Ghostwatch
Encyclopedia
Ghostwatch is a British reality–horror
/mockumentary
television movie
, first broadcast on BBC1 on 31 October (Halloween
), 1992.
Despite having been recorded weeks in advance, the narrative was presented as 'live' television. Following its first and only UK television broadcast the show attracted a considerable furore.
Written by Stephen Volk
, and directed by Lesley Manning, the drama was produced for the BBC
anthology series, Screen One
, by Richard Broke, Ruth Baumgarten and Derek Nelson.
As yet, Ghostwatch has only ever been repeated on television outside of the UK - on stations such as the Canadian digital channel SCREAM
for Halloween 2004, and the Belgian channel Canvas in 2008. Ghostwatch received a huge audience and an estimated 30,000 calls to the BBC switchboard in a single hour. In 2002, the British Film Institute
released a 10th Anniversary edition on VHS and DVD.
A retrospective documentary (Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains) based on the film's lasting impact has been in production since late 2007, and is said to be backed by many of the film's original cast and crew.
style and appeared as part of BBC Drama's Screen One series. It involved BBC reporters performing a live, on-air investigation
of a house in Northolt
, Greater London
at which poltergeist
activity was believed to be taking place. Through revealing footage and interviews with neighbours and the family living there, they discover the existence of a malevolent ghost
nicknamed Pipes from his habit of knocking on the house's plumbing. As the programme proceeds, viewers learn that Pipes is the spirit of a psychologically disturbed man called Raymond Tunstall, himself believed to have been troubled by the spirit of Mother Seddons – a 'baby farmer' turned child killer from the 19th century. In the course of the programme Pipes makes various manifestations which become more bold and terrifying, until, at the end, the frightened reporters realise that the programme itself has been acting as a sort of "national séance
" through which Pipes was gaining horrific power. Finally, the spirit unleashes its power to the fullest extent, dragging Sarah Greene
to her probable death behind a doorway and then escaping to express poltergeist activity throughout the country. He takes control of the BBC studios and transmitter network, using the Ghostwatch studio as a focal point and possessing
Michael Parkinson
in the process.
, was put into production months before and was complete fiction. However, the presentation contained realistic elements which suggested to a casual viewer that it was an actual documentary. The studio scenes were recorded in Studio TC6 in the BBC Television Centre in London. The scenes at the house and the street were all shot on location around 5–6 weeks before the recording of the studio scenes. The recorded scenes in the house and street were then played into the studio, where Michael Parkinson
, Mike Smith
, and "Doctor Pascoe" had to interact with material shot 5–6 weeks previously. A phone number was shown on the screen so that viewers could "call in" and discuss ghostly phenomena. The number was the standard BBC call-in number at the time, 081 811 8181 (also used on programmes such as Going Live!
), and callers who got through were connected first to a message telling them that the show was fictional, before being given the chance to share their own ghost stories. However, the phone number was besieged by callers during the showing and many people who telephoned it simply got an engaged tone. This commonly happened when phoning BBC 'call-in' shows and inadvertently added to the realism instead of reassuring viewers that it was fiction. The set and filming methods, including shaky hand-held video cameras, lent a documentary feel. Most convincing of all was the use of actual BBC personalities playing themselves. Sarah Greene
and Craig Charles
were the reporters on the scene at the house, while Mike Smith
(Greene's real-life husband) and Michael Parkinson
linked from the studio.
Ghostwatch was originally conceived by writer Stephen Volk as a six-part drama (similar to Edge of Darkness
) in which a fictional paranormal investigator and a TV reporter investigate poltergeist activity at a North London housing estate, gradually discovering more elements of the mystery each week. This would have culminated in the final episode in a live TV broadcast from the property, in the vein of Nigel Kneale
's The Quatermass Experiment
and Quatermass and the Pit
, in both of which "all hell breaks loose". However, when producer Ruth Baumgarten doubted the viability of an entire mini-series and recommended instead a 90-minute TV special, Volk suggested that they "do the whole thing like Episode Six", portraying it as an actual "live" broadcast fronted by well-known TV personalities.
The BBC, however, became concerned over the effect the broadcast would have on the public and very nearly pulled the show shortly before broadcast. Ultimately they insisted on adding opening credits including the writer's name, in addition to a Screen One title sequence.
