Classic collections
Charlotte Brontë (Author)
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Anne Brontë (Author)
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Emily Brontë (Author)
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Rachel Joyce (Author)
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Juliet Aubrey (Read by)
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Ella Kendrick (Read by)
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Tom Burke (Read by)
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Lesley Sharp (Read by)
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Jemima Rooper (Read by)
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Anna Maxwell-Martin (Read by)
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Full Cast (Read by)
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Emma Fielding (Read by)
The complete canon of the Brontë sisters' classic novels, dramatised by bestselling author Rachel Joyce
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Orphan Jane falls in love with the enigmatic Rochester, but he is concealing a dark secret.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
On the bleak Yorkshire moors, Heathcliff and Cathy’s elemental passion runs wild – but their obsession has devastating consequences.
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
Determined to make her way in the world, penniless young Agnes Grey becomes a governess.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Gentleman farmer Gilbert Markham is powerfully drawn to Helen Graham, the mysterious resident of Wildfell Hall.
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
A poignant tale of friendship, romantic entanglements and turbulent times, set in Yorkshire in 1811.
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
Leaving England to teach in Villette, Lucy Snowe experiences the pangs of unrequited love.
The Professor by Charlotte Brontë
As a teacher at a boarding-school in Belgium, William Crimsworth encounters trouble and true love.
Adapted by Rachel Joyce, these radio dramas boast star casts including Ellie Kendrick, Amanda Hale, Tom Burke, Lesley Sharp, Paul Venables, Robert Lonsdale, Anna Maxwell Martin, Ben Batt and Chloe Pirrie.
Also included is a one-hour bonus programme featuring Rachel Joyce in conversation with producer Tracey Neale.
Charles Dickens (Author)
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Geraldine McEwan (Read by)
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Alison Steadman (Read by)
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Andrew Scott (Read by)
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Kenneth Cranham (Read by)
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Ian Holm (Read by)
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Ian McKellen (Read by)
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Robert Lindsay (Read by)
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Full Cast (Read by)
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Indira Varma (Read by)
Enthralling radio dramatisations of eight of Charles Dickens' much-loved novels.
Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned authors of all time, and this second digital volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes eight of his classic novels.
This collection includes the epic masterpiece David Copperfield, described by Dickens as his ‘favourite child’; suspenseful mystery Bleak House; Dickens’ most openly political novel, Hard Times and Little Dorrit, a sweeping tale of imprisonment, poverty and riches. Also included are A Tale of Two Cities, set during the French Revolution; coming-of-age novel Great Expectations; sweeping satire of wealth and corruption Our Mutual Friend and Dickens’ final, unfinished story The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
With a star cast including Robert Glenister, Robert Lindsay, Honeysuckle Weeks, Kenneth Cranham, Sir Ian McKellen, Alison Steadman, Geraldine McEwan, Andrew Scott and Ian Holm, these radio adaptations bring Dickens’ imaginative world to colourful, captivating life.
Track listing:
1-20: David Copperfield
21-25: Bleak House
26-29: Hard Times
30-34: Little Dorrit
35-39: A Tale of Two Cities
40-45: Great Expectations
46-65: Our Mutual Friend
66-70: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Jane Austen (Author)
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David Tennant (Read by)
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Julia McKenzie (Read by)
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Benedict Cumberbatch (Read by)
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Juliet Stevenson (Read by)
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Eve Best (Read by)
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Jenny Agutter (Read by)
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Toby Jones (Read by)
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Full Cast (Read by)
A collection of BBC radio full-cast dramatisations of Jane Austen's six major novels Jane Austen is one of the finest writers in the English language, and this volume includes all six of her classic novels.
Mansfield Park: On a quest to find a position in society, Fanny Price goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle.
Northanger Abbey: Young, naïve Catherine Morland receives an invitation to stay at the isolated Gothic mansion Northanger Abbey.
