Weird Circle 8 - The Knightsbridge Mystery

"Out of the past phantoms of a world gone by speak again their immortal tale: The Knightsbridge Mystery."

This episode, first broadcast on October 17, 1943, is an adaptation of a novelette with the same title by Charles Reade, first published in 1882. From skimming the original text, it seems that, while the main plot is similar, the story's development was condensed, and significant subplots were excised entirely.

The story starts with the narrator-character, Captain Cowen, confessing to the murder and burglary of wealthy landowner Mr. Gardiner, and to shock at the victim sitting alive right next to him as if nothing had happened. He proceeds to describe his motives, the setup to the crime, his preparation for it, its execution, his escape, and his return to an unchanged Knightsbridge Inn.

If being a murderer wasn't bad enough, he admits to taking advantage of a mentally disabled man, and putting a woman at physical danger. Some aspects of his story hint at the roots of his own downfall.

While there is some dialogue, this particular story was moved mostly by narration, especially the lengthy description of the details of the crime. This did a good job of keeping the point of view focused on the narrator-character.