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31st October 1992. Something strange happened. A simple television programme shook the nation and showed the power of good programme making, unfortunately, some people thought it was too good. That programme was Ghostwatch and no one would forget the impact it had on those that watched it.
The programme started with this announcement:
“Now on BBC1, Screen One presents an unusual and sometimes disturbing film marking Halloween. Over the centuries there have been countless reports of ghosts and ghouls, but the line between fact and fiction has always been unclear. Using the modern idiom of the outside broadcast, Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith and Craig Charles star in.... Ghostwatch.” (taken from http://www.redimp. freeserve.co.uk/ghostwatch/)
So it was with some surprise that many people later claimed to think this was all happening for real, perhaps they were unlucky enough to miss the start, or perhaps they just didn’t pay attention. Either way, it was easy to get caught up in the realistic environment of the outside broadcast and forget you were watching a drama, even if you did know what it really was.
So, what was this original ghostly tale all about? Writer Stephen Volk has described it as a ‘modern ghost story’ written in a new format that would be more accessible to the current generation of TV viewers. He had little idea how successful it would actually turn out to be, or how much affect it would have on the viewers. By the time the credits rolled, many people were already phoning in protest or to congratulate the BBC for such a daring feature. But it soon emerged that one person, a teenage boy with mental problems, had hung himself for fear that the ghost would get him and thus the film was locked in the BBC archive vaults, allegedly never to see the light of day again. This is a pity, seeing as the programme will be arriving at its 10th anniversary next year, perhaps the BBC may have a change of heart by then and release it again.
Similarities can be drawn between this programme and the War of the Worlds drama aired in the 50’s over American radio. The format that time was a series of news broadcasts and had unwary Americans running out of their houses to look at the skies, convinced they were under attack from the Martians. This time around, the warnings were given out before the show and Parkinson kept warning parents that children should not be watching, yet complaints came flooding in that many children were scared, so perhaps it was actually the parents that were scared of the programme? Certainly it challenged everyone’s preconceptions of what a documentary style could do to a narrative, but it also played on viewer’s fears and the fact that actors such as Parkinson (a straight faced chat show host), Sarah Greene (a former childrens TV presenter) and Mike Smith (another children’s presenter, and Sarah’s husband) made it all the more grusome and believable. It just shows how mass hysteria can be easily produced from the oldest of sources, that of the old fashioned ghost story.
A brief rundown of the events follow a further post from me, but you may wish to skip them if you think it may spoil your enjoyment of the programme. That is, if you can find a copy, as the only way you will currently get to see it is to find someone who still has it on tape (then let me know too!) If you can get a copy, please be warned that it’s not for the faint hearted, even when you know it’s only a drama, and fans of Sarah Greene may not want to see it at all!
Needless to say, Ghostwatch was one of the freshest things on TV during the nineties and caused much more mayhem than was originally intended. It proved that there is far more power to television than many people think. The image of Pipes still haunts people today...
The programme started with this announcement:
“Now on BBC1, Screen One presents an unusual and sometimes disturbing film marking Halloween. Over the centuries there have been countless reports of ghosts and ghouls, but the line between fact and fiction has always been unclear. Using the modern idiom of the outside broadcast, Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith and Craig Charles star in.... Ghostwatch.” (taken from http://www.redimp. freeserve.co.uk/ghostwatch/)
So it was with some surprise that many people later claimed to think this was all happening for real, perhaps they were unlucky enough to miss the start, or perhaps they just didn’t pay attention. Either way, it was easy to get caught up in the realistic environment of the outside broadcast and forget you were watching a drama, even if you did know what it really was.
So, what was this original ghostly tale all about? Writer Stephen Volk has described it as a ‘modern ghost story’ written in a new format that would be more accessible to the current generation of TV viewers. He had little idea how successful it would actually turn out to be, or how much affect it would have on the viewers. By the time the credits rolled, many people were already phoning in protest or to congratulate the BBC for such a daring feature. But it soon emerged that one person, a teenage boy with mental problems, had hung himself for fear that the ghost would get him and thus the film was locked in the BBC archive vaults, allegedly never to see the light of day again. This is a pity, seeing as the programme will be arriving at its 10th anniversary next year, perhaps the BBC may have a change of heart by then and release it again.
Similarities can be drawn between this programme and the War of the Worlds drama aired in the 50’s over American radio. The format that time was a series of news broadcasts and had unwary Americans running out of their houses to look at the skies, convinced they were under attack from the Martians. This time around, the warnings were given out before the show and Parkinson kept warning parents that children should not be watching, yet complaints came flooding in that many children were scared, so perhaps it was actually the parents that were scared of the programme? Certainly it challenged everyone’s preconceptions of what a documentary style could do to a narrative, but it also played on viewer’s fears and the fact that actors such as Parkinson (a straight faced chat show host), Sarah Greene (a former childrens TV presenter) and Mike Smith (another children’s presenter, and Sarah’s husband) made it all the more grusome and believable. It just shows how mass hysteria can be easily produced from the oldest of sources, that of the old fashioned ghost story.
A brief rundown of the events follow a further post from me, but you may wish to skip them if you think it may spoil your enjoyment of the programme. That is, if you can find a copy, as the only way you will currently get to see it is to find someone who still has it on tape (then let me know too!) If you can get a copy, please be warned that it’s not for the faint hearted, even when you know it’s only a drama, and fans of Sarah Greene may not want to see it at all!
Needless to say, Ghostwatch was one of the freshest things on TV during the nineties and caused much more mayhem than was originally intended. It proved that there is far more power to television than many people think. The image of Pipes still haunts people today...
