Writer, Mark Gatiss, once again brings his Ghost Story for Christmas to us this Christmas Eve, with Woman of Stone, based on a short story that he referenced in a Twelfth Doctor story!

Empress of Mars features the tombs of the Ice Queen of the Ice Warriors, something apparently loosely based on the tomb in E. Nesbit’s Man-Size in Marble! Here’s the full interview with Gatiss…

What made you decide to adapt E. Nesbit for this year’s ghost story?

E. Nesbit’s Man-Size in Marble was the first ghost story I ever read, and it left a profound impression on me. I even referenced it in an episode of Doctor Who which I wrote for Peter Capaldi! I’ve wanted to adapt it before but the cost of constructing the marble tomb effigies was always slightly beyond us. Happily, this year we got a little cash injection which made it possible. Also, because last year’s story by Arthur Conan Doyle was entirely and deliberately male, I wanted a stark contrast. Nesbit was an incredible woman and a fascinating writer. The adaptation is called Woman of Stone as I’ve tried to draw out what I think are the themes of the story.

Can you give a brief overview of what Woman of Stone is about?

Laura and Jack are a newly married Victorian couple who move into a countryside cottage. All seems well but there’s already trouble in the marriage. And the two marble tomb effigies in the local church seem to prey on Laura’s mind. Local legend says that, on Christmas Eve, the effigies get up and walk around…

Why is this particular story a good one to adapt for TV?

As ever, I’m guided by the quality of the story and what will fit neatly into the constraints of a very tight budget and shooting schedule! This story is very contained and has a small cast so I knew we could achieve it. But added to that I found it a very exciting challenge to adapt. There’s a lot of literature discussing what this story is ‘about’ and as I said, I’ve tried to draw out some of the those to give more of a ‘take’ on the story rather than a straightforward adaptation. I’m very pleased with it and I think it’s quietly powerful.

Audiences may not be familiar with the fact that E Nesbit wrote horror (because of her association with books like The Railway Children). What makes her an interesting horror writer and what separates her work from others, like MR James?

E. Nesbit was a remarkable woman. A founding member of the Fabian Society, bohemian and free-thinker she was a formidable and eccentric presence in many people’s lives, including H. G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw. I devoured Eleanor Fitzsimon’s brilliant biography and this gave me the idea of bookending the story with Edith Nesbit herself, telling the story somewhat more from her own perspective.

There’s an extraordinary real-life incident in which the young Edith was taken to see some ‘mummies’ in France and the horror of it never left her. In fact it left her with a fear of inanimate things coming to life which is at the heart of the story.

You shot in a country estate in Berkshire – can you talk us through what the location added to the production?

My producer Isibeal Balance and I have had great good luck in the last few years finding various country estates which contain everything we need! With only five days to shoot the story it’s essential that everything is in close proximity. On The Mezzotint (2021) for example, we shot at Harrow School which had two churches and a golf course all on site! This year we filmed at an estate in Berkshire which again had everything we required within a stone’s throw of each other. The biggest problem was trying not to show just how close together everything is.

Can you talk us through the cast and what they each bring to the roles in the programme?

Celia Imrie plays E Nesbit. I’ve been a huge fan of Celia’s since I was a teenager when I first saw her in Victoria Wood – As Seen On TV. She’s a wonderful actor with a delicious twinkle and she brings so much warmth and tenderness to Edith Nesbit. I’d love to work with her again. She should play Edith in a biopic!

Éanna Hardwick plays Jack. I saw Éanna in the brilliant The Sixth Commandment and was knocked out by his portrayal of the killer. He sort of disappeared into the role. I was then lucky enough to meet him at the RTS Awards where we were up for the same award! Delightfully, he’d been to see the play I was doing, The Motive and the Cue, three times. I was very flattered! And when I was thinking of who could play Jack he sprang instantly to mind.

On the subject of the play, Phoebe Horn was in it too playing an actress called Linda Marsh. She was an entirely delightful cast member and we got to know each other very well. I knew she’d be perfect for Laura and, though this is Phoebe’s first TV role, she absolutely knocks it out of the park. She deserves to become a big star.

Mawaan Rizwan plays Dr Zubin. Again, I’m a fan! I adored Mawaan’s show Juice and couldn’t get over its freshness and mad energy. I was very keen to work with him so wrote the doctor with him in mind hoping he’d say yes. And he did! He even chose the character’s surname.

Finally, the amazing Monica Dolan plays Mrs Dorman. I know Monica a little bit but we’ve only worked together briefly, on Wolf Hall some years ago. She brings an extraordinary intensity and commitment to every part and Mrs Dorman is no exception. She really is one of the very best and I feel very fortunate to have her in the story.

What do you think viewers will enjoy about Woman in Stone?

All I can say is that I’m very pleased with the way it’s turned out and I think it’s quite a powerful story, whatever you decide it’s about! This is the first time the Ghost Story for Christmas has been an adaptation of a story written by a woman and I hope people will be intrigued by the tonal difference this makes. I hope they find it affecting and, of course, spooky!

Woman of Stone airs on BBC2 on Christmas Eve at 10:15pm.