Six BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

The Barchester Chronicles

Six lavish BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations of Anthony Trollope's much-loved novels, plus a bonus documentary about Trollope himself. 
 
Anthony Trollope's series of witty, gently satirical stories of provincial life are set in the fictional town of Barchester and the surrounding county of Barsetshire. With a focus on the lives, loves and tribulations of the local clergy and rural gentry, the canvas is broad and colourful, with a set of iconic characters in whose lives we become intimately involved as they grow up, grow old, and fall in or out of love and friendship across the years. 
 
The Warden: The gentle Mr Harding finds his peaceful life disrupted when his would-be son-in-law calls into question the large income he receives as warden of Barchester alms house. Starring Tim Pigott-Smith and Maggie Steed. 
 
Barchester Towers: The cathedral town is changing again, with the arrival of a new Bishop, his wife and his Chaplain from London throwing all Barchester into disarray. Starring Tim Pigott-Smith and Una Stubbs. 
 
Dr Thorne: When young heir Frank Gresham expresses his desire to marry Mary, her uncle Dr Thorne realises that a secret he has concealed for so long can no longer stay secret. Starring Iain Glenn, Pippa Haywood and Douglas Booth. 
 
Framley Parsonage: Mark Robarts, the young vicar of Framley, cannot resist the lure of celebrity beyond his own village. But his ambitious pursuits will lead him to risk his devoted wife and children, as well as his sister's happiness. Starring Pip Carter, Hattie Morahan and Kate Buffrey. 
 
The Small House at Allington: The arrival of the handsome Adolphus Crosbie causes quite a stir at Allington. There is concern for Lily Dale in her fight against scarlet fever, and Dr Crofts is a frequent visitor to the Small House. Starring Scarlett Alice Johnson and Blake Ritson. 
 
The Last Chronicle of Barset: Henry Grantley has fallen in love again, Lily's past returns to haunt her, and Mr Crawley must reckon with an angry butcher. Johnny traverses Europe trying to save Mr Crawley and meets an unexpected new friend. Starring Adam Kotz and Samuel Barnett. 
 
Also included is the documentary Trollope, in which poet Michael Symmons Roberts, who dramatised several of the books in this release, sets out to visit the places that inspired Trollope's writing - interrupted at times by Trollope (voiced by Hamilton Berstock) himself. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Anthony Trollope. 
 
The Warden 
Dramatised by Michael Symmons Roberts. 
Directed by Susan Roberts. 
Produced by Charlotte Riches. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26th January 2014. 
 
Barchester Towers 
Dramatised by Nick Warburton. 
Directed by Marion Nancarrow. 
Music composed by David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2nd-16th February 2014. 
 
Dr Thorne 
Dramatised by Michael Symmons Roberts. 
Directed by Susan Roberts. 
Produced by Charlotte Riches. 
Music composed by David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4th-18th May 2014. 
 
Framley Parsonage 
Dramatised by Nick Warburton. 
Directed &amp; produced by Marion Nancarrow. 
Music composed by David Robin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31st August - 14th September 2014. 
 
The Small House at Allington 
Dramatised by Michael Symmons Roberts. 
Directed by Gary Brown. 
Produced by Charlotte Riches. 
Music composed by David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21st December 2014 - 4th January 2015. 
 
The Last Chronicle of Barset 
Dramatised by Nick Warburton. 
Directed &amp; produced by Marion Nancarrow. 
Music composed by David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31st May - 21st June 2015. 
 
Trollope 
Presented by Michael Symmons Roberts. 
Produced by Faith Lawrence. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3rd January 2014. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Anthony Trollope (Author) Anthony Trollope (1815 – 1882) was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. He also wrote perceptive novels on political, social, and gender issues, and on other topical matters. Michael Symmons Roberts (Reader) Michael Symmons Roberts was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1963. He has published six collections of poetry and received a number of accolades including the Forward Prize, the Costa Poetry Award and the Whitbread Poetry Prize. As a librettist, his work has been performed in concert halls and opera houses around the world. An award-winning broadcaster and dramatist, he has published two novels, and is Professor of Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

A full-cast BBC radio dramatisation

The Pallisers

A sweeping radio saga of political intrigue, love affairs, financial wrangles and murder, based on the books by Anthony Trollope, creator of The Barchester Chronicles.

Beautifully acted and presented at a gallop … one of the most entertainingly vivid radio dramas I have listened to all year’

Anthony Trollope was born on 24 April 1815 and attended both Harrow and Winchester schools. His family were poor and eventually were forced to move to Belgium, where his father died. His mother, Frances Trollope, supported the family through writing. Trollope began a life-long career in the civil service with a position as a clerk in the General Post Office in London – he is also credited with later introducing the pillar box. He published his first novel, The Macdermots of Ballycloran in 1847, but his fourth novel, The Warden (1855) began the series of 'Barsetshire' novels for which he was to become best known. This series of five novels featuring interconnecting characters spanned twenty years of Trollope's career as a novelist, as did the 'Palliser' series. He wrong over 47 novels in total, as well as short stories, biographies, travel books and his own autobiography, which was published posthumously in 1883. Trollope resigned from the Post Office in 1867 and stood for Parliament as a Liberal, though he was not elected. He died on 6 December 1882.

