BBC's 'Late Night Horror' (1967): Rediscovered Episodes of the Series Axed for Being Too Shocking

In 1967, the BBC anthology series Late Night Horror was canceled after only six episodes, reportedly due to complaints about its shocking content. Producer Harry Moore had instructed his staff to emphasize suspense and horror, writing in a memo, "If there is blood, let's see the blood." The series was part of BBC's early color broadcasting efforts, which also included Thunderbirds, The Avengers, and The Benny Hill Show. Most episodes were erased by the BBC for tape reuse, but in 2016, archivists found a black-and-white film copy of "The Corpse Can't Play," written by John Burke, about a children's party that turns deadly. In 2025, another episode, "No Such Thing as a Vampire" by Richard Matheson, was rediscovered. Four episodes remain missing, including "William and Mary," based on a Roald Dahl story previously adapted for Way Out (1961) and later for Tales of the Unexpected (1979). The show's legend persists, fueled by its chilling opening sequence and the scarcity of surviving material.