Ghostwatch - a 1992 Screen One play about exorcism made as a mock-documentary, which some idiots mistook for real. The BBC responded to predictable invented tabloid stories about people howling that demons were nestling in their inner ears by announcing that it would never be shown again. Mind you, that's what they said about an episode of Casualty the following year, and that's since turned up on UK Gold...

A typical moral panic of the sort we expect from our tabloid press... It was advertised as a drama, it was introduced by continuity as a drama and preceded by the "Screen One" titles, and it was cheesily acted by some (Greene, Craig Charles, those kids) but Parkinson has probably never been better. I'd love to ask him about the experience one day... So why people took it seriously I'll never know - it's as if 90% of the UK (at least 90% of the available TV audience) are totally thick...
I remember liking the climax, where the TV studio is "possessed" by evil spirits - for a studio "in chaos", it's remarkable how they managed to cut to the lights just as they explode, or cut to furniture just as it is thrown aside by poltergeists... But it's something I'd really like to see again.

It was advertised like a childrens drama (Advert featuring Greene and kids running around) so that was porbably the problem. I don't remember anything saying it was adrama - but i was just a kid then.

It has a funny reputation eight years on. An awful lot of people laugh the memory off ("huh! Scared -me?")but it was enormously effective. Huge ratings, big media response -that didn't happen very often in 1992.

The only drawbacks, which tend to be picked up on, were that some of the dialogue was a little clumsy although this was covered pretty well by surprising performances by Charles, Greene and Parkinson. No, really.

Another problem were the two daughters of the family, who lived in a haunted semi-detached house. The elder girl couldn't carry the role (posession) and just squealed a lot to try to compensate. The younger girl had an annoying laugh. The problem is that there *are* good kid actors if you hunt for them, but these were not. The conviction of 'Ghost Watch' was spoilt as a result, but the skill of the writer and every other fucker involved carried it.

However, the 'Screen One' trail beforehand was needless. It showed a lack of confidence by the BBC towards the play.

"It showed a lack of confidence by the BBC towards the play. "

There's a surprise...

Apparently, the BBC are considering realising this on DVD I read the other day ...

There is a website dedicated to this super programme - incidentally, not wishing to appear too thick, but I was 13 when it was shown on TV and having missed the start and presumably most of the publicity stuff, I couldn't work out whether it was real or a fake - until the ridiculous ending where Smithy got sucked into the cupboard under the stairs and Sarah Greene decided to go after him. Anyway, the not knowing actually made for fantastic viewing and I bet I would not have been so hypnotised by it had I known it was a spoof.
http://www.redimp.freeserve.co.uk/ghostwatch/index.htm

From what I saw, Parkinson was on best form in it, and they worked hard in giving the whole broadcast an authentic feel.

However, I still stand by my claims that there was either a powercut/person at the house getting electrocuted.

I suspect that the reason the BBC informed all that it was a drama was to stop people believing it was real (unfortunely some stupid people did, hence the furore).


So there you have it folks, a well constructed and performed drama, ruined because of a few morons, and now there's a slim chance of it getting repeated. *sigh*.

and finally....after the 1968 (Paris) riots, De Gaulle visited some of the estates where the violence took place. Upon a wall was sprayed (in French) *Death to all idiots*, and (reputedly) De Gaulle muttered *that's a heavy order*. Some things never change.....

>http://www.redimp.freeserve.co.uk/ghostwatch/index.htm

They even have a mailing list! Isn't the world a wonderful place?

>it's as if 90% of the UK (at least 90% of the available TV audience) are totally thick...

The national average GCSE result is 'F'.

I knew it was fake and still scared me a bit.