An occasional writer's journal

Six of the best

It’s highly likely that Charles Dickens, famed for his public readings and with an eye for social injustice, would have been a blogger if he were alive today.

I’ve chosen Dickens’s tale The Signal-Man (sic) to kick off an offering of a half-dozen of my favourite short stories for your enjoyment. It gave me the creeps when I re-read it only recently. I recall the sleepless night I spent as a kid after the BBC first screened Andrew Davies’s mesmerising television adaptation as part of a Christmas ghost story package. Imagine my delight when I discovered it had been posted on YouTube.

It’s a remarkable adaptation that should not be missed, so I present the links below for your enjoyment. There can be few examples in the genre of short story theatre that remain so faithful to the original text. Don’t forget to read the original text of this and the other stories  listed above.

The Signalman – Charles Dickens

The 1976 adaptation by the BBC in its series, Ghost Stories for Christmas, starring Denholm Elliott and Bernard Lloyd. Click below to view the first part (embedding disabled) via YouTube.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four