BBC

have been producing radio drama for 80 years and are still going strong. Unlike American audiences, the British have not tired of the listening experience; perhaps they have fewer choices of TV channels, but they do have the opportunity to hear some of the best produced radio in the world. Here, as with other archives whose series expand to every genre, I have decided to limit myself to only one in order that I might still hope to maintain a life of some kind. This is the only archive for which I am including dates (years only), since there is a vast difference in the fidelity and character of a production done in the 1930s as opposed to the 1990s.

Sources used to create my own log and double-check titles, dates and cast members: BBC Genome Project, BBC Radio Listings, Alison and Nigel Deacon's Diversity Website, and radioarchive.cc (alas, they are no longer) .

Currently this archive contains 81 plotlines and 56 reviews

Webmaster Recommends:
The Letter of Last Resort | The Silver Sky 

Jeff Dickson Recommends:
An Alternative to Suicide | Fatherland | Leviathan 99 | Steve Gallagher Trilogy | We Can Remember It for You Wholesale


The BBC have produced many stand-alone stories as well as short serials (up to several dozen episodes with the same characters, exploring a single story thread). But they have also produced many short anthologies of stand-alone stories which explore a common theme (e.g., ghost stories, or the stories J.G. Ballard). Since these stories are often difficult to find except as part of an anthology, I have decided to list them here as part of those anthologies.

Note: some of the anthologies, below, have their own archive page.

2025

Year: 1998
Duration: 2 hrs
Genre: Dystopian Future
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Mike Walker

Outlawed by a fearful public, bio-engineering becomes a black-market commodity, the arena of organized crime, underhanded multi-national corporations, and the desperately terminally ill.

Reviews:
A complex plot, with multiple layers of story and characters interwoven in a scheme to secretly engineer genetic experiments on an old woman with terminal sickle cell anemia. A little slow-moving, but there is a lot of depth here—all the characters have a history and strong, well-defined personalities. You get the feeling this computerized, 'cyberpunk' future society has a lot of depth to it as well. My only complaint was that it wasn't long enough—there is enough raw material here for a whole series. --- Jeff Dickson

Aliens in the Mind

Year: 1977
Duration: 3 hrs
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Robert Holmes

A six-part serial about two doctors who uncover a colony of mental mutants on a remote island in the Hebrides. There seems to be a conspiracy underfoot, and it must be stopped before the mutants can undermine the government—or is it already too late? Stars Vincent Price and Peter Cushing.

Reviews:
With the talents of Vincent Price and Peter Cushing this just couldn't go wrong. The story of the sinister sect on a remote Scottish island involves murder, kidnapping, world domination and the end of life as we know it! The plot is unusual and quite good, could have been written better but is saved by the talents of the stars. ---Tom Robinson

Alpha

Year: 2001
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Super Science
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Mike Walker

"A computer so all-knowing it seems to have an independent life of its own." --- BBC Radio 4

see also "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (Miscellaneous Shows), "ALICE" and "Darling Deadly Dolores" (CBS Radio Mystery Theater)

Reviews:
This gem has become my favorite sentient AI story since I first saw "Colossus: The Forbin Project". Though these two stories are hardly similar, they are in the same vein, and one I particularly enjoy. I tend to like AI stories that pose a few simple direct moral/philosophical questions within a sort of timeless setting or classic set up. The more timely, or perhaps trendy, set ups and settings found in many recent AI stories go for specific, usually special case questions with lots of window dressing (and much of it already behind the curve and cliched), which often leaves me somewhat bored, over-fed and feeling uninvolved. I'm generalizing of course but I was happy to discover that Alpha does the former type of story very well. I won't spoil the tale but it does contain religious elements that some might find controversial. Myself, I appreciated that because the story makes you think a little, and in this case, these elements form the perfect darkness to counterpoint the light in the story. An ultimate con and pro argument with questions of life, both AI and human, and existence in the balance.

The acting is first rate; the performances of the two principals are superb. The tone of the script and the pacing are just right. This one works and nestles into an hour perfectly. Alpha is a good choice for a gateway AI science fiction story, yet it is intelligent enough for those already steeped in the subgenre. --- RC

Alternative to Suicide, An

Year: 1980
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Stephen Gallagher

A low-grade technician, psychologically programmed to service aboard a deep-space explorer ship, is sent back to Earth by the 'Company' for rehab following an accident. As part of his corporate 'vacation', he is introduced to a woman altered to resemble a former lover, and when the two fall in love, he begins to question his assigned lifestyle and pursue his ultimate potential—with serious consequences for the Company.

Reviews:

Babylon Run, The

see "The Steve Gallagher Trilogy"

Bravo 74

see: "Freebooter, The"

Burning of the Grass, The

Year: 1970
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: John Wilkie

A survey team from Earth arrives on an alien world, seeking mineral rights from the primitive natives in exchange for all the wonderful technological marvels of mankind. The locals, however, appear to be anything but impressed by the offer.

Reviews:
Dull and talky. The story could have been told in a 30 minute format, and might have been better off for it. You'll have it all figured out in the first ten minutes, and spend the rest of the show waiting impatiently for the characters to catch up, wondering why they are so addle-brained. The aliens didn't seem very alien, their society possessed no unique personality, and the moral behind the story is hardly anything new. --- Jeff Dickson

Caves of Steel, The

Year: 1989
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Genre: Robots
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Isaac Asimov

In an overcrowded New York of the future, a homicide detective and his android partner must overcome social prejudice against robots to investigate the murder of an eminent roboticist, an obvious target of a ring of anti-technology terrorists.

See the CD cover art for this show.

Reviews:
A very faithful portrayal of Asimov's book that achieves a lot in its 1.5 hours and conveys the appropriate mood of the original story. Ed Bishop as Bailey was a pleasant surprise and he carries the character well. The use of a heavily upper-crusted British accent for Daneel Olivaw was an interesting touch though I believe a neutral accent may have been better. It was a pity that there was insufficient time for the Bailey-Olivaw relationship to build a little more. Overall full marks. --- Anthony Fenlon

Childhood's End

Year: 1997
Duration: 2 hrs
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Arthur C. Clarke

A poignant SF classic about humankind's first contact, when a super-race calling themselves the Overlords arrive and rid the world of strife and suffering. Not everybody thinks a life without struggle is a good idea, and the Overlords' motives come into question when they refuse to show themselves and children all over the world begin to disappear...

Several different versions were produced by the BBC; a 5-part version was also produced for the CBC's Vanishing Point.

Reviews:

Chimera

Year: 1985
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Genre: Horror, Creatures
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Stephen Gallagher

Genetic experiments at a lab in the English countryside produce an evolutionary throwback, a quasi-human creature which escapes and goes on a killing spree.

Reviews:

Chocky

Year: 1968
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Horror
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: John Wyndham

A couple become concerned over their young son's increasing fixation with Chocky, his invisible friend. At first it seems a harmless diversion for him, but then Chocky starts to develop a serious attitude problem...

Reviews:

Chosen, The

Year: 1981
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Dystopian Future
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by:

In a distant future faced with impending social upheaval and collapse, a supercomputer makes an unusual selection from the thousands of cryogenically frozen individuals from the 20th century to be revived—an unremarkable young woman who is apparently the world's only hope for survival.

Reviews:

Closed Planet

Year: 1961
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: John Hynam

A crippled starship is compelled to make landfall on a remote colony world, where the locals refuse to allow the crew to disembark except under the strictest control. What terrible secret are they hiding?

Reviews:
Many years ago, someone 'cleaned up' the recording I have. The result is a recording with no pops, crackles, static, or noise... but very muddy dialogue that can be quite hard to understand. I thought this was going to be a standard cold-war fear-of-other-cultures story, but it turned out to be much more. Although the outcome is telegraphed, the acting is solid and the story is well-written. Overall, an engaging story. I just wish I had a better quality recording! [7/10] --- zM

Cold Earth Travelling

aka: "The Pardoner's Tale"
Year: 1977
Duration: 60 min
Genre: Speculative
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Geoffrey Chaucer

An adaptation of a work by Chaucer, with an intriguing, if implausible, concept - three war-weary soldiers in medieval England undertake a quest to seek out Death and kill him, an idea which Death himself finds quite amusing.

Reviews:
This is the first radio play by award-winning dramatist Mike Walker, whose list of credits is as long as it is laudable. In his hands, the trio are hard, grim veterans, wholly believable products of a cruel and violent era whose simplistic notion of putting an end to Death's cold grip on human destiny awakes both our sympathy and our derision. The characterizations and acting are first-rate, the dialogue taut and engaging—just what you would expect from a Mike Walker script. Unfortunately—and this may be due more to Chaucer than to Walker—our heroes' unique mission digresses from its main thrust along the way. It does all tie together at the end, but I was left somewhat unfulfilled. --- Jeff Dickson

Deep Station Emerald

Year: 1996
Duration: 2 hrs
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Joe Turner

The crew of a research base on the ocean floor discovers a source of cold fusion, the solution to all the world's energy problems. Elation turns to terror, however, when a series of 'accidents' causes several deaths, and a strange virus which mutates DNA is loosed—obviously, someone on board is a killer...

Reviews:
A whodunit which comes across much like an Alistair Maclean thriller. Tense, gripping, with excellent writing, acting, and sound effects. Beyond the idea of an undersea habitat, there is very little here that is particularly futuristic. The most unusual aspect of the story involves a man-made virus which mutates its victims into psychopathic quasi-humans, a plot device which seemed unnecessary—the story could easily have been told without it. Nevertheless, I found it suspenseful, engaging, and well-plotted. If you're a fan of the film "The Abyss", you'll likely enjoy this one. --- Jeff Dickson.

Doppelganger Machine, The

Year: 1974
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Alternate History
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: James Follett

A 1933 mail flight from France to England flies into a fog bank and emerges into an alternate time line 40 years into the future, where a defeated Britain is a mere puppet state of Nazi Europe. Not surprisingly, the crew and passengers quickly arouse the curiosity and suspicion of the fascist authorities.

Reviews:

Dune Roller, The

Year: 1961
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Julian May

A meteor crashing into Lake Michigan 300 years ago means trouble for a modern-day group of entomologists engaged in field studies on the sand dunes of the lake's more remote shores. A dormant alien life form awakens and its scattered pieces are murdering people as they attempt to reassemble.

Reviews:

Earthsearch

Year: 1981
Duration: 5 hrs (in 30 min episodes)
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: James Follett

Returning to Earth after an extended journey in deep space, the generation starship Challenger is disturbed to find that while only110 years have passed on the ship, a million years have passed in the Solar System. The crew of 4—the only survivors of the great meteoroid strike that wiped out most of the crew—find that the Earth has vanished and the Moon is now in the Earth's orbit. Guided by discoveries there, they set out to search for the Earth. They find evidence of an earlier transit of the planet Paradise, which the crew had intended to colonize before the Great Strike, but the Starship's control computers, Angels 1 and 2, have their own agenda for the Challenger's crew.

Reviews:
Listened to this some time back so can't remember all the details, but I did enjoy it. The plot is full of cliff-hangers and you are never really sure if the four humans will survive. The concept is not that new in science fiction terms but it is very well executed with the sinister 'angels' manipulating the humans. Might listen to it again soon as I've also got Earthsearch II now. --- Tom Robinson

Earthsearch II

Year: 1982
Duration: 5 hrs (in 30 min episodes)
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: James Follett

The Angels return to Paradise, and use the resources of the Starship to terraform its climate, sending a great flood to drive the ship's crew off the planet by drowning all the land masses. Back on the ship the crew are forced to resume the search for Earth. The Angels use reprogrammed service androids to force the crew to obey. But someone is broadcasting transmissions designed to destroy organic free will computers. The Angels seek to control the crew's children, to build a 4th generation crew that will be completely subservient.

Reviews:

Fall of Moondust, A

Year: 1981
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Arthur C. Clarke

A passenger cruise across the Moon's Sea of Tranquility goes horribly wrong when the cruise liner falls into a sinkhole and is buried beneath the dust.

This production was cut into several parts and re-aired on the CBC anthology series Nightfall.

Reviews:

Fatherland

Year: 1998
Duration: 2 hrs
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Robert Harris

What if the Third Reich survived World War II? It is 1964, and the Greater German Reich is looking to end its Cold War with the United States by inviting President Joseph Kennedy to a summit on the eve of Hitler's 75th birthday. But when the body of a high-ranking Reichsminister is dragged from a lake, a homicide detective in the Berlin Kriminalpolizei discovers clues to a conspiracy with global implications.

Reviews:
The concept of what the world might be like with the Third Reich still around holds a horrific fascination about it, and the world of "Fatherland" comes across as disturbingly plausible. Harris' Greater German Reich is made even more believable by the meticulous attention to detail and multiple layers of sound (rain, windshield wipers, passing trains) and, most notably, the ubiquitous radio broadcasts of propaganda, Kultur, and German classical music in the background—just what one might expect in such a narcissistic State. The musical cues are particularly effective, artfully employed only to punctuate key moments. It helps to have read the book—an unacquainted listener might find themselves confused at times. The leading actor sounded a bit young for the role of a hero in his forties, and all the Germans speak with pronounced English accents, but don't let that deter you. "Fatherland" is one of the best productions this listener has ever heard. --- Jeff Dickson

Freebooter, The

aka: "Bravo 74"
Year: 1978
Duration: 45 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Gregory Lyons

A freighter lands for emergency repairs on a desolate world where tensions among the senior officers obstruct repair efforts and blind them to the planet's inhabitants, the last starving remnants of a race who exist only in the metallic dust of the planet and see the newcomers only as a source of food.

With Harold Kasket (narrator), Brenda Kaye (Ria, alien I), David Alder (Keital, alien II), Carleton Hobbs (Lothan, alien III), Peter Marinker (Luke, space-master), Steve Hodson (Sven, land-master), Mary Elliott Nelson (Alison), Kenneth Shanley (Alpha Delta II), Roy Spencer (Ike), Henry Davies (Weevel). Directed by: Graham Gauld.

"Now and then the wind catches the silvery flakes which litter the desert sands. They flash and glitter in the sunlight, never rising more than a foot above the ground and then fall back and lie rocking, waiting for the next gust. Men have peered at this water-less world from their starships and then passed on. Though the atmosphere is breathable, there are no minerals worth exploiting. They have given it a number -- Bravo 74 -- and listed it as a dead world. But they are wrong. The silver dust is the wind-scattered dead of an alien race, and the few places where the glittering flakes are clumped together and lie like cloaks upon the sand, life persists. Each silver mantle is a Being, though man sees only the chance accumulation of shining dust, and the wraith-like creatures cry to one another in voices that men cannot hear." --- from the intro

Reviews:
This story is two mysteries entwined as one: in the foreground -- an abrupt, choppy tale of anger, jealousy and revenge; in the background -- a slow-moving melancholy tale, which foreshadows despair... or, perhaps, hope. The plot is simple and straightforward. But the facts are doled out as rations, so that what is really simple and straightforward appears mysterious. I didn't have a feeling for where this story was going until the very end, but along the way I was filled with wonder... wonder about why the space-master and the land-master hate each other so much... wonder about how aliens survive on such a desolate world... wonder about freighter repair and ultimate rescue. Many people will find this episode exceedingly boring, but for me, the pacing created a sense of mystery. [7/10] --- zM

Ghost Train

Year: 1998
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Ghosts
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Arnold Ridley

Passengers stranded at a remote train station said to be haunted by the ghosts of a tragic derailment years before face a night of increasing horrors.

Ghost Train was also produced for an LP in 1951.

Reviews:

Gormenghast

see: "Titus Groan"

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The

Year: 1978; 1980
Duration: 6 hrs
Genre: Science Fiction Serial
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Douglas Adams

Arthur Dent, an Earthman, hitchhikes around the galaxy with a zany cast of characters. The plot is somewhat silly, but that's not the point. If you ever feel like you are hanging on edge waiting to find out what happens next you aren't paying attention. The beauty in Douglas Adams' work is in the telling, in the way he crafts each sentence. Sit back, close your eyes and listen.

Broadcast in two, six-part series. The first one ended with each character absolutely meeting their fate... so, naturally, the BBC asked for a second series. Adams carefully extracted each character from their predicament and created a second series with a more fluid, open-ended ending. The BBC never asked for a third.

Originally written for the BBC, this classic tale eventually became a TV series, a movie, a series of books, an LP, and a pet dog. Sound engineering from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Reviews:

The Hobbit

aka: "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again"
Year: 1968
Duration: 4 hrs
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: J.R.R. Tolkien

The classic tale of J.R.R. Tolkien first told in 1937 and dramatized many times on stage, radio and on film. This is the tale of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, as he travels with a company of dwarves to the Lonely Mountain for the purpose of... well, it's a bit complicated. Bilbo, a very conservative hobbit, does not hold with 'adventures', but finds himself becoming interested in the affairs of the dwarves and joins their compnay despite himself. What follows is a tale of Grand Adventure, with happiness and joy, sadness and despair.

Reviews:

Hood

Year: 2014-2016
Duration: 5.25 hrs
Genre: Adventure
Available for Listening Booth: N
Executive Producer: Matt Hopper
Produced by: Spiteful Puppet (UK production company)
Story by: Iain Meadows (author) and Merle Nygate (script writer)

England, 1201: King John reigns. The Sheriff of Nottingham, Lord Philip de Nicholay, is betrayed and his tax collections, stolen. Lord William de Warrene holds him accountable but instead of executing him, allows him one last chance to recover the money. Robert de Loxley, Nicholay's childhood friend and competitor for the hand of Maid Marian, offers some friendly advice: enter Sherwood Forest and seek Little John at the wooden bridge...

With Lee Ingleby (Philip De Nicholay), Anthony Milles (Robert De Loxley), Sarah McKendrick (Lady Marion), Peter Greenall (Little John), Damian Cooper (Will Scarlet), Sean Connolly (Brother Tuck), and Billy Miller (Alan-A-Dale and King John).

Reviews:

A gripping adventure story. The story-arc presents Robin Hood and his band of outlaws as complex characters who are sometimes quite different from the traditional caricatures that have survived the centuries. It explores multiple layers of complexity and weaves together different story fragments and historical snapshots into a meaningful tapestry of courage, love, friendship, loyalty, political intrigue, war and betrayal.

Different parts of the legend are told from different viewpoints, so the characters' virtue and motivations are never clear-cut and are often interpreted differently by different characters. The result is a story that feels very true: a story based on human action and pragmatism rather than abstract ideals of Good and Evil.

The story is very fast-moving and presents a vivid soundscape with dynamic music and special effects. There are a few places where the music overshadows the dialogue, but for the most part the editor showed restraint when mixing tracks together. The acting is excellent. Since the action takes place in 1201, I particularly liked the fact that the nobility spoke with French accents and the common folk with English accents. This did, however, present some difficulty as I am not fluent in either of those accents; with the action being so fast, I often had to rewind and listen to dialogue several times before I was sure what was going on. But that's just me; it's not meant as a criticism. Overall, I strongly recommend this tale to anyone who likes adventure stories! [9/10] --- zM

Host Planet Earth

Year: 1967
Duration: 3 hrs
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Anne Howell and Colin Cooper

A brilliant and wilful scientist conceives an interstellar drive, but following the launch of the first manned mission into deepest space, mission command is plagued by inexplicable deaths and mental breakdowns. A reporter teams up with one of the scientists to investigate, and together they uncover evidence of an ancient evil spreading throughout the galaxy, which now may be infecting the crew of the returning ship.

Reviews:

Hunter's Moon

see "The Steve Gallagher Trilogy"

Into the Ether

Year: 2000
Duration: 45 min
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Andrew Dallmeyer

The US government is employing 'remote viewers'—people who can travel via their psyches to any location—as spies, saboteurs, or worse, whatever the cost in trauma to their 'volunteers'.

Reviews:

It Was on the Spaceship Venus

Year: 1975
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Humour
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by:

A farce about a rescue mission to retrieve Earth's top soccer star from the evil clutches of the megalomaniacal ruler of Mars.

Reviews:

Journey Into Space

Year: 1953-56
Duration: 26 hr
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Charles Chilton

Perhaps the most successful and popular series to come out of the UK. The four separate serials followed the exploits of astronauts exploring the Moon and Mars who uncover an alien plot to conquer Earth. The show was enough of a hit to inspire fan clubs and retrospective documentaries. The first serial ("Journey to the Moon"/"Operation Luna" -- 6 hours) was broadcast in 1953, but the magnetic tapes were erased shortly thereafter. It was re-recorded in 1958. The second serial ("The Red Planet" -- 9 hours) aired in 1954. The third series ("The World in Peril" -- 10 hours) aired in 1955. A ninety-minute fourth "series" ("Return to Mars" -- 1.5 hours) aired in 1981. "It was the last radio programme in the UK to attract a bigger evening audience than television." --- BBC Audiobooks

Reviews:

Kite Lords, The

Year: 1984
Duration: 2 hrs
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by:

After nuclear war has left the Earth in ruins, an airborne alien race arrives to whom 'groundlings' are nothing more than a food supply to be herded, bred, and harvested at will. Men and women are segregated until 'Kitestide', when annually the aliens allow the men to form into rape gangs and hunt the women down. A horrific future, until one young man discovers that 'Kites' can be killed too...

Reviews:
Can't say I was too impressed with this production. It's definitely not for kids—there's a lot of swearing and organized (even encouraged) rape plays a major part in the story. The songs and comic book heroics seem childishly simplistic and out of place beside such adult themes. The aliens inspire some interest, but they appear infrequently and remain frustratingly underdeveloped. I would like to have learned more about them—they were far more intriguing than the cardboard human characters. --- Jeff Dickson

Kraken Wakes, The

Year: 1954; 1998
Duration: 2.5 hr
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: John Wyndham

A competitive sentient species 'awakes' in the depths of the world's oceans and feeling threatened goes on the offensive. A power struggle for survival ensues between the Kraken and humans.

Reviews:
Whereas the Kraken prove quite pro-active and to quickly adjust their stratagem as needed, the humans lag greatly behind in denial of the threat and a confusion of government efforts. An absolutely fascinating story! --- Norcon

Last Rose of Summer, The

see "The Steve Gallagher Trilogy"

Letter of Last Resort, The

Year: 2012
Duration: 35 min
Genre: Speculative
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: David Greig

Background: The concept of 'Mutual Assured Destruction' is simple, yet bizarre. It's the type of concept that only a military mind can feel truly comfortable with. The idea is that national security arises from having an overwhelming supply of nuclear weapons. So many, in fact, that your enemy cannot destroy them all in a 'first strike', and that any such attempt will leave you with enough fire-power to automatically obliterate your enemy in retaliation... even if you yourself are destroyed in the process. Ensuring that both sides would be absolutely destroyed, as it were, protects from anyone using nuclear weapons in the first place.

The UK currently have (4) Vanguard-class submarines equipped with nuclear weapons. Each submarine has (16) Trident II ballistic missiles, and each missile has (12) nuclear warheads... enough fire-power to destroy 192 cities. At all times, at least one of these submarines is armed and on active duty.

Its task is to cruise the ocean depths, avoid detection, and remain hidden. The crew monitor the airwaves; they are aware of current events. In the event of a devastating and decapitating nuclear attack on the UK, an attack that destroys all government... all military installations... all civilization... the submarine captain would open a safe. Inside that safe is another safe. And inside that safe is The Letter of Last Resort with the deceased Prime Minister's orders. The letter might tell the Captain... to fire his nuclear missiles in retaliation. It might tell the Captain... to refrain from retaliating. It might tell him... to act on his own conscience. It might tell him... something else.

This story takes place in the present day. The newly-elected Prime Minister is working late. It's nearly midnight. John, from Appointments, arrives and asks for a few moments of the Prime Minister's time. She agrees. He goes on to explain that he needs her to write a letter, The Letter of Last Resort, because the previous letters were destroyed, unopened, when her predecessor left office. She's bemused by the whole concept, and unsure what to write. And so begins a lengthy discussion about how nuclear deterrent works... and the conditions under which it might not.

With Belinda Lang (Prime Minister), and Simon Chandler (John, from Appointments)

See also: "The Light of a Thousand Suns" (BBC)

Reviews:
An exceptional script, and a truly stunning performance by Belinda Lang and Simon Chandler which is, in turns, subtle and forceful, humorous and deadly serious, ruthless and compassionate, full of nuance and brutally honest. The script explores the paradoxes of 'mutual assured destruction' and the uncertainty of its effectiveness. Belinda Lang brings warmth and compassion to a difficult subject, while Simon Chandler provides counterpoint, carefully explaining the possible consequences of each of the Prime Minister's choices. I've had this in my collection for several years, and I've been reluctant to listen because of a plotline I once read. But after five minutes, I was hooked. Instead of a dry political discussion, I found gentle humour and was reassured by the honest and human persona of the Prime Minister. This is a discussion about real people and real choices... not about abstract philosophical ideas. [10/10] --- zM

Leviathan 99

Year: 1968
Duration: 1 hr 15 min
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

A futuristic rendition of "Moby Dick", with a rogue comet standing in for the White Whale, and Christopher Lee as a wayward space commander obsessed with avenging himself on it for blinding him. Adaptation written by Ray Bradbury.

Reviews:
The idea of adapting the classic Melville tale into a space opera may seem at first ridiculous, even somewhat irreverent, but Bradbury must not have thought so—he scripted both the John Huston film and this unusual version. As with most of Bradbury's work, there is a casual disregard for astronomical realities, but he has a way of making all that scientific nitpicking seem irrelevant. The rogue comet may seem a poor analog for sixty tons of raging behemoth but, on the other hand, replacing a living creature with a blind force of nature does tend to make Christopher Lee's character even more divorced from reality than the original Ahab. And his voice gives far more dimension and vehemence to the role than Gregory Peck's rather stilted overacting did in the film. The production is done in semi-narrative, interspersed with scenes of full dialogue, and a wide array of bizarre sound effects that evoke an effective otherworldly ambience. Highly recommended. --- Jeff Dickson

It certainly is wild. Christopher Lee makes a great captain, and the script plays all sorts of interesting variations on Moby Dick. Bradbury clearly had/has Melville on the brain. --- Samuel Otter

Light of a Thousand Suns, The

Year: 1974
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: James Follett

Cerebus is the first of a new breed of nuclear attack submarines which operates under the principle of Negative Acknowledgement Attack—every 4 hours it must surface and receive a signal from a polar-orbit satellite—if it does not receive a signal for twelve consecutive hours the captain and his crew are under strict orders to launch the submarine's payload.

See also: "The Letter of Last Resort" (BBC)

Reviews:
An interesting look into how the military mind often differs from the civilian and how, at a fundamental level, all military actions are really the decisions of individual men who must decide to obey orders or not. (7/10) --- zM

Lost World, The

Year: 1944; 1949; 1952; 1975; 2011
Duration: 2 hrs 30 min
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Based on the classic novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the story follows the quest of the irascible Professor Edward Challenger to prove the veracity of his claims as to the existence of a South American plateau where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures still thrive.

The BBC have produced 5 separate versions. A more recent semi-dramatized reading was done for Alien Voices.

Reviews:

Machine Stops, The

Year: 2001
Duration: 45 min
Genre: Dystopian Future
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: E.M. Forster

In a remote future when the world has become virtually uninhabitable, and humanity has retreated underground to die a slow death under the auspices of the Machine, a woman's son declares his intention to violate the fabric of civilization by venturing to the surface. An early 20th century classic of science fiction by E. M. Forster, written as a retort against H. G. Wells' faith in the wonders of a technology-driven future.

Another version of this story was produced for the series 2000x.

Reviews:

Man Who Could Work Miracles, The

Year: 1934; 1944; 1956
Duration:
Genre: Supernatural
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: H.G. Wells

George Fotheringay has discovered the secret to performing miracles—all he has to do is ask and it is done. The only thing he can't seem to control are the consequences.

Other versions were produced for the CBS Radio Mystery Theater and Escape

Reviews:

Mars Project, The

Year: 1969
Duration: 3 hrs 30 min
Genre: Mars
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by:

The pressures of overpopulation make necessary the terraforming and colonization of Mars, but one scientist's megalomania endangers the future of the human race, and opens the way for an ancient evil to resurface.

Reviews:
This should have been a more engaging production. There is little sense of 'being there'; the scenes cut between Mars and Earth a little too jarringly. One moment our heroes are on Mars, the next they are back home. The ray gun sounds are laughable and the writing leans toward the juvenile, but it may have been aimed at a younger audience. Far too long for its rather basic story line and cardboard characters. --- Jeff Dickson

Midwich Cuckoos, The

Year: 1982; 2003
Duration: 90 min (1982); 2 hrs (2003)
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: John Wyndham

A small town succumbs to a strange force that puts everyone within a 2-mile radius to sleep for 24 hours. Afterwards it is discovered that every woman of child-bearing age that was affected is now pregnant. All of the children are born healthy, highly intelligent, and mostly normal, except for their golden eyes and general creepiness... The novel was also made into a movie called "Village of the Damned".

Reviews:
Solid production. Occasionally a bit wordy, but still keeps your attention and tells a good story. I especially liked the ending and found it very simple, yet satisfying. --- Steve Franklin

Neuromancer

Year: 2002
Duration: 2 hrs
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: William Gibson

Based on the landmark William Gibson novel, a washed up cyber-spy gets a second chance when he is hired into a rich, but unstable ex-war hero's plot to steal data from the world's most powerful and impregnable corporation.

Reviews:

Night of the Wolf

Year: 1984
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Genre: Creatures, Occult
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Victor Pemberton

An American judge searching for his missing son comes into contact with the dreaded Northcott family and a descent into lycanthropic madness. Starring Vincent Price and his wife, Coral Browne.

Reviews:
Stories of human/wolf transformation have been around for at least 2,000 years—stretching from King Lycaon of Arcadia to Remus Lupin. So, how do you retell a story that's been told hundreds of times and make it fresh and exciting? It's not that easy. If you have been raised on werewolf stories, this effort might seem to drag as background details (like silver bullets and half-eaten corpses) are revealed, but if you are new to the whole werewolf scene you'll be thankful for each gory detail. This version has a surprisingly strong religious theme which seems to fit rather well. Fine acting by Vincent Price (but a little overdone in spots). (7/10). --- zM

Omegapoint

Year: 1975
Duration: 90 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Bruce Stewart

Nuclear scientists at Britain's top secret Tor Sands installation are baffled by a strange coded broadcast embedded in the computers. The closer the Head of Security comes to cracking the code, the more people start dying... 

Reviews:
While the production itself is middling at best, it does raise all kinds of questions about the role of science in human history, science vs humanity, and the humanity of scientists that run far too deep for a brief review such as this dares take on. It's enough to say that if that those issues are relevant to you, then this show is worth the listen. --- Jeff Dickson

Only You Can Save Mankind

Year: 2003
Duration: 90 min (in 3 half-hour episodes)
Genre: Aliens/Humour
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Terry Pratchett

While playing a computer game in which he has to save Earth from attacking alien ships, a young boy is surprised when the aliens in the game begin behaving in strange ways not mentioned in the computer manual. Apparently, the leader of the aliens wants to surrender to young Johnny and asks for his help.

Reviews:
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Although taken from a 'young adult' novel, I still found it quite fun and engaging at age 33. I liked the characters of Johnny and Sigourney and even the Scree Wee captain was somewhat engaging. While not hard core Sci-Fi, this one still made me think a bit and made me laugh a whole lot. --- Steve Franklin

Operation Luna

see also: "Journey into Space"
Year: 1953
Duration: 6 hrs (part 1: 13 episodes)
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Charles Chilton

Operation Luna (1953) Part 1: 13 episodes; 6 hrs—Jet Morgan and his three-man crew set out on Man's first mission to land on the Moon. All goes according to plan until they reach the Moon and encounter a series of anomalous occurrences, that may have something to do with a very unusual nearby crater.

See the CD cover art for this show.

Reviews:

Operation: Vega

aka: "Operatsiia Vega"
Year: 1970
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Sci-Fi, War
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Friedrich Dürrenmatt

On the brink of World War Three, the West sends envoys to recruit aid from the penal colony on Venus, only to learn a hard lesson in morality from the sub-culture which has evolved out of the brutal living conditions there.

A more recent version was produced for 2000x (as "The Mission of the Vega").

Reviews:

Orbit One-Zero

Year: 1961
Duration: 3 hrs
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Peter Elliott Hayes

An astronomer in residence at an English university receives a call from a colleague who claims to have picked up intelligent signals originating from the edges of the Solar System. His investigation of the matter leads to the discovery of strange glowing cylinders which suck both heat and matter from everything around it. Unchecked, they could turn the Earth into a freezer as cold as deepest space....

Presented as a serial in 6 parts.

Reviews:

Orbital Decay

Year: 1984
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: J.C. Wilsher

A British space shuttle mission is endangered by a seemingly foolish American mission specialist, whose agenda includes the covert recovery of a strange object orbiting the Earth.

Reviews:

Perfect Home

Year: 2011
Series: The Man in Black, series 3
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Horror
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Nick Warburton

Downtown on a rainy night at a bus stop. It's late. A young man from the neighbourhood hospital mutters to himself as he reads the bus schedule. A street-girl approaches him. They strike up a tentative conversation, neither trusting the other. He wants to help. Or does he? She wants to take advantage of his offer and steal his money. Or does she?

With Toby Jones [Heron] and Zoë Tapper [Phylise]

Reviews:
This talky, Kafka-esque tale builds tension slowly, while the writers play cat-and-mouse with the listener. Did she do it? Or did he? Or did anybody do anything at all? The listener never knows anything for sure until the chilling climax, which gives goose bumps. The last few seconds give one final surprise. Excellent, but too slow-moving for the Action Crowd. For the intellectual crowd, this one is a 9/10. By the way, this episode is recorded in full stereo—listening with headphones definitely enhances the experience! --- Jerry Underwood

Project: Genesis

Year: 1982
Duration: 90 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Paul Thain

Contact with a technologically superior race is made via radio telescope, but it doesn't take long for the aliens to start dictating commands to the poor backward humans. Are their intentions benign or malevolent?

See also "Childhood's End" (BBC)

Reviews:

Proxies, The

Year: 1964
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Robots, Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Arthur Sellings

Eager to get their hands on anti-gravity crystals on Ganymede, Earth scientists dispatch a robot proxy to negotiate with the primitive natives, who are unwilling to trade for the gems. When the scientists resort to threats, their robotic envoy provides a lesson in ethics, but to whom?

Reviews:

Revenge, The

Year: 1978
Duration: 24 min
Genre: Horror
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Andrew Sachs

One man seeks revenge on another.

An experimental project: a thriller written for 11 performers and recorded in binaural sound, but with no written dialogue.

Reviews:
You wouldn't think this would work... but it does, if you play an active role in the listening process. First, keep in mind the title, "The Revenge" while you listen. Second, remember that the microphone stays with the man and you are hearing what he is hearing. Third, keep your ears open and concentrate. All the auditory clues are there, but if your concentration wanders, you'll have to rewind and listen again. And finally, since this is recorded in binaural sound, it's best if you listen with stereo headphones. If you accept the listening challenge you'll be amazed at how much information can be conveyed through a well-designed soundscape! [7/10] --- zM

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Year: 2002
Duration:
Genre: Robots
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Isaac Asimov

A husband purchases an android to help out his nervous wife while he is out of town on business, and 'Tony' quickly proceeds to turn her life and her outlook on it upside down.

Reviews:

Shadow of the Pharaoh, The

Year: 1972
Duration: 3 hr
Genre: Historical Adventure
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Victor Pemberton and David Spencer

A six-part historical melodrama set in ancient Egypt, about a young man who finds himself the unwitting enemy of an evil usurper to the throne of Thebes.

Reviews:

Silver Sky, The

Year: 1980
Duration: 75 min
Genre: Time Travel, Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Tanith Lee

Two time travellers from separate worlds are drawn to the same location—a beach on a strange unknown planet with no way back home and stalked by deadly predators.

Reviews:
Multiple story threads come together in this complicated tale of betrayal and love... bitterness and hope... and of lost pasts and receding futures. This story is involved and can be very confusing (several characters with similar voices talking at the same time... sound effects drowning out voices... dialogue in foreign languages...), so it's really not suitable for listening while driving. Listen at home where you can rewind and replay as needed. This story presents a view of time travel I have not heard before. That novelty bumped up my rating one notch. Solid acting. Engaging story. Good sound effects and music. [9/10] --- zM

Slipstream

Year: 2008
Duration: 2 hr, 30 min
Genre: Speculative
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Simon Bovey

In the dying days of WW II, a revolutionary new aircraft decimates Allied bombing efforts and threatens to turn the tide of the war. The British mount a commando expedition to capture or destroy the prototype from a Nazi research facility with the reluctant aid of a crack German POW pilot. What they discover has implications reaching far beyond the outcome of the war.

