Tony Stockwell
An Evening of Psychic Mediumship
Tuesday 11th February 2020 – The Palace Theatre, Southend
Tuesday 10th March 2020 – Brookside Theatre, Romford
One of the country’s most well known and respected mediums
An Evening of Psychic Mediumship
Tuesday 11th February 2020 – The Palace Theatre, Southend
Tuesday 10th March 2020 – Brookside Theatre, Romford
One of the country’s most well known and respected mediums
I’ve been trying to call Tony and he’s obviously a very busy man because his phone either goes straight to voicemail or doesn’t pick up at all. (When I do eventually get to speak to him, he tells me it’s because his phone’s been in a cupboard!) A day later, I decide to try him again in-between school run hours - he’s a family man now with two kids aged 6 and 8 to keep him on his toes and also has quite a menagerie of pets, including chickens and a pony, to take care of and so time is clearly precious.
I decide to call him after lunch. Just as I’m clearing away, my mobile rings. It’s Tony! Oddly, he’s not after me at all - he’s got the wrong number and is looking for someone to fix his fireplace. Thankfully after we establish that he was supposed to be chatting to me anyway, he says we may as well do the interview now. The fireplace man can wait.
I inwardly chuckle at the fact that Tony’s skills as a psychic seem to be on top form today and wonder if this phone call is really just a coincidence or did he somehow know I was attempting to contact him? He is better known for contacting the dead to be fair but it does seem somehow fitting. His profession is one that I have always found to be fascinating, having read the books of Doris Stokes way back in the 1980s. My interest has always been endorsed by the fact that when growing up my sister always seemed to be able to see people in the spirit world. I’ll never forget her telling the family one morning that she’d seen an old lady sitting sewing downstairs in the living room in the middle of the night. It transpired that the elderly lady who used to live in our house previously had died that night in a local old people’s home and that she was a keen seamstress and knitter. She also saw my neighbour in the back garden not long after he passed away and she is always telling us that she has been sent signs from people in spirit. With all this in mind, I confess to really looking forward to speaking to Tony, who seems pretty relaxed as he chats away in his gentle Essex/East London tones.
Here’s what he had to tell me..
I decide to call him after lunch. Just as I’m clearing away, my mobile rings. It’s Tony! Oddly, he’s not after me at all - he’s got the wrong number and is looking for someone to fix his fireplace. Thankfully after we establish that he was supposed to be chatting to me anyway, he says we may as well do the interview now. The fireplace man can wait.
I inwardly chuckle at the fact that Tony’s skills as a psychic seem to be on top form today and wonder if this phone call is really just a coincidence or did he somehow know I was attempting to contact him? He is better known for contacting the dead to be fair but it does seem somehow fitting. His profession is one that I have always found to be fascinating, having read the books of Doris Stokes way back in the 1980s. My interest has always been endorsed by the fact that when growing up my sister always seemed to be able to see people in the spirit world. I’ll never forget her telling the family one morning that she’d seen an old lady sitting sewing downstairs in the living room in the middle of the night. It transpired that the elderly lady who used to live in our house previously had died that night in a local old people’s home and that she was a keen seamstress and knitter. She also saw my neighbour in the back garden not long after he passed away and she is always telling us that she has been sent signs from people in spirit. With all this in mind, I confess to really looking forward to speaking to Tony, who seems pretty relaxed as he chats away in his gentle Essex/East London tones.
Here’s what he had to tell me..
It’s great to finally catch up with you - you’re obviously a really busy man?
I’m always mental busy - like last year I’ve been in India, South America, America and Australia. I am aways doing something. But January and February are lovely because I’m always at home. I’m doing school runs, homework that kind of thing.
I didn’t realise you were brought up in Essex
I was brought up in Canvey Island, although my family are from East London. I was always in Southend growing up.
Are you the only one in your family to have the psychic and spiritual gift?
Just me on the outside to be fair. But weirdly, as my parents have got older, the amount of stuff they say that surprises them and me - my mum turned to my dad in the supermarket the other day and mentioned one of her friend’s names and then said, ‘She’s going to be in here, I know she’s going to be in here.” A couple of seconds later, she hears her name called and her friend’s round the corner - they’d not seen each other for a year, so that kind of mad stuff. There’s little things now they’re getting older that are happening. My dad’s really intuitive. He’ll say some odd things, like, when he was watching Deal or No Deal, the amount of times he’d say, “Number 13’s got £250 in it,” and he would ring me up and tell me and I’d watch it and he was right! So what I’m trying to say, in a very long winded way, is that it’s got to come from somewhere, although my parents never worked with it or recognised what it was and, no doubt, put it down to gut reaction or intuition.
