Podcast appearances and mentions of lawrence gordon clark

The original run of A Ghost Story for Christmas aired on the BBC from 1971 to 1978, bringing classic ghost stories to television and keeping alive the tradition of sharing supernatural tales during the Christmas season. In our journey through the series, we've covered A Warning to the Curious and The Signalman in Episode 21, Whistle and I'll Come to You and Stigma in Episode 32, and The Stalls of Barchester alongside The Treasure of Abbot Thomas in Episodes 41a and 41b. Just five days ago, on Christmas Eve, we delved into The Ash Tree. If you missed it, you can find it in our podcast feed. And tonight, as we stand on the brink of the space year 2025, we're excited to bring you Lost Hearts. Written by Robin Chapman, produced by Rosemary Hill, and directed by the series' creator Lawrence Gordon Clark, Lost Hearts is based on the 1895 ghost story of the same name by M.R. James. It first aired on BBC1 on December 25, 1973, marking the first installment in the series to be broadcast on Christmas Day itself—and one of only three to ever air on that date. Robin Chapman also wrote 30 episodes of Tales of the Unexpected. (Seek out episode 29, where good old Bernard Cribbins makes an appearance.) The film features Joseph O'Conor as Mr. Abney. O'Conor lent his voice to the narrator in (the best Muppet movie) The Dark Crystal, played Mr. Brownlow in Oliver! (cue James mentioning the exclamation point here), and portrayed the Coroner in The Gorgon—but more on that soon. Simon Gipps-Kent plays Stephen, the young protagonist. Tragically, Gipps-Kent passed away at just 28 years old. However, in his brief career, he appeared in several notable films and TV shows of interest to our listener. He played Paul in The Tomorrow People, had a brief role in Quadrophenia, portrayed Seth in the Doctor Who serial The Horns of Nimon, and starred in something called A Traveller in Time from 1978. which was filmed at Babington House, a farmhouse owned by the parents of Blue Peter presenter Simon Groom. In 2018, Severn Film Productions released a new adaptation of Lost Hearts, directed by Max Van De Banks. This version updated the story to the 1940s (and later 1953). After the death of Stephen's parents, the young boy is evacuated to the countryside during World War II. Unusually, this production was filmed in two parts: the main elements were shot in 2005, while the beginning and ending scenes were filmed in 2016. Louis Newton, who played Stephen in 2005, returned to portray him as a young man recounting the events to his bride-to-be ten years later. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Ghost Story for Christmas is a series of annual British short films first broadcast on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and sporadically revived by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original films were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and shot on 16 mm color film. The series aimed to adapt classic ghost stories for television, echoing the tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas. So far, we've covered A Warning to the Curious and The Signalman in Episode 21, Whistle and I'll Come to You and Stigma in Episode 32, and The Stalls of Barchester along with The Treasure of Abbot Thomas in Episodes 41a and 41b.This year, we're bringing you Lost Hearts on New Year's Eve. But tonight, Christmas Eve—the traditional night for ghost stories—we'll be discussing The Ash Tree. Written for the screen by David Rudkin and based on M.R. James's short story, The Ash Tree was directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. Looking back at Clark's credits, it's surprising we haven't mentioned that he also directed one of our favorite monkey-man TV drama events from the 1990s—Chimera. That's definitely something we should cover, assuming we can find a way to watch it. The Ash Tree aired on December 23, 1975, and featured Edward Petherbridge in the dual roles of Sir Richard and Sir Matthew. According to IMDb, Petherbridge began his career in 1961 and appeared in a wide range of film and TV roles. He's apparently best known as the sharp and snooty sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey in The Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries. Impressively, he kept working until 2017, with one of his final roles being the voice of a gentleman fish in one of Tim Burton's Alice films.The cast also included Preston Lockwood as Dr. Croome, Barbara Ewing as Anne Mothersole, and, happily for our status as a secret Doctor Who podcast (though perhaps less happily for James), Lalla Ward as Lady Augusta. Barbara Ewing had an impressive career on the small screen, appearing in shows like Peak Practice, Casualty, The Bill, an episode of Hammer House of Horror, and even the Pertwee-fronted game show Whodunnit?. She also appeared in Chiller, a British horror/fantasy anthology series from 1995 that Ross has somehow never seen but seems to pop up constantly on people's CVs. are you two aware of this and should we be covering it?) Beyond acting, Ewing is also an accomplished novelist, with nine books to her name. Her novel A Dangerous Vine even made the long list for the Orange Prize. Lalla Ward had a fascinating career trajectory. Her first film after leaving the Central School of Speech and Drama was Hammer's Vampire Circus. She was close friends with Douglas Adams, who famously took her as his date to a screening of The Empire Strikes Back in the early 1980s. Adams also introduced her to her second husband, Richard Dawkins (for whom she would later provide illustrations for his controversial books), at his 40th birthday party—they were the only two who showed up on time! Of course, her first husband was Tom Baker, with whom she starred in Doctor Who as the second incarnation of the Time Lady Romana from 1979 to 1981. There really should be a General Witchfinders drinking game where you take a sip every time we mention someone in this next bit: In 2019, a modern-day audio adaptation of The Ash Tree was released by Bafflegab Productions. Written by Matthew Holness, it starred Amanda Abbington, Reece Shearsmith, and John Sessions. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year we have reached 1977, and the penultimate episode in the original run, and the last episode directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. In a departure from the usual format Stigma brings us a brand new tale written especially for the screen by Clive Exton, a dark tale of mysterious megaliths and ancient evils. 

