Appointment with Fear (radio) explained

Appointment with Fear was a horror drama series originally broadcast on BBC Radio in the 1940s and 1950s, and revived on a number of occasions since. The format comprised a dramatised horror story of approximately half an hour in length, introduced by a character known as the Man in Black. The plays themselves were a mixture of classic horror stories by writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, M. R. James and W. W. Jacobs, and commissioned stories by new or established writers. Many of the stories in the early series were written or adapted by John Dickson Carr.[1]

Appointment with Fear (1943-1955 and 1976)

Appointment with Fear ran for nine series between 1943 and 1955, initially on the BBC Home Service and from September 1945 on the Light Programme. The Man in Black was played by the British character actor Valentine Dyall, except in the second series where the character was portrayed by Dyall's father Franklin Dyall. Only four episodes are known to survive.[1] [2] A tenth series was broadcast on the BBC World Service in 1976.

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Series 4

Series 5

Series 6

Series 7

Special

Series 8

Special

Special

Series 9

Series 10

There was no tenth series in 1957, it was merely a repeat broadcast of Series Nine.

Tie-In Publication

The Man in Black (1949)

The Man in Black was broadcast for one series of eight episodes in 1949, also on the Light Programme, and again presented by Valentine Dyall in the title role. No episodes are known to have survived.[1] [2]

Fear on Four (1988)

Fear on Four ran for five series on BBC Radio 4 between 1988 and 1992, the part of the Man in Black being played by Edward de Souza.[2] [3] A fifth series was broadcast in 1997, this time without a narrator.[4] An anthology of stories from the first two series was published by BBC Books in 1990.[5]

Series One

Series Two

Series Three

Series Four

Series Five

The Man in Black (2009)

The series was revived again in 2009, on BBC Radio 4 Extra, this time as The Man in Black, with Mark Gatiss in the title role. It ran for four series, each with five episodes, between 2009 and 2011.[6]

Reruns of the 2009 version started to air on BBC Radio 4 Extra on April 24, 2020.

Series One

Series Two

Series Three

Series Four

Film adaptation

In 1950, Hammer and Exclusive Films released a feature film based on the series entitled The Man in Black.The stars were Betty Ann Davies, Sheila Burrell, and Sid James, with Valentine Dyall reprising his role as the Man in Black.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Appointment with Fear/The Man in Black. 2014-07-16.
  2. Web site: The Man in Black. Tony Lang. The British Drama Website. 2014-07-16.
  3. Web site: Fear on Four. BBC Radio 4 Extra. 2014-07-16.
  4. Web site: Fear on 4/The Man in Black. 2014-07-16.
  5. Book: The Man in Black. BBC Books. 1990. 0563209046.
  6. Web site: The Man in Black. BBC Radio 4 Extra. 2014-07-16.

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