The Stone Tape (1972 TV Movie)

Iain Cuthbertson: Roy Collinson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Roy Collinson : These walls are a lot older than the rest of the house. They've just been - built onto. In fact, they must have been knocked down and rebuilt and generally messed about a lot in the last thousand years. Oh, yes. The foundations might be Saxon.

• Roy Collinson : [Talking to Brock about Jill Greely]  I've only admired her from afar but... I'd say she's the type that... hurts easily.

• Roy Collinson : Rats wouldn't have left that Spam. They'd have chewed those tins open in no time.

• Peter Brock : Colly. Computer storage room. When do we get it?

  Roy Collinson : There've been... problems.

  Peter Brock : [leaning close in, clearly annoyed]  You were here to solve them. How far have they got with it? Colly, how much have they done?

  Roy Collinson : Nothing.

• Roy Collinson : I was up in town last week. Dropped in on the legal department. One or two things I wanted to clear up about the house here - covenants and so on. They've got boxes and boxes of stuff - passed over by the trustees, I suppose. I brought one back. One or two curiosities in it. How d'you like this?

  [He takes out a document] 

  Roy Collinson : Application for the holding of a service of exorcism.

  Peter Brock : What?

  Roy Collinson : August 1892. Full record of the alleged haunting. Evidence, I suppose.

  Peter Brock : Louisa Hanks...

  Roy Collinson : That was her. There's even a report of her death.

  [hands Brock a clipping] 

  Peter Brock : 1890.

  Roy Collinson : Two years before.

  Peter Brock : [reading the clipping]  "Sad mishap at Taskerlands. Louisa Hanks, an under maid in the employ of Mr Horace Tasker, yesterday fell to her death from a flight of steps while engaged about her duties". That's all.

  Roy Collinson : Pretty good press for an under-maid in those days.

  Peter Brock : And they thought that she...?

  Roy Collinson : More than thought. They kept a note of all the times and dates, went on doing it for ages afterwards. You see, the ghost-laying didn't take.

  Peter Brock : [now realizing the gravity of the situation]  Have you seen it?

  Roy Collinson : [shakes his head]  Only heard.

• Jill Greeley : [reading the text being generated]  Pray? Prayer?

  [Dr. Collinson suddenly becomes panicked] 

  Roy Collinson : IT'S IN THE COMPUTEEERR!