The Gloryhole

Since 2007, Ghostwatchers worldwide have been sending us in their own spooky stories concerning the show. We've loved reading them and hope to hear many more indeed. If you have a Ghostwatch Story of your own you'd like to share, feel free to get in touch via our contact page!

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Hi there! I can remember watching the trailer for Ghost Watch all those years ago and genuinely believing that it was going to be an actual live investigation into a haunted house. I think everyone did. I mean, why not? That’s how it was advertised.

I was really looking forward to it and when it finally began I remember turning the volume up and lying down on the carpet in front of the television set. By the time the programme was over I was hiding behind the settee.

I didn’t know what to make of it. Was it a genuine live investigation or just a hoax? I had my suspicions that it wasn’t real but at the same time, I wasn’t sure. The fact it could actually be genuine really put me on edge and at times made it terrifying.

I remember the stir it caused. Everybody was talking about it on the Monday morning at school. Comments like “did you see it?”, “I wasn’t scared!”, “I knew at was a set up all along” and “Did you se the ghost?” were all thrown around the classroom. There was a big debate as to whether it was real or not.

I also remember the stories in the newspapers of people who had actually died while watching it through fear and the many complaints that the BBC had received.

It was clear that the programme was a television phenomenon.

But how could people be so easily fooled? Call it gullibility, innocence, simple mindedness, or even stupidity you have to understand the time to understand the audience’s reaction to the show. Television and its audience was different back then.

This was 1992. It was before the reality television phenomenon which has plagued our TV screens in recent years and before shows like the popular Most Haunted which was obviously inspired by Ghost Watch. It was even before the introduction of cable television in the UK and before Channel 5. Four terrestrial channels were all that we had.

On a wider note it was also before the internet, mobile phones, DVD and before videogames had the technology to replicate the level of realism for violent or gory games we see today such as Manhunt, Resident Evil or GTA.

Due to the fact that we weren’t exposed to all of these things which are available to us today we were a lot more innocent, far less television savvy and less cynical. Television was also less risqué than it is now. It was safer, more family friendly and more trustworthy.

For 90 minutes on that Halloween night in 1992 Ghost watch changed all that and turned television on its head. It was something totally out of the blue, a completely unique show the likes of which we’d never seen before. A scripted horror/drama masked as a live paranormal investigation. We trusted Sarah Green, Mike Smith and Michael Parkinson. They were presenters not actors. We weren’t used to seeing them in this strange situation. It scared the shit out of me but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Would the show work if it premiered today? Probably not. At least, I don’t think it would cause the hysteria or the controversy that it did back then. As I said, I think audiences are more knowledgeable now, more experienced viewers and they’d probably be able to figure out pretty quickly the Ghost watch is indeed just pretend.

That being said, I’d love to see a sequel to Ghost watch. However it would have to be extremely well scripted, well acted and well produced for it to work.


Regards

Matthew

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I have the dvd of Ghostwatch as i simply had to get it for the sake of memories. It was a strange night, considering I was 12 at the time, it created quite an impression. ... I'm glad that you've at least put the lightbulb over the heads for those who had forgotten. thanks for the post

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Ghostwatch is one of those shows that really stuck in my mind and entered my life on three separate occasions, which i guess is remarkable considering it was only broadcast once a long time ago.

The first time – was the 1992 Halloween 'live' broadcast. I was 10 years old and that Halloween night, my family were visiting my Grandma, who lived about two hours away from us and, as usual we were staying the night at her house. I remember that i had seen advertisements about Ghostwatch and of course being a kid also watched Going Live in which i believe Sarah Greene had talked about Ghostwatch and most likely was the spark for me wanting to watch it. I had to beg my mother to let me watch Ghostwatch, and i think due to the fact that, when we stayed at my Grandma's i slept on the sofa in the living, in which the TV lived, there wasn't much she could do if i wanted to turn the TV on. I do remember though, that the deal with my mother was, I was allowed to watch Ghostwatch as long as i promised not to have nightmares. I don't know how your suppose to be able to promise something like that, but i did promise, just so i could get me way and watch. I really wish i hadn't promised that, because i was so scared whilst and after watching Ghostwatch i couldn't sleep. Also combined with the fact that i wasn't in my own house and also the fact that my Grandma had also just got a brand new leather sofa and it was my first time sleeping on it, i must have had the worst night of my life.

So worried was i by Sarah Greene disappearing into the cupboard under the stairs, i couldn't wait to tell my mum all about Ghostwatch the next morning, including the one scene that just kept going over and over in my mind that night. The scene where the camera pans the bedroom and we see Pipes standing in front of the curtains but the cameraman seems to have not and by the time he quickly pans back, the ghost is gone. At that point, i truly believed that i may have been the only person in the entire nation that had seen the ghost by those curtains, and i would have phoned the number, but it wasn't my phone and i wasn't brave enough to try and wake anyone up. To make matters worse my Grandma's spare bedroom in which my parents stayed, had very similar curtains to the ones in the girls bedroom in Ghostwatch.

As far as memory of 1992 Halloween and Ghostwatch goes that is it. I don't remember discussing it with anyone at school, i never knew anyone else who had seen it and as time went on and memory faded and Sarah Greene being abducted by a ghost didn't seem to bother anyone else – i truly began to think that id imagined the whole thing.

It wasn't until 1998/1999 when Ghostwatch re-enters my life for a second time. Im 16/17 years old, doing my Media Studies A-Level that Ghostwatch gets mentioned in a text book. At which point i shouted out loud “I knew that was a real programme”. It turned out that most of the class had never heard of it and one or two others 'maybe kinda sorta remembered it', but for me the memories came flooding back. The teacher was surprised id seen it and ask me what i remember. At that point all i could remember was that “Sarah Greene was dragged into the cupboard under the stairs and never seen again”. I also immediately realised that given that Ghostwatch actually did exist, that it also couldn't have been real, to which the text book confirmed and also explained how and why Ghostwatch was such an important piece of British television – a statement in which i still believe is true. With this new found information on Ghostwatch i hit the internet finding out all kinds of things that were not mentioned in the text book. I was astonished at the results of the broadcast – learning that it had record number of complaints and about the moral panic the spread the nation and more interesting that it had only been broadcast the one time in 1992, effectively making it a banned show.

