Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains

Greetings, Ghostwatchers. I remember the day very clearly. The precise date could probably be triangulated from old TV listings and Sky schedules if one were so inclined. I had spent the weekend at a friend's house. Before leaving, I set my trusty Sanyo VHS recorder at home (still works) to capture the UK terrestrial premiere of a brand-new Sci-Fi title on Sky Premiere. Other than a brief snippet on (if memory serves) BBC1 prime-time show, How Do They Do That? reporting one of, if not the earliest digital faceswaps between actor and stunt-double, despite the film's trailer being slick and intriguing, I don't recall exactly why I was so excited to finally check it out - ironically, I was never much of a Horror aficionado - but I do remember what happened next. When I got home, the first thing I did was rewind the tape and press play. It was daytime. Early afternoon, perhaps late morning. The sort of hour when Horror has no business working at all. And yet from...

Greetings, Ghostwatchers! It is my genuine joy to announce that the 401st issue of  SFX Magazine  will feature an exclusive interview with yours truly regarding the upcoming Ghostwatch: On The Night special edition Blu-ray - and, surreal as it feels, mention of this also graces the front cover - the 'version unseen for over 30 years' relating to the reinstated opening/closing BBC1 continuity, broadcast conversion (tx-accurate), with special 888-Mode that reinstates the original Ceefax subtitle track. So there. I've been a subscriber to SFX since I ssue 14, for reasons obvious to those who know me. It has a lways been packed with news, opinions, and reviews, and for the longest time was my de facto source of all things film and TV-related. The interview covers a lot of the technical aspects behind the Blu-ray: restoring the aforementioned BBC continuity, recovered Ceefax subtitles, and presenting 31/10 in Teletext format. I also talk about the motivation for this releas...

Greetings, Ghostwatchers. Every so often, something surfaces from the depths of Ghostwatch folklore that refuses to stay buried. That makes you question whether any of this was ever really over. Back in the spring, I received a standard saved search email through a small UK auction site for a listing that, at face value, didn't seem to align with any of my saved searches... a small batch of BBC Engineering floppies under the disarmingly mundane listing: "Broadcast Ops (Assorted)". The thumbnail showed a handful of 3.5-inch 1.44 Mb disks, their handwritten labels half-faded and curling. In the item description, "Vintage computer disks. Estate clearance. Untested." As you can see, six 3.5" floppies. Nothing unusual, save for one - a single disk which, despite being partially obscured, I somehow knew was marked GHOSTWATCH.EXE - and in red biro on the reverse side, "DO NOT MOUNT." At first, I assumed it was another of those clever fan projects or ...

Artwork subject to change After days... weeks... months... actually, make that years of late nights, technical tinkering, and a staunch refusal to allow anything less than the absolute very best to become forever printed onto its glossy iridescent surface, we are beyond thrilled to announce that the master file for the Ghostwatch: On The Night Blu-ray is now finally, at long last (and with great relief) totally finished. This milestone could not have been reached without the tireless dedication of two key figures: Mark Brindle of Maniac Films and Jason Robertson, better known to many as The Teletext Archaeologist. Between them, they've poured heart, soul, and countless hours into ensuring this release is the very best it can possibly be - digging deep, restoring, refining, and pushing every detail to its absolute limit. Their passion and commitment to the project has been nothing short of extraordinary. Thank you doesn't even cut it. Without Jason, we wouldn't have a 1:1...

Greetings, Ghostwatchers! Almost every year, fellow Foxhillians send in their remarkable artworks to celebrate National Séance, and it is always such a joy to check them out. As the long-awaited Ghostwatch: On The Night special edition Blu-ray from Lawman Productions continues to inch towards the finish line, we were wondering if you might like your work to be showcased in the release itself... The Blu-ray is currently set to have an accompanying booklet which takes the form of a ficticious report investigating the Ghostwatch broadcast. We would like you to send in your personal Ghostwatch- inspired artwork to be included within its scrutinising pages. This can take any form of your choosing, all we ask that it encapsulates your personal impression of the show, its characters, story, and legacy, to later be selected by either an elite team of art experts, or failing that, us, to then be slotted into a few extra pages. You have until January 1st 2025 to get your submissions to us (i...

Greetings Ghostwatchers! Randomly happening upon the following types of fine details is always thrilling for me, for some reason. It's a bit like revisiting an old unfinished jigsaw puzzle, picking up some strange irregular piece that looks like it will never fit, then somehow it does, and you can put the pair of scissors back in the drawer, Ted. During National Séance 2024 (in which, Pipes Peepers/Phobes/Procrastinators, we trended #10 on the leaderboards), X user @EnglishDamsel somehow identified the exact magazine that Suzanne can be seen reading in the sisters' bedroom around 15 mins into the programme. Naturally, I felt compelled to pick up a £14 copy, perfectly preserved from July 1992, that originally cost £2.50 (the value of these things is just skyrocketing!) I must admit, in anticipation of putting together this article, for a moment, I thought I was writing for another blog. As you can see, there are a number of pages that ably confirm this eagle-eyed discovery. ...