Ghosts + Palin = Ratings Winner, Probably

Michael Palin is to appear in a three-part BBC drama, categorised as a thriller, with a supernatural theme. This is a rare outing for the most peripatetic Python, best known for his travels but also an accomplished actor on film and TV. He has of course done a bit of comedy, but has tackled more serious roles. Remember Me, set in Palin's native Yorkshire, will also star Julia Sawalha (Absolutely Fabulous, Jonathan Creek) and Mina Anwar (The Thin Blue Line, House of Anubis).

The writer is Gwyneth Hughes, who scripted The Girl (dealing with Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren), and Miss Austen Regrets. Her track record inspires confidence. Would it be too much to hope that the BBC is going to start producing ghost stories and related weird fiction for grown-ups on a regular basis? Yes, it almost certainly would. But we can at least cross our fingers.

According to the Guardian report, this is Michael Palin's first leading TV role since 1991 (in Alan Bleasdale's gritty political drama GBH). Remember Me concerns 'a mysterious care home resident who is the only witness to a violent death'. Palin is quoted as saying: "I've always loved ghost stories, so playing the lead in one is a very exciting prospect."

And now...