Taking some inspiration from Orson Welles and his infamous War Of The Worlds broadcast of 1938, the makers of Ghostwatch admit that their show aimed for authenticity. This was years before The Blair Witch Project, so the vérité “shaky cam” approach to horror was not yet familiar to the show’s 11 million viewers. Ghostwatch centered around the Earlys, a North London clan being plagued by a malevolent ghost called Pipes. It was later revealed that Pipes had taken possession of the airwaves. To lend credence to this outrageous story, Ghostwatch recruited several real, recognizable BBC personalities, including figures known from news and children’s shows. In the aftermath of the show, this was found to be an important factor in terrifying viewers, especially younger ones. Kids may not have the best grasp of what’s real and what’s fictional, and Ghostwatch simply blurred the line too much. Volk’s stunt had worked, but ultimately it was far too effective for anyone’s good.