A Ghost Story for Christmas
| A Ghost Story for Christmas | |
|---|---|
| The image is the title screen of the adaptation of "Lost Hearts". A muddy trackway crosses a grass field. In the distance, a horse and carriage is emerging from a dense fog. The title "Lost Hearts" is superimposed over this in bold, white letters, with "by M.R. James" in smaller white letters underneath. Title screen of the 1973 adaptation of M.R. James's Lost Hearts | |
| Created by | Lawrence Gordon Clark |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 40-50 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 24 December 1971 – 25 December 1978 |
| Related | |
| Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968) | |
A Ghost Story for Christmas is a strand of yearly short television films originally shown on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and later revived in 2005 on BBC Four.[1][2] With one exception, the original installments were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and the films were all shot on 16mm colour film.[3] The remit behind the series was to provide a television adaptation of a classic ghost story referencing the oral tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas.[4]
Each installment is a separate adaptation of a short story, ranging from 30 to 50 minutes in duration and featured well-known British actors such as Clive Swift, Robert Hardy, Peter Vaughan, Edward Petherbridge and Denholm Elliott. The first five were adaptations of ghost stories by M. R. James, the sixth was based on a short story by Charles Dickens and the two final installments were original screenplays by Clive Exton and John Bowen respectively.[5]
An earlier black and white 1968 Omnibus adaptation of M.R. James's Whistle and I'll Come to You directed by Jonathan Miller is often cited as an influence upon the production of the yearly films, and is sometimes included in the canon.[1] The series was revived by BBC Four in 2005 with a new series of annual adaptations.[6]
Episode list
With the exception of the final film, the tales were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and produced by Rosemary Hill. The final 1978 episode was directed by Derek Lister, after which the series was discontinued.[7]
| Title | Author | UK broadcast date | Description |
| The Stalls of Barchester | M. R. James, adapted by Lawrence Gordon Clark | 24 December 1971 | An ambitious cleric murders an aged Archdeacon at Barchester Cathedral. However, he is soon being stalked by a sinister black cat and by a hooded figure both of whom seem to be embodiments of carvings on the cathedral's choir stalls.[5][8] |
| A Warning to the Curious | M. R. James, adapted by Lawrence Gordon Clark | 24 December 1972 | An amateur archaeologist travels to a remote seaside town in Norfolk to search for the lost crown of Anglia, but after unearthing it is haunted by a mysterious black figure.[9] |
| Lost Hearts | M. R. James, adapted by Robin Chapman | 25 December 1973 | An orphan moves into the house of his uncle, but is disturbed by visions of a pair of ghostly children. Is their message a warning to be fearful of his uncle's obsession with immortality?[5][8] |
| The Treasure of Abbot Thomas | M. R. James, adapted by John Bowen | 23 December 1974 | A respected theologian and his protege unearth clues to find the hidden treasure of a disgraced monk in an abbey library. Should he have heeded his own advice not to go treasure hunting?[8] |
| The Ash Tree | M. R. James, adapted by David Rudkin | 23 December 1975 | An aristocrat inherits his family estate and is haunted by visions of his ancestor's role in a witchcraft trial.[10] |
| The Signal-Man | Charles Dickens, adapted by Andrew Davies | 22 December 1976 | A railway signalman tells a curious traveller how he is being troubled by a ghostly spectre that seems to predict calamity.[11] |
| Stigma | Clive Exton | 28 December 1977 | After a young couple move into a remote country house, workmen accidentally disturb an ancient menhir, unleashing a supernatural force.[5] |
| The Ice House | John Bowen | 25 December 1978 | Residents at a health spa begin to suspect a strange flower growing in an old ice house in the grounds may be the cause of a series of misfortunes.[5] |
2005 revival
BBC Four revisited the series at Christmas 2004, and in 2005 began to produce new adaptations of M. R. James stories, shown along with repeats of episodes from the original 1970s series.[8]
