Podcast Summary: Relic Radio Sci-Fi

Episode: The Tunnel Under The World by X Minus One

Release Date: September 8, 2025
Source Series: X Minus One (Original air date 1956; story by Frederik Pohl)
Host: RelicRadio.com

Overview

This episode features a classic science fiction radio drama, “The Tunnel Under The World,” originally written by Frederik Pohl and adapted for X Minus One. The story immerses listeners in a surreal, nightmarish world where a man, Guy Burkhart, repeatedly relives the same day—June 15th—and begins to suspect that far stranger forces are at work. As his sense of reality unravels, Burkhart discovers a horrifying truth about his world, the people in it, and his own identity.

Structure & Key Discussion Points

Note: The host does not interject or comment during the episode; the audio is a faithful rebroadcast of the old-time radio play. All notable quotes are drawn from the narrative and dialogue.

1. The Repeating Day and Unease (00:01–06:30)

• The episode opens with Guy Burkhart waking up, traumatized from a vivid nightmare of a catastrophic explosion. (“It was more real than any dream he’d ever had in his life.” [00:01])
• His wife Mary dismisses his fears, but admits to a similar dream. (“Did you say an explosion? Yes, that’s the dream I had.” – Mary, [03:08])
• Life seems slightly off: familiar faces act like strangers, commercials in the elevator are for unknown products, and the town looks “better than ever.” (Burkhart: “There’s something strange going on.” [05:43])

2. Disquiet and Deja Vu (06:30–10:00)

• Burkhart relives the same morning, with minute differences.
• People around him, including coworkers and his friend Henry Swanson, act as if they don’t know him or respond oddly to his concern (“If you'll excuse me, this is my stop.” – Henry, [04:08]; “I don't believe we've met.” – Henry to Burkhart, [03:21])
• The bizarre “new” commercials become a motif (Marlin Cigarettes: “Marlin cigarettes contain a miraculous new drug which actually gives you the sensation of smooth, creamy smoke.” [08:41])
• Miss Horn, his secretary, begins acting flirtatiously and robotically over the cigarette brand, unnervingly adhering to the peculiar advertisements. (“But Mr. Burkhart, Marlins have that soft, creamy smoke.” – Miss Horn, [10:45])

3. Cracks in the World: Discovery in the Cellar (12:19–14:19)

• At home, Burkhart’s sense of reality deteriorates further when he discovers that the walls and floor beneath his house are made of metal—not cement. (“Somebody, for a reason I can’t begin to guess, has taken this house and replaced it with a clever imitation.” – Burkhart, [13:28])
• He resolves to investigate further, realizing the world itself might be fabricated.

4. Swanson’s Revelations and The Tunnel (15:16–22:00)

• The next “morning,” Burkhart confronts Henry Swanson, who’s also trapped in the repeating day. Swanson confides that only they seem immune to the manipulation. (“It’s always June 15th, and you and I are the only ones who know it.” – Swanson, [15:15])
• Swanson shares suspicions about hypnosis, “rays,” or even Martians. (“No humans could have accomplished what they’ve accomplished…maybe Russians. Now I’m beginning to think they’re Martians.” – Swanson, [15:42])
• They discover a tunnel beneath their town—an ominous, copper-lined space with robots monitoring telescreens and analyzing test results.
  (“A tremendous panel. Dozens of telescreens, and in front of each, a servo robot…They seemed to be computing something.” – Burkhart, [17:29])

5. The Real Enemy: Advertising Madness (19:50–21:30)

• Analysis of the data reveals the truth: the town’s residents are being manipulated in a massive, repetitive marketing experiment. (“They can run the perfect test and on a whole community. Do you know what that means?” – Burkhart, [19:50])
• Burkhart realizes they are guinea pigs in a plot to perfect mass persuasion and advertising.

Notable Quote:

• “We’re guinea pigs, Henry. This whole community is one big test tube for propaganda research.” – Burkhart, [20:24]

6. Captured and the Final Shocking Truth (22:01–26:43)

• They are discovered by Dorchin, the head of the advertising agency orchestrating the horror.
• Dorchin reveals the ultimate twist: Burkhart, Swanson, and the other townspeople are not alive—they were all killed in an atomic blast, and their brain patterns have been transferred to miniature robotic replicas for use in marketing experiments.
• Burkhart’s world is merely a tiny, artificial simulation atop Dorchin’s laboratory table.
  (“You see, Burkhart, you’re already dead…We took your brain circuits and had them reduced so they could be transferred to tiny humanoid mannequins. That’s what you are, Burkhart, a tiny miniature of yourself.” – Dorchin, [25:31])

Memorable Reveal

• “The city, this whole experiment I’m conducting, is built on a tabletop.” – Dorchin, [26:43]
• The episode closes with Burkhart waking up—once again—screaming, trapped in his perpetual, manufactured day.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01 – 03:24: Opening, Burkhart’s first awakening, recurring nightmare, first suspicion.
• 04:08 – 05:43: Odd behavior of people, surreal elevator ads.
• 06:30 – 10:00: Repeating day, Miss Horn’s strange affection for “test” products.
• 12:19 – 14:19: Burkhart uncovers the metal under his home.
• 15:16 – 17:29: Henry Swanson’s confessions and explanations.
• 17:29 – 19:50: Exploring the tunnel, seeing the robots and telescreens.
• 19:50 – 21:30: Realization of mass advertising experiment.
• 22:01 – 25:31: Captured by Dorchin; the revelation that they are dead, existing only as robot test subjects.
• 26:43: Shocking conclusion; Burkhart awakens again.

Notable Quotes

• "It was more real than any dream he'd ever had in his life." – Narration ([00:01])
• "I dreamed there was a big explosion and then something sort of hit me on the head." – Mary ([03:14])
• "Are you happy with your present home freezer? Of course not. Well, the answer to your problem is a Feckle freezer." – Elevator Ad ([04:30])
• "There’s something strange going on." – Burkhart ([05:43])
• "No humans could have accomplished what they've accomplished... Now I'm beginning to think they're Martians." – Swanson ([15:42])
• "We’re guinea pigs, Henry. This whole community is one big test tube for propaganda research." – Burkhart ([20:24])
• "You see, Burkhart, you’re already dead." – Dorchin ([25:31])
• "The city, this whole experiment I'm conducting, is built on a tabletop." – Dorchin ([26:43])

Tone & Atmosphere

The tone maintains a sense of 1950s radio drama: earnest, suspenseful, and shadowed by Cold War fears of manipulation and conformity. The story builds a Kafkaesque sense of paranoia and unreality, blending science fiction horror with social satire about consumer culture and advertising. Classic radio effects and music enhance the uncanny, looping world.

Conclusion

This episode of Relic Radio Sci-Fi, via the X Minus One radio play, delivers a gripping and still-relevant tale of dystopian control, advertising overreach, and existential horror. Highly recommended for fans of classic science fiction, “The Tunnel Under The World” remains chilling in its depiction of identity lost to forces beyond comprehension.