A BBC radio adaptation of the celebrated novels about high life and low politics in Victorian England 
 
‘Beautifully acted and presented at a gallop … one of the most entertainingly vivid radio dramas I have listened to all year’ The Telegraph 
 
In this lively, radical reworking of Anthony Trollope’s famous ‘Palliser’ series, we are invited into the world of our omniscient narrator, Lady Glencora, as she introduces us to her social circle and takes us on a whirlwind tour through two decades of scandal, scheming, ambition and political powerbroking. 
 
Cora’s story starts in the 1860s, when she is just nineteen, and married to the older, conscientious politician Plantagenet Palliser. Bored and unhappy, she pines for her ex-fiancé, the wastrel Burgo Fitzgerald. However, motherhood and maturity put an end to her youthful dreams – and as her husband’s career takes off, she settles for becoming the power behind the throne. But she cannot control her children’s futures, however much she tries to guide and protect them. 
 
Nor can Cora shape her friends’ lives. Clever, politics-obsessed heiress Violet Standish, denied the opportunity to be a Member of Parliament, aspires to marry one instead – will her chosen husband listen to her advice? Newly-elected MP Phineas Finn sets his sights on a Cabinet post – but could his strict principles and weakness for the fairer sex count against him? And wealthy Bohemian widow Marie Goesler is determined to be accepted into the higher echelons of society – might a match with the elderly Duke of Omnium provide the prestige she seeks? 
 
From her unique vantage point, Cora watches her nearest and dearest take fateful decisions, make rash mistakes – and even get away with murder, as they struggle to win power and find love... 
 
This bold, pacy adaptation of Trollope’s ‘Palliser’ series stars Jessica Raine as Cora, Tim McMullan as Plantagenet, Edward MacLiam as Phineas and Melody Grove as Marie. 
 
Written by Anthony Trollope 
Dramatised by Mike Harris and Sharon Oakes 
Directed by Gary Brown and Emma Harding 
Produced by Gary Brown 
 
Cast 
Cora – Jessica Raine 
Plantagenet – Tim McMullan 
Phineas Finn – Edward MacLiam 
Burgo – Blake Ritson 
Violet/Servant – Scarlett Courtney 
Marie Goesler – Melody Grove 
Kennedy/Slide/Duke/Orlando Drought/Mr Boncasson – Neil McCaul 
Bonce/Grimes/Sailor/Servant/Popplecourt – Greg Jones 
Commons Speaker/Judge – Hamilton Berstock 
Mary Flood – Sinead MacInnes 
Finn's mother – Heather Craney 
Servant/Policeman/Usher/Johnson/Nidderdale – Ikky Elyas 
Bonteen/ Sir Gregory – Eugene O’Hare 
Lowe – Jonathan Keeble 
Fawn – Lloyd Peters 
Lopez – Mark Arends 
Emily Drought – Lucy Reynolds 
Spurgeon – Clive Hayward 
Mary – Laura Christy 
Silverbridge – Will Kirk 
Lady Mabel – Anneika Rose 
Tregear – Prasanna Puwanarajah 
Isabel – Julianna Jennings 
Mrs Boncasson – Jessica Turner 
Tifto – Sam Dale 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10 November 2019-8 March 2020

12 BBC Radio 4 full cast dramatisations

Political and romantic intrigue from Anthony Trollope, the creator of The Barchester Chronicles.

A sweeping radio saga of political intrigue, love affairs, financial wrangles and murder, based on the books by Anthony Trollope, creator of The Barchester Chronicles 
 
This epic drama follows several generations of the Palliser dynasty, as they navigate the twists and turns of political and high society in Victorian England. 
 
Wealthy aristocrat and politician Plantagenet Palliser and beautiful, spirited Lady Glencora.embark on an arranged marriage, despite her passion for the dashing but debt-ridden Burgo Fitzgerald. As her husband rises through the ranks of government, she becomes a faithful wife and mother – but her children face the same fateful choice between love and duty. 
 
Meanwhile, young Irish barrister Phineas Finn is introduced to the temptations of London life when he wins a seat in Parliament. He catches the eye of several society ladies, but fails to win their hearts. Rumours about his love life threaten his political career – and worse trouble is in store for him… 
 
Based on the six Palliser novels by Anthony Trollope, this captivating adaptation stars Ben Miles as Plantagenet, Sophie Thompson as Glencora, Conleth Hill as Phineas and David Troughton as the Narrator, with a star cast including Bertie Carvel, Juliet Stevenson, Greg Wise and Rachael Stirling.

The Duke's Children

The finest editions available of the world's greatest classics from Homer to Achebe, Tolstoy to Ishiguro, Proust to Pullman, printed on a fine acid-free, cream-wove paper that will not discolour with age, with sewn, full cloth bindings and silk ribbon markers, and at remarkably low prices. All books include substantial introductions by major scholars and contemporary writers, and comparative chronologies of literary and historical context.

