A Ghost Story for Christmas

A Ghost Story for Christmas

Classic adaptations from the BBC

197132m7.4/10
Drama

Ratings

🎬TMDb
7.4/10(7)

A strand of annual British short television adaptations of classic ghost stories, referencing the oral tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas. First broadcast on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and revived in 2005 on BBC Four.

Production

BBC

Language

EN

Status

Returning Series

First Aired

December 24, 1971

Last Aired

December 24, 2024

Networks

BBC One

Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
The Stalls of Barchester
E1
The Stalls of Barchester
Air date: 1971-12-24
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.
A Warning to the Curious
E2
A Warning to the Curious
Air date: 1972-12-24
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.
Lost Hearts
E3
Lost Hearts
Air date: 1973-12-25
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?
Treasure of Abbot Thomas
E4
Treasure of Abbot Thomas
Air date: 1974-12-23
A respected theologian and his protégé 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?
The Ash-tree
E5
The Ash-tree
Air date: 1975-12-23
An aristocrat inherits his family estate and is haunted by visions of his ancestor's role in a witchcraft trial.
The Signalman
E6
The Signalman
Air date: 1976-12-22
A railway signalman tells a curious traveller how he is being troubled by a ghostly spectre that seems to predict calamity.
Stigma
E7
Stigma
Air date: 1977-12-28
Whilst clearing the ground for a new lawn, a family find a huge flat rock in their garden. It is so heavy it needs a crane to remove it. In doing so, they release a spirit which has terrible consequences for the family.
The Ice House
E8
The Ice House
Air date: 1978-12-25
The story concerns a health spa visited by Paul (John Stride) , strange incidents occur with members of staff whom Paul notices are all icy cold to the touch. The Brother and sister owners seem otherworldly , as do the residents, and they have a strange relationship with two vines.......
A View From a Hill
E9
A View From a Hill
Air date: 2005-12-23
A historian has a disturbing experience after borrowing a pair of binoculars belonging to a missing outcast and venturing up a notorious landmark.
Number 13
E10
Number 13
Air date: 2006-12-22
An academic researcher repudiates local superstitions surrounding a devilish house. However, repeated visions and noises during the night suggest he may be proved wrong.
Whistle and I'll Come to You
E11
Whistle and I'll Come to You
Air date: 2010-12-24
Leaving his ill and ageing wife in a care home, a retired astronomer revisits one of their old coastal haunts, but after discovering a ring on the beach is soon haunted himself.
The Tractate Middoth
E12
The Tractate Middoth
Air date: 2013-12-25
A young librarian receives a request for an obscure Hebrew book from a sinister gentleman, unaware of its contents.
The Dead Room
E13
The Dead Room
Air date: 2018-12-24
Aubrey Judd, veteran radio presenter of The Dead Room, soon realises that elements of his own past are not as dead and buried as he perhaps hoped.
Martin's Close
E14
Martin's Close
Air date: 2019-12-24
Adaptation of a ghost story by MR James. 1684. John Martin is on trial for his life. Facing him, the infamous 'hanging judge' George Jeffreys. However, this is not a cut-and-dried murder case.
The Mezzotint
E15
The Mezzotint
Air date: 2021-12-24
1923. In the heart of an old English college, Edward Williams receives an engraving of of an unknown country house with an imposing facade, a sweeping lawn - and, just perhaps, something else.
Count Magnus
E16
Count Magnus
Air date: 2022-12-24
The inquisitive Mr Wraxhall discovers that a long-dead Swedish nobleman does not lie easy in his tomb.
Lot No. 249
E17
Lot No. 249
Air date: 2023-12-24
An Oxford University student becomes obsessed with an ancient Egyptian mummy.
Woman of Stone
E18
Woman of Stone
Air date: 2024-12-24
Newlywed couple Jack and Laura move to a village where a legend says marble knight effigies in the church come alive on Christmas Eve. Jack dismisses it as folklore, but on Christmas Eve, he feels drawn to the church, leaving Laura alone.
The Room in the Tower
E19
The Room in the Tower
Air date: 2025-12-24
For 15 years, Roger Winstanley has been haunted by an unsettling, recurring dream: an invitation to spend the night in the house of an acquaintance, where an unseen terror lurks and the figures who populate the dream seem to age in real time. Nightmare and waking life seem to finally collide when an invitation to the dreaded "room in the tower” becomes all too real…

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