Ghost Stories for Christmas - The Definitive Collection (5-DVD set)

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An archaeologist has a disturbing experience after borrowing a pair of binoculars belonging to an outcast local historian and venturing up a notorious landmark. As a Christmas treat during the 1970s, the BBC screened adaptations of the classic ghost stories of MR James, the Cambridge academic and author of some of the most spine-tingling tales in the English language. The ever-amiable Clark discusses the series’ move to the BBC's drama department and the changes this imposed (including a shorter shooting schedule), the tracking down of locations (a task he managed to retain for himself), working with child actors, and the use of hurdy-gurdy music.

Two very short clips of interviews with Jonathan Miller and Christopher Frayling – for my money two of the most intelligent and compelling interviewees on the planet – that were not used in David Thompson's BBC Arena profile of Miller, which was first broadcast in March of 2010.This was clearly shot at the same time as the introduction, and while Campbell is more animated in his reading here, the same problems with room acoustics remain.

Partly because television is not best suited to carrying off big-screen pyrotechnics, but mainly because they want to keep faith with the notion of a ghost story in its literary rather than cinematic tradition. And despite the object’s symbolic significance in relation to Parkin’s bond to his wife, I can't be the only one who associates gold rings bearing inscriptions more with J. And there is, crucially, a single moment of heart-stopping, corner-of-the-eye horror that suggests life, for one powdery academic at least, will never be the same again. The passing of time, of course, has provided some pointers here, and there will surely be few for whom the prospect of an old man inviting wayward young orphans back to his isolated house to stay does not set off a small bell of alarm.They note that this marked a slight change of direction for the series as it was the first to fall under the control of the BBC’s Drama department, and they discuss how actor Joseph O’Connor brings so much to character that was two-dimensional on the page. So far no cause whatever for the fear of the runner had been shown; but now there began to be seen, far up the shore, a little flicker of something light-coloured moving to and fro with great swiftness and irregularity. I saw most of these programmes when they were originally broadcast and have always wanted to see them again.