Things that had been banned had become a bit of a speciality of mine through out the years and during my media studies courses as i went out of my way to learn about censorship and the video nasties and also viewing as many banned things as i could – which at the time included Natural Born Killers, The Exorcist, I Spit On Your Grave, Childs Play 3 and so on. Who was to know it all started with Ghostwatch in 1992, when i was scarred for life. I hold Ghostwatch responsible (in a good way) for my interest in the media, television and film, the horror genre and censorship. Im sure it must have subconsciously effected me in ways i didn't even know until recently.

In late 2007 i discovered that Ghostwatch had been released on dvd and immediately went to seek it out on-line. I found it on ebay and purchased it for somewhere close to £6, the third time Ghostwatch entered my life. Watching it now as a 26 year old, media educated, dvd reviewer and as a director of three short films at uni (including a horror stalk 'n' slash/ghost film, which i also wrote and edited), i held a whole new appreciation for Ghostwatch, on a technical level. I loved being able to analyse it, remembering the bits that spooked me on that night in 1992 and also feeling totally foolish that it sucked me in, seeing how it was produced to be made to look like it was going out live, knowing now how easy or difficult it would have been to make certain scenes work.

But what really peaked me interest was – would it work again now, these days where people are a little bit more media smart. I spent months searching for someone who was willing to sit and watch it with me without me having to tell them what it was and giving the game away. I wanted to know if it could still fool someone and still be scary. Unfortunately that hasn't happened yet as my friends aren't really that interested in watching something that i recommend form 1992.

That was until Saturday 14th June 2008, and i was at a heavy metal rock festival called Download at Donington. Again none of my close mates are really a heavy rock fan and i ended up going alone and camping with some people i knew from a rock/metal nightclub that i have been going to for 9 years now. There was about 15 of us and by Saturday i was bored talking about the usual subjects of sex, drugs and alcohol and im sure they were all bored of me raving about how totally awesome KISS were and how i couldn't believe i was right at the front of 55,000 people, so i decided to randomly changed the subject. Seeing as, that id seen KISS (one of my favourite bands ever) on Friday 13th – i started talking about ghosts. “Has anyone ever seen a ghost?” i asked. This proved to be a very popular talking point as the whole camp pitched in with their stories, including my own, as I believe my old family home had a 3 stone, one legged, classical music loving ghost. Of course all the stories reminded me of Ghostwatch, and although i did explain to them – what Ghostwatch was, three of them, aged 21 or 22, expressed an interest in seeing it. Two of those campers have now watched my copy of Ghostwatch and although both of them cannot believe that people actually thought it was real, both admitted it was a little scary. I guess trying to place themselves back into 1992 and looking at Ghostwatch through the eyes of a 10 year old is a lot more difficult than i had considered, and knowing that Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene are fine doesn't help much either.

As young boy i was totally convinced that Ghostwatch was live and real. I had been attracted to the horror genre from a very young age and although i had seen and been scared by films like 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' i could easily comfort myself by knowing it was all a movie, i couldn't do that with Ghostwatch. Ghostwatch was before i got into TV that regularly showed scary images, like X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer and well before The Blair Witch Project which also produces a 'real' atmosphere. I guess we as a nation just wasn't prepared for Ghostwatch.

It was while trying to find some information on the moral panic that followed Ghostwatch to send to the campers via email that i came across this site. Whilst doing this digging for my friends, i also noted that the doctor who wrote something for the BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL website, about how Ghostwatch is officially reconsigned to have caused Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome in some children, was from Gulson Hospital in Coventry. Coventry is my home town, where i now work for the NHS and regularly have contact with Gulson Hospital. Just to add to the coincidences, the rock/metal nightclub that I met those campers, is right in front of Gulson Hospital. That's how i found out the way to Gulson Hospital – someone directed me “you go to The Phoenix (formerly the campbell), cut through the car park at the back and you are at the Hospital.”

I truly believe Ghostwatch has stalked me through my whole life.


FROM GHOSTWATCH FAN
VIREN UDESHI
COVENTRY, UK

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il never forget it! i was about 11 and my parents were out leaving me, my younger brother and my older brother taking care of us. My mum had already warned my older brother not to let us watch it but we couldnt resist as it was haloween. We all watched fixated and terified, it seamed so real back then! When we went to bed, i couldnt sleep thinking i could hear cats, i was shitting myself. Shortly after my parents arrived home the fear overwhelmed me and i ran downstairs. Dad said, "whats wrong son, ur white as a ghost". before i could answer i went dizzy, i passed out and my dad caught me.I didnt sleep for weeks.....

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It's been 15 (coming on 16 as I write this) years since I saw the Ghostwatch show as it was shown on the BBC on BBC. I was at the annual Halloween party for family members at my Grannys house (unfortunatly these aren't held anymore, in any case I've since migrated to Canada.)

The thing I remember about this show is that we missed the first few minutes of the show, for some reason snooker comes to mind for missing the start. In any case we missed the start of it and the disclaimer. I was 14 at the time and to be frank it didn't "scare the shit" out of me, I figured it couldn't be real. It scared my sisters and other relatives though. But with all that I had a sleepless night with the "what if" scenarios.

I have my own "spooky" stories that are freaky in themselves (and one that happen when I was a baby that my mum swears happened to me personally in my crib.. it's a disturbing tale, though I do find it humorous to tell to friends to see their reactions.)

Whatever you guys are doing, I look forward to it, Ghostwatch is a personal favourite.

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Hi there, great idea for a documentary. I remember watching this at the age of 12 and being terrified. I watched it in my room and ran in to tell my parents who were watching something else. Does anyone remember what was on the other channels that night???

