Winter is Coming! And with it, a chill(er). Yes folks, it’s that time of the year again where the BBC reveals its Christmas ghost story, and their latest is set to star none other than Jon Snow himself, Mr Kit Harington. As reported by THR, the Game Of Thrones actor will be reuniting with fellow Throne alum and A Ghost Story For Christmas veteran Mark Gatiss on Lot No. 249, an adaptation of the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle short story.
Written and directed by Gatiss, who has previous adapting Doyle’s work having co-created the Beeb’s wildly popular Sherlock series, Lot No. 249 will see Harington featuring alongside The Great’s Freddie Fox. Per the official synopsis for the televised ghost story, the plot here revolves around “a group of Oxford students, one of whom undertakes research into the secrets of Ancient Egypt, which become the talk of the college.” Continuing, it teases the story’s supernatural animus; “Can these experiments truly breathe life to the horrifying bag of bones which is the mysterious Lot. No 249?” Spooky, eh?
In a statement following the announcement of Lot No. 249, Gatiss – whose previous BBC Christmas ghost stories have included adaptations of M.R. James’ The Mezzotint and Count Magnus among others – shared his excitement to be returning to the world of Doyle. “It’s a serious delight for me to delve once again into the brilliant work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this time for the Christmas ghost story,” said Gatiss. “Lot No. 249 is a personal favourite and is the grand-daddy (or should that be Mummy?) of a particular kind of end of Empire chiller: a ripping yarn packed with ghastly scares and who-knows-what lurking in the Victorian closet …” Hang about! End of Empire? Now there is a terrifying thought! Expect this ghostly Christmas gift to air on BBC Two sometime between prepping the turkey and making sandwiches from the leftovers. Yum!