Doctor Who‘s Peter Capaldi and Mark Gatiss were both last seen on the show back in 2017’s Christmas special “Twice Upon a Time,” but they’ll be teaming up again this yuletide for a chilling new ghost story.
Gatiss, who’s also the co-creator of Sherlock alongside former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, has penned Martin’s Close, a 30-minute adaptation of a classic tale from Victorian horror author M.R. James that’s set to arrive on the BBC this December. James’ story is presented as a record of the trial of John Martin, a man accused of killing his lover, who may just be haunted by her vengeful spirit.
The Twelfth Doctor himself will feature in the cast as barrister Dolben. He’ll be joined by Wilf Scolding, Simon Williams, Sara Crowe, Fisayo Akinade and Elliot Levey. Martin’s Close follows on from 2018’s The Dead Room, an original story from Gatiss which also starred some familiar faces from the Whoniverse – two-time guest star Simon Callow and The Sarah Jane Adventures’ Anjli Mohindra.
Earlier this week, Gatiss released the following statement about the project and also shared a first-look photo:
“After the delightful success of last year’s The Dead Room, it’s a fantastic privilege to continue the tradition of the Christmas Ghost story on BBC Four – and what better than one of my favourite stories by the master of them all, M.R. James?”
As well as writing several episodes, Gatiss appeared as the Captain in Capaldi’s Doctor Who swansong. Since then, he’s teamed up with Moffat to create Dracula, a BBC/Netflix co-production which recently wrapped filming on its first season. Capaldi, meanwhile, has a role in the upcoming Dickens adaptation The Personal History of David Copperfield. It’d would’ve been a treat if the Scottish actor was part of Dracula, too, but this should be an enjoyable, and creepy, reunion all the same.
David Copperfield is due out this September, with Martin’s Close arriving this Christmas. Dracula doesn’t yet have a release date, but it seems likely that it’ll land in early 2020.
