Ghost Watch - trouser soiling viewing

[Secret lemonade drinker]

Anybody out there remember the superbly well conceived Ghost-watch, broadcast on BBC1 on Hallowe'en 1992? I've been a horror fan for most of my years, but this really caught me out at the time. Back in 1992 I was 16, and alone in the house as my parents had gone out to bob for apples (unless they were secretly swingers, you never know in Devon) for the night.

I had NO IDEA it was actually a drama at the time. I thought it was genuine, live TV. It was genius, using 'non-actors' such as Parky, Sarah 'Going Live' Greene and Craig Charles. The phone-in idea was a perfect smokescreen, and some of the subtle cameos that Pipes made throughout (once in the studio, once outside in the street, etc) really put me on edge. I recently purchased the DVD, and it still makes chilling viewing.

Anybody else terrified and scarred by this, or am I just a craven lump of jelly in the form of a man? I would share some of my favourite moments, but if nobody replies, I'll just look like an ***.

[wingman]

They ruined it if you were watching it with subtitles on as the subtitles were coming up before they said their lines! (Can't remember WHY I had subtitles on, I expect the kids were making a racket )

[Secret lemonade drinker]

I always used to think, in my greener years, that what they did was broadcast to the subtitle writers minutes before the proper terrestrial transmission, giving them time then to react to what was said and get it on the screen in time for the 'proper' transmission.

Of course, thinking about it, what would have happened if an unknowing writer got so spooked by Ghost watch that their subtitles went to hell?

In fact, they could really have messed with the nation during the broadcast by having random and spooky messages in the subtitles as well. Imagine watching it alone in the house and suddenly seeing 'PIPES CAN SEE YOU' in the subtitles...

[wingman]

lol, would have been watching it from behind the sofa in that case!! I do recall it was a very good programme, was Mike Smith in it as well or am I thinking of something else?

[Secret lemonade drinker]

You are correct, sir!

I think he was still married to Sartah Greene at the time (this was about the time he crashed his 'copter with her in it and broker her legs). Mike Smith was in the studio with Parky, lurking over by the phone bank and reporting with 'viewers' were calling in with. As he was married to Sarah Greene at the time, it was a clever bit of drama, placing her in danger in the house and using his concern for his wife to add to the drama.

You never got any of that on Noel's House Party.

[wingman]

Thats right, it's all coming back to me now! I was taken in as well to begin with, completely convinced it was all true and then for some reason we put the subtitles on Ceefax and realised something funny was going on but I can't remember why! I'm going to have to see if I can get hold of the DVD

[Secret lemonade drinker]

You should be able to get it for a good price online (Amazon, eBay, etc). The special features are interesting, but nothing special.

See how many hidden appearances Pipes the ghost makes; it's quite creepy to see him lurking in the background or in sudden snap shots.

[David]

I'm sorry to say that I didn't like being tricked by it. I heard after that the BBC received many, many complaints about it. I am (or was) seriously into the ghost programmes, but after seeing that, I can't take them seriously anymore. Just shows how well made Ghost watch actually was though, I was really enjoying it until the last part as well. I also had a huge crush on Sarah Greene & I couldn't believe that she would take part in a trick like that.........I was heartbroken!

[Secret lemonade drinker]

I see your point, David; there were a hell of a lot of complaints! However, I remember that Ghost watch that week made the front cover of the RadioTimes, and was even marked down in the guide there under the Screen One drama section; complete with a CAST LIST! Maybe some people saw that and knew it was a drama, but for people like me, watching it without that knowledge, it was a powerful experience.

Compared to the absolute farce that is Most Haunted (pathetic theatrics and no proof at all after endless episodes!), Ghost watch was a superb experience that did not have to reply on cheap scare tactics like darkness or that ridiculous 'psychic' who always pretended to get possessed every episode.

Good work on Sarah Greene, though. I also used to have a huge crush on Debbie Greenwood from First Class as well at that time.

[wingman]

I used to quite like Most Haunted for the first series or two but it gradually got more and more ridiculous. I think as time went on and, as you say, they got no proof whatsoever, they became increasingly desperate and it ended up a farce. If you watch early episodes Derek Acorah hardly ever got "possessed" but his later performances were hilairious!

[Secret lemonade drinker]

Yes, 'increasingly desperate' is exactly it. The early episodes were amusing, and the novelty factor was certainly there; but I am not sure if they were actually hoping to catch something. After all; centuries of investigation in and we've still got no scientific and testable proof of a 'supernatural', did Karen Keating in her bad earrings really think she could deliver the goods? Then again, it also made amusing viewing, especially when they would leave people alone in dark cellars and let their imagination do all of the work for them.

Interestingly, in the later episodes, especially the live ones, they did a lot of 'leading', claming to have seen something only for it to have (rather conveniently) just vanished out of camera shot!

Also interestingly is that, recently, one of his researchers exposed Dereck Arorah as an out and out fake and fraud, with no more psychic ability than Roland Rat. His live shows were all pre-planned and set up, etc.

[Davey-UK]

Ghos****ch......

Hey secretlemonade drinker (what a great ad that was). I remember watching ghos watch. I remember the interviews with the family and the kid talking about pipes...then they showed what looked like him at the window, scared the be-jesus out of me...i must admit that it kinda got cheesy towards the end when pipes infiltrated the tv system but the early stages of the show were scarey as hell, got goosebumps just thinking about pipes voice ooooerrrrrrrr

[Secret lemonade drinker]

Yes; that was one part that scared me as well; as (bearing in mind I thought this was live TV), the shape of Pipes behind the curtains in the girls' room vanished when a 'viewer' called in to claim they could see a figure there.

I'm going to have to watch the DVD again this weekend; to hell with the sun!

[David]

Sorry sld, it's Yvette Fielding who does it not Karen Keating (RIP).

Why does she do it though when all she does every time is go off on her own and end up filling her pants? lol

[Secret lemonade drinker]

I was reading recently that there is video proof of Yvettem Fielding faking the disturbances in Most Haunted, knocking walls to make a 'bang' etc. Interestingly, her husband runs the production company that makes it, so it all begins to snap together!

'Yvette, love. Wear this white sheet and run about a bit.'