The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (A Ghost Story for Christmas)
| "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" | |
|---|---|
| A Ghost Story for Christmas episode | |
 Title screen | |
| Episode no. | Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Lawrence Gordon Clark |
| Written by | John Bowen |
| Based on | The Treasure of Abbot Thomas by M. R. James |
| Produced by | Rosemary Hill |
| Original air date | 23 December 1974 |
| Running time | 36 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" is a short film which serves as the fourth episode of the British supernatural anthology television series A Ghost Story for Christmas. Written by John Bowen, produced by Rosemary Hill, and directed by the series' creator, Lawrence Gordon Clark, it is based on the ghost story of the same name by M. R. James, first published in the collection Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), and first aired on BBC1 on 23 December 1974.[1]
It stars Michael Bryant as the academic Rev. Justin Somerton, who along with his protoge Peter, Lord Dattering (Paul Lavers) seeks to uncover the supposed resting place of a cache of gold which once belonged to Abbot Thomas (John Herrington), a disgraced 15th century alchemist. It is the first entry in the series to feature original music, composed by Geoffrey Burgon.
Synopsis[edit]
In 1859[2] the Rev Justin Somerton (Michael Bryant), an academic clergyman and Medievalist, and his aristocratic protégé Peter, Lord Dattering (Paul Lavers) expose two fraudulent mediums, Mr and Mrs Tyson, who claim they are able to communicate with the recently deceased husband of Lady Dattering (Virginia Balfour). featured in the production]] Somerton tells Dattering about his researches into the history of an ancient local monastery. He tells of a supposed cache of gold said to have been hidden by one Abbot Thomas, a disgraced former churchman and alchemist who, according to legend, was carried off by the Devil in 1429. Together, they follow the clues during which they visit a church where they discover hidden messages in an old stained-glass window referring to the location of the treasure hidden long ago by the evil Abbot Thomas. Despite the warning that the Abbot had "set a guardian" to protect his treasure, Somerton sets out to unearth it - and discovers its horrific secret.
Cast[edit]
- Michael Bryant as Rev Justin Somerton
- Paul Lavers as Peter, Lord Dattering
- Frank Mills as Mr Tyson
- Sheila Dunn as Mrs Tyson
- John Herrington as Abbot Thomas
- Virginia Balfour as Lady Dattering
- Peggy Aitchison as landlady[3]
Adaptation[edit]
In creating his adaptation, Bowen changed a number of elements of M. R. James's story, such as removing Somerton's servant Brown from the story and adding another character – Peter, Lord Dattering (Paul Lavers)[a] – as Somerton's protégé, with whom he shares his investigation. Unlike James's original story, the television version is not told in flashback, and includes a scene in which Somerton exposes two fraudulent mediums, which acts as a demonstration of Somerton's rational approach to the supernatural.[4]
For "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas", Clark recalls John Bowen's script "took some liberties with the story—which made it for the better I think...It's really quite a funny story until it gets nasty, although the threat is always there. James has a mordant sense of humour, and it's good to translate that into cinematic terms when you can. I'd always wanted to do a medium scene, and John came up with a beauty."[5]
A parody, written by Stephen Sheridan and named The Teeth of Abbot Thomas, was made for radio broadcast and is currently available on YouTube.
Locations[edit]
Although James's original story was set in Germany,[2] for budgetary reasons in the television version the action was relocated to England. Clark used the grounds of Wells Cathedral in Somerset for the entrance to the well where Abbot Thomas hid his treasure. Wells Cathedral Chapter House and its adjoining steps also were used in various scenes. The house featured is Orchardleigh, on the outskirts of Frome - also in Somerset. The 13th-century church of St Mary, Orchardleigh also featured in the production, as did Vicars' Close in Wells, Somerset.
-
Orchardleigh features in the drama -
The 13th-century church of St Mary, Orchardleigh -
The steps to the Chapter House in Wells Cathedral -
Vicars' Close in Wells also featured
Notes[edit]
- ^ Listed as such in the film credits and addressed as "Lord Dattering" in the film; he is incorrectly listed as "Lord Peter Dattering" on IMDb, which would be a courtesy title borne by a younger son, who would be addressed as "Lord Peter"
References[edit]
- ^ "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas". British Film Institute Database. Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- ^ a b "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" by M. R. James, Project Gutenberg Canada Ebook - taken from The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James (New York: Longmans, Green; London: Edward Arnold, 1931)
- ^ Cast of "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" (1974), British Film Institute database
- ^ Brockhurst, Colin. "A Ghost Story for Christmas". phantomframe.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
- ^ D'Amico, John (12 February 2014). "An Interview with Lawrence Gordon Clark, Master of Ghostly Horror". Smug Horror.
