The Stalls of Barchester

The first film in the Ghost Story for Christmas strand that BBC One had from 1971 to 1978, the first was The Stalls of Barchester, based on M.R. James' 1911 short story, it was adapted, produced and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark, who previously did documentaries for the BBC, but was looking to move into drama. Clark had been a fan of James'' work since school and wanted to adapt James' works, and BBC1's controller Paul Fox took a big gamble on this, but Clark was aided by an enthusiastic cast and crew who believed in his vision, and it worked, and the strand was born, and it continues, in some form or another, 50 years later!