Shadows of Fear
Shadows of Fear is a British anthology television series produced by Thames Television, which aired between 1970 and 1973.[1]
| Shadows of Fear | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Anthology |
| Theme music composer | Roger Webb |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Kim Mills, John Kershaw, Lloyd Shirley |
| Running time | 10x 60 min, 1x 30 min |
| Production company | Thames Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 17 June 1970 – 31 January 1973 |
Premise
The episode plots are largely thrillers, similar to each other in that characters in each episode have someone or something to fear. The series did not explore supernatural territory. The main focus remained on down-to-earth fear of the psychological, Hitchcockian type.
History
Very little has been recorded of the series' production history. Eleven episodes were produced; they were aired over a period of about two-and-a-half years. The first episode, broadcast in 1970, was followed by a season of nine episodes in early 1971. The final episode (thirty minutes long, rather than sixty) was broadcast nearly two years later in 1973. The series aired only once and remained unrepeated until shown in the autumn of 2019 on Talking Pictures TV.[2]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Did You Lock Up?" | Kim Mills | Roger Marshall | 17 June 1970 | |
| After his home is burgled, Peter Astle (Michael Craig) becomes obsessed with ensuring that it does not happen again, an obsession that soon escalates to absurd and sinister proportions. | |||||
| 2 | "Sugar and Spice" | Patrick Dromgoole | John Kershaw | 12 January 1971 | |
| Anne Brand (Sheila Hancock) finds that her son is missing, and her daughter is refusing to reveal where he is. Her husband is discovered to have been having an affair, and as the evening passes, the sense that something is wrong continues to build. | |||||
| 3 | "At Occupier's Risk" | Peter Duguid | Richard Harris | 19 January 1971 | |
| A young woman (Gemma Jones) arrives at a remote country inn, run by a strange couple who are curiously unsettled by her presence. | |||||
| 4 | "The Death Watcher" | Peter Duguid | Jacques Gillies | 26 January 1971 | |
| A scientist (John Neville) is determined to prove that there is life after death, and is prepared to commit murder to do it. | |||||
| 5 | "Repent at Leisure" | Kim Mills | Roger Marshall | 2 February 1971 | |
| A wealthy woman (Elizabeth Sellars) recovering from heartbreak embarks on a cruise, and is courted by a man who may be trying to exploit her. | |||||
| 6 | "Return of Favours" | Kim Mills | Jeremy Paul | 9 February 1971 | |
| Mr Marsh (George Cole) discovers that his wife's unpleasant friend and her married lover have been using his flat for clandestine meetings without his knowledge. | |||||
| 7 | "The Lesser of Two" | Kim Mills | Hugh d'Allenger | 16 February 1971 | |
| A man (Godfrey Quigley) recently released from imprisonment, for a crime of which he believes himself innocent, finds he is unwelcome in his old neighbourhood. | |||||
| 8 | "White Walls and Olive-Green Carpets" | James Gatward | Hugh Leonard | 23 February 1971 | |
| A pair of former lovers (Ian Bannen and Natasha Parry) travel to the home of a deceased spouse, and events of the past are exhumed. | |||||
| 9 | "Sour Grapes" | Kim Mills | Roger Marshall | 2 March 1971 | |
| Two English tourists in Spain (Daniel Massey and Isabel Dean) are menaced by a German criminal. | |||||
| 10 | "Come Into My Parlour" | Kim Mills | Roger Marshall | 9 March 1971 | |
| A woman (Beth Harris) returns to her former job, but is drawn into a macabre situation by a man seeking a gift for his fiancée. | |||||
| 11 | "The Party's Over" | Kim Mills | Roy Harley Lewis | 31 January 1973 | |
| In the 1920s, something is wrong in a couple's (Edward Fox and Suzanne Neve) marriage, leading to an impending murder that may or may not be imaginary. | |||||
Availability
All eleven episodes were released on DVD in Region 2 in 2011.