Ghost Stories for Christmas - The Definitive Collection (5-DVD set)

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In 'The Treasure of Abbot Thomas' (1974) cynical Reverend Somerton (Michael Bryant) is completely close-minded when it comes to paranormal activity. As well as two MR James adaptations, the series includes the celebrated version of Charles Dickens' The Signalman starring Denholm Elliott, as well as specially written stories set in the contemporary 1970s.

A railway signalman tells a curious traveller how he is being troubled by a spectre that seems to predict calamity. Products labelled '*item fulfilled by Exertis on behalf of hmv' will be supplied to you directly by Exertis via their approved couriers. Brilliant series I just wish the BBC would employ other directors/storytellers with equally good ability to carry this on. Despite its penetrating melancholia and some fine location work (the West Country beach here is as bleak and unwelcoming as the hotel in which Parkin is the sole guest), for me, this interpretation of the story sits deep in the original's shadow on pretty much every count.Yet elsewhere a very real sense of unease is created through the simplest of techniques: the scuttling sound that suggests a large and active rodent; the focus on Haynes' worried and candlelit face as makes his way downstairs at night; the footsteps that echo and stalk him through the cathedral halls. For example, the appearance of the spectre is stressed by the vibrations of a bell in the signalbox and a recurring red motif connects the signalman's memories of a train crash with the danger light attended by a ghostly figure.

This is brought home through Miller's refusal to over-dramatise key moments, with the discovery of the whistle and the reading of its inscription presented in an almost everyday manner, and no dramatic music or creepy camera movements to hammer home their significance. The ever-amiable Clark discusses the series’ move to the BBC's drama department and the changes this imposed (including a shorter shooting schedule), the tracking down of locations (a task he managed to retain for himself), working with child actors, and the use of hurdy-gurdy music.The result is a coarser and more visible film grain, which does take the edge off the sharpness when compared to the fine grain image of Whistle and I’ll Come to You, but this is still a significant upgrade over the SD image on the previous DVD. It begins with 11-year-old Stephen (Simon Gipps-Kent), dressed in respectable clothing and a Brunelian top hat, being transported through the Lincolnshire countryside to the stately home of his elderly cousin, Mr. But after being disturbed at night, Anderson discovers that a previously missing room 13 has appeared. Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item.

Repeats of the original 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.Although the strand (or series) was titled A Ghost Story for Christmas in listings such as the Radio Times (followed by the title of the individual story being shown), the strand title did not actually appear on screen until The Signalman in 1976. Each instalment is a separate adaptation of a short story, ranges between 30 and 50 minutes in duration, and features well-known British actors such as Clive Swift, Robert Hardy, Peter Vaughan, Edward Petherbridge and Denholm Elliott.