A widow said she spotted a dead ringer for her late husband in a promotional video for an Indian restaurant that the establishment claims was filmed earlier this month.
The Facebook page of Spice Cottage in West Sussex, England, has been flooded with comments after Lucy Watson commented that she saw her late husband and his son in the video – but he died nine years ago.
“How old is the footage? My late husband and son are on the first shoot and he died in 2014???” Watson, 59, commented on the video.
The restaurant replied to the widow, writing: “Hi Lucy, sorry to hear that. This footage was captured last week.”
The video was posted to Facebook on January 16 and has garnered hundreds of comments from people wanting updates on the mystery.
On Tuesday, Bodrul Islam, a manager at the restaurant, released an update from her point of view to “clarify some misunderstandings”.
“I run the company’s social media page and shot a promotional video to showcase our new wooden tables and interior renovation. The renovation was completed in early January 2023 and the promotional video highlights these changes. All videos used in the video were recorded on January 9, 2023,” the comment reads.
“Before January 2023 all our tables were covered with white and red cloths, from now on it is obvious that this footage is new,” Islam continued. “This is a very unusual situation and we hope this clears up any confusion.”
Spice Cottage’s Facebook page was flooded with comments after Lucy Watson commented that she saw her late husband and son in the video. Facebook/Spice Cottage
Many commentators have come up with their own theories as to how the husband ended up in the video, with one comparing him to the John “Canoe Man” Darwin who faked his death in a life insurance fraud in 2002.
“Lucy Watson, we need an update! Has his body ever been found or just a canoe?” the person commented.
Another said the person in the video was her own father and brother – not Watson’s late husband, to which some people responded that the commenter must have been Watson’s stepchild.
The video was posted to Facebook on January 16 and has received hundreds of comments from people wanting updates on the mystery. Facebook/Spice Cottage
But Watson dismisses all “ridiculous conspiracy theories” and said her husband, an award-winning journalist and popular local personality, was “instantly recognizable”.
Born in Northern Ireland, Harry Doherty won many awards for his coverage of the Troubles – also known as the Northern Ireland Conflict – before moving to England to become a music journalist and work for Melody Maker magazine, according to the Chron.
He started his own rock magazine and wrote a book about Queen, leading to a friendship with guitarist Brian May.
Harry Doherty started his own rock magazine and wrote a book about Queen, leading to a friendship with guitarist Brian May. Rock’s backpages
“I don’t really use Facebook aside from snooping around on friends or connecting with people. I flipped through and the video popped up,” Watson told the outlet. “The moment I saw that thing I was like, ‘Oh my god – that’s Harry.’ It was so instant. I didn’t even have to think. He would eat a chicken korma because that’s all he’s ever eaten.”
“There was no doubt in my mind that it was my husband. I couldn’t stop that thing, so I had to repeat it about 30 times, and each time I got more and more confident,” she continued.
Watson explained that her late husband was a “distinctive” man and she even recognized the sweatshirt he was wearing in the video, as well as his son Alex, 39 – who she had lost touch with following the death of his father.
Lucy Watson claimed the restaurant is never that busy these days and it “obviously” must have posted the video to attract new customers. Facebook/Spice Cottage
Thinking it must be an old video, she decided to ask “out of interest.”
“Then everything went crazy. It annoyed me when they texted back that it was filmed last week. It couldn’t have been,” she explained.
Watson claimed the restaurant is never that busy these days and it “obviously” must have posted the video to attract new customers.
“They just don’t get that many people in there anymore. I think they picked and chose from different videos. I’m sure it’s a montage. That’s the only explanation I can think of,” she said. “I’m totally confused by the reaction. I don’t understand how people took it up that way to be completely honest and there are all these crazy theories out there.”
Although there are conspiracy theories that her husband may still be alive, she said there was “no doubt” he died in 2014.
“‘He’s been seriously ill in hospital for the past few months. They wanted to do a liver transplant but he couldn’t do it,” Watson said. “He was as skinny as anything before he died, so the video must have been taken a few months before that.”