Ghostwatch

One of the things that has been suggested for World Haunted is to blog about programmes and movies dealing with ghosts and haunted places and so we thought it only right to start with Ghostwatch. Broadcast by the BBC on Halloween night in 1992, the programme was a mockumentary based on the premise of a live broadcast from a haunted house with links to and from the studio.



The programme caused a severe amount of controversy at the time of broadcast with many people believing they were witnessing actual events. 30,000 calls were made to the BBC switchboard to complain. As a result of the controversy, Ghostwatch has never been repeated in the UK. It has since been released on VHS and DVD and a documentary entitled Ghostwatch: Behind The Curtains was released in 2013 taking a look at the impact the broadcast had. It is thought that the documentary style used and the use of BBC personalities playing themselves created a sense of realism that the public believed was really happening. The BBC very nearly pulled the broadcast beforehand, concerned at how the public would perceive it however they let it go ahead on the provision that the writer’s name be included at the start along with the Screen One intro. The British tabloids featured stories about the show on their front pages the day following the broadcast.

The idea behind the programme was that BBC reporters would conduct a live paranormal investigation of a supposed haunted house in London. Michael Parkinson anchored the show from the studio with expert Dr Pascoe. Mike Smith presented calls from the phone gallery while Sarah Greene and Craig Charles were on location at the house. The house was home to a mother and 2 daughters who have been subjected to poltergeist activity from a ghost they name Pipes. The story was based on the Enfield Poltergeist although was largely fictionalised.

It’s well worth a watch if you can get your hands on it, though not available on YouTube, it can be found elsewhere on the internet. You can also get it on Amazon from the link below.