The Dead Room (2018 film)
A radio host is haunted by guilt from 1976.
The Dead Room is a 2018 short film and part of the BBC’s supernatural anthology *A Ghost Story for Christmas*. Produced by Isibeal Ballance, written and directed by Mark Gatiss, it is the first original story in the series since *The Ice House* (1978). It premiered on BBC Four on 24 December 2018.
The film stars Simon Callow as Aubrey Judd, a veteran radio actor who hosts the long-running horror series *The Dead Room*. He clashes with his ambitious new producer, Tara (Anjli Mohindra), dismissing her as inexperienced in the genre. As they debate what makes a great ghost story, Judd recalls his youth during the 1976 heatwave. His repressed guilt over an affair from that summer begins to haunt him when he realises he is not alone in the recording booth.
The story draws inspiration from M. R. James’s 1931 essay “Ghosts - Treat Them Gently!”, in which James outlined his interest in ghosts and his rules for ghost stories. Most episodes of *A Ghost Story for Christmas* adapt James’s stories, widely considered the finest in English. Gatiss, a longtime admirer of James’s work, revived the series with *The Tractate Middoth* (2013) and wrote this episode to explore ideas from James’s essay.
**Cast and characters** Simon Callow as Aubrey Judd, a famous radio actor. Anjli Mohindra as Tara Lohia, an ambitious radio producer. Susan Penhaligon as Joan. Joshua Oakes-Rogers as Paul. Mark Gatiss as Radio Announcer (voice). Christopher Allen as DJ voice (voice).
**Production** BBC Four’s channel editor Cassian Harrison announced the film at the Edinburgh TV Festival on 23 August 2018, alongside other commissions including *The Yorkshire Ripper*, *You, Me and Eugenics*, and the acquisition of *The Plague*. The film was shot at Maida Vale Studios.
**Broadcast** Aired on 24 December 2018, it was watched by 0.991 million viewers.
**Home video** *The Dead Room* was first released on DVD in 2022 by 2 Entertain, bundled with *The Tractate Middoth* (2013), *Martin’s Close* (2019), and *The Mezzotint* (2021) on a single disc titled *Ghost Stories*.
- type
- Television short film
- series
- A Ghost Story for Christmas
- first_aired
- 24 December 2018
- director
- Mark Gatiss
- writer
- Mark Gatiss
- producer
- Isibeal Ballance
- network
- BBC Four
Lore & Background
The Dead Room stars Simon Callow as Aubrey Judd, an accomplished radio actor who hosts the long-running horror radio series The Dead Room. He and his ambitious new producer Tara (Anjli Mohindra) discuss what makes a great ghost story while he reminisces about his youth in the heatwave of 1976. His repressed guilt over an affair he had that summer starts to haunt him as he realizes he is not alone in the recording booth.
The film is inspired by the 1931 essay 'Ghosts - Treat Them Gently!' by author M. R. James, in which he discussed his interest in ghosts and his ground rules for a ghost story. The majority of A Ghost Story for Christmas episodes are based on James' ghost stories. Gatiss' love of James' stories and their adaptations led to him helming the series starting with The Tractate Middoth (2013), and he wrote this episode to explore the ideas presented in James' essay.
The film was shot at Maida Vale Studios. It was announced by the channel editor for BBC Four, Cassian Harrison, at the Edinburgh TV Festival on 23 August 2018.
Reader's Guide
The Dead Room marks a notable entry in the A Ghost Story for Christmas series as the first original story since The Ice House (1978), breaking a long tradition of adaptations of M. R. James stories. Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, the film directly engages with James' own essay on ghost story theory, making it a meta-textual exploration of the genre. Its broadcast on BBC Four on Christmas Eve 2018 continued the series' tradition of seasonal supernatural programming. The film was viewed by 0.991 million viewers and later released on DVD in 2022 as part of a collection titled Ghost Stories, alongside other entries in the series. Its cast includes Simon Callow and Anjli Mohindra, with Gatiss himself providing a voice role.
Did You Know?
- The Dead Room is the first original story in the A Ghost Story for Christmas series since The Ice House (1978).
- The film is inspired by M. R. James' 1931 essay 'Ghosts - Treat Them Gently!'.
- It was shot at Maida Vale Studios.
- The film was announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival on 23 August 2018.
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