I was sooooooo delighted to be one of the questions in the Horror Quiz in the programme for "Ghost Stories", the marvellous new theatrical creation by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson now showing at the Lyric, Hammersmith. Q17: "What is the name of the ghost in the BBC's seminal drama Ghostwatch?" Go see the show. I saw it last night. It's great, creepy fun. Truly, not to be missed. For more details about "Ghost Stories" at the Lyric, click here
7 March 2010
I can now also be contacted on the British Fantasy Society Forum at the newly set up board called "Ask the Authors". Drop by. I'm in good company. Here is the link.
My Rhondda Radio interview will now be taking place on Tuesday (9 March) at 10PM. Listen online at: www.rhonddaradio.com.
Also, some really nice words about me and my work on Undead Backbrain (roberthood.net) (Robert has, like me, written a story for Exotic Gothic 3: scroll down to "News" for 29 December last.)
16 February 2010
As I posted recently on FaceBook, the gallery piece I created with my wife Pat, our "Cabinet of the Lost & Found", has caused quite a stir at New Brewery Arts in Cirencester. Two visitors said they were "APPALLED!" by it and thought it should be "BURNT!" (no less). Why? I can only presume it's because one of the drawers contains a syringe labelled "Blood of a fallen angel". Well... as they say in showbiz: Thats' Cirencester.
10 February 2010
Congratulations to Tim Lebbon, Chris Golden and James Moore, editors of "British Invasion", a cracking anthology which made it onto the Bram Stoker Awards longlist of the Horror Writers Association. (I'm proud to have written the Introduction.)
5 February 2010
Delighted with the review of my novella "Vardoger" at this this web site.
3 February 2010
You can read all about my personal selection of Horror's "Hidden Treasures" in the new SFX Magazine Horror Special. In shops now!
28 January 2010
A future screening of "Ghostwatch" plus Q&A with myself and director Lesley Manning in Camden, London, 11 May 2010. For more details go to: www.theinvisibledot.com.
9 January 2010
Check out this link to CKUA radio: an interview with Jeff Campbell and Charles Prepolec, editors of "Gaslight Grotesque: Nightmare Tales of Sherlock Holmes" discussing my story in that collection: "Hounded".
29 December 2009
You can read my latest short story, called "From The Lips of Lazarus", in Exotic Gothic 3 edited by Danel Olson, published by Ash Tree Press. (This is actually an extract from an as-yet unpublished novel The Gospel According To Lazarus.) The anthology also contains stories by, amongst others, my mates Steve Duffy, Simon Clark, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Adam Nevill and Barbara Roden.
23 December 2009
Mark Kermode has taken Ghostwatch's name in vain! How dare he! Anyway, he who laughs last... heh, heh... and thanks for this Xmas re-edit, Rich! Merry Christmas, Ghostwatchers! :-)
22 December 2009
Article about Sherlock Holmes, editors Charles Prepolec and Jeff Campbell, and the anthology "Gaslight Grotesque" (containing my story "Hounded") in the Calgary Herald.
5 December 2009
Just found this comment on Mark Kermode's blog (BBC film critic):
"It's not just you, Mark. I too wasn't particularly scared by Paranormal Activity, although I admit that there were a couple of nice jumpy moments.
"And I think it's for the same general reason - when you've seen the tricks before, then the shock value is infinitely less. The comparison for me is with the amazing BBC TV drama from 20-odd years ago "Ghostwatch" which used much the same techniques - start out with little things and gradually crank it up. Although that was far more scary because it was presented as a "live" studio show, not as a drama, which a movie can never manage."
1 December 2009
Wow!! Today a review in The Stage said that this year's biggest mega-smash supernatural hit movie Paranormal Activity isn't as scary as my own Ghostwatch. "What really killed it for me was the thought I'd seen the whole concept done so much better. By the BBC, in fact, in 1992's Ghostwatch."
Paranormal Activity? Pah. Sarah Greene is scarier
31 October 2009
If you fancy watching the whole of Ghostwatch courtesy of YouTube, click here
If you'd like to read about Halloween and Ghostwatch on Britishfilms.com, click here
If you'd like to read Peter Tennant's blog on Ghostwatch and Halloween, click here
29 October 2009
I was astonished to hear a clip from Ghostwatch on Radio 4 this morning! It was on Reece Shearsmith's Haunted House discussing scary TV and radio: he is clearly a fan. Excellent! Mark Gattiss called Ghostwatch "genius" and particularly liked the name of the ghost: "Pipes". Vic Reeves had never heard of it - (also excellent!) Here's the link if you want to catch it (for the next seven days):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nfsjy#synopsis
Also, if you missed my appearance on "Ghosts in the Machine" on Tuesday it is repeated on Friday at 10.35 on BBC Four, or you can catch it via BBC i-player.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00nk9yw/Ghosts_in_the_Machine/
25 October 2009
My three favourite novellas, posted here:
http://ttapress.com/712/their-favourite-novellas/0/5/
24 October 2009
I will be appearing next Tuesday night October 27 on BBC Four at 21.00hrs on a programme called "Ghosts in the Machine" about the depiction of ghosts on television. I was interviewed alongside director Lesley Manning about Ghostwatch. It sounds interesting; though I was bemused when they asked me my opinion of Rentaghost!
