Guy Lyon Playfair

Guy Lyon Playfair, born in British India in 1935 and passing in 2018, was a British author recognized for his writings on parapsychology. After serving as a translator in the Royal Air Force and working as a journalist in Brazil for a decade, Playfair developed an interest in the paranormal following a personal encounter with a psychic healer. This led him to investigate poltergeist activity and join the Society for Psychical Research in 1973, where he later served on its council. His early books focused on Brazilian paranormal phenomena, including the work of mediums Chico Xavier and Zé Arigó. Playfair's most prominent investigation was the 1977 Enfield poltergeist case, which he believed involved genuine phenomena, though he also acknowledged potential trickery by the children involved. His work on this case influenced other researchers in the field. He continued to explore various aspects of psychical research, including mediumship, psychokinesis, and telepathy, until shortly before his death. Despite his dedication to the field, Playfair faced criticism from skeptics who questioned his observational skills and interpretations of paranormal events.

Born in Quetta, British India, Guy Lyon Playfair was the son of an army officer and writer, and a novelist mother. His education in England culminated in studies at the University of Cambridge. Following military service as a translator in Iraq, he embarked on a journalism career, working for publications like Life magazine. He spent ten years as a freelance journalist in Rio de Janeiro, contributing to The Economist, Time, and The Guardian, among others, and also worked with the US Agency for International Development's press corps. It was during his time in Brazil that Playfair's interest in the paranormal was sparked by an experience with a psychic healer. This led him to investigate a poltergeist occurrence in São Paulo in 1973 and subsequently join the Society for Psychical Research in the same year. His initial book, 'The Flying Cow,' published in 1975, explored paranormal events in Brazil, referencing figures like Chico Xavier and Zé Arigó.

Playfair is widely recognized for his involvement in the 1977 Enfield poltergeist case, which he investigated alongside Maurice Grosse. He maintained that the disturbances were genuine, attributing them to an 'entity.' However, Playfair's accounts also reveal his skepticism regarding the children's honesty, noting instances where he suspected trickery or exaggeration. Despite these doubts, he and Grosse concluded that while some activity may have been faked, other events were authentic. Playfair's perspective, suggesting poltergeists are mischievous disembodied spirits, influenced the research of author Colin Wilson. Skeptics, such as magician Joe Nickell, have analyzed Playfair's detailed accounts and concluded that the events were more likely the result of children's pranks. Playfair also expressed frustration with the film 'The Conjuring 2,' believing it misrepresented the Warrens' involvement and exaggerated their role in the case.

In his later career, Playfair continued his investigations into poltergeist and haunting phenomena. He also conducted experiments with mediums and examined claims related to psychokinesis and metal-bending. He was a notable supporter of Uri Geller, collaborating with him on the 1986 book 'The Geller Effect.' Playfair served as a 'psychic consultant' for the BBC's 1992 Halloween production 'Ghostwatch.' A particular area of interest for him was telepathy, especially between identical twins, which led to his 2002 book, 'Twin Telepathy: The Psychic Connection.' He remained active in psychical research until shortly before his death in April 2018.

Playfair's work received mixed reactions. His book 'The Flying Cow' expressed admiration for Brazilian medium Chico Xavier, but a review in New Scientist suggested it misused science to mislead readers. Science writer Martin Gardner criticized Playfair's endorsement of Uri Geller, labeling him a 'hack writer on the occult.' Magician Ben Harris, in reviewing Playfair and Geller's 'The Geller Effect,' argued that Playfair lacked the observational skills to detect Geller's tricks and was overly dismissive of skeptics. Parapsychologist Michael Goss noted that Playfair's arguments for paranormal powers were often based on the premise that widespread imitation implied an original paranormal source. Conversely, Richard Whittington-Egan, reviewing 'This House is Haunted,' found it to be a capable examination of a significant haunting, despite being 'a shade credulous in some areas,' deeming it valuable for the literature on poltergeist investigations.