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31st October 1992. Something strange happened. A simple television programme shook the nation and showed the power of good programme making, unfortunately, some people thought it was too good. That programme was Ghostwatch and no one would forget the impact it had on those that watched it.
The programme started with this announcement:
“Now on BBC1, Screen One presents an unusual and sometimes disturbing film marking Halloween. Over the centuries there have been countless reports of ghosts and ghouls, but the line between fact and fiction has always been unclear. Using the modern idiom of the outside broadcast, Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith and Craig Charles star in.... Ghostwatch.” (taken from http://www.redimp. freeserve.co.uk/ghostwatch/)
So it was with some surprise that many people later claimed to think this was all happening for real, perhaps they were unlucky enough to miss the start, or perhaps they just didn’t pay attention. Either way, it was easy to get caught up in the realistic environment of the outside broadcast and forget you were watching a drama, even if you did know what it really was.
So, what was this original ghostly tale all about? Writer Stephen Volk has described it as a ‘modern ghost story’ written in a new format that would be more accessible to the current generation of TV viewers. He had little idea how successful it would actually turn out to be, or how much affect it would have on the viewers. By the time the credits rolled, many people were already phoning in protest or to congratulate the BBC for such a daring feature. But it soon emerged that one person, a teenage boy with mental problems, had hung himself for fear that the ghost would get him and thus the film was locked in the BBC archive vaults, allegedly never to see the light of day again. This is a pity, seeing as the programme will be arriving at its 10th anniversary next year, perhaps the BBC may have a change of heart by then and release it again.
Similarities can be drawn between this programme and the War of the Worlds drama aired in the 50’s over American radio. The format that time was a series of news broadcasts and had unwary Americans running out of their houses to look at the skies, convinced they were under attack from the Martians. This time around, the warnings were given out before the show and Parkinson kept warning parents that children should not be watching, yet complaints came flooding in that many children were scared, so perhaps it was actually the parents that were scared of the programme? Certainly it challenged everyone’s preconceptions of what a documentary style could do to a narrative, but it also played on viewer’s fears and the fact that actors such as Parkinson (a straight faced chat show host), Sarah Greene (a former childrens TV presenter) and Mike Smith (another children’s presenter, and Sarah’s husband) made it all the more grusome and believable. It just shows how mass hysteria can be easily produced from the oldest of sources, that of the old fashioned ghost story.
A brief rundown of the events follow a further post from me, but you may wish to skip them if you think it may spoil your enjoyment of the programme. That is, if you can find a copy, as the only way you will currently get to see it is to find someone who still has it on tape (then let me know too!) If you can get a copy, please be warned that it’s not for the faint hearted, even when you know it’s only a drama, and fans of Sarah Greene may not want to see it at all!
Needless to say, Ghostwatch was one of the freshest things on TV during the nineties and caused much more mayhem than was originally intended. It proved that there is far more power to television than many people think. The image of Pipes still haunts people today...
The programme started with this announcement:
“Now on BBC1, Screen One presents an unusual and sometimes disturbing film marking Halloween. Over the centuries there have been countless reports of ghosts and ghouls, but the line between fact and fiction has always been unclear. Using the modern idiom of the outside broadcast, Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith and Craig Charles star in.... Ghostwatch.” (taken from http://www.redimp. freeserve.co.uk/ghostwatch/)
So it was with some surprise that many people later claimed to think this was all happening for real, perhaps they were unlucky enough to miss the start, or perhaps they just didn’t pay attention. Either way, it was easy to get caught up in the realistic environment of the outside broadcast and forget you were watching a drama, even if you did know what it really was.
So, what was this original ghostly tale all about? Writer Stephen Volk has described it as a ‘modern ghost story’ written in a new format that would be more accessible to the current generation of TV viewers. He had little idea how successful it would actually turn out to be, or how much affect it would have on the viewers. By the time the credits rolled, many people were already phoning in protest or to congratulate the BBC for such a daring feature. But it soon emerged that one person, a teenage boy with mental problems, had hung himself for fear that the ghost would get him and thus the film was locked in the BBC archive vaults, allegedly never to see the light of day again. This is a pity, seeing as the programme will be arriving at its 10th anniversary next year, perhaps the BBC may have a change of heart by then and release it again.
Similarities can be drawn between this programme and the War of the Worlds drama aired in the 50’s over American radio. The format that time was a series of news broadcasts and had unwary Americans running out of their houses to look at the skies, convinced they were under attack from the Martians. This time around, the warnings were given out before the show and Parkinson kept warning parents that children should not be watching, yet complaints came flooding in that many children were scared, so perhaps it was actually the parents that were scared of the programme? Certainly it challenged everyone’s preconceptions of what a documentary style could do to a narrative, but it also played on viewer’s fears and the fact that actors such as Parkinson (a straight faced chat show host), Sarah Greene (a former childrens TV presenter) and Mike Smith (another children’s presenter, and Sarah’s husband) made it all the more grusome and believable. It just shows how mass hysteria can be easily produced from the oldest of sources, that of the old fashioned ghost story.
A brief rundown of the events follow a further post from me, but you may wish to skip them if you think it may spoil your enjoyment of the programme. That is, if you can find a copy, as the only way you will currently get to see it is to find someone who still has it on tape (then let me know too!) If you can get a copy, please be warned that it’s not for the faint hearted, even when you know it’s only a drama, and fans of Sarah Greene may not want to see it at all!
Needless to say, Ghostwatch was one of the freshest things on TV during the nineties and caused much more mayhem than was originally intended. It proved that there is far more power to television than many people think. The image of Pipes still haunts people today...
Page: