[Susan Foreman]

'Ghost Stories for Christmas: Volume 1' - 3-Disc Blu-ray Box Set pre-order available from BFI direct - £26:99

Release date: December 5

"Four classic BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas available on Blu-ray for the first time

Broadcast in the dying hours of Christmas Eve, the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas series was a fixture of the seasonal schedules throughout the 1970s and spawned a long tradition of chilling tales, which terrified yuletide viewers for decades to come.

This much-requested release gives four landmarks of the series their Blu-ray debut, having been newly remastered by the BFI from original film materials. All based on classic short stories by acclaimed writer MR James, his atmospheric settings and creeping unease are eerily realised in these seminal dramas that unleash evil spirits that will haunt and unnerve."

The Films:

• Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968)
• The Stalls of Barchester (1971)
• A Warning to the Curious (1972)
• Lost Hearts (1973)

Special features:

• Presented in High Definition (Limited Edition)
• Whistle and I’ll Come to You (2010, 52 min): John Hurt stars in this more recent reinterpretation of MR James' chilling tale
• Newly recorded commentaries on Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968) and The Stalls of Barchester by Jon Dear
• Lawrence Gordon Clark introductions (2012, 33 mins): introductions to The Stalls of Barchester, A Warning to the Curious and Lost Hearts previously recorded for the BFI’s DVD release
• Ramsay Campbell on MR James (2001, 16 mins)
• Jonathan Miller and Christopher Frayling discuss Whistle and I’ll Come to You (2012, 3 mins)
• Neil Brand reads MR James’ Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad (2001, 42 mins, audio only)
• Ramsey Campbell reads his own MR James-inspired story The Guide (2001, 27 mins)
• Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee: The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious (2000, 60 mins total)
• **LIMITED EDITION ONLY** Illustrated booklet with essays by Reggie Oliver, Jonathan Rigby, Adam Easterbrook and Ramsey Campbell
• Newly commissioned sleeve art by Matt Needle

Other extras TBC