Best on the Box choice for Christmas Eve 2024…
Mark Gatiss brings E. Nesbit’s chilling short story Man-Size in Marble back to life in his seventh Ghost Story for Christmas.
“E. Nesbit’s Man-Size in Marble was the first ghost story I ever read, and it left a profound impression on me. I even referenced it in an episode of Doctor Who which I wrote for Peter Capaldi! I’ve wanted to adapt it before but the cost of constructing the marble tomb effigies was always slightly beyond us.
“Happily, this year we got a little cash injection which made it possible. Also, because last year’s story by Arthur Conan Doyle was entirely and deliberately male I wanted a stark contrast. Nesbit was an incredible woman and a fascinating writer. The adaptation is called Woman of Stone as I’ve tried to draw out what I think are the themes of the story.” – Mark Gatiss
In her final days, author Edith Nesbit recounts the chilling tale of newlywed Victorians Jack and Laura. The couple are settling into a small cottage in a quiet village when their idyll is overshadowed by the superstitious warnings of their housekeeper, Mrs Dorman, and the legend of the village church’s tomb effigies – a pair of marble knights who are said to rise from their slabs on Christmas Eve…

A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone / BBC Two
Jack dismisses this is as mere folklore. But as the fateful night draws near, he feels drawn to the church, leaving Laura at home, all alone. Starring Éanna Hardwicke as Jack Lorimer; Phoebe Horn as Laura Lorimer; Celia Imrie as Edith Nesbit; Monica Dolan as Mrs Dorman and Mawaan Rizwan as Dr. Zubin.
“As ever, I’m guided by the quality of the story and what will fit neatly into the constraints of a very tight budget and shooting schedule! This story is very contained and has a small cast so I knew we could achieve it. But added to that I found it a very exciting challenge to adapt.
“There’s a lot of literature discussing what this story is ‘about’ and as I said, I’ve tried to draw out some of the those to give more of a ‘take’ on the story rather than a straightforward adaptation. I’m very pleased with it and I think it’s quietly powerful.” – Mark Gatiss
The half-hour feature for BBC Two is written and directed by Mark Gatiss and is adapted from the short story Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit.
A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone, tonight at 10.15 pm on BBC Two