Remembering West Country Tales
22 January 2025
West Country Tales is a TV series that was first aired in 1983. It ran for two series, and there were 14 episodes in total. Each episode was around 25 minutes long. The first series was allegedly based on true stories submitted in response to a request made by the BBC. Many of them had a supernatural flavour. Some sources suggest, the stories used for the second series may have been more fictitious than their predecessors. However, all the episodes that I have managed to find online, though written by professional writers, such as Josephine Poole, are stated to be based on contributions or experiences provided to the BBC.
Although I never saw the entire series of West Country Tales when the series first aired, I did see several of the episodes and particularly remember the one about Miss Constantine: a reclusive and somewhat dippy old lady who believes her house has been invaded by ghosts,
The episode about Miss Constantine has often crossed my mind over the years, causing me to want to see it again. Unfortunately, the BBC has never made the series available via DVD or Blu-ray, and, as far as I know, it was never released as a VHS or Betamax videotape—if you don’t know what these things are, don’t worry about it, you ignorance is merely shows you are not nearly so old as me. :0
However, if you have landed on this page, it’s more likely that you do remember the days video cassettes (and tangled tapes!), and the search engines have directed you to this page because you were feeling nostalgic or trying to find out if there is any way that you can watch West Country Tales.
If this is so, your visit to this blog may not be a waste of time because I’ve recently found all 14 episodes on YouTube. In many cases, the picture quality is quite poor. But that’s not surprising because they are digitised versions of episodes people recorded on video tape and it appears many of them were in poor reception areas or required larger or better-placed TV aerials.
Fortunately, one channel has uploads of all the episodes and the quality is surprisingly good. I use these in the episode guide below.
West Country Tales Episode Guide
Moving forward, I’m going to provide details about the episodes and, where available, embed a video so that, if you want to, you can watch it online.
1. The Sabbatical (Series 1, Episode 1)
I don’t Remember seeing this episode of West Country Tales, back in the 80s, and for a long time it was one of four episodes that appeared to have been lost. However, when it suddenly surfaced, a number of my site visitors got in touch to let me know things have changed. (Thanks, guys).
The Sabbatical is an eerie story of the supernatural. Keith Barron (the guy from Duty Free) stars as clergyman Anthony Shaw, who takes a holiday break in a West Country village and ends up fighting evil forces inside a disused church.
2. The Poacher (Series 1, Episode 2)
This one, I’ve seen and I really enjoyed it, but Miss Constantine’s story remains my favourite.
As the name suggests, it’s based on a contribution sent in by a poacher,played by Dave Royal. The story is set in a village, and begins in the local pub, where the poacher appears in the habit of sharing his story with people who are visiting the village. Much of the episode focuses on his life, which appears to be pretty easy, He survives by poaching and doing tasks he finds enjoyable that other people are willing to pay him to do. Things take a turn for the weird when he starts encountering a strange fire during his nighttime visits to the woods. Whenever he gets too close to the fire it disappears, but that does not prevent him from keeping on trying, and, when he finally meets the maker of the fire, it results in a life-changing experience.
Although I really enjoyed watching this episode, I have some doubts about the story’s authenticity because it doesn’t seem likely that a poacher would go blabbing his business to all and sundry in a local pub. If he did, it seems likely that it wouldn’t be long before word got to the local landowner and the local police officers.
3. The Breakdown (Series 1, Episode 3)
This episode does not have any supernatural elements at all. It’s in a similar vein to Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, except that the way it ends is unlikely to take too many viewers by surprise.
Anita Harris plays a young woman who is driving through the countryside in a green ford escort—the old-style, of course, with mirrors on the front wings. When her car breaks down, she walks to the nearest house to ask for help, which is owned by a widower, played by John Abineri, who is generally believed to have murdered his wife. Am outcast in the village, he mostly stays home and devotes much of his time to tending his garden. Perhaps not surprisingly, when he gets the chance of a little company he does his best to prolong his visitor’s stay.
4. The White Bird of Laughter (Series 1, Episode 4)
Set in the days when travelled the countryside sitting on horses instead of inside Ford Escorts, The White Bird of Paradise is about a young man (Adrian Van Den Bok) whose father is disappointed in him and sends to live in the country, hoping the experience will help him become more responsible. After taking a fall of his horse, he encounters a young woman (Gillian Miles), who takes care of him until help arrives, and then disappears. When he is fully recovered, he becomes obsessed with finding her. Eventually he does, resulting in an ill-fated romance. The White Bird of Laughter is a pretty sad story.
5. The Visitor (Series 1, Episode 5)
Set on the Cornish coast, The Visitor is one of the spookier West Country Tales Episodes. It’s also one of my favourites. Janis Winters plays Janis, a young mother who has recently left London and taken up residence in a cottage on the outskirts of a small village. Her husband spends half of his time away at sea, so for much of the time she is home alone with their 3-year-old daughter.
Things get a little creepy after Janis discovers a hidden cove, where she has a strange experience. when she returns home, she discovers her friend Fran (Joanna Foster) has come to visit, and already made herself at home, “Friend” may be to strong a word because it’s obvious Janis doesn’t even like Fran, who she originally met due to some vague alleged connection to one of her friends.
The Visitor certainly has chilling ending but, in some ways the story seems just a little too contrived. If Fran is what she finally appears to be, it seems very unlikely that Janis would have met her before leaving London. This aside, it’s still a good story.
6. The Beast (Series 1, Episode 6)
The Beast is a dark tale about a man who is called back to the farm where he grew up by his only surviving family member. While is is travelling on the train, the man, who is never named, remembers a scary childhood encounter he had in the woods. As his cousin describes the strange experiences she and her husband have had since buying the farm, it becomes clear the “beast” the man encountered in the woods is still very much alive and kicking.
7. Miss Constantine (Series 1, Episode 7)
My favourite episode from the series! In addition to being quite a fun story, it’s also delivers some chills at the end. This episode is based on an experience shared by Reverend A. R. Moss. Martyn Townsend plays the Vicar, and Wynna Evans portrays the old lady who eventually confides in, stating she’s being terrorized by young people from the authorities, who have invaded her home. For me, one of the highpoints is the scene where the vicar ushers the spooks out of Miss Constantine’s house. He can’t see them, and doesn’t believe they are there, but put’s on a wonderful show to humour his elderly parishioner. However, although he doesn’t know it, the poor vicar is in for a shock.
8. With Love Belinda (Series 2, Episode 1)
A married couple from London vacate the city after the death of their young son, David. Wanting a fresh satrt, they move to a large country house. Problems arise when their daughter, Belinda, begins insisting her brother is still around. Wendy Richard plays the mother, who gradually begins to believe her daughter is telling the truth. Martyn Townsend plays her husband, who putt it all down to his daughter’s imagination.
9. The Wit to Woo (Series 2, Episode 2)
Like The White Bird of Laughter from the first series of West Country Tales, The Wit to Woo is set during a time when people travelled by horse. Jenny Hanley plays Lavina, whose husband has little interest in her and appears to have only married her so he can get his hands on her wealth and property. Calum Browne plays her cheating spouse, Robin, whose three main interests in life are hunging, boozing, and womanizing; and makes no effort to spare Lavina’s feelings.
After trying a love potion that only succeeds in making her sick, Lavinia takes her maid’s advice and seeks the help of a local witch, who lives in the woods.
10. Tell it to The Marines (Series 2, Episode 3)
Another episode that appeared to have been lost, Tell it to the Marines is about a young soldier called Martin (Andy Hart) who hits the town one night with his commanding officer (Tom Adams). He’d have been better off staying in the barracks because the officer turns out to be poor company and very good at spending the young man’s money. The night ends when the officer picks up a woman, takes the last of Martin’s cash, and leaves. When the corporal returns the next morning, he informs Martin he has spent all night playing mothers and fathers and doesn’t care if his lover becomes pregnant because instead of his own name, he gave her Martin’s, who then has to put up with jaunts about the prospects becoming a father. In the end, it’s Martin who has the last laugh.
Tell it to the Marines is a little different to the other episodes in the West Country Tales TV series and would have been an excellent choice for Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected. However, due to brief scenes of nudity, YouTube does not permit people to watch Tell it to The Marines unless they have fist logged in.
11. Ring a Ring a Rosy (Series 2, Episode 4)
Nanette Newman plays a widow who lives in a small isolated cottage with her daughter, Rosie (Tamar le Bailly), who is very pretty but is prone to disruptive behaviour and has a nasty habit of killing animals.
When Rosie is befriended by a young student, named Paul, who offers to buy her a dog, Rosie’s mother will not permit it, resulting in a dramatic turn of events and a surprise at the end. Paul is played by Jamie Baron—Keith Baron’ son. As with many of the other episodes of West Country Tales, Keith Baron is the narrator of the story, so, in this case, father and son got to work on the same project.
12. Sarah (Season 2, Eisode 5)
This episode is set at the end of the 19th century. When a ship runs into trouble at sea, it’s not possible to launch the lifeboat in the normal way because the waves are too ferocious. Not to be beaten, a group of men carry their 2-tonne lifeboat, the Sarah, across rough country hoping to it at a sheltered bay.
13. The Little Bounder (Season 2, Episode 6)
The Little Bounder is a touching story about a family that is torn apart after the man of the house, a sailor, dies at sea, leaving his wife Rose (Gillian Miles), their two young children, and baby, without any income. Rose survives as long as she can by selling off the furniture. The only thing she keeps is a talisman, her husband gave her for luck. when all the furniture and money is gone, Rose has to place the two elder children in the care of the local workhouse. She then finds work as a maid and her employer allows her to keep the baby alongside her in the home. After she discovers the workhouse has “bound” her daughter, Lizzie, to a farmer in another village. He has paid for the child and she will have to work for him for seven years. Walking on foot with her baby in her arms, Rose makes the long trek to the Farm, where she discovers there is little hope of getting Lizzie back. Before they part she gives Lizzie her good luck charm. After that, the poor woman’s luck seems to run out. She catches a chill while traversing the damp, foggy moorland and shortly after this, she and her baby die of the fever. The rest of the episode focuses on Lizzy, now full grown, married to a shepherd, and desperate to discover the fate of her young brother.
14. The Healer (Series 2, Episode 7)
The final episode of season 2, and the last West Country Tales episode the BBC made, The Healer is about a con-man who is trying to lie low with a briefcase full of money. However, despite his desire not to attract attention, he finds it difficult to resist the temptation to use his skills on the local villagers.
There isn’t a great deal of information available online about West Country Tales. It’s pretty much a forgotten gem. Some of sites that have details about it describe it as a supernatural anthology series—or words to that effect—but, clearly it’s not. Some of the episodes, such as Breakdown and Ring a Ring a Rosie, have no supernatural elements at all. Nor do all the episodes have a dark side. The Wit to Woo, certainly doesn’t. It’s quite light-hearted, while The Little Bounder could be described as a family drama.
It would be great if the BBC could release all 14 episodes on disc, but the fact that it hasn’t done so already suggests it probably never will.
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