28:
in the 1940s and 1950s, and revived on a number of occasions since. The format comprised a dramatised horror story of approximately half an hour in length, introduced by a character known as "The Man in Black". The plays themselves were a mixture of classic horror stories by writers such as
720:
was broadcast for one series of eight episodes in 1949, also on the Light
Programme, and again presented by Valentine Dyall in the title role. No episodes are known to have survived.
1386:
1401:
1391:
798:. A fifth series was broadcast in 1997, this time without a narrator. An anthology of stories from the first two series was published by
1396:
1339:
41:, and commissioned stories by new or established writers. Many of the stories in the early series were written or adapted by
886:
760:
1189:
876:
725:
336:
208:
116:
77:. Only four episodes are known to survive. A tenth series was broadcast on the BBC World Service in 1976.
519:
66:
1335:
1284:
1067:
938:
858:
650:
643:
636:
629:
622:
615:
604:'The Diary of William Carpenter' adapted by Patric Dickinson from John Atkins, 23 January 1948
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87:
42:
1194:
869:
746:
503:
62:
1080:
in the title role. It ran for four series, each with five episodes, between 2009 and 2011.
571:'The Diary of William Carpenter' adapted by Patric Dickinson from John Atkins, 1 April 1947
1184:
795:
699:
690:
575:
565:
485:
265:
190:
98:
70:
30:
749:
and 'Thus I Refute Beelzy' adapted by John Keir Cross from John
Collier, 21 February 1949
1198:
928:
837:
830:
812:
739:
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496:
438:
318:
254:
74:
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924:
897:
662:
There was no tenth series in 1957, it was merely a repeat broadcast of Series Nine.
1180:
1015:
1011:
865:
844:
826:
767:
38:
1083:
Reruns of the 2009 version started to air on BBC Radio 4 Extra on April 24, 2020.
581:'The Hands of Nekamen' adapted by Lester Powell from Kathleen Hyett, 22 April 1947
73:, except in the second series where the character was portrayed by Dyall's father
1077:
945:
911:
890:
851:
791:
753:
462:
34:
1306:
1227:
819:
478:'The Nutcracker Suite' by E Crowshay-Williams and J Leslie Dodd, 26 March 1946
1355:
1331:
1279:
1202:
799:
684:
552:
25:
1254:
732:
515:'Death Takes a Honeymoon' by Mileson Horton and WL Catchpole, 14 May 1946
731:'Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad' adapted John Keir Cross from
525:'The Monkey's Paw' adapted by Louis N Parker from WW Jacobs, 28 May 1946
671:
Appointment with Fear(Fenmore
Publications, 1948. Ed. Ronald Flatteau
509:'Dead Men's Teeth' by Charles Hatton and Richard Fisher, 30 April 1946
794:
between 1988 and 1992, the part of the Man in Black being played by
738:'The Middle Toe of The Right Foot' adapted by John Keir Cross from
920:
The
Dispossessed Daughter by Katherine Nicholas, 29 January 1989
1205:, with Valentine Dyall reprising his role as the Man in Black.
594:'The Clock Strikes Eight' by John Dickson Carr, 14 January 1948
766:'The Beast With Five Fingers adapted by John Keir Cross from
69:. The Man in Black was played by the British character actor
458:'And The Deep Shuddered' by Monckton Hoffe, 20 November 1945
61:
ran for nine series between 1943 and 1955, initially on the
484:'The Cask of Amontillado' adapted by Laidman Browne from
481:'Black Mamba' by Hugh Barnes and AR Ramsden, 2 April 1946
745:'Our Feathered Friends' adapted by John Keir Cross from
502:'The Man Who Knew How' adapted by Ronald Cunliffe from
759:'The Yellow Wallpaper adapted by John Keir Cross from
584:'All Cats May Snarl' by J Vernon Basley, 29 April 1947
518:'Renovations at Merrets' adapted by Rankine Good from
1187:
released a feature film based on the series entitled
541:'Escape to Death' by Mileson Horton, 25 December 1946
773:'The Little House' by John Keir Cross, 21 March 1949
752:'The Judge's House' adapted by John Keir Cross from
934:
Dreaming of Thee by Gwen
Cherrell, 12 February 1989
512:'Experiment With Death' by Harry Bunton, 7 May 1946
468:'Death at Midnight' by Robert Barr, 4 December 1945
561:'The Last Pilgrimage' by TJ Waldron, 11 March 1947
531:'A Mind in Shadow' by Kenneth Morgan, 11 June 1946
24:was a horror drama series originally broadcast on
558:'Sink or Swim Together' by ???, 4 March 1947
900:, dramatised by Colin Haydn Evans, 20 March 1988
847:, dramatised by John Kier Cross, 31 January 1988
917:The Dead Drummer by David Buck, 22 January 1989
574:'The Treasures' adapted by Charles Hatton from
1248:
1246:
1244:
564:'The Bell Room' adapted by Lester Powell from
551:'Mrs Amworth' adapted by Charles Hatton from
528:'Cottage For Sale' by TJ Waldron, 4 June 1946
8:
822:, dramatised by Jill Brooke, 10 January 1988
724:'Markheim' adapted by John Keir Cross from
882:Fat Andy by Stephen Dunstone, 6 March 1988
614:'The Man Who Couldn't Be Photographed' by
203:'The Sire de Maletroit's Door' adapted by
1066:The series was revived again in 2009, on
674:Death Takes a Honeymoon by Mileson Horton
1228:"Appointment with Fear/The Man in Black"
221:'The Man Who Was Afraid of Dentists' by
1214:
93:'The Pit and the Pendulum', adapted by
260:'The Pit and the Pendulum' adapted by
1222:
1220:
1218:
433:'He Wasn't Superstitious' adapted by
419:'Will You Make a Bet With Death?' by
129:'Will You Make a Bet With Death?' by
7:
491:'A Watcher by the Dead' adapted by
451:'The Case of the Five Canaries' by
391:'Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble' by
249:'A Watcher by the Dead' adapted by
143:'Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble' by
16:BBC radio horror series (1943–1955)
695:A Mind in Shadow by Kenneth Morgan
349:'The Curse of the Bronze Lamp' by
14:
649:'Till the Great Armadas Come' by
370:'The Oath of Rolling Thunder' by
185:'The Tell Tale Heart' adapted by
927:, adapted from a short story by
111:'The Body Snatchers' adapted by
896:The Speciality of the House by
857:By the River, Fontainebleau by
843:The Beast with Five Fingers by
635:'The Sleuth of Seven Dials' by
122:'The Customers Like Murder' by
65:and from September 1945 on the
1387:BBC Light Programme programmes
461:'The Case' by John Slater and
331:'The Great Cipher' adapted by
196:'The Room of the Suicides' by
1:
642:'The Villa of the Damned' by
405:'The Clock Strikes Eight' by
278:'The Clock Strikes Eight' by
1402:BBC Radio 4 Extra programmes
1307:"Fear on 4/The Man in Black"
689:The Pit and the Pendulum by
444:'The Man With Two Heads' by
398:'The Man Who Died Twice' by
363:'Lair of the Devil Fish' by
313:'The Purple Wig' adapted by
299:'The Devil's Manuscript' by
214:'The Dragon in the Pool' by
157:'The Man Who Died Twice' by
1392:BBC Home Service programmes
356:'The Gong Cried Murder' by
1418:
885:A Day at the Dentist's by
628:'The Dead Man's Knock' by
306:'Death Has Four Faces' by
1259:The British Drama Website
621:'White Tiger Passage' by
985:Invitation to the Vaults
850:Every Detail but One by
761:Charlotte Perkins Gilman
235:'The Speaking Clock' by
150:'The Phantom Archer' by
1045:The Blood of Eva Bergen
997:Dance in the Underworld
811:The Snowman Killing by
790:ran for five series on
677:Watcher by the Dead by
342:'Vex Not His Ghost' by
292:'I Never Suspected' by
242:'Death Flies Blind' by
178:'Vex Not His Ghost' by
136:'The Devil's Saint' by
1397:BBC Radio 4 programmes
889:, based on an idea by
875:Mind Well the Tree by
726:Robert Louis Stevenson
337:Melville Davisson Post
209:Robert Louis Stevenson
117:Robert Louis Stevenson
1145:Uncle William's House
1029:Hellhound on My Trail
324:'He Who Whispers' by
58:Appointment with Fear
50:Appointment with Fear
21:Appointment with Fear
1032:Hearing is Believing
1010:The Next in Line by
994:A Routine Operation?
