I’m Mark Gatiss and these are the ingredients of A Ghost Story for Christmas

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As a big fan of those classic Christmas ghost stories, I think the key to a really good one is finding the right source material. It needs to be a self-contained story, not too sprawling, but with a feeling of age and history to it – something that just feels like it belongs at Christmas.

It’s a comforting kind of scary – not overly gruesome or disturbing, but enough to give you a good chill. The most important thing is that it builds suspense gradually, creating a growing sense of dread.

The story begins during the Blitz, with Roger Winstanley (played by Tobias Menzies) finding refuge from the bombing in a London Underground station. There, he strikes up a conversation with a woman serving in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, portrayed by Nancy Carroll.

He shares a childhood dream with her: he finds himself at a grand house where his school friend, Jack Stone, introduces him to his frightening mother. Joanna Lumley plays the mother, and she’s absolutely brilliant – a true professional.

  • Read our guide to the best Christmas TV for 2025

I’ve long admired the work of E.F. Benson and always wanted to bring one of his stories to life. While he’s now best known for his Mapp and Lucia novels, he was originally famous for his ghost stories – which he playfully called “spook stories.” “The Room in the Tower” is one of his finest, and it’s always been a favorite of mine. I still remember being genuinely frightened by it when I first read it, and it still gives me chills today.

The story feels like an odd mix of elements, and I suspect it’s drawn from something Benson actually went through. It has a quality that suggests it could be based on a personal, perhaps recurring, dream. It really captures the feeling of a vivid and unsettling nightmare – it feels incredibly real.

That line is deeply unsettling: “Jack will show you your room. I have given you the room in the tower.” It feels like a foreboding announcement, almost a death sentence…

You can watch Mark Gatiss‘s new ghost story, ‘The Room in the Tower,’ on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 10pm on Christmas Eve.

Authors

Mark Gatiss

Mark Gatiss is a British actor and creative force behind popular shows like Sherlock and Doctor Who. He’s also known as one of the members of the comedy group, The League of Gentlemen.

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2025-12-24 11:34