Reviews:
Terrific production from the pen of one of the UK's top radio dramatists. There are  no heroes here—the Brits are as cold-blooded and ruthless as any Nazis. The German pilot, on the other hand, displays a humanity out of character with the stereotypical Teutonic war hero. Bovey uses the 'slipstream' aircraft as a vehicle to showcase just how awful human beings can be when they feel threatened by technology or anxious over the potential for power. --- Jeff Dickson

Solaris

Year: 2007
Duration: 2 hrs
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Stanisław Lem

Psychologist Kris Kelvin is dispatched to a remote research station studying Solaris—a planet dominated by an ocean of living plasma—to investigate the death of a scientist and the mental disintegration of the entire research team. Despite their total isolation, they seem to have been plagued by 'visitors'. Story by Stanislaw Lem.

Two film versions were made, a lengthy Russian production out of the 70s, and the more recent Hollywood version starring George Clooney.

Reviews:
Like the novel, this is a slow mover by today's standards, but well worth the time. Lem was a literary writer who sought to raise the bar for SF, and much of the story is devoted to the relationships and the psychology rather than the pace and twists in the plot. There is certainly the raw material here for an action/horror story, but Lem resists that temptation, preferring to explore the effect of the unexplainable on the human psyche. There is an ethereal, almost creepy dream-like quality to the whole thing which is very appropriate to its subject. Recommended. --- Jeff Dickson

Songs of Distant Earth, The

Year: 1962
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Arthur C. Clarke

A colony world, long cut off from Mother Earth, witnesses the arrival of an outbound starship which must repair its crippled engines. The crew and colonists must face the hard realities of colonizing the stars when they are forced to part once again.

Reviews:
A surprisingly slight little yarn since it's by Arthur C. I'll bet his actual story is a lot better.--- Bruce Fisher

Sophie

Year: 1975
Duration: 45 min
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Stewart Farrar

A lone astronaut on a long interstellar journey develops romantic feelings for the ship's 'female' computer when 'her' attempts to understand his psyche result in the evolution of an electronic personality.

Reviews:

Sounds in the Sky

Year: 1971
Duration: 1 hr
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by:

An alien colony ship encounters a meteor storm and is forced into the atmosphere of a giant hostile planet where they must find an energy source to regenerate their power core. They find one—in the form of a human brain.

Reviews:

Space Program Alpha

Year: 1986
Duration: 30 min
Genre: War
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by:

The Earth cruiser Eumenides is dispatched on a salvage and rescue mission into deepest space to retrieve vital medicines from a courier ship attacked by enemy aliens. NOTE: This was a one off for a series targeted to schools called Secondary English 11-14 and aired three times starting on 12-4-86. Of the 38 programs listed, this seemed the only one of the Sci-Fi genre.

Reviews:
The mission, to retrieve medical supplies from a space freighter that has been damaged by enemy space ships and deliver to a ship in lunar orbit. Stereotypes abound. The captain, navigator and engineering officer are women. The navigator almost misses the launch because she can't find the ship although she has her android named \o' to guide her. The byplay between the curmudgeonly medical officer and the officious security officer added further humor. The ending is totally up in the air. Did someone from the ship or the launching base betray them to the enemy that they encounter at the wrecked ship? Do they crash on the moon? --- Wayne

Classic juvenile space opera, but not that juvenile. Except for, don't blanch, Gizzzzzzo the robot. Cute. Otherwise it's typical Saturday morning crisis's and heroics. Like most stuff from the B, it's at least worth a listen. Except for the ending which never really resolves itself and leaves you hanging. --- Bruce Fisher

Steve Gallagher Trilogy, The

Year: 1978-1980
Duration: 6 hrs
Genre: Dystopian Future, Robots, Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Stephen Gallagher

A lengthy serial about the relationship between man and machine in a future where the lines dividing the two become increasingly, and more dangerously, blurred. Never is there a proper title for the trilogy mentioned, though some sources refer to it as the "Last Rose of Summer Trilogy", perhaps because that segment was the original novel upon which the entire story evolved in radio form. Each segment of the trilogy contains its own story line, though naturally it makes more sense as a whole. The series is not actually from the BBC, but a product of Piccadilly Radio out of Manchester, UK.

Last Rose of Summer, The (1978) 2 hrs 30 min—In the future the world's population resides entirely in the City, a megalopolis controlled down to the minutiae of everyday life by Central Command, a supercomputer. A lowly nobody by the name of Mitchell decides that this just won't do. He embarks on a crusade to overthrow the system, hunted down by Randall, one of the hard core 'Elite', enforcers trained since birth to serve the State.

Hunter's Moon (1979) 3 hrs 20 min—The Central Computer destroyed, society is on the verge of collapse, only to be 'saved' by the advent of the Council, tyrants who have seized power in the vacuum. Randall, contaminated by his exposure to Mitchell, is packed off to a polar prison complex. Then a new threat emerges: an alien race arrives—the Wekk—who rape planets to build their Worldships. Having patterned Mitchell's persona into a mechanical simulacrum, they begin building an army of simulacra to overwhelm the Earth. The Council has even sold out to the Wekk to save their own hides. Only Randall, Lobo—a fellow convict—and the Mitchell simulacra stand in their way.

Babylon Run, The (1980) 1 hr 40 min—Hundreds of years later, in a time when Man has spread out to the stars, a commercial charter makes a forced landing on the Babylon asteroid, a luxury resort for the super rich. Their ship damaged, they are dismayed to find the complex abandoned due to an incoming 'something' on a collision course. If that weren't bad enough, there is mutiny brewing, and Babylon itself is not what it seems to be...

See the CD cover art for this show.

Reviews:
I absolutely LOVED this series. Each segment of the trilogy was better than the last. Its author, Steve Gallagher, ought to be a household name. There are few writers anywhere who come up with more original ideas, and even fewer who can develop those ideas into plots as intricate and intelligent as you'll find here. Every scene is loaded with conflict and drama, the characters all have depth, personality and punch to them, and the story takes twists and turns you just don't see coming. You can appreciate this story simply as a fast-paced and entertaining futuristic adventure, or on a deeper level, as Gallagher explores the complexities of what it means to be human—without the usual proselytizing or overblown romanticism. Top rate production all round. If you like this one, don't miss Gallagher's other radio work, most notably "An Alternative to Suicide". --- Jeff Dickson

There Will Come Soft Rains

Year: 1962; 1977
Duration:
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

A narrative account of an automated house which continues to function long after its human occupants have gone.

Versions were also produced for Dimension X and X Minus One.

Reviews:

Three Men in a Boat

Year: 2013
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Adventure, Humour
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Jerome K. Jerome, 1889

Three ordinary men (to say nothing of their dog) take a boating trip along the Thames in 1889 and have many wonderful adventures. The story is part travelogue, part adventure serial, and provides vivid descriptions and historical details of the places they pass, along with amusing anecdotes from previous trips they have been on.

Reading Link: "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)", by Jerome K. Jerome, available at Project Gutenberg.

Snippet: "Let’s go up the river." He said we should have fresh air, exercise and quiet; the constant change of scene would occupy our minds (including what there was of Harris’s); and the hard work would give us a good appetite, and make us sleep well. Harris said he didn’t think George ought to do anything that would have a tendency to make him sleepier than he always was, as it might be dangerous. He said he didn’t very well understand how George was going to sleep any more than he did now, seeing that there were only twenty-four hours in each day, summer and winter alike; but thought that if he did sleep any more, he might just as well be dead, and so save his board and lodging.

Reviews:
Jerome's book doesn't have much of a plot—it's just three guys on a boating trip—but what it lacks in plot, it makes up for in descriptive passages, historical background, and amusing anecdotes. In this respect Three Men in a Boat is similar to Mark Twain's Roughing It, which was published 17 years earlier. This adaptation leaves out some details (like the rain at the end of the trip) and changes others around (George plays the accordion instead of a banjo), but if you are familiar with the book, you will find most of your favourite passages here. Solid acting; good soundscape. By the way, if you enjoyed the book, you might try Connie Willis' time travel book To Say Nothing of the Dog which takes place during the same time period and includes many appreciative nods to Jerome. [8/10] --- zM

Timeslip

Year: 1983
Duration: 60 min
Genre: Sci-Fi, Humour
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Wally K. Daly

Frank and Paul are two engineers tinkering with a supposedly non-working Electronic Agitator/Molecule Adjustor (for the layman, a copy machine that makes working 3-D copies of anything). When they accidentally and unknowingly create duplicates of themselves, things get a bit confusing. They and their frustrated wives have to solve many existential crises, such as: Who is the original? How do we get rid of the impostors? and Who gets the only pair of house slippers?

Reviews:
Hilarious! This is one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. Just listening to Frank and Paul coming to grips with having to see themselves as others see them is not only amusing, but even a bit illuminating. I also love the head-butting between each character and his double and the wives are quite funny as well. Great stuff, highly recommended. --- Steve Franklin

Titus Groan

Year: 1984; 2000
Duration: 3 hrs
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Mervyn Peake

Split into two parts, each 90 min; Part 1—"Titus Groan", Part 2—"Gormenghast"

Mervyn Peake's classic fantasy of intrigue and power-brokering in the ancient moldering castle of Gormenghast. Titus, the young heir to the throne, is threatened by the machinations of Steerpike (played by Sting), a kitchen servant whose sole ambition is to destroy the Groan dynasty that has dominated Gormenghast for 76 generations.

