Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains
Ghostwatch is a British reality–horror/pseudo-documentary television film, first broadcast on BBC1 on Halloween night, 1992. Written by Stephen Volk, and directed by Lesley Manning, the drama was produced for the BBC anthology series Screen One by Richard Broke, Ruth Baumgarten and Derek Nelson. Despite having been recorded weeks in advance, the narrative was presented as live television. During and following its first and only UK television broadcast, the show attracted a considerable furor, resulting in an estimated 1,000,000 phone call enquiries to the BBC switchboard on the night of broadcast, comprising a mixture of complaints and praise for the programme's unique presentation.
Plot
Ghostwatch is presented as a live broadcast, hosted by Michael Parkinson, in an attempt to present concrete evidence of paranormal phenomena. To achieve this, the programme launches an on-air investigation into a house in the fictional Foxhill Drive, Northolt, Greater London. Pamela Early (Brid Brennan) and her daughters Suzanne (Michelle Wesson) and Kim (Cherise Wesson) are tormented by a poltergeist referred to by Kim as “Mr. Pipes”, his name originating from the noises made by the house’s plumbing. Pipes routinely possesses and harms Suzanne, and is said to dwell in the house’s basement, referred to as the “Glory Hole”.
More details
author | Stephen Volk |
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director | Lesley Manning |
editor | Lesley Manning |
genre | comedy drama horror |
keywords | baby farmer basement begin bogeyman brid brennan disturb glory hole hang happen injured live broadcast lock lurk murder paranormal phenomena phone call plumb poltergeist possess probation officer séance supernatural phenomena |
producer | Lesley Manning Rich Lawden |
productionCompany | Lawman Productions |
theme | mockumentary pseudo-documentary |