Algernon Blackwood's The Listener

An intimate reading of the creeping, atmospheric The Listener (1907) by actor and voice-over artist Richard Usher - perfect for Halloween!

A struggling writer chances on cheap rooms in a quiet central London cul de sac.

Quickly signing a year long lease without questioning why the cost is so low, they soon discover the real price could be far higher than expected.

Told using diary entries, the lodger describes how their initial elation at finally finding somewhere affordable to live rapidly turns to unease and fear.

Are they really alone?

Exploring themes of urban isolation and wellbeing, this chilling tale draws on writer Algernon Blackwood's own experiences of loneliness and poverty.

One of the most influential and popular supernatural fiction writers of the 20th century, unlike many of his peers, Blackwood (aka 'The Ghost Man') was no sceptic, claiming all his ghostly tales were "more or less autobiographical".