Joanna Lumley & Tobias Menzies Lead BBC’s Chilling Christmas Ghost Story
This Christmas, audiences are in for a haunting treat as Dame Joanna Lumley and Tobias Menzies come together for a brand-new ghost story on the BBC. The production is called The Room in the Tower , adapted from the eerie E.F. Benson tale by writer and director Mark Gatiss. Known for his love of ghostly traditions, Gatiss has once again revived the BBC’s seasonal ritual of serving up a spine-tingling drama just in time for the festive season.
Set in the uneasy calm of the inter-war years, the story follows Roger Winstanley, a man plagued for fifteen years by a recurring nightmare. In his dream, he finds himself invited to spend the night at an acquaintance’s house, where something sinister lurks in the shadows. The most unsettling detail is that the figures in his dream seem to age alongside him, as if trapped within his subconscious. The dream takes a horrifying turn when, in waking life, Roger is finally given the dreaded invitation to stay in the “room in the tower.” At that point, nightmare and reality appear to collide in terrifying fashion.
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The cast is nothing short of stellar. Alongside Lumley and Menzies, the production features Nancy Carroll, Ben Mansfield, and Polly Walker, all of whom bring weight and depth to the ensemble. Lumley, celebrated for her iconic roles in Absolutely Fabulous and Motherland The Crown and F1 earned him acclaim, steps into a role that promises both intensity and unease.
Mark Gatiss himself has expressed excitement about finally adapting this particular story, calling it one of Benson’s most chilling works. For him, it is not only about creating fear but also about honoring a long-standing tradition of ghost stories at Christmas—a tradition that has become closely tied to his name. Over the past decade, Gatiss has brought to life several classic supernatural tales for the BBC, including The Mezzotint , Count Magnus , and last year’s Woman of Stone . In 2023, he even turned to Arthur Conan Doyle with his version of Lot No. 249 .
Production for The Room in the Tower took place earlier this year at Cobham Hall in Kent, a suitably atmospheric location that adds an authentic, unsettling backdrop to the drama. It has been commissioned by BBC Arts and will air on BBC Two and iPlayer this Christmas, ensuring that both traditional broadcast viewers and streaming audiences can join in the festive fright.
With Gatiss at the helm, a powerhouse cast, and a story steeped in psychological dread, The Room in the Tower is set to be one of the season’s most talked-about television events. For many, Christmas wouldn’t feel complete without a ghost story flickering on the screen—and this year’s entry, carried by the legendary Joanna Lumley and the formidable Tobias Menzies, promises to make sure that viewers think twice before accepting an invitation to sleep in a strange room.
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