Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: A Ghost for Christmas 1.2 - The Woodman's Enigma
Date: November 30, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode Overview

This episode, "The Woodman's Enigma," is a dramatization of a ghostly mystery set in the days before Christmas, adapted from Gary Kilworth's story. Two siblings, Colin and Jill, are sent to spend the holidays with an unfamiliar uncle in the countryside, only to discover an eerie enigma involving a haunted tree, a mysterious ghost, and a riddle that must be solved to bring peace to a restless spirit. As the children unravel the woodman's secret, the episode explores themes of family, adventure, and the timeless magic (and spookiness) of classic radio storytelling.

Key Discussion Points & Story Progression

Family Context & Setting

• Siblings Colin and Jill are sent by their mother (who is in hospital) to Uncle Giles' cottage for Christmas. The children are uneasy, as they barely know Uncle Giles and the place feels gloomy and unwelcoming.
  • [Narrator, 01:32]: "Christmas was only seven days away... Both of them felt pretty miserable, but they knew they'd have to make the best of a bad job."

The Enigma Game & Their Plan

• To pass the time, the children play a riddle game called Enigmas, exchanging classic puzzles, but are quickly bored by the familiar tropes.
• They reveal their secret plan: to invent a new video game, hoping to make enough money to bring their father home from Saudi Arabia.
  • [Narrator, 02:46]: "The plan was that they invent a new video game in order to make themselves enough money to get their father home."

Strange Arrival & The Spooky Cottage

• Arriving at the dark, powerless cottage, the children scavenge for firewood and accidentally use branches from the old yew tree outside—a fateful choice.

Encounter with 'Uncle Giles' & The Ghostly Tale

• The real Uncle Giles arrives, both mysterious and stern, and immediately asks if they've had any "bad encounters"—with the ghost.
  • [Giles Foster, 04:55]: "Yes, with the ghost."
• Giles tells the story of the Woodman's ghost:
  • A woodman who died mysteriously, hanging from the yew tree, unable to rest until someone solves the riddle of his death.
  • There is a "penalty" for guessing wrong: eternal haunting.
  • [Giles Foster, 07:23]: "The Woodman's ghost will return night after night and harass you until you're half out of your mind with fear."

Solving the Enigma

• The children brainstorm possible answers in enigma-style, gradually deducing the woodman's motives.
• Jill famously realizes the solution:
  • [Jill, 09:36]: "Mistletoe. He was climbing the tree to get some mistletoe so that he could have an excuse to kiss the spinster. And he slipped and fell and got caught in the fork of the branch."
  • [Giles Foster, 09:45]: "At last, at long last, the Woodman's ghost be able to close his eyes and go to his rest."

The Ghost Appears & The Truth Revealed

• A ghostly figure enters, but is revealed to be the real Uncle Giles, arriving late after his car broke down.
  • [Giles Foster, 10:37]: "I'm your Uncle Giles."
  • The true supernatural Woodman vanishes, his riddle solved at last.
  • The episode leaves a playful ambiguity about whether the ghost was ever really there.

Resolution & Wholesome Ending

• Uncle Giles surprises the children with a new home computer—the tool they need to make their video game dream a reality.
  • [Giles Foster, 12:15]: "Tara," he cried, gesturing towards a desk. On it was a brand new home computer.
• The siblings agree on the perfect game to create: "The Woodman’s Enigma."
  • [Colin & Jill, 12:56]: "'You mean the game called the Woodman’s Enigma?' 'That’s the one,' said Jill."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [00:41 | Jill]: "Oh, Colin, that's an old one."
  Sums up the sibling banter and the theme of familiar stories getting a new twist.

• [04:55 | Giles Foster]: "Yes, with the ghost."
  Abruptly introduces the episode’s supernatural element.

• [07:23 | Giles Foster]: "The Woodman’s ghost will return night after night and harass you until you’re half out of your mind with fear."
  A classic chilling warning in the tradition of ghost stories.

• [09:36 | Jill]: "Mistletoe. He was climbing the tree to get some mistletoe so that he could have an excuse to kiss the spinster..."
  The clever 'aha' moment that resolves the story.

• [10:37 | Giles Foster]: "I'm your Uncle Giles... Sorry I wasn't there to meet you."
  The supernatural twists back to mundane reality, in true radio drama style.

• [12:15 | Giles Foster]: “Tara.”
  Simple, joyful exclamation upon revealing the children's prize and launching the real "enigma": writing their game.

Important Timestamps

• 00:12 – 02:46: Children’s arrival, family backstory, and their secret plan.
• 04:27 – 07:00: Uncle Giles’ ghost story and the ghost’s curse.
• 07:18 – 09:45: Children’s riddle-solving sequence and the "mistletoe" revelation.
• 09:57 – 10:50: The ghost’s appearance and Uncle Giles’ real arrival.
• 12:15 – 13:09: The reveal of the home computer and the siblings’ hopeful plan for the future.

Summary Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is classic radio drama steeped in nostalgia, gentle suspense, and cozy spookiness, with clever dialogue and sibling camaraderie. The tone is warm yet eerie—a family ghost story that ends on a heartwarming, hopeful note. Listeners are left with a sense of childhood imagination and the magic of storytelling around a fireside.

Final Note

The Woodman’s Enigma is a fine example of how the Golden Age of Radio wove together the supernatural and the everyday, delivering both chills and comfort—just in time for Christmas.