We have a whole array of technology here with us...

Greetings Ghostwatchers!

Randomly happening upon the following types of fine details is always thrilling for me, for some reason. It's a bit like revisiting an old unfinished jigsaw puzzle, picking up some strange irregular piece that looks like it will never fit, then somehow it does, and you can put the pair of scissors back in the drawer, Ted.

During National Séance 2024 (in which, Pipes Peepers/Phobes/Procrastinators, we trended #10 on the leaderboards), X user @EnglishDamsel somehow identified the exact magazine that Suzanne can be seen reading in the sisters' bedroom around 15 mins into the programme.

Naturally, I felt compelled to pick up a £14 copy, perfectly preserved from July 1992, that originally cost £2.50 (the value of these things is just skyrocketing!) I must admit, in anticipation of putting together this article, for a moment, I thought I was writing for another blog.

As you can see, there are a number of pages that ably confirm this eagle-eyed discovery. In narrative terms, it also presents an interesting take on Suzanne herself as being a bit of a techie. These machines were something of an investment back in the day, certainly compared to the more popular consoles of the time. I cannot help but wonder as to her reaction on witnessing the electronic onslaught of the BBC invading their humble home. Was it daunting, or fascinating to her? What might she have become if it weren't for Pipes' dastardly schemes? A programmer? App developer? IT Support at Reynolm Industries?

Due to my increasingly old age, I cannot precisely recall how I first learned of the make/model computer that can be seen in the Earlys' living room during Ghostwatch (it might have been IMDb or similar.) But thanks to the diligence of others, we know that it was a Commodore, in all likelihood from the CBM II range. Specifically, a CBM-610, the European version of a B-128 - a 42-year-old 8-bit machine that was among the first personal computers to grace many a British home. I still treasure my old workhorse, the A500+, which carries only the fondest memories of D-Paint, LSD Grapevine, Cannon Fodder, Worms, IK+, Soccer Kid, Lotus, Zool, Turrican, The Chaos Theory, Wings, Spiv, Paperboy, PGA Tour Golf, Lemmings, Rick Dangerous, Sensible Soccer, Deluxe Galaga, James Pond, Bart Vs The Space Mutants, Batman, Ghostbusters II, Alien3, Beneath a Steel Sky, Dreamweb, Stunt Car Racer, LeChuck's Revenge, and not forgetting that tactful PD thought-provoker, RoboCop Goes To Iraq.

As you can see, both the computer and 'Dizzy' game were specified in the production booklet for Ghostwatch for that particular day's filming. Michelle Wesson can be seen sitting in front of the computer just under halfway through the evening's live broadcast, but no game can ever be seen running to my recollection.

I reached out to Richard Drew, production designer, to try and find out where the computer itself was sourced...

"I imagine it was through a BBC tech resource. Nowadays, there are companies providing computers for TV, but back then it was in its infancy - the only company it could have been is Compuhire... they have definitely been about since the mid 90s."

So, there you have it. With huge thanks to everyone who made this year's National Seance so special, @EnglishDamsal, and @DickyDrew.

Until next time, Ghostwatchers, try not to have sleepless nights...