What happens
In this Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's story The Birds, broadcast on July 20, 1953, and starring Herbert Marshall, a London publisher and his editor Jenkins read a manuscript left by an unknown author, John Waite. Waite recounts how the birds around his house on the Dover coast turned restless and then violent. One night a bird scratches his hand at his window, and the next morning a bedroom is filled with attacking birds. Waite describes the growing danger as reports of bird attacks spread across the country and the authorities issue warnings to householders. The story follows the family as they barricade their house and listen to the news.
London and a small house on the Dover coast, England
Characters: John Waite, Jenkins, Meg, Mrs. Dobbs, Jill, Chippekins, Mr. Bell, Peter Jiggins
Listen for: Waite's account of the birds' attacks on his house and the family's barricade against them
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.