TELEVISION

FT’s very own couch potato, STU NEVILLE, casts an eye over the small screen’s current fortean offerings

The UnXplained With William Shatner

History Channel / Blaze

There’s something about Star Trek actors. From Leonard Nimoy hosting In Search Of… in the 1970s to Jonathan Frakes fronting the rather more febrile 1995 Fox Alien Autopsy Special, Roddenberry’s children possess a quality that lends itself to fortean-themed TV presenting. Despite his relatively late start, William Shatner has put in a strong showing in recent years first with The UnXplained With William Shatner and then Weird Or What? With William Shatner. Note the recurring theme in the titles. Shatner is a draw. These programmes tend to just let him do his thing: equally, none of them mentions the anomaly that is his hairpiece, maybe as a professional courtesy.

Here, he is very much the host, linking segments and talking quizzically in a black studio with animated backdrops. Each episode follows a loosely defined theme. In the series one episode ‘Mysterious Stones’, the net is spread quite wide, managing to incorporate topics from Mecca to crystal skulls, all narrated with Shatner’s trademark delivery, reminiscent of a small child reading words back as he writes them (“Set… INTO the Kaaaa-baa. A BLACK! Stone…”). The crystal skull segment focuses on the Mitchell-Hedges example (Mitchell-Hedges being the name of its discoverer, not a defunct cigarette brand that sponsored crystal skulls in the manner of 1970s F1 racing cars). For those of a certain age, said skull will always be associated with Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World.

In ‘Vampires & Werewolves’ Shatner toddles towards the camera, frequently looking over his shoulder as Max Schreck looms bitily behind him on the big screen, and asks if the reason for our fascination is “because they’re part… human???” and whether

None of them mentions the anomaly that is Shatner’s hairpiece

their “gruesome urges LURK!” – dramatic wheel to stare at sepia graveyard graphic – “... inside of us??”

Gruesome urges aside, Shatner boldly touches on all the usual suspects – Vlad Tepes, Comte St Germain, Skinwalkers, and something he calls “The Beast of Jay-vooDane” (or Gévaudan if you prefer). He also has a chat with a modern day, ‘sanguine vampire’ dressed less like Bela Lugosi than a roadie for the Grateful Dead.

The programmes never really reach any obvious conclusion, or indeed destination, but do prove the adage that the journey is often at least as enjoyable – and are none the worse for that. There are far more po-faced fortean series out there, but this one ticks some paranormal-primer boxes and romps along nicely, particularly with Captain Kirk as your tour guide. Ahead, Warp Factor One!