first of all to set the scene for those who have not seen this and may not be familiar with the presenting cast. This program was presented by the hugely respected Micheal Parkinson who to this day is on of the most popular figures on British TV. Mike Smith and Sarah Greene who are married in real life (this adds to the suspense in later parts of the program) Both of whom at the time were popular and regular figures on British TV. Then there is Craig Charles of Red Dwarf fame who while not as well known was a recogniseable figure of the day.
The program was billed and advertised as a live experiment/investigation of events that had been taken place in a house surrounding a family that were being terrorised by a Ghost called pipes. Sarah was based in the house itself, Craig on the street outside, Micheal in the studio and Mike on the call centre.
As the program progressed apparent calls from the public were read out and various sightings of pipes were seen by viewers. Members of the public were interviewed and a paranormal investigator was present in the studio along with a link to a sceptic based in NYC.
The action slowly builds up to a conclusion that is utterly terrifying and although the eventual ending was a little disappointing the way in which the tension is built up through the course of the show is utterly amazing.
It is easy to see why a nation was duped into believing this was real at the time although now it is quite obvious as the acting is pretty hammy. As someone who saw it originally and have since seen it on DVD I still find the impact of it thrilling even though I know it was fake and was staged.
For the the people who want will be seeing this for the first time you have to appreciate its setting and the time it was set also remember that the budgets of TV programmes in 1992 were not what they are now, even for the BBC.
This was probably the best night of Halloween TV ever nothing has even come close to it. It is highly recommended and a must see hokey acting and all.
The program was billed and advertised as a live experiment/investigation of events that had been taken place in a house surrounding a family that were being terrorised by a Ghost called pipes. Sarah was based in the house itself, Craig on the street outside, Micheal in the studio and Mike on the call centre.
As the program progressed apparent calls from the public were read out and various sightings of pipes were seen by viewers. Members of the public were interviewed and a paranormal investigator was present in the studio along with a link to a sceptic based in NYC.
The action slowly builds up to a conclusion that is utterly terrifying and although the eventual ending was a little disappointing the way in which the tension is built up through the course of the show is utterly amazing.
It is easy to see why a nation was duped into believing this was real at the time although now it is quite obvious as the acting is pretty hammy. As someone who saw it originally and have since seen it on DVD I still find the impact of it thrilling even though I know it was fake and was staged.
For the the people who want will be seeing this for the first time you have to appreciate its setting and the time it was set also remember that the budgets of TV programmes in 1992 were not what they are now, even for the BBC.
This was probably the best night of Halloween TV ever nothing has even come close to it. It is highly recommended and a must see hokey acting and all.