982:The Monkey's Revenge
976:The Yellow Wallpaper
944:The Journey Home by
923:St Austin Friars by
825:The Monkey's Paw by
818:William and Mary by
683:The Monkey’s Paw by
52:(1943-1955 and 1976)
402:, 25 September 1945
395:, 18 September 1945
388:, 11 September 1945
384:'Into Thin Air' by
271:'Vampire Tower' by
164:'Menace In Wax' by
119:, 30 September 1943
108:, 21 September 1943
104:'Into Thin Air' by
101:, 18 September 1943
90:. 11 September 1943
1356:"The Man in Black"
1255:"The Man in Black"
1123:Angels in Disguise
1054:Chimes at Midnight
979:Green and Pleasant
948:, 26 February 1989
941:, 19 February 1989
879:, 28 February 1988
872:, 21 February 1988
861:, 14 February 1988
756:, 28 February 1949
742:, 14 February 1949
666:Tie-In Publication
555:, 25 February 1947
465:, 27 November 1945
455:, 13 November 1945
374:, 28 December 1944
367:, 21 December 1944
360:, 14 December 1944
346:, 30 November 1944
339:, 16 November 1944
225:, 10 February 1944
168:, 18 November 1943
161:, 11 November 1943
1360:BBC Radio 4 Extra
1285:BBC Radio 4 Extra
1193:. The stars were
1068:BBC Radio 4 Extra
966:The Judge's House
939:Stephen Gallagher
931:, 5 February 1989
914:, 15 January 1989
859:Stephen Gallagher
854:, 7 February 1988
840:, 24 January 1988
833:, 17 January 1988
735:, 7 February 1949
728:, 31 January 1949
651:John Dickson Carr
644:John Dickson Carr
637:John Dickson Carr
630:John Dickson Carr
623:John Dickson Carr
616:John Dickson Carr
493:John Dickson Carr
453:John Dickson Carr
448:, 6 November 1945
446:John Dickson Carr
441:, 23 October 1945
435:John Dickson Carr
423:, 16 October 1945
421:John Dickson Carr
414:John Dickson Carr
407:John Dickson Carr
400:John Dickson Carr
393:John Dickson Carr
386:John Dickson Carr
372:John Dickson Carr
365:John Dickson Carr
358:John Dickson Carr
353:, 7 December 1944
351:John Dickson Carr
344:John Dickson Carr
333:John Dickson Carr
328:, 2 November 1944
326:John Dickson Carr
321:, 26 October 1944
315:John Dickson Carr
310:, 19 October 1944
308:John Dickson Carr
303:, 12 October 1944
301:John Dickson Carr
294:John Dickson Carr
280:John Dickson Carr
273:John Dickson Carr
262:John Dickson Carr
251:John Dickson Carr
244:John Dickson Carr
237:John Dickson Carr
223:John Dickson Carr
218:, 3 February 1944
216:John Dickson Carr
211:, 27 January 1944
205:John Dickson Carr
200:, 20 January 1944
198:John Dickson Carr
193:, 13 January 1944
187:John Dickson Carr
180:John Dickson Carr
166:John Dickson Carr
159:John Dickson Carr
154:, 4 November 1943
152:John Dickson Carr
147:, 28 October 1943
145:John Dickson Carr
140:, 21 October 1943
138:John Dickson Carr
133:, 14 October 1943
131:John Dickson Carr
124:John Dickson Carr
113:John Dickson Carr
106:John Dickson Carr
95:John Dickson Carr
88:John Dickson Carr
43:John Dickson Carr
1409:
1371:
1370:
1368:
1366:
1352:
1346:
1345:
1328:The Man in Black
1324:
1318:
1317:
1315:
1313:
1303:
1297:
1296:
1294:
1292:
1276:
1270:
1269:
1267:
1265:
1250:
1239:
1238:
1236:
1234:
1224:
1195:Betty Ann Davies
1190:The Man in Black
1164:The Beaten Track
1139:The Printed Name
1117:Death Us Do Part
1073:The Man in Black
1060:The Man in Black
991:Dead Man's Boots
870:Michael Bakewell
868:, dramatised by
836:Music Lovers by
815:, 3 January 1988
747:Philip Macdonald
717:The Man in Black
709:The Man in Black
653:, 30 August 1955
646:, 23 August 1955
639:, 16 August 1955
520:Honoré de Balzac
504:Dorothy L Sayers
416:, 9 October 1945
409:, 2 October 1945
296:, 5 October 1944
182:, 6 January 1944
126:, 7 October 1943
63:BBC Home Service
1417:
1416:
1412:
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1185:Exclusive Films
1177:
1175:Film adaptation
1155:
1133:
1111:
1089:
1070:, this time as
1064:
1042:
1004:
973:
907:
893:, 13 March 1988
808:
796:Edward de Souza
783:
770:, 14 March 1949
713:
700:Edgar Allan Poe
691:Edgar Allan Poe
668:
660:
632:, 9 August 1955
625:, 2 August 1955
611:
601:
591:
576:Gilbert Frankau
568:, 25 March 1947
566:Edgar Allan Poe
548:
538:
506:, 23 April 1946
499:, 16 April 1946
486:Edgar Allan Poe
475:
430:
412:'Cabin B13' by
381:
289:
266:Edgar Allan Poe
257:, 27 April 1944
246:, 20 April 1944
239:, 13 April 1944
232:
191:Edgar Allan Poe
175:
99:Edgar Allan Poe
86:'Cabin B13' by
83:
71:Valentine Dyall
67:Light Programme
54:
31:Edgar Allan Poe
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1399:
1394:
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1340:
1319:
1298:
1280:"Fear on Four"
1271:
1240:
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1212:
1210:
1207:
1199:Sheila Burrell
1176:
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1099:
1098:The White Hare
1096:
1095:Project Purple
1093:
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1085:
1063:
1057:
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1055:
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1049:
1046:
1041:
1038:
1037:
1036:
1033:
1030:
1027:
1024:
1021:
1018:
1014:dramatised by
1008:
1007:Gobble, Gobble
1003:
1000:
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995:
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989:
986:
983:
980:
977:
972:
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968:
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964:
963:A Child Crying
961:
960:Soul Searching
958:
955:
952:
949:
942:
935:
932:
929:Robert Westall
921:
918:
915:
910:Snipe 3909 by
906:
903:
902:
901:
894:
887:James Saunders
883:
880:
877:William Ingram
873:
862:
855:
848:
841:
838:Nick Warburton
834:
831:Patrick Galvin
823:
816:
813:J. C. W. Brook
807:
804:
782:
776:
775:
774:
771:
764:
763:, 7 March 1949
757:
750:
743:
740:Ambrose Bierce
736:
729:
712:
706:
705:
704:
703:
702:
696:
693:
687:
681:
679:Ambrose Bierce
675:
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619:
618:, 23 July 1955
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578:, 8 April 1947
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497:Ambrose Bierce
489:
488:, 9 April 1946
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459:
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449:
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439:Ambrose Bierce
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319:G K Chesterton
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255:Ambrose Bierce
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75:Franklin Dyall
53:
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1101:Hide and Seek
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1053:
1051:Tissue Memory
1050:
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1025:
1022:
1020:Dark Feathers
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954:His Last Card
953:
951:Hand in Glove
950:
947:
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936:
933:
930:
926:
925:Stephen Wyatt
922:
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899:
898:Stanley Ellin
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839:
835:
832:
829:, adapted by
828:
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522:, 21 May 1946
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22:
1363:. Retrieved
1359:
1350:
1327:
1322:
1310:. Retrieved
1301:
1289:. Retrieved
1283:
1274:
1262:. Retrieved
1258:
1231:. Retrieved
1188:
1178:
1148:Perfect Home
1131:Series Three
1126:The Old Road
1082:
1072:
1071:
1065:
1059:
1026:Vicious Fish
1016:Brian Sibley
1012:Ray Bradbury
971:Series Three
937:The Horn by
866:E. F. Benson
864:The Face by
845:W. F. Harvey
827:W. W. Jacobs
787:Fear on Four
786:
785:
784:
779:Fear on Four
778:
768:W. F. Harvey
716:
715:
714:
708:
698:Berenice by
661:
268:, 4 May 1944
57:
56:
55:
49:
39:W. W. Jacobs
20:
19:
18:
1253:Tony Lang.
1170:The New Boy
1158:Containment
1153:Series Four
1114:Phish Phood
1078:Mark Gatiss
1048:Net Suicide
1040:Series Five
1023:Playing God
1002:Series Four
946:Bert Coules
912:Graeme Fife
891:Arch Oboler
852:Bert Coules
792:BBC Radio 4
754:Bram Stoker
463:Roy Plomley
35:M. R. James
1381:Categories
1341:0563209046
1209:References
1142:Lights Out
1109:Series Two
1087:Series One
905:Series Two
820:Roald Dahl
806:Series One
1332:BBC Books
1203:Sid James
1179:In 1950,
1092:The Tower
1035:Life Line
802:in 1990.
800:BBC Books
685:WW Jacobs
658:Series 10
553:EF Benson
26:BBC Radio
1334:. 1990.
1161:The Punt
988:The Edge
957:Survival
733:MR James
609:Series 9
546:Series 8
473:Series 7
428:Series 6
379:Series 5
287:Series 4
230:Series 3
173:Series 2
81:Series 1
1365:16 July
1312:16 July
1291:16 July
1264:16 July
1233:16 July
1167:Reunion
1136:Connect
1076:, with
599:Special
589:Special
536:Special
335:, from
1338:
1201:, and
1181:Hammer
1062:(2009)
781:(1988)
711:(1949)
1120:Flesh
495:from
437:from
317:from
264:from
253:from
207:from
189:from
115:from
97:from
1367:2014
1336:ISBN
1314:2014
1293:2014
1266:2014
1235:2014
1183:and
37:and
1383::
1358:.
1330:.
1282:.
1257:.
1243:^
1217:^
1197:,
45:.
33:,
1369:.
1344:.
1316:.
1295:.
1268:.
1237:.
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