Some interesting news on "Ghostwatch".... [Archive]

FightForTheRight

18-01-2002, 23:33

Noticed that this programme has seen it's popularity go up a bit in recent times, so I thought I'd pass this along.

Reading the thread about asking the BBC to release "cult" shows on DVD got me thinking - how about "Ghostwatch"?

So I e-mailed Gavin Collinson (the bloke at the BBC), and his reply was NOT as bad as I feared.... (expecting a "no plans at the moment" reply ;))

Hi Dave,

I'm a big fan of the show myself and it's a title I'm very interested in . At the risk of sounding clichéd - watch this space...

Thanks for your input,

Have a good weekend,

Gavin

Not a lot of news - but any news is good news - right? :D

Mr Vampire

19-01-2002, 02:13

right:)
A show that I missed and, to my knowledge, never repeated again. So it's nice to see some news, regardless of how much there is.

Roberto

19-01-2002, 08:44

For me this was the kind of show that you can only see once. I remember seeing this when i was a little nipper (about 8) and i **** my pants but the last 5 min completely ruined it for me. when it became obvious that it was all fake. so i can't watch it again without thinking that i alreay know what happens. when people watched it for the first time all those years ago they didn't know that it was fake and that's why it was so effective.

Baz

19-01-2002, 09:26

yeah and all those people reading this now who didnt know it was fake.....

Floop

19-01-2002, 11:53

I **** my pants too over Ghostwatch, I was only about 11!

The stupid thing was that I was so freaked out - by the little girl who was possessed by the devil and muttered strangely, to be specific - that I turned the TV off and went into the other room because I couldn't take it.

As such I was freaked out for the rest of the evening and had nightmares.

If only I'd stayed for the end, I would have realised that it was all a fake and had a good chuckle about it.

DANG!

Michael Parkinson and Sue Green, you had me fooled...

BTW One poor sod actually topped himself because he was so freaked out, and there was a mini-backlash at the programme makers which may explain why it was not repeated, and why it has never been released (yet) to retail.

Floop

Bapapapa

19-01-2002, 12:28

Originally posted by Baz
yeah and all those people reading this now who didnt know it was fake..... http://www.bapapapa.btinternet.co.uk/rainfrolaughing.gif

Hex

19-01-2002, 13:20

Would like to see this again, I remember that I knew it was all fake (Craig Charles :rolleyes: ) but my grandmother and a friend were a little freaked out by some of it :p

just checked - was this shown in 1992? if so - oh my god how old do I feel now! :( I was 18 then, seems like much longer ago

thespook

19-01-2002, 13:49

I watched that program too, I kept thinking I could see "Mr pipes" or whatever he was called standing in the corner of my room :eek: freaked me out for days!!!!

Just Call Me Wanda

19-01-2002, 13:55

This will be first ever DVD to be released especially for the relief of constipation.

craigb

19-01-2002, 14:07

I have heard that if there is a dvd there will be loads of extras available as alot of the production staff still gives lectures and talks on different aspects of the show (from make-up, effects, to creating the hype).

I even think there was an email address to register your interest in the dvd.

SqueakyG

19-01-2002, 15:13

I was about 13 when it was shown, and I **** myself too. I couldn't bear to watch it all the way through, because it was too scary and I thought it was real. But we recorded it, so the next day, the family all watched it together. In the daylight, on videotape, it wasn't scary at all. And the ending proved it to be embarrassingly fake.

I really wish we still had the videotape. But we didn't know it was something worth keeping... so I guess it was recorded over with Coronation Street or something.

Philc

19-01-2002, 16:32

Originally posted by Roberto
For me this was the kind of show that you can only see once. I remember seeing this when i was a little nipper (about 8) and i **** my pants but the last 5 min completely ruined it for me. when it became obvious that it was all fake. so i can't watch it again without thinking that i alreay know what happens. when people watched it for the first time all those years ago they didn't know that it was fake and that's why it was so effective.

