Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Canterville Ghost’ is being adapted by BBC as mini-series
BBC Studios has announced a new adaptation of The Canterville Ghost.
Based on Oscar Wilde’s short story from 1887, the four-episode limited series was commissioned by US broadcaster BYUtv.
The Canterville Ghost has been adapted by writer Jude Tindall, who is the creator of the upcoming Father Brown spin-off series The Sister Boniface Mysteries.
Leading the cast as Sir Simon de Canterville is Anthony Head, best known for his roles in Merlin and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
He’s joined by Caroline Catz (Doc Martin) as Lucy Otis, James Lance (Ted Lasso) as Hiram Otis, Laurel Waghorn (Holby City) as Virginia Otis, Carolyn Pickles (Broadchurch) as Mrs. Umney, Haydn Gwynne (The Windsors) as Lady Deborah de Canterville, Jack Bardoe (Belgravia) as The Honourable Cecil Canterville, and Harry Gostelow (The Crown) as Lord St. John Canterville.
The cast also includes Lizzy Connolly (Call the Midwife) as Lady Henrietta Stilton, Fred Fergus (Wonder Woman) as Viscount Ralph Stilton, Jeff Rawle (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as Bluey, the Duke of Stilton, Harry Taurasi (The Borgias) as Django Lovell, Cathy Tyson (Mona Lisa) as Masilda Lovell, and the voice of Jonty Stephens (Life on Mars) as Cesspitt.
The official synopsis reads: “Set in leafy 21st century rural England, The Canterville Ghost sees American tech billionaire Hiram Otis buy Canterville Chase, unaware that the contents include a malevolent family ghost, Sir Simon de Canterville, who has been haunting the premises for centuries. Or that his family will face the full might of the English aristocracy: united in opposition to the parvenu Americans.
“The contemporary reimagining of the classic Oscar Wilde comedy revolves around three families – the aristocratic Cantervilles, the Romani Lovells and the American Otises – who must come together to find redemption and heal the past.”
Watch the trailer:
Executive producer Will Trotter commented: “This is Oscar Wilde meets Downton Abbey. It’s bursting with gothic horror, romantic comedy and pathos.”
Andra Johnson Duke, head of content at BYUtv, added: “The Canterville Ghost brings together the acclaimed storytelling that BBC Studios Productions is well known for with BYUtv’s unique brand of family entertainment.
“We are honored to partner with BBC Studios Productions to create a not-to-be-missed special event of supernatural proportions filled with humor and heart that each member of the family will enjoy.”
The Canterville Ghost will premiere in the US this Halloween on BYUtv at 9pm ET/7pm MT/6pm PT on Sunday 31st October.
A broadcaster in the UK hasn’t yet been confirmed.
Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost is available on Amazon.