10 Times TV Shows Got Too Real
8. Ghostwatch - Thousands Of People Complain About 'Live' Spoof Ghost Hunt They Thought Was Real
Back in the early '90s, audiences weren't anywhere near as cynical as the ones that plonk themselves in front of a 60" 4K monstrosity today.
If you need an example of this tendency to believe just about anything that was beamed onto their television sets at the time, I give you the glorious Ghostwatch drama of Halloween 1992.
During the episode in question, Sarah Greene and Craig Charles were seen reporting on a series of paranormal incidents being caused by something known as 'Pipes' in a North London household, with Michael Parkinson anchoring the show back in the studio. Only, this wasn't actually a genuine investigation/documentary, it was a spoof designed to spook people on Halloween night.
The good news was it worked. Brilliantly. However, the bad news was that over 20,000 people complained about said programme, one person went into labour due to being so frightened, and thousands sent in furious letters blasting the BBC for airing such a thing. A few children were even diagnosed with PTSD in the wake of the unsettling event.
Imagine how they would've reacted to Paranormal Activity...