Twenty Minutes: A Warning to the Curious

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BBC Radio 4 Extra

MR James

Drama: Horror & Supernatural

MR James Stories

Chilling tales from the master ghost story writer, MR James

MR James: A Warning to the Curious

A Warning to the Curious

BBC Radio 4 Extra - MR James, A Warning to the Curious

Alex Jennings reads MR James's spine-chilller set on the windswept coast of East Anglia.

A keen amateur archaeologist begins to regret his insatiable curiosity over an ancient relic. Read by Alex Jennings.

An amateur archeologist from London, arrives in the seaside town of Seaburgh to search for the legendary silver Crown of Anglia

It's believed to be hidden along the sandy shores of the North Sea. 

His research uncovers the tale of the late William Ager, the guardian of the crown, which leads him to unearth the ancient relic on a remote beach. However, having made his discovery, he becomes convinced that he is being followed, and desperate to escape the ghostly presence, decides his only hope is to return the crown to the desolate beach where it was unearthed - with tragic and terrifying consequences.

A classic spine-chiller by MR James, the 'father' of the modern ghost story, set on the windswept Suffolk coast.  

MR James (1862-1936) was a writer and scholar whose ghost stories are widely regarded as some of the best in English literature. He spent much of his childhood on the East Anglian coast, and the fictional town of 'Seaburg', in which this story is set, is based on the Suffolk coastal town of Aldeburgh.

Read by Alex Jennings.

Produced and abridged by Justine Willett.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in June 2011.

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