Appointment With Fear: The Lost Episodes (1976-77)

BBC World Service

(4.8 stars; 4 reviews)

Here is a set of BBC radio thrillers from the late 1970s that seem to be pretty rare, as I really had to hunt to find any kind of information on them. I discovered these episodes when I was digging through boxes of old radio cassettes in the garage (from my tape trading days) and I digitized them in FLAC so others can enjoy them too (even if they’re not the greatest sound quality).   Appointment with Fear was a long-running BBC radio thriller that began its run in 1943 as the British version of Suspense , complete with many of the same scripts as its American counterpart (most by John Dickson Carr) and also hosted by the Man in Black. That original series ran for nine seasons, until 1955, but its mysterious host has never really left the British airwaves, returning to host Fear on 4 from 1988-1992 then The Man in Black from 2009-2011.   Only four episodes from that original nine-season run are in circulation today (you can find them here in high quality audio ) but it turns out there was a very short TENTH season, when Appointment with Fear was briefly revived for a short 7-episode series that ran on the BBC from Dec, 1976 through Jan, 1977. It was produced and directed by Derek Hoddinott, who was behind a lot of BBC drama throughout the 70s and 80s, including a favorite series of mine,  Haunted: Tales of the Supernatural , with technical presentation by Keith Perrin and features Bernard Herrmann's score for PSYCHO, not only as the opening theme but often as punctuation throughout the episodes. I’ve tracked down two additional episodes (in low quality Mp3 unfortunately) and uploaded them here as well. Here’s all the information I have on these broadcasts:   “I’ll See You Next Friday” by Roy Russell (Dec 1976 or Jan 1977) A supermarket manager arrives at a woman’s door expecting to return her lost purse, but soon finds himself cowering in terror, staring into the barrel of a gun. Starring Lula Washborne and Julian Glover ( Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade, Game of Thrones, Empire Strikes Back ) “Identikill”   by John Foster (Dec 1976 or Jan 1977) After portraying a murder victim in a police reenactment, a woman becomes obsessed with the crime, putting her own life at risk to seduce the prime suspect. Starring Susan Penheligon and Peter Sallis (voice of Wallace in the Wallace & Gromit films)   “Target” by John Foster (Dec 1976 or Jan 1977) When a military expert tries to get to the bottom of a series of death threats and terrifying phone calls, he discovers the man behind it is closer than he ever could have imagined. Starring Michael Bryant ( The Stone Tape, Gandhi) and Alfred Burke ( Public Eye) “My Fate Cries Out” by Michael Robson (Dec 4, 1976) A trophy wife and her lover plot to use the icy British winter to kill her wealthy husband. But the old guy may be harder to kill than they expect… Starring Ursula Howells , Christopher Cazenove and Terence Longdon ( Ben-Hur) “Morning Glory” by Charlotte & Dennis Plummer (Jan 1, 1977) An aging Londoner is thrilled to be retiring in the English countryside until a prowler begins lurking about the garden outside her isolated cottage. Starring Celia Johnson ( Brief Encounter, In Which We Serve, This Happy Breed) “Dogs” by Gerald Kelsey (Jan 15, 1977) A couple move into an isolated cottage but discover that the previous tenant left some unfinished business. Starring Judy Cornwell ( EastEnders, Doctor Who) as Anne and Peter Egan ( Downton Abbey) as Alan MISSING EPISODE: “A Fine and Private Place” by Michael Robson (Dec 25, 1976) I’d love to get a copy of this missing episode, or higher-quality copies of any of the other ones. If you happen to have them or know more information about the series not included here, email me at nickpalmer57@gmail.com

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

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