Michael Parkinson once terrified the nation in show that has never been repeated on UK television

The sad news was announced today that TV legend Michael Parkinson had passed away.

A legendary broadcaster, the Yorkshireman is best known for interviewing the biggest stars of the moment, from Peter Kay and George Michael to Helen Mirren and Mohammed Ali.

But one of his most iconic, or should I say infamous, television moments came back in 1992 when Parky terrified the entire nation to the point that the show has never been repeated on UK television.

On Halloween night, way before Derek Acorah got involved, Parkinson and his team went on the search for the paranormal.

The premise of the show was pretty simple, presented as a live television special, it saw the 88-year-old and his fellow presenters go on the hunt for some ghouls, to finally prove their existence.

BBC

One of the ghost hunters even spends the night with a family who claims to have been haunted by a poltergeist called Pipes.

All of this goes on while viewers watching back at home were encouraged to get in touch with the show and share stories of their own.

And so realistic was Ghostwatch that the entire country fell for it, with over a million people phoning in.

However, it was a bit too believable - people were utterly terrified by it, and the BBC received dozens of complaints.

Ruling on the case, the Broadcasting Standards Commission said producers had made a 'deliberate attempt to cultivate a sense of menace'.

A report published in the British Medical Journal two years later detailed two cases of post-traumatic stress disorder recorded in two young boys as a result of the hoax.

BBC

The reports said: "The trauma in our two cases had been caused by the television programme the boys had watched.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder due to watching a television programme has not been reported previously... "

As a result of the outrage caused by Ghostwatch, over 30 years on from its original broadcast, it has never been repeated on UK television.

And following Parkinson's death, fans have been sharing their memories of watching it first time round or having sought it out in the dark recesses of the internet.

"Michael Parkinson took part in one of the greatest and scariest media pranks since Orson Welles convinced America aliens had landed," wrote one. "Do checkout Ghostwatch."

BBC

Another said: "RIP Michael Parkinson. To me you will always be remembered as the star of the investigative horror mockumentary Ghostwatch, which terrified a nation.

"A wonderful piece of art, wonderfully played by all involved. Of course the British press had a normal one after it aired."

"RIP Michael Parkinson," put a third. "He was ever so good at interviewing people. Not to mention Ghostwatch, which was a telly scare so terrifying that it traumatised me.

"However, it’s a trauma I look back on with fondness. Even though I have nam flashbacks at the sound of a radiator."

Demanding it be brought back finally, someone else added: "Very sad to hear about the death of Michael Parkinson. A national treasure gone. The BBC really ought to air Ghostwatch again in his honour. It’s an extraordinary performance from him."

Topics: UK News, TV and Film

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom