Ken Whitmore, born in Staffordshire England in 1937, is a prolific author of radio plays, stage plays, short stories and poetry. His writing is characterised by black comedy and fantastical ideas, such as the complete disappearance of a man’s house, family and dog and the need for all mankind to jump in the air simultaneously.

His first radio play was ‘Haywire at Humbleford Flag’ in 1974 and there swiftly followed a stream of high-quality radio plays, ending with ‘The Final Twist’ in 1996 (adapted from a stage play written in collaboration with Alfred Bradley.)

Whitmore’s adaptations for radio include an eight-part adaptation of Fame is the Spur by Howard Spring. His published stage plays are Jump for Your Life, Pen Friends, La Bolshie Vita, The Final Twist and The Turn of the Screw, adapted from the story by Henry James.

Paul Donovan on TimesOnline quoted Whitmore as saying that his dearest wish is to write a drama that would stop people ironing.

Collected here are nine full-cast BBC Radio dramas from across the three decades of Whitmore’s career.

Colder Than Of Late – ‘My God! The mill band are marching through the snow up to their ankles. There’s a bonfire up the road. People linking hands and circling round the fire. Talk about pagan rites!’ Even if the villagers have been tortured by a vindictive, spiteful grasping woman, Superintendent Baxter doesn’t expect her murder to be a cause for celebration.

One of Our Commuters is Missing – Scientists have discovered the world is losing around 4 tons per year. Tom arrives home one evening to find his house missing and his neighbor’s semi now a detached residence.

A Decent British Murder – It’s Christmastime. Colonel Grace hosts a dinner party at his country manor consisting of people experienced in breaking and entering. As part of the festivities, the Colonel holds an unusual parlour game: offering a thousand pounds to the person who can get into his intruder-proof library. The catch? The room is protected by a deafening alarm, heavy security locks and a guillotine device that will slice in half anyone trying to enter unannounced. And on top of it all, there’ll be one or two rather gruesome murders. Happy Christmas, everyone and good luck…if you can stay alive, that is.

The Sport of Angels – Given the right stimulants, Dawn Bembow discovers that she can project herself through time and space. The Ministry of Defence chiefs think that she should be encouraged to investigate Russia’s military intentions, but the Prime Minister has other ideas…

The Great Times Crossword Conspiracy – Jim is keen to help his firm meet their sales targets. But nothing must interrupt the concentration of senior staff in their daily struggle with The Times crossword puzzle. Jim has a brainwave that involves a complicated scheme to complete the puzzle without actually working out the answers.

The Red Telephone Box – ‘You found his head on the doorstep? But you’re four miles away and I was talking to him only 30 seconds ago.’ Detective Inspector Cockfoster tries to keep his head while those around him are being decapitated.

The Gingerbread House – Richard’s new wife believes that his young children should face the real world of missiles, starvation and terrorists, and is determined to drive them out of Winnie-the-Pooh’s ‘Four-acre Wood’.

Winter Music – Thomas comes to Cornwall to seek peace and quiet, but the unpredictable behaviour of a beautiful young woman disturbs him. For her peace of mind, as well as his own, he tries to unravel the dark secrets of her childhood.

The Final Twist – A world-famous actor-manager is about to star in his greatest role.