A pay-per-view séance with John Lennon was apparently told "Peace... The message is peace," after a mysterious interruption.

Viewers – who paid $9.95 to see the show – were watching a sound crew, a psychic and a paranormal activity expert when the picture cut dead and a narrator commented that "something strange" had happened.

Organisers later explained that the voice feed to psychic Joe Power had gone dead for a few seconds. When the tape of his feed was played back, they claim to have found Lennon's message.

Producers, who were behind a similar attempt to contact Princess Diana in 2003, claim Lennon's spirit contacted them via an Electronic Voice Phenomenon. They talked to a "specialist" in the phenomenon who confirmed the voice was the ex-Beatle's, they allege.

The seance was held at New York restaurant La Fortuna, where Lennon used to eat.