THE telling of ghost stories is a long-standing Christmas tradition, and this year was no exception, as a sold-out audience gathered at the Boniface Centre in Crediton to hear some spooky tales – with a difference.

Crediton-based charity The Folklore Library and Archive welcomed a host of famous voices, including Spitting Image impressionist Steve Nallon shared extracts from his book Steve Nallon’s Ghost Stories.

With influences such as EF Benson, Edith Nesbit and MR James, Nallon’s stories draw deeply on the ghost story genre.

Highlights in a hugely entertaining evening included an amusing and affectionate tale about Hattie Jacques, related by the ghost of Kenneth Williams, and revelations about the various hauntings inside 10 Downing Street, as told by the ghost of Margaret Thatcher.

After sharing his stories, Steve chatted with The Folklore Library’s founder and archivist, Mark Norman, revealing some fascinating behind-the-scenes titbits about Spitting Image.

As one of its original impressionists, Steve voiced dozens of personalities besides Williams and Thatcher, including the Queen Mother, Bruce Forsyth, Alan Bennett and David Attenborough.

During the conversation, he treated the audience to a scarily accurate impression of actor Joan Hickson (Miss Marple), as well as discussing the inspirations for his ghost stories, revealing a deep and thorough knowledge of the genre.

A former academic, his book also contains a monograph, Thoughts on the Ghost Tale, and short introductions to each of the stories.

Following the success of their sold-out event with bestselling author Joanne Harris (who wrote Chocolat), The Folklore Library once again teamed up with Crediton bookshop The Bookery, and Steve signed copies of his book for the appreciative audience.

The event was a fundraiser for the charity, and will help to support its mission to collect and preserve folklore and heritage materials.