Reviews:

To See the Sun

Year: 2001
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Vampires
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Kingsley Amis

A researcher travels to Romania to interview a beautiful Countess whose ancestor had been renowned as a vampire.

Reviews:
Thought I'd like this one more than I did. The plot should be interesting enough, but somehow it didn't hold my attention. 4/10 - Noelle

Tor Sands Experience, The

Year: 1979
Duration: 90 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Bruce Stewart

Scientists at a secret British research facility find themselves 'invaded' by beings from another dimension who are wilfully de-evolving to escape the ramifications of the technology humans are so desperately trying to achieve.

Reviews:
Tried several times to get through this show and fell asleep every time. Cool story idea, but it turned out boring me. --- Alex DiPietro

Touch and Go

Year: 1957 ??
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Kingsley Amis ??

A team of planetary surveyors working to build a landing field for future colony ships encounters a strange and deadly native creature.

I don't have a copy of this, but it seems quite likely that the above plotline refers to the Kingsley Amis story broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1957. (Thanks to Noelle for tracking this down!) "In Amis' second novel That Uncertain Feeling, we are introduced to John Lewis, assistant librarian in a Welsh town, who reads ASF in his spare time; this being the first indication that Amis is an SF fan himself. This became more apparent in 1957 when the BBC's Third Programme broadcast a pure SF play by Amis, 'Touch and Go'. This was no mundane Jet Morgan stuff about first landings on the Moon in the near future, but an SF story set in the far future concerning the adventures of an advance party on an alien planet. The characters talked quite casually about such topics as hyperspace and anti-grav landing grids, yet this did not destroy the feeling of realism that pervaded the play." --- The Eastercon 1961 programme book

Reviews:

Veldt, The

Year: 1959
Duration:
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

A couple purchase a holo-theatre to keep their son and daughter amused, but the recreation of the sweltering African savannah the children concoct is anything but amusing...

See also "The House on Chimney Pot Lane" (CBS Radio Mystery Theater).

One of Bradbury's most popular stories. Versions appeared on BBC, Bradbury 13, CBC Playhouse, Dimension X, Mindwebs, and X Minus One

Reviews:

We Can Remember It For You Wholesale

Year: 1997
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Super Science
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Philip K. Dick

A common, unassuming man fantasizes about an exciting life as a secret agent on Mars, and seeks to fulfil his dreams by having artificial memories implanted into his brain. But reality and fantasy become confused when the implants trigger the repressed memory of a life he never knew he had.

This story was the basis for the film Total Recall.

Why Weren't You Looking?

Year: 1985
Duration: 60 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by:

An alien disregards protocols and contacts the primitive natives of Earth to warn them of the dangers of nuclear weapons.

Reviews:
Uninspired and anticlimactic. The dialogue is overlong and dry, often wandering off on irrelevant tangents to fatten up an otherwise emaciated script. --- Jeff Dickson

Witch Week

Year: 2012
Duration: 60 min
Genre: Fantasy
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Diana Wynne Jones

Created especially for BBC Radio 4 Extra, a dramatization of the novel Witch Week, by Diana Wynne Jones, who wrote about a young wizard at a magical academy 20 years before J.K. Rowling picked the same topic. At Larwood House, a school for witch orphans, witchcraft is utterly forbidden, but there is a rumour going around that there is a witch in class 2Y.

Part of the Chrestomanci children fantasy series. Stars Bill Milner.

"I remember the day they burned the witch. I was young, still in my pushchair, and Bernadine was pushing me through the market square while mum did the shopping. We watched as the bonfire caught and we watched the witch, who was a large fat man with a wobbly astonished face. Maybe he thought his magic would save him at the last moment, but it didn't.... Soon after that they changed the laws. There are no public burnings these days. The bonfires are lit inside the walls of the jails instead, and the Today program simply announces: 'Two witches were burned this morning in the Holloway Jail.' " --- student in class 2Y

Reviews:
A quickly moving tale written for the Juvenile Fantasy market, but well-produced with solid acting. Excellent sound quality. Starts off with an immediate sense of conflict and suspense, bogs down a little in the middle with some plot developments that seem, well... juvenile, but then finishes with a strong ending. [7/10] --- zM

Wizard of Earthsea, A

Year: 1996
Duration: 120 min
Genre: Fantasy
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ursula K. Le Guin

A young boy, Duny, nicknamed Sparrowhawk, has magical gifts which are powerful even for the island of Gont, a land famous for wizards. But when he gains his True Name of Ged and travels to the Island of the Wise to learn the ancient secrets of wizardry, his youthful pride and anger cause him to unleash a terrible darkness into the world. Doomed forever to be hunted by a nameless creature that would devour his soul and turn his powers to evil, the young wizard must journey beyond the edge of the world, battling dragons and encountering many perils, to confront the beast which only he can destroy. Brought to life in this spellbinding BBC Radio 4 dramatisation, A Wizard of Earthsea is a classic tale of high magic, courage and the neverending struggle between good and evil. --- Diversity Website.

Reviews:


Appointment with Fear

A Horror anthology similar to Suspense—early episodes utilize the same opening bell and the same announcer inflection—except that Appointment with Fear focused on Horror, while Suspense included Adventure and Sci-Fi tales. Produced by the BBC, Appointment with Fear was actually ten separate series broadcast over a period of twelve years. Sixty-five episodes were produced, but only four survive at the BBC archive (though there seem to be some circulating recordings from a 1974 rebroadcast). Valentine Dyall, as "The Man in Black", introduced each episode and commented afterwards (except for series two, when he was replaced by his father, Franklin Dyall.)

Many of the scripts were written by John Dickson Carr, but the series also included adaptations of stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson and W.W. Jacobs.

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And the Deep Shuddered
Year: 1945
Series: Appointment with Fear
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Monckton Hoffe

Reviews:
Clock Strikes Eight, The
Year: 1944
Series: Appointment with Fear
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Thriller
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: John Dickson Carr

Dr Gideon Fell, schoolmaster turned detective, tells the story of "The Barton Case": A young woman, Helen Barton, wakes up on Death Row with amnesia. It is four hours before her execution. Although she can't remember much, she claims she is innocent. Of course she does. Details start to filter in...

Reviews:
The introductory music, narration, pacing, and style of story-telling are very similar to Suspense and Escape episodes of the same era. Not bad, but for some reason I lit upon the solution very early and lost interest. Then, the melodramatic acting grated on my nerves. Ho hum. [5/10] --- zM

The premise was interesting until melodramatic acting ruined the story. Dr. Fell especially hammed it up. 4/10 - Noelle 
Morning Glory
Year: 1974
Series: Appointment with Fear
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Charlotte and Dennis Plummer

Reviews:
My Fate Cries Out
Year: 1974
Series: Appointment with Fear
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Michael Robson

Reviews:
Pit and the Pendulum, The
Year: 1943
Series: Appointment with Fear
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Edgar Allan Poe

Reviews:
Speaking Clock, The
Year: 1944
Series: Appointment with Fear
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: John Dickson Carr

Reviews:


Chillers

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Corona
Year: 2002
Series: Chillers
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Samuel R. Delany

A blinded space dock worker sent to hospital is befriended by a super-intelligent nine-year-old girl who can read minds and wants nothing more than to die.

Reviews:
Delta Sly Honey
Year: 2002
Series: Chillers
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Ghosts
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Lucius Shepard

A mousey Army private in the Vietnam War, victimized by a sadistic Sergeant (is there another kind?) and assigned to corpse removal, is on the edge of a Section 8. His only solace is in broadcasting sympathetic messages on the radio to those killed in the fighting, whom he collectively refers to by the call sign of Delta Sly Honey. A harmless emotional release... until Delta Sly Honey returns his call...

Reviews:
A tense and macabre descent into the supernatural played against the backdrop of helicopters overhead and 60's rock music. Well-acted, though I thought the dead soldiers' voices and good-ol'-boy accents seemed a little too earthbound. Nevertheless, it should hold your rapt attention to the last. --- Jeff Dickson
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Screem
Year: 2002
Series: Chillers
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Supercomputers
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Harlan Ellison

Following Humanity's destruction at the 'hands' of a conscious super-computer, five people are kept 'alive' in its belly for its sadistic amusement.

Reviews:
Very confusing as to just what is going on here. It's never explained whether our characters are still human or whether their consciousness have been somehow patterned and imprinted within AM's circuits. They seem to be unable to die, yet somehow do anyway. This is supposed to be one of Ellison's best, but the whole thing came across as vaguely nauseating, and rather pointless, really. --- Jeff Dickson
Who Goes There?
Year: 2002
Series: Chillers
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: John W. Campbell Jr.

A research team in the Antarctic finds the shell of a spaceship which had crashed in prehistoric times, and the mummified remains of its pilot frozen into the ice. They drag the ice block into their station and it begins to thaw...

Based on a story by John W. Campbell Jr, the publisher of Astounding Stories. This story inspired two Hollywood films, both called "The Thing".

