Some themed radio seasons go on so long that you can't remember when, or why, they began. But the current Daphne du Maurier season on Radio 4 is full of such delicious treats, spread with a delicate touch across the schedules, that I really don't want it to end.
On Saturday, it featured two fine programmes from opposite ends of the intensity spectrum. A Letter for Daphne (Radio 4) was Julie Myerson's fond recollection of a besotted time in her teens. "I was in love," she explained, "Daphne was my heroine." The proof of feeling was in the details. "I'd been to Nottingham library and taken out every single one of her books," said Myerson. "I remember, old Gollancz yellow hardbacks." The proof was also there in Myerson's gasp as she entered the room where du Maurier had written The Loving Spirit.
The Birds (Radio 4) was more straightforwardly blood-curdling. This was terrifically scary, full of icy fear and horribly thick fluttering of birds' wings, and featuring an outstanding performance from young actor Jade Williamson as Maggie.
