1/5. A novelist with a case of writer's block gets more than he bargained for when he purchases an antique inkpot. By John Connolly and read by Freddie Jones. Producer Lawrence Jackson

[Caption] A writer finds himself dipping his pen into trouble when he becomes the owner of an old and unusual inkwell

Ghost Stories 3.30pm R4
John Connolly is a bestselling novelist of left-field, complex mysteries, with a proven love of the dark side - there being some extremely sinister and violent moments in his books. Rest assured that there is none of the violence in these five chilling stories across the week, but if you like to be unsettled then you're in for a treat, as each of the tales twists the classic ghost story in a modern macabre way. Alun Armstrong is the reader on Wednesday and Blake's 7 fans will be delighted to learn that Jacqueline Pearce (aka Servalan) will be reading Thursday's tale of a lady vampire. But the best of all is on this afternoon with The Inkpot Monkey. Freddie Jones has the perfect voice for this seriously sinister take on anthropomorphism and while I am not suggesting for one moment that he sounds like a monkey, he'll soon have your hair (be it primate or human) standing on end.