The Dead Room

Of all the television listings for Christmas 2018, this was the standout, ahead of Dr Who, Click and Collect, ABC Murders etc, but the realisation was in truth a little underwhelming. I will give huge credit to Simon Callow for his acting, Aubrey was a very interesting character, reminded me of his Charles Dickens from Doctor Who. The story was a little underwhelming, a little small, what could have been a spooky, eerie tale, and echo of the past, was actually a slightly plodding, dialogue heavy drama. The fabulous talents of Susan Penhaligon were totally wasted, she could have been anyone. The ending didn't really work, it felt a little too telegraphed.

While Gatiss' MR James adaptations don't really capture the required atmosphere for me, this original piece works very well. I love the dialogue (which many people seem not to, perhaps seeing it as veering too far into knowingness) and thought it was an engaging little story. The final image is rather nice too.

Where it falls flat is in the structure and the building of tension. We need more intrigue, more peril. I can forgive this because I still enjoy the dialogue and Aubrey is a lovely character. Well, more lovey than lovely but most entertaining anyhow (Callow wonderful as expected.)

So, not a brilliant creepy ghost story (see this year's Inside No 9 - The Bones of St. Nicholas for an example of such) but still worth a watch.

It's a shame after such a sterling effort to revive the Ghost Stories for Christmas with last year's Tractate Middoth that Mr Gatiss has opted for a story of his own, which quite frankly is a bit of a bore, I'm sure looked great on paper but unfortunately falls flat on its face on tv. Simon Callow is the only real reason for watching the Dead Room as always he us just superb, but there is only so much he can be relied upon to do. Bit of a wasted effort.

It is good to have the Christmas ghost stories back, but sadly, Mark Gatiss' efforts fall well short of the 1970s classics, and The Dead Room is no exception. A big issue is that there is no real story and so the tale just does not really go anywhere. Furthermore, the gradual ghostly build-up (actually stressed as an essential aspect of a successful ghost story in the script) does not really progress in a spooky enough manner. As such, the supernatural pay off is rather predictable and limited in impact. In terms of performances, Simon Callow is as dependable as ever, but his talents needed a stronger and more atmospheric setting and story, and it seems odd to feature an actress of Susan Penhaligon's calibre in a role that could have been just as effectively portrayed by an extra. Ultimately, Mark Gatiss is no M.R. James, and it is a James tale that we need for Christmas 2019.

I'd say don't bother. Simon you are a fantastic actor, but why this? Forget BBC nonsense, why???