M R James is a well known raconteur of Ghost Stories in the British tradition. A thoroughly Victorian gentlemen, as a professor at Cambridge, he would entertain his students with a story at Xmas. His works have been compiled in various printed collections, and the BBC has made some cracking films out of the narratives.

Purely by chance I discovered a small outfit called the Nunkie Theatre Company in that same town which does performances of the stories. The one actor, Robert Lloyd Parry, delivers the narrative in an environment which is selected for an appropriate atmosphere, and I did get to see the production of "a Pleasing Terror" in the Unitarian Church in Cambridge in March. Parry bears a very strong resemblance to photographs of James, but, then I suppose he should because he is an actor.

The scene was set with contemporary music on the Church organ and the room was lit with several candles. During the performance Parry systematically put the candles out one by one to build up the gloom. And he tells the stories, just as they were told a century ago.

This particular set was of two stories, one called "Canon Alberic's scrapbook, and the other called "the Mezzotint". The sixty strong audience sat in the church pews and there was an intermission break in the middle, with each story lasting about forty minutes: enough to fill up each side of a C90 cassette tape {what's one of those, Dad?}.

An unusual evening's entertainment, requiring silence and concentration on our part. The only interruptions were the sound of traffic outside, and I reckon, without that, it would have been well spooky. If you can sit still for three quarters of an hour, it's recommended.

Nunkie are at www.nunkie.co.uk and do occasional tours of the country.