radio playhouse

A father and his three children who flee into the Hartz Mountains after falling out of favour with a powerful noble.

Tragedy strikes, leaving the children to survive alone in the dark, forbidding forest.

They’re taken in by a kindly stranger, but soon encounter a mysterious man and his beautiful daughter, whose presence brings a sense of unease.

The story is narrated by Hugh Trilani, a juror in the murder trial of Peter Cook, accused of killing John Talbot.

As the trial unfolds, Trilani begins to see and hear the ghost of the murdered man, John Talbot—something no one else can perceive.

The ghost appears to guide Trilani, subtly influencing the proceedings by revealing hidden truths and pointing toward the guilt of the accused.

The story centers on Falkland, a man tormented by jealousy and pride, which ultimately lead to a tragic confrontation.

He becomes entangled in a bitter rivalry with another man over a woman’s affection.

The story follows a man who visits a friend’s home and becomes captivated by a strange, eerie atmosphere.

In a locked room, he discovers a rope made of human hair, which triggers a confession from his friend.

The friend recounts a dark past: he once seduced and abandoned a young woman, who later died tragically.

The story would follow a man who, while staying at an inn, experiences a horrifying night involving a giant spider crawling across his body as he sleeps.

Adapted from a story by Émile Gaboriau, a pioneer of French detective fiction and an early influence on the genre that would later give rise to Sherlock Holmes.

A detective discovers that the only witness to a crime is a little dog!

The story follows a British officer on leave from service in India, recovering from a head wound. He visits his cousins at Tappington Manor, a stately home with a spooky reputation. One evening, he hears a local legend: years ago, a stranger died mysteriously in the manor, and his trousers—rumoured to contain important documents—vanished.

The episode focuses on the tragic relationship between Heathcliff, a brooding outsider adopted into the Earnshaw family, and Catherine Earnshaw, whose love for him is as intense as it is destructive.

 The story follows Latimer, a sensitive and introspective man who, after a mysterious illness, develops clairvoyant powers—he can see into the future and read the thoughts of others. Far from a gift, this ability isolates him, as he becomes disillusioned by the petty and selfish inner lives of those around him.

Lady Eleanore Rochcliffe, a proud and aloof aristocrat who returns to Boston from England, draped in a luxurious, mysterious mantle. Her beauty and cold demeanour captivate the townspeople, but her refusal to show humility—especially toward the sick and poor—sparks unease.

Plot Summary The story follows Montresor, a nobleman who harbors a deep grudge against Fortunato, a fellow aristocrat who has insulted him. During the Carnival season, Montresor cunningly lures the drunken Fortunato into the catacombs beneath his estate, using the promise of a rare vintage of Amontillado wine as bait.

Set in the Scottish Highlands, the story follows Steenie Steenson, a tenant of the cruel laird Sir Robert Red gauntlet. After witnessing the hanging of three men for unpaid rent, Steenie is shaken but still must deliver his own payment. On his way to the laird’s castle, he encounters a mysterious rider who warns him that unless he pays restitution to the families of the hanged men, he’ll never leave the woods alive.

Plot Summary The story follows Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but obsessive scientist who becomes consumed with the idea of creating life. Using body parts from corpses and harnessing the power of electricity, he succeeds in animating a creature—but is immediately horrified by what he’s done. The creature, rejected and alone, seeks understanding and companionship, but is met only with fear and cruelty.

Ethan Brand is a former lime-burner who leaves his humble life behind in pursuit of the Unpardonable Sin—a concept he believes he can discover through pure reason and detachment from humanity. After years of wandering, he returns to his old kiln, now a changed man: cold, arrogant, and emotionally hollow.