| Title | Author | UK broadcast date | Description |
| A View from a Hill | M. R. James, adapted by Peter Harness | 23 December 2005 | A historian has a disturbing experience after borrowing a pair of binoculars belonging to a missing outcast and venturing up a notorious landmark.[6][8] |
| Number 13 | M. R. James, adapted by Justin Hopper | 22 December 2006 | An academic researcher repudiates local superstitions surrounding a devilish house. However, repeated visions and noises during the night suggest he may be proved wrong.[8] |
Related works
In 1979, Clark directed a similar M. R. James adaptation of Casting The Runes for Yorkshire Television's Playhouse, which was first broadcast on ITV on 24 April 1979.[12] Meanwhile, for Christmas 1979 the BBC produced a 70 minute-long adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's gothic tale Schalken The Painter directed and adapted by Leslie Megahey.[13]
Repeats of the series on BBC Four at Christmas 2007 included The Haunted Airman, a new adaptation of Dennis Wheatley's novel The Haunting of Toby Jugg by Chris Durlacher, although this film was originally screened on 31 October 2006.[14] For Christmas 2008, an original three-part ghost story by Mark Gatiss entitled Crooked House was produced instead, with the writer citing the original 1970s adaptations as a key influence.[15] Several of the 1970s series have been released on DVD by the British Film Institute, along with Whistle and I'll Come to You.[16]
| Title | Author | UK broadcast date | Description |
| Whistle and I'll Come to You | M. R. James, adapted by Jonathan Miller | 7 May 1968 | An eccentric professor finds a whistle carved from bone in a graveyard while on holiday in Norfolk. After blowing the whistle, he is troubled by terrible visions.[16] |
| Casting the Runes | M. R. James, adapted by Clive Exton | 24 April 1979 (on ITV) | After a television series lampoons a famous demonologist, its producer and cast soon find themselves threatened by mysterious, malevolent forces.[12] |
| Schalcken The Painter | J. Sheridan Le Fanu, adapted by Leslie Magahey | 23 December 1979 | Schalcken the painter sees his one true love, Rose, wedded by contract for a sum of money to a man who may or may not be a demon. When she escapes and returns home, she is pursued by her demon lover.[13] |
| The Haunted Airman | Dennis Wheatley, adapted by Chris Durlacher | 15 December 2007 (originally premiered 31 October 2006) | An injured RAF Flight Lieutenant suffers from repeated horrific nightmares while recuperating at a remote mansion in Wales. However, he begins to suspect his psychiatrist or aunt may be responsible.[14] |
References
- ^ a b Angelini, Sergio, Ghost Stories at the BFI's Screenonline. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
- ^ Cooke, Lez, British Television Drama: A History, (London:BFI Publishing, 2003), 126.
- ^ Knott, J.A. (2004). "Review: A Warning to the Curious". zetaminor.com. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Wheatley, Helen, Gothic Television, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2006), 47.
- ^ a b c d e Brockhurst, Colin. "A Ghost Story for Christmas". phantomframe.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ a b A View from the Hill at bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
- ^ Helen Wheatley, Gothic Television (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2006) 54-55
- ^ a b c d e f "Ghost Stories for 2007". bbc.co.uk. December 2007. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Angelini, Sergio, A Warning to the Curious at the BFI's Screenonline. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
- ^ Angelini, Sergio, The Ash Tree at the BFI's Screenonline. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
- ^ Rolinson, Dave, The Signalman at the BFI's Screenonline. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
- ^ a b Casting the Runes at the British Film Institute database. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
- ^ a b Schalken The Painter at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
- ^ a b The Haunted Airman at bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
- ^ Hussey, Bill (18 December 2008). "Interview with Mark Gatiss: Part One". Horror Reanimated. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- ^ a b Duguid, Mark, Whistle and I'll Come To You at the BFI's Screenonline. Retrieved 2010-7-7.
External links
- Ghost Stories at the BFI's Screenonline