The film's fictional, villainous spectre, referred to by the children as Pipes and credited simply as "Ghost", is depicted as a merging of negative, spiritual energies, which parapsychologist Dr. Pascoe theorizes have been accumulating for years, possibly back to prehistory. Its physical appearance mostly resembles that of deceased child molester Raymond Tunstall, a fictional character who, it is revealed by a phone-in caller, committed suicide at the haunted property some time in the 1960s after himself being possessed by the entity.
It is suggested that the character of Suzanne Early may become the next 'layer' in the ghost's spiritual make-up, and in the final moments of the film the entity possesses television host Michael Parkinson.
In May 2010, at a public screening of the film at The Invisible Dot in Camden, director Lesley Manning revealed that she provided the voice of Pipes the ghost after the professional voice artist hired for the production could not accurately replicate the style of voice she had intended.
are demonstrated in the show, some of which were either genuine state-of-the-art technology at the time or simulated to give the idea they were real. The house was allegedly equipped with motion detectors, temperature sensors, and covert cameras. The temperature sensors were referred to as being able to check for dramatic changes in temperature that ghost hunters link to real-life ghost sightings. One major feature of the show was a genuine thermographic camera
, which, although it did not pick up any ghosts, came in very handy when all the lights failed at the end of the show.
In 2008, a potential 9th sighting (at 1:16:18) was uploaded via the Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains YouTube page. The video features a digitally enhanced close-up of what appears to be a reflection of the ghost in the hallway mirror shortly before it crashes onto soundman, Mike Aiton. According to the info box on the same page, the director of Ghostwatch, Lesley Manning has since debunked this sighting as a false positive.
by a ghost who, whilst doing so, maniacally recites nursery rhymes. This happens in a tape recording of the eldest daughter Suzanne, later in a 'live' section to the same character and eventually Michael Parkinson
himself is seen to be possessed.
activity. Also a perfectly round patch of water appears on the living room carpet and animal scratch marks also appear on Suzanne's's face. Banging noises are intermittently heard during the climax of the show. At one point the producers play on this by exposing Suzanne as the one causing the banging noises, creating a hoax within a hoax. However this later occurs when both girls are accounted for. Near the end of the programme, when a wind whips through the studio, the cups and plates brought in by Doctor Pascoe as evidence of the poltergeist activity in the house, begin to move on their own, and one cup falls onto the studio floor and smashes into pieces.
listings magazine. There is a long running rumour that Sarah Greene
had advertised the programme on her Saturday morning children's show Going Live, including a "visit" to the location of the "haunting" and gave the impression that she was taking part in a 'reality show' and not a drama. However, the Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtain blog (which gathers information for a long mooted documentary about the show) acquired the three most likely episodes (the week before, the day Ghostwatch was shown, and the week after) and found no reference to the show. The BBC was besieged with phone calls from irate and frightened viewers, and British tabloids and other newspapers criticised the BBC the next day for the disturbing nature of some scenes, such as Greene's final scene where she is locked in an under-stairs cupboard with the howling ghost, and Parkinson's eerie possession scene.
The reaction to the programme led the BBC to place a decade-long ban on the programme being repeated after its initial broadcast and, although this has now been lifted, it remains unlikely that it will ever be shown again on British terrestrial television. The British Film Institute
released it on on VHS
and Region 2 DVD
in November 2002.
18-year-old factory worker Martin Denham, who suffered from learning difficulties and had a mental age
of 13, committed suicide five days after the programme aired. The family home had suffered with a faulty central heating
system which had caused the pipes to knock; Denham linked this to the activity in the show causing great worry. He left a suicide note reading "if there are ghosts I will be ... with you always as a ghost". His mother and stepfather, April and Percy Denham, blamed the BBC. They claimed that Martin was "hypnotised and obsessed" by the programme. The Broadcasting Standards Commission refused their complaint, along with 34 others, as being outside their remit, but the High Court granted the Denhams permission for a judicial review requiring the BSC to hear their complaint.
In its ruling, the BSC stated that "The BBC had a duty to do more than simply hint at the deception it was practising on the audience. In Ghostwatch there was a deliberate attempt to cultivate a sense of menace." They ruled that the programme was excessively distressing and graphic - referring to the scratches on the children and the mutilated animals - and that it had aired too soon after the 9pm watershed. They further stated that "the presence in the programme of presenters familiar from children's programmes ... took some parents off-guard in deciding whether their children could continue to view."
The film's producers argued that Ghostwatch had aired during a drama slot, that it was recognisable as fiction to a vast majority, and that running disclaimers or other announcements during the programme would have ruined its effectiveness. They also stated that, had they anticipated the audience reaction, they would have made its fictional nature clearer. However, after the BSC ruling they issued an apology.
Simons and Silveira published a report in the British Medical Journal
in February 1994, describing two cases of Ghostwatch-induced post-traumatic stress disorder
in children, both ten-year-old boys. They stated that these were the first reported cases of PTSD caused by a television programme. Responses to the article described a further four cases in children aged between 11 and 14, as well as one case in an 8-year-old that stemmed from watching the pre-watershed hospital soap Casualty
. The respondents also noted the potential for similar reactions in elderly people. However, the conclusion of the article states "The rapid resolution of the children's symptoms suggests that the children suffered a brief anxiety reaction to the television programme; although they may have exhibited some of the features of post-traumatic stress disorder, this diagnosis in their cases is inappropriate."
A comment left by writer Stephen Volk
on the official Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains homepage claims that British illusionist Derren Brown
once told him that the film had at least partially inspired his similarly controversial 'TV hoax' Séance. This was later confirmed by Brown himself whilst being interviewed for the BBC Four
documentary Ghosts in the Machine.
The makers of The Blair Witch Project
were reported to have seen the film before going on to make their own movie.
episode "Army of Ghosts
" (2006), "ghosts" were regularly appearing all over the planet, and a Ghostwatch programme was presented by Alistair Appleton. The BBC also created a tie-in website for the show.
The story itself centres on Volk taking part in a fictitious, 10th anniversary edition of Ghostwatch in 2002. Venturing into the previously sealed-off BBC
studio space where the original show took place, he is accompanied by a small team of individuals whose lives were somehow affected by the broadcast, ten years previously.
A free PDF file of '31/10' can be found on writer, Stephen Volk's official website.
Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains is an 'in-development' retrospective documentary, set to look back at the controversial BBC
Screen One
drama.
TheBehind the Curtains subtitle is derived from where fictitious poltergeist, Pipes, 'hides' in the shared bedroom of characters, Kim and Suzanne Early. It is also one of the chapter headings on the official Ghostwatch DVD.
.
All that was initially revealed regarding this elusive project was a notice asking fans of the original film to contribute any Ghostwatch-related stories or recollections via the comments boxes provided.
The first video to appear on the page was a short teaser trailer
announcing the project's existence. Consisting almost entirely of clips taken from the original film, the aspect ratio had most notably been re-framed from the (circa 1992) standard TV format 4:3 to a more contemporary 14:9
.
The first official confirmation that Ghostwatch writer, Stephen Volk
was actively involved in the documentary's production can be seen in the video, A Message From Stephen Volk in which he asks fans of the original film to "keep in tune for future updates".
On 31 October 2008 (exactly sixteen years after the original film was originally broadcast), an official blog
was launched. The first article to be published was written by the documentary's creator, Richard Lawden, in which he revealed the idea to make a retrospective first originated at a Cineformation screening held at the Watershed (Bristol).
Subsequent articles have included a special Hallowe'en message from Stephen Volk
, and a link to a new Ghostwatch article written by lead actor, Sir Michael Parkinson. Between December 2008 and February 2009, an official web forum, and Twitter
, MySpace
and Facebook
pages were also added.
During the pilot episode of the Behind the Curtains podcast, (or 'PipesCast') made in conjunction with Red Dwarf
fan-site Ganymede & Titan, it was revealed that the retrospective documentary project is still ongoing, and has a provisional release date of 2012 (in time for the original film's 20th anniversary). It was also revealed that the project has been brought to the attention of the BBC.
To mark the show's 18th anniversary, a 'live' event took place in lieu of a full repeat screening on British television. Dubbed National Séance 2010, fans were asked to simultaneously play their personal recordings of the show at precisely 9.25pm (just as Ghostwatch was originally broadcast) and tweet
about the screening as it happened on the social networking site Twitter
. The event has subsequently become a yearly tradition.