Reviews:
A nice mini rendition of that classic tale. Not quite as believable as it could be. I mean a group of scientists who allow a frozen alien to melt without any controls or isolation, even I know better then that. But I still enjoyed it. --- Bruce Fisher


Dangerous Visions

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Billions
Year: 2013
Series: Dangerous Visions
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ed Harris

Reviews:
Concrete Island
Year: 2013
Series: Dangerous Visions
Duration: 60 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: J.G. Ballard

Reviews:
Death Duty
Year: 2013
Series: Dangerous Visions
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Michael Butt

Reviews:
Drowned World, The
Year: 2013
Series: Dangerous Visions
Duration: 60 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: J.G. Ballard

Reviews:
Invasion
Year: 2013
Series: Dangerous Visions
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Philip Palmer

Reviews:
London Bridge
Year: 2013
Series: Dangerous Visions
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Nick Perry

Reviews:
Sleeper, The
Year: 2013
Series: Dangerous Visions
Duration: 60 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Michael Symmons Roberts

Reviews:
Testament of Jessie Lamb, The
Year: 2013
Series: Dangerous Visions
Duration: 90 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Jane Rogers

Reviews:


Darker Side of the Border, The

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Brownie of the Black Haggs, The
Year: 2009
Series: The Darker Side of the Border
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: James Hogg

Reviews:
Captain of the Polestar, The
Year: 2009
Series: The Darker Side of the Border
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Arthur Conan Doyle

A whaling ship penetrates deep into the Arctic ice, becoming trapped. Then the crew begin to see and hear things that could not possibly exist there.

Reviews:
Disappointing. Given the premise, this could—and should—have been a riveting production. But the sound effects were rather weak, the dialogue unengaging, and the resolution downright flat. Listen to the version produced for CBS Radio Mystery Theater instead. --- Jeff Dickson
Olalla
Year: 2009
Series: The Darker Side of the Border
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Robert Louis Stevenson

Reviews:


Fright Night

Webmaster Recommends:

Ring, The
Year: 2015
Series: Fright Night
Duration: 60 min
Genre: Ghosts
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Koji Suzuki

A journalist investigating a string of unrelated deaths uncovers the terrifying truth behind a strange videotape. Originally produced for BBC's Fright Night. 

Reviews:
Excellent production. Faithful to the book which was also made into a series of movies in Japan and America. Scary. A grateful arigatou gozaimasu to BBC for this play! Best listened to with headphones and the lights turned low! 8/10 ---Noelle 
Stone Tape, The
Year: 2015
Series: Fright Night
Duration: 60 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Nigel Kneale

Reviews:


Golden Apples of the Sun, The

Webmaster Recommends:

April Witch, The
Year: 1991
Series: The Golden Apples of the Sun
Duration: 15 min
Genre: Occult
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

A teenage witch inhabits the body of a young woman in order to experience falling in love.

Reviews:
Flying Machine, The
Year: 1991
Series: The Golden Apples of the Sun
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Fog Horn, The
Year: 1991
Series: The Golden Apples of the Sun
Duration: 15 min
Genre: Sci-Fi
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Classic about a lonely lighthouse whose bass fog horn attracts a creature from the Mesozoic out of the deeps.

Versions of this story appeared on Golden Apples of the Sun, Mindwebs, and Theatre 10.30 (as "The Beast"), and served as the inspiration for the film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

Reviews:
Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl, The
Year: 1991
Series: The Golden Apples of the Sun
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Golden Apples of the Sun, The
Year: 1991
Series: The Golden Apples of the Sun
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Hail and Farewell
Year: 1991
Series: The Golden Apples of the Sun
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Murderer, The
Year: 1991
Series: The Golden Apples of the Sun
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Sound of Thunder, A
Year: 1991
Series: The Golden Apples of the Sun
Duration: 15 min
Genre: Time Travel
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Time Safari, Inc. offers hunting enthusiasts the chance of a lifetime, the opportunity to travel back to the Cretaceous to bag the biggest trophy of all time: Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Versions of this story appeared on Bradbury Thirteen, Golden Apples of the Sun, Future Tense (as "An Imbalance of Species"), and SF 68.

See also: "A Gun for Dinosaur" and "Project Mastodon" (both from X Minus One)

Reviews:


Great Scott, The

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Fair Maid of Perth, The
Year: 2013
Series: Great Scott
Duration: 60 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Sir Walter Scott

Reviews:
Rob Roy
Year: 2013
Series: Great Scott
Duration: 60 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Sir Walter Scott

Reviews:
Waverley
Year: 2013
Series: Great Scott
Duration: 60 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Sir Walter Scott

Reviews:


Maiden Music Productions

In 1978 and 1979, independent record label Maiden Music released (3) LPs with (6) science fiction stories. The stories were written by Michael Armstrong and produced by B.E. O'Keef with music by Max Early. Although these stories are listed on the BBC archive page, they were not actually commissioned by, or produced for, the BBC. (They were, however, produced in the UK.) These LPs occasionally show up in shops in London, on eBay, and on Retrobloke (a London site which sells used records). I've even seen cassettes for sale. And I believe one of the cassettes can be borrowed from the National Library of Australia.

Webmaster Recommends:
The Spiders | The Third Star

Mutant Strain, The

Year: 1978
Cat No. MR-113-A
Duration: 26 min
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Produced by: B.E. O'Keef
Music by: Max Early
Story by: Michael Armstrong

The log entries of the last survivor of a doomed expedition to a planet of inexplicable terrors. Ouda, captain of the Eden-G, and her two co-pilots, Rhe and Poul, are investigating planetary activity in one of the smaller solar systems outside the galaxy when they become stranded on a bizarre planet.

With Bruce Bould (), Simon Gipps-Kent (), Carole Hayman (Ouda, spaceflight captain), and Edward Kelsey ().

Reviews:
A fast-moving story with a strong plot which is weakened by poor audio quality. Many critically important descriptive passages are obliterated, so although I was able to follow the plot, I missed many important details. Those details are important in anticipating the conclusion. As a result, the conclusion seems abrupt and a little weak. Overall, the production feels a bit like a Michael Crichton movie, or the 2000x production of "The Mad Planet": an endless procession of disasters and near disasters rushing toward the denouement. [7/10] --- zM

Purple Planet, The

aka: "Case History #493"
Year: 1978
Cat No. MR-113-B
Duration: 26 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Produced by: B.E. O'Keef
Music by: Max Early
Story by: Michael Armstrong

Conrad Edwards, the only survivor of an expedition to the Purple Planet cannot convince his psychotherapist of the truth behind his story of the sadistic tortures he and his crew-mates suffered at the hands of the super-advanced, slug-like natives there.

With Bruce Bould (), Simon Gipps-Kent (), Carole Hayman (Dr Angela Newman, crewmember), and Edward Kelsey ().

Reviews:
A rather grisly story I didn't expect upon a first time listening. Distracting intro music, slightly garbled sound quality. Overall an interesting story 6/10--Noelle

A 1960s-style pulsing electronic rhythm introduces the episode, but the music settles down once the dialogue starts. This story reminds me of some of the Witch's Tale episodes: slightly nauseating torture and plenty of hysterical screaming. Definitely not for the squeamish. Aside from a few loose ends, the story concludes with satisfactory ending. Overall, a good story, but muffled audio detracts from the listening experience. [6/10] --- zM

Space Station Z43

aka: "S.S.Z. 43"
Year: 1979
Cat No. ??
Duration: 24 min
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Produced by: B.E. O'Keef ??
Music by: Max Early ??
Story by: Michael Armstrong

The staff aboard an orbital research station are attacked by a space-borne virus that invades the brain and drives the victims mad with delusions and excruciating pain.

Reviews:
A psychedelic montage of images, sounds and streams-of-consciousness ramblings of Space Station staff while they descend into madness. Not much plot; not much action. I suspect this episode would be boring even with good audio quality; with poor audio, it's a waste of time. [4/10] --- zM

Spiders, The

Year: 1978
Cat No. MR-115-B
Duration: 20 min
Genre: Creatures
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Produced by: B.E. O'Keef
Music by: Max Early
Story by: Michael Armstrong

Suddenly, and without warning, millions of large purplish-blue spiders with thick hairy legs begin appearing all over England. They are disconcertingly ugly, but harmless. Well, mostly harmless. Until they start mutating...

With Nigel Anthony (), Bruce Bould (), Simon Gipps-Kent (), Carole Hayman (), Edward Kelsey (), and Brenda Kempner().

Reviews:
Best of the series. Excellent buildup and good pacing with solid acting by the narrator/older boy. The little girl, however, was pretty annoying with lots of incoherent whining. The droning electronic music was repetitious and eerie and strongly suggested malevolent spiders mutating out of control, and the sounds the spiders made were very creepy! Best use of audio soundscape in the series! The whole production was reminiscent of, and possibly inspired by, the Daphne du Maurier story "The Birds". Unfortunately the audio quality, as with much of this series, is poor. [7/10] --- zM

Ten Light Years Away

Year: 1978
Cat No. MR-115-A
Duration: 25 min
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Produced by: B.E. O'Keef
Music by: Max Early
Story by: Michael Armstrong

A rather confused retelling of the Noah's Ark story... this time set on an alien planet facing destruction from an incoming asteroid. When the incoming asteroid is detected a vast, hyper-intelligent computer system, named Deos, springs in to action, directing the inhabitants to build an enormous spaceship (300 rubitz by 50 rubitz by 30 rubitz in size) capable of carrying their entire civilization to a new world ten light years away.

