Having just written my review of "The Mezzotint" I decided to go back and find a copy of 2013's "The Tractate Middoth", (it's currently on Youtube, if you're interested) the initial M R James adaptation that Mark Gatiss provided. I remembered almost nothing about this, but it's probably the best one so far.
William Garrett (Sacha Dhawan) is a library assistant who is tasked with locating a book by John Eldred (John Castle) from the archive he works at. Whilst fetching the book, Garrett is terrified by a hooded figure. Leaving for a constitutional break to the country, he then meets Mary Simpson (Louise Jameson), who tells him about an inheritance she was unable to collect, as her spiteful uncle hid his will in a book. The same book that Garrett was asked to collect.
This story was a lot more plot based than the other have been, those being mostly tone poems with a scare at the end. Here there was a lot more going on. There's establishing scenes of Mary visiting her uncle on his deathbed and him calling her closer, it's not until later that we hear what he says though. From there, there's quite a bit more world building before we even see the ghost. Garrett's trip to the countryside then has what might feel like an unbelievable bit of co-incidence, but I think in other stories, such as in "The Mezzotint", it's been established that supernatural organisation is possible.
Sacha Dhawan is a great performer, and here he gets to thrust some youthful, almost childlike, energy in Garrett before carrying the story onward. There's two characters providing comic relief. Nicholas Burns as George, Garrett's amiable friend at the library and the late Roy Barraclough, with a mannered performance. There's also a trio of fine veteran actresses with the aforementioned Jameson, joined by Eleanor Bron and another one sadly lost this year, Una Stubbs.
Strange that "Martin's Close" should be such as misfire then as this, and "The Mezzotint" are both excellent examples of a fine Christmas tradition I hope will continue for years to come.
