"The Unquiet Dead"

A trip to the future was followed by this jolly trip into the past. Mark Gatiss weaves a very enjoyable tale of ghostly gaseous aliens, a rift in time and space, zombies and Charles Dickens. It is, perhaps, this story that really highlights the differences in pacing between the old programme and the new. The period setting already makes it reminiscent of the likes of The Talons of Weng-Chiang, but the 45-minute length means that the story has to be told in a very different way. The Gelth are a very simple idea, but are brought across well and the ‘zombies’ that they create are frightening without being too much for the kids. There are brief, but effective, musings on the difference between morality and propriety and- as will become more evident over the seasons- hints of a greater tragedy beyond. Such is the skill of Gatiss that we get an alien invasion story that feels like a Victorian ghost story that manages to weave its spell and have some excellent characterisation and dialogue. The ending also works well, although it seemed rushed at the time.

As said before, the characterisation is great and the excellent cast do the script justice. Alan David is wonderful as Mr Sneed (a wonderfully Dickensian name) and Eve Myles brings real humanity to Gwyneth- Gatiss wonderfully paints her as being naïve, but not unintelligent and Myles makes her very appealing. However, the most wonderful thing about this story is Simon Callow’s Charles Dickens. Callow is an authority on Dickens and has played the part many times- it is wonderful that he had enough faith in the programme to allow what is, for him, something that is more than simply another part, to be included. Gatiss paints Dickens as a man who, despite the great things he has done, is questioning the worth of his life. This portrayal is so convincing that we never, for one moment, see Dickens’s joy at the end as being anything other than wonderful. The regulars are wonderful as ever and we see them truly confirming their friendship- ‘I’m so glad I met you!’

Euros Lyn again directs with great energy. The séance scene is perfect, as are the zombie scenes. It is wonderful how he can have sedate scenes (such as the very start) and frantic ones and not have them ruin the flow of the story. He is helped, of course by fantastic production values- the excellence that the BBC has always shown with period dramas is combined with some wonderful special effects.

"The Unquiet Dead" is a wonderful story and comes highly recommended.

NEXT: "Aliens of London"/" World War Three"