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Set in a small Scottish seaside town in 1967, Edward Boyd's six-part serial thriller 'The Candle of Darkness' follows Steve Gardiner, a hip Londoner and Korean War veteran. Played by Teddy Johnson, Steve arrives in town amid a series of murders by a killer known as ‘The Kind Man’. The locals, gripped by fear, respond with hostility, even nearly lynching Steve upon his arrival.
Seeking his old friend Jimmy Morton (Jimmy Logan), Steve finds Jimmy and his father Wilfred (Leonard Maguire) behaving oddly. Tensions rise when Steve hears a poet’s ghostly voice, a voice Jimmy also claims to hear, identifying it as Francis Lennox, his friend from a Korean POW camp. Steve must unravel the disturbing connections between the wartime past and the present murders, racing against time to end the killer's reign of terror. The tension and psychological depth make it a gripping narrative about trauma, guilt, and the quest for truth.
Other key characters include:
- Mrs. McGann (Helen Norman)
- Stella (Isobel Gardner)
- Delia Dewar (Effie Morrison)
- Detective Inspector Gordon (Moultrie R. Kelsall)
Produced by Eddie Fraser, the series first aired on BBC Home Service in March 1954 and was re-recorded for broader broadcast in July 1967. The serial's noir-like style and direct address to the audience by Steve add to its unique storytelling approach.