A review by strangenessbooks
Fear on 4 by Jcw Brooke

dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

This a series of radio shows from the 1980s, mostly adapted from stories from 1800s. Sexism of the time is reflected here and so very middle class as only BBC radio 4 can be. Its definitely not the best to consume most of these stories. 

  1.  The Snowman Killing - 1/5 stars for a new dress. - Child actors are painful to listen to. Also sexism
  2. Green and Pleasant - I think even in 1991, they would not cancel the whole TV day's news for random who might have kidnapped a pop star.  2/5 stars for Global Warming.
  3. Survival - Incredible, annoyingly sexist. Fatphobic too. While this audiobook came out in 2018, this radio drama is from March 1989. All these stories do have the touches of sexism. They are dated and you can tell. Frankly, this story is too silly. Just too silly to live because space would definitely still have health checks. Hate the ending. 1/5 stars for Men screaming.
  4.  Soul Searching -  Bernard Cribbins plays a role in this story so this has actually been on BBC iplayer. That whole what is the soul weighs something, let's mess around in this hospital to find out. Also murder to do it so horror. 2/5 stars for Bad Timing. 
  5. The Beast With Five Fingers - These stories are adapted but it's hard to tell which ones in the context of the audiobook. This one is easy since its a distinctive title and I can tell you, it's a story that's been adapted into a film. The idea sounds sort of comical though. Why not just keep it in a jar? 2/5 stars for Bad Heirlooms. 
  6.  The Yellow Wallpaper: It's been a while since I read the story, but I don't love this adaption. 2/5 stars for Yellow stains.
  7. By the river, Fontainebleau: This is based on a modern short story, but it's not online so does it really exist? Horrible fate for a woman but told by a man. Not sure what the deal is. Poor people suck if I was to guess. Almost tempted to buy it. Almost. 2.5 stars mysterious pigs. 
  8. The Face: Once again a woman's dreams are taken serious and then horror happens. It's fine. It's modernised but you can tell the original story is from 1920s. 3/5 stars for cliff walking. 
  9. The Monkey's Revenge: Questionable disability representation. It has a girl with mental disability being roped into caring for monkeys being used as lab experiments. Not sure why you would think that was a good idea. Actually fucking questionable as hell with that title. Not good. Not good at all. 3/5 stars for unnecessary buttons. 
  10. Fat Andy: Yes, this does involve body shaming and a vibe of ableism. This is another story with a mentally disabled person. There's no reason for it. Disability doesn't need a reason but I don't trust it here. I don't like the title. It should be called Johanna if anything. 2/5 stars for No kisses. 
  11. The Journey Home: Another women being gaslight by her husband, a common theme in this radio show. The idea is scary, but the execution is not. 2.5 stars for Her Eyes.  
  12. Dead Man's boots: People move into a old house and find a secret room. If it was normal, they would have TikTok baited that for a week. Sick of violence against woman and men just being fine. Hated in real life but this is radioshow that someone curated into 13 stories. 
  13. The Judge's House: Adaptation of a Bram Stoker story. I do not love this adaption either. A real lack of tension. 

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