Full chapter listing:
Chapters 1-10: Mansfield ParkChapters 11-13: Northanger AbbeyChapters 14 and 15: Sense and SensibilityChapters 16-18: Pride and PrejudiceChapters 19 and 20: EmmaChapters 21-23: Persuasion
Sense and Sensibility: Forced to leave their family home after their father's death, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood try to forge a new life at Barton Cottage.
Pride and Prejudice: Mrs Bennet is determined to get her five daughters married well, so when the wealthy Mr Bingley and his friend Mr Darcy move into the neighbourhood her hopes are raised…
Emma: Emma Woodhouse declares she will never marry, but she is determined to find a match for her friend Harriet.
Persuasion: Eight years ago, Anne Elliot rejected a marriage proposal from a handsome but poor naval officer. Now her former love has returned…
With an all-star cast including David Tennant, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julia McKenzie, Jenny Agutter, Toby Jones, Eve Best and Juliet Stevenson, these BBC radio adaptations are full of humour, romance, love lost and love regained.
Virginia Woolf (Author)
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Juliet Stevenson (Read by)
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Vanessa Redgrave (Read by)
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Robert Glenister (Read by)
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Laura Fraser (Read by)
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Kristin Scott-Thomas (Read by)
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Fenella Woolgar (Read by)
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Full Cast (Read by)
The collected BBC radio adaptations of Virginia Woolf’s pioneering modernist novels, with star casts including Kristin Scott-Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Juliet Stevenson, Laura Fraser, Robert Glenister and Fenella Woolgar.
The Voyage Out
A sea voyage to South America turns into a journey of self-discovery for naïve Rachel Vinrace. Starring Laura Fraser, Rebecca Johnson and Bertie Carvel.
Night and Day
In pre-First World War London, aristocrat Katharine Hilbery and suffragette Mary Datchet have their assumptions about love challenged. Starring Kristin Scott-Thomas.
Mrs Dalloway
Virginia Woolf’s masterpiece charts one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, as she prepares to host an important party. Starring Fenella Woolgar.
To the Lighthouse
Centring around a summer home on Skye, Virginia Woolf’s landmark tale follows the Ramsay family and their guests before and after World War I. Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Juliet Stevenson and Robert Glenister.
Orlando
The adventures of time-travelling, gender-swapping poet Orlando, who is born male in Elizabethan England and dies female over 300 years later. Starring Jennie Stoller and David McAlister.
The Waves
In this radical ‘play-poem’, six characters look back on their childhood and first forays into adulthood, and reflect on the loss of their friend Percival. Starring Geraldine James and Anna Massey.
Between the Acts
An eccentric artist devises a pageant celebrating English history – but it is 1939, and the shadow of war hangs over England’s present. Starring Sarah Badel.
William Shakespeare (Author)
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David Tennant (Read by)
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Helena Bonham-Carter (Read by)
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Martin Jarvis (Read by)
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Anne-Marie Duff (Read by)
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Miriam Margolyes (Read by)
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Full Cast (Read by)
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Siân Phillips (Read by)
Eight full-cast BBC Radio productions of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies
Full of merriment, mayhem, mischief and mistaken identity, here are eight iconic radio productions of Shakespeare's most magical comedies, featuring star casts and introduced by Sir Richard Eyre.
Much Ado About Nothing
Shakespeare's delightful comedy sparkles with the verbal sparring of our two reluctant lovers in a world where nothing is quite what it seems. David Tennant and Samantha Spiro star as Benedick and Beatrice.
As You Like It
The Forest of Arden resonates with declarations of love in this joyous pastoral comedy, starring Helena Bonham Carter as Rosalind, David Morrissey as Orlando and Natasha Little as Celia.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
In this delightful comic fantasy, four young lovers and a troupe of actors have a bewitching encounter with Fairyland. Starring David Threlfall as Theseus/Oberon, Sylvestra Le Touzel as Titania/Hippolyta and Amanda Root as Hermia.
