Specials

Following his acclaimed 2010 BBC Four series A History Of Horror, Mark turns to explore the story of European horror, looking at how the genre came to reflect the continent's turbulent 20th century. Mark's voyage takes him across Europe, from the castle in Slovakia where FW Murnau shot Nosferatu (1922), to the hotel in Ostend, Belgium where Harry Kümel filmed his erotic vampire classic, Daughters Of Darkness (1971). Other highlights include a visit to Paris where Mark meets Edith Scob, the woman behind the mask in the extraordinary Eyes Without A Face (1960), while in Rome, Mark discusses Italy's distinctive brand of horror, the "Giallo" thriller, with master director Dario Argento. In Madrid he has a rare interview with the godfather of Spanish horror, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, before speaking with today's foremost exponent of Spanish-language horror, Guillermo del Toro.

Mark Gatiss steps into the mind of M.R. James, the enigmatic English master of the supernatural story. How did this donnish Victorian bachelor, conservative by nature and a devout Anglican, come to create tales that continue to chill readers more than a century on? Mark attempts to uncover the secrets of James's inspiration, taking an atmospheric journey from James's childhood home in Suffolk to Eton, Cambridge and France, venturing into ancient churches, dark cloisters and echoing libraries along the way.

Mark Gatiss explores and celebrates Dracula, an icon of popular culture, asking just why we keep coming back to the count.