People often have similar things happen like that don’t they? Are these intuitive things coincidences or is it a gift that can be nurtured?
No, I think people definitely have it. I’ve done a lot of psychic detection and worked with a lot of police and detectives over the years and they’ll say, “I don’t really get it but…” and then they’ll tell you a whole story about how they had this weird hunch and they didn’t know why they knocked on that door but… And really, what they’re describing is a psychic feeling but they just don’t attribute it to that. When you say, I’ve not seen Jean for 15 years, and suddenly you get a postcard, that’s got to be more than just chance.
Working with police - what’s been your most satisfying or rewarding moment?
So many, to be honest. Much of what I do when I’m working with detection (I don’t do so much nowadays) is you pass on your details; you don’t know what they might make of that for about 10 years sometimes and then you get some feedback. I don’t think there is one particular thing. Much of what I work on is secret, of course, because the whole reason I’m working on the case is that they don’t want you to know. The last thing you want is if there’s a crook outside on the run, is for him to know you’re looking for him. You keep your gob shut with that sort of thing. If someone asks me to help out on a case and I’m able to, I do.
Let’s talk about your shows and how they work
Most of what I do is standing up on a stage and as I stand there, feelings hit my mind and I recount to the audience what’s going on. So I’ll say, “I’ve got a feeling I’m 26, I’ve got the same of Andrew, I’ve recently passed, where am I?” And, if someone knows what I’m saying they will obviously stand up or call out - or nothing, and I’ll have a tumbleweed moment because I’ve misinterpreted something or my recipient’s too shy.
That must be awful and such a shame if you’re too shy to put your hand up?
I hope that if people know me and the way I work, they’ll know I’m very down to earth and I like to think I’m very kind so I always nurture people through a contact. I’m never there to bamboozle or shout at anyone.
How does it work with you - do you hear voices or sense something?
Sensing and seeing simultaneously. I’ll see what I feel, and feel what I see. Those are the two elements that I’m working with.
Can you remember how old you were when you had your first spiritual experience?
I was 2 years old. I was in my cot when I first started seeing things and that never left me, way up to when I was 15 years old. That’s when I went to a spiritualist church in Canvey Island and then within 2 years I was demonstrating so I was literally up and out, do you see? One of the very first demonstrations that I did was in Southend. It was a spiritualist church called St Mathews, it’s still there, in the town centre. I stood there at the age of 18, the second demonstration I’d ever done and I was absolutely terrified. A teenager just stood there in front of all these older people waiting for a vision to hit my brain.
Does the nervousness not make it work sometimes?
Yeah, I suppose if you were absolutely beside yourself with nerves it would. But sometimes those nerves just create an adrenalin which gives you the emphasis and the drive to carry on. The thing that used to get me years ago was the length of time people asked you to do it so you could be standing there for an hour and half trying.
It must be quite draining as well?
Yeah, mentally draining. I used to work on my feet but now I sit down! [laughs] My shows are 2 hours long.
I read all of Doris Stokes’ books when I was younger. Do you remember her?
Of course I do. And the lady who wrote those books with her was Linda Dearsley and funnily enough I had a conversation with her last weekend. When Doris died I used to read for her husband John. He used to come and see me. I was very young then, maybe about 20 years old and she used to come through to me. I feel like I know her but from another world. Linda Dearsley has just written a book about her experiences of working with Doris Stokes (Voices Everywhere is available on Amazon).
You recently posted on your Facebook page about how your pet dog who passed away seems to have come back through your new puppy.
I asked him to come back and I think he has come back. The puppy’s a little monkey. [laughs]
I love animals. We’ve got 6 chickens, 3 rabbits, the new puppy, and a pony. We love animals. I’m actually looking at the pony now - I’m going to catch him in a second. Animals have spirits and they have soul and when they die they move on to another world.
You obviously go to a lot of theatres which are renowned for having ghosts - have you every come across a theatre ghost before?
Yes, of course. The reason why a lot of theatres have their own ghosts is because in a theatre you have high emotion; so people who work in theatres and perform have real moments and extremes of emotions that mean so much to them, so the atmosphere will live on in a theatre anywhere there’s performance.
Have you had you had any messages from Colin Fry or Derek Acorah who you used to work with?
Colin, yes, lots of messages directly and through other people I know. I knew Colin for 25 years but, although I worked with Derek, I didn’t really know him very well at all, other than just professionally. I’ve not had any messages at all from Derek. But with Colin it’s very different because, of course, we were friends. Lots of people ask about Colin because they know we worked together for years. I spoke to Colin about 2 days before he died and he said then that he was ready to go, he could feel the other world coming close for him and he was prepared to make his final transition. I think the tragedy with Colin is that he was so young. He was only 54.
