Crooked House (TV series)
Three linked ghost stories from Geap Manor.
Crooked House, a British supernatural drama, was broadcast on BBC Four over three consecutive nights from 22 to 24 December 2008. The series was written and co-produced by Mark Gatiss, an actor and writer known for his work on *The League of Gentlemen*. Its three interconnected episodes form an anthology, drawing inspiration from the horror fiction of M. R. James, the Amicus film studio’s anthology movies, and a Māori death-mask owned by Gatiss. The stories revolve around the ghostly secrets of Geap Manor, a fictional Tudor mansion that has recently been demolished.
The narrative begins when a young teacher, Ben Morris, discovers an antique door-knocker in his garden. He brings it to a local museum, where the curator identifies it as belonging to Geap Manor and recounts tales of the manor and its former residents. The first story, "The Wainscoting," is set in the late 18th century. Gatiss plays a museum curator who, after receiving the door-knocker, shares his dark research. This tale follows Joseph Bloxham, who buys and renovates the manor after profiting from an investment that ruined his partners. Strange noises soon emerge from behind the new wainscoting, which was made from wood taken from the Tyburn Tree gallows.
The second story, "Something Old," takes place in the 1920s during a lavish costume ball at the manor. Young Felix de Momery announces his engagement to Ruth, surprising and upsetting his grandmother and friends Billy and Katherine. The couple’s future becomes tied to a tragic wedding day and a ghostly bride haunting the corridors. In the third episode, "The Knocker," Ben discovers that, despite the manor’s demolition, its influence lingers. Recently separated from his girlfriend, he finds his modern home altered by events from the past and by the sinister figure of Sir Roger Widdowson.
The cast includes Mark Gatiss, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Ian Hallard, Philip Jackson, Lee Ingleby, Jean Marsh, Samuel Barnett, Daniela Denby-Ashe, Anna Madeley, Andy Nyman, Jennifer Higham, and illusionist Derren Brown. Damon Thomas directed the series.
- Type
- TV series
- Genre
- Supernatural drama
- Broadcast channel
- BBC Four
- Broadcast dates
- 22–24 December 2008
- Number of episodes
- 3
- Writer and co-producer
- Mark Gatiss
- Director
- Damon Thomas
Lore & Background
The series follows Ben Morris, a young teacher who finds an antique door-knocker in his garden and takes it to a local museum. The curator tells him it belonged to Geap Manor and shares tales about the manor and its former inhabitants. The first story, 'The Wainscoting', is set in the late 18th century and relates the tale of Joseph Bloxham, who buys and improves the manor after capitalizing on an investment that ruined his fellow speculators. Strange noises are heard behind newly installed wainscoting made from wood of the gallows known as 'Tyburn Tree'.
The second story, 'Something Old', takes place in the 1920s at a lavish costume ball at the manor. Young Felix de Momery announces his engagement to Ruth, surprising his grandmother and friends. The couple's future becomes linked with a tragic wedding day and a ghostly bride haunting the corridors. In the third episode, 'The Knocker', Ben discovers that even though Geap Manor has been demolished, it continues to cast a shadow over his modern life, altered by events from the distant past and the sinister figure of Sir Roger Widdowson.
The cast included Mark Gatiss, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Ian Hallard, Philip Jackson, Lee Ingleby, Jean Marsh, Samuel Barnett, Daniela Denby-Ashe, Anna Madeley, Andy Nyman, Jennifer Higham, and illusionist Derren Brown.
Reader's Guide
Crooked House represents a modern homage to classic British ghost story traditions, explicitly drawing on the influence of M. R. James and the anthology horror films of Amicus Productions. Its three-part structure, broadcast on consecutive nights in December, echoes the seasonal tradition of ghost stories at Christmas. The series is notable for being written and co-produced by Mark Gatiss, a key figure in contemporary British genre television, and for incorporating a Māori death-mask belonging to Gatiss as a source of inspiration. The anthology format allows each episode to explore a different historical period—the late 18th century, the 1920s, and the present day—while linking them through the recurring motif of the door-knocker and the cursed Geap Manor. The series received external attention through interviews and reviews, including coverage by Digital Spy, The Independent, and the Leicester Mercury. Its legacy lies in its careful recreation of the tone and structure of earlier ghost story anthologies, serving as a reference point for later period supernatural dramas.
Did You Know?
- The series was influenced by the writings of M. R. James and Amicus horror movies.
- A Māori death-mask belonging to Mark Gatiss inspired the series.
- The wainscoting in the first story came from wood of the gallows known as 'Tyburn Tree'.
- Illusionist Derren Brown appeared in the cast.
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