\u201cMark Gatiss is influenced by the notion that time isn\u2019t linear,\u201d star Tamsin Greig explains on the set of The Amazing Mr Blunden<\/a>, \u201cthat things are all happening at the same time, this collision of time and eternity, and Blunden seems to inhabit that\u2026. It\u2019s our longing to be free of our temporal existence and rewrite those parts of our history that aren\u2019t so laudable.\u201d<\/p>\n And having seen the finished film, she\u2019s right \u2013 Greig sums up the spirit of this dark yet edifying story superbly, which has echoes of Doctor Who<\/a> and Charles Dickens\u2019 A Christmas Carol with a time-travelling protagonist on a mission to assuage his guilt and help the plight of others.<\/p> The film begins with Simon Callow\u2019s Mr Blunden also pontificating over the concept of non-linear time. He says that \u201ctime is not a straight line, it\u2019s more like a vast wheel on which we stand at different points, rarely meeting,\u201d \u2013 and this quote anticipates the exhilarating, time-travelling treat viewers are about to enjoy. Director\/screenwriter Gatiss is in his absolute element here, as a self-described \u201cslavish devotee\u201d of the 1972 original film and the novel The Ghosts by Antonia Barber from which it is adapted \u2013 and with this new version he\u2019s created a redemptive and affecting ghost story for all the family.<\/p>\n The Amazing Mr Blunden follows the Allens, a modern-day family struggling to make ends meet until they have a seemingly serendipitous encounter with Callow\u2019s enigmatic Mr Blunden, who moves the family from their small London flat into a sprawling estate and bestows Mrs Allen with the job of caretaker. It\u2019s on these neglected grounds that the two teenage children Jamie and Lucy Allen come across two ghost children from the 1800s, who require the siblings to travel back in time with Mr Blunden to prevent former housekeepers Mr and Mrs Wickens (played by Mark Gatiss and Tamsin Greig respectively) from executing an evil plan that puts them in mortal danger.<\/p>\n Unlike Lionel Jeffries \u201972 version, this film follows Barber\u2019s novel more closely in featuring a contemporary family rather than one from the 1900s, thus making it more current and accessible for younger viewers. Callow is perfectly cast as Mr Blunden, who grew his beard \u2013 for the first time since Four Weddings and a Funeral some two decades earlier, according to Gatiss \u2013 to attain the appearance of a jolly Father Christmas.<\/p>\n While Blunden is avuncular, affable and reassuring with his soothing and melodious voice, there\u2019s also a melancholy tinge to his character. He\u2019s been harbouring guilt over a terrible mistake that he\u2019s been waiting 200 years to amend, and he finally has the chance to do it, all adding up to the creation of a truly magical and heartwarming Christmas adventure.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Greig is nightmarish and unsparing as the murderous Mrs Wickens, and Gatiss\u2019 recreation of Mr Wickens feels like an escapee from Royston Vasey; he\u2019s a pyromaniac mesmerised by flames that prompts him to mutter admiringly, \u201cpretty, pretty\u201d, making us all nostalgic for The League of Gentleman (reruns over the Christmas period, please).<\/p>\n We also look forward to seeing more from newcomers Tsion Habte (Lucy) and Jason Rennie (Jamie), and India Fowler and Spike Fern (aka the ghost children) in the future, particularly Habte, who gives the film a lot of heart and soul.<\/p>\n Ultimately, stories of second chances and love conquering evil are emotive and resonate strongly with viewers \u2013 particularly around Christmas when the mood is contemplative \u2013 and this is at the core of Gatiss\u2019 poignant remake.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a weird delicacy with ghosts and Christmas that goes hand in hand, and something so lovely about it too,\u201d Gatiss told us.\u00a0\u201cI think I was made on this Earth to make things I would like to watch on Bank Holiday Monday or Christmas \u2013 and this ticks all the boxes for me.\u201d<\/p>\n It might do the same for those watching. In this new Mr Blunden Gatiss isn\u2019t taking anything away from the beloved original, he\u2019s just introducing it to a new audience \u2013 and we\u2019re pretty certain they\u2019ll enjoy it as much as he has enjoyed making it.<\/p>\n The Amazing Mr Blunden<\/a>\u00a0airs on Sky Max at 7pm on Christmas Eve, and will be available on catch-up and streaming service NOW this Christmas. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0or visit our dedicated\u00a0Fantasy<\/a>\u00a0hub for the latest news.<\/b><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Naomi Gordon Published: Thursday, 23 December 2021 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating \u201cMark Gatiss is influenced by the notion that time isn\u2019t linear,\u201d star Tamsin Greig explains on the set of The Amazing Mr Blunden, \u201cthat things are all happening at the same time, this collision of time and eternity, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":9131,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-amazing-mr-blunden-review-a-dark-yet-redemptive-remake.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-amazing-mr-blunden-review-a-dark-yet-redemptive-remake-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-amazing-mr-blunden-review-a-dark-yet-redemptive-remake-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-amazing-mr-blunden-review-a-dark-yet-redemptive-remake.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-amazing-mr-blunden-review-a-dark-yet-redemptive-remake.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-amazing-mr-blunden-review-a-dark-yet-redemptive-remake.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/12\/the-amazing-mr-blunden-review-a-dark-yet-redemptive-remake.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Naomi Gordon Published: Thursday, 23 December 2021 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating \u201cMark Gatiss is influenced by the notion that time isn\u2019t linear,\u201d star Tamsin Greig explains on the set of The Amazing Mr Blunden, \u201cthat things are all happening at the same time, this collision of time and eternity,…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/9130"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""The\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/12\/19TheAmazingMrBluden-43a1215.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"The\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n![\""Mark\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/12\/03-Theamazingmrblunden-1-8e1c88d.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"The\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"