Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 08:22:49 AM

Login with username, password and session length

BBC Scandal #2080: Uri Geller

Started by Joe Oakes, August 07, 2022, 12:42:39 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Joe Oakes

The greatest trick Uri Geller ever pulled was making the BBC complicit in promoting his various lies and frauds. He clearly has an employee/fan/business partner working at a high level at the BBC who've been protecting the hack for decades.

It's been bugging me since they put out a documentary on his life in the 2000s in which they presented his 'powers' as possibly real. Tellingly they didn't include any of the extensive and well-documented debunking of all of his claims. They didn't even mention James Randi who made Geller famous in America after hilariously bebunking him live on Carson Tonight. A life documentary on Uri Geller without mentioning James Randi is like making a documentary about Mark Chapman without mentioning John Lennon.

In the many years since being bewildered by BBC's bizarre decision to make a pro-Uri Geller documentary, I've noticed a trend. Every now and again, the BBC put out a little puff piece on Geller in an attempt to keep his name relevant. Yesterday was some bullshit about him buying an island. They are always vaguely or explicitly positive about Geller. Searching his name on the BBC site brings up pages upon pages of feel-good puff pieces about his schemes. Here are some examples of hard-hitting investigative journalism:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-34446955
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-25733271
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-35596374
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-59609232
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-34484952
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-24028902
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-34543107
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-61319619
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4985428.stm

There's at least a dozen articles just on his fucking spoon gorilla sculpture.

If you search the name James Randi, only two articles appear, one noting his death. However, the BBC's obituary had one glaring omission that everyone else covered. Somehow they forgot to mention his life nemesis with whom he had long legal and public feuds with, funny that.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-54642107

What makes it so infuriating is that this is pattern of behaviour for the BBC. At the time, I sort of gave them a pass for Savile, it just didn't feel realistic that people knew and didn't do anything. But subsequent cases make me feel far more cynical about their role.

Westwood is another example that cannot be explained away by ignorance. They fucking knew. Everybody fucking knew. He was openly sexually inappropriate with underage girls at his numerous events. Events he was allowed to extensively promote on the BBC when he should have been playing records, flaunting advertising rules.

When he did actually play records they were almost exclusively from record companies who paid him to promote them. There was a long period where he would almost exclusively play Def Jam releases, or from one their subsidiaries such as Rockafella. A few years later Def Jam starting selling Westwood compilation albums which made millions for both Westwood and Def Jam. It's a fair assumption that someone at the BBC also got paid a nice cut to allow this to happen in plain sight.

I'm not a conspiracy guy, so still don't believe there is a big orchestrated effort at the BBC to protect designated evil people. But there is clearly some corruption afoot, because it just keeps on happening. I shudder to think who else they are protecting, and it would be totally irresponsible to speculate, but my money is on John Bishop.

[Seinfeld voice]
So what's the deal with the BBC protecting public figures who everyone already knows is a wrong'un?

bgmnts

I was under the impression that nobody for a second believed in Geller's shite and that he was just viewed as a harmless eccentric.

Ferris

Is Gellar a wrong 'un?

I always assumed he was a thin-skinned hack and a conman, but basically selling his shit to people who are desperate to be deceived and someone has to bilk these people.

As much as that's an ethically dodgy way to make money, there are far worse people out there and nobody really takes him seriously as he takes money from the credulous and easily-pleased. He's like Alan Partridge with spoons.

Ferris

Certainly seems a bit much to say that a slightly bemused article or two from the beeb every couple of years written by a bored intern counts as a scandal.

Gellar doesn't bring in loads of money and cultural relevance for the beeb (unlike the high profile wrong 'ins they turned a blind eye too) and he's not even an employee so they'd have no reason to institutionally cover for him.

idunnosomename

Quote from: bgmnts on August 07, 2022, 12:49:58 PMI was under the impression that nobody for a second believed in Geller's shite and that he was just viewed as a harmless eccentric.
plenty of those at the bbc

Sebastian Cobb

My main memory apart from spoon bending was some prank TV show setting up a fake mobile phone mast near his gaff and him going ballistic because he's one of those types who got really cagey about electromagnetic radiation. I don't think he's a card-carrying ESH type though, that'd throw a spanner in the works of his TV appearances.

