Simply Media, out now

Two pieces of long-lost TV horror resurrected thanks to Kaleidoscope and Simply Media.

When discussion turns to British TV horror, chances are the words Hammer House of Horror, or Nigel Kneale are likely to turn up. But there’s been far more out there over the years, and Simply Media, working with archivists Kaleidoscope, have brought two half-hour dramas back into the public gaze. Neither can be termed essential viewing, but each is an entertaining way to spend thirty minutes.

Jack Woolgar (Sergeant Arnold from Doctor Who’s The Web of Fear among many other roles) stars in The Shadow of Death, a pilot that wasn’t picked up. Look past the technical faults (mismatched scenes, and some damage to the film) and it’s an intriguing tale, with Woolgar’s Booth seeking something and Barry Stokes turning up at apparently just the wrong moment. It’s a ghost story that uses a lot of familiar tricks – but they’re familiar because they often work well, as they do here.

The second story stars Glynis Johns as the titular Mrs Amworth, who has livened up a sleepy country village no end – at least initially. Now lots of the villagers are succumbing to some sort of debilitating epidemic. Given the story is only half an hour, there’s not that much time before suspicions start to turn to certainties, and Derek Francis and John Phillips make good foils.

Verdict: An entertaining diversion into the back catalogue of British TV horror. 7/10

Paul Simpson