Mark Gatiss reveals Joanna Lumley was "so game" to transform for Ghost Story role
Lumley plays the monstrous Mrs. Stone in BBC Two's The Room in the Tower.
*This article contains spoilers for A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Room in the Tower*
The latest in BBC Two's Ghost Story for Christmas strand is The Room in the Tower – based on EF Benson's short story of a man haunted by a recurring nightmare.
In this eerie adaptation, Tobias Menzies’s Roger Winstanley is plagued by recurring visions of a grand country house and a sinister presence concealed within its tower.
As the story unfolds, Roger eventually sees his nightmares become a terrifying reality as he is transported to the house – now a hospital – after being injured in an air raid, where Mrs. Stone (Joanna Lumley), a figure who has haunted his dreams, is waiting...
The tale draws to a chilling close as Mrs. Stone – no longer the refined figure of Roger's dreams, but a monstrous revenant – bears down on her helpless victim.
Speaking at a screening of The Room in the Tower at the BFI Southbank, writer/director Mark Gatiss revealed that it took four hours to transform screen legend Lumley into Mrs. Stone's unsettling final form.
"She did it for tuppence ha'penny, like everybody, and she was so game," Gatiss said of Lumley joining the project.
"I mean, four hours of wonderful make-up... she's just fantastic. She just said yes straight away. It's a tiny part, but it's all about her – it's all about Mrs. Stone."
Gatiss also spoke about the future of the Ghost Story for Christmas series, reiterating that "every year it's a struggle to try and find the money" to fund new instalments.
When an audience member asked how devotees could show their support and help secure future instalments, he added: "I say this absolutely wholeheartedly – support the BBC.
"Everything's become conflated with BBC News – the BBC is an extraordinary, gestalt creature... always has been. It's full of flaws, but my God, the relentless attempts to kill it...It could easily happen – and it's not just for this, it's for everything it has always represented to all of us, and how cheap it is for what we get. It's extraordinary."
Read more:
- Bookish season 2 gets major update from Mark Gatiss as fans eagerly await show's return
- Mark Gatiss reveals how latest Ghost Story for Christmas reminded him of a Doctor Who classic
A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Room in the Tower airs on Christmas Eve (Wednesday, 24th December) at 10pm on BBC Two. Add to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
