Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (1850 – 1893) was a 19th-century French author, and master of the short story, renowned for depicting human lives, destinies and social forces. A protégé of Gustave Flaubert, he wrote 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse. Maupassant is considered a father of the modern short story, and this excellent BBC radio adaption of several of his stories, adapted and translated by Simon Scardifield, uses the setting of a modern Parisian coffee shop. Mathilde the proprietor is whistled at by a man in an apartment opposite and takes him a coffee. He has no money and never leaves his home, so repays her by telling stories. This continues for several days - a different story each day. The man, Guy, apparently has syphilis, and his mental state is deteriorating. In his later years, Guy de Maupassant himself developed a constant desire for solitude, a fear of death and a paranoia of persecution caused by the syphilis he had contracted in his youth. The several stories all involve interplays on human emotions, and include tales involving a lonely widow, a girl with multiple relationships amongst members of a male rowing team, and a huntsman keen to seduce the frustrated wife of a noble colleague. In this drama Scardifield used adaptations of the Maupassant stories "A Strange Night Out", "Mouche", "Laid To Rest", "Cockcrow" and "Le Horla" - all focusing on the consequences of reckless lifestyles and the risks involved in the hedonistic days of "Belle Epoque Paris".

Cast included Elliot Cowan, Holli Dempsey, Colin Ryan, Alexandra Hannant, Gunnar Cauthery, Ruth Everett, Matthew Durkan, Lloyd Thomas and Simon Scardifield. Directed by Gemma Jenkins. First broadcast June 2022.