A Ghost Story for Christmas (1971 - 78, 2005 - 13, 18 -) Complete Series inc. Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968)

British supernatural anthology series which airs its episodes at Christmas, the majority based on short stories by the master of the English ghost story and the father of folk horror, M. R. James.The series was inspired by Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968), based on a James story and written and directed by Jonathan Miller for the documentary series Omnibus. Lawrence Gordon Clarke was thus inspired to create this series in the spirit of telling supernatural tales at Christmas, which was the context in which most of James’ stories were originally debuted, and directed all but the final episode of the original run as well as writing the first two. The series was revived sporadically between 2005 – 2013, with Mark Gatiss writing and directing every episode since 2013 and having fought to keep it going regularly since 2018.Having been shot on location on 16mm film, the original run and the Omnibus film stand as not just some of the greatest supernatural television but among the best horror cinema the UK has ever produced, and in keeping with the original stories are key parts of the era’s first wave of folk horror.This archive includes all 18 episodes which have aired as of 2024, plus the Omnibus version of Oh Whistle… which is typically grandfathered in. That and the first 10 episodes are taken from the recent BFI Blu-Ray releases, which remastered the 20th century episodes in 2K from the original 16mm film negatives, and feature commentary tracks from critics and authors.See also the 2013 documentary M. R. James: Ghost Writer, presented by Mark Gatiss, which aired alongside his adaptation of The Tractate Middoth.Episodes 00. Whistle and I’ll Come to You (Omnibus, 07/05/68) Written and directed by Jonathan Miller, based on Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James 01. The Stalls of Barchester (24/12/71) Written and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, based on The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral by M. R. James 02. A Warning to the Curious (24/12/72) Written and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, based on A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James 03. Lost Hearts (25/12/73) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by Robin Chapman, based on Lost Hearts by M. R. James 04. The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (23/12/74) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by John Bowen, based on The Treasure of Abbot Thomas by M. R. James 05. The Ash Tree (23/12/75) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by David Rudkin, based on The Ash-tree by M. R. James 06. The Signalman (22/12/76) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by Andrew Davies, based on The Signal-man by Charles Dickens 07. Stigma (28/12/77) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by Clive Exton 08. The Ice House (25/12/78) Directed by Derek Lister, written by John Bowen 09. A View from a Hill (23/12/05) Directed by Luke Watson, written by Peter Harness, based on A View from a Hill by M. R. James 10. Number 13 (22/12/06) Directed by Pier Wilkie, written by Justin Hopper, based on Number 13 by M. R. James 11. Whistle and I’ll Come to You (24/12/10) Directed by Andy de Emmony, written by Neil Cross, based on Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James 12. The Tractate Middoth (25/12/13) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on The Tractate Middoth by M. R. James 13. The Dead Room (24/12/18) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss 14. Martin’s Close (24/12/19) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on Martin’s Close by M. R. James 15. The Mezzotint (24/12/21) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on The Mezzotint by M. R. James 16. Count Magnus (23/12/22) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on Count Magnus by M. R. James 17. Lot No. 249 (24/12/23) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on Lot No. 249 by Arthur Conan Doyle 18. Woman of Stone (24/12/24) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit