Chocky, the classic John Wyndham novel first published in Amazing Stories in 1963, has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra this weekend.

First an apology — we almost missed this in the listings, and we’re big fans of all things John Wyndham, not just Triffids. Chocky has been broadcast as recently as midnight, but if you weren’t up and listening, it’s on iPlayer for the next 29 days. If your knowledge of John Wyndham stops at Triffids, or a vague awareness of his influence on Doctor Who, you’ll find Chocky to be very different, as the synopsis suggests:

12-year-old Matthew Gore sparks concern for his parents when he appears to develop an intelligent, persistent imaginary friend whom he calls Chocky.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that, far from being imaginary, Chocky is a very real alien intelligence.

But then Matthew comes to the attention of sinister government forces…

Of interest also is this is the original BBC version of Chocky first broadcast in 1968 starring Judy Bennett, Eric Thompson (creator of The Magic Roundabout) and Sheila Grant. It runs for 60 minutes, and there’s also a 90 minute version from 1998. This latter version starred, amongst others, Sacha Dhawan, now familiar as the latest incarnation of The Master alongside Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who.