A BBC Radio 4 Horror Collection

Spine Chillers

Four hair-raising tales of terror, as heard on BBC Radio 4 
 
'Three hours worth of spooky entertainment ... there are some terrific performances to be enjoyed here' Entertainment Focus 
 
In these four supernatural dramas, first broadcast on radio in 1984, a house hides more than meets the eye; a B &amp; B landlady helps her guests forget their troubles; a Japanese man inadvertently awakens a vengeful spirit; and a mother and baby become unsettled in remote mill. 
 
 
Written by Colin Haydn Evans, David Campton, Jill Hyem and Don Webb, and starring Anna Massey, Rosemary Leach, Sean Barrett, and Pam Ferris, these eerie, atmospheric stories are guaranteed to give you goosebumps. Just don't listen with the lights off... 
 
Figures - Stuck in a marriage of convenience, unhappy Ann is searching for a refuge. So as soon as she sees the house, she knows it has to be hers. Its past is part of her future - all she has to do is sit in the upstairs room, kept locked for so long, and wait... 
 
Mrs M - Mrs Meadowsweet offers visitors to her country guesthouse a truly carefree holiday. Everybody is so happy. A little abstracted, perhaps, but certainly happy. New arrivals Madge and Arthur are suspicious, but can Mrs M win them over? 
 
Origami - When mild-mannered Mr Shimojo takes a room in Mrs Bestall's house, he becomes an instant hit with her young daughter, teaching her the Japanese art of paper folding. But no one is prepared for the sequence of horrifying events which his presence seems to generate... 
 
Witch Water Green - Barbara Tate and her baby girl are all alone in their new home - a converted mill deep in the countryside. The move has been stressful; Barbara is lonely and the baby is fretful. But there's another, deeper reason for her uneasiness... 
 
Cast and credits 
Figures 
Ann - Anna Massey 
Ralph Symons - Blain Fairman 
Rebecca Symons - Jill Lidstone 
Peter Fuller - Jon Strickland 
Alex Slade - Michael Bilton 
 
Written by Colin Haydn Evans 
Directed by Ian Cotterell 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 February 1984 
 
Mrs M 
Mrs Meadowsweet - Rosemary Leach 
Madge - Anne Jameson 
Arthur - Roger Hume 
Simon - Terry Molloy 
Miss Brazenose - Joyce Gibbs 
Inga - Patricia Gallimore 
 
Written by David Campton 
Directed by Peter Windows 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 February 1984 
 
Origami 
Mr Shimojo - Sean Barrett 
Helen Bestall - Carole Boyd 
Peter Trent - Christopher Scoular 
Lucy Bestall - Helen Worth 
 
Written by Jill Hyem 
Directed by Kay Patrick 
Pronunciation adviser: Masatoshi Tobia 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 February 1982 
 
Witch Water Green 
Barbara Tate - Pam Ferris 
Dr Jane Rayner - Jenny Lee 
The Rev Roy Brown - Nigel Anthony 
Johnny Goad - Brian Southwood 
Wendy Williams - Kate Lee 
 
Written by Don Webb 
Directed by Tony Cliff 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 March 1984 
 
&copy; 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Philip Levene

Jill Hyem

Eddie Maguire

Dawn Pavitt

Terry Wale

Andrew Sachs

Arnold Yarrow

Gerald Flood

Cyril Shaps

Brenda Bruce

Bernard Horsfall

Pauline Yates

Nigel Anthony

George Cole

Wendy Craig

Francis Matthews

Charles Leno

Mary Wimbush

Full Cast

10 Full-Cast Vintage BBC Radio Dramas

Who is behind the mysterious advert reading ‘Wife available – what offers?’ 
 
What prompted a ‘third girl’ to suddenly pack her bags and leave her flatshare? 
 
And when a newly married couple’s honeymoon period comes to an abrupt end, is the wedding dress to blame? 
 
Conceived by respected writer Philip Levene, whose writing credits include 19 episodes of ITV’s The Avengers, these ten full-cast dramas read between the lines of newspaper personal ads to tell captivating tales of the human condition – each with an unexpected twist. 
 
The stories range from a rookie blackmailer who learns the pitfalls of the business and a husband and wife who get more than they bargain for when they try to sell some old jewellery, to a lonely librarian who hires a personal escort for an important date and a dodgy insurance broker who takes drastic measures to try and avoid exposure. 
 
Written by esteemed TV scriptwriters and starring a host of well-known names including Carole Boyd, Bernard Horsfall, Anne Stallybrass, George Cole and Wendy Craig, this entertaining and varied anthology is a treasure trove from the golden age of radio. 
 
This series of vintage radio plays was first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme, 20 March – 25 September 1967. 
 
Episodes:Findings Keepings by Philip LeveneEvening Out by Jill HyemNo Square Deal by Eddie MaguireThird Girl Wanted by Jill HyemOff to a Good Start by Dawn Pavitt & Terry WaleWhat Am I Bid? by Eddie MaguireHome and Away by Dawn Pavitt & Terry WaleTime for a Coat by Andrew SachsThis Column Every Friday by Arnold YarrowThe Companion by Philip Levene 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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