Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains

Greetings, Ghostwatchers! Before our big annual news update arrives later this month, we thought you might like to check out the latest special issue of SFX that just hit newsstands nationwide... On sale from the 27th of this month, the SFX A-Z of Sci-Fi TV comes complete with 6 free gifts (including badges, postcards and a poster) and a four-page cover article by Steve O'Brien on Ghostwatch . Not only that, but we hear there's also a very special mention for Behind the Curtains ... A full 124 pages of the best TV from past, present and future can be yours for only £7.99 in print form - with digital versions available too. For more info, click here to visit sfx.co.uk !

Since yesterday, I must've said 'Thank-You', 'Cheers' or 'Ta' several dozen times (at least!) to everyone who joined in last night's festivities, so I promise, this is absolutely the very last time I'll say it again... THANK YOU!   In short, NS12 went astronomically well. We always have a great time, but BLIMEY - this year, the response was huge..! The comments were amazing. And the atmos was indefinably palpable. And thanks to the efforts and hard work from Twitter legends, @vixxxster @jamesgrime @farzey (and Indie Mae and Daniel Ford on Facebook) the stats are now available for all to see: 1,467 tweets 755,738 impressions 191,449 followers reached within the past 24 hours And not only that, but at one point, we were trending on the nationwide UK Twitter list - at least, sixth from the top with several hundred messages all coming through at once (though BtC supporter Daniel Ford has reported at one point,...

631,238,400 seconds. 10,520,640 minutes. 175,344 hours. 7306 days. 1043 weeks. 20 years. Happy Hallowe'en, Ghostwatchers - and also, Happy Twentieth Anniversary to Ghostwatch ! To mark this momentous occasion (and also National Séance 2012 which kicks off at 9:25pm tonight), our new Gloryhole page has been updated with practically EVERY Ghostwatch Story ever sent in to the BtC project - from our humble beginnings on YouTube around 2007(ish), onward. Many thanks as always to everyone who sent in a message! Ghostwatch Stories are one of the defining aspects of the show's legacy and have helped keep the old 'Hallowe'en Hoax' firmly in the public consciousness now for *just* over two decades. At some point, most of us have felt compelled to share our experiences (or even make a film!) concerning the show, and when combined, I think you'll agree, they make for some pretty fascinating reading. We've really enjoyed checking them out and hope to see m...

During today's Hallowe'en edition of popular, kids' TV, nostalgia fest, 12 Again , a few of the interviewees discussed their experiences with spooky TV - ranging from The X Files to Most Haunted , 999 to Worzel Gummidge, and even Ghostwatch . It's truly remarkable how clips from one of the most infamous British Horrors can wind up being broadcast during the CBBC time-slot (how times have changed..!). Least of all when you consider the twenty year long (to date) gap between initial broadcast and now (which has yet to see a single repeat in full). Still, nice to see the show getting a mention in time for Hallowe'en. To check out the Spooky Special for yourself, click the image below and head to the 22:10 mark. Just be sure to shake your head incredulously when the "zombie" line comes up.

Here we go... Be sure to head on over to SFX.co.uk if you want to catch the exclusive premiere of the trailer for Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains - the upcoming retrospective documentary that's been five... actually, make that, twenty years in the making..! Release date is currently 2012 (in time for the show's 20th Anniversary) with more news on that front hopefully coming very soon indeed. Yes. If you can believe it, the finish line is finally in sight. Thank you so much for your support. Lesley Manning and I can't wait to show you what we've made together. Special thanks goes to Arfon Jones who created the wonderful original artwork for our announcement poster!

Another little gem here, sent in from Rear Admiral Lieutenant General Symes of G&T Towers. In fact, it's something of a revelation... LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Craig Charles did not star in Ghostwatch . His role, was in fact, entirely portrayed by on-screen double, Lloyd Mullaney. And that's a hundred-percent true, that. It seems that during last night's episode of Coronation Street (specifically, the 7.30pm episode on Monday 1st Oct), a handful of old photographs were presented as undeniable proof that lovable character, Lloyd is father to a long-lost daughter, or something. And wouldn't you know it, one snapshot clearly shows old Doormouse Cheeks at the house in Foxhill Drive (specifically, the Early Family's kitchen), grinning away into camera with his own inimitable brand of chirpy, gerbil-faced optimism. Not only that, but this strangely-reminiscent image appears to bear a striking resemblance to the very same informative screen-grab headlining Craig's...

C U R T A I N S That special time of year, which brings a chill to your skin Has at long last arrived, twenty-twelve, ten months in Particularly unsettling, if by fortune, you are A fan of the show Ghostwatch , which left many a scar On the trusting minds of millions, both youthful and old And which, naturally, led to tall tales being told Some true, some false, but most of them, thrilling Like that man under the stairs, his face always grinning From behind jagged scars, crimson cuts and deep wounds Torn open by felines whom he obsessively groomed Fastidiously, hypnotically, as if in a trance   Hold up, wait a tick! What was that I just glanced? Swathed in a dark robe, buttoned up to the neck Look what I've become - a near-nervous wreck There's nothing there now, likely neither before My mind just playing tricks, as I open the door To my bedroom, oddly cold, with crisp frost on the floor My ears pick up a snarl, a meow and a hiss My hand starts to tremble, ...

