Ghost Stories for Christmas (Expanded 6-Disc Collection Box Set) DVD – Peter Vaughan, Christopher Lee 

Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play.  Broadcast in the dying hours of Christmas Eve, the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas series was a fixture of the seasonal schedules throughout the 1970s and spawned a long tradition of chilling tales which terrified yuletide viewers for decades to come. This expansive box set collects over 13 hours’ worth of content, including all 12 episodes of the classic A Ghost Story for Christmas series, the entire Classic Ghost Stories series (presented by Robert Powell), the M R James episodes of Spine Chillers (presented by Michael Bryant), and three of the Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee instalments from 2000. Also included is a 48-page booklet with essays and full credits DISC ONE Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968, 42 mins); Whistle and I’ll Come to You (2010, 52 mins) Jonathan Miller and Christopher Frayling discuss the 1968 version (2012, 3 mins) Introduction to the 1968 version by horror writer Ramsey Campbell (2001, 16 mins) MR James original story read by Neil Brand (2001, 42 mins) Ramsey Campbell reads his own M R James inspired story The Guide (2001, 27 mins)   DISC TWO The Stalls of Barchester (1971, 45 mins); A Warning to the Curious (1972, 50 mins) Filmed introductions by director Lawrence Gordon Clark (2012, 10 12 mins) Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee The Stalls of Barchester by M R James and A Warning to the Curious by MR James (2000, Eleanor Yule, 2 x 30 mins)   DISC THREE Lost Hearts (1973, 35 mins); The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974, 37 mins); The Ash Tree (1975, 32 mins) Filmed introduction by Lawrence Gordon Clark (2012, 11 mins 11 mins 8 mins)   DISC FOUR The Signalman (1976, 39 mins); Stigma (1977, 32 mins); The Ice House (1978, 34 mins) Filmed introductions by Lawrence Gordon Clark (2012, 11 mins 9 mins)   DISC FIVE A View from a Hill (2005, 39 mins); Number 13 (2006, 40 mins) Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee – Number 13 by MR James (2000, Eleanor Yule, 30 mins)   DISC SIX Classic Ghost Stories The Mezzotint , The Ash-Tree , Wailing Well , The Rose Garden and Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad (1986, 5 x 14 mins) Spine Chillers ‘The Mezzotint’ , ‘A School Story’ and ‘The Diary of Mr Poynter’ (1980, 3 x 11 mins)

Collection of ghost stories adapted by the BBC. In ‘Whistle and I’ll Come to You’ (1968) Michael Hordern plays Professor Parkin who heads to a hotel on the east coast of England. While out on a walk he comes across a mysterious bone whistle which ends up having disturbing consequences for Parkin. In ‘Whistle and I’ll Come to You’ (2010) John Hurt stars as James Parkin who, in this version, is a retired astronomer taking a much needed break from caring for his ailing wife. In ‘A Warning to the Curious’ (1972) Mr Paxton (Peter Vaughan) travels to English seaside town Seaburg hoping to find the last of three Anglo Saxon crowns belonging to the Agers family whose last descendant has recently died. In ‘The Stalls of Barchester’ (1971) Dr. Black (Clive Swift) is cataloguing the Barchester Cathedral Library when he comes across an old diary belonging to Archdeacon Haynes (Robert Hardy) who died mysteriously. In ‘Lost Hearts’ (1973) young orphan Stephen (Simon Gipps-Kent) goes to stay at the generous Mr. Abney (Joseph O’Connor)’s estate where he is haunted by two children who previously lived in the house. In ‘The Ash Tree’ (1975) Sir Richard Fell (Edward Petherbridge) inherits his uncle’s manor and grounds. He moves in and decides to cut down an ash tree that could prove harmful to the property… In ‘The Treasure of Abbot Thomas’ (1974) cynical Reverend Somerton (Michael Bryant) is completely close-minded when it comes to paranormal activity. But his steadfast beliefs falter when his search for the treasure of alchemist Abbot Thomas (John Herrington) unleashes a terrifying spectre. In ‘The Signalman’ (1976), based on the story by Charles Dickens, Denholm Elliott stars as a troubled railway signalman who has witnessed some unsettling sights and sounds along his stretch of track. In ‘Stigma’ (1977) Katherine Delgado (Kate Binchy) and her family move into a new home but have difficulty removing a menhir from their garden. In ‘The Ice House’ (1978) Paul (John Stride) goes to stay at a spa resort to help him get over the breakdown of his marriage. In ‘A View from a Hill’ (2005) historian Dr. Fanshawe (Mark Letheren) visits his friend, Squire Richard (Pip Torrens), and, having broken his own binoculars, borrows a pair through which he can see into the past… In ‘Number 13’ (2006) Professor Anderson (Greg Wise) is staying in room 12 of a local hotel while working in a cathedral town to authenticate historical documents. But after being disturbed at night, Anderson discovers that a previously missing room 13 has appeared… Finally, Robert Powell reads a selection of tales by M.R. James which were partially dramatised for the series ‘Classic Ghost Stories’. The episodes comprise: ‘The Mezzotint’, ‘The Ash Tree’, ‘Wailing Well’, ‘The Rose Garden’ and ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’.

This newly re-packaged and expanded Ghost Stories for Christmas 6-DVD box set from the BFI includes a total of 20 spine-tingling adaptations of the stories of M R James plus three additional Ghost Stories for Christmas broadcast by the BBC between 1968 and 2010. Highlights include Jonathan Miller’s Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968) Lawrence Gordon Clark’s A Warning to the Curious (1972) and the Andrew Davies adaptation of Charles Dickens’ The Signalman (1976). These adaptations which have a subtlety and style all of their own have been a major influence on many contemporary British horror filmmakers and have come to be regarded as some of the most acclaimed and brilliant British TV titles of all time. Contents: Disc One: Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968); Whistle and I’ll Come to You (2010) Disc Two: The Stalls of Barchester (1971); A Warning to the Curious (1972) Disc Three: Lost Hearts (1973); The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974); The Ash Tree (1975) Disc Four: The Signalman (1976); Stigma (1977); The Ice House (1978) Disc Five: A View from a Hill (2005); Number 13 (2006); Disc Six: Classic Ghost Stories (1986) – Robert Powell reads ‘The Mezzotint’ ‘The Ash Tree’ ‘Wailing Well’ ‘The Rose Garden’ and ‘Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad’ Extras Three episodes of Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee (2000): ‘The Stalls of Barchester’. ‘A Warning to the Curious’ and ‘Number 13’ Three episodes of Spine Chillers (1980): ‘The Mezzotint’ ‘A School Story’ and ‘The Diary of Mr Poynter’ Filmed introductions with director Lawrence Gordon Clarke Extensive booklet with essays biographies film notes and full credits