By Matthew Graham

BBC Radio 4, November 4, 2017 and on iPlayer

Shadows of the past loom over the reunion of a group of friends…

Matthew Graham’s new radio play is one of those dramas that you really want to know as little as possible about going in, as it’s the twists and turns in both the plot and the execution of it that make it work so well. Steve Bond’s sound design and Kate Rowland’s direction are vital to the overall effectiveness, particularly for the many scenes that are told from the point of view of Meggie, who was blinded in an incident many years before the story begins.

It’s not giving too much away to note that there are two strands to the drama – one featuring an audiobook narration, the other the events that feature within that audiobook (but did they inspire the book, or are they a dramatization?). Graham juggles the two with a post-modern twist to one element, and there’s a definite Hitchcockian vibe to parts – think James Stewart in Rear Window, where the protagonist is in many ways impotent to affect events, yet still integral to them – and a true Hitchcockian moment with a pivotal cameo from the writer (see the interview to find out where).

Better known as a stand up comic, Georgie Morrell shares the same visual condition as Meggie, and delivers a convincing performance in an unfamiliar straight role. Her “friends” (and you’ll understand the quote marks once you’ve heard the play) also play things absolutely straight down the line, even in sequences that feel slightly outlandish.

The ending is unusual, to say the least, but entirely in keeping with the sense of heightened reality that Graham, Bond, Rowland and the cast have created.

Verdict: An intriguing take on a familiar horror trope given an audio twist. 8/10

Paul Simpson