About this season
Five partially-dramatized readings of classic M.R. James ghost stories by actor Robert Powell. Including "The Mezzotint", "The Ash-Tree", "The Rose Garden", "Wailing Well" and "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad".
Episodes (5)
1. The Mezzotint
Aired 25 December 1986 • 14 min
Mr Williams, the curator of an university museum, purchases a modest engraving of a country house. But a black tint in the corner of the picture seems to resemble a figure and it moves, slowly revealing past horrors.
2. The Ash-Tree
Aired 26 December 1986 • 14 min
A witch condemned to death places a curse upon the Ash tree at the hall of her accuser that stretches down through the centuries and through the generations to invade the life of the ancestor who has inherited the estate.
3. Wailing Well
Aired 28 December 1986 • 14 min
A group of Scouts on an excursion are strictly told not to go near an old well that has been marked with a red circle on their maps. However, one disobedient boy pays no heed to the warnings and thus pays a terrible price.
4. Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad
Aired 29 December 1986 • 14 min
An academic on holiday discovers a whistle amongst the remains of a monastery of the Knights Templar. It has the legend "Who is this who is coming?" engraved upon it in Latin. He will find out when he unwisely blows into it.
5. The Rose Garden
Aired 30 December 1986 • 14 min
Mrs Anstruther wants to convert a neglected corner of her property into a rose garden. She tells her gardener to remove the old seat and an old post it was attached to. This unleashes disturbing visions for her and her husband.