Whistle and I'll Come to You
Encyclopedia
Whistle and I'll Come to You is the name of two BBC
television drama adaptations based on the ghost story
"Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad" by Victorian
and Edwardian academic
and supernatural writer M. R. James
. The story tells the tale of an introverted academic who happens upon a strange whistle while exploring a Knights Templar
cemetery on the East Anglia
n coast. When blown, the whistle unleashes horror and terror for its discoverer.
The story was first published in James' Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
in 1904, the first collection of ghost stories James had published based on tales he wrote as Christmas entertainments for audiences of friends and selected students at Eton
and King's College, Cambridge
, where he was provost
.
The first, and perhaps most famous, adaptation is a 1968 BBC
television drama adapted and directed by Jonathan Miller
broadcast as part of the BBC arts strand Omnibus in 1968. This production influenced a new yearly strand of M.R. James adaptations known as A Ghost Story for Christmas
(1971–1978, 2005–2006). A new adaptation of Whistle and I'll Come to You by Neil Cross
and directed by Andy de Emmony was screened by BBC Two in 2010. In both cases, these use James's story as a basis, but alter a number of aspects of the tale.
The adaptation was filmed on the Norfolk
coast, near Waxham
. The British Film Institute
released the drama on a limited edition DVD in 2002, now out of print.
Later, in the calm of his hotel room, he inspects the whistle and notices an inscription; "Quis est iste qui venit" ("Who is this who is coming?"). He blows the whistle. Later that night, Parkin is kept awake by noises in his hotel room.
At breakfast, another guest at the hotel asks Parkin if he believes in ghosts. Parkin responds in a typically academic fashion, dismissing such beliefs as little more than superstition. However, that night, Parkin appears to have disturbing dreams of a spectre
pursuing him on the beach. His nerves are not helped when, the following morning, he is informed by a maid that both of the beds in his room have been slept in – even though Parkin only slept in one.
Increasingly disturbed, he searches a book for answers. That night, he is awoken by a sound like flapping sheets. As he sits up in bed, the sheets from the other bed across the room move and then rise up into the phantom from the shore. Waking another hotel guest who comes to his aid, the film ends with Parkin in stunned terror, as the horror of what he has summoned dawns upon him.
The performance of Michael Hordern is especially acclaimed, with his hushed mutterings and repetition of other characters' dialogue, coupled with a discernable lack of social skills, turning the professor from an academic caricature into a more rounded character, described by David Kerekes as "especially daring for its day". The stage journal Plays and Players suggests that Hordern's performance hints that the professor suffers from a neurological condition called the "idea of a presence". Much of the script was improvised on location with the actors.
during the 2010 Christmas television season. This new version, written by Neil Cross
and directed by Andy de Emmony, stars John Hurt
in the lead role. This adaptation removes the whistle of the original James story, but hints at Robert Burns
' original Scottish folk song "Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad", which Hurt's character recites at the beginning of the story to his wife.
holiday after leaving his aged wife (who appears to be in the advanced stages of senile dementia) in a care home. When revisiting one of their favourite coastal towns during the off-season, he discovers a wedding ring on the beach, which he keeps. He then sees a white clad figure in the distance on the beach, but as he walks away, the figure has got closer to him each time he turns to look back. Panicking, he then runs back to the hotel he is staying at.
Later that night, he is awoken by scratching noises and somebody trying to enter his hotel room, but the following morning he is told that he was actually alone in the hotel all night with no other guests or even staff present. Though his academic mind refuses to acknowledge the existence of the spiritual or supernatural (he refuses to believe in the idea of his wife's spirit being trapped in her almost functionless body like a "ghost in the machine
"), he becomes increasingly uneasy during the remainder of his stay at the hotel and makes plans to leave.
The night before he is due to depart, he is once again awoken in the night by noises at his door, sending him into a panic. This time, a spectral apparition enters his room from underneath the door. Parkin shuts his eyes in terror and implores the apparition to leave him alone, but as he opens his eyes he sees a figure sitting on the end of his bed. The figure appears to be his wife, who comes closer to him as Parkin tries in vain to escape. The following morning, Parkin lies dead in his bed, while his wife is no longer seen at the care home.
and Nick Green.
was mixed in his review, criticising some of the changes ("His terrifying short story has been much tampered with. The whistle...is missing mysteriously...Even the shoreline is wrong; it should be the east coast: dunes, windswept. This looks like Dorset."). However, he praised John Hurt's performance, calling it "a masterclass in how to captivate." and noting that despite the changes "what survives...is the spirit of the story – a man, alone by the sea, haunted, pursued by something. It is terrifying.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television drama adaptations based on the ghost story
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
"Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad" by Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
and Edwardian academic
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
and supernatural writer M. R. James
M. R. James
Montague Rhodes James, OM, MA, , who used the publication name M. R. James, was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge and of Eton College . He is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are regarded as among the best in the genre...
. The story tells the tale of an introverted academic who happens upon a strange whistle while exploring a Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
cemetery on the East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
n coast. When blown, the whistle unleashes horror and terror for its discoverer.
The story was first published in James' Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary is the title of M. R. James' first collection of ghost stories, published in 1904...
in 1904, the first collection of ghost stories James had published based on tales he wrote as Christmas entertainments for audiences of friends and selected students at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, where he was provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
.
The first, and perhaps most famous, adaptation is a 1968 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television drama adapted and directed by Jonathan Miller
Jonathan Miller
Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE is a British theatre and opera director, author, physician, television presenter, humorist and sculptor. Trained as a physician in the late 1950s, he first came to prominence in the 1960s with his role in the comedy revue Beyond the Fringe with fellow writers and...
broadcast as part of the BBC arts strand Omnibus in 1968. This production influenced a new yearly strand of M.R. James adaptations known as A Ghost Story for Christmas
A Ghost Story for Christmas
A Ghost Story for Christmas is a strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and later revived in 2005 on BBC Four. With one exception, the original instalments are directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and the films are all shot on 16 mm...
(1971–1978, 2005–2006). A new adaptation of Whistle and I'll Come to You by Neil Cross
Neil Cross
Neil Cross is a Booker Prize nominated novelist, crime writer and television scriptwriter born and raised in the United Kingdom, and now living in Wellington, New Zealand.-Life:...
and directed by Andy de Emmony was screened by BBC Two in 2010. In both cases, these use James's story as a basis, but alter a number of aspects of the tale.
1968 adaptation
Jonathan Miller adapted his 1968 version as part of the BBC arts strand Omnibus. Omnibus was a strand consisting mainly of arts documentaries, so the dramatic adaptation was an unexpected and unusual move; David Kerekes notes that this probably explains Miller's documentary-like introduction to the film. Ian McDowell notes that the adaptation itself changes a number of aspects of James' story, turning the academic, described as "young, neat and precise of speech" into the bumbling, awkward eccentric of Miller's imagination.The adaptation was filmed on the Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
coast, near Waxham
Waxham
Waxham is a small village in Norfolk in eastern England. It lies on the north-east coast of the county in Sea Palling parish. Buildings in the village include Waxham Hall, the 14th-century St. John's Church and the 16th-century Waxham Barn. One of the largest barns in the county, it has recently...
. The British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
released the drama on a limited edition DVD in 2002, now out of print.
Plot
Professor Parkin, a stuffy Cambridge academic, arrives for an off-season stay at a hotel somewhere on the English east coast. Preferring to keep himself to himself, Parkin spends his stay walking along the beach and also visits a local graveyard, which has become overgrown and unkempt. While there, he spots what appears to be a bone protruding from the ground near one of the headstones. He uncovers it and finds it is a bone whistle, which he keeps. When walking back along the shore, he turns twice and sees a dark silhouetted figure standing still in the distance in front of a setting sun, appearing to watch him.Later, in the calm of his hotel room, he inspects the whistle and notices an inscription; "Quis est iste qui venit" ("Who is this who is coming?"). He blows the whistle. Later that night, Parkin is kept awake by noises in his hotel room.
At breakfast, another guest at the hotel asks Parkin if he believes in ghosts. Parkin responds in a typically academic fashion, dismissing such beliefs as little more than superstition. However, that night, Parkin appears to have disturbing dreams of a spectre
SPECTRE
SPECTRE is a fictional global terrorist organisation featured in the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, the films based on those novels, and James Bond video games...
pursuing him on the beach. His nerves are not helped when, the following morning, he is informed by a maid that both of the beds in his room have been slept in – even though Parkin only slept in one.
Increasingly disturbed, he searches a book for answers. That night, he is awoken by a sound like flapping sheets. As he sits up in bed, the sheets from the other bed across the room move and then rise up into the phantom from the shore. Waking another hotel guest who comes to his aid, the film ends with Parkin in stunned terror, as the horror of what he has summoned dawns upon him.
Cast and characters
- Michael HordernMichael HordernSir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...
– Professor Parkin - Ambrose Coghill – Colonel
- George WoodbridgeGeorge Woodbridge (actor)George Woodbridge was an English character actor in films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s...
– Hotel Proprietor - Nora GordonNora GordonNora Gordon was a British film and television actress.-Selected filmography:* Old Mother Riley's Circus * Danny Boy * Journey Ahead * Blackmailed...
– Proprietress - Freda DowieFreda DowieFreda Dowie is an English actress.Her television credits include: Dixon of Dock Green, Doomwatch, Edna, the Inebriate Woman, Upstairs, Downstairs, The Carnforth Practice, I, Claudius, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Pickwick Papers, Lillie, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Our Friends in the North and...
– Maid
Reception
This version is highly regarded amongst television ghost story adaptations, and described by Mark Duguid of the BFI as "A masterpiece of economical horror that remains every bit as chilling as the day it was first broadcast." A BBC Press Release for its repeat showing in 1969 stated that it was an "unconventional adaptation...remarkable, both for its uncanny sense of period and atmosphere, and for the quality of the actors' performances."The performance of Michael Hordern is especially acclaimed, with his hushed mutterings and repetition of other characters' dialogue, coupled with a discernable lack of social skills, turning the professor from an academic caricature into a more rounded character, described by David Kerekes as "especially daring for its day". The stage journal Plays and Players suggests that Hordern's performance hints that the professor suffers from a neurological condition called the "idea of a presence". Much of the script was improvised on location with the actors.
2010 adaptation
A new adaptation was screened on BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
during the 2010 Christmas television season. This new version, written by Neil Cross
Neil Cross
Neil Cross is a Booker Prize nominated novelist, crime writer and television scriptwriter born and raised in the United Kingdom, and now living in Wellington, New Zealand.-Life:...
and directed by Andy de Emmony, stars John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
in the lead role. This adaptation removes the whistle of the original James story, but hints at Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
' original Scottish folk song "Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad", which Hurt's character recites at the beginning of the story to his wife.
Plot
In this version, retired astronomer James Parkin goes on a respiteRespite care
Respite care is the provision of short-term, temporary relief to those who are caring for family members who might otherwise require permanent placement in a facility outside the home....
holiday after leaving his aged wife (who appears to be in the advanced stages of senile dementia) in a care home. When revisiting one of their favourite coastal towns during the off-season, he discovers a wedding ring on the beach, which he keeps. He then sees a white clad figure in the distance on the beach, but as he walks away, the figure has got closer to him each time he turns to look back. Panicking, he then runs back to the hotel he is staying at.
Later that night, he is awoken by scratching noises and somebody trying to enter his hotel room, but the following morning he is told that he was actually alone in the hotel all night with no other guests or even staff present. Though his academic mind refuses to acknowledge the existence of the spiritual or supernatural (he refuses to believe in the idea of his wife's spirit being trapped in her almost functionless body like a "ghost in the machine
Ghost in the machine
The "ghost in the machine" is the British philosopher Gilbert Ryle's description of René Descartes' mind-body dualism. The phrase was introduced in Ryle's book The Concept of Mind to highlight the perceived absurdity of dualist systems like Descartes' where mental activity carries on in parallel...
"), he becomes increasingly uneasy during the remainder of his stay at the hotel and makes plans to leave.
The night before he is due to depart, he is once again awoken in the night by noises at his door, sending him into a panic. This time, a spectral apparition enters his room from underneath the door. Parkin shuts his eyes in terror and implores the apparition to leave him alone, but as he opens his eyes he sees a figure sitting on the end of his bed. The figure appears to be his wife, who comes closer to him as Parkin tries in vain to escape. The following morning, Parkin lies dead in his bed, while his wife is no longer seen at the care home.
Cast and characters
- John HurtJohn HurtJohn Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
– James Parkin - Gemma JonesGemma JonesGemma Jones is an English character actress on both stage and screen.-Early life:Jones was born in London, England, the daughter of Irene and Griffith Jones, an actor. Her brother, Nicholas Jones, is also an actor...
– Alice Parkin - Lesley SharpLesley SharpLesley Sharp is an English stage, film and television actress, particularly well known for her variety of British television roles including Clocking Off, Bob & Rose and afterlife.-Early life:...
– Hetty, the nurse - Sophie ThompsonSophie ThompsonSophie Thompson is an award-winning English actress, best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders.-Early life:...
– Carol, the hotel proprietor
Score
The film's moody and unsettling scored was composed by Tristin NorwellTristin Norwell
Tristin Norwell is a British composer, best known for his music scores and record production. He has been based in London since 1992. He rose to notice in the mid 1990s as a record producer and music arranger collaborating with many artists in the late 90's...
and Nick Green.
Reception
As it was shown on Christmas Eve, there were few reviews. Sam Wollaston, writing in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was mixed in his review, criticising some of the changes ("His terrifying short story has been much tampered with. The whistle...is missing mysteriously...Even the shoreline is wrong; it should be the east coast: dunes, windswept. This looks like Dorset."). However, he praised John Hurt's performance, calling it "a masterclass in how to captivate." and noting that despite the changes "what survives...is the spirit of the story – a man, alone by the sea, haunted, pursued by something. It is terrifying.
External links
- Review of Whistle and I'll Come to You at Behind the Couch