Shadows (TV Series) The Waiting Room (1975) User Reviews

Nicely handled and spooky through and through

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 26 March 2021]

A very nice episode of SHADOWS, thoroughly spooky and playing out like a classic British ghost story in the finest tradition. I love the time slip and tragic elements of the story and the whole thing brings to mind the likes of the Dickens classic THE SIGNALMAN. Paul Henley's thoroughly annoying character spoils it a little, but Jenny Agutter is typically excellent.

A classic! Top episode of the season

[eppingdrwho · 1 August 2017]

This episode had me engrossed from start to finish. The story is one which appeals to all age groups. It is a story where youth take a key role, but where all ages truly suffer :) This is of course not a sadistic suffering but one in which every member of the cast appears to share a joint fate in that they are all touched by the same events. The two protagonists are just great, when alone together and when encountered by the supporting cast. The action takes place in one small waiting room at a Halt station. This serves to illustrate both the quality of the production and the strength of the story that it can grip the viewer so entirely. Elements such as the missed train, the disconnected phone and the dilapidated nature of the waiting room are atmospheric elements. The story appears to reach a resolution three times but never really does and the twist ending leaves the viewing wanting more. Truly a great story!

February forever

[tonyinblack · 9/10 · 19 February 2021]

Very few TV plays have managed to replicate the cosy creepiness of Fal Vale as effectively as The Waiting Room. It all looks a lot simpler than it really is, balance is everything. Jenny Agutter has rarely used her delicate beauty and grounded image better and Paul Henley's idiosyncratic delivery of certain lines is a mystery waiting to be solved. In support, George Innes treats the material with a respect that a lot of experienced actors wouldn't have and it makes him very difficult to forget. And the sound of a ringing telephone has never sounded more ominous.