'It left a profound impression on me' - Mark Gatiss on his latest ghost story for Christmas

It is his seventh Ghost Story for Christmas but “was the first ghost story I ever read, and it left a profound impression on me,” says the writer and director from Sedgefield.

"I even referenced it in an episode of Doctor Who which I wrote for Peter Capaldi! I’ve wanted to adapt it before but the cost of constructing the marble tomb effigies was always slightly beyond us. Happily, this year we got a little cash injection which made it possible. Also, because last year’s story by Arthur Conan Doyle was entirely and deliberately male I wanted a stark contrast. Nesbit was an incredible woman and a fascinating writer. The adaptation is called Woman of Stone as I’ve tried to draw out what I think are the themes of the story.”

The adaptation, which is on tonight, portrays author Edith Nesbit, in her final days, recounting the chilling tale of newlywed Victorians Jack and Laura. The couple are settling into a small cottage in a quiet village when their idyll is overshadowed by the superstitious warnings of their housekeeper, Mrs Dorman, and the legend of the village church’s tomb effigies - a pair of marble knights who are said to rise from their slabs on Christmas Eve.

Gatiss says: “As ever, I’m guided by the quality of the story and what will fit neatly into the constraints of a very tight budget and shooting schedule. This story is very contained and has a small cast so I knew we could achieve it. But added to that I found it a very exciting challenge to adapt. There’s a lot of literature discussing what this story is ‘about’ and as I said, I’ve tried to draw out some of the those to give more of a ‘take’ on the story rather than a straightforward adaptation. I’m very pleased with it and I think it’s quietly powerful.”

Audiences may not know that E Nesbit wrote horror because of her association with books like The Railway Children – loved by Yorkshire audiences after the 1970 film version was made in the region.

"E Nesbit was a remarkable woman,” says Gatiss. “A founding member of the Fabian Society, bohemian and free-thinker she was a formidable and eccentric presence in many people’s lives, including H G Wells and George Bernard Shaw. I devoured Eleanor Fitzsimon’s brilliant biography and this gave me the idea of bookending the story with Edith Nesbit herself, telling the story somewhat more from her own perspective. There’s an extraordinary real-life incident in which the young Edith was taken to see some ‘mummies’ in France and the horror of it never left her. In fact it left her with a fear of inanimate things coming to life which is at the heart of the story.”

Celia Imrie plays E Nesbit, while Éanna Hardwick and Phoebe Horn portray Jack and Laura. Mawaan Rizwan plays Dr Zubin, meanwhile, and Middlesbrough’s Monica Dolan appears as houseworker Mrs Dorman.

Dolan says: “I had no idea that E. Nesbit wrote horror stories - I remember reading Five Children And It as a child, and of course the author is very famous for The Railway Children. When I first read the script I was aware of the ancient juxtaposed with the modern, in that the stone effigies of medieval knights come to life (according to the storyteller, Mrs Dorman) whilst Mark has engaged us with a story of domestic violence that feels quite modern in tone - though, of course, is timeless in subject.

“It is a world of history, legend and archaic tales introduced to us through the eyes of a young couple who are, in turn, seen through the eyes of the author Edith Nesbit, who is also present in the story as she awaits death. The layering of the time frames allows us to experience more of a sensation of mystery and sets the imagination free.”

Gatiss adds: “This is the first time the Ghost Story for Christmas has been an adaptation of a story written by a woman and I hope people will be intrigued by the tonal difference this makes. I hope they find it affecting and, of course, spooky!”

A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone will air on BBC Two tonight from 10.15pm to 10.45pm.