The Man in Black: The Complete Series 1-4

Twenty Creepy Full-Cast Dramas

By: Various

Narrated by: Full Cast, Mark Gatiss

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Mark Gatiss stars as sinister raconteur, the Man in Black, in these 20 terrifying full-cast radio dramas.

The Man in Black is waiting to make your acquaintance. Maybe you’ll meet him on a bus, in the supermarket or at an airport luggage carousel. Perhaps he’ll peer into your baby’s pram or approach you in the corridor of a care home. Wherever you encounter him, he's eager to pass on his stories. Stories of darkness and death, myth and madness. Stories to unsettle and horrify.

Two lads on a council estate stumble onto a world where time has stopped. Something evil stalks stranded soldiers in Afghanistan. A retired accountant gets out of his depth on the Net. An ex-alcoholic is on the run from more than just his AA buddy. These tales and many more will haunt you long after the Man in Black has departed.

Included are: 

• 'The Tower' by Mike Walker 
• 'Project Purple' by Richard Vincent 
• 'The White Hare' by Lucy Gough 
• 'Hide and Seek' by Mike Cary 
• 'Bomber’s Moon' by Lucy Kirkwood
• 'Phish Phood' by Kim Newman
• 'Death Us Do Part' by Mike Bartlett
• 'Flesh' by Tom Morton-Smith
• 'Angels in Disguise' by Nicola Jones
• 'The Old Road' by Penelope Skinner
• 'Connect' by Lucy Moore
• 'The Printed Name' by Nicholas Pierpan
• 'Lights Out' by Christopher Golden and Amber Benson
• 'Uncle William’s House' by Alison Falconer
• 'Perfect Home' by Nick Warburton
• 'Containment' by David Lemon
• 'The Punt' by Christina Balit
• 'The Beaten Track' by Dawn King
• 'Reunion' by Janice Okoh 
• 'The New Boy' by Matthew Wilkie

Among the cast are Tom Goodman-Hill, Mark Bonnar, Emerald O’Hanrahan, Vineeta Rishi Toby Jones, Adjoa Andoh, Jonathan Forbes, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Alex Lanipekun.

©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Classic Horror

Loved this production. Only wish there had been more episodes. Still, 4 seasons will have to do. Hopefully there will be more. I enjoyed every moment of these episodes.

<Shudder>

I've loved creepy stories since I wasa kid. Not gory, bloody messes, but the ones that give you a serious psychological chill. M.R. James and Robert Aickman are among my favorites. so I have been chilled by the masters.

I was therefore amazed when I felt a tingle at the base of my neck, not once or twice but throughout these radio plays. A radio play really engages with one's imagination, and as we all know, we can create far worse terrors than actually exist.

So if you're looking for a real scare without gore, you've come to the right place.

If one likes older stories this likely isn’t for you

As a fan of MR James and other authors from the past I first thought that I would enjoy this series as I have heard Mark Gatiss talk about his appreciation of MR James. Unfortunately for me, the predictability of the scripts, the modern colloquialisms, and the (in my opinion) lack of imagination on the part of the writers really makes it hard to enjoy. More than anything I felt that I was learning more about the minds of the writers and the office in which they work than enjoying the craftsmanship of a disciplined, imaginative storyteller.

Gothic Horror for Today’s Audiences

This was a BBC radio drama of creepy tales. I enjoy gothic horror, no guts or gore, an this had a number of different story types introduced by the Man in Black, Mark Gattiss. Cast was excellent, along with the production values. Stories were easy to follow without narration. My favorite was the Internet newbie, that was a rather funny one. The rest were good old fashioned scares. I hope they do more.

nice theatrical listen...

This audiobook was a fantastic listen! The actors were quite good, authentic sounding and interesting. If you are a fan of apocalyptic end times and vampires (who isn't) then this is a story for you!

Loved these!

I’m a huge fan of classic Old Time Radio and love seeing the genre coming back strong. BBC does excellent full cast adaptations, especially in the horror/eerie genre. Mark Gatiss was great to listen to (after seeing him in Sherlock), suited the classic Man In Black character. Wish there was more.

amazing

loved it all definitely something that you would want to listen to , will be looking for more

A Lot of Dull Un Atmospheric Modern Bore

No atmosphere, no depth, no body of character. Todays Producers do not know how to make spooky, weird, horror nor fear anymore. I love horror fear the weird and have all of the old movies, plays and radio dramas in this genre in my collection.
This Man in Black is so disappointing. FEELINGLESS. No atmosphere, No fear! The actors do not create ‘tense’ the biggest part of doing CREEPY. Back to the old and wonderful for me.

Short story heaven

If you like short and sweet listens and prefer the spooky to the grisly then this collection is superb. I have heard some before but they are not too long to enjoy a second experience but you will not be disappointed and with each episode less than 30 mins, will not find your day too interrupted.

Delightfully Creepy

Having inherited the job of Man in Black from such horror luminaries as Vincent Price and Edward De Souza, Mark Gatiss had a large black cloak to fill. But being the horror disciple he is, he does so with such quiet unassuming ghastliness he is the natural successor to Price’s glam anecdotal style or De Souza’s suspenseful confidence.
The tales themselves are exquisitely written, delightfully twisted and diverse- you never see the twist coming and the tension builds to the horrific denouement. From zombie apocalypses and cursed nuptials to voodoo, spice girl t shirts and lives that could have been- this is perfect for anyone interested in the darker side of life.

Intriguing collection

Mark Gatiss is a keen lover of vintage ghost stories, he has an ear for a great tale whether it be for Christmas, Halloween or just a stormy night.
As soon as I heard that Mr. Gatiss had been involved in this work I knew it was a must have and I wasn't disappointed.
The man who co wrote 'Sherlock', numerous Doctor Who episodes to name just a couple has a real penchant for the macabre and the sinister as the 'Man in Black' you can hear the revelry in his voice as he introduces each tale.
If you're a lover of ghost stories, mysteries and dark tales then this collection of fully dramatised productions is for you, plenty of stories to last you for hours.
Absolutely loved it.

Neither creepy nor scary

They're nice little ghost stories but they really aren't half as creepy or scary as they description suggests. They were alright to listen to as you don't really need to pay a lot of attention to them as the narrative is fast paced and the stories just 30 minutes long each. I think you could probably read some of those to your kids as a lesson got life.

Amazing listen

I have heard a lot of them on radio 4 extra and adored them, so it's amazing to have the full set in one place. Appropriately, I finished it on Halloween. Mark Gatiss is just incredible.

Let me tell you a story…

Fantastic spine-tingling series of short shorts, original heard on BBC radio. Mark Gatiss plays the role of presenter with creepy fashion. Excellent stories with a variety of different genres, a must for people who what a little horror in their lives.

Easy listen for long periods or short sittings

I really enjoyed these series. The short stories made it easy to leave and pick up later

Fantastic

Creepy stories with brilliant narration. My favorite was the one where the woman is driving down an eerie road with her cat. Tat one gave me goosebumps.
I hope they bring the Man in Black back for another series.

Don't listen on a dark train home alone...!

I adore Mark Gatiss' mellifluous delivery, and each of these stories is creatively unsettling and lingered long after the end. Highly recommended.