This week we have a look at the 1976 short ghost film The Signalman directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark.  This is Episode #449! The Signalman is a short film which is part of the British supernatural anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas. Written by Andrew Davies, produced by Rosemary Hill, and directed by the series' creator, Lawrence Gordon Clark, it is based on the ghost story "The Signal-Man" (1866) by Charles Dickens, and first aired on BBC1 on 22 December 1976, the earliest airdate in the series relative to Christmas.It stars Denholm Elliott as a lone signalman who is visited by a traveller (Bernard Lloyd). The signalman reveals that he is being haunted by a spectre which has appeared at the entrance of the tunnel next to his signal box, and these visions begin to likewise trouble the traveller in his sleep.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/castle-of-horror-podcast--4268760/support.

Julius en Jasper bespreken twee horrorfilms van regisseur Jaume Collet-Serra: House of Wax (2005) en Orphan (2009). Als er eentje zou moeten verdwijnen, welke mag dan blijven? In de volgende aflevering van Julius vs Jasper worden twee films uit de Ghost Story for Christmas- reeks van de BBC besproken: Whistle and I'll Come to You en Lost Hearts van Lawrence Gordon Clark.

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas is a supernatural drama produced by the BBC as part of the A Ghost Story for Christmas series. Once again, directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, the screenplay was written by John Bowen (Writer of the Series'The Guardians' In a declining England of the 1980s, the UK has broken up and England is ruled by a fascist military force), with an atmospheric musical score by Geoffrey Burgon (Who also created the music for the BBC Narnia series and Monty Python's the Life of Brian). It is based on the 1904 short story "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" by M.R. James, the drama was originally broadcast on December 23, 1974. The drama starred Podcast Hero, Michael Bryant as Rev. Justin Somerton. As listeners will remember, Bryant was one of the stars of the classic BBC television play The Stone Tape (made only two years previous to his appearance in this film), in which he played the leader of a team of scientists who investigate ghost sightings in a brooding Gothic mansion. The film also features: Paul Lavers as Peter, Lord Dattering, who appeared in the Fourth Doctor adventure "The Androids of Tara." Frank Mills as Mr. Tyson, known for being considered for the role of one of the security guards in the film "Lifeforce."John Herrington as Abbot Thomas, who had small roles in the television versions of "Quatermass 2" and "Quatermass and the Pit," as well as two Doctor Who television stories: as Rhynmal in "The Daleks' Master Plan" and Jim Holden in "Colony in Space." Sheila Dunn as Mrs. Tyson and Virginia Balfour as Lady Dattering also appear in the film. Although James's original story was set in Germany, for budgetary reasons, the television version was relocated to England. Clark used the grounds of Wells Cathedral in Somerset for the entrance to the well where Abbot Thomas hid his treasure. Wells Cathedral Chapter House and its adjoining steps were also used in various scenes. Regarding "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas," Clark recalls John Bowen's script "took some liberties with the story—which made it for the better, I think...It's really quite a funny story until it gets nasty, although the threat is always there. James has a mordant sense of humour, and it's good to translate that into cinematic terms when you can. I'd always wanted to do a medium scene, and John came up with a beauty." Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Stalls of Barchester was first broadcast on BBC 1 at 11:00 pm on December 24, 1971. It is based on the story "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" from the 1911 collection More Ghost Stories by M. R. James, it was adapted, produced, and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, who directed every BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas between 1971 and 1977. Can you name them all, Jon?The Stalls of Barchester (1971)A Warning to the Curious (1972)Lost Hearts (1973)The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974)The Ash Tree (1975)The Signalman (1976)Stigma (1977)The cast of The Stalls of Barchester includes several actors now better known for their roles in situation comedies or lighter dramas:Clive (Richard Bucket) Swift as Dr. Black (a character who does not appear in the original story). As we have mentioned before, he has had two appearances in Doctor Who of which he was not particularly pleased, so we will only mention them again. Of his appearance in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special, Swift declared, "It wasn't until we'd been filming for two weeks that I realized that Mr. Copper is an alien!" And having been asked about his appearance in Revelation of the Daleks (1985), he said, "It was the most bizarre entertainment I have ever been part of."Will Leighton as the cathedral librarian. He also appeared in the previously discussed film, An American Werewolf in London, as one of the Tramps that get killed by David.Robert Hardy as Dr. Haynes. Hardy's birth name was Timothy Sidney Robert Hardy, his nickname being 'Tim'. He has played British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in six separate films, and has also twice played Winston Churchill's World War II ally and friend, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt.Thelma Barlow as Letitia Haynes. Famous for her part of Mavis Riley in Coronation Street, her first episode was transmitted in 1971, but her character only appeared regularly from 1973, when she joined the staff of "The Kabin". She remained in the series for 26 years, appearing in nearly 2,000 episodes.Harold Bennett as Archdeacon Pulteney. Not Pountney as Ross kept hearing. Best known as the lecherous, octogenarian 'Young Mr. Grace' in the long-running comedy series Are You Being Served?, Bennett had a career as an architect and only became an actor when he retired.Erik Chitty as the priest. Seen in Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin as Engin the Time Lord Coordinator of the MatrixDavid Pugh as John and Ambrose Coghill as museum curatorThe adaptation was filmed on location at Norwich Cathedral and the surrounding cathedral close. Unusual for a BBC television drama of the 1970s, both interior and exteriors in The Stalls of Barchester were originated on 16 mm film, as opposed to the standard studio videotape for interiors. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Talk Without Rhythm Podcast we have the last episode of the "classic" era of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas - 1978's The Ice House. Pairing with it we have a 1979 episode of ITV's Playhouse series, Casting the Runes. It wasn't released on Christmas, but it was directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and it was based off an M. R. James story. Close enough for me. [00:00] INTRO [02:18] Trick or Treat Radio Promo [03:35] RANDOM CONVERSATION [11:06] The Ice House (1978) Cathode Ray Tube [31:26] Casting the Runes (1979) Eofftv [54:01] FEEDBACK [01:03:00] ENDING MUSIC: To Cast the Runes by Canis Dirus Watch The Ice House (1978) Watch Casting the Runes (1979) Support TWoRP Contact Us talkwithoutrhythm@gmail.com

We return from our Christmas break for more of our second season of an A to Z of UK TV Drama... We begin 2023 by looking back at the Granada mini-series Harry's Game. First broadcast in 1982, this hard-hitting drama is best remembered now for it famous end credits theme by Clannad, however, it has much more to recommend it. Set during the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the series follows British agent Harry Brown (Ray Lonnen) attempts to uncover and arrest an IRA gunman Billy Downs (Derek Thompson), while his nervy handler Davidson (Benjamin Whitrow) tries to keep him alive from back in England. Written by former journalist Gerald Seymour and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, Harry's Game covers a bleak period of recent history and is a stark reminder of the fragile peace reached through the Good Friday agreement, currently under threat due to the self-serving machinations of Brexiteer politicians. Andy & Martin find much to enjoy here but fail to resist the temptation to break into some 'Norn Irish', for which they can only apologise.