I recall going to school on the Monday after the show, and everyone was taling about it, actually I feel sorry for those who didn't as they must've felt left out.

Anyways, scared me then and still makes me feel uneasy now.

I now run a film club at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine, Ayrshire and we will be holding a Free screening of the piece at our auditorium on Saturday 1st November 2008 at 10pm

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Just want to say thanks for Ghostwatch - A truly brilliant piece of powerful Television - I watched in awe that night, while I knew it was only drama, it felt so real!

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Its a shame though that decline came out of this programme though, as while this brilliant drama represented the peak of Halloween TV, It also created the immediate fall. For those that remember that night, straight after on BBC2 was a Halloween movie marathon presented by the demonic Dr Walpurgis, that went onto 5am in the morning! Do we see that anymore?
Or those that remember the many years before, a high majority of progammes got in on the halloween act, and produced a spooky special for Halloween or the week leading up to it. Now we are lucky if we get a spooky film on Halloween night on terrestrial?
Yes of course we have Most Haunted on Living and the usual Blue Peter, carve a pumpkin demonstration.
But where did the spooky specials go? Of course The television companies won't touch Halloween now, there to scared of a repeat of the Ghostwatch situation!! Well I say Re-run Ghostwatch and lets have a return to some classic Halloween programming on TV!!

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Oh my God! This was the scariest thing I have ever seen. I was at my Grandma and Grandad's caravan and my whole family were sitting around watching it. Everyone kept saying "This has to be a drama" but noone was certain. It was really exciting. When you are little, you think that grown ups know everything. One of the scariest things was that my parents and grandparents didn't know whether it was real or not either. I remember my Grandad shouting at one point "Look you can see him [Pipes] in the window!". That terrified me. And I then had to sleep in a caravan! I bought Ghostwatch on DVD when it came out. It was still scary.

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Ghostwatch was without doubt the scariest piece of film i've ever seen. I was 13 when i seen it and i've never been that scared since. No other program has had such an impact on my memory. I'll never forget it. Truly brilliant.

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I was 9 years old when I watched this live back in 92. I was SO SCARED by it that myself and my brother who was 13 at the time both slept in our mums bed with her (making our dad sleep in our room). Whenever one of us wanted the toilet that night, the other 2 would have to get up too. We were that scared!!! I've NEVER forgotten it and can honestly say I have never been as frightened of anything since. To this day my brother just has to say "pipes is here" and I'm screaming. I'm 25 haha!

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I was a scared and enthralled 10 year old back in 1992. I got a bootleg of the broadcast about six years later and realised that it was more than just a one-off show that had core 'trick' that didn't stand up to repeated viewings.

16 years later, I use it in my University lecturing as a great example of how much audiences can trust the documentary form. It's also an excuse to turn cynical students into gibbering wrecks!

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I've just finished re-watching 'Ghostwatch' on DVD! It's stood the test of time! I remember watching this as a 16 year old with my Mum and baby brother, and at the end not being able to stop shaking. I knew it was a drama, but it still had such a visceral effect on me that I had to stay up till early morning watching old horror movies on BBC2 just to calm my nerves.

Far from being disturbed by it, I've always cherished 'Ghostwatch' as the best scare I've ever had watching TV or film. Can't wait for the documentary.

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I was 12 years old when i watched this with my mum, dad and 10 year old brother. We were geared up the whole day to watch it and when we did it scared me so much that i cried uncontrolably, for weeks after you only had to mention "pipes" and i'd be in a state of terror. I have just watched it for the first time in 16 years and although I did not cry it gave me the same chills as it gave me then. A documentary is long overdue and so is a full length movie!!!!. I speak for myself and many others when i say that ghostwatch has been chiseled deep into our bones forever!!

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I remember being terrified by ghostwatch when I watched it live on halloween back in 1992. I was 10 years old and my parents had been watching something else and then we turned over to BBC 1 having just slightly missed the beginning but one of the cleaver aspects of the programme being a live broadcast was that it was full of celebrities that you knew including sarah green who was a childrens tv host, and you were constantly informed of what was going on so it was easy to relax and settle into the story being told by the family to the backdrop of my family saying things like "nothings gonna happen". Craig Charles who was a hero in my house cos we all loved red dwarf provided comedy relief in order to not build tension too quickly and of course to play the role of the sceptic. The studio set with michael parkinson and the video screen with the hotline team answering calls gave it the feel of comic relief in my eyes, and so everthing worked seamlessly so there was never a suspicion that it was a drama. My parents and I bought into seeing the images of pipes and the possesions and I remember my parents suggesting that it might not be suitable for me and that I needed to go to bed but they could see that I was scared to go to bed and so they turned the tv over a few times but I convinced them to turn it back because I needed to know what was happening to poor sarah green. I remember when the little girl spoke in a deep scary voice that at the time i was sitting next to my mother and she actually felt my heartbeat increase and beat like a drum becuase I was so scared. In the final part of the show when everyone in the studio is unsettled and things are going wrong and sarah gets trapped in the (gloryhole) and then the studio decends into chaos I remember not crying but being frozen by fear. My parents had clocked on to the programme being ficticious by this point and allowed me to see the end of it in order to see the credits so that i'd understand that it wasn't real but the damage had already been done. I couldn't sleep well for months after the show and remember that my parents had lost alot of sleep as well by my constant nightmares. At 10 years old i'd redeveloped my fear of the dark and the concept of the ghost pipes not having a body but having presence had me scared most nights. My parents in a drastic attempt to give me back some sense of security even bought me a gold cross necklace to wear which helped me sleep peacefully. I got over it after a few months, it clearly demonstrated what my imagination could be like when given suggestion as strong as ghostwatch and I also remember hearing about the suicides of people who had taken the show to heart much like I had done. I remember the dvd release back in 2002 and my friend had bought it and we watched it together. All grown up and having watched and loved some of cinema's extreme horror films I felt secure to watch it again. I really enjoyed retreading the first thing that truly scared me and to be honest it still hasn't lost any of its scares and I still felt like my 10 year old former self. It's probably the one thing I would never watch alone due to the effect it's had on me, but I know its had as much a positive effect on me as well as negative and am proud to have been there and to have seen it live.

Ben Haycock

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Hi I loved ghost watch it was the only time I hid behind the sofa as a kid after seeing you no laughing matter video I feel I have to point out another mistake its very late in the show only about 10 min from the end just after they regain pictures from the house Parkinson wants Smith to give him a caller the camera cuts from Smith to a crane shot and he magically moves from the front of the desk to the back in the corner

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I saw it on Canvas tonight and it's truly frighting. Congratulations to the makers, they made it very realistic.

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Thanks,

I cant help being permanently mentally scarred and disturbed due to the genius of Steven Volk,

Those fleeting images of Pipes will haunt me forever.

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Also saw it for the first time on Canvas yesterday.. Truly a terrifying show...

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Just saw it on Canvas today, wonderful. The camera work and how every scene is made is so 2008, and that for a program 16 years old, they were before their time...

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I watched it live, when I was 10. It gave me nightmares and had me scared to go to bed by myself for months. Well done BBC! It was one of the best things to come from the BBC lol.

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I found a video in the attic about 6 years ago with this on (taped off the tv) and watched it out of curiosity. Was scary although the end was a bit over dramatic to the point where I worked out it wasn't real :-p

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I have a question to ask, which I need an answer to.
Hi there,

I know it's been over sixteen years since you aired this program for the first and only time. I did see it when I was 22 years old, but it got me slightly spooked.

However I have a very strong interest in the supernatural and because of which I realised where you got the idea for the story. The Enfield Poltergist case, which I'm very familliar with. So In the end I realised it was a fake program.

Here is my question, I was reading on the internet movie database that you were originally going to send a high pitched signal which humans can't here. But animals can and would have gone crazy apon hearing it.
 
Did something like this occur that night on Halloween 1992? because something odd(which I will never forget) happened. I had a light above the TV, just at the point when all hell broke loose in the studio and it Flickered for a split second.

At first I thought, "No, I didn't just see that". But my dad confirmed that "Yes you did see that and so did he". Was this some form of Electromagnetic Interference that was sent by the program to scare people. If it is, it was very clever, but it still didn't fool me.

The only other time, I saw something like this happen was when I was watching a movie called "The Grudge".

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I remember turning it on midway and getting quite spooked out by it. However, I cheated and turned on the Ceefax 888 subtitles, which sort of ruined the whole 'live' element. I still turned all the lights on before going to bed though. :)

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I FINALLY got to see GHOSTWATCH last night. After trying to find a copy of it for the last two years, I lucked out. Absolutely brilliant. I loved it!!! I turn 36 in about a month and it scared the crap out of me! Way to go Stephen Volk!

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Thankyou for bringing back these wonderful yet haunting memories, I have alot of memories of that Halloween night in 1992 and this programme in particular. I had just come back from a bonfire and was ready to watch this show, as I'd heard it was going to be on and a must see, but I didnt have any idea it was a spoof, and was absolutely scared to death. Pipe's was terrifying which is ironic since you actually never really see him properly! The eerie voices, the realism, and the effects as well as an amazing script brought such a horrifying experience to life that will be forever rooted in my memory, from when I was 10, until present day. Thankyou though for allowing me to be a tiny pawn in a wonderful piece of TV history!!!

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Oh yes, a piece of television history and easily one of the most imaginative and interesting productions the BBC has ever done. I was a terrified 9 yr old boy on that halloween night back in 1992 and I will never forget the fascination and utter terror I felt as I hung onto everything Parkinson said and I believed it all of course. Back at school it was all I and my equally terrified friends could talk about, much to the teachers concern haha. Ghostwatch is a true classic of dramatic film-making and modern television history.

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this programme scared the shit out of me when i was 9 never slept all that night!!!!!!!!

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I watched this on video about 6 or 7 years ago, it scared me senseless even though i knew it was fiction and i don't believe in ghosts! i actually had a panic attack after it - that's how scared i was lol can't bring myself to watch the clips on here in case it brings the horror back :)

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thanks! I was just so pleased to find some official Ghostwatch "new" material on youtube! i remember making arrangements with all my friends in school when i was 12. we saw it and phoned each other the next day to see what each other thought. i got to scared to watch it to the end and when my friend Matthew told me it must have been fake, i really didnt believe him! haha, it just seemed so genuine, especially with Sarah recently hosting a series of programmes that ended in "...watch". brilliant!

it was such a wonderful programme and a massive landmark in spoof-documentaries. I am lucky enough to own the dvd and i think i may re-watch it tonight!

best wishes, long-time ghostwatch fan

Nathan

ps. i DID re-watch it.
gosh it still spooks me out!

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I was only 9 when GW was originally broadcast on the BBC, but was wisely informed of it's genius by a fellow horror fan back when the DVD was released in 2002. It is one of the most original, creative and intelligent pieces of terrifying entertainment I have ever seen. Stephen Volk deserves huge credit for such work. LONg may the legend of Pipes live on.

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I was only 8 when I watched GhostWatch. It fucked me right up and I ran out of the room screaming half-way through. It had a lasting effect, and I ended up being sexually aroused by shows such as 'The X Files' and 'Unsolved Mysteries'.

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I was eleven when i watched ghostwatch on that halloween night and recently watching it again brought back all the memories,i was soo scared and the next day thats all anyone at school could talk about,great channel and programme :)

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I have yet to see the entire GW (drat) - I'd love to watch it from start to finish the way it was shown that Halloween night! ;) ...

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I loved the cheese and pickle sandwich bit xx

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I am 27 yrs old and Im too knackered to figure out how old I would have been when this was screened , I think I was 10yrs old . . I remember watching this with my parents and I haver never ever in my whole life been so scared. . . I waspetrified , I sobbed my little heart out lol and it seemed so real , definitely ahead of its time and a genius televisual experience . . . I had to sleep in my parents bedroom on a little camp bed on the floor next to em for 3 weeks after as I was petrified that Pipes would come after me in the night . . . TOP CLASS X

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i think there most definitely SHOULD be a sequel. but IF there was, it couldn't be advertised as such. it would spoil the surprise! it should be promoted as this one was- as a REAL documentary. awesome stuff guys!

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was about 14 when this was broadcast, came in late one night, mum was out working till late and i missed the first ten minutes so had no idea it was a drama, watched it on my own in a pitch dark house and was absolutely petrified from start to finish, this became the benchmark of every horror movie, book or anything else sine and to be honest nothing has matched it. Was the bbc on top form and they REALLY dont make em like this any more

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I just recently watched Ghostwatch for the first time in years a few days ago and it still frightens the life out of me! The suspense is built up perfectly, the use of well known factual TV presenters is genius, even though you know its not real, the presence of Sarah Green and Parky add that element of doubt, you start to think that it could be real.

But the star of the show has to be Pipes! The name still sends a shiver of fear down my spine. As a child he was the stuff of nightmares, the bogey man that lurked in the corner, the horrifying spectre at the foot of the bed. He truly is one of the best Horror creations of our generation, as horrific in life as he is in death, a monster that is all too real.

Can't wait to see the retrospective when its done!

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I was 13 when I watched this and it terrified me. When i think back i remember seeing pipes on several occasions that the studio never picked up on, wheather its my mind making things up or if that was done on purpose Im not sure.

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... i loved the show by the way and am the proud owner of the DVD!. They don't make TV like this anymore, sadly!!!

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Hello. My name is Phil.
I found out about Ghostwatch on Dr Who, then I found out it was once a real program. I did some research on Wikipedia, and I decided to hunt down where to watch it. Thanks to people for uploading It.

Anyway thanks for uploading all these Vids and I have Subscribed, hope to hear from you soon.

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I remember watching it "live", was 17 at the time. Hadn't clocked the credits so didn't realise it was a drama, but it became obvious through watching it, especially the last 15 minutes as the studio presenters were far too calm. Also remembered towards the end of the programme that Michael Parkinson had done an interview weeks previously (on This Morning I think) saying he'd just finished filming a dram special for Halloween. Even tried phoning in after spotting Pipes, but all I got was the engaged tone.

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Ghostwatch was WAY better than the Balir Witch Project. That film ripped it off.

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I watched this 'live' in 1992. I was 8 and I was in the living room with my parents and my two sisters. We had the lights off and settled down to watch this, not expecting much. By the end, we had the lights on and we all slept in the same bed. Even my dad was looking at the corners of the rooms twice. It would be fantastic TV now. Give me Ghostwatch over any of the rubbish on tv now!

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I was 9 at the time and secretly watched while my Dad was asleep- I'm 26 now and still hate the time 3.55am as that was when Pipes appeared in the girls room. I know it was a fake but I'l never forget how scared I was

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All I can say is that Ghostwatch deserves to be recognised as one of the greatest horror films ever made; the big-budget formulaic stuff that Hollywood churns out now just can't compare!
If there are any plans to revive it, film a documentary and try to spread the word about it then they have my wholehearted support.

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I was a teenager when I watched it 'live' and went for it hook, line and sinker. I remember thinking that the kids were a bit wooden but put that down to their having retold the story so many times. I watched with my mother (a soulless individual who was completely unmoved by it) and was open mouthed and petrified all the way through it.

I remember watching MotD afterwards just for the reassuring normality! Before it started, the BBC continuity announcer had to say, thank you all who are phoning in worried and that everything was ok in the BBC studio.

Even though I knew it was a drama by the end, I still went to bed rigid and gibbering. When I saw the DVD for sale, I jumped at it, saying to my husband: you HAVE to see this! Mr Pipes far surpasses any Hollywood horror character, watching the glimpses of him still gives me chills. YES to a retrospective!

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I watched the show after my family and I had just moved into our new house and it scared the living daylights out of me. Every time there was an unfamiliar noise in the house my hairs would stand up on end and I'd freeze, feeling someone watching over me. Thinking my house had become a conduit, like some many others throughout the nation, and got a bit over zealous. I was 11, and it gave the horror junkie within me a kick start and could be blamed for the masses of horror books and dvd's i own. It also gave the british horror fans an actual horror themed show on halloween, when the states and canada cater to this audience with horror hosts. It was a classic and in this day 'n' age of remakes, i hope they leave this little gem alone.

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An excellent and highly original piece of television which still holds a fascination today.

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At the age of 15 I never saw this "live" instead my mum bought it on dvd, we sat down and watched it and by the end of it I was a wreck, my cat sleeped on my bed that night and hissed once, I slept with the light on after that.

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I cna remember watching this "live" on Halloween. I was only 10 at the time and had been allowed to stay up late. I genuinely believed this was for real, as it had people I "trusted" from daytime tv presenting it. Mr Pipes gave me the chills for years after... Looking back now, I can see how groundbreaking the film was, as it was the first to use the documentary stance in horror to great effect.

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I was 22 when this aired. I watched in my shared student house, with a group of likeminded friends. I knew it was a drama and was (and still am) a huge horror fan. And it still scared me like nothing else before or since.
 
I have the DVD now, and I still have to think twice about watching it, and I still won't watch it alone.

Simply the most terrifying thing ever made. Everyone with whom I saw it suffered from some kind of stress in the weeks after. One girl tried to get our house "exorcised" because "just by watching it, we'd called something up". I remember the whole house having "middle of the night bathroom buddies" for weeks!

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I was only 1 when GW aired so I don't remember it but I bought the DVD a few years ago now and loved it to death. As a film maker myself, I find GW a fantastic piece of film to be admired.
Thanks for the scares!

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I watched when originally broadcast.I was 14.I thought it was the best thing i had ever seen.Loved it.Its been a topic of conversation for 17 years now which is high praise indeed for any bbc drama........Was anyone REALLY so freaked out they felt the need to complain???? Losers

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Hi!

I lived in Northolt all my life on the Islip Manor Estate where almost everyone I knew had some kind of paranormal experience growing up there.

The place has so much dark history especially the fact it was once a site for the multitude graves of plague victims who to this day haven't all been dug up.

The estate was also the scene of a saxon battle and in the horse's fields that surround it there are the perfectly preserved remains of an old roman road hidden among the hawthorn hedges.

So when this show came on tv I totally believed it. In fact I was really scared watching it. I was about 11 at the time and I was obsessed by a photograph that my pal had with him aged 4 and the ghost of a little boy with a deformed face dressed in victorian pauper style clothing. I knew the family well and there was no way they were the kind of people to fake something like that.

I watched the show again last night to see if it still had the same effect on me. I knew it wasn't real obviously but there are some scenes that gave me goose bumps even so.
Definitely one of the tv highlights of my life!

...

But anyway my point is. This show was brilliantly made for it's time and although it was a hoax it had more of an impact than any horror film I have ever seen.
It was a real privilege that my mum let me stay up to watch it even though I couldn't sleep for weeks. haha.

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i was 8 when this was on and i had nightmares for years. thanks

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Ghostwatch was awesome. They don't make shows like this anymore...sadly!

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Happy Halloween Ghostwatch. It was 17 years ago that your awesomeness was broadcast! The phone call about glass table still freaks me out!!!

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Ghostwatch is awesome. I will be watching it in a few days, during the witching hour!

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I was only a year old when the film was originally broadcast, but I watched a recording of it recently, 17 years later. Even knowing that it was a hoax, I was absolutely terrified and couldn't sleep for days. So God knows how those that believed it would have felt! But it was fantastically well done, and the performances from all the cast were phenomenal.

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I watched the Ghosts in the Machine programme on bbc4 last night and when I heard the name Mr Pipes it brought a shiver of fear back to me. I was 21 when it was on and remember being really freaked out. Would love it to be broadcast again. Maybe this Saturday, but I doubt it will be.

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I decided to watch this programme after hearing about all the fuss. I thought, well it's on YouTube, and I know it's not real, what could happen. How wrong could I be. I had to look at loads of Behind The Scenes stuff straight afterwards, it was terrifying. Never seen the likes of it. Brilliant.

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Decided to watch this tonight to celebrate Halloween. Even knowing it was fiction, ti was still really scary. Such a well made film. Going to have to share this with friends.

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I still remember watching the original programme {I was 10 at the time}, and it was the talk of the classroom the next day. However, it seems I was the only one who had watched right to the end and seen the end credits, so I had a difficult time trying to convince my classmates it was a fictional show! Weirdly {or perhaps not}, I wasn't at all scared by the show, but then I'd already developed an interest in ghosts, and was aware of the Enfield Poltergeist {upon which a lot of it was based}.

But I do wish the BBC would repeat it now...

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Just watched ghostwatch again! I remember watching it when it was on, I was 11 at the time. We were all taken in. Was great fun! I think my mum was a bit upset that she let us watch it. I realised it was all a hoax when it started going daft in the studio. Was fun to watch it back. Some of the acting is rather terrible especially at the beginning! The best actors were the kids! Especially the younger one! Was good though! I know a loaned of people bitched and moaned about it afterwards. I think id consider turning the TV on again if more stuff like this was made.

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Ghostwatch was scary!

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i rememberwatching this when i was about ten and i was so terrified because i genuinly thought it was a real documentary , its only now im older i realise it was all fake ! gave me nightmares for years and still does !

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After the show ended and I got into bed, I kept opening my eyes every now and then, to check that Mr Pipes wasn't standing in front of my bed! I was soooo relieved when that morning finally came. It was a long night!

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Ghostwatch is absolutlely awesome trying to get my missus to watch it as I have it on DVD.Pipes was just such a twisted manifestation of evil and the cats my the cats I do real Ghosthunting and I always get freaked out when my group encounters feline spirits because it reminds me of this.

In 1992 I remember watching this in my room in the dark and i freaked I didnt get a wink of sleep and the next day in school everyone talking about it it was genius the sheer volume of word of mouth fear it generated "Have you seen Ghostwatch?" no? "The your in for a suprise" and the bootleg tapes that went around for years after until it was finally released on DVD in 2002.

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It should be re-worked now! Now is the time, it scared the poo out of me and my pals after football training, ill never forget, we called my mom to come home :)

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Ghostwatch is one of the most effective TV shows ever. It had the same effect on it's audience as The Exorcist. Well done to the makers!!!!!

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Aaah...Ghostwatch! 1992 was when I fully realised that you could feed any old guff to a TV audience and they'd believe it as fact. I mean...come on...as a documentary it really was laughable. If you were over the age of 12 and seriously believed that Ghostwatch was real, then what can I say? However as a piece of drama it was very well done, particularly within the constraints of the period, and I have enjoyed it many times on that level since. I thought the glimpses of Mr. Pipes throughout the programme chilled on a subliminal level as most of us only saw him on reviewing the programme later on and this added to the 'creepiness' factor considerably. But for me, the most disappointing part of the whole thing was the indignant responses from the British public both on "Biteback" and "Points of View".

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Here is the BBC, fulfilling it's mandate of providing fresh and exciting programming, and all they got was whining for a groundbreaking piece of work from a bunch of pathetic losers. I refuse to believe their stories of children passing out, being sick, or pregnant women going into labour (I mean, what?). I remember the same nonsense about audiences watching The Exorcist, and more recently Paranormal Activity (an awful movie based almost entirely on Ghostwatch but not scary in the slightest). Audiences are sheep, and British audiences can be the biggest sheep of all (and yes, I am British). Fancy getting all upset at how the BBC 'betrayed the trust of the British public'....Jeez... and what trust would that be exactly? Would that be the trust that they will strive for the blandest and least controversial programmes just in case they upset some idiot who let their kids watch a show about ghosts at 9.25pm?

Ghostwatch was cheesy but definitely groundbreaking and we should be proud of it, Parky even got a BAFTA nomination for his role as the calm host (thoroughly deserved, because without him it would have been a very obvious hoax). The BBC were groundbreakers in paranormal dramas in the 70s and 80s. The BBC Christmas ghost dramas based on the work of M.R. James were some of the most chilling and scary things I have ever seen before or since, either on TV or at the movies, and they have stayed with me all my life. With Ghostwatch, I just smile with affection everytime I think about it.

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Ghostwatch was a fantastic peice of television. I was 15 when it came out and watched it with my cousin by ourselves and I have just watched it on youtube for the fist time since it aired and even though i found out the day after it was clearly a drama it still scared me remarkably. It was so ahead of its time and I would love to see a documentory with original cast and crew. How good was Michael Parkinson??

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Best programme of 1992. I heard the Jonathan Ross interview on radio 2 a few weeks ago, and decided to look the programme up again. I'm deluighted to see that this classic show has it's own channel. Would be great to see it again. Best wishes.

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This programme was amazing its scared the hell out of me and it still does now . so good to be reminded of it again.

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I was sixteen when Ghostwatch aired and remember being completely taken in by it. I watched it with my Dad and was utterly terrified as I had missed the very beginning and hadn't realised it was a drama. I've always been a bit of a wuss which didn't really help much. But it was great television and has to rate on a parallel with the Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" event. It's a brilliant exercise in the psychology of humans and remains one of the most memorable pieces of film I have ever seen.

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i can remember this vividly, I was about 12 at the time and was so drawn into it, i really thought it was happening for real, it took weeks for me to get to sleep without my light on, and after watching the program was so aware of any banging noises in the house....a brilliant piece of programming history

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I just saw this recently for the first time, and it scared me, but the absolutely scariest thing about it were the appearances of Pipes throughout the film

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I loved the way they showed fleeting glipses of 'pipes' thoughout. That's why the Blair Witch people failed miserably. They should've paid more attention to what made Ghostwatch work in the first place. I can't wait for this to get a DVD release.

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Hey,

First of all, must say, I love the channel, nice to see fans so committed to a project.

I first saw Ghostwatch two days ago...I saw the clips on C4's 100 scariest moments, and having watched it, I fell in love with it. Then I started reading up on it, and all the controversy it caused and I thought, 'Mhmm I wonder what'd happened if the BBC decided to make it even more like a drama serial...' And then I thought 'What if they made it part of an already existing drama series?' Hence the video attached was created.

I'm unsure of what you'll think of this as I have a strong Marmite-y feeling of it, you're either going to love it, or hate it, anyway I'd love to hear another fans opinion of what I've done (basically...for a laugh)

Keep up the good work!

All the Best
Sam Dimitrijevic (Now living in a mental hospital, screaming 'PIPES IS HERE!' )

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I was reminded of GW this evening when I saw a clip of the Halloween Beadles About from '92, on a program about Jeremy Beadle.
It inspired me to track down GW on DVD.
I was 11 when it aired and was staying at my dads house that weekend, and it scared me that much that I didn't stay at my dads for about a year.
Can't wait til the DVD comes through so I can watch it again.

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great show, innovative and genuinely scary. blazed a trail for all other ghost related shows and movies.subbed!

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only saw this today! absolutely loved it!

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I remember being made to watch this when I was 6 by the babysitter (the evil mare!) and being absolutely TERRIFIED. It's because of Ghostwatch that I was afraid of the dark until, embarrassingly, late into my teens. But now as an adult I can truly appreciate how bloody brilliant it is!

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I can't believe it's been 18 years today since Ghostwatch was first broadcast. It still feels like yesterday!

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About to watch it. I watched it for the first time last year, and already I can see it being a new tradition.

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I watched Ghostwatch when i was a youngster on the night it was shown on bbc , i loved it , it scared the shit outta me & i was used to watching scary stuff , i was brought up on horror , i would love to see a doco on it

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I first saw it following the DVD release, but was well aware of it years before hand. It was so different to what I had imagined it would be, but very good nonetheless. See it at the right time, and in the right frame of mind, and there is nothing better. Pipes still creeps me out...

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I watched this on halloween night '92 and was more terrorfied than i've ever been in my life. I bought the DVD when it came out and must admit now some of it seems a bit cheesy. Still though, it was way ahead of its time.

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Just saw it for the very first time...and it blew me away! As we can see now there's a recent trend in genre film making of horror which is commonly known to the fans as "found footage" or POV Horror or more precisely horror mocumentary that become quite popular & egular in this genre after the huge success of Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and recent Paranormal Activity. All I can say now next time the makers of these found footage films should take notes from this phenomenal show. It's been near about 20 yrs that they made GHOSTWATCH, but still it is very effectively scary for today's audience in any part of the world.

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I have the most vivid memory of watching when broadcast as was working as security in a large empty factory in Skelmersdale at the time.
 
About halfway through there was a power cut and the place was plunged into darkness! So I sat there terrified int he dark without even a torch for about half an hour scared out of my wits!
 
Fortunately I had set the video at home to tape it. Was certainly a night I'll never forget!

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I remember watching it with my parents and we were all intelligent enough to realise that this was a drama, not a piece of "live" tv. We'd all seen the "Screen One" promos for it in the days before but having seen nothing like it before, we still found it very convincing. Haven't got the DVD....yet but will try to get it before Hallowe'en his year.

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I remember very clearly watching Ghostwatch on Halloween night 1992. I was 12 and it scared the Hell out of me!

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I watched it live. I was 8 at the time and we where sat around watching it after door-knocking for pennies. I never knew it was a hoax and it still scares the life out of me.

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well im 14 and i have for 2 years have been interested in watching it. well i just now got done watching it.... it was terrifying.. i think i almost shit myself

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I remember watching this with some friends, when we were around 14 years old. It terrified us!! I still maintain, to this day, it was one of the BBC's greatest triumphs!

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WATCHED THIS LIVE IN 92 AND IT SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME AND I STILL GET THE SAME CHILLS NOW,BUT I AM A LITTLE MESSED UP AS I AM GETTING THE DVD FOR CHRISTMAS BECAUSE I LOVE THIS.
 
WISH THE BBC WOULD SHOW AGAIN TO SCARE NEW GENERATION OF KIDS AND ADULTS ALKIE

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After I saw this back in 1992 me and my brother and sister were so scared we wouldn't touch the big glass table that was in our lounge! I was still talking about it the following day at school and my drama teacher came in and said "Did anyone see Ghostwatch the other night?". A large amount of the class pout up their hands and we had a long discussion. My friend agreed with me that it was the scariest thing he'd ever seen and we had seen every horror film available, including some of the banned ones in the UK!! Incidently, my teacher also loved it and said it was "an absolutely brilliant drama and worked exceptionally well". That night was definitley one of the most memorable Halloween nights I've ever had in my life.

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Oh man I remember Ghostwatch scaring the hell out of me as a kid. I missed the introduction saying it was a drama so it was a War Of The Worlds moment for me when I thought for a moment it was real!! Great stuff.

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Watching clips in work... almost 20 years on, still scares the bejesus out of me!

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Ghostwatch caught me out, I don't mind admitting

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Saw it today for the first time at film college, and it was brilliant!

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I was 13 at the time and I was babysitting with my cousin, we had been looking for ward to the show all day and decided to watch it in the dark (big mistake!) I have never been so scared in my entire life! We ended up holding hands crying on the door step with every light in the house on waiting for the kids parents to come home. We could hear allsorts of noises comming from the room above, knowing that the children were babies and fast asleep in their cots there was only one thing it coould have been....PIPES! However it turned out to be sasha a 9 week old puppy that they didnt tell us about...... =\

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Good Day from the Great White North eh! I watched this with my daughter on our cable channel "Scream" back in 2002.

It freaking scared the pants off us both, esp. when Sara disappeared into the cupboard under the stairs! My daughter was only 11 at the time and she could not sleep well for a couple of nights, even though I assured her that this was just a practical joke for Halloween.

We would both love to get a copy of the DVD but alas, being in Canada it makes it rather difficult to get one that will work on our system.

Cheers! 

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I lost my best friend 4 years ago this September after a year long battle with cancer.  She went from being told her chances were very good to becoming extremely ill in a matter of a few weeks, and a lot of her time was spent in hospital.  I visited her as often as a could, at least once a day, just to try and make things as normal as I could for her.  One evening, I returned from hospital and went to bed.  She was very unwell at the time, but not 'near death'.  I was lying in my pull out bed in the tiny studio flat I lived in at the time, my head absolutely spinning with all that was going on, and my brain turning over like mad, desperately trying to get a few hours sleep.  I was lying on my back with my eyes closed.  When I opened my eyes, my best friend was standing behind my head, smiling down at me.  She was wearing a long cloak she'd made for a halloween party, and she was smiling down at me.  At that moment all of my anxiety disappeared and I felt utterly calm and relaxed, knowing that although she was not going to get better, she was not in any immediate danger.  When I told her the story the next day, she was very excited, telling me that as she'd been lying in bed the night before feeling ill and depressed, she'd suddenly had this vision of a shimmering Goddess type figure which had left her feeling calm and happy.  She was in much better spirits after what she had seen.
 
The flat i was living in at the time was in an area called Merton Abby, which as the name suggests had at one time been a Monastery.  i was in a new build flat, which people had told me had been built on the site of the old monastery and graveyard.  Indeed, at many points in the 4 years I lived in my flat, it had suddenly become icy cold in certain spots.  Indeed a good friend of mine who lived round the corner from me had seen (and also had guest report seeing) strange monk figures in her home.
 
About 3 months after I lost my best friend, I was again lying in bed feeling very sorry for myself.  I'd been very ill and had had a huge argument with my then boyfriend.  I was lying in bed having a good cry when I felt the room grow cold and something sit down on the end of my bed.  The cat was happily snoring away next to my head, so I knew it wasn't her.  Once agin, the strange feeling of calm descended on me, and I knew it was Lex coming to tell me that she was still there looking out for me.
 
I have to say, I am a great believer in the paranormal, and also good quality TV.  I picked up a copy of 'Ghostwatch' for the bargain price of £3 today and watched it in the safety of a nice sunny afternoon, having not watched it when originally broadcast (I would have been 12 at the time and was most probably carrying out experiments I'd read about in girly magazines involving big bowls of Smash, love letters and wedding rings, if I remember rightly!)  I have to say that apart from some of the questionable fashions, it has stood the test of time remarkably well, and even though I knew it was all a (very well written and acted) drama, you still can't help being sucked in!  I think it still makes a valid point today...very much looking forward to the documentary, good luck with it all
Sarah 

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I am a long, long time fan of Ghostwatch (I ws 16 when it aired originally) and just thought I would send you a message of support for the documentary. I really cannot wait to see it and admire your dedication; I wish I had thought of it, what a wonderful idea!

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Hi, I was sitting reading a book on that very Halloween night when Ghostwatch came on the telly. I thought it was going to be a big pile of dirge so wasn't paying any attention. Then the scene happened when the wee girl was caught tapping the pipes and a hoax was being exposed live on TV. I immediately sat up, thinking this was hilarious and wondered what was going to happen now. Then all the ghostly stuff started happening, and not paying any attention at the beginning I never knew it was a drama, lulled into the show by Sarah green, Parky and Craig Charles, I'm afraid to say I thought it was all too real. I've never been so scared in my life before or since. Too terrified to even phone anyone in case the ghosts could get into my home through the phone line! What a relief at the end to see the words "Written by..." It was so gradual and subtle the way they lured you in. Truly scary, nothing has bettered it since. I now watch it every Hallowe en, and even though I know now it's just a drama, I still lie awake for hours afterwards, keeping an ear out for Mr Pipes