The Merchant of Venice
Shakespeare's thrilling courtroom drama explores the eternal themes of love and hate, mercy and justice. Starring Warren Mitchell as Shylock, with Martin Jarvis as Antonio, Juliet Aubrey as Portia and Samuel West as Bassanio.
Twelfth Night
On the night when all the world is turned on its head, girls become boys and women lust after women, in this most optimistic of Shakespeare's comedies. Michael Maloney stars as Orsino and Anne-Marie Duff as Viola.
The Tempest
A ship at sea and an enchanted island are the settings for this allegorical tale of betrayal, sorcery, revenge and reconciliation. Starring Philip Madoc as Prospero and Nina Wadia as Ariel.
The Taming of the Shrew
Farce, disguise, elaborate role-playing and acerbic exchanges of wit combine to make up an extraordinary love story that still sparks controversy 400 years after it was written. Gerard McSorley stars as Petruchio and Ruth Mitchell as Katherina.
All's Well That Ends Well
This intriguing play tells of the questionable course of action a young woman takes to win the hand of the man she loves. Emma Fielding stars as Helena, with Siân Phillips, Miriam Margolyes, Richard Griffiths and Simon Russell Beale.
Oscar Wilde (Author)
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Judi Dench (Read by)
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Martin Clunes (Read by)
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Michael Sheen (Read by)
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Miriam Margolyes (Read by)
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Full Cast (Read by)
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Martin Jarvis (Read by)
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Diana Rigg (Read by)
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Stephen Fry (Read by)
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Ian McKellen (Read by)
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Simon Russell Beale (Read by)
The collected BBC radio productions of the major works of Oscar Wilde, plus bonus play by Neil Bartlett
Loved for his flamboyant personality, sparkling wit and brilliant epigrams, Oscar Wilde was a comic genius and a literary icon.
This collection reflects the many facets of his dazzling talent. Here are dramatisations of his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, a Gothic tale of a gilded aristocrat who makes a dangerous pact, as well as four scintillating social comedies – Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband. Among the distinguished casts are Ian MacDiarmid, Joely Richardson, Edward Fox, Diana Rigg, Martin Clunes, Michael Hordern and Judi Dench.
Moving examples of his correspondence are revealed in The Letters of Oscar Wilde and De Profundis, read by Simon Callow and Simon Russell Beale respectively, and his most famous poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, is performed live by stars including Ian McKellen, Neil Tennant and Stephen Fry.
In addition, a bonus drama, In Extremis by Neil Bartlett, starring Corin Redgrave and Sheila Hancock, reimagines Oscar Wilde's hastily arranged sitting with a society palm reader, a week before the trial that would cost him so dearly.
Angela Carter (Author)
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Anton Lesser (Read by)
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Full Cast (Read by)
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Fiona Shaw (Read by)
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Andrew Sachs (Read by)
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Jessica Raine (Read by)
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Susannah Clapp (Read by)
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Roisin Conaty (Read by)
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Lewis Fiander (Read by)
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Ariyon Bakare (Read by)
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James Anthony Rose (Read by)
Angela Carter was one of the most important writers of the 20th Century. A pioneer of British magical realism, her work was described by Salman Rushdie as 'without rival and without equal'. Her radical, inventive novels influenced countless writers, while her dark, sensual short fiction turned traditional fables inside out, giving women the power over their desires and fates.
Susannah Clapp, Angela Carter's literary executor and friend, introduces the productions and offers fascinating insights into Angela Carter's life and work.
This landmark collection includes five new dramatisation of stories from her iconic collection of fairytales retold, The Bloody Chamber. Alongside the title story are 'The Erl-King', 'Wolf-Alice', 'The Tiger's Bride' and 'The Company of Wolves', with casts including Sophie Cookson, Ariyon Bakare, Lily Lesser, Hannah Genesius and Adjoa Andoh. A sixth tale from The Bloody Chamber, 'Puss in Boots', is adapted by Carter herself and stars Andrew Sachs as Puss.
