Ghost Story for Christmas

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I forgot to mention An Adventure in Space and Time, Gatiss' utterly lovely and heartfelt drama about the origins of Doctor Who. It's a labour of love, just as these ghost stories are, but everything works in AAISAT. It's very well written and directed (Gatiss didn't direct it, admittedly, but his script is great).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p01kqt9x/an-adventure-in-space-and-time

I daresay you don't even have to be that interested in Doctor Who to enjoy it, as the story Gatiss weaves is so engaging.

[George White]

His sense of horror feels less GSFC, and more Night Gallery.

[druss]

Diminishing returns, in my opinion. Their Christmas ones and that Ghostwatch spoof were of a standard, but thin gruel recently. Just get rid of the glossiness, bring back the linger, the space between, the 'intimate loneliness'.

The worst episodes of Inside Number 9 were still better than this.

Maybe not the Brexit one though...

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Maybe not the Brexit one though...

That was one of their best, Reece and Steve howling with rage at the utter fucking horror of everything that's wrong with the little englander mindset (and sniping 'Guardian readers' - Reece's character - who do nothing to actually challenge the status quo).

It's the only political episode of Inside No. 9, and it's like something Peter Richardson and the Comic Strip team would've come up with in a similar state of despair. A weird, angry, funny and utterly unhinged cascade of Fuck You vomit.

[Brundle-Fly]

Why? Didn't he make a hash of Sherlock as well?

It was hardly a flop though.

[magister]

That was one of their best, Reece and Steve howling with rage at the utter fucking horror of everything that's wrong with the little englander mindset (and sniping 'Guardian readers' - Reece's character - who do nothing to actually challenge the status quo).

It's the only political episode of Inside No. 9, and it's like something Peter Richardson and the Comic Strip team would've come up with in a similar state of despair. A weird, angry, funny and utterly unhinged cascade of Fuck You vomit.

Was that the Last Night of the Proms one? I really liked it - felt very Dennis Potter.

[Catalogue Trousers]

I'd defend Gatiss' prerogative to do these (even if I don't think they are that good) simply because, apart from his old pals Steve & Reece, who is attempting anything "spooky" on British TV these days? Genuine question. 

Stephen Volk? Hey, Volk doing some GSFCs...now there's an idea!

[Viero_Berlotti]

The BBC would do well to give Gatiss a rest from this and hand the baton to Matthew Holness for a few years. 'Possum' is more than enough evidence that he'd hit the ground running.

[druss]

That was one of their best, Reece and Steve howling with rage at the utter fucking horror of everything that's wrong with the little englander mindset (and sniping 'Guardian readers' - Reece's character - who do nothing to actually challenge the status quo).

It's the only political episode of Inside No. 9, and it's like something Peter Richardson and the Comic Strip team would've come up with in a similar state of despair. A weird, angry, funny and utterly unhinged cascade of Fuck You vomit.

Glad you liked it, maybe I'll give it another go as first time I thought utter shite.

[Minami Minegishi]

So, who do we have?

- Ben Wheatley
- Rose Glass
- Matthew Holness

I'm going to add:

- Michaela Coel
- Mark Jenkin
- Prano Bailey-Bond

[BlodwynPig]

I'm going to add:

- Michaela Coel
- Mark Jenkin
- Prano Bailey-Bond

Really? Has Coel done any direction other than black comedy? Not sure she could pull off the eerie dread these 'should' have. It'd be more black mirror style gubbins. The other two maybe if they can get the pacing right.

[Bad Ambassador]

Jenkin would be great, but too weird for BBC Two. Bailey-Bond is a no, as Censor was terrible. St Maud was also crap. Holness would be fucking amazing.

[iamcoop]

Jenkin would be great, but too weird for BBC Two. Bailey-Bond is a no, as Censor was terrible. St Maud was also crap. Holness would be fucking amazing.

Two insanely bad takes there.

Censor admittedly shits the bed in the last act but how anyone could call St Maud 'crap' is beyond me. 

