| "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" | |||
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| A Ghost Story for Christmas episode | |||
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 4 |
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| Directed by | Lawrence Gordon Clark | ||
| Written by | M. R. James (story) John Bowen (adaptation) |
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| Original air date | 23 December 1974 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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"The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" is a ghost story by M.R. James, found in his book Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. The original tale tells the story of Rev. Justin Somerton, a scholar of medieval history, who tells a rector the tale of how, while searching an abbey library he had stumbled across clues leading him the hidden treasure of a disgraced abbot.
In 1974, the story was adapted as part the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas strand by John Bowen.[1] It was first broadcast on 23 December 1974 at 11.35.[2] The adaptation stars Michael Bryant as Somerton, and it was directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark.
In creating his adaptation, Bowen changed a number of elements of M.R. James's story, such as including another character, Lord Peter Dattering (Paul Lavers) as Somerton's protégé, with whom he shares his investigation. The story is not told in flashback, and also includes a scene in which Somerton exposes two fraudulent mediums, which acts as a demonstration of Somerton's rational approach to the supernatural.[3]
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