Ben Mansfield Talks Mark Gatiss’ Latest Christmas Special A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Room in the Tower by E.F. Benson

Old School

It’s become a Christmas tradition and here’s one of its cast Ben Mansfield talking about Mark Gatiss’  latest ghost story, his adaptation of The Room in the Tower by E.F. Benson for the BBC…

Were you familiar with E.F. Benson or his short story, The Room in the Tower?

I was vaguely familiar with Benson but only regarding Mapp and Lucia. I hadn’t heard of The Room in the Tower when Mark offered me the part of John Clinton. I read Mark’s wonderfully sinister script on the tube and was on the edge of my seat all the way to Charing Cross where I gasp-shrieked embarrassingly loudly before disembarking!!!

Tell us about your character, John Clinton.

John Clinton is an amiable, rather pampered, aristocratic old school friend and perhaps lover of the protagonist. It is at his family’s country estate where the most disturbing events of the story take place, after John persuades him to stay the weekend.

Have you ever had a dream that was – to quote Benson – “subsequently realized in the material world”?

Thankfully not.

What was it like to work with Mark Gatiss, Joanna Lumley and the other cast members?

I was very lucky to get to work with a wonderful cast on this – Dame Joanna Lumley was even more delightful than my high hopes had anticipated! I sat next to her at the read through and afterwards she disclosed that she was having tea with the queen that afternoon – my limp response was that all I had planned was collecting my two children from primary school.

Tobias is another national treasure I was chuffed to be working with and the inimitable Polly Walker was wonderful. I have known Mark for many years but had only ever worked with him as an actor and so it was tremendous fun to be directed by him especially on something as unsettling and macabre as this that I know he does so well! Side note; I advise people who haven’t yet read Mark’s Lucifer Box book series to absolutely do so!

Have you ever had any ghostly or supernatural experience?

Hmmmm well I’m rather a supernatural sceptic I’m afraid… until it gets dark, of course, and I’m alone and the inevitable human psyche overwhelms common sense – then I’m imagining I’m in the sixth sense and wraiths are all around!

Do you have a favourite ghost story?

A favourite ghost story, you ask? Have you ever heard of EF Benson’s The Room In The Tower? I love a Christmas Carol and that seems to tie in quite seasonally – my old prep school maths teacher used to tell us quite terrifying ghost stories at the end of term and his were all excellent. The Turn of the Screw and Don’t Look Now are also brilliant.

How would you entice a friend to watch The Room in the Tower at Christmas?

Double Dare them!