Fantastic Tales

First broadcast from 20001218 to 20001222. (* = BBC7). LATE STORY.

Five classic European stories exploring the weird and the wonderful.

 
 
EpisodeTitleFirst
Broadcast
RepeatedDescription
01The Shadow2000121820010902by Hans Christian Andersen. A wise scholar grants his shadow freedom, releasing him into society to live as a man. But his act of generosity goes badly awry. Read by Peter Capaldi 
 The Silken Swift * 20091109, * 20091110A unicorn holds the key to happiness. Theodore Sturgeon's fantasy of true love and desire.


A unicorn holds the key to happiness. Theodore Sturgeon's fantasy of true love and complex desire. Read by Mark Bonnar.


A unicorn holds the key to happiness. Theodore Sturgeon's fantasy of true love and desire.
 The White People * 20091110, * 20091111Exploring the nature of good and evil - and the origins of sin. Read by Ioan Meredith.
Exploring the nature of good and evil - and the origins of sin. Arthur Macken's tale read by Ioan Meredith and Louise Collins.
02Autumn Sorcery2000121920010909by Joseph von Eichendorff. A young knight is driven to madness when he discovers everything he holds dear is pure illusion. Read by Jamie Glover 
03The Holes In The Mask2000122020010916by Jean Lorrain. A journey into the dark imaginings of the narrator as he dreams his own death: will he have the strength to wake up? Read by Simon Russell Beale 
04The Ghost And The Bonesetter2000122120010923by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. A petrified bonesetter fears for his life when he receives an unusual request from the tyrannical ghost of a local squire. Read by Sean Barrett.
05 LASTThe Night2000122220010930by Guy de Maupassant. A young man takes great pleasure in his nightly walks through Paris - but tonight, something is terribly wrong. Read by Tom Hollander.