Ghostwatch

Ghostwatch was a controversial British horror-mockumentary television programme which was produced by the BBC and aired on BBC One on October 31 (Halloween), 1992. It was written by Stephen Volk and produced by Ruth Baumgarten. It was also shown on the Scream Canadian Digital channel on Halloween 2004 and on several subsequent occasions.

The 90-minute film was a horror story shot in a documentary style and appeared as part of BBC Drama's Screen One series. While it is often referred to, perhaps unfairly, as a hoax, it is perhaps more accurate to call it a drama, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, telling the story of a family coping with supernatural activity in their own home. It involved BBC reporters performing a live, on-air investigation of a house in Manchester at which poltergeist activity was taking place. Through revealing footage and interviews with neighbours and the family living there, they discovered the existence of a malevolent ghost named "Pipes", from his habit of knocking on the house's plumbing. As the programme went on, the manifestations of "Pipes" became more bold and terrifying, until, at the end, the frightened reporters realised that the programme itself was acting as a sort of "national séance" through which "Pipes" was gaining horrific power. Finally, the spirit escaped, and haunted the BBC studios themselves, possessing the reporters present as a prelude to its unleashing on the world.

In truth, the story, though based on the tale of the Enfield Poltergeist, was filmed weeks before and was complete fiction. However, the presentation contained realistic elements which suggested to a casual viewer that it was an actual documentary. 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, 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. The set and filming methods, including shaky hand-held video cameras, lent to 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 and Michael Parkinson linked from the studio.

Controversy

The film caused an immediate — though minor — panic in Britain, similar to that created by the airing of Orson Welles's version of The War of the Worlds, as many assumed the events to be true. 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 Times listings magazine. 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 a cellar with the howling ghost, and Parkinson's eerie possession scene. Two children were reportedly diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, supposedly due to the nature of the programme, and one tabloid insinuated that it had caused a teenager to commit suicide.

The film's producers answered the controversy by pointing out that it did air during a drama slot, that it was recognizable as fiction to a vast majority, and that running disclaimers or other announcements during the programme would have ruined its effectiveness. Nonetheless, the reaction to the programme led the BBC to place a ban on the programme being repeated for a short time after its initial broadcast and, although this has now been lifted, it remains unlikely that it will ever be shown again on British television.

In November 2002, the British Film Institute released Ghostwatch on Region 2 DVD.

Doctor Who

In the Doctor Who 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.

External links

Ghostwatch at BBC Cult TV, including clips
Ghostwatch at IMDb
Interview with Steven Volk, writer of Ghostwatch
Ghostwatch overview at Action TV Magazine website
Fortean Times article detailing the history of the show
British Film Institute Screen Online overview of Ghostwatch featuring video and audio clips
Ghostwatch tie-in website for the Doctor Who episode, "Army of Ghosts"
Area 51 Radio Station Radio programme entitled Ghostwatch (2006) sees the team hunt for ghosts in haunted locations throughout the UK.