''Stigma'' is an episode of the BBC's ''

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, made in 1977. It was the first of only two stories set in the actual year of its making, and the last which mainstay

Lawrence Gordon Clark Lawrence Gordon Clark, is an English television director and producer, perhaps best known for his ''A Ghost Story for Christmas'' series of mostly M. R. James ghost stories, which were broadcast annually by the BBC throughout the 1970s. These ar ...

would direct. It was first shown on BBC One on 29 December 1977 (postponed from its original scheduled broadcast date of 28 December), and was repeated on 29 May 1978. Scripted by

Clive Exton Clive Exton (11 April 1930 – 16 August 2007) was a British television and film screenwriter who wrote scripts for the series ''Poirot,'' ''Jeeves and Wooster,'' and ''Rosemary & Thyme.''Peter Bowles Peter Bowles (16 October 1936 – 17 March 2022) was an English television and stage actor. He gained prominence for television dramas such as '' Callan: A Magnum for Schneider'' and ''I, Claudius''. He is however, best remembered for his roles ...

and

Maxine Gordon Maxine Gordon is a British actress who is perhaps most famous for her role as Jane Edmonds in the 1972 in film, 1972 Sidney Lumet film ''The Offence''. She has also had notable roles in the sitcom ''...And Mother Makes Five'' as Jane Redway, ''T ...

Plot

The film concerns a family who have just moved into a cottage in the countryside. The cottage is situated near an ancient megalithic

stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The be ...

, and one of the stones is in the garden of the cottage. The family arranges to have the stone moved. However, as two workmen attempt to lift a large, heavy stone from their garden, an ancient curse is unleashed which causes the mother to bleed uncontrollably, despite having no wounds. Once the stone is finally moved, a skeleton is found buried there. The implication is that the mother's body is re-enacting the ritual execution of a witch who was buried under the stone centuries earlier.Helen Wheatley, ''Gothic Television'', 2006 p. 55

Production

The production was filmed at

Avebury, Wiltshire Avebury () is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in ...

, which had also been the location used for the ITV series ''

Children of the Stones ''Children of the Stones'' is a British television fantasy drama serial for children, produced by HTV in 1976 and broadcast on the United Kingdom's ITV network in January and February 1977. The serial was produced by Peter Graham Scott, with ...

'' (screened earlier the same year). The production is unlike the previous films in the ''Ghost Story For Christmas''

strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

in several ways; it is the first to be an original story and the first to be set in the then-present day. Critical opinion is decidedly mixed, with the decision to move away from adaptations of classic ghost stories the main concern. David Kerekes, author of ''Creeping Flesh: The Horror Fantasy Film Book: Volume 1'', suggested that "the problem is that this is not a ghost story. ''Stigma'' is a straight down the line horror story. Although it's a perfectly competent television production, it just doesn't fit in with the feel of what a Christmas ghost story should be."David Kerekes, ''Creeping Flesh: The Horror Fantasy Film Book: Volume 1'' p.36

Cast

*Kate Binchy as Katharine *

Peter Bowles Peter Bowles (16 October 1936 – 17 March 2022) was an English television and stage actor. He gained prominence for television dramas such as '' Callan: A Magnum for Schneider'' and ''I, Claudius''. He is however, best remembered for his roles ...

as Peter *

as Verity *

Jon Laurimore Jon St Alban Laurimore (born 1936) is a British actor, known for his television appearances. His TV credits include '' The Avengers'', ''The Prisoner'', ''Z-Cars'', '' Dixon of Dock Green'', '' Public Eye'', ''Warship'', ''Sutherland's Law'', ' ...

as Dr. Hall *

Christopher Blake Christopher Blake (born Peter Ronald Gray, 23 August 1949 – 11 December 2004) was an English actor and screenwriter. He is perhaps best remembered for starring in the British sitcoms '' Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80) and '' That's My Boy'' ...

as Richard *John Judd as Dave

Home media

"Stigma" was released on DVD by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

in 2012. It was released on a single disc along with two other films from the ''Ghost Story for Christmas'' strand; " The Signalman" and " The Ice House". The DVD also contains bonus features including a 9-minute introduction to "Stigma" by director Lawrence Gordon Clark, and a booklet containing newly commissioned essays about the productions. It has also been included in a boxed set of all of the BBC's ''Ghost Stories for Christmas'', released by the BFI the same year.

References

External links

* * {{A Ghost Story for Christmas 1977 horror films 1977 films 1977 television films BBC television dramas British supernatural television shows 1970s ghost films Films with screenplays by Clive Exton Films about curses Films set in 1977 Films shot in Wiltshire British ghost films A Ghost Story for Christmas 1970s British films