You must come across a lot of sceptics. Do you get fed up having to justify yourself all the time or do you just not bother anymore?
I don’t bother really. There’s so much I don’t believe with regards to different traditions or religions and from the politicians and what people tell us who are running the country. There’s so much that I don’t resonate with. I don’t expect everyone to resonate with what I’m saying - not at all - but it’s interesting, because you often get a big reaction to what I do. People either think I’m a saint or a sinner, you know? They either think I’m channelling messages from a higher source or I’m completely bonkers!
You’re never going to please all the people all the time, so in the past when people have asked how I deal with a sceptic I’ve simply said “Don’t come. Save your money, stay at home and do something else more enjoyable!” “Don’t come, please don’t come.” Some people are reasonably open-minded and that’s different entirely. They will come along and think, I don’t know what the hell he’s doing but I’ll sit here and just see. That’s a bit different to having someone sitting there with their arms and legs crossed willing me to fail.
Do you pick up on those negative vibes?
Of course, absolutely you do. Sometimes you can be plagued by them if you get a hostile room. I’m very lucky because I’ve been doing it for so long most of my audiences have come back. If you ever come to my shows there’s usually a good half of the audience who have come back. They only come back because they’ve enjoyed it or thought it authentic, or the show’s been recommended. A lot of people have come because of a friend’s positive experience and they want to check it out for themselves, which is great.
I’m always mental busy - like last year I’ve been in India, South America, America and Australia. I am aways doing something. But January and February are lovely because I’m always at home. I’m doing school runs, homework that kind of thing.
I didn’t realise you were brought up in Essex
I was brought up in Canvey Island, although my family are from East London. I was always in Southend growing up.
Are you the only one in your family to have the psychic and spiritual gift?
Just me on the outside to be fair. But weirdly, as my parents have got older, the amount of stuff they say that surprises them and me - my mum turned to my dad in the supermarket the other day and mentioned one of her friend’s names and then said, ‘She’s going to be in here, I know she’s going to be in here.” A couple of seconds later, she hears her name called and her friend’s round the corner - they’d not seen each other for a year, so that kind of mad stuff. There’s little things now they’re getting older that are happening. My dad’s really intuitive. He’ll say some odd things, like, when he was watching Deal or No Deal, the amount of times he’d say, “Number 13’s got £250 in it,” and he would ring me up and tell me and I’d watch it and he was right! So what I’m trying to say, in a very long winded way, is that it’s got to come from somewhere, although my parents never worked with it or recognised what it was and, no doubt, put it down to gut reaction or intuition.
People often have similar things happen like that don’t they? Are these intuitive things coincidences or is it a gift that can be nurtured?
No, I think people definitely have it. I’ve done a lot of psychic detection and worked with a lot of police and detectives over the years and they’ll say, “I don’t really get it but…” and then they’ll tell you a whole story about how they had this weird hunch and they didn’t know why they knocked on that door but… And really, what they’re describing is a psychic feeling but they just don’t attribute it to that. When you say, I’ve not seen Jean for 15 years, and suddenly you get a postcard, that’s got to be more than just chance.
Working with police - what’s been your most satisfying or rewarding moment?
So many, to be honest. Much of what I do when I’m working with detection (I don’t do so much nowadays) is you pass on your details; you don’t know what they might make of that for about 10 years sometimes and then you get some feedback. I don’t think there is one particular thing. Much of what I work on is secret, of course, because the whole reason I’m working on the case is that they don’t want you to know. The last thing you want is if there’s a crook outside on the run, is for him to know you’re looking for him. You keep your gob shut with that sort of thing. If someone asks me to help out on a case and I’m able to, I do.
Let’s talk about your shows and how they work
Most of what I do is standing up on a stage and as I stand there, feelings hit my mind and I recount to the audience what’s going on. So I’ll say, “I’ve got a feeling I’m 26, I’ve got the same of Andrew, I’ve recently passed, where am I?” And, if someone knows what I’m saying they will obviously stand up or call out - or nothing, and I’ll have a tumbleweed moment because I’ve misinterpreted something or my recipient’s too shy.
That must be awful and such a shame if you’re too shy to put your hand up?
I hope that if people know me and the way I work, they’ll know I’m very down to earth and I like to think I’m very kind so I always nurture people through a contact. I’m never there to bamboozle or shout at anyone.
How does it work with you - do you hear voices or sense something?
Sensing and seeing simultaneously. I’ll see what I feel, and feel what I see. Those are the two elements that I’m working with.
