This week, I will be discussing a collection of 13 chilling BBC Radio 4 Dramas from the classic series, Fear on 4.
Fear on 4
Origins
I didn’t listen to the radio much as a child but, for some reason, in 1988, aged 14, my eyes fell on a Radio Times article about the launch of a new collection of horror dramas. The series, Fear on 4, was a re-imagination of two classic radio series from the 40’s – Appointment with Fear (1943) and The Man in Black (1949) – in which the wonderful British character actor, Valentine Dyall (for me, forever the similarly attired, ‘Black Guardian’ in Doctor Who), provided bridging narration as the mysterious ‘Man in Black’.
The Radio Times article included an interview with Dyall’s successor, Edward de Souza, who, interestingly, also has a fascinating Doctor Who connection, since he played the lead in the story Mission to the Unknown (1965) – the only story ever broadcast in the series not to feature the Doctor in any capacity.
I recorded the first episode on to cassette at home and listened back to it that night after ‘lights out’, when I returned to boarding school. This was something that would become a regular ritual but, on that first night, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of a radio drama. I loved horror films but didn’t the horror genre rely upon visual effects to create a chilling atmosphere, or to scare its audience?
I discovered, to my delight, the reality of that old cliché, that the pictures are even better on radio! You can have the same experience I did because that first story from the first series is also the first story in this compilation – The Snowman Killing…
The Snowman Killing by JCW Brook
Long before she terrified Harry Potter (as his nemesis of a Hogwarts’ Headmistress, Dolores Umbridge), Imelda Staunton gave a cracking performance as, Anne, a woman terrified for her twin sons, as she slowly unravels the secret history of her new home.
In common with some of the characters in other episodes, Anne’s husband comes across as rather dated (I kept being reminded of Harry Enfield’s classic sketch – ‘Women, know your place!’) but I suppose it is ‘of its time’. Despite this, the unnerving performances draw us into a lovely, little macabre gem of a tale. The exclamation ‘his eyes’ still managed to send a little shiver down my spine.
I was delighted to find two further tales, that had been favourites when I listened to them thirty years ago, were also included in the collection – The Face and Fat Andy.
The Face by EF Benson
I notice that another Audible reviewer hated this particular story but I remember finding it pretty scary as a boy – I think there was something about the intense music and the metallic voice of ‘The Face’? Or perhaps I did not like the central idea of a dream bleeding into the real world, not wanting my nightmares to escape into my everyday reality (see my Triffid story, later in this blog)? On listening to the story again, I still relished the sense of horrible foreboding which the production generates.
Fat Andy by Stephen Dunstone
This is probably the most frightening tale in the collection. It benefits from a fabulous performance by the late, great Thora Hird (channelling her best ‘not on my eiderdown’ Pat and Margaret persona). My brother and I would quote lines from the monstrous antagonist at each other when we were boys, so I remembered this story well. I was pleased to find that it did not disappoint, on returning to it years later.
Ten Other Tales
Green and Pleasant by Bert Coules – I found the antagonist quite intriguing but the eco-warrior elements are perhaps a bit dated now.
Survival by John Wyndham – I love Wyndham’s novels. Watching the TV adaptation of his Day of the Triffids as a child led to me imagining I could see a triffid in the corner of my bedroom – a uniquely horrible monster for a child to imagine, as I couldn’t call out in fear to my parents, since I knew that the deadly triffid reacted to sound! But, sadly, this short story is a lesser work. The space ship setting is an interesting one and there is certainly an atmosphere of dread but there are better examples in this compilation.
Soul Searching by Martyn Wade – Bernard Cribbins (Donna’s beloved ‘Grandad Wilf’ in Doctor Who) gives a cracking performance as a patient who might not be as vulnerable as he first appears.
The Beast with Five Fingers by William Fryer Harvey – this really shows what can be achieved on radio with the horror genre. The ‘beast’ would be difficult to convince visually, even with CGI, but we perceive it so much more convincingly in our mind’s eye – what’s that rustling behind you?
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman – a classic American tale of a woman’s descent into madness. This has a very different style to the other pieces, with a single narrator, whose mental deterioration is unnerving to witness.
By the River, Fontainebleau by Stephen Gallagher – a nice rendering of a classic horror scenario. This one warns of straying from the beaten track and the dangers in associating with locals, who might have very different notions of civility.
The Monkey’s Revenge by Guy Jenkin – a curious tale of transplanted heads, as a mad scientist unveils his latest experiment. It’s barking and, for me, the least successful of the bunch.
The Journey Home by Bert Coules – a couple experience ‘lost time’ and try to figure out what happened to them. This is intriguing and keeps you guessing.
Dead Man’s Boots by William Ingram – a classic pairing of believer and skeptic, as a couple seek to figure out the story behind some old boots.
The Judge’s House by Bram Stoker – a decent haunted house story to conclude, with added rats. Lots of rats.
Conclusion
There are a few missing stories from the classic series that I would dearly like to have heard – some Roald Dahl, for instance? I certainly feel that Fear on 4’s William and Mary was far superior to its Tales of the Unexpected television counterpart, which I happened to watch again recently.
There was also their wonderful take on Stanley Ellin’s The Speciality of the House, about an exclusive restaurant whose speciality, Lamb Amirstan, arouses the curiosity of one of its gourmet diners, played by Timothy West. Or how about the disturbing Music Lovers, with Timothy West’s wife, Prunella Scales in a wonderfully, jittery role?
Perhaps, however, these tales will appear on future compilations. I hope so. As a trip down memory lane and as a wonderful example of the power of radio drama, I loved every moment of this collection of Fear on 4.