ROOM FOR ONE MORE

MARK GATISS INVITES US INTO THE ROOM IN THE TOWER TO TELL US A GHOST STORY FOR CHRISTMAS

- ROBBIE DUNLOP

I’T'S MID-APRIL, AND SFX IS AT Cobham Hall in Kent on day three of a five-day shoot for The Room In The Tower. Adapted from EF Benson's 1912 short story, Mark Gatiss’ latest Ghost Story For Christmas is the first to be filmed before autumn - a shift made to accommodate his ever-hectic schedule.

Outside, the spring sun blazes and the crew slather on sun cream; inside, it’s mercifully cool. Producer Isibéal Ballance leads us through the labyrinthine boarding school, past rows of period costumes on hangers, and into a bookshelf-lined annex that, only yesterday, stood in as a drawing room. “It’s funny what a big plant can do to the set,” she laughs.

We head down into the depths of the building, where a wartime tube station shelter is taking shape. On a nearby bench, a teddy bear, a toy biplane and a pair of child's plimsolls sit neatly arranged. We end up in a classroom turned makeshift production base, piled high with chairs, cables and camera cases. Every so often, a door to the outside creaks open and slams shut with a crash. The breeze... or Christmas spirit come early?

To one side, several crew members and actor Tobias Menzies - his face streaked with dirt and blood, a heavy jacket thrown over his hospital gown costume - huddle around a monitor as a scene is filmed down the corridor. The panelled chamber on screen serves as the titular tower.

Here, Dame Joanna Lumley - draped in a flowing white dress, her face hidden, rather eerily, beneath a veil - is bringing Mrs Stone to life. No, not that Mrs Stone. But as she addresses the crew with a steady stream of honeys, darlings and sweethearts, it’s hard not to hear echoes of the flamboyant television character she's best known for.