His 1917 edition of the Latin hagiography of Æthelberht II of East Anglia, king and martyr (English Historical Review 32), remains authoritative. Whitaker-Wilson himself played the part of Judge Jeffreys in a 45-minute production for the BBC Home Service. These Penguin ones do work out among the most expensive considering two volumes are involved, … "The Rose Garden" aired on 14 June, and "Rats" followed on 15 November. BBC Radio 4 Extra - MR James, MR James: Ghost Stories [1][27] Although most of the early Jamesian writers were male, there were several notable female writers of such fiction, including Eleanor Scott (pseudonym of Helen M. Leys, 1892–1965) in the stories of her book Randall's Round (1929)[28] and D. K. Broster in the collection Couching at the Door: Strange and Macabre Tales (1942). According to the BBC Genome database, the episodes were originally transmitted in a 30-minute slot; however, these listings may be incomplete, as all subsequent broadcasts have been 15 minutes long. Marjorie Bowen also admired his work, referring to his ghost stories as "the supreme art of M. R. James". "[18] David Langford has described James as the author of "the 20th century's most influential canon of ghost stories".[24]. M. R. James. The 60-minute play has been repeated regularly on BBC Radio 4 Extra since December 2014. James, the noted antiquarian and celebrated writer of ghost stories, rests quietly today in a graveyard. The composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji wrote two pieces for piano with a link to James: Quaere reliqua hujus materiei inter secretiora (1940), inspired by "Count Magnus", and St. Bertrand de Comminges: "He was laughing in the tower" (1941), inspired by "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book". [97], The second radio adaptation of the year arrived in the form of Ghost Stories from Ambridge, a spin-off from The Archers. The dreams begin to bleed into reality and it’s clear something wants into his room, and might even be sleeping in the spare bed. This site contains the BBC listings information which the BBC printed in … James which was written and presented by Gatiss as well. He catalogued many of the manuscript libraries of the colleges of the University of Cambridge. James at Christmas, a series of five plays in the Woman's Hour Drama slot. 1949 – "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" became the second instalment of the new Man in Black series, arranged for radio by John Keir Cross. The play was repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 26 February 2018.[59][60]. A challenge is proffered, a battle of wits begins, as does a descent into dark imaginings. He eventually tells his story to a traveler and he, too, begins to dream of the vision, a white-faced man without eyes. James himself reading various ghost stories premiered on BBC television in 2000. Shortly thereafter, he begins to be haunted by images of a black cat and a cloaked figure, both of whom were carved into the church’s choir stalls. December 15, 2020. You can find his film and TV reviews here. [citation needed] It has been released by Network DVD which also includes a 20-minute adaptation of "Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance" (made in 1976 by Yorkshire Television as part of the Music Scene ITV Schools programme) and A Pleasant Terror, a 1995 ITV documentary about James. [72][73], 1978 – On 2 May, the CBS Radio Mystery Theater presented The Figure in the Moonlight, a loose and uncredited adaptation of "The Mezzotint". [61][62], Sound effects for "Martin's Close" and "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" were provided by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and the original sound-effects reel was preserved in their archive.[63]. "M. R. James and His Fiction." [93], 2011 − Radio 3's Twenty Minutes, an "eclectic arts magazine programme", featured a version of "A Warning to the Curious" on 13 June. The provenance of this series is something of a mystery as it appears to never have been broadcast prior to its appearance online. James's ghost stories were published in a series of collections: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911), A Thin Ghost and Others (1919), and A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories (1925). The classic Jamesian tale usually includes the following elements: According to James, the story must "put the reader into the position of saying to himself, 'If I'm not very careful, something of this kind may happen to me! In addition to ghost stories, he also enjoyed reading the work of William Shakespeare and the detective stories of Agatha Christie. With a contemporary setting, it was scripted by Stephen Gallagher and featured Tom Burke (actor) and Anna Maxwell Martin, with Reece Shearsmith in the role of Karswell. For me, M. R. James is one of these. Particularly, the sight of a man waving his arms in front of his face. As a Christmas treat in the late 1960s and 70s, the BBC produced adaptations of ghost stories based on the works of MR James, the Cambridge academic and author of some of the most spine-tingling tales in the English language, which were broadcast to terri ... Classic Ghost Stories of M. R. James (DVD) £14.99. The series was repeated the following year.