On October 31, 2011, the first official production still was uploaded to mark both Hallowe'en Night and the conclusion of National Séance 2011. The image features castmembers, Sarah Greene
and Mike Smith
sitting with an interviewer, and two additional crewmembers, in an aircraft hanger. A quote beneath the picture reads, "Stay tuned for 2012, Ghostwatchers".
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
/mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, first broadcast on BBC1 on 31 October (Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
), 1992.
Despite having been recorded weeks in advance, the narrative was presented as 'live' television. Following its first and only UK television broadcast the show attracted a considerable furore.
Written by Stephen Volk
Stephen Volk
Stephen Volk is a British screenwriter, whose first produced work was Ken Russell's film Gothic in 1986.His most famous work is Ghostwatch, a controversial drama shown on BBC One on Halloween 1992. It is commonly misrepresented as a hoax documentary, but this was never the intention...
, and directed by Lesley Manning, the drama was produced for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
anthology series, Screen One
Screen One
Screen One is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 between 1989 to 1993.Following the demise of the BBC's Play For Today which ran from 1970 to 1984, producer Kenneth Trodd was asked to formulate a new series of one-off television dramas...
, by Richard Broke, Ruth Baumgarten and Derek Nelson.
As yet, Ghostwatch has only ever been repeated on television outside of the UK - on stations such as the Canadian digital channel SCREAM
SCREAM (TV channel)
Dusk is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment and Shaw Media that was launched in September 2001...
for Halloween 2004, and the Belgian channel Canvas in 2008. Ghostwatch received a huge audience and an estimated 30,000 calls to the BBC switchboard in a single hour. In 2002, the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
released a 10th Anniversary edition on VHS and DVD.
A retrospective documentary (Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains) based on the film's lasting impact has been in production since late 2007, and is said to be backed by many of the film's original cast and crew.
Plot summary
The 90-minute film was a horror story shot in a documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
style and appeared as part of BBC Drama's Screen One series. It involved BBC reporters performing a live, on-air investigation
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
of a house in Northolt
Northolt
Northolt is a town in the London Borough of Ealing, England. The town has London Underground and Network Rail stations and is on the A40 road...
, Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
at which poltergeist
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
activity was believed to be taking place. Through revealing footage and interviews with neighbours and the family living there, they discover the existence of a malevolent ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
nicknamed Pipes from his habit of knocking on the house's plumbing. As the programme proceeds, viewers learn that Pipes is the spirit of a psychologically disturbed man called Raymond Tunstall, himself believed to have been troubled by the spirit of Mother Seddons – a 'baby farmer' turned child killer from the 19th century. In the course of the programme Pipes makes various manifestations which become more bold and terrifying, until, at the end, the frightened reporters realise that the programme itself has been acting as a sort of "national séance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
" through which Pipes was gaining horrific power. Finally, the spirit unleashes its power to the fullest extent, dragging Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene is a British television personality well known for presenting live TV: long-running series e.g. Blue Peter, from 19 May 1980 until 27 June 1983, Saturday Superstore, Going Live for 10 years and big event/awards shows.- Early life and career :Greene was born in London, England, the...
to her probable death behind a doorway and then escaping to express poltergeist activity throughout the country. He takes control of the BBC studios and transmitter network, using the Ghostwatch studio as a focal point and possessing
Spiritual possession
Spirit possession is a paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behaviour...
Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
in the process.
Behind the scenes
In truth, the story, though based on the tale of the Enfield PoltergeistEnfield Poltergeist
The Enfield Poltergeist was a period of apparent poltergeist activity in London, England between August 1977 and September 1978, with an added outburst in August 1980.-Activity :...
, was put into production months before and was complete fiction. However, the presentation contained realistic elements which suggested to a casual viewer that it was an actual documentary. The studio scenes were recorded in Studio TC6 in the BBC Television Centre in London. The scenes at the house and the street were all shot on location around 5–6 weeks before the recording of the studio scenes. The recorded scenes in the house and street were then played into the studio, where Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
, Mike Smith
Mike Smith (television presenter)
Mike Smith is a British television, radio presenter, racing driver, pilot, and businessman.-Radio career:...
, and "Doctor Pascoe" had to interact with material shot 5–6 weeks previously. A phone number was shown on the screen so that viewers could "call in" and discuss ghostly phenomena. The number was the standard BBC call-in number at the time, 081 811 8181 (also used on programmes such as Going Live!
Going Live!
Going Live! was a Saturday morning magazine show, broadcast on BBC1 between 1987 and 1993. It was presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene.Other presenters included Trevor and Simon, Peter Simon, Emma Forbes, and puppet Gordon the Gopher....
), and callers who got through were connected first to a message telling them that the show was fictional, before being given the chance to share their own ghost stories. However, the phone number was besieged by callers during the showing and many people who telephoned it simply got an engaged tone. This commonly happened when phoning BBC 'call-in' shows and inadvertently added to the realism instead of reassuring viewers that it was fiction. The set and filming methods, including shaky hand-held video cameras, lent a documentary feel. Most convincing of all was the use of actual BBC personalities playing themselves. Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene is a British television personality well known for presenting live TV: long-running series e.g. Blue Peter, from 19 May 1980 until 27 June 1983, Saturday Superstore, Going Live for 10 years and big event/awards shows.- Early life and career :Greene was born in London, England, the...
and Craig Charles
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
were the reporters on the scene at the house, while Mike Smith
Mike Smith (television presenter)
Mike Smith is a British television, radio presenter, racing driver, pilot, and businessman.-Radio career:...
(Greene's real-life husband) and Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
linked from the studio.
Ghostwatch was originally conceived by writer Stephen Volk as a six-part drama (similar to Edge of Darkness
Edge of Darkness
Edge of Darkness is a British television drama serial, produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six fifty-five minute episodes in late 1985...
) in which a fictional paranormal investigator and a TV reporter investigate poltergeist activity at a North London housing estate, gradually discovering more elements of the mystery each week. This would have culminated in the final episode in a live TV broadcast from the property, in the vein of Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale was a British screenwriter from the Isle of Man. Active in television, film, radio drama and prose fiction, he wrote professionally for over fifty years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and was twice nominated for the British Film Award for Best Screenplay...
's The Quatermass Experiment
The Quatermass Experiment
The Quatermass Experiment is a British science-fiction serial broadcast by BBC Television in the summer of 1953 and re-staged by BBC Four in 2005. Set in the near future against the background of a British space programme, it tells the story of the first manned flight into space, overseen by...
and Quatermass and the Pit
Quatermass and the Pit
Quatermass and the Pit is a British television science-fiction serial, originally transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's Quatermass serials, although the character would reappear in a 1979 ITV production simply entitled Quatermass...
, in both of which "all hell breaks loose". However, when producer Ruth Baumgarten doubted the viability of an entire mini-series and recommended instead a 90-minute TV special, Volk suggested that they "do the whole thing like Episode Six", portraying it as an actual "live" broadcast fronted by well-known TV personalities.
The BBC, however, became concerned over the effect the broadcast would have on the public and very nearly pulled the show shortly before broadcast. Ultimately they insisted on adding opening credits including the writer's name, in addition to a Screen One title sequence.
The ghost
It is suggested that the character of Suzanne Early may become the next 'layer' in the ghost's spiritual make-up, and in the final moments of the film the entity possesses television host Michael Parkinson.
In May 2010, at a public screening of the film at The Invisible Dot in Camden, director Lesley Manning revealed that she provided the voice of Pipes the ghost after the professional voice artist hired for the production could not accurately replicate the style of voice she had intended.
Technology
Many methods familiar to modern ghost-hunting shows such as Most HauntedMost Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
are demonstrated in the show, some of which were either genuine state-of-the-art technology at the time or simulated to give the idea they were real. The house was allegedly equipped with motion detectors, temperature sensors, and covert cameras. The temperature sensors were referred to as being able to check for dramatic changes in temperature that ghost hunters link to real-life ghost sightings. One major feature of the show was a genuine thermographic camera
Thermographic camera
A thermographic camera or infrared camera is a device that forms an image using infrared radiation, similar to a common camera that forms an image using visible light...
, which, although it did not pick up any ghosts, came in very handy when all the lights failed at the end of the show.
Ghostly depictions
The programme makers used many examples of allegedly paranormal phenomena.Apparitions
The ghost, described by characters in the programme as a disfigured, androgynous person wearing a buttoned-up robe or dress appears a total of eight times during the course of the film. These are often fleeting, almost subliminal appearances, and can be found by skipping ahead to the following points:- During playback of haunted bedroom footage (0:20:48) - In the studio, the presenters examine video footage of a bedroom scene in which a shadowy figure can be seen behind the curtains in the bedroom of Suzanne and Kim Early. Three versions of the apparitionApparitional experienceIn psychology and parapsychology, an apparitional experience is an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience.It is characterized by the apparent perception of either a living being or an inanimate object without there being any material stimulus for such a perception...
are shown intermittently to confuse the viewer - one with the figure, one where it is slightly faded out, and one where it is not seen at all.
- In the studio (0:30:28) - Behind Dr Pascoe as she plays the "possessed voice" tape for Michael Parkinson. This appearance is more easily visible if the brightness of the screen is increased.
- Amongst the crowds (0:47:22) - Outside the house in Foxhill Drive, as Craig Charles calls for Arthur Lacey to join him, the ghost can be seen standing among the crowd of onlookers, apparently unnoticed.
- In the kitchen (0:54:59) - Reflected in the glass of the kitchen door, moments after Sarah discovers the children's drawings on the floor and is startled by a cat outside.
- Haunted bedroom (1:11:55) - In front of the curtains in the girls' bedroom as the house is evacuated. The ghost is briefly visible as the cameraman turns, but is gone again when he whips the camera back round for a second look.
- Under the stairs (1:17:12) - Inside the cupboard under the stairs, a fraction of a second before the mirror leaps off the wall and knocks soundman, Mike Aiton unconscious.
- Close-up in static (1:27:41) - In a burst of static just as the cupboard door slams shut - sealing both Suzanne and Sarah inside the Gloryhole. This appearance only lasts for three frames, but provides a partial close-up look at the ghost's mauled face.
- On the gantry (1:27:42) - On a gantry in the TV studio as the lights start to explode.
In 2008, a potential 9th sighting (at 1:16:18) was uploaded via the Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains YouTube page. The video features a digitally enhanced close-up of what appears to be a reflection of the ghost in the hallway mirror shortly before it crashes onto soundman, Mike Aiton. According to the info box on the same page, the director of Ghostwatch, Lesley Manning has since debunked this sighting as a false positive.
Spiritual possession
During the course of the programme there are many references to characters being allegedly possessedSpiritual possession
Spirit possession is a paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behaviour...
by a ghost who, whilst doing so, maniacally recites nursery rhymes. This happens in a tape recording of the eldest daughter Suzanne, later in a 'live' section to the same character and eventually Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
himself is seen to be possessed.
Sudden temperature changes
The show references temperature changes being linked to ghosts and claims to be monitoring the temperature in each room of the house to check for this. Mutilated household objects are shown which were purportedly analysed by the army and found to have been subjected to rapid temperature change.Poltergeist activity
In both alleged recordings and live segments of the show we see objects moving of their own accord which, it is claimed, is a result of poltergeistPoltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
activity. Also a perfectly round patch of water appears on the living room carpet and animal scratch marks also appear on Suzanne's's face. Banging noises are intermittently heard during the climax of the show. At one point the producers play on this by exposing Suzanne as the one causing the banging noises, creating a hoax within a hoax. However this later occurs when both girls are accounted for. Near the end of the programme, when a wind whips through the studio, the cups and plates brought in by Doctor Pascoe as evidence of the poltergeist activity in the house, begin to move on their own, and one cup falls onto the studio floor and smashes into pieces.
Disembodied voices
Although the ghost of the story is only heard to speak through the voices of others we hear the disembodied sounds of cats whenever phenomena are taking place.Controversy
Much of the British public believed the events to be true and some controversy ensued after its airing. This was all in spite of the fact that Screen One was a drama slot, the programme aired with a "Written by ..." credit at the start, and a cast list was published in the BBC's Radio TimesRadio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
listings magazine. There is a long running rumour that Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene is a British television personality well known for presenting live TV: long-running series e.g. Blue Peter, from 19 May 1980 until 27 June 1983, Saturday Superstore, Going Live for 10 years and big event/awards shows.- Early life and career :Greene was born in London, England, the...
had advertised the programme on her Saturday morning children's show Going Live, including a "visit" to the location of the "haunting" and gave the impression that she was taking part in a 'reality show' and not a drama. However, the Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtain blog (which gathers information for a long mooted documentary about the show) acquired the three most likely episodes (the week before, the day Ghostwatch was shown, and the week after) and found no reference to the show. The BBC was besieged with phone calls from irate and frightened viewers, and British tabloids and other newspapers criticised the BBC the next day for the disturbing nature of some scenes, such as Greene's final scene where she is locked in an under-stairs cupboard with the howling ghost, and Parkinson's eerie possession scene.
