The Horse At The Door

The utterly wonderful Isy Suttie and I have made a delightfully odd and eerily festive documentary as part of BBC Radio 4's Illuminated series. It's a weird and beautiful thing and Isy and I had a joyful time making it - and it was pick of the day in the Christmas Radio Times!

Every year's end, as the days shorten and the nights grow darker, you might be fortunate enough to hear a distinctive knock at your door. Upon opening it, you'll be met with a group of Guisers - men in disguise - here to perform their mystery play, part of the ancient Mumming tradition. There's the Enterer In, Saint George, The Prince of Paradise, The King, The Old Woman, The Quack Doctor, Beelzebub, Little Johnny Jack with his wife on his back, Little Devilly Doubt, The Groom, and The Horse.

And it's the vision of The Horse At The Door that has stayed with Isy since childhood.

Isy hasn’t seen the Guisers for over 30 years, but that horse and the clack of its jaw frightened her so much, she thinks of it often.

In The Horse At The Door, Isy will see if she can come face to face with her fears and see whether that black painted skull still holds the same magic and power. She will speak to local pub owners and residents about The Guisers habit of bursting in, to the folklorist Richard Bradley about the Derbyshire traditions of mumming and guising, to the psychotherapist Jane Watson about why we enjoy being scared, and to The Winster Guisers themselves about the traditions they are keeping alive – and the children they are scaring.

Can Isy finally look that horse in its red bulging eyes?

The Horse At The Door is written and presented by Isy Suttie

The Music is by Jane Watkins and Isy Suttie

The Sound Design is by Jane Watkins

It is produced by Laura Grimshaw

It’s a Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4.

With thanks to The Winster Guisers, Richard Bradley, Jane Watson, Colette Dewhurst at The Barley Mow, The Miners Standard and - especially - The Old Horse.