[67][68]. Of all the James stories brought to the screen by the BBC, it is probably the most unnerving. The first hardback collected edition appeared in 1931. The audio drama bears a contemporary setting and was set on Nantucket Island. The first of these is the supremely creepy Lost Hearts. The play was repeated on Radio 4 on 2 July 2007 and has appeared several times on Radio 4 Extra since December 2015. Montague Rhodes James was an author, medievalist scholar, and provost of King’s College, Cambridge (1905–18), and of Eton College (1918–36). [65][66], 1971 – Radio 3's Study on 3 presented a four-part analysis of The Horror Story. BBC Four presents a night of classic chilling stories. That last story was followed by a documentary about M.R. What do scary ghost stories have to do with Christmas? James also being one of the foremost authorities on antiquities wrote quite descriptively about the objects and imbued them with eeriness. And caroling out in the snow.”, Okay, that bit’s fine, but the next line…, “There’ll be scary ghost stories He died in 1936 (age 73) and was buried in Eton town cemetery. James's stories continue to influence many of today's great supernatural writers, including Stephen King (who discusses James in the 1981 non-fiction book Danse Macabre) and Ramsey Campbell, who edited Meddling with Ghosts: Stories in the Tradition of M. R. James and wrote the short story "The Guide" in tribute. However, he often spoke out against the Irish Home Rule movement,[2] and in his letters he also expressed a dislike for Communism. M. R. James (story) Robin Chapman (adaptation) Original air date: ... "Lost Hearts" was adapted by Robin Chapman in 1973 as part of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas strand, directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark. This story is very creepy and set the stage nicely for the rest of the cycle, with the muted colors of early-70s BBC films. Among his other scholarly works, he wrote The Apocalypse in Art, which placed the English Apocalypse manuscripts into families. Each episode was introduced by Derek Jacobi as James himself. [19] Mary Butts, another admirer, wrote the first critical essay on his work, "The Art of Montagu James", in the February 1934 issue of the London Mercury. The play was subsequently transmitted, in translation, in several other countries. In September of 1811, a young boy named Stephen Elliot arrives at Aswarby Hall in Lincolnshire. Any curious reader can find many BBC or ITV adaptations of his novels, including the BBC series A Ghost Story for Christmas. [103] Simon Pegg was attached to star. On 23 February 2012 the Royal Mail released a stamp featuring James as part its "Britons of Distinction" series. In order to understand this televisual phenomenon, we first have to discuss the work of a writer named M.R. The first five films are adaptations of stories from the four books by M. R. James published between 1904 and 1925. As of 2010 the audiobooks site LibriVox offers a set of audio readings (available as free downloads) under the collective heading Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. [81][82], 1997–98 – After a hiatus of eleven years, M. R. James returned to the British airwaves in 1997. Two years later in 1971, the producer/director Lawrence Gordon Clark got the chance to adapt another James story for broadcast on Christmas night. The younger cleric actually murdered his predecessor to take his job. Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad', Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad, A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories, The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James, "Mark Gatiss on creating his spine-chilling ghostly tale The Tractate Middoth", "Peter Capaldi to star in new BBC4 Christmas ghost story", "Regional Programme Midland: 27 October 1932: BBC Genome", "Wednesday Matinee: 'Thank You, Mrs. Maynard, "Wednesday Matinee: 'The Uncommon Prayer Book, "Thirty-Minute Theatre: Peter Howell in 'A Mass of Cobwebs, "BBC Radio 4 Extra: M. R. James: A Mass of Cobwebs", "BBC Radio 4 Extra: M. R. James Stories: Martin's Close", "BBC Radio 4 Extra: M. R. James: Oh, Whistle and I'll Come To You", "BBC Radio 4 Extra – M. R. James – The Hex", "BBC Radio 4 – Jonathan Hall – The Midnight House", "BBC Radio 4 - Afternoon Drama, A Warning to the Furious", "The Supernatural Tales Blog: Spine Chillers", "BBC Radio 7 - Classic Tales of Horror, The Mezzotint", "BBC Radio 3 – Twenty Minutes, A Warning to the Curious, by M. R. James", "BBC Sounds - Classic Stories, Tales for Christmas, The Mezzotint by M. R. James", "BBC Sounds – Classic Stories, Stories for Summer, Wailing Well by M. R. James", "BBC Radio 4 – Ghost Stories from Ambridge, Lost Hearts", https://whiteherontheatre.simplecast.com/episodes/whistle-5Jk0NVp3, https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/entertainment/arts/2020/10/22/cape-cod-nantucket-radio-dramas-chill-with-ghosts-and-noir-detectives/114463596/, "Simon Pegg and Joe Dante teaming up For M. R. James Ghost Story", "Nunkie Productions: Performance Schedule", Corpus Christi College Cambridge: The Parker Library, Dark Devotions: M. R. James and the Magical Tradition, A complete chronological bibliography of all of his writings, Complete list of ghost stories by M. R. James, Great Thinkers: Uta Frith FBA on M.R. Pardoe, Rosemary (2001). Several of James's ghost stories are set in Suffolk, including "'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'" (Felixstowe), "A Warning to the Curious" (Aldeburgh), "Rats" and "A Vignette" (Great Livermere). ("What see you in the corner of the Court, that you fix your eyes on it and not on me, your Judge?" [citation needed]. [77], 1982 – Radio 4 transmitted two M. R. James stories in the 15-minute Morning Story slot in 1982. The first of Clark’s adaptations is The Stalls of Barchester, which involves a learned man named Dr. Black (Clive Swift) who is looking into the diaries of the former Archdeacon of Barchester who died mysteriously some years prior. [107], In the summer of 2011 the Crusade Theatre Company toured a new stage adaptation of "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" in England. James’ ghost stories have been adapted many times over the years for the screen and even live plays. He checks into the hotel, one of the oldest buildings in the town, staying in Room 12. The play was produced by John Richmond and transmitted on 21 May as the second half of a double bill, in an "approximate" 25-minute slot on the Home Service.