Lot No. 249 (film)

Last updated

Lot No. 249
Based on"Lot No. 249"
by Arthur Conan Doyle
Written byMark Gatiss
Directed by Mark Gatiss
Starring
Production
ProducerIsibeal Ballance
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Release24 December 2023 (2023-12-24)
Related
A Ghost Story for Christmas

Lot No. 249 is a short film which is part of the British supernatural anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas . Produced by Isibeal Ballance and written and directed by Mark Gatiss, it is based on the gothic horror story of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in Harper's Magazine in 1892, and first aired on BBC Two on 24 December 2023.

Contents

It stars Kit Harington as Abercrombie Smith, a student athlete at Oxford University who discovers that his neighbour, Edward Bellingham (Freddie Fox) is using a revived Egyptian mummy to murder his rivals.

The majority of instalments in the series have been based on ghost stories by M. R. James, with "The Signalman" (1976), based on a story by Charles Dickens, and three original episodes [lower-alpha 1] being the only break with this tradition. Gatiss had expressed a desire to adapt other authors, and a season of programming related to Conan Doyle which the BBC aired over Christmas 2023 influenced the choice of "Lot No. 249".

Plot

An Oxford student, Abercrombie Smith, recounts to his friend that his neighbour, Edward Bellingham, is using a revived Egyptian mummy to murder his social and romantic rivals. Following this meeting, Smith returns to his college, confronts Bellingham at gunpoint about his "perversions", and forces him to destroy the mummy and the associated artefacts. However, in the closing moments it is revealed that Bellingham has a second mummy – "Lot No. 250" – which he uses to continue his killing spree.

Cast

Production

The film was produced by Adorable Media for BBC Arts, with Mark Gatiss continuing the tradition of adapting a classic ghost story for the BBC for transmission at Christmas. Kit Harington and Freddie Fox were announced as having the lead roles in October 2023. [2] [3] Later that month the cast list was expanded by Colin Ryan, John Heffernan, James Swanton, Jonathan Rigby and Andrew Horton. [4] Filming took place in Hertfordshire in 2023. [5]

Broadcast

Its first broadcast was in the UK on BBC Two on 24 December 2023. [6]

Notes

  1. The original episodes are "Stigma" (1977), "The Ice House" (1978) and "The Dead Room" (2018).
  2. Who, it is implied, is Sherlock Holmes. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> Crime novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely in Dartmoor, Devon, in England's West Country and follows Holmes and Watson investigating the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in "The Final Problem", and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character's eventual revival.

<i>A Study in Scarlet</i> 1887 detective novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in English literature. The book's title derives from a speech given by Holmes, a consulting detective, to his friend and chronicler Watson on the nature of his work, in which he describes the story's murder investigation as his "study in scarlet": "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Final Problem</span> Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring Sherlock Holmes

"The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom, and McClure's in the United States, under the title "The Adventure of the Final Problem" in December 1893. It appears in book form as part of the collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Gatiss</span> British actor, screenwriter and novelist (born 1966)

Mark Gatiss is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. He is best known for his work in television acting in and co-creating shows with Steven Moffat. Gatiss has received several awards including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, and two Laurence Olivier Awards.

<i>The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes</i> 1927 collection of short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes is the final set of twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle first published in the Strand Magazine between October 1921 and April 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Books</span> British publisher

BBC Books is an imprint majority-owned and managed by Penguin Random House through its Ebury Publishing division. The minority shareholder is BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The imprint has been active since the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle</span> 1892 short story by Arthur Conan Doyle

"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is one of 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the seventh story of twelve in the collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in January 1892.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lot No. 249</span> Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle

"Lot No. 249" is a Gothic horror short story by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in Harper's Magazine in 1892. The story tells of a University of Oxford athlete named Abercrombie Smith who notices a strange series of events surrounding Edward Bellingham, an Egyptology student who owns many ancient Egyptian artefacts, including a mummy. After seeing his mummy disappear and reappear, and two instances of Bellingham's enemies being attacked, Smith concludes that Bellingham is re-animating his mummy.

<i>Sherlock</i> (TV series) British mystery crime drama television series (2010–2017)

Sherlock is a British mystery crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the show stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Thirteen episodes have been produced, with four three-part series airing from 2010 to 2017. and a special episode that aired on 1 January 2016. The series is set in the present day in which it aired. The one-off special features a Victorian-period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories.

<i>A Ghost Story for Christmas</i> British television series

A Ghost Story for Christmas is a strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One between 1971 and 1978, and revived sporadically by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original instalments were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and the films were all shot on 16 mm colour film. The remit behind the series was to provide a television adaptation of a classic ghost story, in line with the oral tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas.

"A Study in Pink" is the first episode of the television series Sherlock and first broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 25 July 2010. It introduces the main characters and resolves a murder mystery. It is loosely based upon the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freddie Fox (actor)</span> British actor (born 1989)

Frederick Samson Robert Morice Fox is an English film and stage actor. His prominent screen performances include roles as singer Marilyn in the BBC's Boy George biopic Worried About the Boy (2010), Freddie Baxter in series Cucumber (2015) and Banana (2015), and Jeremy Bamber in White House Farm (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hounds of Baskerville</span> 2nd episode of the 2nd series of Sherlock

"The Hounds of Baskerville" is the second episode of the second series of the BBC crime drama series Sherlock, which follows the modern-day adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and was first broadcast by BBC One on 8 January 2012. It was written by co-creator Mark Gatiss, who also portrays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother in the series, and was directed by Paul McGuigan. The episode is a contemporary adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous works.

"The Empty Hearse" is the first episode of the third series of the BBC television series Sherlock. It was written by Mark Gatiss and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes, Martin Freeman as Dr John Watson, and Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes. It also marks the first appearance of Amanda Abbington as Mary Morstan and Lars Mikkelsen as Charles Augustus Magnussen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">His Last Vow</span> 3rd episode of the 3rd series of Sherlock

"His Last Vow" is the third and final episode of the third series of the BBC Television series Sherlock, which follows the modern-day adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The episode was first broadcast on 12 January 2014, on BBC One and Channel One. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Nick Hurran with music composed by Michael Price and David Arnold. The episode is a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton".

<i>Gunpowder</i> (TV series) British historical drama miniseries

Gunpowder is a British historical drama television miniseries produced by Kudos and Kit Harington's Thriker Films for BBC One. The three-part drama series premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2017 and on HBO in the United States on 18 December 2017.

<i>Dracula</i> (2020 TV series) 2020 British horror television series

Dracula is a horror drama television serial developed by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, based on the 1897 novel of the same name by Bram Stoker. The series, consisting of three episodes, premiered on 1 January 2020 and was broadcast over three consecutive days on BBC One before releasing on Netflix. Claes Bang stars as the title character.

<i>Count Magnus</i> (film) 2022 British television film

Count Magnus is a short film which is part of the British supernatural anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas. Produced by Isibeal Ballance and written and directed by Mark Gatiss, 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 BBC Two on 23 December 2022.

<i>A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story</i>

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story is a play based on the 1843 novella of the same name by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Mark Gatiss.

References

  1. Jeffery, Morgan (24 December 2023). "Mark Gatiss on surprise cameo in Lot No. 249: "I couldn't resist"". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  2. Hibberd, James (19 October 2023). "Kit Harington Teaming With Mark Gatiss to Adapt 'Sherlock' Author's Ghost Story". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  3. Whittock, Jesse; Goldbart, Max (19 October 2023). "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". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  4. "Lot No. 249: BBC Announce New Ghost Story for Christmas from Mark Gatiss". TV Zone UK. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  5. P, Maddie (24 November 2023). "Mark Gatiss' 'Lot No. 249': Everything We Know About the Arthur Conan Doyle Adaptation". Collider. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  6. Vickers-Green, Laura (13 November 2023). "UK Christmas 2023 TV Guide: the Best Festive Specials, New Drama & Comedy Series". Den of Geek. Retrieved 14 November 2023.