'Ghostwatch' the show that the BBC banned

[Danny]

So i recently remembered- and found a torrent for- a show that was shown in the uk once and never again. On october 31st 1992 on bbc1. Presented by names like craig charles and Michael parkinson it was sold as the bbc making a reality/ news/ documentary investigation into 'the uk's amittyville' in a 'live' show with a studio with phone in stations and experts on the paranormal and a team in the house where a poltergeist had been harming these two children.

By our standards of desensitisation and after films like Blair witch- and that this was still a nation with the thatcher era 'video nasties' mindset meant most extreme horror films like cannibal holocaust had not been widely seen in the uk at the time either- its not too scary. However back in 1992? its reaction form the british public was a little more severe.
it was widely criticised for including 'depraved' scenes and the show was banned for a decade and even today the bbc refuse to ever air it again.
One viewer committed suicide at the end, children developed extreme cases of post traumatic stress disorder and like wells' war of the worlds many were angry at the "deception" of it. Because. of course, the few british viewers who remembered the likes of the 50's quatermass experiment were a small minority so the horror mockumentary was a new thing and the british public were not "in on the joke" as it were.

Anyway i rewatched it and its aged in terms of generic bbc 90s tv shows music and transitions but its still pretty creepy and i can only imagine watching the ending live back in 92' must have freaked people the fuck out.

Anyway. posting because its interesting, both as a show for horror fans, but for anyone interested in making films its an interesting case of when the public unanimously denigrated a work- not for its content- but because it was TOO effective.

its very hard to find normally- uncut at least but heres the first ten minutes on youtube to get your interested or not.

tPTDHEeLI0A

[MinionZombie]

I never saw this when it aired, naturally, I was only a child at the time, but I did see clips of it on 100 Scariest Moments (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHxibm7nTPk&feature=related), or whatever it was called, and just those clips gave me chills ... I'd imagine, as you say, watching it live back then would have put the willies up a good number of Brits. The clips that I've seen have creeped me out ... not entirely sure why, but there you go.

Just watching a video on YT of 'the sightings of Mr Pipes' is creepy enough - but then all that paranormal, ghostly figures appearing in windows and doorways in photographs unexpectedly really wigs me out.

So yeah, in a much more innocent time (in terms of media savvy), the War of the Worlds effect would have been riding high.

[Andy]

I Vaguely remember seeing this when it originally broadcast, of course i was only 7 or 8 at the time but i remember shitting myself!!

Having watched it through on youtube, all i can say is TV was f*cking amazing back then, they had imagination and they had a spine.. the BBC should do more programs like this.

[Neil]

I never saw this when it aired, naturally, I was only a child at the time, but I did see clips of it on 100 Scariest Moments (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHxibm7nTPk&feature=related), or whatever it was called, and just those clips gave me chills ... I'd imagine, as you say, watching it live back then would have put the willies up a good number of Brits. The clips that I've seen have creeped me out ... not entirely sure why, but there you go.

Just watching a video on YT of 'the sightings of Mr Pipes' is creepy enough - but then all that paranormal, ghostly figures appearing in windows and doorways in photographs unexpectedly really wigs me out.

So yeah, in a much more innocent time (in terms of media savvy), the War of the Worlds effect would have been riding high.

What was the deal with "Mr Pipes?" Who was he suppose to be?

[Danny]

What was the deal with "Mr Pipes?" Who was he suppose to be?

the site the culdesac was based on was a layline for human tragedy dating back to the dawn of man, every generation had something bad there and it all sort fo coalesced into the spirit of pipes who took on the form of the last evil t inhabit it which was a child molester who committed suicide there

[MinionZombie]

^^^
Goddamn that's creepy! :eek:

I think the Beeb should re-show this (with a retrospective documentary) next year for its 20th anniversary.

They're too afraid, as a corporation, of offending anyone ... or rather, certain types of people most often. So if this show is still genuinely banned by the BBC, never to be shown again, then that's pretty darn silly and they should sack-up. If it isn't banned, then as I said, 20th anniversary next year. Reshowing & Documentary please.

[Danny]

actually theres been a documentary in the works for a few years called ghostwatch: behind the curtain. so you never know dude.

[AcesandEights]

The host look like a distant cousin of Donald Trump.

