A Ghost Story for Christmas
1971 to present Drama 3 seasons
TMDB rating 7.3/10 Between seasons
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.
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Seasons3
The first season includes five adaptations of stories from the four books by M. R. James, published between 1904 and 1925. The The sixth film, The Signalman, is an adaptation of a story by Charles Dickens published in his magazine All the Year Round in 1866. The final two stories were based on original screenplays by Clive Exton and John Bowen.
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TMDB rating 6.3/10
In the early 2000s, the BBC began airing new adaptations of stories by MR James.
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In 2013 the strand was again revived, with Mark Gatiss acting as director and writer.
All episodes available. The release schedule is unconfirmed
This show also has specials. Specials never affect your progress, new seasons, or completion.
Cast and details
David PughJohn
Clive SwiftDr. Black
David BurkeGunton, Hotel Landlord- Ambrose CoghillMuseum Curator
- Cyril AppletonLabourer
Roger MilnerAntique Shop Owner
John HurtJames Parkin
Gemma JonesAlice Parkin
Lesley SharpHetty
Sophie ThompsonCarol
Robert HardyArchdeacon Haynes
Peter VaughanMr. Paxton
- Created by
- Lawrence Gordon Clark
- Network
- BBC One, BBC Television
- First aired
- Dec 24, 1971
- Latest episode
- Dec 24, 2025
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Release dates are original schedules and may differ from availability in your country. A release never marks anything as watched. Last checked Nov 3, 2026.Schedule data from TVmaze, CC BY-SA.