Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains

"July fourteenth, twenty-oh-five. Today. The year humans set foot on Mars, for the very first time." The as-live TV movie, Special Report: Journey to Mars is in simple terms, a hoot. Similar in tone to 1994's asteroid-phobic, Without Warning , the story follows an 'as-it-happens' broadcast of the so-called "Destiny" Mars landing, and its intrepid crew, who are merrily voyaging within what is occasionally described as being, "The most complicated machine ever built." A fairly risky-sounding proposition, if you ask me, as far as vital life support capsules are concerned. The simpler, the better, surely. Lest we not forget the sage wisdom of Montgomery Scott, " The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain ." 'Co-hosted' by perpetually-concerned optimist, Tamara O'Neal (Alfre Woodard) and stern-toned stalwart, Nick Van Pelt (Philip Casnoff) of globe-spanning news station, GNN , we are t

The night that Ghostwatch went out, I vividly recall my excitement upon first discovering that Craig Charles would be making an appearance. I've been a Red Dwarf fan for almost as long as I can remember. And that simple fact (not counting my prized shelf of merch) is what makes me a proper, cast-iron-balled, Dwarfer. I was following the show back when the sets were naff. When the models were just painted cornflakes boxes suspended on uneven bits of twine. When the costumes were far too dated, the acting far too obvious, and the writing far too laddish. Back when the characters were underdeveloped, that vampire was in it, and Cryton was just a bald, middle-aged guy projected onto a TV screen. ... Except, the show has never actually been nearly that bad. Even at its least gripping, it has never been close to unwatchable. For the most part, it's actually been rather impressive. Honest. You see, Red Dwarf has the dubious honour of being often described as a 'cult&#

In the run-up to National Séance, The Guardian ran an article that delved into the work of Kirigami aficionado and self-styled Paper Dandy, Marc Hagan-Guirey . In September, a book containing twenty of Marc's designs hit bookshelves, containing a smorgasbord of sliceable schematics each inspired by a different Horror movie, tale or story... and who'd have thunk it, even Ghostwatch . In fact, the very first example which readers can attempt to construct themselves is entitled, "The Thing under the Stairs." As you can see below, the spooky piece features a tentacular shadow escaping from a familiar-looking doorway, all of which is bathed in a striking, pinkish-blue glow. Overall, the inspiration is unmistakable - particularly, when you read the accompanying text on the opposite page... "This was the most traumatic piece of television I'd ever seen. I was found by my neighbour sobbing on the doorstep of our house, too afraid to be inside by myse

Last night, National Séance came and went in the blink of the eye, once again. Considering this marked our own Fifth Anniversary hosting the event, it's truly humbling to think it has now gone on to become a full-on annual tradition, let alone that we've been able to gather such a wonderful group of fans that have all practically become an extended family of Glorious Global Ghostwatchers. Short of name-checking two or three dozen very cool/funny/witty people, let me just say thank-you so much to each and every person who took the time to take part, or encouraged others to join in, in turn keeping the Foxhill flame burning brightly. Compared to when all this started, we're living in a different age, already. When Ghostwatch was first broadcast, twenty-three years ago, the closest app to Twitter was 'Manic Miner.' Just three years ago, #Ghostwatch managed to race up the Top Ten UK Trending List in less time than it took to say, "Round and round the gard

National S éance 2015 is finally here! Almost! Just a month to go, now. Not only is it the show's 23rd Anniversary, but also our fifth live, globe-spanning, genre-redefining, occasionally-over emphasising event. To mark this special occasion, we've a lovely new banner for you to feast your cat-scratched eye sockets on. Look. Isn't that nice. As always, the time and date to mark in your calendars is 9.25pm, Saturday (ooh, just like the original) October 31st. The best photos and Tweets of the evening shall be showcased right here on the blog, soon thereafter. If you like. For the uninitiated, once a year, Ghostwatch fans worldwide play their DVD and VHS copies of the film simultaneously, to simulate a repeat screening (yes, we're still waiting.) We then comment on the proceedings via Twitter and Facebook. It's that simple. But surprisingly effective. And often, a bloody good laugh. The hashtag to remember is #Ghostwatch , and if you click the mini poster ab

Greetings, (in particular, Brighton-based) Ghostwatchers! This October, Miniclick and the illustrious Duke of York's Picturehouse shall be hosting a very special screening of Ghostwatch , complete with a live Q&A session featuring writer-producer-directors, Stephen Volk, Lesley Manning, and Rich Lawden. It goes without saying, Ghostwatch screenings with Q&As tend to be on the rare side, so try not to delay if you're thinking of booking! There's even a twenty-foot high pair of can-can dancer's legs on the roof, so it should be quite easy to find, even if you've never visited before. First opened on 22nd September 1910, the building itself is now Grade II listed, and to celebrate its 105th(!) birthday this September, the cinema will be installing a "State-of-the-art sound system and audio-visual projection to invest in an even better film-going experience in the future." Surely, this will provide the best possible viewing experience to track

Greetings, Ghostwatchers! During Monday's edition of the BBC One nostalgia fest, The TV That Made Me , this week's guest, Pam Ayres shared her own personal appreciation of classic BBC Horror, Quatermass . Around that time, you might also have caught a small reference by host Brian Conley to our very own Ghostwatch being his "Favourite chiller!" For a limited time, you can check out the episode in full on BBC iPlayer by clicking here. For the beginning of Pam's 'TV Fear' segment, which also features the public information film/nightmare generator, Protect and Survive , head to around the 13:40 mark. Brian's spooky showcase follows soon after, at around 20 mins in. For the trivia-hungry among us, this marks the first time since October 2012 that Ghostwatch was last cap-doffed on TV (during CBBC's Twelve Again .) It's quite extraordinary that despite the fabled, full repeat screening still not showing any signs of happening anytime soon,

Back when 'dialing up' the Internet required earplugs, and the once-glorious Teletext reigned supreme, there admittedly wasn't all that much in terms of online Ghostwatch -related reference material. Among those few classic web-pages, including Stephen Freestone's much-loved ghostwatch.info , Fortean Times magazine published a highly-informative piece written by Stephen Volk, that until very recently, could still be read, twelve years on. As that link now sadly appears to have dissolved entirely off the digital database, here it is presented in full for all your informative, and all-round research-related needs... Ghostwatch   Ten years ago, the BBC’s transmission of ghostwatch on halloween night, 1992, terrified the nation, raising some important issues about television’s relationship with its audience. To coincide with its release for the first time on DVD and video, Stephen Volk, the writer of the notorious TV drama, looks back at its origin and its unexp

Been searching for a copy of this, for ages. Headpress #22 is the twenty-second edition of Headpress. If that intro wasn't clear enough, according to its arresting cover, Headpress is a "journal of sex, religion [and] death" and this is typified in the striking image of a lovely lady being (seemingly) attacked by a flock of irate Hitchcockian crows. But who's to say they're on an attack course? Perhaps, they are merely intrigued by her distractingly-open shirt? It's all a bit Rorschach, if you ask me. Released in 2001, this particular edition of the adult-themed bookazine(?) is a healthy 176 pages, fourteen of which are dedicated to an article entitled, ' Hunting Ghostwatch ,' which commences on Page Thirteen. Written by Jerry Glover, the piece serves primarily as a highly detailed synopsis - I'm sure, very handy for readers who might have missed the film, and even more so when you consider the fantastic BFI DVD/VHS release was still a whole y