Did anyone see this ghost play from the 70s shown on BBC4 the other night? For those who didn't- it was about an electronics company that moves into an old scottish castle. They need to develope a new sound storage device to replace tape (remember this was 1972) and compete with the Japanese. They find that the place is haunted and they decide to try and figure out the process of how the haunting takes place with electronic gear they have.
They come to the conclusion that the sounds and visions are actually stored in the crystals of the stone walls, hey presto a new electronic sound storage device. As they try to figure out how to create these sounds etc they awaken something older and more deadly.
It was very atmospheric and intelligent. Its repeated this week on BBC4

Oooo that sounds good!

do you know when its repeated please!

Yip Dax, its actually on tomorrow night...... The Stone Tape, Sunday 19 Oct, BBC4 at 11:10pm.
But before it at 10:30pm on the same channel is a documentory about the writer which is very interesting too. He created and wrote the Quatermass stuff.

cheers Eckie!

I watched and was suitably impressed!

thought it started off very much like a 70's Dr Who cross radio 4 afternoon play, once I started to get into it I had to watch the end.

very good, glad I stayed awake to see it!

Yes it was unusual enough to keep you watching, would be interesting to see an updated version.

was watching ghost hunters today and they talked about the stone tape theories!

thanks to you Eckie I actually knew what they were dicussing!

No probs Dax, just out of interest...... some years ago some scientists were trying out this stone tape theory in a very old pub near us on the local moors. They did their experiments in an unused upstairs room and did indeed pick up very clear sounds. Someone lent me an audio tape copy and I must say that it was quite frightening. There was one very audible moan, sounds of barrels going down steps, people arguing etc.
All this was recorded late at night in a locked up room. Japanese tv came over, there was a documentory made but I think it was only shown on local BBC. There is another legendery haunted place nearby called Sker House which inspired the story of The Maid of Sker. It would be interesting to do recordings there I imagine!!

A scientist researched this. He had an artist paint a picture and using a very sensitive pickup device he said he had found sounds embedded in the surface of the paint.

Interesting Neighboured, imagine what could be picked up from some paintings, could be mindblowing. I remember reading somewhere that sounds could be played off pottery that had been created with a potters wheel, as vibrations had been set in the clay when it was wet, like a vinyl record.
When you think about sounds and vision being recorded somehow in walls it doesn't seem that far fetched as audio and video tape contain crystal, this is what stores the data I think I'm right in saying. Stone can contain similiar crystal.

Trying to remember if l saw this or if it was a plot device in a novel l once read

Have vague memories of a doco talking about places absorbing human emotion .... anyways l'm off for a couple of cold ones and a night of horror movies