[SymphonicX]

I seem to be one of the few people here who can remember very specifically the original TX of this programme back in 1992 - I was about 12 years old and watched it completely by accident. I remember talking to friends about it in school the next day...

The whole way through, sitting there with my mum and dad, I was absoltely fucking TERRIFIED of it. It was so brilliantly put together - but the girls spoilt it massively. Their inability to act or deliver a line just sold the show out straight away and as soon as they appeared, I remember my mum panning the whole thing because of their acting.

Which is a shame because the rest of it was pretty entertaining! It's also been blamed for Blair Witch and stuff like that, the original inspiration for POV horror movies...which is pretty fantastic. And some of the ideas in there, well, fantastic....

It's not as controversial as has been made out though - the BBC have indeed released this on DVD for some years now, I re-watched it myself about 8 years ago with my girlfriend - I tried to hide the fact that it was a mock-doc and straight away, she called it out as fake - which is a shame, you'd think something that had such a profound effect on our childhoods would still have some credibility - but it doesn't really.

The ending was a real cop out though, that's when it got beyond a mock-doc and into the world of the absurd, and downright silly - but most of us had switched off by then due to fear...we didn't, and I remember my smart-ass moment of realising it was truly fake when I saw the credit list...

Didn't know someone had killed themselves though? perhaps the BBC didn't over react...! Still I think "ban" is a strong word to attach to it - it's never been banned in the same sense as the Texas Chainsaw movies, or whatever, it's been pulled - which is completely different. A Clockwork Orange was pulled, the Excorcist was banned...still, thanks OP for the trip down memory lane!

[Andy]

Its not exactly been banned, like you said it got a DVD release around the time of its 10th anniversary but that said, the BBC have pretty clearly said they will never broadcast it again in the UK. It has been repeated in other territories i beleive (canada, US, australia..)

[Neil]

I seem to be one of the few people here who can remember very specifically the original TX of this programme back in 1992 - I was about 12 years old and watched it completely by accident. I remember talking to friends about it in school the next day...

The whole way through, sitting there with my mum and dad, I was absoltely fucking TERRIFIED of it. It was so brilliantly put together - but the girls spoilt it massively. Their inability to act or deliver a line just sold the show out straight away and as soon as they appeared, I remember my mum panning the whole thing because of their acting.

Which is a shame because the rest of it was pretty entertaining! It's also been blamed for Blair Witch and stuff like that, the original inspiration for POV horror movies...which is pretty fantastic. And some of the ideas in there, well, fantastic....

It's not as controversial as has been made out though - the BBC have indeed released this on DVD for some years now, I re-watched it myself about 8 years ago with my girlfriend - I tried to hide the fact that it was a mock-doc and straight away, she called it out as fake - which is a shame, you'd think something that had such a profound effect on our childhoods would still have some credibility - but it doesn't really.

The ending was a real cop out though, that's when it got beyond a mock-doc and into the world of the absurd, and downright silly - but most of us had switched off by then due to fear...we didn't, and I remember my smart-ass moment of realising it was truly fake when I saw the credit list...

Didn't know someone had killed themselves though? perhaps the BBC didn't over react...! Still I think "ban" is a strong word to attach to it - it's never been banned in the same sense as the Texas Chainsaw movies, or whatever, it's been pulled - which is completely different. A Clockwork Orange was pulled, the Excorcist was banned...still, thanks OP for the trip down memory lane!

I remember seeing it too...

I thought it was genuine, until the final studio scenes...

[SymphonicX]

the little girl's not give it away? they gave them so many lines and not one of them delivered with any belief...!

-- -------- Post added at 03:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:58 PM ----------

I'd like to apologies for my rushed spelling and grammar in this thread.

[Danny]

if they just cut to black after parky at the end it would've been way more effective- in fact not only was it a 6 part miniseries originally but that was it, just a cut to black after his disturbing bit, but at the very last minute the bbc rushed in that 5 second credits bit.

[Andy]

For those who are interested, here is the full 91 minute video. If you have a spare hour and a half, its well worth watching.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6073447872198040913

[ZombieKeeper]

You do know that all these "ghost chase" reality shows on TV are scripted, right? In other words, they're not real.

[Danny]

You do know that all these "ghost chase" reality shows on TV are scripted, right? In other words, they're not real.

...did you read any post in this thread?