Can you remember how old you were when you had your first spiritual experience?
I was 2 years old. I was in my cot when I first started seeing things and that never left me, way up to when I was 15 years old. That’s when I went to a spiritualist church in Canvey Island and then within 2 years I was demonstrating so I was literally up and out, do you see? One of the very first demonstrations that I did was in Southend. It was a spiritualist church called St Mathews, it’s still there, in the town centre. I stood there at the age of 18, the second demonstration I’d ever done and I was absolutely terrified. A teenager just stood there in front of all these older people waiting for a vision to hit my brain.
Does the nervousness not make it work sometimes?
Yeah, I suppose if you were absolutely beside yourself with nerves it would. But sometimes those nerves just create an adrenalin which gives you the emphasis and the drive to carry on. The thing that used to get me years ago was the length of time people asked you to do it so you could be standing there for an hour and half trying.
It must be quite draining as well?
Yeah, mentally draining. I used to work on my feet but now I sit down! [laughs] My shows are 2 hours long.
I read all of Doris Stokes’ books when I was younger. Do you remember her?
Of course I do. And the lady who wrote those books with her was Linda Dearsley and funnily enough I had a conversation with her last weekend. When Doris died I used to read for her husband John. He used to come and see me. I was very young then, maybe about 20 years old and she used to come through to me. I feel like I know her but from another world. Linda Dearsley has just written a book about her experiences of working with Doris Stokes (Voices Everywhere is available on Amazon).
You recently posted on your Facebook page about how your pet dog who passed away seems to have come back through your new puppy.
I asked him to come back and I think he has come back. The puppy’s a little monkey. [laughs]
I love animals. We’ve got 6 chickens, 3 rabbits, the new puppy, and a pony. We love animals. I’m actually looking at the pony now - I’m going to catch him in a second. Animals have spirits and they have soul and when they die they move on to another world.
You obviously go to a lot of theatres which are renowned for having ghosts - have you every come across a theatre ghost before?
Yes, of course. The reason why a lot of theatres have their own ghosts is because in a theatre you have high emotion; so people who work in theatres and perform have real moments and extremes of emotions that mean so much to them, so the atmosphere will live on in a theatre anywhere there’s performance.
Have you had you had any messages from Colin Fry or Derek Acorah who you used to work with?
Colin, yes, lots of messages directly and through other people I know. I knew Colin for 25 years but, although I worked with Derek, I didn’t really know him very well at all, other than just professionally. I’ve not had any messages at all from Derek. But with Colin it’s very different because, of course, we were friends. Lots of people ask about Colin because they know we worked together for years. I spoke to Colin about 2 days before he died and he said then that he was ready to go, he could feel the other world coming close for him and he was prepared to make his final transition. I think the tragedy with Colin is that he was so young. He was only 54.
You must come across a lot of sceptics. Do you get fed up having to justify yourself all the time or do you just not bother anymore?
I don’t bother really. There’s so much I don’t believe with regards to different traditions or religions and from the politicians and what people tell us who are running the country. There’s so much that I don’t resonate with. I don’t expect everyone to resonate with what I’m saying - not at all - but it’s interesting, because you often get a big reaction to what I do. People either think I’m a saint or a sinner, you know? They either think I’m channelling messages from a higher source or I’m completely bonkers!
You’re never going to please all the people all the time, so in the past when people have asked how I deal with a sceptic I’ve simply said “Don’t come. Save your money, stay at home and do something else more enjoyable!” “Don’t come, please don’t come.” Some people are reasonably open-minded and that’s different entirely. They will come along and think, I don’t know what the hell he’s doing but I’ll sit here and just see. That’s a bit different to having someone sitting there with their arms and legs crossed willing me to fail.
Do you pick up on those negative vibes?
Of course, absolutely you do. Sometimes you can be plagued by them if you get a hostile room. I’m very lucky because I’ve been doing it for so long most of my audiences have come back. If you ever come to my shows there’s usually a good half of the audience who have come back. They only come back because they’ve enjoyed it or thought it authentic, or the show’s been recommended. A lot of people have come because of a friend’s positive experience and they want to check it out for themselves, which is great.
If you hadn’t taken this journey as a medium what job do you think you would be doing?
Accountancy. I had a proper job between the ages of 17 years old and 29 years old and then I gave up accountancy. I was just doing part time jobs supporting myself while I was studying my mediumship. That was twenty odd years ago and it’s worked out just fine for me.
You say being a medium is a gift but have there ever been any times when’s it’s been a hindrance?