Host, Jimmy Carr Greetings, Ghostwatchers! So... last night, just as I was falling head over heels for the girl in the new Ikea advert (...ahem), this message came through from BtC supporter, @Snarglepip via Twitter: Ooo nice @Ghostwatch question on big fat 90s quiz there! ...And just like that, +1 channels suddenly make a whole lotta sense. About an hour later (on C4+1, naturally), presenter Jimmy Carr asked his three teams of celebrity panelists on The Big Fat Quiz of the 90s the following question... again. "Sarah Greene was 'killed' in a basement, and Michael Parkinson was 'possessed' by an angry ghost called 'Pipes' in which "legendary" TV show?" Okay, let's get the nitpicking right out of the way. Technically, Sarah 'disappeared' into The Gloryhole (not counting the revelation of her eventual fate in ' 31/10 '). Also, The Gloryhole itself isn't a basement, rather an under-stairs cupboard. Plus, within the ...

I'm not a sceptic. I'm not a believer. I'm open-minded. Sometimes, things can be explained. Sometimes, they cannot. Any true-life oddity that, despite all efforts, remains intangibly inexplicable suggests to me that the average human mind is either somehow incomplete or deeply flawed in its problem-solving capacity. Now, I'm cool with that (being unavoidably ignorant). It's not like everything needs explaining, anyway. To paraphrase our old pal, So'crates, "The only true wisdom comes from knowing you know nothing". But saying that... ...HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS SUDDENLY APPEARING ON THE BACK OF MY SHIRT WHEN NO-ONE HAS TOUCHED MY BACK ALL DAY? Genuinely spooked by this one, dear readers. Even stranger is that the mystery mark staunchly refuses to come off. Unless someone recently dipped their fingertips in bleach and snuck up behind me with the silent grace of a ninja-trained xenomorph, I truly cannot see how this came to pass - not to mentio...

Well, now. Yesterday, Lesley Manning, Stephen Volk, Richard Broke and I convened somewhere in London to watch a near final cut of a certain retrospective documentary project... It went well. Very well. More soon!

Greetings Ghostwatchers! As if fact hasn't crossed over into fiction enough around these here parts, check out this spooky scene recently caught on camera by writer/creator, Stephen Volk - who admits to being "genuinely terrified" at the time of taking it. Irrefutable proof of life after death? Some kind of intense psychomagnatheric disturbance? Or perhaps just indicative of a distinct lapse in essential window maintenance? You decide...

Greetings, Ghostwatchers! Another quick heads-up here in case you missed Stephen Volk's interview earlier today on BBC Radio Bristol's The Sunday Show ( in anticipation of his upcoming CineMe event at The Tobacco Factory, Bristol this Tuesday ). The interview is currently available to check out in all its audible glory - just head on over to the site , hit LISTEN NOW and forward to the 1.07.15 mark. Enjoy!

Greetings, Ghostwatchers! Just a quick heads up that CineMe will be hosting an entire evening with Ghostwatch screenwriter, Stephen Volk, on Tuesday, May 1st starting at 20:00 at The Tobacco Factory , Bristol. Topics in the Q&A will likely touch upon The Awakening , Afterlife and apparently, some 'Hallowe'en hoax' he wrote back in the nineties... Doors open at 19:30. For more info, click on the flyer, left, or visit Stephen's site here .

Greetings, Ghostwatchers! Thanks to increasing popular demand over the years, we are proud to announce the opening of our brand-new Ghostwatch Merchandise Store! Be sure to head on over to our new SHOP page for all manner of Hallowe'en-related goodies, including exclusive to this site: Mr. Pipes ™ Collector's Figure - £19.92 As seen on the BBC's notorious Hallowe'en spoof, Ghostwatch ! Fully-poseable 12-inch collector's figure. Features authentic feline scratches, silk-effect robe and built-in sound FX - push the button on Pipes' ™ back for realistic flesh-eating cat sounds or turn the figure upside down to hear the classic nursery rhyme, "Round and round the garden" in Mother Seddons '™ voice! Comes complete with highly-detailed base, spring-loaded 'Gloryhole' cupboard door to surprise your friends, and 1/8 scale favourite pet cat, Fluffy™ - plus miniature Hallowe'en pumpkin and apples on string for full "pol...

If our recent Series X article wasn't enough (before you ask, no we're not slowly turning into a Red Dwarf fan site...), the notoriously modest Rear Admiral Lieutenant General Symes from Ganymede & Titan recently stumbled upon this gem from Issue 9 of the classic Smegazine collection from 1992. For those not in the know, two volumes worth of Smegazines , originally entitled The Red Dwarf Magazine , were published between 1992 and 1994, and are now considered to be serious collector's items among merchandise-hungry fans. Often showcasing rich and varied content, articles ranged from original & adapted comic stories, sneak peaks of upcoming episodes, and reports covering related cast projects, etc. Funnily enough, this particular issue is dated, 'November 1992', but I've been reliably informed that Issue 9 was actually published in late October - just in time for broadcast. Enjoy!

Last December, I was fortunate enough to be part of the live studio audience for the very first episode of Red Dwarf X to be filmed at Shepperton Studios. Neatly bookending my experience (to say the least!), on Friday, I attended the final show, too. Since 1988, thanks largely to strong viewing figures and an impossibly loyal and dedicated fan-base , this acclaimed sci-fi/comedy series has proven itself to be more resilient than a lump-hammered Talkie Toaster ™ . Famously, during rehearsals on the first series, an electricians' strike very nearly pulled the plug on the entire project before it even had chance to air. A three-year hiatus between later series would also keep fans guessing as to the programme's future and possible change in direction - culminating with the BBC rather tactlessly admitting they were "no longer interested in the audience [the show] used to attract" . But ultimately, and thankfully, these setbacks did little to dissuade digital cha...