A BBC Radio 4 drama

Subterranean Homesick Blues: The Complete Series 4 and 5

The final two series of A L Kennedy's wry comic drama about love in later life 
 
In their youth, John and Maggie had a tempestuous on/off affair that ended badly. Now in their sixties, they've decided to give their romance another chance - and discovered that love doesn't get any easier when you're older but no wiser. 
 
Having survived dating and moving in together, the duo face the next big test for their relationship: tying the knot. They soon find that married life is no picnic either - even their honeymoon turns out to be more endurance test than relaxing spa break. 
 
As John worries that Maggie's getting bored with wedded bliss, he's got some work to do to save their marriage. And there are further challenges to come, in the form of lockdown and a mystery 'lurker' who seems to have set his sights on Maggie... Will the couple come through it all unscathed, and finally find their happy-ever-after? 
 
Created by award-winning writer A. L. Kennedy, this witty, engaging series stars Bill Nighy as John and Anna Calder-Marshall as Maggie. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by A L Kennedy 
Directed by Sally Avens 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Charles Dickens: A BBC Biography

A BBC radio collection celebrating Charles Dickens' life, work and influence 
 
Charles Dickens was a literary giant, second only to Shakespeare in the ranks of England's greatest writers. This extensive biographical collection looks at the man, his novels and his legacy to provide an all-round portrait of the much-loved author. 
 
Michael Eaton's five-play cycle Dickens in London, starring Samuel Barnett, Alex Jennings and Antony Sher, explores Dickens' changing relationship with the city that fired his imagination. His numerous achievements are discussed in Great Lives: Charles Dickens (featuring Armando Iannucci and Humphrey Carpenter) and In Our Time: Dickens (featuring Melvyn Bragg and guests). Sam West reads from Dickens' letters in Words and Music: Dickens's World; Simon Watts tells how the author's 1842 visit to the US became a turning point in his career in Witness History: Dickens in America; Ian Gillan takes a tour of Dickens' old home in Pride of Place: 48 Doughty Street; and in Night Waves, Philip Dodd talks to Claire Tomalin about her definitive biography, Charles Dickens: A Life. 
 
Literary Pursuits finds Sarah Dillon hunting for the story behind the story of Dickens' classic masterpiece, Great Expectations; and in The Mystery of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Frances Fyfield ponders what happened to the hero of Charles Dickens's final, unfinished novel? In Free Thinking: Dickens, Matthew Sweet and guests examine his oeuvre and the way his work connects with the present day, while Landmarks: Charles Dickens is devoted to the great author's final completed novel, Our Mutual Friend. 
 
Finally, Indian writer Ayeesha Menon finds out about her country's love affair with Charles Dickens in The Documentary: Dickens and India - Mutual Friends; and his enduring significance is explored in the five-part Radio 3 series The Writer's Dickens, in which contemporary novelists Tessa Hadley, Romesh Gunesekera, AL Kennedy, Alexander McCall Smith and Justin Cartwright consider the craft of Dickens' prose and reveal how he is both a role model and a shadow looming over their own writing. 
 
Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A.L. Kennedy

Amelia Bullmore

Robert Glenister

Bill Nighy

Sebastian Croft

Full Cast

Three Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas Starring Bill Nighy

Bill Nighy stars in these three plays by multi-award-winning author A. L. Kennedy 
 
A.L. Kennedy is a celebrated novelist, playwright, short story writer and columnist. She has won numerous UK and international book awards, including the Costa Prize, and has twice been featured on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list. A prolific writer for stage, screen and TV, she has also created several works for radio, among them this trio of dramas specially written for Bill Nighy. 
 
A Single Act &ndash; Lonely Simon (Bill Nighy) longs to bond with his vulnerable grandson Ben (Sebastian Croft), and rekindle his truncated relationship with his neighbour, Joyce (Amelia Bullmore). But although he cares for them both, he can&rsquo;t seem to connect with either. Could the magic of laughter and the &lsquo;Wilhelm scream&rsquo; bring them together? Celebrating 100 years of audio drama, this witty, poignant play pays homage to the inventiveness of radio and the world of sounds. It opens with a short introduction from Bill Nighy, talking about why this special art form is unique and what it means to him personally. 
 
Confessions of a Medium &ndash; Searching for a higher meaning to life, kindly, naive Mr Parker (Robert Glenister) moves to London, shuns conventional religion and explores the dark arts of séances and spiritualism. He believes he&rsquo;s met a spiritual guru in the guise of Mr Thomson (Bill Nighy) &ndash; but despite being a charming, erudite and mesmerising medium, Thomson is a total fraud... Based on a true story from the 1870s, this gothic, darkly comic drama explores themes of illusion, delusion and desire. 
 
Love Love Love Like the Beatles &ndash; Oliver has never been able to say those three little words &lsquo;I love you&rsquo;. Now, at his wits&rsquo; end after losing his job and wandering the streets all night, he finds a private residents&rsquo; garden and waits for the love of his life to pass by. Knowing he has a tendency to bolt when he&rsquo;s nervous, he climbs a tree &ndash; and refuses to come down until he sees Jo&hellip; This romantic comedy about a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown stars Bill Nighy as Oliver and Amelia Bullmore as Jo. 
 
A Single Act 
Simon Pratt &ndash; Bill Nighy 
Joyce Zani &ndash; Amelia Bullmore 
Ben Vane &ndash; Sebastian Croft 
Directed by Sally Avens 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2023 
 
Confessions of a Medium 
Thomson &ndash; Bill Nighy 
Parker &ndash; Robert Glenister 
Morton/Mr Gordon/Gentleman/Wilson/Waiter &ndash; Jonathan Keeble 
Mills/Butler &ndash; Andrew Westfield 
Miss Foster/Mrs Gordon/Lady No.1 &ndash; Fiona Clarke 
Miss Blackstone/Woman &ndash; Daryl Fishwick 
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris 
Pianist: Daniel Browell 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 March 2010 
 
Love Love Love Like the Beatles 
Oliver &ndash; Bill Nighy 
Jo &ndash; Amelia Bulmore 
Mrs Henderson &ndash; Brigit Forsyth 
Mrs McDonald &ndash; Maggie Fox 
Leonard &ndash; David Fleeshman 
Directed by Pauline Harris 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 June 2012 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A.L. Kennedy

Books by A.L. Kennedy

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