The Le Fanu Ballads

Neil Brand has bridged the two time periods of Sheridan Le Fanu's 19th Century ghost stories and our world today in this supernatural adaptation.

It begins in a basement nightclub in the heart of Dublin called Sheridan's.

In its dark brick interior, a small stage is surrounded by tables, the MC takes to the stage and a beautiful young woman, Nuala O'Brien - the Siren of the Second Sight - sings her ballad. Her eyes scan the upturned faces in the audience below her, until they fix on a face.

For four of the people who come to this club, a Royal Naval sailor, an au pair, an artist and a judge, this visit will change their lives.

They will find themselves trapped in a story sprung from the tortured mind of Le Fanu himself.

The MC ..... Paul Chahidi
Lady Justice Horobin/Madam Crowl ..... Haydn Gwynne
Lewis/Gordon Starkey ..... Jonathan Forbes
Nuala/Laura ..... Ruth Everett
James Barton/McCrone ..... Matthew Durkan
Pamela/Jeanette/Rosie ..... Alexandra Hannant
Grace/Meg Wyvern ..... Rebecca Crankshaw
Yelland ..... Chris Jack
Gerald Dow /Court Clerk ..... Michael Begley
Vanderhausen/Workman/Captain Jenner ..... Neil McCaul

Music composed and played by Neil Brand, with Nuala's Ballad sung by Ruth Everett.

* Neil is a composer, writer, radio playwright, presenter and broadcaster specialising in silent film and film music.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2022.