by Arnold Ridley
Directed by Nigel Kemp
Play Reading: Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 7.45pm, in the studio
Auditions: Friday 8 May at 7.45pm or Sunday 17 May at 2pm, in the theatre
Performance Dates: 22 – 31 October 2026
In later life Arnold Ridley became famous for his role as Private Godfrey in Dad’s Army, but decades earlier his classic comedy-thriller, The Ghost Train, was first produced in 1925. It has been a firm favourite with professional and non-professional theatre companies ever since. Six passengers find themselves stranded late at night in the waiting-room of an isolated Cornish railway station. Ignoring the ghostly tales and dire warnings of the stationmaster, they decide to stay where they are until morning – with terrifying consequences. Finally, all is revealed and the details of a fiendish plot are laid bare.
The original has recently been revised: “We hope that our adaptation will bring new life to a play that’s given so much enjoyment to so many people for so long.” Jocelyn and Nicolas Ridley.
This amateur production of ‘The Ghost Train (Revised)’ is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. concordtheatricals.co.uk
Characters
Saul Hodgkin | 55+. Station Master. Serious and somewhat gruff character with Cornish accent.
Richard Winthrop | Early 30s. A self-assured businessman.
Elsie Winthrop | Late 20s. An independent woman initially coming across as aloof.
Charles Murdock | Late 20s. Pleasant and amiable.
Peggy Murdock | Early 20s. Sweet natured and charming.
Miss Bourne | 60+. A spinster who plays by the rules.
Teddie Deakin | 30s/40s. A boisterous character.
Julia Price | 30s. Glamorous but disturbed woman.
John Sterling | 40+. A serious character. Doctor.
Jackson | Any age. A police officer from London.