The Corpse Can’t Play

The 1968 BBC series 'Late Night Horror', was the first horror show made in colour on the channel and featured stories by such luminaries as Robert Aickman (an adaptation of 'Ringing the Changes'), Arthur Conan Doyle, Richard Mattheson, Roald Dahl, H Russell Wakefield and John Burke.  Lasting only six episodes before being cancelled due to complaints and subsequently wiped, only the Burke episode remains in the form of a black and white telerecording (subsequently re-released in a colourised version)

In 'The Corpse Can't Play' the thoroughly unpleasant Ronnie (Frank Berry) is ruling the roost at his birthday party when another boy, the unpopular, but impeccably dressed, Simon (Michael Newport), arrives unannounced and immediately becomes the target of Ronnie's spite whilst, hovering in the background, are three entirely ineffectual adults, one of whom has just brought home several new gardening tools, including an axe.

Featuring some solid performances from the two main kids it's a quick and effective little shocker ably directed by Paddy Russell, one of the first female directors employed by the BBC, who had an almost peerless Wyrd Britain pedigree having worked on the 'Quatermass' TV serials before directing episodes of 'Doctor Who' - including 'Pyramids of Mars' and 'Horror of Fang Rock' - as well as 'Out of the Unknown' and 'The Omega Factor'.

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