‘Sherlock’ Co-Creator Mark Gatiss To Adapt Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Lot No. 249’ As BBC Christmas Ghost Story; Kit Harington & Freddie Fox To Star

EXCLUSIVE: Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss has adapted a short story from the detective’s creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, as his annual Christmas ghost story for the BBC. Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) and Freddie Fox (Slow Horses) are attached to star.

Gatiss has penned a version of Conan Doyle’s Lot No. 249, having adapted various Sherlock Holmes novels for the Beeb betweenn 2010 and 2017, alongside former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat.

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The special will air as part of the BBC’s winter schedule and comes after Gatiss adapted The Tractate Middoth in 2013, The Dead Room (2018), Martin’s Close (2019) The Mezzotint (2021) and Count Magnus (2022) – four of which were based on works by M.R James.

Lot No. 249 follows group of Oxford students, one of whom undertakes research into the secrets of Ancient Egypt and becomes the talk of the college. “Can these experiments truly breathe life to the horrifying bag of bones which is the mysterious Lot. No 249?,” reads the synopsis.

“It’s a serious delight for me to delve once again into the brilliant work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this time for the Christmas Ghost story,” said Gatiss. “Lot No.249 is personal favourite and is the grand-daddy — or should that be Mummy? — of a particular kind of end of empire chiller: a ripping yarn packed with ghastly scares and who-knows-what lurking in the Victorian closet.”

Harington will play Abercrombie Smith and Fox will play Edward Bellingham. Also cast are Colin Ryan (Boundless), John Heffernan (Dracula), James Swanton (Stopmotion), Jonathan Rigby (Father Brown) andAndrew Horton (Slotherhouse).

Principal photography recent concluded, with filming taking place in Hertfordshire, UK.

Richelle Wilder and Isibeal Ballance’s Adorable Media is producing the film, which will air on BBC Two this Christmas. Adorable worked with The League of Gentlemen, Sherlock and Dracula writer Gatiss on The Dead Room, Martin’s Close, The Mezzotint and Count Magnus as well as Sky’s telemovie The Amazing Mr Blunden, starring Simon Callow and Tamsin Greig.

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