Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: After Supper Ghost Stories (by Jerome K Jerome)
Airdate: September 26, 2025
Host: Harold’s Old Time Radio

Episode Overview

This episode presents a radio adaptation of Jerome K. Jerome's "After Supper Ghost Stories," transporting listeners to a humorous and atmospheric Victorian Christmas Eve gathering. The story unfolds at 47 Laburnum Grove, Tooting, where a cast of merry relatives and tipsy friends regale each other with ghost stories (and tall tales), each more absurd—and comic—than the last. The episode playfully mocks Victorian ghost story conventions, blending warmth, satire, songs, and supernatural shenanigans, culminating in a farcical haunted bedroom encounter.

Key Discussion Points and Story Breakdown

1. Setting the Scene: A Victorian Christmas Eve

• [00:29] The narrator sets the stage: it is Christmas Eve, a traditional night for ghost stories.
  • “It was Christmas Eve. Though of course it's a mere matter of information. I'm sure I have no need to tell you that it is always Christmas Eve in a ghost story.” — Nephew/Main Storyteller [00:29]
• Description of a hearty supper and flowing liquor; gentle ribbing among family about appetites and pasties.
• The company is jolly—songs are sung, the punch bowl is liberally attended, and Aunt Mariah is soon asleep.

2. Christmas Revelries and Family Banter

• [02:33] The group sings humorous parodies of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and other festive songs.
• Warm descriptions of friendship, food, and Aunt Mariah being gently “tea-toweled” in an armchair to sleep off the punch.
• Witty asides and gentle mockery flow between Uncle John, Nephew, and Teddy Biffles.

3. Card Tricks and Curate’s Warnings

• [06:25] Mr. Scrubbles, the curate, attempts to teach a moral lesson about the risks of card tricks (“Find the Lady”), but the punch has dulled everyone’s skill and seriousness.
  • “That's just what I was explaining to you. That's the way foolish young fellows are lured on to lose their money.” — Mr. Scrubbles [07:09]
• The family ends up defeating the curate at his own trick, much to everyone’s drunken amusement.

4. Ghost Stories Begin

• [11:14] Teddy Biffles tells the first—"Johnson and Emily, or the Faithful Ghost"—about a lovesick ghost placated with a fake grave:
  • “He lived there quite alone, wandering about the empty rooms, weeping and calling to his Emily to come back to him..." — Teddy Biffles [15:06]
  • Ultimately, the family stages a grave for "Emily" to give Johnson’s ghost solace (and escape his irritating nightly moans).
• The story, both pathetic and comical, is met with applause, and more punch is fetched.

5. The Curate’s Bewildering Tale

• [19:00] Mr. Scrubbles attempts a ghost story, but his plot is hopelessly tangled. None can follow the threads, and he continues muttering under a tea towel.
  • “There seemed to be an enormous amount of plot and a great many varied characters.” — Nephew/Main Storyteller [19:03]
  • “If he killed anyone, we should enjoy hearing about it.” — Joe Parkinson [20:14]

6. Joe Parkinson’s ‘Haunted Mill’

• [21:18] Joe Parkinson narrates the saga of his brother-in-law and a miser’s ghost that nightly leads him to fruitless, destructive treasure hunts. The punchline: the building contractor who profits is the ghost’s descendant!
  • “The ghost had been ensuring the prosperity of his descendants at Joe's expense.” — Joe Parkinson [25:53]

7. Songs, Toasts, and More Merriment

• The company breaks into further musical numbers, lampooning each other, especially Joe, with affectionate ribaldry.

8. Mr. Coombs’ ‘The Ghost of the Blue Chamber’

• [28:16] Mr. Coombs, the host, declares his own story: the house’s Blue Chamber is haunted by a "sinful man" who killed musicians and carol singers.
  • “One of the bedrooms is haunted...on Christmas Eve. The Blue Chamber is haunted by the ghost of a sinful man. A man who once killed a carol singer with a lump of coke.” — Mr. Coombs [28:46]
• Hilariously monstrous, his ghost is blamed for numerous outlandish deaths.
  • “Not wishing to boast—there were seven, if one includes trombones.” — Ghost of the Sinful Man [38:40]

9. The Nephew Volunteers for the Blue Chamber

• [33:13] Determined to vindicate himself, the Nephew insists on sleeping in the haunted room.
  • “I will sleep in the Blue Chamber this very night.” — Nephew/Main Storyteller [33:13]
• He climbs the stairs, serenaded by Teddy and the others with a ghost-hunting song.

10. The Blue Chamber: Ghostly Encounter & Punch-Drunk Farce

• [37:30] In the haunted room, the Nephew meets the ghost—a genial, pipe-smoking figure.
  • “There, sitting patiently at the end of my bed, was the spectral shape of an elderly male party smoking a pipe.” — Nephew/Main Storyteller [37:30]
• They banter (‘You know, I never imagined a ghost smoking before.’ [38:53]) and discuss the ghosts of past victims, the bureaucratic absurdities of haunting, and the importance of tobacco habits after death.

11. Nighttime Antics and The Trousers Incident

• The Nephew, wandering with the ghost, is found by Mr. Coombs and Joe Parkinson—startling everyone by having forgotten his trousers!
  • “If you take my advice, you'll say goodbye and go back indoors. Perhaps you're not aware, sir, that you're walking about with nothing on but a nightshirt, pair of boots and an opera hat. Where's your trousers?” — Mr. Coombs [42:24]
• Chaos ensues; the Nephew returns home, rescued by his uncle from embarrassment with the police.

12. Wry Reflections and Epilogue

• The Nephew reflects—through tears—on the sight of his lost trousers, and delivers a final note:
  • “But I bear no Ophelia. I will state quite publicly and without rancor or regret that I wish all of those mentioned, even Aunt Maria, the most cordial seasonal felicitations…” [44:16]
  • “Beware, at the first mention of ghosts, turn all the lights on full and earnestly discuss the weather. May your Christmas days be full of good cheer. I recommend whiskey punch and your Christmas night, sweet and untroubled. Good night and a happy New Year.” [44:56]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It is always Christmas Eve in a ghost story.”
  — Nephew/Main Storyteller [00:29]
  Nods to the genre’s traditions with tongue-in-cheek.

• “You find Emily's grave and put him onto that, and he'll stop there. That's the only thing to do, you mark my words.”
  — Teddy Biffles [16:18]
  On solving hauntings with a touch of kindly deception.

• “There seemed to be an enormous amount of plot and a great many varied characters.”
  — Nephew/Main Storyteller [19:03]
  Dry narration when the curate’s story collapses into nonsense.

• “He'd never round upon a pal unless it filled his kick, but I've known him land a builder on the boat coat with a bricasse.”
  — Uncle John, singing about Joe Parkinson [27:13]
  Song lampooning a friend’s unpredictability.

• “I use the ghost of Best Cut Cavendish as a rule. That being what I had in life, the ghost of all the tobacco that a man smoked in life belongs to him when he is dead.”
  — Ghost of the Sinful Man [38:58]
  Absurdist logic of the supernatural world.

• “Perhaps you're not aware, sir, that you're walking about with nothing on but a nightshirt, pair of boots and an opera hat. Where's your trousers?”
  — Mr. Coombs [42:24]
  Climactic comic embarrassment and callback to the night’s overindulgence.

• “May my tale be a caution to those lucky enough to spend this season in the bosom of the family.”
  — Nephew/Main Storyteller [44:56]
  The story’s wry, affectionate message.

Important Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|--------------| | Gathering at Laburnum Grove, supper, song | 00:29–05:00 | | Card tricks and the curate’s warning | 06:25–07:52 | | “Johnson and Emily”—ghost story | 11:14–17:51 | | Mr. Scrubbles’ baffling tale | 19:00–20:56 | | Joe Parkinson’s Haunted Mill | 21:18–25:53 | | “Ghost of the Blue Chamber” | 28:16–33:13 | | Nephew volunteers for the haunted room | 33:13–34:36 | | Encounter with the Sinful Ghost | 37:30–41:16 | | The Trousers Incident & Epilogue | 41:51–44:56 |

Style and Tone

The episode maintains a playful, mock-grandiose tone in keeping with Jerome K. Jerome’s original humor. The guests’ tales oscillate from sentimental to farcical, the family repartee is affectionate but sharp, and the supernatural is always tinged with situational comedy and satire. Victorian ghost story tropes are both celebrated and lampooned.

Final Thoughts

Listeners are treated to a witty send-up of ghost story traditions, coupled with hilarious Victorian Christmas family dynamics, songs, and melodramatic hijinks. The ensemble brings the house party atmosphere to vibrant life, making for a delightful piece of radio theatre—a merry, slightly boozy, and thoroughly English take on specters and the spirit of the season.