''Nightfall'' was a

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the liste ...

series produced and aired by CBC Radio from July 1980 to June 1983. While primarily a

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

/ horror series, ''Nightfall'' featured some episodes in other genres, such as science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and human drama. Some of ''Nightfalls episodes were so terrifying that the CBC registered numerous complaints and some affiliate stations dropped it. Despite this, the series went on to become one of the most popular shows in CBC Radio history,Digital Del
Brief History of Nightfall
/ref> running 100 episodes that featured a mix of original tales and adaptations of both classic and obscure

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

. ''Nightfall'' was created by producer Bill Howell, who was known at the time for his work on ''CBC Playhouse'' and the cult adventure series, '' Johnny Chase: Secret Agent of Space''. When CBC Radio was revamped and given an expanded

budget A budget is a calculation plan, usually but not always financial plan, financial, for a defined accounting period, period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including tim ...

in 1980, Howell approached the newly appointed head of radio drama, Susan Rubeš, about his idea for a

/ horror anthology series. Though not a fan of the horror genre, Rubeš greenlit the production. Bill Howell served as executive producer of ''Nightfall'' at CBC Toronto for the first two seasons. The third season was produced by Don Kowalchuk at CBC Vancouver. ''Nightfall'' featured two hosts during its run. The Toronto years (1980–1982) were hosted by "the mysterious Luther Kranst", a character created by Bill Howell and played by character actor Henry Ramer. For its Vancouver run (1982–1983), Don Kowalchuk worked with voice actor Bill Reiter to develop the character of Frederick Hende.

Production locations and people

Though series production was controlled from a central location, the anthology nature of ''Nightfall'' made it possible for episodes to be produced at CBC Radio facilities all over Canada:

CBC Toronto

No. of Episodes: 74
Frequent Actors: Elva Mai Hoover, John Stocker, Frank Perry, Sandy Webster, Ruth Springford, Marian Waldman, Neil Dainard, Hugh Webster,

Chris Wiggins Christopher John Wiggins (January 13, 1931 – February 19, 2017) was a Canadian actor. Career Wiggins was born January 13, 1931, in Blackpool, England. He started out as a banker in his home country before he began his acting career in Canada ...

, Budd Knapp, Michael Wincott, Graham Haley, David Calderisi, Colin Fox, Arch McDonnell, Nicky Guadagni, Neil Munro, Mary Pirie, Linda Sorenson
Recording Engineers: John Jessop, Ray Folcik, John Hollinger, Jan Wright, David Hoyle, Tom Shipton, Brian Wood, Keith van der Clay, Brian Pape, Derek Stubbs, John McCarthy, Greg Fleet
Sound Effects: Bill Robinson, Matt Wilcott, Kathy Perry, Stephanie McKenna, Jerry Fielding
Production Assistants: Nina Callaghan, Doris Buchanan, Nancy McIlveen, Peggy Este
Producers: Bill Howell, Paul Mills, John Douglas, Stephen Katz, Fred Diehl, Peter Boretski, William Lane, Scott Swan

CBC Vancouver

No. of Episodes: 9
Frequent Actors: William Samples, Otto Lowy, Norman Browning, Anna Hagan
Recording Engineers: Gerry Stanley, Chris Cutress, Gene Loverock, Bill Seebach
Sound Effects: Joe Silva, Jay Hireen, Chris Cutress
Production Assistants: Ann Elvidge, Dagmar Kaffanke, Loretta Joyce, Joyce Tinnion
Producers: Don Kowalchuk, John Juliani, Robert Chesterman

CBC Edmonton

No. of Episodes: 7
Frequent Actors: Brian Taylor, Graham McPherson, Nicole Evans, Gordon Mariott, Bill Meilen, Stephen Walsh, Blair Haynes
Recording Engineers: Al Lamden
Sound Effects: Eric Wagers, Deane Purves
Production Assistants: Barbara Gault
Producers: Lawrie Seligman

CBC Montréal

No. of Episodes: 4
Frequent Actors: Vlasta Vrána, Philip Akin, Timothy Webber, Earl Pennington
Recording Engineers: André Fleury, Giles LaRoche
Sound Effects: Pierre Lucie, Rene LeVois
Production Assistants: Jane Lewis, Nancy Carter
Producers: John Juliani, John Jessop

CBC Halifax

No. of Episodes: 3
Frequent Actors: Joseph Rutten, John Fulton
Recording Engineers: Rod Sneddon, Keith DeLong
Sound Effects: Dermot Kenny, Harold Porter
Production Assistants: Claire McIlveen
Producers: Elizabeth Fox, Ewan "Sudsy" Clark

CBC Calgary

No. of Episodes: 1
Frequent Actors: David Ferry, Heather Lea McCallum
Recording Engineers: Rick Fenton
Sound Effects: Norm Hurley
Production Assistants: Elaine Farner
Producers: Bill Gray

CBC St. Johns

No. of Episodes: 1
Frequent Actors: Frank Holden, Pat Vern
Recording Engineers: John Foster
Sound Effects: Wayne Hayes
Production Assistants: Noreen George
Producers: Glen Tilley

Clack Sound Studios, NYC

No. of Episodes: 1
Frequent Actors: F. Peter Lee
Recording Engineers: Tom Courtenay-Clack
Sound Effects: Tom Courtenay-Clack
Production Assistants: n/a
Producers: Tom Courtenay-Clack

Episode guide

Season One

Season Two

Season Three

Incidental Music

The incidental music from Nightfall was sourced from production music libraries such as Selected Sound and Bruton Music. Compositions from artists such as Klaus Weiss, Gerhard Trede, and Berry Lipman can be heard in various episodes throughout the series.

References

External links

Internet Archive: ''Nightfall''
- plot summaries and reviews.
Nightfall - Canadian Communication FoundationSpotify playlist of incidental music used in the series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightfall (Cbc) 1980 radio programme debuts 1983 radio programme endings Anthology radio series Canadian radio dramas CBC Radio One programs Canadian science fiction radio programs Horror fiction radio programmes 1980s Canadian radio programs