Prompt from

A good old classical country house murder mystery, with a twist; nobody had lived in this particular country house for a long time. All the characters are ghosts.

Since this prompt, just like my previous one, centred around ghosts, I couldn't resist putting the two in the same continuity.

Murder At Mallerton

Introduction

After the broadcast of Ghostriders, the production company had a problem. The show had been successful enough that under normal circumstances a second series might have been on the cards. However, these were not normal circumstances. The original cast, worn out by endless night shoots and location filming, had politely but firmly declined to return. Among preserved railways, the word about the Black Pullman fiasco had spread, resulting in a steep increase in filming charges. A trademark dispute over merchandising opportunities led to several of the writers departing, their bridges decisively burned. And, of course, there was the minor matter of the main plot arc having been resolved.

The eventual solution arrived at was to construct a spiritual successor show: one set in the same Universe, avoiding those elements that had caused the producers so much grief the first time round.

Episode 1: Synopsis

In the pre-credits sequence, our protagonist, Sally, is seen among the visitors at the ruined shell of Mallerton Manor. [These scenes were filmed at Nymans]. Preparations are being made for an outdoor concert; various areas are cordoned off, and generators, portable spotlights and so forth are in evidence. Suddenly, Sally's attention is caught by a cloaked and hooded figure, which enters the shell of the house. Crossing a barrier warning that entrance is strictly forbidden, she follows it into the ruins, loses sight of it, then catches sight of it near the top of the building. Attempting to follow it up a crumbling staircase, she catches her foot in an electric cable and falls. As she hits the ground, all sound and incidental music cut out; the camera pulls back from her motionless body.

Opening credits.

After the credits, Sally is lying in the same posture, but now she's on the floor of a richly-furnished dining room, and her clothes have become monochromatic. As the camera pulls back, it shows that a group of people have gathered around her.

"She's from the Other Side!" a woman — Blanche — exclaims.

Impulsively, she darts forward, kneels beside Sally's body, and lays a hand on her forehead. Slowly, Sally's eyes open.

"What happened?" she asks.

Another woman — Ruby, the maid — laughs bitterly. "You died. That's what. And this is Hell."

"Don't listen to her," Blanche says. "Let me explain."

She does so, with interruptions and additions from the others present. The South Wing of Mallerton Manor burnt down in the 1930s. Those who were in the building at the time, and didn't manage to escape — Blanche, Ruby and the others — have been trapped there as ghosts ever since. Over the years they've come to the conclusion that the fire was started deliberately, and the odds are that the culprit is one of the people presently in the house. Over seventy years have passed since the fire, and they're no nearer to the truth now than the day they arrived.

At this point, Sally raises the question: The others might be trapped, but can they be sure that applies to her?

Ruby's smile is not a pleasant one. "Try it if you like. Front door's this way."

She leads Sally to the front door. With some trepidation, Sally opens it — and is driven back by heat and flames: the same fire that destroyed the building, seventy years ago.

"Want to try the back door?" Ruby asks. "Or a window? It's the same everywhere."

This time, Sally takes the maid at her word.

In the next scene, Sally is in the billiards-room, playing against Major Collier, and trying to get his take on the house and its spectral inhabitants. Though he finds her modern clothes and attitudes improper, he does unbend to the extent of giving his account of the evening of the fire; it's recounted in flashback. If he's to be believed, he was in the gun room when he smelt burning. While he could have escaped, he refused to leave until he was sure the women and children were safe. Trying to rescue Blanche, he was cut off by the fire, and the two were trapped by the flames. He claims to have no idea of how the fire started (nor, if it was deliberate, how or by whom), and doesn't seem terribly interested in the question.

"Don't you want to know who killed you?" Sally asks.

He concentrates on his shot, and avoids looking at her. "Thing is, we rub along. Got to know each other, if you see what I mean. No-one wants to rock the boat."

Sally nods, but does not appear convinced.

