the series. ‘I’m not a superstitious person and even after all this time I still don’t believe in the paranormal,’ says Bill, who this week returns as parapsychology expert Douglas Monaghan. ‘My 22 year old son and his mates are all fans of the show, though, so we must be doing something right!’ In this week’s two-parter young couple Ian and Karen decide to start a new life by turning a remote and derelict country house into a hotel. But when Karen becomes convinced that the place is haunted, the couple call on Monaghan who reveals that it’s where a psychic called Robert Dunbar (Douglas Henshall) and his wife Mary started an occult group in 1897. Previously, Monaghan has had two assistants to help him, but in this series, he’s on his own. ‘The script doesn’t explain what’s happened to them,’ says Bill, 62. ‘They’ve either moved on to another university – or another TV series! The new set-up means the plot just focuses on the story rather than rivalries between team members.’ As he investigates the history of the house, Monaghan discovers that Karen is in genuine danger from the spirit of Robert Dunbar. ‘Basically the past and the present are running parallel in this house,’ explains Bill. ‘The story flips between the two time zones and it’s very eerie. But we don’t use wavy lines or smoke to flash backwards and forwards. Our special effects are much scarier than that!’ Tim Randall |
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