Archive Update: Tales of the Bizarre and Sherlock Holmes (BBC Radio 4)

1. Progress Metrics & Inventory Milestone

This report records the complete, grounded transcription and update from the post-1985 dated catalog inventory.

• Total Post-1985 Dated Targets (PR #5460): 5,407
• Completed & Verified Grounded: 114 (106 previously + 8 this update)
• Remaining in Post-1985 Corpus: 5,293

2. Highlights

Every synopsis follows the strict 100–180 character standard (story-first, dramatic action, high factual density, zero assistant boilerplate):

1. Tales of the Bizarre: The Scythe (1995-12-28)

• Synopsis:

  Stranded during the Depression, an impoverished farmer inherits a desolate homestead and an ancient scythe, only to realize every blade of wheat cut terminates a human life.

• Background: Dramatised by Brian Sibley, directed in London by Tabitha Potts; stars John Guerrasio as Drew, Briony Glassco as Molly, Hugh Dickson as John Burr, Barbara Barnes as Susie, and Barclay Wright as Walt.

2. Tales of the Bizarre: The Wind (1996-01-04)

• Synopsis:

  Barricaded inside his fortified home during a howling gale, a terrified meteorologist phones his old friend as a sentient, vindictive global wind converges to destroy him.

• Background: Adapted by Brian Sibley and directed by Adrian Bean; stars Vincent Marzello as Herb, Gerard McDermott as Ron, Carolyn Jones as Viv, and David Brooks as The Wind.

3. Tales of the Bizarre: And So Died Riabouchinska (1997-12-18)

• Synopsis:

  Investigating a backstage theater murder, a detective interrogates a melancholic ventriloquist whose lifelike wooden doll possesses a will of her own and reveals the killer.

• Background: Dramatised by Catherine Czerkawska and directed in Edinburgh by Hamish Wilson; stars Liam Brennan as Fabian, Vari Sylvester as Riabouchinska, and John Ramage as Krovitch.

4. Tales of the Bizarre: The Day It Rained Forever (1997-12-25)

• Synopsis:

  In a forgotten desert town parched by a fifty-year drought, three elderly hotel residents welcome a mysterious harpist whose evocative music summons a torrential downpour.

• Background: Broadcast on Christmas night 1997; adapted by Catherine Czerkawska, directed by Hamish Wilson; features Michael McKenzie, Bob Docherty, Raymond Ross, Gwyneth Guthrie, and harpist Charlotte Peterson.

5. Sherlock Holmes: The Yellow Face (1993-02-03)

• Synopsis:

  Consulted by a distressed husband tormented by his secretive wife and an eerie masked face in a cottage window, Sherlock Holmes confronts an unexpected, touching family truth.

• Background: Dramatised by Gerry Jones and directed by Enyd Williams; stars Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes and Michael Williams as Dr. John Watson.

6. Sherlock Holmes: The Greek Interpreter (1993-02-10)

• Synopsis:

  After an interpreter is forced to interrogate a gagged hostage held in a secluded villa, Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft race to save the captive from murderous abductors.

• Background: Dramatised by Gerry Jones, directed by Enyd Williams; stars Clive Merrison, Michael Williams, Peter Polycarpou as Melas, and John Hartley as Mycroft Holmes.

7. Sherlock Holmes: The Seven-Percent Solution Part 1 (1993-03-03)

• Synopsis:

  Alarmed by Sherlock Holmes's cocaine psychosis and paranoid delusions about Moriarty, Dr. Watson and Mycroft trick the detective into seeking Sigmund Freud's treatment in Vienna.

• Background: Full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Nicholas Meyer's landmark pastiche starring Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.

8. Sherlock Holmes: The Seven-Percent Solution Part 2 (1993-03-10)

• Synopsis:

  Restoring under Sigmund Freud's hypnotic care in Vienna, Sherlock Holmes joins the doctor to investigate a kidnapped heiress and avert a perilous international train pursuit.

• Background: Concluding chapter of Nicholas Meyer's mystery, pairing Freud's psychoanalytic insights with Holmesian deductive prowess.