[47]. The audio drama was broadcast on Nantucket's NPR affiliate station, WNCK, on October 31, 2020. In 2008 the English experimental neofolk duo The Triple Tree, featuring Tony Wakeford and Andrew King from Sol Invictus, released the album Ghosts on which all but three songs were based upon the stories of James. Broadcast on 24 April, the play was billed as a "ghost story for St. Mark's Eve" ("The prayer books, though repeatedly closed, are always found open at a particular psalm... above the text of this particular psalm is a quite unauthorised rubric 'For the 25th Day of April'".) The Brides of Dracula (Terence Fisher, 1960) lifts the padlocked coffin scene from "Count Magnus", while Michele Soavi's 1989 film The Church—featuring a script co-authored by Dario Argento—borrows the motif of the "stone with seven eyes", as well as a few other important details, from "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas". (1928) is a homage to James's "Casting the Runes". The 15-minute tale was read by David Ashford and broadcast on Radio 4 Long Wave only. An academic has his sleep disturbed by the subject of his research. This one-man show was a retelling of two of James's tales, "Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book" and "The Mezzotint". One of my favorite Christmas songs is Andy Williams’ bombastic rendition of “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. If you can find them, I would recommend: Whistle and I’ll Come to You, The Stalls of Barchester, A Warning to the Curious, Lost Hearts, and The Signalman the most, and any of the works of M.R. [28] L. T. C. Rolt also modelled his ghost stories on James's work, but, unlike other Jamesian writers, set them in industrial locations, such as mines and railways.[28][29]. At the same time don't let us be mild and drab. Although Robert Lloyd Parry of Nunkie said in 2009 that the last would probably be his final M. R. James tour,[105] he continued to tour the three productions in subsequent years, and in 2012 he announced a fourth production, Count Magnus (consisting of "Count Magnus" and "Number 13"),[106] to premiere on 28 September of that year. It was read in a 15-minute slot by Robert Trotter. In fact, it became a staple of television on Christmas night for a number of years on the BBC. This became the blue print for the modern horror story. As had happened in 2007, the five adaptations were followed by an original drama, this time entitled The Haunting of M.R. Raidió Teilifís Éireann also broadcast The Fellow Travellers, with Aiden Grennell as James, on 20 February 1994. [18] Marjorie Bowen also admired his work, referring to his ghost stories as "the supreme art of M. R. Another renowned fan of James in the horror and fantasy genre was Clark Ashton Smith, who wrote an essay on him. It wasn’t until much later that I realized that ghost stories, while not big in Christmas in the U.S., were and are a mainstay of the United Kingdom. Episodes were "The Mezzotint", "The Rose Garden", "The Haunted Dolls' House", "The Uncommon Prayer-Book" and "A Neighbour's Landmark". Also in 2007, BBC Audio released Ghost Stories Volume One (including "A View from a Hill", "Rats", "A School Story", "The Ash Tree", and "The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance") read by Derek Jacobi. [89][90] The episodes were released on CD as Spine Chillers by BBC Audio in 2008. [2] He had two older brothers, Sydney and Herbert (nicknamed "Ber"), and an older sister, Grace. [64], 1968 – Three years later, Story Time presented five M. R. James stories read by Howieson Culff. In September 1873 he arrived as a boarder at Temple Grove School in East Sheen in west London, one of the leading boys' preparatory schools of the day. The presence never seems to be far away, and even after the man beseeches Dr. Black to put the crown back, the figure still chases him. was remounted, this time produced by Noel Iliff. The life of M. R. James is discussed by Muriel Gray and Christopher Frayling in an episode of biography series Great Lives, presented by Humphrey Carpenter. The 60-minute play was produced by Owen Reed and starred George Holloway as Henry Davidson. This was a tradition that was briefly revived by the BBC between 2007 and 2010. A new adaptation of an M. R. James work will not be shown on the BBC this Christmas. $0.00 Free with Audible trial. James's ideas and his ability to evoke a sense of believable dread still has a profound influence on modern writers and filmmakers. [44], 1946 – World War II had done nothing to dampen the BBC's enthusiasm for "Martin's Close", and on 13 February, C. Whitaker-Wilson's 1938 script of Madam, Will You Walk? Whistle and I’ll Come to You was a surprise hit. 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Russell Wakefield's supernatural fiction was strongly influenced by the work of James. Four revival films adapting James’ stories aired on Christmas the next several years. The play was adapted by Simona Pakenham and produced by Leonarde Chase. The film has yet to go into production. 'The Stalls of Barchester', 'The Ash Tree', 'Number 13' and 'A Warning to the Curious' are the tales told. The twenty-minute reading was by Alex Jennings, and the script produced and abridged by Justine Willett. The latter especially, which culminates in giant spiders with baby heads (yeah) attack attacking the hero at night. The cousin seems very nice, but almost TOO concerned about the boy’s health. The best-known adaptations include Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968, directed by Jonathan Miller) and A Warning to the Curious (1972; directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark), starring Michael Hordern and Peter Vaughan respectively. Finally, in a fascinating documentary - The Ghosts of M.R. 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