Crime Fighters 81 The Man In Black in The Price of the Head

The Man In Black,Between 1943 and 1955, BBC Radio produced one of its most famous horror series, "Appointment With Fear". It was presented by Valentine Dyall (above), an actor who had made his radio debut in 1936 as The Man In Black, a creepy raconteur who picked up news of the spooky bits of life. In sepulchral voice, he introduced the story, made comments afterwards and sometimes provided short narrative links.

In 1949 The Man In Black was awarded a series of his own, called "The Man In Black", with a very similar format to Appointment With Fear. This included such stories as R. L. Stevenson's Markheim and M. R. James's classic Whistle and I'll Come To You.