The reaction to the programme led the BBC to place a decade-long ban on the programme being repeated after its initial broadcast and, although this has now been lifted, it remains unlikely that it will ever be shown again on British terrestrial television. The British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
released it on on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Region 2 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in November 2002.
Psychological effects
A number of psychological effects were reported in Ghostwatchs wake:18-year-old factory worker Martin Denham, who suffered from learning difficulties and had a mental age
Mental age
Mental age is a concept in relation to intelligence, expressed as the age at which a child is performing intellectually. The mental age of the child that is tested is the same as the average age at which normal children achieve a particular score....
of 13, committed suicide five days after the programme aired. The family home had suffered with a faulty central heating
Central heating
A central heating system provides warmth to the whole interior of a building from one point to multiple rooms. When combined with other systems in order to control the building climate, the whole system may be a HVAC system.Central heating differs from local heating in that the heat generation...
system which had caused the pipes to knock; Denham linked this to the activity in the show causing great worry. He left a suicide note reading "if there are ghosts I will be ... with you always as a ghost". His mother and stepfather, April and Percy Denham, blamed the BBC. They claimed that Martin was "hypnotised and obsessed" by the programme. The Broadcasting Standards Commission refused their complaint, along with 34 others, as being outside their remit, but the High Court granted the Denhams permission for a judicial review requiring the BSC to hear their complaint.
In its ruling, the BSC stated that "The BBC had a duty to do more than simply hint at the deception it was practising on the audience. In Ghostwatch there was a deliberate attempt to cultivate a sense of menace." They ruled that the programme was excessively distressing and graphic - referring to the scratches on the children and the mutilated animals - and that it had aired too soon after the 9pm watershed. They further stated that "the presence in the programme of presenters familiar from children's programmes ... took some parents off-guard in deciding whether their children could continue to view."
The film's producers argued that Ghostwatch had aired during a drama slot, that it was recognisable as fiction to a vast majority, and that running disclaimers or other announcements during the programme would have ruined its effectiveness. They also stated that, had they anticipated the audience reaction, they would have made its fictional nature clearer. However, after the BSC ruling they issued an apology.
Simons and Silveira published a report in the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
in February 1994, describing two cases of Ghostwatch-induced post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
in children, both ten-year-old boys. They stated that these were the first reported cases of PTSD caused by a television programme. Responses to the article described a further four cases in children aged between 11 and 14, as well as one case in an 8-year-old that stemmed from watching the pre-watershed hospital soap Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
. The respondents also noted the potential for similar reactions in elderly people. However, the conclusion of the article states "The rapid resolution of the children's symptoms suggests that the children suffered a brief anxiety reaction to the television programme; although they may have exhibited some of the features of post-traumatic stress disorder, this diagnosis in their cases is inappropriate."
Inspirations
Ghostwatch has also been credited for being amongst the direct inspirations for several other successful, contemporary works.A comment left by writer Stephen Volk
Stephen Volk
Stephen Volk is a British screenwriter, whose first produced work was Ken Russell's film Gothic in 1986.His most famous work is Ghostwatch, a controversial drama shown on BBC One on Halloween 1992. It is commonly misrepresented as a hoax documentary, but this was never the intention...
on the official Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains homepage claims that British illusionist Derren Brown
Derren Brown
Derren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
once told him that the film had at least partially inspired his similarly controversial 'TV hoax' Séance. This was later confirmed by Brown himself whilst being interviewed for the BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
documentary Ghosts in the Machine.
The makers of The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
were reported to have seen the film before going on to make their own movie.
Doctor Who
In the Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "Army of Ghosts
Army of Ghosts
"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was first broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" (2006), "ghosts" were regularly appearing all over the planet, and a Ghostwatch programme was presented by Alistair Appleton. The BBC also created a tie-in website for the show.
Sequel ('31/10')
As featured in his collection Dark Corners, screenwriter Stephen Volk wrote a short story entitled 31/10, which is effectively a sequel to Ghostwatch. The piece was later selected for "The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2007: Twentieth Annual Collection", and nominated for the Horror Writers' Association (HWA) Bram Stoker Award, and British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story 2006.The story itself centres on Volk taking part in a fictitious, 10th anniversary edition of Ghostwatch in 2002. Venturing into the previously sealed-off BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
studio space where the original show took place, he is accompanied by a small team of individuals whose lives were somehow affected by the broadcast, ten years previously.
A free PDF file of '31/10' can be found on writer, Stephen Volk's official website.
Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains (2012)
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Screen One
Screen One
Screen One is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 between 1989 to 1993.Following the demise of the BBC's Play For Today which ran from 1970 to 1984, producer Kenneth Trodd was asked to formulate a new series of one-off television dramas...
drama.
The
Developments
On 21 February 2008, the GhostwatchBtC channel was officially launched on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
All that was initially revealed regarding this elusive project was a notice asking fans of the original film to contribute any Ghostwatch-related stories or recollections via the comments boxes provided.
The first video to appear on the page was a short teaser trailer
Teaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
announcing the project's existence. Consisting almost entirely of clips taken from the original film, the aspect ratio had most notably been re-framed from the (circa 1992) standard TV format 4:3 to a more contemporary 14:9
14:9
14:9 is a compromise aspect ratio of 1.56:1. It is used to create an acceptable picture on both 4:3 and 16:9 televisions, conceived following audience tests conducted by the BBC...
.
The first official confirmation that Ghostwatch writer, Stephen Volk
Stephen Volk
Stephen Volk is a British screenwriter, whose first produced work was Ken Russell's film Gothic in 1986.His most famous work is Ghostwatch, a controversial drama shown on BBC One on Halloween 1992. It is commonly misrepresented as a hoax documentary, but this was never the intention...
was actively involved in the documentary's production can be seen in the video, A Message From Stephen Volk in which he asks fans of the original film to "keep in tune for future updates".
On 31 October 2008 (exactly sixteen years after the original film was originally broadcast), an official blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
was launched. The first article to be published was written by the documentary's creator, Richard Lawden, in which he revealed the idea to make a retrospective first originated at a Cineformation screening held at the Watershed (Bristol).
Subsequent articles have included a special Hallowe'en message from Stephen Volk
Stephen Volk
Stephen Volk is a British screenwriter, whose first produced work was Ken Russell's film Gothic in 1986.His most famous work is Ghostwatch, a controversial drama shown on BBC One on Halloween 1992. It is commonly misrepresented as a hoax documentary, but this was never the intention...
, and a link to a new Ghostwatch article written by lead actor, Sir Michael Parkinson. Between December 2008 and February 2009, an official web forum, and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
pages were also added.
During the pilot episode of the Behind the Curtains podcast, (or 'PipesCast') made in conjunction with Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
fan-site Ganymede & Titan, it was revealed that the retrospective documentary project is still ongoing, and has a provisional release date of 2012 (in time for the original film's 20th anniversary). It was also revealed that the project has been brought to the attention of the BBC.
To mark the show's 18th anniversary, a 'live' event took place in lieu of a full repeat screening on British television. Dubbed National Séance 2010, fans were asked to simultaneously play their personal recordings of the show at precisely 9.25pm (just as Ghostwatch was originally broadcast) and tweet
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
about the screening as it happened on the social networking site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. The event has subsequently become a yearly tradition.
On October 31, 2011, the first official production still was uploaded to mark both Hallowe'en Night and the conclusion of National Séance 2011. The image features castmembers, Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene is a British television personality well known for presenting live TV: long-running series e.g. Blue Peter, from 19 May 1980 until 27 June 1983, Saturday Superstore, Going Live for 10 years and big event/awards shows.- Early life and career :Greene was born in London, England, the...
and Mike Smith
Mike Smith (television presenter)
Mike Smith is a British television, radio presenter, racing driver, pilot, and businessman.-Radio career:...
sitting with an interviewer, and two additional crewmembers, in an aircraft hanger. A quote beneath the picture reads, "Stay tuned for 2012, Ghostwatchers".
External links
- Official Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains homepage
- Official Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains blog
- Sir Michael Parkinson talks about Ghostwatch
- Interview with Steven Volk, writer of Ghostwatch
- Ghostwatch overview at Action TV Magazine website
- British Film Institute Screen Online overview of Ghostwatch featuring video and audio clips
- A gallery and commentary showing Pipes' brief appearances.