"Whistle and I'll Come to You" is a 1968 BBC television drama adaptation of the 1904 ghost story "'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'" by M. R. James. It tells of an eccentric and distracted professor who happens upon a strange whistle while exploring a Knights Templar cemetery on the East Anglian coast. When blown, the whistle unleashes a frightening supernatural force. The production starred Michael Hordern and was adapted and directed by Jonathan Miller. It was broadcast as part of the BBC arts strand Omnibus and inspired a new yearly strand of M.R. James television adaptations known as A Ghost Story for Christmas. Jonathan Miller adapted his 1968 version as part of the BBC arts strand Omnibus, which consisted mainly of arts documentaries so the dramatic adaptation was an unusual move; This probably explains Miller's documentary-like introduction to the film. The adaptation itself changes a number of aspects of James' story, turning the academic, described as "young, neat and precise of speech" into a bumbling, awkward, middle-aged eccentric. This adaptation was filmed on the Norfolk coast, at Waxham and nearby. The performance of Michael Hordern is especially acclaimed, with his hushed mutterings and repetition of other characters' words, coupled with a discernible lack of social skills, turning the professor from an academic caricature into a more rounded character, described by horror aficionado David Kerekes as "especially daring for its day". The stage journal Plays and Players suggests that Hordern's performance hints that the professor suffers from a neurological condition called the "idea of a presence". Much of the script was improvised on location with the actors. --------- Stigma is an episode of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas series, made in 1977. It was the first of only two stories set in the actual year of its making, and the last which mainstay Lawrence Gordon Clark would direct. It was first shown on BBC One on 29 December 1977 (postponed from its original scheduled broadcast date of 28 December), and was repeated on 29 May 1978. Scripted by Clive Exton, the thirty-minute piece stars Kate Binchy, Peter Bowles and Maxine Gordon. The production was filmed at Avebury, Wiltshire, which had also been the location used for the ITV series Children of the Stones (screened earlier the same year). The production is unlike the previous films in the Ghost Story For Christmas strand in several ways; it is the first to be an original story and the first to be set in the then-present day. Critical opinion is decidedly mixed, with the decision to move away from adaptations of classic ghost stories the main concern.  $£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$ Just in case anyone has too much money and wants to give a bit to us to help with our hosting n stuff. It would be amazing if you fancied sending us some pennies - thank you.https://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders $£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£ Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/Director/Actor Mark Gatiss, best known for his work on Doctor Who, Sherlock, Dracula talks about his TV film Count Magnus, and the English tradition of ghost stories at Christmas, and he fascination of true ghost stories. When it comes to the English tradition of telling ghosts stories during Christmas, Charles Dickens still reigns supreme, with medieval scholar M.R. James in a very close second place. But in recent years Mark Gatiss has quickly earned mention alongside those two by reinvigorating the United Kingdom's heritage of holiday horror. Best known for his work on Doctor Who, Sherlock, Dracula and the comedy troupe League of Gentlemen, Gatiss has become the force behind the BBC's revival of A Ghost Story for Christmas series of television films. The original run of annuals was largely helmed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, and aired from 1971 until '78, before returning sporadically in 2005. Gatiss made his directorial debut in 2013 with The Tractate Middoth, the Ghost Story adaptation of James's work. He has since written and directed three more for the series — James adaptations Martin's Close and The Mezzotint, and the original story The Dead Room — along with writing mini-series Crooked House (2008) and writing and directing The Amazing Mr. Blunden (2021) TV film, which both aired at Christmas. Now he is back as writer and director for “Count Magnus,” the long-anticipated adaptation of M.R. James' 1904 work, which airs December 23 on BBC Two, and drops the same day on streaming service BritBox. In this interview Gatiss speaks about his collection of real-life ghost stories, and his love for season's screamings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, it's time for our annual commentary track for one of the classic BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas! This year we have reached 1975, and Lawrence Gordon Clark's version of The Ash-Tree by MR James, adapted for the screen by David Rudkin.

