6. Afterlife

Fake Psychic

If you wanted to speak with the dead in 1960s America, there was one man who was ready to help. For more than a decade, Lamar Keene was at the top of his game, becoming known as the Prince of Spiritualists. Then, quite suddenly, he turned his back on it all.

Lamar Keene went public and revealed his whole operation had been one big con. He not only implicated himself but claimed that he had been part of an underground network, which had conspired to defraud the unsuspecting public. He called it the “psychic mafia”, and said that his confession made him a marked man.

In a series that mixes documentary with drama, Vicky Baker (Fake Heiress) takes a deep dive into Lamar Keene’s stranger-than-fiction life story.

Episode 6 Cast:

Lamar . . . . . Edward Hogg Lona . . . . . Jasmine Hyde Florence . . . . . Barbara Barnes Ruthie . . . . . Tillie Murray Stranger . . . . . Shaun Mason Cop . . . . . Nathan Osgood Reporter . . . . . Neil McCaul Zoologist . . . . . Christine Kavanagh

Written and reported by Vicky Baker Drama written by Nick Perry Sound design by Peter Ringrose Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko A BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4