Also included is an adaptation of Carter's award-winning Nights at the Circus, starring Roisin Conaty as Cockney trapeze artist Sophie Fevvers, and the world premiere of her unproduced screenplay The Christchurch Murder. Based on the real-life story of two New Zealand schoolgirls who killed for love, it was an inspiration for the Peter Jackson film Heavenly Creatures, and stars Fiona Shaw, Nancy Carroll and James Wilby.
Accompanying these are three thrilling radio plays: the Gothic Vampirella (starring Jessica Raine and Anton Lesser); the hallucinatory drama-documentary Come Unto These Yellow Sands (featuring James Anthony Rose as patricidal painter Richard Dadd); and an exploration of the life of Ronald Firbank, A Self-Made Man (with Lewis Fiander as Firbank).
Finally, Liza Ross reads the short story 'Lizzie's Tiger', originally commissioned for radio, in which the four-year-old Lizzie Borden has an extraordinary encounter at the circus.
A bonus documentary, Third Ear: Angela Carter, comprises Paul Bailey's lively interview with the author, recorded shortly before her death in 1992. In it, she discusses her novel Wise Children, and examines the impact of Britishness, politics, and the oral tradition on her subversive writing.
Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Bloody Chamber
3 The Erl-King
4 Wolf-Alice
5 The Tiger's Bride
6 The Company of Wolves
7 The Christchurch Murder
8-9 Nights at the Circus (in two parts)
10 Vampirella
11 Come Unto These Yellow Sands
12 Puss in Boots
13 A Self-Made Man
14 Lizzie's Tiger
15 Third Ear: An Interview with Angela Carter
Credits
Linking material by Susannah Clapp was produced by Caroline Raphael at Dora Productions.
The Bloody Chamber stories, The Christchurch Murder, Vampirella and Come Unto These Yellow Sands were produced by Fiona McAlpine at Allegra Productions.
All other programmes produced by the BBC.
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Wilkie Collins (Author)
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Harry Lloyd (Read by)
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John Sharp (Read by)
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Full Cast (Read by)
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Abigail Docherty (Read by)
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Sophie Thompson (Read by)
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Toby Stephens (Read by)
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David Suchet (Read by)
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Marcia Warren (Read by)
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Ronald Pickup (Read by)
BBC radio productions of the finest works of Wilkie Collins: sensation novelist, early master of the mystery story, and pioneer of detective fiction
Wilkie Collins was one of Victorian England's best-loved and best-selling authors, and a crime fiction pioneer. His enthralling 'sensation novels' such as The Woman in White paved the way for today's thrillers, and his tour de force The Moonstone is one of the first, and greatest, modern detective stories.
This collection features dramatisations of these two masterpieces, with star casts including Toby Stephens (The Woman in White) and John Sharp (The Moonstone). Also included are adaptations of three of Collins' other major novels: No Name, The Law and the Lady and The Haunted Hotel, starring Sophie Thompson, Abigail Docherty and Henry Lloyd respectively.
Collins was a prolific short story writer, and included here are a number of his shorter tales, such as a full-cast dramatisation of the ghost story 'Mad Monkton', starring Gary Bond, and readings of five tales of suspense: 'The Dream Woman' (read by David Suchet), 'The Biter Bit' (read by John Rowe), 'A Terribly Strange Bed' (read by Paul Daneman), 'The Stolen Letter' (read by Garard Green) and 'The Dead Hand' (read by Peter Marinker). Plus, the darkly comic 'Mrs Badgery' is read by Christopher Harper, while Ronald Pickup reads the murder mystery 'Who Killed Zebedee?', taken from the 1887 short story collection Little Novels. There are also dramatisations of five additional Little Novels tales: 'Miss Jeromette and the Clergyman', 'Mr Marmaduke and the Minister', 'Miss Bertha and the Yankee', 'Miss Morris and the Stranger' and 'Mr Percy and the Prophet', all starring Ronald Pickup as Wilkie Collins.
