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An extraordinary dispute over a promotional video for an Indian restaurant deepened today when a widow insisted the video showed her husband eating his favorite chicken korma, despite the fact that he died nine years ago.
Lucy Watson inadvertently kicked up an internet storm after posting that footage showed the late husband Harry Doherty eating with their son Alex at Spice Cottage near their home in Emsworth, West Sussex.
The post on the restaurant’s Facebook page sparked a flood of messages from social media users who bombarded the site with theories about the bizarre mystery.
Some compared the sighting to the case of canoeist John Darwin, who faked his own death in a life insurance scam.
But the restaurant stands firm, insisting that the images, which were posted on January 16, were taken just days before.
The extraordinary dispute over an Indian restaurant’s promotional video deepened today when a widow insisted the video showed her husband eating his favorite chicken korma, despite the fact that he died nine years ago. Lucy Watson inadvertently kicked up an internet storm after posting that footage showed the late husband Harry Doherty (pictured with his wife) eating with their son Alex at Spice Cottage near their home in Emsworth, West Sussex.
But now Ms Watson, 59, has dismissed the ‘ridiculous conspiracy theories’ surrounding her comment and revealed her ‘instantly recognizable’ husband’s identity: an award-winning journalist and larger-than-life popular local figure. .
A father of three, Mr Doherty, who was born in Northern Ireland, won acclaim for his coverage of The Troubles before moving to England, where he relaunched his career as a music journalist, working for the now-defunct Melody Maker magazine.
He then founded his own rock magazine and befriended Queen guitarist Brian May after writing an official book about the band.
May sent floral tributes to the writer’s funeral after his death in April 2014.
Ms Watson, 59, has come forward to dismiss the ‘ridiculous conspiracy theories’ surrounding her post and reveal the identity of her ‘instantly recognizable’ husband, who was an award-winning journalist and bigger popular figure than life in the local area.
The video was posted on the venue’s Facebook page, where Ms Watson commented: “How old is the footage? My late husband and son are at the first shot and he died in 2014?” A response from the restaurant said: ‘Hi Lucy, sorry to hear this. This footage was recorded last week’
Lucy was shocked by the viral response to her comment after watching the video, which shows diners eating while waiters serve them. She ends with a round of applause for the staff.
After asking how old the video was, a response from the restaurant, which is close to the market town of Chichester, said: “Hello Lucy, sorry to hear this.” This recording was recorded last week.
Ms Watson told MailOnline: “I don’t really use Facebook, apart from snooping on friends or catching up with people.” She was flipping through and the video came up.
“The moment I saw the thing, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s Harry.’ It was so instant. I didn’t even have to think. I’d be eating a chicken korma because that’s all I ate.
‘I had no doubt that it was my husband. I couldn’t pause it so I had to play it about 30 times and each time I was getting more and more sure.
A father of three, Mr Doherty, who was born in Northern Ireland, won acclaim for his coverage of The Troubles before moving to England, where he relaunched his career as a music journalist, working for the now-defunct Melody Maker magazine.
‘Harry was a big and distinctive man. He has white hair. His complexion and his glasses are distinctive. I recognized the blue sweatshirt that he was wearing and he’s sitting there with his son Alex.
‘I just thought, “That’s an old video.” I posted asking how old the footage was.
‘I was just asking out of interest, then everything went crazy. She upset me when they texted that it was filmed last week. It can’t have been.
‘They’re never that busy anymore, that’s the problem. They have obviously posted this to generate customers because now they are really against it.
‘There’s a new Indian restaurant trying to get a Michelin star. There is an old one that I go to that is nice and cheap and another that is very fashionable.
‘They just don’t have as many people there anymore. I think they have picked and chosen from various videos. I’m sure it’s a setup.
It’s the only explanation I can think of.
I am totally baffled by the answer. I don’t understand how people have taken it this way to be honest and there are all these crazy theories.
Harry died in 2014, there is absolutely no doubt about that.
“He was seriously ill in the hospital for the past few months. They were going to do a liver transplant but he didn’t make it.
“He was as thin as anything before he died, so the video must have been taken a few months earlier.”
Doherty was Lucy’s second husband and she says she has lost contact with her son Alex, 39, since his father’s death.
Last night, Rofiqul Islam, the manager of Spice Cottage, insisted that the footage was shot two weeks ago.
However, last night Rofiqul Islam, the manager of Spice Cottage, insisted that the footage was filmed two weeks ago.
He said the restaurant looked different in 2014 and that the tables shown in the video were delivered just days before it was uploaded.
He said: ‘We have new tables and they are on the video. It is quite an unusual situation.