Simon Callow and Shobna Gulati are to guest star in a spooky Christmas episode of Inside No. 9.

The pair will join writers and stars Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton in The Bones of St. Nicholas, the BBC Two anthology series' latest festive episode, a ghost story set in a mysterious church.

"We were delighted to be asked to do it and it's come together in a lovely way and is a real treat for Christmas" Shearsmith said. "I think it will be great to settle down and watch on a late December night and have your spine tingled."

Pemberton added: "We discussed many, many different ways of presenting a Christmas special and the one we were really excited by was Christmas ghost stories."

Pemberton plays Dr Jasper Parkway, who has booked an overnight stay in a reputedly haunted church on Christmas Eve. However, much to his dismay, he is soon joined by unwanted guests Pierce (Shearsmith) and Posy (Gulati), who have even brought their own sleeping bags.

Together with the eccentric warden Dick (Callow), it doesn't look like Jasper is going to be lonely this Christmas. Even though sherry, biscuits and Yuletide phantoms are on offer, why is Jasper so keen to be left to his own devices?

Associated with paranormal tales thanks to his narration of Charles Dickens stories such as A Christmas Carol and The Signalman, as well as collaborations with Shearsmith and Pemberton's erstwhile League Of Gentlemen colleague Mark Gatiss on The Amazing Mr Blunden and The Dead Room, Callow remarked of Inside No. 9: "It's a very sparky, original series. Mention of it always provokes gargles of admiration. I thought I'd like to be part of that!"

Former dinnerladies star Gulati added: "It has its own unique genre of TV, something you can't put in a box. Often a perfect blend of drama, comedy and horror. To be a part of this is very special to me."

The Bones of St. Nicholas is Inside No. 9's second Christmas episode, following 2016's The Devil of Christmas. Shearsmith and Pemberton will reveal their inspiration for it on the Inside ... Inside No. 9 podcast, which is returning to BBC Sounds on Christmas Eve.

Directed by George Kane (Timewasters, Newzoids) and produced by Kim Crowther (The Worst Witch) for BBC Studios Comedy Productions, Inside No. 9's executive producers are Adam Tandy and Josh Cole and the commissioning editor for the BBC is Gregor Sharp. An eighth series of the Bafta-winning show will air on BBC Two next year.

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Festive programming

The Bones of St. Nicholas is one of several BBC festive specials announced today, along with an episode of Motherland and Gatiss' latest adaptation of an M.R. James Ghost Story, Count Magnus.

The corporation has also confirmed previously announced Christmas episodes of Ghosts, Detectorists, The Cleaner and Mrs Brown's Boys on BBC One, as well as returns for Detectorists and Two Doors Down on BBC Two, plus Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Frankie Boyle's New World Order, Live At The Apollo, QI, Would I Lie To You? and Michael McIntyre's The Wheel, alongside a feature length-adaptation of David Walliams' Gangsta Granny Strikes Again.