10 British Horror TV Shows You've Probably Never Seen

Based on a Charles Dickens short story, The Signalman is one of those rare adaptations which improves upon its source material in almost every conceivable way - no small feat when you are up against Dickens.

With an exceptional central performance from Denholm Elliott, the story concerns an unnamed traveller (Bernard Lloyd) who befriends a signalman (Elliott) who is terrified by the appearance of a spectre who rings a signal bell only he can hear. Each appearance of this spectre precedes a disaster, leaving the Signalman feeling helpless to stop what he knows to be impending doom.

An immense sense of dread is woven into this thickly atmospheric tale, with magnificent fog-choked visuals. For all its atmosphere, however, it is the exquisite performance of Elliott that really makes The Signalman so frightening; he communicates the tension and disquiet directly to the viewer in the way few performers can.

The Signalman was acclaimed as the best adaptation of a ghost story the BBC had made at that time, though that is a contentious battle with Whistle and I'll Come to You. The latter film, however, is arguably the more famous and it is about time that The Signalman received similar contemporary attention.