Only because, I suppose, of people’s reactions. If they don’t get it, sometimes they can judge you and there’s this assumption that, oh he’s crazy! So that’s one thing, but I suppose when you get to know someone or they get to know you its different again because they say, “Oh he’s alright, he can’t be that bad after all.” I don’t really tell many people unless it comes up because it’s a big part of my life and it means so much more to me than just that. I have some friends who can’t wait to tell people. The worst of it is when you’re out with people and they tell other people that you don’t know… “Guess what he does?” I’m like, don’t do that, it’s fine. And then you feel like you have to defend yourself. I’m happy to remain quiet in the corner.
I suppose you get people asking to read for you a lot then?
You get one or two reactions: it’s either, read for me or urrrghh. You generally get one or two of those reactions. It isn’t always easy but you’ve got to have a sense of humour and I’m very happy to talk about it, so it doesn’t really matter.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Gardening, we’ve got a big garden. There’s the pony and the animals, family commitments and looking after the kids. I mean literally, you sit down eventually and you think, God, I’m done! There isn’t much time for anything else. I like cooking, entertaining all those kind of things. The animals take up a big part of my life and obviously my work commitments.
I assume the majority of people come to see your shows to get a message from a loved one. If they don’t, what else can they take away from the evening?
Comfort from other people’s messages. A demonstration is very much a shop window for the spirit world so if they come along and have a good night, they’ll go away and think, well I didn’t get a message but I really got something out of it. And if they really are interested they can seek somebody out privately. If they can find someone who's recommended that’s the best thing. You’ve got to seek somebody out who’s coming from the right space.
*
*
And with that, I leave Tony to crack on with sorting out the pony and, hopefully, managing to find the correct number to call the guy about the fireplace! For a man who is able to channel messages from above, there’s no doubting that this is one medium who certainly seems very down to earth!
Interview: Kim Tobin
Tony will be at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea on the 11th February. Tickets available online at www.southendtheatres.org.uk or box office on 01702 351135
Accountancy. I had a proper job between the ages of 17 years old and 29 years old and then I gave up accountancy. I was just doing part time jobs supporting myself while I was studying my mediumship. That was twenty odd years ago and it’s worked out just fine for me.
You say being a medium is a gift but have there ever been any times when’s it’s been a hindrance?
Only because, I suppose, of people’s reactions. If they don’t get it, sometimes they can judge you and there’s this assumption that, oh he’s crazy! So that’s one thing, but I suppose when you get to know someone or they get to know you its different again because they say, “Oh he’s alright, he can’t be that bad after all.” I don’t really tell many people unless it comes up because it’s a big part of my life and it means so much more to me than just that. I have some friends who can’t wait to tell people. The worst of it is when you’re out with people and they tell other people that you don’t know… “Guess what he does?” I’m like, don’t do that, it’s fine. And then you feel like you have to defend yourself. I’m happy to remain quiet in the corner.
I suppose you get people asking to read for you a lot then?
You get one or two reactions: it’s either, read for me or urrrghh. You generally get one or two of those reactions. It isn’t always easy but you’ve got to have a sense of humour and I’m very happy to talk about it, so it doesn’t really matter.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Gardening, we’ve got a big garden. There’s the pony and the animals, family commitments and looking after the kids. I mean literally, you sit down eventually and you think, God, I’m done! There isn’t much time for anything else. I like cooking, entertaining all those kind of things. The animals take up a big part of my life and obviously my work commitments.
I assume the majority of people come to see your shows to get a message from a loved one. If they don’t, what else can they take away from the evening?
Comfort from other people’s messages. A demonstration is very much a shop window for the spirit world so if they come along and have a good night, they’ll go away and think, well I didn’t get a message but I really got something out of it. And if they really are interested they can seek somebody out privately. If they can find someone who's recommended that’s the best thing. You’ve got to seek somebody out who’s coming from the right space.
*
*
And with that, I leave Tony to crack on with sorting out the pony and, hopefully, managing to find the correct number to call the guy about the fireplace! For a man who is able to channel messages from above, there’s no doubting that this is one medium who certainly seems very down to earth!
Interview: Kim Tobin
Tony will be at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea on the 11th February. Tickets available online at www.southendtheatres.org.uk or box office on 01702 351135
FOR MORE INFO ON TONY CLICK HERE
https://southendtheatres.org.uk/Online/tickets-tony-stockwell-southend-2020
Box Office: 01702 351135
https://thelittleboxoffice.com/brookside/event/view/116894
Box Office: 01708 755775
Box Office: 01702 351135
https://thelittleboxoffice.com/brookside/event/view/116894
Box Office: 01708 755775
For more about Tony Stockwell click here