Gatiss also stars in the film as Mr Wickens, with Simon Callow (Shakespeare in Love) as the titular Mr Blunden and Tamsin Greig (Friday Night Dinner) as Mrs Wickens. With his help, they must travel back to 1821 to save Sara and Georgie and redeem their remorseful new friend, The Amazing Mr Blunden.

They’ve travelled forwards in time to seek help, believing they’re going to be murdered by the wicked Mr and Mrs Wickens – and Lucy and Jamie’s strange visitor seems to be the key to it all. There, Jamie and Lucy encounter a pair of ghost children, but Sara and Georgie aren’t actually ghosts. When London teenagers Jamie and Lucy Allen meet a mysterious old man, Mr Blunden, he offers their mum the opportunity to become the caretaker of a ruined country house – one that’s said to be haunted. The Amazing Mr Blunden, which he has written and directed, is based on the novel The Ghosts by Antonia Barber and the 1972 film of the same name. A third James story, The Mezzotint, is lined up for this Christmas.īut this year, Gatiss is set to go one step further with a second festive, feature-length project.

Original story The Dead Room, about a radio presenter who is confronted by his past, followed in 2018, before another James adaptation, Martin’s Close, aired in 2019. In 2013, he wrote and directed an adaptation of The Tractate Middoth, MR James’ tale about a young student who is drawn into a family feud when a relative comes to find a mysterious book. Actor, writer and director Mark Gatiss and the team behind The Amazing Mr Blunden tell DQ why they were inspired to remake this beloved story, which serves up a festive blend of ghosts and time travel.Ī Christmas ghost story on the BBC from Mark Gatiss, the star known for his on- and off-screen work in series including The League of Gentleman and Sherlock, has become as traditional as mince pies and mulled wine in recent years.