Having finished her game, Sally is shown into an empty bedroom by Weatherill, the butler. Though she has no need of it — the dead don't sleep — it's unthinkable that a guest at the Manor wouldn't be given a room. She tries to engage him in conversation, but fails to extract more than hints from him. Even those hints, though, cast a degree of doubt on Major Collier's straightforward account.

It's while she's trying on some of the dresses in the wardrobe that the figure of a knight in armour walks through the wall into the room. He catches sight of Sally, who's clutching a gown to preserve her modesty, and remarks that she looks as if she's just seen a ghost.

"A newcomer, I trow," he remarks, calmly. "A woman, no less, though thine apparel is strange beyond measure."

Sally attempts to regain her composure. "They didn't tell me the room was haunted. I mean, not with a proper ghost ghost."

"I would wager my head there is much more thou hast not been told," the knight replies. "Were it not already pledged, and to a worse creditor." He bows. "Sir Edward de Tourville, at your service."

"Sally Reade," our dauntless heroine replies.

"Then well met, Sally. I cannot tarry here, but it is fitting that I give you a word of caution. You have entered a nest of adders. Beware them — one and all, old and young alike — lest you feel their bite."

He marches out through the opposite wall, leaving Sally to her thoughts.

Characters

Sally Reade [Joanne Froggatt] is a call centre supervisor who visited Mallerton Manor with no higher motive than boredom. Now she's trapped in the Manor as it was on the night that it burnt down, with six suspects who've been there ever since the fire. The only way she's going to get out is to find out what really happened that night. And her only sources of information are half-a-dozen ghosts, who've had seventy-odd years to bury the truth.

Suspects

	At the time of her death, Lady Araminta Warden [Georgie Henley; played in flashbacks by Joanna Lumley] was the aristocratic chatelaine of Mallerton Manor. As a ghost, she still retains her air of hauteur and her acid tongue; but some quirk of her transition to ghosthood means her her physical appearance is now that of a ten-year-old.
	Blanche Torvell [Michelle Duncan] is Lady Araminta's great-niece. In life, the death of her mother led to her passionate interest in spiritualism — an interest which she maintains even though the afterlife has proved to be nothing like she expected.
	In life, Ruby Mills [Emma Williams] was the parlourmaid at Mallerton Manor: a new addition to the staff, shy, polite and careful. Decades as a ghost have long since worn away her deference and her inhibitions, and she has no hesitation in telling everyone and anyone what she thinks of them. But does her brusque exterior hide a heart of gold, or a dark secret?
	Richard Weatherill [Richard McCabe] was the butler of Mallerton Manor. His manner, at least outwardly, is polite and respectful; his private feelings about his employers remain a closely-guarded secret. It's hard to believe that, having gained so much from his long association with the Manor, he'd throw all that away by setting fire to the building. But perhaps he urgently needed to cover his tracks?
	Martin Pelham [Christopher Staines]: A guest at Mallerton Manor on the night of the fire, Martin was a friend of the family. Being a ghost has done nothing to reduce his hypochondria, merely changed the interpretations he puts on his various real or imagined symptoms.
	Major Giles Collier [Neil Stuke] is a no-nonsense veteran of the First World War. In life, he was more inclined to action rather than thought, preferring to spend his time wandering about the countryside blazing away at the local wildlife. Deprived of such activities in the afterlife, he has been forced into a more cerebral life. That doesn't mean he's particularly good at it.

Only Seen In Flashbacks

	Harold Torvell [Denis Lawson] was the head of the family and the owner of Mallerton at the time of the fire. If the house had been insured — which none of the ghosts seems too sure of — he would have been the one to collect the money.
	Ronald Torvell [Patrick Kennedy] was Blanche's brother and the heir to Mallerton. Can he really have been as fine a young man as everybody says he was?
	Mrs Dyson [Annette Badland] was the housekeeper of Mallerton Manner, Weatherill's closest colleague. Their working relationship may not have been as cordial as Weatherill likes to represent.

Others

Sir Edward de Tourville [BRIAN BLESSED] is the real thing: a ghost from the Middle Ages, who was doomed to walk the battlements of his castle until Judgement Day. Since the old castle's demolition and the construction of the Manor, his walk now takes him through three bedrooms, two bathrooms, the back staircase and a linen cupboard. He has no time for the other ghosts of the house, considering them johnny-come-latelies unworthy of his legacy.

He first comes to Sally's notice when he walks in on her (through the wall, of course) while she's changing her clothes. Despite their many differences of opinion, he is the only person Sally can discuss the murder with, since he is definitely not a suspect.

The Monk [?] is the hooded, cloaked figure that first lured Sally into Mallerton Manor. He (or she?) shows up now and again in the background of some of the scenes; the other characters don't appear to notice him / her.

Later Episodes

Episode 2: The presence of Sally is causing friction among the inhabitants of the house, and Lady Araminta decides to sort matters out, once and for all. Her improvised court of enquiry isn't as successful in this as she might have hoped.
Episode 3: Sally discovers that despite being dead and beyond the desires of the flesh, she can still fall in love. But are her new feelings for Ruby clouding her judgement?
Episode 4: Bianca's attempt to hold a séance goes awry, leaving Sally in the ruins of the Manor, in the year 1964. She's still a ghost, and quickly finds that she can't leave the building or communicate with the visitors; there's nothing for her to do but watch two gardeners replanting a flower bed. The engraved ring that they unearth opens her eyes to just how much everybody has been concealing from her.
Episode 5: Drawing on a vague memory of the leaflet she was given when she visited Mallerton Manor, Sally investigates rumours of a secret passage in the cellars. She doesn't find it, but in her explorations, she discovers that Weatherill is by no means as free from suspicion as she'd thought.
Episode 6: Sally believes she's finally worked out the truth of what happened the night of the fire, and, following the best traditions, presents her conclusions to the assembled suspects. But halfway through her summation, she starts to question, not only her deductions, but her very presence in the Manor; does she have a deeper connection to events than the accident which brought her there?

Tropes Encountered In This Series

All Love Is Unrequited: Ruby has eyes only for Martin, who yearns after Blanche, who cherishes a hopeless passion for Giles. And that's just before Sally shows up.
Always Night: It's always the night of the fire.
Bittersweet Ending: The mystery is, indeed, solved, and the ghosts of Mallerton Manor have been laid to rest. But Sally is still a ghost, unable to return to her former life or friends.
Book Dumb: Sally's knowledge of history is patchy, which leads to some humorous exchanges with Sir Edward.
The Cameo: Jessica Fox puts in a brief appearance in episode 4, reprising her Ghostriders role as Valerie.
Closed Circle: Leaving the Manor isn't an option for any of its ghosts.
Dead to Begin With: The series opens with Sally's accidental(?) death.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: A certain amount between Sally and the rest of the cast, and a great deal more between everybody and Sir Edward.
Flashback: Used extensively to revisit the night of the fire.
Gambit Pileup: As the series goes on, the night of the fire begins to look very much like one of these.
Incompatible Orientation: Ruby makes it clear that she doesn't welcome Sally's feelings.
Rashomon Style: We see a lot of flashbacks to the night the Manor burned down. Depending on who is the viewpoint character, there are some sizeable differences in the facts.
Straight Gay: Sally.
Tranquil Fury: In Episode 6, Sir Edward silences a voluble and infuriated Ruby without so much as raising his voice. Though the broadsword in his hand may have helped there.
Sir Edward: Thou feel'st, perhaps, that having already passed through fire and death, thou needst not fear the bite of my trusty blade. Perhance that is indeed true... but perhance not. [He draws his sword, and steps toward Ruby.] What say you that we put that notion to the test?
Whodunnit to Me: The six suspects. Presumbably the guilty one knows who dunnit to him or her, but the innocent ones don't.