The Room in the Tower: Inside the BBC adaptation of the classic story, including, cast, location, and plot
Prepared to be scared out of your wits this ChristmasThe Room in the Tower is the latest ghost story to be adapted by Mark Gatiss for Christmas and it boasts an impressive cast bringing to life its gripping plot.
This is the Bookish star’s eighth ghost mystery for the festive season on the BBC and it’s a chilling tale by E.F. Benson.
The Room in the Tower promises to be a gem of the BBC’s Christmas TV line-up. Moreover, it features a fantastic cast, including one of the most popular stars around.
Benson is well known for his satirical Mapp and Lucia series, but he’s also famous for his spooky stories.
Mark Gatiss, writer and director, says: “I’ve always wanted to adapt the great E.F. Benson’s ghost stories and this is one of his chilling best. I’m also very grateful to have been able to continue the most Christmassy of Christmas traditions.”
Here’s everything you need to know about The Room in the Tower, including plot, cast, location and how to watch.
What is the plot of The Room in the Tower on BBC Two?
The TV version of The Room in the Tower takes us to England in the inter-war years. The book was first published in 1912, so Mark Gatiss has slightly altered the period setting. But beyond that the plot sounds similar to the horror of the book.
The BBC synopsis tells us: “For 15 years, Roger Winstanley has been haunted by an unsettling, recurring dream: an invitation to spend the night in the house of an acquaintance, where an unseen terror lurks and the figures who populate the dream seem to age in real time. Nightmare and waking life seem to finally collide when an invitation to the dreaded ‘room in the tower’ becomes all too real…”
Meanwhile, talking about why he was keen to adapt the book, Mark says: “I’ve always wanted to adapt this story as I read it lots as a kid. A recurring dream is such a creepy idea.”
Who plays Roger Winstanley in The Room in the Tower?
Tobias Menzies plays the central character. The original book doesn’t name the haunted man, but Mark calls him Roger.
Teasing the start of the story, Tobias says: “Roger is hiding out in a bomb shelter during World War Two. There, Roger confides in a stranger, Verity, that he’s long had this recurring dream where he arrives at a big house and is greeted by its owner, Mrs Stone, who always sends him to the same room – the room in the tower.”
So, Tobias Menzies is best known for playing Prince Philip in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown. Plus, he starred in Outlander as Frank Randall and the villain Captain Jack Randall.
Who stars as Mrs Stone in the cast?
Dame Joanna Lumley plays Mrs Stone and she is a very sinister sounding character!
Joanna Lumley is one of Britain’s most-loved stars. Joanna made her film debut in the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. She’s also famous for playing Purdey in The New Avengers, Sapphire in Sapphire & Steel and Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous.
She will also be turning up this Christmas in the Amandaland festive special.
Who else is in the cast of The Room in the Tower?
Among the rest of the cast is Polly Walker. She recently starred alongside Mark Gatiss in his cosy crime drama Bookish.
Also featuring in The Room in The Tower are Nancy Carroll (The Crown; Father Brown) and Ben Mansfield (Endeavour; Sister Boniface Mysteries).
It’s a fabulous cast for what promises to be a real Christmas TV treat. “These ghosts stories are wintry and weirdly cosy,” says Mark.
The Room in the Tower filming locations
The Room in the Tower takes place in a sinister house, but the exact location is never revealed in the book.
Doubling up for the house is Cobham Hall in Kent. The majority of the filming took place there. The Crown used Cobham Hall in series 5, and the BBC shot its 2005 adaptation of Bleak House starring Gillian Anderson there.
Cobham Hall is an historic house and it’s open to the public on certain days of the year.
When is The Room in the Tower on?
The one-off 90-minute drama will air on Christmas Eve on BBC Two at 10pm. If you can’t catch the episode on Christmas Eve, it will be also be available on BBC iPlayer.
There’s also lots of other great shows on Christmas Eve including a special of All Creatures Great and Small on 5 and a special of The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC One.
But if you’re into spooky ghosts stories, then The Room in the Tower is your must watch on Christmas Eve.
Which other ghost stories adapted by Mark Gatiss are on BBC iPlayer?
Mark Gatiss has adapted seven spooky works previously for the BBC.
Unfortunately, the only one currently available to watch is last year’s ghost story, Woman of Stone. It’s described as the chilling tale of newlywed Victorians Jack and Laura. Woman of Stone was written by E. Nesbit, who wrote The Railway Children. You need to be quick though as Woman of Stone will leave BBC iPlayer towards the end of December.
Read More: The best shows on over Christmas
