Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted: Simon Gregson - Episode 4 Review

The Discovery+ series 'Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted' continued this week as the team visit the six-bedroom house of Simon Gregson, an actor best known for playing Steve McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera 'Coronation Street'.

Simon's home is located in Wilmslow, a posh neighbourhood in Cheshire that is no stranger to famous residents, from soap stars to premiership footballers.

In this episode, Simon reached out to the paranormal investigative team for help in determining whether his home is genuinely haunted or if he and his family are simply imagining things. Simon has reported seeing a mysterious "lady in white" roaming his house, leaving him and his wife understandably unnerved.

The team of paranormal experts consists of technical specialist Barri Ghai, historian Jayne Harris, and Ian Lawman. As the team's psychic medium, Ian is deliberately kept in the dark about the home's history and the experiences of its inhabitants so that his psychic impressions remain unbiased. Ian confessed to his teammates that he feels nervous about the investigation, even before arriving at the property. He ominously tells them, "I just feel there might be a little sinister twist to the house."

Wilmslow, as Jayne points out, is often referred to as "celebrity central," and it's not unusual to find high-profile individuals residing in the area. But in order to gain more insight into the darker history of the house and its surroundings, Jayne meets with historian Neil Storey.

Neil shares with Jayne a chilling piece of local history that could be related to the mysterious "lady in white" Simon has encountered in his home. Known as "the Wilmslow Horror," this gruesome event took place near Simon's house in 1893. The tragedy involved a mother and daughter who were found dead under mysterious circumstances. While it was initially assumed to be a case of suicide, Neil and others have come to believe that the deaths were, in fact, the result of a cold-blooded murder.

While Barri interviews Simon's wife to learn more about the family's personal experiences with the paranormal activity, Ian is left to conduct a solo walk around the property. Almost immediately upon entering the home, Ian becomes acutely aware of a death linked to the property. As he continues to explore, he senses the presence of several spirits, including a male and a female, as well as the spirit of a child.

The team reunited outside Simon's house, where Ian confirmed to Simon that his house is indeed haunted. In an attempt to encourage the spirits to interact with them, the team ask Simon to join them for the first part of the investigation. They hope that Simon's familiar presence will provide a comforting atmosphere for the entities to come forward.

The investigation started in the living room, where the team tried to capture Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs). They also employ a ghost hunting app called EchoVox, which offers a bank of phonetic sounds that spirits are said to be able to manipulate to communicate with the living. During the EVP session, a whisper in one of the recordings seemed to confirm a link between one of the spirits in the house and the girl who is said to have been murdered in the area.

As the investigation progresses, Barri takes Simon upstairs to explore other parts of the house. Both Barri and Simon reported feeling as if they aren't alone, experiencing an unexplained draught and a disembodied breathy sound. Their unease was heightened when they hear a strange tapping sound coming from the attic above them.

Simon left his home for the night to allow the team to conduct their nightlong investigation. The investigation started on the landing, which Ian described as a "paranormal hotspot."

Using an AliceBox, a psychokinetic instrumental transcommunication device, Barri received eerie phrases seemingly describing Ian. Moments later, Barri heard an indistinguishable female voice, which Jayne's audio recorder captured as well. The team then heard another garbled voice, which they believe says, "behind you." These occurrences are prime examples of Direct Voice Phenomenon (DVP).

As the night unfolds, Barri and Ian leave Jayne alone in the house to conduct an experiment known as "the Singapore Theory." This popular paranormal experiment id linked to the idea that spirits may respond to familiarity in their environment, Jayne tests this during the investigation by recreating the scene of the infamous Wilmslow Horror murder. 

The term the Singapore Theory actually has more connection to Poland than Singapore. The term first came in to common use after it was mentioned in a 2010 episode of 'Ghost Hunters International' in which the team employed the method during their visit to Poland where they investigated Wolf's Lair, the site of the infamous Valkyrie Bombing.

Dressed in a long white gown like the murder victims, Jayne attempted to encourage further communication with the spirits. During the experiment, the AliceBox delivered several responses, which the team felt strongly indicate that the deaths were, indeed, murders and not suicides.

In the final stages of the investigation, Ian channeled a spirit and spoke as William, a father whom the team suspect was responsible for the double murder. After getting closure on the mystery through William, the investigation concluded with the team attempting to help the trapped spirits crossover.