In part two of our deep dive into the repeat-watch comforts of Lawrence Gordon Clark's 1970s Ghost Stories For Christmas, writer Will Maclean talks about how these sort of tales weave their uneasy magic spell. (And this time we don't skip any of them for being too scary.)This is the second of two parts, in which we discuss The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, The Ash Tree, The Signalman and Stigma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and ghost story enthusiast Will Maclean (The Apparition Phase) talks about the close-the-curtains-and-shiver comforts of Lawrence Gordon Clark's astonishing run of 1970s BBC Ghost Stories For Christmas.This is part one of a two part Halloween Special, covering The Stalls Of Barchester, A Warning To The Curious, and Lost Hearts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Ghost Story for Christmas is a strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One between 1971 and 1978, and revived sporadically by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original instalments were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and (Like the first 3rd doctor Adventure, The Spearhead from Space) the films were all shot on 16 mm colour film. The remit behind the series was to provide a television adaptation of a classic ghost story, in line with the oral tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas.Each instalment is a separate adaptation of a short story, ranges between 30 and 50 minutes in duration. The first five are adaptations of ghost stories by M. R. James, the sixth is based on a short story by Charles Dickens, and the two final instalments are original screenplays by Clive Exton and John Bowen respectively. The stories were titled A Ghost Story for Christmas in listings such as the Radio Times, although this did not appear on screen until ‘'The Signalman'' in 1976. An earlier black-and-white adaptation of M. R. James's Whistle and I'll Come to You, directed by Jonathan Miller and shown as part of the series Omnibus in 1968, is often cited as an influence upon the production of the films, and is sometimes included as part of the series. For tonight's, podcast, we watched:A Warning to the Curious, the 2nd of the films, broadcast on Christmas Eve in our favourite year of 1972. It featured Peter Vaughan, Clive Swift, Roger Milner, Gilly Fraser where an amateur archaeologist travels to a remote seaside town in Norfolk to search for the lost crown of Anglia, but after unearthing it he is haunted by a mysterious figure.AndThe Signalman, from 22 December 1976, featuring Denholm Elliott, Bernard Lloyd, Reginald Jessup, Carina Wyeth in which a railway signalman tells a curious traveller how he is being troubled by a spectre that seems to predict calamity. This, being the sixth of the original run of films, is based on a short story by Charles Dickens, thought to be influenced by Dickens's own involvement with the Staplehurst rail crash in Kent on 9 June 1865. While passing over a viaduct, The cast iron viaduct fractured, causing most of the carriages to fall into the river below. Dickens was in the first carriage, which derailed sideways but did not fall completely. It was suspended at a precarious angle by the coupling of the coach in front and held up by the remains of the viaduct's masonry. Dickens helped rescue other passengers, and was commended for his actions, but the experience subsequently had a profound effect on his life.$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$Just in case anyone has too much money and wants to give a bit to us to help with our hosting n stuff. It would be amazing if you fancied sending us some pennies - thank you.https://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$£$ Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode we have our traditional Christmas commentary, revisiting a classic television adaptation of an MR James tale. Tonight we have reached Christmas 1974, and this year the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas was The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark.

Craig Williams in conversation with television director, Lawrence Gordon Clark.

As is now traditional, in this festive podcast we have our annual revisit of an episode of the classic BBC series - A Ghost Story For Christmas. This year we have reached 1973 and Lawrence Gordon Clark's adaptation of Lost Hearts by MR James. Join Mr Jim by the fireside for a full commentary on this classic television ghost story.

Following on from our reading of the classic tale from MR James, in this episode we take a look back on the 1972 screen version directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark for the BBC A Ghost Story for Christmas series, starring Peter Vaughan and Clive Swift. 

And now for the second of our two “A Ghost Story for Christmas” Bonus Episodes! We stay in 1972 for Lawrence Gordon Clark’s adaptation of MR James’ “A Warning To The Curious”. A bleak, haunting tale, where Chris’s dad takes a holiday, random farm workers adopt threatening positions and “there’s no diggin’ ere!” Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers, and join us.

Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, and originally shown on Christmas Eve 1971, The Stalls of Barchester was the very first of the BBC's much loved Ghost Story for Christmas series. Mr Jim hands round the mulled wine and mince pies, and fires up the old DVD player to give a commentary on this televisual incarnation of the famous ghost story by MR James.

It was a modern means of keeping alive the old tradition of telling scary stories during the Christmas season. Although the series has been revived in recent years, the run spanning 1971- 1978 represents BBC's original strand of supernatural tales, starring classic actors such as Denholm Elliott and the directing talents of Lawrence Gordon Clark and bringing to life the works (chiefly) of M.R. James and Charles Dickens. It's BBC's Ghost Stories for Christmas, just in time for the holidays. On this episode, we explore the 1977 offering, STIGMA, starring Kate Binchy.