Archive Update: Ray Bradbury's Tales of the Bizarre (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: 90 (82 previously + 8 this update)
• Remaining in Post-1985 Corpus: 5,317

2. Highlights

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

1. Ray Bradbury: Night Call Collect (1995-12-07)

• Synopsis:

  Stranded alone on an abandoned Mars colony, an elderly survivor is haunted by recorded telephone messages broadcast across the deserted cities by his younger self.

• Background: Dramatized by Brian Sibley and directed in Edinburgh by Hamish Wilson for BBC Radio 4; stars Kerry Shale playing all the younger and older Barton roles.

2. Ray Bradbury: Have I Got A Chocolate Bar For You (1995-12-14)

• Synopsis:

  In a Catholic confessional, a guilt-ridden young man confesses his insatiable obsession with luxury confectionery to a sympathetic priest testing monastic vows.

• Background: Dramatized by Catherine Czerkawska and directed in Edinburgh by Hamish Wilson; stars John Yule as the young penitent and T.P. McKenna as the priest.

3. Ray Bradbury: The Jar (1995-12-21)

• Synopsis:

  Seeking respect among his rural neighbors, a timid farmer buys a pickled monstrosity in a carnival jar that sparks eerie obsessions and deadly jealousy.

• Background: Dramatized by Brian Sibley and directed in London by Martin Jenkins; stars Roger May (Charlie), Andrew Branch, Shelley Thompson, Paul Jenkins, and Ray Shell.

4. Ray Bradbury: The Fruit At The Bottom Of The Bowl (1995-12-28)

• Synopsis:

  After murdering a romantic rival, a panicked killer becomes consumed by a maniacal compulsion to polish away his fingerprints until the police walk through the door.

• Background: Dramatized by Brian Sibley and directed in London by Martin Jenkins; stars Nigel Anthony (Acton), John Hartley (Huxley), and Roger May (Police Officer).

5. Ray Bradbury: I Sing The Body Electric (1996-01-04)

• Synopsis:

  To care for his grieving children after his wife's sudden death, a father purchases an advanced robotic grandmother who lovingly breaks through their resentment.

• Background: Dramatized by Catherine Czerkawska and directed in Edinburgh by Hamish Wilson; stars David Jarvis, Angus MacInnes, Buffy Davis, and Joanna Tope as the Electric Grandmother.

6. Ray Bradbury: Skeleton (1996-01-11)

• Synopsis:

  Convinced his internal skeleton is an alien invader conspiring against him, a paranoid man hires an eccentric bone specialist who offers a horrifying cure.

• Background: Dramatized by Catherine Czerkawska and directed in Edinburgh by Hamish Wilson; stars Stuart McQuarrie (Harris), Wendy Seager, Liam Brennan, and Bob Docherty.

7. Ray Bradbury: The Man Upstairs (1997-11-20)

• Synopsis:

  Observing a mysterious boarder in his grandmother's boarding house, a curious young boy discovers anatomical oddities proving the man is an inhuman creature.

• Background: Dramatized by Catherine Czerkawska and directed in Edinburgh by Hamish Wilson; stars Jeffrey Lidgard (Douglas), Mary Riggans, Finlay Welsh, and Charles Kearney.

8. Ray Bradbury: Jack In The Box (1997-11-27)

• Synopsis:

  Raised inside a locked mansion by a protective mother who warns that the outdoors means death, an isolated boy ventures beyond the gates into the living world.

• Background: Dramatized by Brian Sibley and directed in London by Adrian Bean; stars Richard Pearce (Edwin), Ed Bishop (Father), and Caroline Jones (Mother).