The Terrifying Legacy of "Ghostwatch" | Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown

On Halloween night, 1992, Britain’s BBC 1 presented one of the most talked about programs in television history. The program was called "Ghostwatch" and it would eventually become one of the great “do you remember” moments of British television. The controversial airing left the public terrified and allegedly contributed to the suicide of an 18-year-old boy and PTSD in other children and adults. Today it is considered a cult classic.

Episode Sources:

“Ghostwatch: The BBC spoof that duped a nation” by Rebecca Woods, BBC News, October 29, 2017, BBC

“How we made: BBC mockumentary Ghostwatch” by George Bass, October 26, 2020, The Guardian

“Banned BBC show ‘Ghostwatch’ left traumatised viewers in tears and ‘unable to sleep for MONTHS’” by Damon Wilkinson and Steven White, October 30, 2022, Manchester Evening News

“Did anyone here watch Ghostwatch (1992) when it was first broadcast?” Reddit post and thread on “r/horror” by Yeetusboi690

“The Live Halloween Special That Terrified an Entire Nation” by Adam Donald, updated October 14, 2023, Collider

“Parents blame TV programme for son’s death” from The Independent on December 23, 1992

“Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains” 2012 Documentary (United Kingdom), directed by Rich Lawden, Lawman Productions, IMDB page

“Ghostwatch (1992)” from BBC One, directed by Lesley Manning, written by Stephen Volk, IMDB page

“Ghostwatch” on streaming service SHUDDER

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