Show 33 – Ghostwatch

Yes, it’s Halloween! So to celebrate this spooky occasion we decided to watch this early-90s BBC ‘event’.

Ghostwatch was a controversial British horror-mockumentary broadcast on BBC One on October 31 1992. Although never repeated in Britain it was shown by the Canadian digital channel SCREAM on Halloween 2004 and several subsequent occasions.

Originally conceived by writer Stephen Volk as a six-part drama in which a fictional paranormal investigator and a TV reporter investigate poltergeist activity at a North London housing estate, gradually discovering more elements of the mystery each week. This would have culminated in the final episode in a live TV broadcast from the property. However, when producer Ruth Baumgarten doubted the viability of an entire mini-series and recommended instead a 90-minute TV special, Volk suggested that they “do the whole thing like Episode Six”, portraying it as an actual “live” broadcast fronted by well-known TV personalities.

The BBC, however, became concerned over the effect the broadcast would have on the public and very nearly pulled the show shortly before broadcast. Ultimately they insisted on adding opening credits including the writer’s name, in addition to a Screen One title sequence.

You can download the episode direct by clicking here.

We’re back in two weeks with our next Doctor Who show, The Space Museum.

Here’s a clip of the last few minutes. DON’T watch it if you’re going to try and get hold of a copy…

Trick or treat!

David Tennant IS Leaving Doctor Who!

9.28pm

According to a news report from the official Doctor Who website:

David Tennant has announced that he will leave the award winning BBC drama Doctor Who when he has completed the filming of four special episodes which will be screened in 2009 and early in 2010.

David Tennant first appeared as The Doctor in 2005 and has gone on to star in three series and three Christmas specials as the tenth incarnation of the Time Lord. The BBC has confirmed that David will continue to play The Doctor in the four specials that will make up the 2009 series before a new Doctor takes over for Series 5. Tennant will also star in the Doctor Who Christmas Special titled The Next Doctor this year.

David Tennant comments “I’ve had the most brilliant, bewildering and life changing time working on Doctor Who. I have loved every day of it. It would be very easy to cling on to the TARDIS console forever and I fear that if I don’t take a deep breath and make the decision to move on now, then I simply never will. You would be prising the TARDIS key out of my cold dead hand. This show has been so special to me, I don’t want to outstay my welcome.

“This is all a long way off, of course. I’m not quitting, I’m back in Cardiff in January to film four special episodes which will take Doctor Who all the way through 2009. I’m still the Doctor all next year but when the time finally comes I’ll be honoured to hand on the best job in the world to the next lucky git – whoever that may be.

“I’d always thought the time to leave would be in conjunction with Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner who have been such a huge part of it all for me. Steven Moffat is the most brilliant and exciting writer, the only possible successor to Russell and it was sorely tempting to be part of his amazing new plans for the show. I will be there, glued to my TV when his stories begin in 2010.

“I feel very privileged to have been part of this incredible phenomenon, and whilst I’m looking forward to new challenges I know I’ll always be very proud to be the Tenth Doctor.”

Russell T Davies Executive Producer of Doctor Who comments “I’ve been lucky and honoured to work with David over the past few years – and it’s not over yet, the Tenth Doctor still has five spectacular hours left! After which, I might drop an anvil on his head. Or maybe a piano. A radioactive piano. But we’re planning the most enormous and spectacular ending, so keep watching!”

Doctor Who returns to our screens on BBC this Christmas. The Next Doctor starring David Tennant, David Morrissey and Dervla Kirwan will be screened on the 25th December on BBC1.

Oven Chips

For those of you hooked, like me, on Dead Set, here is a quick preview of tonight’s episode (3)…

Battlefield DVD

Okay, so the details have been announced. Due for release on the 29th of December.

Previously released on VHS in an extended version (adding back four scenes from an earlier edit), Battlefield has never been commercially released in its original transmitted form. For the story’s DVD debut, the Restoration Team have decided to follow the successful Curse of Fenric model, presenting the story-as-transmitted on one disc and a movie-format extended edit with revised video effects and 5.1 audio on a second disc. Mark Ayres is again responsible for the new version, this time using the surviving tapes of the first edit to put the show back into script order as much as possible – in other words, to present a version closer to writer Ben Aaronovitch’s original screenplay.

Extras are:

• Commentary with actors Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Courtney and Angela Bruce, writer Ben Aaronovitch and script editor Andrew Cartmel.

• Storm Over Avallion (dur. 22′ 30″) – cast and crew talk about the making of ‘Battlefield’. With Actors Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Courtney, Jean Marsh, Angela Bruce and Marcus Gilbert, director Michael Kerrigan, writer Ben Aaronovitch and script editor Andrew Cartmel. 

• Past and Future King (dur. 12′ 00″) – Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel look back at how the story was commissioned and written, with additional comments from Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Courtney, Angela Bruce and Michael Kerrigan.

• Watertank (dur. 6′ 36″) – illustrated with behind the scenes footage of the actual event, Sophie Aldred and members of the cast and crew recall the on-set accident that happened during the making of ‘Battlefield’, when a glass water tank shattered with Sophie still inside it. With Sophie Aldred, Sylvester McCoy, Michael Kerrigan and Andrew Cartmel.

• Studio Recording (dur. 18′ 56″ ) – behind the scenes on the studio recording of Battlefield, taken from a VHS tape made from the live studio output.

• From Kingdom to Queen (dur. 8′ 06″) – actress Jean Marsh looks back on her three appearances in Doctor Who.

• Trails and Continuity (dur. 5′ 10″) – BBC1 trails and continuity announcements from the original and repeat transmissions.

• Photo Gallery (dur. 7′ 00″) – production and publicity photos from the story.

• Isolated Score – option to watch the story with the isolated music score.

• Season 26 Trailer (dur. 1′ 30″) – producer John Nathan-Turner’s specially commissioned teaser trailer for the press launch of the original run’s last season.

And as usual there’s the Coming Soon and Also Available trailers,  Radio Times Billings PDF, Programme subtitles and Subtitle Production Notes.

Zombies Released

Well, it’s only just launched our screens but Charlie Brooker’s Big Zombie hits the DVD shelves on Monday. Judging from what I’ve seen so far, I think I’ll be getting this…