Ghostwatch (1992) with Elliot Chapman and George Daniel Lea
This time, George, Elliot and myself tackle the legendary and infamous Ghostwatch, created and aired by the BBC in 1992 much to their own horror. Written by Stephen Volk, directed by Lesley Manning.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostwatch
I would probably call this one of my very favourite pieces of uncanny media, brilliantly crafted, genuinely scary, and a veritable bottomless pit of implications. I don't find much disagreement from my co-hosts and, once again, our enthusiasm runs riot. We cover many topics from the BBC internal reaction, the public furore, media 'realism', gothic marxism, etc. We were even plagued during recording by terrifyingly appropriate technical glitches. Skype got media hauntological on our asses.
Once again, my backers get days of advance access.
Content warnings abound.
@_Jack_Graham_
@E11iotChapman
@EnigmaticElegy / http://www.strangeplaygrounds.com/ / https://www.youtube.com/user/ExaggeratedElegy
Comments (2)
I've seen Ghostwatch before and really enjoyed it at the time, but I hadn't fully considered the implications of the way it uses the signifiers of "authentic" TV programming to disrupt that very notion of authenticity. I've loved every episode of this podcast so far, but this one in particular has given me a whole new level of appreciation for a text I already thought was brilliant. Thanks Jack et al! On the subject of experimental BBC productions that subvert its ideology and get censured by it as a result, I think The War Game has to be the prime example. The conventions of "factual" television were in their infancy then, and yet Peter Watkins was already identifying them, critiquing the illusion of realism that they construct, and creating texts that actively disrupt them and confront the viewer with the contradictions inherent in them - no wonder they never commissioned him again! (Lesley Manning's reaction to the news coverage of the Gulf War that you discuss is strikingly similar to how Watkins was responding to the influx of 16mm news bulletins on Vietnam that were emerging at that time.)
Absolutely brilliant from start to finish. Thank you so much.