The Halloween controversy of Ghostwatch, 31 years later
*This article has a section with the mention of suicide. Reader discression is advised.*
On Halloween night of 1992, around eleven-million British television viewers tuned in for what was simply billed as Ghostwatch on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a “live” television broadcast depicting a concrete investigation of paranormal phenomena. This event was hosted by popular British talk show personality Michael Parkinson in the BBC studio and on-location by television hosts Sarah Greene and Mike Smith, featuring an apparent investigation into the haunting and tormenting of a simple London family. As millions watched the program unfold live, Parkinson asked viewers to call in to share their own supernatural stories and discuss their views on the paranormal—that is, until something went ghoulishly wrong.
It would have been a tremendous story if any of it had been true. Yet, Ghostwatch was filmed in its entirety around a month before it was broadcasted, and scripted completely by horror writer Stephen Volk. Extensive work made the production look like a real broadcast— the presence of real television hosts portraying themselves lent the production significant credibility— alongside the use of viewers’ personal stories, something done a lot in this era, furthered this. The only real hint as to the fabrication was that the program was released as a part of the BBC’s Screen One drama anthology, an easy-to-miss detail for any viewer who missed the opening logos—and the fact that viewers who did call in received a message informing them of the show’s fictitious nature.
The realistic nature of the program, however, led to a record 30,000 complaints to the BBC and left the show subject to lingering controversy, with many viewers complaining that an especially a trusted institution like the BBC has a responsibility to the public to inform viewers of the fictitious nature of the program, especially considering the many young children who may have tuned in because Greene and Smith also the hosted of popular childrens’ show Going Live!.
The storm of controversy culminated in the tragic death of eighteen-year-old Martin Denham by suicide five days after Ghostwatch’s airing. According to Martin’s parents, their son—who suffered from multiple learning disabilities—had become obsessed with and terrified by the program since the night of its airing. Martin linked noises in the Denham family home to the depiction of the evil spirits in the show and repeatedly mentioned ghosts in his final message to his family. Complaints by the Denham family led to the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) opening an inquiry into the production and release of Ghostwatch, eventually concluding that “the BBC had a duty to do more than simply hint at the deception it was practicing on the audience” and that on the part of the creators “there was a deliberate attempt to cultivate a sense of menace.” Following the BSC’s investigation’s conclusion, the BBC formally apologized for the deception to the viewing public. Because of this, Ghostwatch would never rerun on British television and not be legally released on home video for over a decade, further cultivating the program’s aura of mystery and menace.
With the controversy and history of the program considered, Ghostwatch is also a wonderfully made and genuinely creepy television program. It is able to replicate the rhythms and visual language of era-appropriate TV broadcasts perfectly—with Parkinson’s hosting work serving as the program’s center—making the whole thing frighteningly believable as the haunting progresses. The special works as a slow burn, mainly focusing on atmosphere and mood above the exact progression of the plot, as is fitting for its peculiar format. It also thrives due to its combination of the pedestrian format and frequently horrifying content, making expert use of easy-to-miss background scares and unsettling sound design.
It can be said that Ghostwatch is the creator of the found footage format, which makes it an interesting indicator of the future of the horror genre, as later codified in works like 1999’s The Blair Witch Project alongside others. Stephen Volk’s Ghostwatch is a wonderful 90 minutes of Halloween atmosphere and a must-watch mood-setter this October. Sadly, Ghostwatch is not available on any major American streaming service but is available to watch in its entirety on the Internet Archive. Treat yourself this Halloween and give this found footage predecessor a try!