In some ways I reckon Paul McKenna might be a more dangerous hack because he's far less ridiculous.

madhair60


Ferris


Zero Gravitas

My relaxed impression of Geller is of a paper-thin charlatan wrapping an odious and vindictive publicity seeker, I could well imagine he'd become a serious annoyance to any sordid rag or decaying state organ that didn't play along with his need for monthly publicity bolstering his entirely hollow avaricious scam of an existence.

idunnosomename

Remember when he sued Nintendo over Kadabra

Joe Oakes

Quote from: bgmnts on August 07, 2022, 12:49:58 PMI was under the impression that nobody for a second believed in Geller's shite and that he was just viewed as a harmless eccentric.

That's how the BBC viewed Savile and Westwood until forced into stating otherwise.

C'mon, just because most reasonable people view him as a kook, doesn't mean he isn't dangerous to the 0.001% who believe his shit. Being promoted on such a mainstream site means that some people with mental illness will take that as evidence itself of his powers.

Zero Gravitas

He's not even got good patter, spoons and the colour orange? come on!

Ferris


Rolf Lundgren

Don't think it would hurt to add a disclaimer at the end of every article featuring Uri Geller to say this man is known for talking shite.

The Mollusk

Quote from: Ferris on August 07, 2022, 12:52:44 PMIs Gellar a wrong 'un?

I heard he once used his mystical powers to bend a child...





...OVER.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Rolf Lundgren on August 07, 2022, 01:22:08 PMDon't think it would hurt to add a disclaimer at the end of every article featuring Uri Geller to say this man is known for talking shite.

Maybe include the phrase "spoon botherer" in there as well.

Pete23


idunnosomename

Fun fact: uri geller used his psyker powers when serving in the IDF paratroopers to help Israel win the six days war

George White

Quote from: Joe Oakes on August 07, 2022, 12:42:39 PMBut there is clearly some corruption afoot, because it just keeps on happening. I shudder to think who else they are protecting, and it would be totally irresponsible to speculate, but my money is on John Bishop.

[Seinfeld voice]
So what's the deal with the BBC protecting public figures who everyone already knows is a wrong'un?
I've definitely heard that there has been protection for a certain comedian and bestselling children's author whose campness and one-time supposed transvestism is apparently all a ruse.
But apparently that is also the efforts of a certain Mr. Cowell.

I've also heard about another member of a comedy double act, panel show host, author, actor (recently in several Netflix thingies) and known fan of twinks (not Adele King, though he did get into a fierce argument with Gaybo). 


RE:Geller, a friend worked with him, and it is all bullshit.

superthunderstingcar

I couldn't find a version on YouTube, but here's evidence that Fry & Laurie were on to the prick: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2z4uz2

George White

Ach. You just gave away one of the people whom I'd heard stories about.

mjwilson

remember when he made Scotland miss that penalty though

dissolute ocelot

Geller makes a lot of money off swindling oil companies by offering his services to locate oil by magic. He should be a hero of environmentalists everywhere. (Here's a thing on his website.)

steve98

I got a Twitter ban for suggesting he could bend the wings off Air Force One as it flew into Scotland.

ProvanFan

No that's ignorant. You're being ignorant.

JamesTC


TrenterPercenter

He is an illusionist non? It's not real it's "magic".

jobotic

Quote from: George White on August 07, 2022, 01:34:31 PMI've definitely heard that there has been protection for a certain comedian and bestselling children's author whose campness and one-time supposed transvestism is apparently all a ruse.
But apparently that is also the efforts of a certain Mr. Cowell.

I've also heard about another member of a comedy double act, panel show host, author, actor (recently in several Netflix thingies) and known fan of twinks (not Adele King, though he did get into a fierce argument with Gaybo). 


RE:Geller, a friend worked with him, and it is all bullshit.

I can't work out who the second one is.




Didn't Geller hang out with Farage or do something Brexity? More likely to explain the BBC's love for him.

Zero Gravitas

Jack Whitehall's dad?

He does wear 'that kind' of scarf a lot, makes sense.

George White

Quote from: jobotic on August 07, 2022, 04:52:22 PMI can't work out who the second one is.


He's mentioned by superthunderstingcar.
Think a bar of Turkish Delight or Chocolate Cream.