Harold Chibbett

Radio 4 podcast produced by Bafflegab Productions, available on BBC Sounds

A disturbing change in tone as our young, female hero is exposed to a very real predator.

The impact on the family of a pack of press photographers camped outside a 15 year old teenager’s house has been part of previous episodes, but this is unpacked a little more and it’s clear that there are some physical pressures being brought to bear on the family as a whole. Shirley’s father is effectively suspended from his work as a train driver on half pay for two weeks due to sleep deprivation and their health and welfare long term seems to really be suffering – pressures more of us can sadly relate to, living in a world suffering through a pandemic. The Hitchings are clearly becoming desperate, and it’s easy to sympathise with them when they resort to extreme measures.

Exorcisms genuinely terrify me, and they can be horrific. To me, they should be a last resort, and ideally only carried out by proper authorities, but in the context of events at 63 Wycliffe Road I can understand why they felt they had no other choice, that’s very well portrayed in the dramatic segments of the podcast. We hear of a case where the process felt to the person in question like a ‘violation’ and in the context of performing an exorcism on a woman that makes my blood run cold more than any fear generated by poltergeist persecution.

The truly disturbing element comes in the form of the exorcist Shirley’s dad allows in to their family space. The shady character is a railway colleague who approaches Shirley’s Dad rather than the other way around – that’s the first red flag. If the intent was to put the listener at their unease from the first second this predatory ghoul speaks, then mission very much accomplished. He’s spine-chilling, addressing Shirley as ‘darling’, voice dripping with obsequious charm. With 21st century eyes, it seems baffling that Shirley’s own father would expose her to such a character and I feel truly scared for her safety during the course of the episode. The voice of reason and comfort comes from faithful Chib, who has the charlatan pegged from the get-go. I still have a very, very bad feeling about this…

Verdict: Public interest or abuse of a minor as danger lurks in the real world for our protagonist.  7/10

Claire Smith