:brickwall

kandee

19-01-2002, 17:54

the town that the welsh boys on the phone were supposedly calling from was neath(my old home town) but they made neath people sound like headcases(we are btw)

M@T

19-01-2002, 19:32

Hope it is released on DVD, i'll be glad to get rid of the terrible 5th generation copy video I bought on ebay.

Joober

19-01-2002, 21:48

Ghostwatch scared the crap out of me! I was 11 i think, believe it for weeks afterwards. Couldnt sleep properly, nightmares etc....
I was gutted when my parents revealed it was fake.

Bish

19-01-2002, 22:02

I'm a huge horror fan but no film ever scared me as much as this. I'd really like to see this again.

Goblin

19-01-2002, 22:52

shame about the ending eh??....what a joke!

SteveC

31-01-2002, 17:52

Originally posted by Bish
I'm a huge horror fan but no film ever scared me as much as this. I'd really like to see this again.

Agreed - I've seen a fair few 'horrors' but I've never been so scared as when I was just 12 and watched this program :)

Floop

31-01-2002, 19:16

A contact from the BBC emailed me with this interesting information:

"This year, as you probably know, is the tenth anniversary of Ghostwatch, and possibly because of this there is a great deal of interest in that production. I believe - and this is only a personal belief based on various unofficial discussions - that we will see a release of it reasonably soon, although possibly *not* from Special Interests."

Sounds hopeful, doesn't it! Keep those fingers crossed.

Floop

Andy_C

31-01-2002, 21:06

Well, Ghostwatch was totally spoiled for me by watching a program a few days before it was on that claimed it was a drama.

:rolleyes:

But did they not also mention that it wasn't a real documentary just before the program went out as well?

I remember watching it, and knowing that it was fake... which made it pretty non-scary.

It would be interesting to see again though...

Space Duck

31-01-2002, 21:21

Originally posted by Andy_C
But did they not also mention that it wasn't a real documentary just before the program went out as well?

Nope I don't think they did, the show was built on the premise that it was an actual haunting, I think there was only a 'This Could Be Disturbing Blah blah blah...' warning beforehand but I was so young cannae even remember the ending but I do remember my family were SHOCKED to find it was a fake...

It's Pipes... Pipes is doing it... Hoooowwwww Scary was Pipes? hehe and to those who're saying it's only one you can watch once... it was filmed as though it were live, actually I think it was live hehe and fer an 80's drama/docu it was pant stainingly good!!! I don't think I could take it seriously now with all them 80/90's hair do's... EEEEEEEK it's a fright in itself!!!

Really hope it gets a DVD release... Really Really... Feathers crossed...

31-01-2002, 21:45

Well, I have it on VHS.
Must watch it some time :D

Sb

Jimmyboy

31-01-2002, 21:56

Originally posted by Space Duck

Nope I don't think they did, the show was built on the premise that it was an actual haunting, I think there was only a 'This Could Be Disturbing Blah blah blah...'
IIRC one of the things which made it so spooky was that they actually played down the events which would take place in the house by having presenters who were totally skeptical and treated it as a waste of their time.

Creamstick

01-02-2002, 13:21

I remember that the radio times listed it as a 'drama'. It would be cool if they made a documentary about the show effected the viewers, etc.

John Jennings

01-02-2002, 16:20

Originally posted by Andy_C

But did they not also mention that it wasn't a real documentary just before the program went out as well?

Yep they did. Can't remember the exact wording, but it was something like "and now on BBC1 a spine-chillig drama with Michael Parkinson".

It wasn't blatant (ie it didn't say "This following programe is fake. It's all a big hoax."), so if you weren't really paying attention it would have passed you by.

I loaned my copy to a friend a few years back, and haven't got it back yet as my friend 'can't find where he put it'. Grrrrrrr :mad:

John

Rhys

04-02-2002, 09:44

They spoiled Ghostwatch in the credits.

GHOST
'actor's name'
:D

Joober

04-02-2002, 11:24

I didnt even see the credits, after things in the studio went mental, sarah green got trapped in the cupboard and the presenters voice went scary I legged it upstairs screaming blue murder! lol.