BBC show so terrifying it was banned and never aired again - but fans want it back

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A TV programme that left an indelible mark on viewers for its chilling content was deemed too horrifying for the BBC to rebroadcast.The one-time mockumentary Ghostwatch, which aired on BBC1 on Halloween night in 1992, caused such a stir that the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) described it as excessively distressing and graphic, saying it created "a sense of menace".Despite this, the show received acclaim for its originality, with presenters like Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene at the helm, and is credited by some as a precursor to 'found footage' horror films such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield.

Following Parkinson's passing last August, there have been fresh calls, as we previously reported, for Ghostwatch to be shown again after more than three decades.The premise of the show involved a documentary team delving into the paranormal activity of "the most haunted house in Britain", inspired by the real-life Enfield Poltergeist case in London from 1977 to 1979.

Although presented as a drama, Ghostwatch mimicked the format of a conventional BBC documentary, featuring four familiar presenters - Parkinson, Greene, her spouse Mike Smith, and Craig Charles.It centred around two sisters, Kim and Suzanne Early, tormented by Pipes, a poltergeist in their London residence.

Viewers were invited to phone in with their own ghostly encounters, with a pre-recorded message then clarifying that the show was purely fictional.