BBC Radio 4, December 12, 2021

After an encounter with a witch, Sophie finds herself in a very unusual castle 

Robert Valentine’s adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’ novel comes to Radio Four for the holiday season and it’s another unusual fantasy like the ones we had at Hallowe’en . There’s a clever blend of past present and future as Sophie’s journey takes her to lands that feel fantastical- and others almost mundane

Robert Bathurst’s narrator has an occasional sardonic lift to his tone while the inhabitants of the castle are very unlike anything you’re likely to have met before. Calcifer is probably the  most unusual but each of the characters has distinct sides to them that come out gradually as  the play continues.

Verdict: a good start to the genre material this Christmas 8/10

Paul Simpson