22 October 2009
You can read a review by Peter Tennant of my new novella "Vardoger" in Black Static #13 (Oct/Nov 2009). Out now. The issue also contains my latest Electric Darkness piece, "That's The Way To Do It".
5 October 2009
This year, I was thrilled to be asked by the prestigious Screenwriters' Festival to give a talk about the creation and impact of my TV Halloween "hoax" Ghostwatch.
The SWF (which runs from 26-29 October and takes place at Cheltenham Ladies' College) brings together international screenwriters and the industry in which they work, to a single dedicated event. "It provides an atmosphere where writers can meet directors, producers, agents, as well as have a chance to listen and learn from the best in the business with screenings, talks and workshops."
My session on Ghostwatch is on the Wednesday, October 28, at 10.30-11.30 (subject to change). More details can be seen here:
http://www.screenwritersfestival.com/
Also, Mark Morris has just announced that "Cinema Futura", the science-fiction follow-up to the British Fantasy Award-winning "Cinema Macabre", will be published by PS Publishing in September 2010. The book, edited by Mark, will contain sixty essays by an all-new line-up of genre aficionados, each of whom will spend 1000 words or so gushing about a favourite science-fiction movie.
I'm proud to say I am one of those writers, and the film I will be gushing about will be Westworld (1973). For more details go to:
Happily, FantasyCon is looming in the wing mirror (18-20 September). I'll be there to launch and sign copies of "Vardøger" and hopefully to do a reading. I will also, I'm told, be sitting on a panel discussing the end of the world (in fiction, luckily) alongside Tim Lebbon. So if you are capable (as opposed to incapable by that stage) come along: it's at midnight on the Saturday.
I am also involved in the Arts Festival "Tell Tale Trail" in my home town of Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. On Tuesday 22 Sept at 7.30 I will be talking about short story writing alongside New York Times best-selling novelist Simon R. Green and acclaimed novelist and children's author Jasper Bark. Then on Saturday 26 Sept at 6.00 we three will be joined by other local writers to read from our work. Come along! Somebody has to.
http://www.theartsfestival.co.uk/
23 August 2009
My new novella "Vardøger" is now available for pre-order from Gray Friar Press.
100 signed limited hardcovers.
300 unsigned trade paperbacks.
A chilling psychological thriller, "Vardøger" is Gray Matter Novella #5 in the series (after "Rain" by Conrad Williams, "Hard Roads" by Steve Vernon, "The Appetite" by Nicholas Royle, and "Groaning Shadows" by Paul Finch).
17 August 2009
I have a story coming out in the British Fantasy Society Yearbook 2009; the first in the BFS's new series of exclusive annual anthologies.
"Twenty writers -- from seasoned award-winners to rising stars -- offer twenty never before published tales, offering a broad sample of stories with imagination the only limit." Nearly three hundred, hard-bound pages, 100,000 words of "the best in speculative fiction" from:
JAMES BARCLAY, ALLYSON BIRD, ANDREW CARTMEL, MARK CHADBOURN, CHRISTOPHER FOWLER, GARY FRY, GARRY KILWORTH, TIM LEBBON, STEVE LOCKLEY, JULIET E. MCKENNA, GARY MCMAHON, MARK MORRIS, ADAM L. G. NEVILL, DANIEL O'MAHONY, SARAH PINBOROUGH, NICHOLAS ROYLE, ROBERT SHEARMAN, STEPHEN VOLK, KAARON WARREN and CONRAD WILLIAMS.
My story is called "After the Ape" and I'm really delighted to be in such illustrious company within those covers.
The only way to own a copy is by being a member of the British Fantasy Society: it is given free exclusively to members and will never appear for sale.
The book will hopefully be launched at FantasyCon 2009 in Nottingham (Sept 18-20), with many of the contributing authors gathered under one roof and available to sign copies of the book. (I certainly will be!).
10 August 2009
Delighted to announce I have a story I'm very proud of, called "Hounded", in the upcoming anthology "Gaslight Grotesque: Nightmare Tales of Sherlock Holmes" edited by Charles Prepolec and Jeff Campbell (Edge Publishing); due to be out in November.
See here for more details and to pre-order:Gaslight Grotesque Blogspot