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Radio Roundup: Halloween Supplement
Nov. 4th, 2015 10:47 pmI know I just did one of these, but I've been tying down a lot of animation lately and the radio hours have racked up, thankfully coincidental with the BBC's generous ooky-spooky output over Halloween weekend. So if you aren't yet ready to let go of the spine tingles, you may find something in here to suit you. And some other stuff.
FRIGHT NIGHT
... was the bilateral programming block devoted to radio horror, with Radio 4 airing new stuff and 4 Extra airing the old.
Stone Tape is a radio remake of the 1972 TV movie; it wasn't what I wanted it to be, story-wise, but the really masterful (if sometimes nauseating) sound design kept me listening.
Ring is a new adaptation of the book that both Ringu and The Ring were based on. I admit I stopped shortly in when I realised I wasn't paying attention, but if you enjoyed either film and are curious about the book you may find this rewarding.
The Exorcist prompted some thinky thoughts when it was first broadcast in 2014.
AND NOW, IN DECREASING ORDER OF SCARINESS:
The House at World's End - I have yet to be disappointed by a radio adaptation of M.R. James. This one comes with bonus Cambridge!
I love radio and I love Ray Bradbury, but rarely do I like radio Bradbury. The Man Upstairs is really good, though, and Jack in the Box is one of his weirder ones but still a good listen.
Voices of the First World War - The dead speak! And do so in a much more literal sense than on Stone Tape. This is magnetic tape, and magnetic.
The Penny Dreadfuls Present: The Odyssey is good fun, especially with Robert Webb in the lead, and it's got monsters and stuff so sort of horror-y? Lighter than the PDs' historical dramas, but still packs the surprise feels in the very nice little ending.
The Blind Man was intended to be a Hitchcock film, but the screenplay has only just now been finished, by Mark Gatiss no less. It takes the unconventional tack of just reading out the screen directions, but ... it works.
The Wainwrights - The blurb didn't say 'The Archers meets League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse' so I would have missed it if I didn't happen to catch it live (immediately following The Archers, which made it even better). If you listen to one thing on this list, make it this infinitely refracting metadimensional postmodern wormhole. A+
Feminine Mystiques - Two for now, but eventually three short stories by modern authors reacting to Betty Friedan's 1963 book. Made me think hard about my upbringing, and how I seem to have the opposite experience to 'most' women when it comes to The Gaze – I am invisible, and do the watching. Discuss?
The Count of Monte Cristo - I've only listened to one episode so far but I'm enjoying it probably more than I would do reading the book.
The Exuberant - Rather odd comic drama about meteor hunters. I caught the last five minutes when it was airing and wondered what drugs my radio had taken.
How To Survive the Roman Empire - Dramatisation of the letters of Pliny the Younger, by the people who brought you The Diary of Samuel Pepys.
The Why Factor: Sad Music - Before investing in headphones, I was made to feel bad about loving sad music, but it turns out I am not alone, and there's a good reason for it. Features Debbie Wiseman, who wrote the music for Wolf Hall, which you should totally see BTW, dunno if I've mentioned.
And, last but not least, the completely un-scary Concrete Cow, some rather good sketch comedy and the second outing for Robert Webb in this roundup. Busy guy.
FRIGHT NIGHT
... was the bilateral programming block devoted to radio horror, with Radio 4 airing new stuff and 4 Extra airing the old.
Stone Tape is a radio remake of the 1972 TV movie; it wasn't what I wanted it to be, story-wise, but the really masterful (if sometimes nauseating) sound design kept me listening.
Ring is a new adaptation of the book that both Ringu and The Ring were based on. I admit I stopped shortly in when I realised I wasn't paying attention, but if you enjoyed either film and are curious about the book you may find this rewarding.
The Exorcist prompted some thinky thoughts when it was first broadcast in 2014.
AND NOW, IN DECREASING ORDER OF SCARINESS:
The House at World's End - I have yet to be disappointed by a radio adaptation of M.R. James. This one comes with bonus Cambridge!
I love radio and I love Ray Bradbury, but rarely do I like radio Bradbury. The Man Upstairs is really good, though, and Jack in the Box is one of his weirder ones but still a good listen.
Voices of the First World War - The dead speak! And do so in a much more literal sense than on Stone Tape. This is magnetic tape, and magnetic.
The Penny Dreadfuls Present: The Odyssey is good fun, especially with Robert Webb in the lead, and it's got monsters and stuff so sort of horror-y? Lighter than the PDs' historical dramas, but still packs the surprise feels in the very nice little ending.
The Blind Man was intended to be a Hitchcock film, but the screenplay has only just now been finished, by Mark Gatiss no less. It takes the unconventional tack of just reading out the screen directions, but ... it works.
The Wainwrights - The blurb didn't say 'The Archers meets League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse' so I would have missed it if I didn't happen to catch it live (immediately following The Archers, which made it even better). If you listen to one thing on this list, make it this infinitely refracting metadimensional postmodern wormhole. A+
Feminine Mystiques - Two for now, but eventually three short stories by modern authors reacting to Betty Friedan's 1963 book. Made me think hard about my upbringing, and how I seem to have the opposite experience to 'most' women when it comes to The Gaze – I am invisible, and do the watching. Discuss?
The Count of Monte Cristo - I've only listened to one episode so far but I'm enjoying it probably more than I would do reading the book.
The Exuberant - Rather odd comic drama about meteor hunters. I caught the last five minutes when it was airing and wondered what drugs my radio had taken.
How To Survive the Roman Empire - Dramatisation of the letters of Pliny the Younger, by the people who brought you The Diary of Samuel Pepys.
The Why Factor: Sad Music - Before investing in headphones, I was made to feel bad about loving sad music, but it turns out I am not alone, and there's a good reason for it. Features Debbie Wiseman, who wrote the music for Wolf Hall, which you should totally see BTW, dunno if I've mentioned.
And, last but not least, the completely un-scary Concrete Cow, some rather good sketch comedy and the second outing for Robert Webb in this roundup. Busy guy.
