Ghost Story

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

A Little Place Off The Edgware Road, By Graham Greene

19861231

20181118/19 (BBC7)
20220427 (BBC7)

On a rainy night, a chilling encounter in a dark theatre leads a man to question his sanity.

Joss Ackland reads another tale to chill the blood.

In Graham Green's story, Craven has a recurrent nightmare in which the dead walk in and out of each other's graves, without decaying.

A visit to a cinema does nothing to allay his anguish.

Laura, By Robert Aickman

19870101

20181125/26 (BBC7)
20220428 (BBC7)

Over the years, a beautiful and seemingly ageless woman enters Andrew's life, then promptly disappears.

Joss Ackland reads another tale to chill the blood.

In Robert Aikman's story, meek bank worker, Andrew, attends a party where he meets an older woman called Laura.

They head upstairs to one of the bedrooms, where Laura tells Andrew that she loves him and then goes to make a phone call promising to return.

She doesn't -

Midnight Express, By Alfred Noyes

19861229

20181104/05 (BBC7)
20220425 (BBC7)

Little does 12 year-old Mortimer realise that a book from his father's library sets out his own future.

Joss Ackland reads the first of five tales to chill the blood.

Written by Alfred Noyes, ‘The Midnight Express' is a short story, barely six pages in length.

Set in the early 1900s, it spans 38 years of the life of Mortimer, who is trying to escape himself, but finds he can't.

A man realises that a book he took from his father as a child, set out his own future.

The Crowd, By Ray Bradbury

19861230

20181111/12 (BBC7)
20220426 (BBC7)

After Mr Spallner crashes his car, people start to gawp but it's only the beginning of the horror.

Joss Ackland reads another dark tale to chill the blood.

Ray Bradbury's story has as its focal point the psychological truth that all people are attracted to and even thrive upon the pain and the problems of their fellow humans.

It was possibly triggered when Bradbury was writing ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes' where the protagonist, Charles Halloway, echoes the same dark truth when he says that 'man salts his life with others' sorrows.

An accident survivor realises that the people who gathered to gawp, have a familiar look.

The Tower, By Marghanita Laski

19870102

20181202/03 (BBC7)
20220429 (BBC7)

A Tuscan tower fills a solitary visitor with dread. Is the cause vertigo, or something more menacing?

Joss Ackland reads a final tale to chill the blood.

In Marghanita Laski's story, Caroline visits The Tower of Sacrifice, in Florence, built in 1535 by Niccolo de Ferremano who was said to have dabbled in black magic.

She climbs the 470 steps to the top, then finds herself fighting an impulse to hurl herself off. Caroline resists and climbs back down in the darkness, counting as she goes... into the five hundreds.

Episodes

Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
A Little Place Off The Edgware Road, By Graham Greene	19861231	20181118/19 (BBC7) 20220427 (BBC7)	On a rainy night, a chilling encounter in a dark theatre leads a man to question his sanity. Joss Ackland reads another tale to chill the blood. In Graham Green's story, Craven has a recurrent nightmare in which the dead walk in and out of each other's graves, without decaying. A visit to a cinema does nothing to allay his anguish.
Laura, By Robert Aickman	19870101	20181125/26 (BBC7) 20220428 (BBC7)	Over the years, a beautiful and seemingly ageless woman enters Andrew's life, then promptly disappears. Joss Ackland reads another tale to chill the blood. In Robert Aikman's story, meek bank worker, Andrew, attends a party where he meets an older woman called Laura. They head upstairs to one of the bedrooms, where Laura tells Andrew that she loves him and then goes to make a phone call promising to return. She doesn't -
Midnight Express, By Alfred Noyes	19861229	20181104/05 (BBC7) 20220425 (BBC7)	Little does 12 year-old Mortimer realise that a book from his father's library sets out his own future. Joss Ackland reads the first of five tales to chill the blood. Written by Alfred Noyes, ‘The Midnight Express' is a short story, barely six pages in length. Set in the early 1900s, it spans 38 years of the life of Mortimer, who is trying to escape himself, but finds he can't. A man realises that a book he took from his father as a child, set out his own future.
The Crowd, By Ray Bradbury	19861230	20181111/12 (BBC7) 20220426 (BBC7)	After Mr Spallner crashes his car, people start to gawp but it's only the beginning of the horror. Joss Ackland reads another dark tale to chill the blood. Ray Bradbury's story has as its focal point the psychological truth that all people are attracted to and even thrive upon the pain and the problems of their fellow humans. It was possibly triggered when Bradbury was writing ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes' where the protagonist, Charles Halloway, echoes the same dark truth when he says that 'man salts his life with others' sorrows. An accident survivor realises that the people who gathered to gawp, have a familiar look.
The Tower, By Marghanita Laski	19870102	20181202/03 (BBC7) 20220429 (BBC7)	A Tuscan tower fills a solitary visitor with dread. Is the cause vertigo, or something more menacing? Joss Ackland reads a final tale to chill the blood. In Marghanita Laski's story, Caroline visits The Tower of Sacrifice, in Florence, built in 1535 by Niccolo de Ferremano who was said to have dabbled in black magic. She climbs the 470 steps to the top, then finds herself fighting an impulse to hurl herself off. Caroline resists and climbs back down in the darkness, counting as she goes... into the five hundreds.