[BlodwynPig]

Give it to Giggsy til end of t'season

[Two Headed Sex Beast]

Maybe he wouldn't have to fight so hard to get them commissioned if they were really good. "Go on BBC, let me make another moderately well received programme". Likewise his Doctor Who episodes were always just fine at best and never had any spark to them.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Give us another moderately good ghost story, ya shit

[Glyn]

It was fine,better than some of the previous ones.

Possibly a stupid point but I don't get the feeling that 'scary' is top of Gattis' list when making these. Having to do it all in half hour doesn't help, but they feel a lot more like nostalgic homages that are fun enough but struggle to truly find a feeling of 'creepy'.

[George White]

So, who do we have?

- Ben Wheatley
- Rose Glass
- Matthew Holness

I'm going to add:

- Michaela Coel
- Mark Jenkin
- Prano Bailey-Bond

Jenkin has expressed interest but apparently the BBC aren't convinced.

[Minami Minegishi]

Two insanely bad takes there.

Censor admittedly shits the bed in the last act but how anyone could call St Maud 'crap' is beyond me. 

I think we are probably getting to the nub of why this would never happen, and why a tedious berk like Gatiss will be handed the keys to James' works.

[checkoutgirl]

It was hardly a flop though.

Yeah suppose so, I was being a bit revisionist. The first 3 series were very highly rated and won loads of awards and got very high viewing figures so if that's making a hash of it, plenty of producers and writers would take that.

I checked out after the second series as the dialogue grated and I got annoyed with Sherlock's modus operandi of telling things about people by looking at crumbs on their lapel or smudged lipstick while the camera swerved about and zoomed in. We get it, he's autistic and annoying.

Andrew Scott was good though.

[iamcoop]

From the fucked up mind of David Gordon Green - Whistle And I'll Come To You: Beginnings (3D).

First of the reboot quadrilogy, coming Friday 13th December, 2024. (Patrick Wilson as 'the bedsheet')

[iamcoop]

Possibly a stupid point but I don't get the feeling that 'scary' is top of Gattis' list when making these. Having to do it all in half hour doesn't help, but they feel a lot more like nostalgic homages that are fun enough but struggle to truly find a feeling of 'creepy'.

It's a correct point but the crux of the matter for me.

It's a ghost story - Scary should be at the top of the list, or at least near it. I don't think Jonathan Miller intended to make knock-about romps, which is why they're all bangers. 

[Cuellar]

I've often thought that Gatiss mistakes faithfulness to the text for spookiness. They're very competent records of the stories, but it feels like they think that's enough. The M R James stories are spooky, therefore if you recreate them on screen the result will be spooky.

Whereas Miller's Whistle And I'll Come To You is happy to mess around with the original to generate spookiness. Horden's uncanny, detached, mumbling Prof is very different to the golfing sportsman in the story and immediately puts you on your guard.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

someone in the fam once misremembered the title of that and called it "come and I'll whistle at you"

[frajer]

someone in the fam once misremembered the title of that and called it "come and I'll whistle at you"

I now have a football chant of 'Come and Have a Go if You Think You're Whistle Enough' going round my head.

[holyzombiejesus]

Gattis seems to want to make 'a ghost story for christmas' rather than anything scary. So long as there's wood panelling, brandies and the BBC costume department gets to raid the Dickens box, it's fait accomplis.

Edit: what Glyn said.

[Bad Ambassador]

I think we are probably getting to the nub of why this would never happen, and why a tedious berk like Gatiss will be handed the keys to James' works.

Yes, sorry, didn't realise this was my fault. St Maud was a very superficial film, with little depth to the characterisation which made it hard to engage with the story and the main character's situation. It felt like it wanted to be about religion, but didn't want to upset anyone who might be religious.

[Senior Baiano]

That's a bit harsh, but I'd also like to rep for saint maud.

Bad Ambassador? Bad Take-about-films-haver more like

[Senior Baiano]

<internal monologue> Hehehe, gottim good

[George White]

Jenkin would be great, but too weird for BBC Two. Bailey-Bond is a no, as Censor was terrible. St Maud was also crap. Holness would be fucking amazing.

Censor lost me with the really unconvincing video shop. Before that, it was 'this is dull', after that, it was 'fuck off'...