One of the odder Christmas TV traditions, A Ghost Story for Christmas – Woman of Stone is so-so
“You cannot leave it there…”
I’m not entirely sure why Mark Gatiss’ A Ghost Story for Christmas has become an enduring festive franchise and if this year’s entry Woman of Stone, didn’t really float my boat (or chill my spine) then I’m sure others will have appreciated its spooky vibes as Santa approaches.
Written and directed by Gatiss, it is an adaptation of E Nesbit’s short story Man-Size in Marble and padded out by a framing device – even at just 30 minutes – that sees a dying Nesbit (Celia Imrie) flirting with her doctor (Mawaan Rizwan) as he requests a story from her to pass the time.
That story feels like nothing new to be honest. A newly married couple move to a quiet village but the warnings of their superstitious housekeeper about two marble tomb effigies in the nearby church who are known to rise each year and walk…specifically to their cottage.
Monica Dolan is as entertaining as always as Mrs Dorman and Éanna Hardwicke’s Jack and Phoebe Horn’s Laura are mildly interesting as the central couple but it all just wasn’t for me.
