Ghostwatch...in a cave!
In one of the most unique venues I’ve ever seen a film in – the cave under The Whistle and Flute in Nottingham – thirty people came together to see a Halloween screening of one of the most controversial television plays ever screened.
Written by Stephen Volk and directed by Lesley Manning, Ghostwatch was originally screened by the BBC on Halloween, 1992, and blurred the lines between reality and fiction so effectively that it led to thousands of complaints. The furore around the film was so intense that it still has never screened on television since that initial release. In fact, it took a decade for the British Film Institute to release a version of the film, and another twenty years until 101 Films would but out a stunning Blu-ray release.
Before the screening, the audience was treated to a Q&A with Lesley Manning, who was honest about her desire to blur the lines with the production, but modest in her assessment of the film’s initial controversy and legacy.
“I don't focus on the audience response, especially TV, because you can't even feel it or see it,” she said. “When you show something in the cinema, you can sort of feel that response, but on television you just sit on your sit and think ‘well that was that’.”
Looking back at the production, Lesley said that she was given the script by producer Ruth Baumgarten, who described the premise as a bit ‘techy’. “As soon as I read the bit where Michael Parkinson says, ‘I can’t see anything’ and there was something on the screen, I was hooked.”
She added that cast came together relatively easily. The involvement of Sarah Greene led to her husband Mike Smith coming on board – “He read the script and begged to be involved, so Stephen very kindly incorporated him” – and Craig Charles continuously ad-libbed during his performance, providing the right level of humour before the horror really kicked in.
“Where we could we used real people, so the vox pops were people who had experience with paranormal events; the cameramen you see on screen were real cameramen,” Lesley explained.
It was presumed that Michael Parkinson would be difficult to bring on board, and Lesley noted that when the production team and Michael’s team met for lunch, there was a noticeable power imbalance. “There were some long silences, and then they asked how we going to do it, and actually I think he was really intrigued.”
As an aside, one audience member said that his sister feared Michael, assuming that he would smell like cigarettes and old man, whereas he believed Michael would smell of good aftershave. Unfortunately, Lesley was unable to definitively say what the legendary presenter smelt like but confirmed that it was not cigarettes.
The actual production was incredibly complex. There was a divide between the various production teams at the BBC, with drama typically shot on Super 16mm, while studio shows were put to tape. Combining the production facilities of Screen One, with the studio and outside broadcast teams proved difficult, and there were technical issues to overcome.
“Because of the segregation we couldn’t use both departments, so I opted for the studio, but we were given an unmanned, dummy outside broadcast truck which had to completely rewired,” she said. “Then the video wall in the studio was something completely new to them. I can’t tell you how many times I heard, ‘we’ve never done that before.’”
The house sequences were shot first, which meant everything in the studio had to be timed perfectly to what was happening. Lesley said that this presented the biggest challenge, figuring out whether the Ghostwatch logo should be behind the presenters, or footage of Sarah Greene or Craig Charles about to give her lines.
Then, of course, there’s Pipes – the malevolent spirit haunting the house. Played by Keith Ferrari, he appears multiple times in the background, more times than is possible to catch in a first viewing. When asked how many times he appeared, Lesley said that she remembered being very excited about the idea of thirteen, but believes that at least one of these was cut for the final broadcast.
One audience member, rightly, pointed out that the BBC had seemed to shy away from horror since the release of Ghostwatch, with only a few examples (episodes of Inside No. 9 and the return of Ghost Stories for Christmas) in the three decades since. “Traditionally, I don't think BBC is good with horror,” she explained. “I don't think they want the burden of frightening people, actually, because I think they take their role, or did, take their role very seriously as a public broadcaster.”
Before the screening, Lesley noted that she was appreciative of the films that referenced or otherwise being influenced by Ghostwatch. She said he hadn’t seen Inside No.9’s Deadline episode (probably the most blatant tribute to the show) but appreciated creators like Oren Peli, who had been very open about the influence Ghostwatch had on the first Paranormal Activity (2007).
Finally, as the lights went down, she quipped: “For those who haven’t seen the film yet, can I just say that ‘gloryhole’ meant something different back then.”
Ghostwatch – thirty years on
During the screening there was a definite sense that we were all in on the joke. Much of the audience had seen the film before, either traumatised by the initial broadcast, or having hunted it down after hearing so much about this dark little secret at the BBC. As such there were plenty of ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ whenever Pipes appeared on screen.
There was also a fair amount of laughter, both at the mention of the gloryhole under the stairs, and at Michael Parkinson’s frankly dickish demeanour as it seemingly sets out to singlehandedly take down every one of Dr Lin Pascoe’s (Gillian Bevan) theories. But such is the effectiveness of Ghostwatch’s blurring of fiction and reality that there are still a lot of very unsettling moments. For those who don’t know, it’s a fictional broadcast, with Michael Parkinson and Dr Pascoe in the studio, studying footage from a council house where paranormal activity has been reported. They’re joined by Mike Smith who helps man the phones and keeps a stream of fictional calls coming to point images of Pipes or provide exposition about the house.
At the house, Sarah Greene and Craig Charles, alongside a paranormal research team and camera crew, document the family who live in the house: single mum Pamela Early (Brid Brennan) and her daughters Suzanne (Michelle Wesson) and Kim (Cherise Wesson).
The investigation starts calmly enough. Sarah spends time with the family, and discovers how the hauntings have affected them, while Dr Pascoe goes over her own research into the events at the house. Then we get banging in the walls; scratching noises; and a dark figure appearing in the shots. Michelle Wesson is excellent as the teenage Suzanne, who seems to be the focus of Pipes’ hauntings, and the times when she is seemingly possessed are still creepy.
Credit as well, to the sound design. When the history of Pipes is revealed and the house is filled with a cacophony of cat screeches, the film becomes a hellish experience, with each of the cast genuinely appearing to have no idea how to handle events. The twist harkens back to Nigel Kneale’s The Stone Tape with a mix of paranormal and technology, that still takes you by surprise, even on a rewatch.
It's genuinely innovative piece of television, one that makes you wish broadcasters would take more risks.
Ghostwatch is available from 101 Films:
Ghostwatch (1992) (Standard Edition) (Blu-ray) – 101 Films Store
Will Bailey (Boo the Bad Guy) holds regular film events in Nottingham. You can purchase tickets for their upcoming events here:
See Tickets - BOO THE BAD GUY Tickets and Dates 2025 & 2026
