SeriesGhosts & Haunting Supernatural Gothic

A Ghost Story for Christmas1971

Name: A Ghost Story for Christmas
Genre: Ghosts & Haunting, Supernatural, Gothic
Released: 1971-12-24
Rating: 6.8

“Classic adaptations from the BBC”

6.8

Crypt Score

Blended from 2 sources

IMDb 7.5TMDB 7.4

✍ Review

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Year

1971

Seasons

Network

BBC One

Status

Returning Series

The premise

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.

Horror Vault's take

Rooted in the Victorian and Edwardian tradition of gathering around the fire to tell ghost stories at Christmas, this long-running BBC anthology brings classic literary supernatural tales to life in short, carefully crafted television films. First airing in 1971 and running through 1978 before a celebrated revival in 2005, each standalone episode draws on some of Britain's finest ghostly source material. The series favours creeping dread and atmosphere over spectacle, letting shadows and suggestion do the heavy lifting. It remains one of the most distinctive and beloved entries in British horror television.

Content: Supernatural Threat, Mild Horror Imagery

Episode Guide

· 11h 16m total· Dec 1971 → Dec 2025

S1.E1 · The Stalls of BarchesterPremiere
Dec 24, 1971 · 45 min · Dir: Lawrence Gordon Clark
An ambitious cleric murders an aged Archdeacon at Barchester Cathedral. However, he is soon being stalked by a sinister black cat and by a hooded figure both of whom seem to be embodiments of carvings on the cathedral's choir stalls.
S1.E2 · A Warning to the Curious
Dec 24, 1972 · 50 min · Dir: Lawrence Gordon Clark
An amateur archaeologist travels to a remote seaside town in Norfolk to search for the lost crown of Anglia, but after unearthing it is haunted by a mysterious black figure.
S1.E3 · Lost Hearts
Dec 25, 1973 · 35 min · Dir: Lawrence Gordon Clark
An orphan moves into the house of his uncle, but is disturbed by visions of a pair of ghostly children. Is their message a warning to be fearful of his uncle's obsession with immortality?
S1.E4 · Treasure of Abbot Thomas
Dec 23, 1974 · 37 min · Dir: Lawrence Gordon Clark
A respected theologian and his protégé unearth clues to find the hidden treasure of a disgraced monk in an abbey library. Should he have heeded his own advice not to go treasure hunting?
S1.E5 · The Ash-tree
Dec 23, 1975 · 32 min · Dir: Lawrence Gordon Clark
An aristocrat inherits his family estate and is haunted by visions of his ancestor's role in a witchcraft trial.