BBC viewers ‘still wetting themselves’ over Halloween skit that saw 30,000 furious complaints and was BANNED from screen
THE 1992 Halloween broadcast of Ghostwatch has haunted the memories of its viewers for over three decades.
The program took on the guise of a typical investigative news report on paranormal activity, but it soon spiralled into one of the most controversial broadcasts in BBC history.
In the mockumentary, Sir Michael Parkinson and former Blue Peter presenter Sarah Greene were seen looking into spooky occurrences reportedly taking place at a family home.
Their investigation included disturbing footage of a ghost terrorising two children as their mother desperately tried to get them out of harm’s way.
To millions watching, it felt like a real life paranormal investigation – with two of the BBC’s most trusted names at the helm.
Ghostwatch was so convincing that over 30,000 people flooded the BBC switchboard with complaints within the hour.
Many claimed their children were terrified and left visibly shaken.
The backlash was so intense that the BBC made the rare move of banning Ghostwatch from ever being broadcast on British television again.
However, the episode has found a second life on TikTok, where it continues to shock viewers.
Many of those who grew up in the ’90s claim to still be “scarred for life” after watching the broadcast, with some even saying that they still “wet the bed” thinking of it.
Initially horror writer Stephen Volk had pitched Ghostwatch as a six-episode horror series, but he was asked to condense it into a 90-minute one-off special.
Stephen later shared that the original plan had included a post show discussion to “diffuse the tension,” but instead, the program ended abruptly, with an announcer cutting straight to Match of the Day.
Despite the alterations he has defended the program, saying: “If you are going to tell this horror gag then don’t do it half-heartedly. If you say it’s not true then you pull the teeth out of unsettling drama.”
The fallout from Ghostwatch extended well beyond its 90 minutes on air.
It was eventually blamed by some viewers for cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.
Martin Denham, an 18-year-old with learning difficulties, tragically took his life just days after the broadcast.
He was reportedly haunted by ghostly events in his own home which resembled the occurrences portrayed on Ghostwatch.
His parents, who believed the show had deeply distressed him, lodged a formal complaint about it being shown on telly.
The Broadcasting Standards Commission ruled that the program was indeed “excessively distressing and graphic”.
The Commission stated: “The BBC had a duty to do more than simply hint at the deception it was practising on the audience. In Ghostwatch there was a deliberate attempt to cultivate a sense of menace.”