''Martin's Close'' is a supernatural television drama produced by the

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. Running at 30 minutes, the drama was based on the

ghost story A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature'' ...

Martin's Close "Martin's Close" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, included in his 1911 collection '' More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary''. Plot summary The story is presented as a report of a trial in the year 1684, before Judge Jeffreys. Squi ...

'' by British writer and academic

M. R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, Medieval studies, medievalist scholar and provost (education), provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was List of ...

, included in his 1911 collection ''

More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary ''More Ghost Stories'' is a horror short story collection by British writer M. R. James, published in 1911. Some later editions under the title ''Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'' contain it and the earlier ''Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'' in one ...

''. Adapted and directed by

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...

, it was broadcast on 24 December 2019 on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

''Martin’s Close'' (2019)
''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'', December 2019 as part of the long-running ''

A Ghost Story for Christmas ''A Ghost Story for Christmas'' is a strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One between 1971 and 1978, and revived sporadically by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original instalments were directe ...

'' series and again on 24 December 2020.

Synopsis

The narrator, Stanton ( Simon Williams), tells the tale of a young squire, John Martin ( Wilf Scolding), who in 1684 is prosecuted for murder by the King's Counsel (

Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, writer and musician. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in ' ...

) in a court presided over by the notorious

Judge Jeffreys George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, PC (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving as ...

(

Elliot Levey Elliot Levey (born 6 December 1973) is an Olivier award winning actor. Career Olivier award winner for the role of Herr Shultz in Cabaret.known for his work in British Theatre, he has performed at the Donmar Warehouse, Almeida and National Th ...

). But Ann Clark (Jessica Temple), the simple-minded and poor country girl he is accused of murdering, has been seen after her death.

Cast

.. Dolben *

* Wilf Scolding .. John Martin *

Sara Crowe Sara Crowe is a Scottish film and stage actress who mainly plays comedy roles. Biography Career After beginning her career on stage and in television, Crowe began to take film roles, including a part in ''Carry On Columbus'' and as the 'first ...

.. Sarah Arscott * James Holmes .. Thomas Snell *Jessica Temple .. Ann Clark * Simon Williams .. Stanton *Fisayo Akinade .. William *

Ian Hallard Ian Christopher Hallard (born 9 November 1974) is an English actor and writer. His work includes acting roles in the West End, including the lead role of Michael in a revival of Mart Crowley's '' The Boys in the Band''; at the National Theatre ...

.. Hosier

Adaptation

Giving the production three stars out of five, Tilly Pearce, the critic for ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

'', wrote:

"It’s a snappy tale that doesn’t take too much of your time, and it’s got a fair amount of freaky moments that actually make your skin crawl a little bit."

Michael Hogan, the critic for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', also giving three stars out of five, wrote:

"I must confess, I found the ending a mild disappointment. I found myself waiting for a twist or explanation that never came. Instead we were left with the haunting image of Martin being led off to the gallows and Ann's ghost gleefully joining the procession. This was eerie fare, rather than flat-out scary. Budgetary limitations meant the simple story was told with a small cast and stripped-back. stagey production... For a punchy half-hour piece, however, its storytelling style felt unnecessarily convoluted..."Hogan, Michael
''Martin's Close'', review: this MR James ghost story was eerie, rather than flat-out scary
''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'', 24 December 2019

Locations

The drama was filmed at

Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge is a Grade II* listed former hunting lodge, now a museum, on the edge of Epping Forest, at 8 Rangers Road, Chingford, London E4, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, near Greater London's boundary with Essex. ...

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...

. The first floor Salon was used for the scene of the party where John Martin first encounters Ann Clark while the top floor was used for the court scenes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin's Close (2019 film) Adaptations of works by M. R. James BBC television dramas Television shows based on short fiction A Ghost Story for Christmas 2019 television films