A lifelong friend of Charles Dickens, Collins collaborated with him on several works including 'A House to Let', which was co-written by Collins, Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Proctor. Marcia Warren stars in an adaptation of this exciting tale of secrets and intrigue.
Finally, in Night Waves: The Woman in White, Matthew Sweet joins Simon Callow, Kate Summerscale, Paul Lewis and Lisa Appignanesi to discuss the groundbreaking novel that catapulted Collins to literary stardom, exploring its lasting influence and asking how it stands up today.
Contents
1. The Woman in White
2. No Name
3. The Moonstone
4. The Law and the Lady
5. The Haunted Hotel
6. 'Mad Monkton'
7. 'The Dream Woman'
8. 'The Biter Bit'
9. 'A Terribly Strange Bed'
10. 'The Stolen Letter'
11. 'The Dead Hand'
12. 'Mrs Badgery'
13. 'A House to Let'
14. 'Who Killed Zebedee?'
15. 'Miss Jeromette and the Clergyman'
16. 'Mr Marmaduke and the Minister'
17. 'Miss Bertha and the Yankee'
18. 'Miss Morris and the Stranger'
19. 'Mr Percy and the Prophet'
20. 'Night Waves: The Woman in White'
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Evelyn Waugh (Author)
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Jeremy Front (Author)
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Full Cast (Read by)
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Kieran Hodgson (Read by)
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Emilia Fox (Read by)
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Tom Hollander (Read by)
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Ben Miles (Read by)
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Anne-Marie Duff (Read by)
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Toby Jones (Read by)
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Rory Kinnear (Read by)
,
Tim McInnerny (Read by)
,
Paul Ready (Read by)
Evelyn Waugh is one of the pre-eminent English novelists of the 20th Century. This collection comprises six of his finest works, dramatised by award-winning writer Jeremy Front.
Decline and Fall
Paul Pennyfeather, an earnest, scholarly Oxford student, knows nothing of 1920's high-life - until one night he encounters The Bollinger Club... This darkly comic romp set in the early Jazz Age stars Kieran Hodgson, John Sessions, Emilia Fox and Tom Hollander.
Brideshead Revisited
During the Second World War, a disillusioned Captain Charles Ryder finds himself posted to Brideshead Castle: the scene of the happiest years of his life and the beginnings of his friendship with Sebastian Flyte. A classic tale of life, love and a forgotten era, starring Ben Miles, Jamie Bamber, Anne-Marie Duff and Toby Jones.
Scoop
Hapless journalist William Boot is mistakenly sent to report on a war in Africa, where he finds love and ends up in the middle of a revolution... Waugh's celebrated satire of newspaper life stars Rory Kinnear and Tim McInnerny.
Sword of Honour (The Waugh Trilogy)
This three-part dramatisation of Waugh's satirical masterpiece follows the comic adventures of Guy Crouchbank during World War II. In Men at Arms, Guy is scarred by a broken marriage and searching for a purpose to live. When war breaks out, he feels he may have at last found a cause worth fighting for. Officers and Gentlemen sees Guy sent home in disgrace following a misbegotten raid in Dakar. But his next posting takes him somewhere totally unexpected... In Unconditional Surrender, Guy is beginning to lose his idealism about the war - but his military career is revived with selection for a mission to Italy.
Winner of Best Audio Drama (Adaptation) at the 2014 BBC Audio Drama Awards, this moving trilogy stars Paul Ready as Guy with Tim McInnerny as the Narrator, Tim Pigott-Smith as Brigadier Ritchie-Hook, Lee Ingleby as Trimmer and Lydia Leonard as Virginia.
Text copyright © Evelyn Waugh 1928 (Decline and Fall), 1938 (Scoop), 1945 (Brideshead Revisited), 1952 (Men at Arms), 1955 (Officers and Gentlemen), 1961 (Unconditional Surrender). All rights reserved.
Dramatised by Jeremy Front
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 October-10 November 2013
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