With Nigel Anthony (), Bruce Bould (), Simon Gipps-Kent (), Carole Hayman (), Edward Kelsey (), and Brenda Kempner().

Reviews:
I found the aliens slightly annoying: here they were, the descendants of a unimaginably advanced and complex society and they couldn't generate an independent thought to save their lives. Literally. They were like children who were completely dependent on their computer system and who had absolute faith in any proclamation it uttered. Hmm. Maybe that was the point. The plot dragged in spots and the defeatist snivelling of the aliens was annoying, but this was a moderately well-produced episode. Better audio quality might have helped. But then again, maybe not. [6/10] --- zM

Third Star, The

Year: 1979
Cat No. ??
Duration: 25 min
Genre: Aliens, Humour
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Produced by: B.E. O'Keef ??
Music by: Max Early ??
Story by: Michael Armstrong

The International Space Organization launches a missile to destroy the extrasolar star, Armageddon, which is fast approaching and is on a collision course with Earth.

Reviews:
A delightful script which was fun and enjoyable to listen to: from the background sounds during the interviews... to the hyper-cheerful anchorwoman... to the military defence attaché who sounded like John Wayne... to the views of the people on the street... to the new Jamie Warden hit single "Spaceman"... I'm not entirely sure the humour was intentional, but it cracked me up all the same. [8/10] --- zM


M.R. James Stories

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Lost Hearts
Year: 2009
Series: Stories of M.R. James
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: M.R. James

Reviews:
Number 13
Year: 2009
Series: Stories of M.R. James
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: M.R. James

Reviews:
Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad
Year: 2009
Series: Stories of M.R. James
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: M.R. James

Reviews:
Rose Garden
Year: 2009
Series: Stories of M.R. James
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: M.R. James

Reviews:
Tractate Middoth, The
Year: 2009
Series: Stories of M.R. James
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: M.R. James

Reviews:


Professor Challenger

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Disintegration Machine, The
Year: 2011
Series: Professor Challenger
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Arthur Conan Doyle

Reviews:
Lost World, The
See: "Lost World, The"
When the World Screamed
Year: 2011
Series: Professor Challenger
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Arthur Conan Doyle

Reviews:


Red Room, The: Ghost Stories for Christmas

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Body Snatcher, The
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Robert Louis Stevenson

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Buick Saloon
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ann Bridge

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Casting the Runes
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: M.R. James

Reviews:
Count Magnus
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: M.R. James

Reviews:
Being a James aficionado, I listened to this one first in the series. Fast-paced narrative, fairly true to the original story made this one despite its short length, enjoyable. 6/10 - Noelle
Eveline's Visitant
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Mary Braddon

Reviews:
Jerry Bundler
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: W.W. Jacobs

Reviews:
Mr Tallent's Ghost
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Mary Webb

Reviews:
Spectre Bridegroom, The
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Washington Irving

Reviews:
Tarn, The
Year: 2000
Series: The Red Room
Duration: 15 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Hugh Walpole

Reviews:


Shape of Things to Come, The

Webmaster Recommends:

Brave New World
Year: 1991
Series: The Shape of Things to Come
Duration: 120 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Aldous Huxley

Reviews:
Chysalids
Year: 1991
Series: The Shape of Things to Come
Duration: 90 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: John Wyndham

Reviews:
Flowers for Algernon
Year: 1991
Series: The Shape of Things to Come
Duration: 60 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Daniel Keyes

Reviews:
Kaleidoscope
Year: 1991
Series: The Shape of Things to Come
Duration:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Midas Plague, The
Year: 1991
Series: The Shape of Things to Come
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Frederik Pohl

Reviews:
Spaceache
Year: 1991
Series: The Shape of Things to Come
Duration:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Snoo Wilson

Reviews:
Tiger, Tiger
aka: "The Stars My Destination"
Year: 1991
Series: The Shape of Things to Come
Duration: 90 min
Genre: Dystopian Future, Super Science
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Alfred Bester

Adrift aboard a space wreck, third rate mechanic Gully Foyle has managed to survive for months in a tool locker, only to be ignored by a passing ship. Finally rescued by the inhabitants of a ramshackle asteroid colony, his search for vengeance on the vessel that abandoned him leads him into conflict and conspiracy involving mega-corporations, covert government agencies, and the secret behind a substance known only as PyrE. The outcome could determine the fate of Earth in its war with the Outer Planets, and maybe much more...

Reviews:
The book is considered by some critics to be the best science fiction novel ever written, and I highly recommend reading it before listening to the audio production. There is a lot of story to tell, with numerous colourful characters and many layers of depth to the society in which they operate. Thus the pace of the radio play is fast and furious, as even 90 minutes is scant enough time to tell the whole story. If you are not familiar with the plot, it's easy to become lost and confused as to who is who, what they are after, and why they are after it. But if you have read the book, you should enjoy this pared down version. --- Jeff Dickson
Who Goes Here?
Year: 1991
Series: The Shape of Things to Come
Duration:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Bob Shaw

Reviews:


Spine Chillers

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Dracula in White
Year: 1984
Series: Spine Chillers
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Peter Redgrove

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Figures
Year: 1984
Series: Spine Chillers
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Colin Haydn Evans

Reviews:
Mrs M
Year: 1984
Series: Spine Chillers
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: David Campton

Reviews:
Origami
Year: 1984
Series: Spine Chillers
Duration: 45 min
Genre: Ghosts
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Jill Hyem

The friendship between a little girl and a Japanese man sparks the memory of a ghost with a vendetta carried over from World War II.  

Reviews:
A creepy little tale of revenge and memory. I really enjoyed this one. [7/10] --- Noelle
Witch Water Green
Year: 1984
Series: Spine Chillers
Duration: 55 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Don Webb

Reviews:


Storytellers

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Babies in Rhinestones
Year: 1989
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Shena Mackay

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Death, Fire, and Life
Year: 1989
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Arnold Bennett

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Earth to Earth
Year: 1988
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Robert Graves

Reviews:
Keep the Aspidistra Flying
Year: 1988
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: George Orwell

Reviews:
Leaving Shanghai
Year: 1989
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Taijin Takeda

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Lieutenant Gustl
Year: 1989
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Arthur Schnitzler

Reviews:
Mary Postgate
Year: 1988
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Rudyard Kipling

Reviews:
Salt of the Earth, The
Year: 1988
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Rebecca West

Reviews:
Secret Sharer, The
Year: 1989
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Joseph Conrad

Reviews:
Son, The
Year: 1989
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Graham Swift

Reviews:
Wonderful Visit, The
Year: 1988
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: H.G. Wells

Reviews:
World My Wilderness, The
Year: 1989
Series: Storytellers
Duration: 45 min ??
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Rose Macaulay

Reviews:


Tales of the Bizarre

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And So Died Riabouchinska
Year: 1997
Series: Tales of the Bizarre
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Day It Rained Forever, The
Year: 1997
Series: Tales of the Bizarre
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Jack-in-the-Box
Year: 1997
Series: Tales of the Bizarre
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Man Upstairs, The
Year: 1997
Series: Tales of the Bizarre
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:
Scythe, The
Year: 1997
Series: Tales of the Bizarre
Duration: 30 min
Genre: Occult
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

A down-and-out farmer and his family inherit a Midwestern farm, but only if he is willing to also assume the former owner's second occupation as the Grim Reaper.

Reviews:
Wind, The
Year: 1997
Series: Tales of the Bizarre
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ray Bradbury

Reviews:


Unmade Movies

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Blind Man, The
Year: 2015
Series: Unmade Movies
Duration: 90 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ernest Lehman
Movie Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Reviews:
Dreaming Child, The
Year: 2015
Series: Unmade Movies
Duration: 90 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Karen Blixen
Movie Director: Harold Pinter

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Heart of Darkness
Year: 2015
Series: Unmade Movies
Duration: 90 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Joseph Conrad
Movie Director: Orson Welles

Reviews:
Hook, The
Year: 2015
Series: Unmade Movies
Duration: 80 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan
Movie Director: Arthur Miller

Reviews:
Victory
Year: 2015
Series: Unmade Movies
Duration: 90 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Joseph Conrad
Movie Director: Harold Pinter

Reviews:


Weird Tales

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Out of the Depths
Year: 2009
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se1 ep1
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Melissa Murray

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Loop, The
Year: 2009
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se1 ep2
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Chris Harrald

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Bleeder, The
Year: 2009
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se1 ep3
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Ed Hime

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Fly
Year: 2009
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se1 ep4
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Lynn Ferguson

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Connected
Year: 2010
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se2 ep1
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Melissa Murray

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Split the Atom
Year: 2010
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se2 ep2
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Lynn Ferguson

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House on Pale Avenue, The
Year: 2010
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se2 ep3
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Story by: Richard Vincent

Reviews:
Original Features
Year: 2011
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se3 ep1
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Christopher William Hill

Reviews:
Burial of Tom Nobody, The
Year: 2011
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se3 ep2
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Richard Vincent

Reviews:
Louisa's
Year: 2011
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se3 ep3
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Amanda Whittington

Reviews:
Night Terrors
Year: 2011
Series: Weird Tales
Episode: se3 ep4
Duration: 30 min
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Story by: Lizzie Nunnery

Reviews: