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Daily Record
Daily Record
Entertainment
Siobhan Macdonald

Ghostwatch remembered 30 years on as terrifying show led to teen taking own life

It's been 30 years since the controversial Ghostwatch mockumentary aired on the telly on Halloween.

On October 31, 1992, viewers at home tuned into the BBC to watch what they thought was a live broadcast investigating a series of disturbing poltergeist events at a house in Greater London. The "broadcast" was hosted by the legendary Michael Parkinson, alongside TV couple Mike Smith and Sarah Greene.

The film featured paranormal expert Dr. Lin Pascoe as she attempted to rationalise a haunting shown on "home video footage". As the show continued, viewers saw the pragmatic presenters come to the realisation that something sinister was at play.

Viewers were left terrified after the mockumentary aired (BBC)

Viewers sat terrified watching "the most haunted house in Britain" where Pamela Early and her two daughters were being tormented by a poltergeist. The presenters acted as on-site investigators, darting around the house with a camera crew in tow while speaking to the terrified family haunted by a malicious ghost called Pipes - named after the location in the house the children heard noises from.

The show, which was created by horror writer Stephen Volk, was pioneering and ahead of its time. It even asked the public to phone in with their own experiences with ghosts and offered a message explaining the show wasn't real.

Blurring the lines between fiction and reality, Ghostwatch caused huge backlash from unsuspecting viewers at home who were fooled by the dupe. The backlash was intense and reportedly sparked over 30,000 phone complaints within an hour from terrified viewers.

Martin Denham took his own life after watching Ghostwatch (Sunday Mercury/Reach Plc)

While the production team wanted it to look realistic, unfortunately, not everyone realised Ghostwatch was indeed fiction. Just five days after it aired, a teenager took his own life after his parents said he became "hypnotised and obsessed" by the show.

In Nottingham, April and Percy Denham watched the programme with their two sons, Martin, 18, and Gavin, 14 when their eldest became agitated throughout the broadcast.

"He sort of curled up while watching it. We asked if he was alright, but he seemed hypnotised by it," Mrs Denham told the BBC in 2017. Following the show, Martin's family noticed a change in him as he seemed to be acting strangely.

Martin Denham took his own life in 1992 after seeing Ghostwatch (Sunday Mercury/Reach PLC)

Just five days after Ghostwatch aired, Martin killed himself. The note found in his pocket, addressed to his mother, read: "If there is ghosts I will now be one and I will always be with you as one".

"He seemed entranced with the talk of ghosts," Mrs Denham added. "He seemed a bit upset because things were happening at that time in the house that had been happening [on Ghostwatch]. The pipes were banging," his stepfather added.

"It's still just one big mystery and he isn't here so I'm not able to ask him," Mrs Denham says. "Martin was happy. He had never had any problems - he had got a girlfriend and a job and had got everything to live for."

The BBC has since distanced itself from Ghostwatch.

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