The final volume in the Palliser novels, The Duke's Children (1880) is a compelling exploration of wealth, pride and ultimately the strength of love. 
Everyman hardback Classic

Plantagenet Palliser, the Duke of Omnium and former Prime Minister of England, is widowed and wracked by grief. Struggling to adapt to life without his beloved Lady Glencora, he works hard to guide and support his three adult children. Palliser soon discovers, however, that his own plans for them are very different from their desires. Sent down from university in disgrace, his two sons quickly begin to run up gambling debts. His only daughter, meanwhile, longs passionately to marry the poor son of a county squire against her father's will. But while the Duke's dearest wishes for the three are thwarted one by one, he ultimately comes to understand that parents can learn from their own children.

Barchester Towers

Be irresistibly drawn into Barchester's clerical skirmishes as Archdeacon Grantly declares war on Bishop Proudie and his retinue in Trollope's most popular novel

Start with Barchester Towers, generally reckoned to be the best, certainly the funniest

It was in [Trollope's] fifth book, Barchester Towers, in which he blended his satirical gifts with disdain for evangelical puritanism, that he found himself

His characters are real, truthfully felt and never patronised by their creator

[The] Barsetshire novels firmly established clerical intrigue as an art form in the mid-nineteenth century

Trollope is one of our greatest comic novelists, as well as having an extraordinary talent for taking you confidentially and irresistibly into the flow of his story

Be irresistibly drawn into Barchester's clerical skirmishes as Archdeacon Grantly declares war on Bishop Proudie and his retinue in Trollope's most popular novel. 
 
This 1857 sequel to The Warden wryly chronicles the struggle for control of the English diocese of Barchester. It opens with the Bishop of Barchester lying on his death bed; soon a battle begins over who will take over power, with key players including the rather incompetent Dr Proudie, his fiendishly unpleasant wife and his slippery curate, Slope. This is a wonderfully rich novel, in which men and women are too shy to tell each other of their love; misunderstandings abound; and Church of England officials are only too willing to undermine each other in the battle for power. 
 
One of Trollope's best-loved novels, it is a dazzlingly real portrayal of nineteenth-century provincial England peppered with humour, wisdom and extraordinary characters.

Doctor Thorne

'You must give up this mad idea, Frank ... there is but one course left open to you. You MUST marry money'

Literary wizardry and hilarious digs… Entertaining twists, flirtations, jiltigs, broken hearts… Wicked!

Doctor Thorne has the best plot - seduction, murder, families ruined by drink and debt - and, in the eponymous doctor, the most sympathetic and human of all Trollope's heroes

One would be hard put to name a more enjoyable Victorian novelist than Anthony Trollope

Why did Freud bother? This is so much better, and truer

There is wonderful comedy in Doctor Thorne… The book is a testament to Trollope’s belief in decency as a guide to living, and I think we are made all the better for it.

Doctor Thorne was considered by Trollope to be the best of his works – a profound examination of the relationship between money and love, as it shifts away from the city of Barchester to a more rural setting. 
 
 
Frank Gresham is bankrupt and in love. Unfortunately, the woman he loves, Mary Thorne, is illegitimate and broke. Frank's overbearing mother is against the match, insisting that Frank marry a wealthy heiress. Meanwhile, Doctor Thorne, Mary's uncle, knows a secret that could change everything - Mary is about to inherit a considerable fortune. But he wants the young lovers to make their decision unburdened by the knowledge. Will Frank succumb to family pressure, or go with his heart? 
 
 ‘The book is a testament to Trollope’s belief in decency as a guide to living, and I think we are made all the better for it’ Julian Fellows

Anthony Trollope

Tim Pigott-Smith

Samantha Bond

Dan Starkey

Chris Pavlo

David Troughton

Hattie Morahan

Robert Glenister

Barbara Flynn

James Thomason

Garard Green

Jessica Raine

Tim McMullan

Henry Goodman

Paterson Joseph

Full cast

Seven Full-Cast Dramatisations Including The Pallisers

Anthony Trollope was one of Victorian England&rsquo;s most popular and prolific authors. He worked for the Post Office while establishing himself as a writer, and is credited with introducing the pillar box to Britain. Best known for his &lsquo;Barsetshire&rsquo; and &lsquo;Palliser&rsquo; novels, he wrote over 50 works in total, including short stories, travel books, biographies and a posthumously published autobiography. Collected here are a selection of superb adaptations of his much-loved novels, as well as an original radio play by Patricia Cumper. 
 
Orley Farm &ndash; Starring Tim Pigott-Smith, Samantha Bond and Ronald Pickup, this adaptation of Trollope&rsquo;s 1861 novel is a compelling, emotional tale of disreputable lawyers, young lovers, the beautiful Lady Mason and the honourable Sir Peregrine Orme. 
 
Miss Mackenzie &ndash; Hattie Morahan stars as Margaret Mackenzie, a single woman past the bloom of youth, who inherits a fortune and is then beset by suitors who may, or may not, simply be after her money. Can she pick her way through this romantic minefield and find true happiness? 
 
The American Senator &ndash; Ruthless Arabella Trefoil wants to keep her engagement to John Morton a secret while she pursues the wealthy Lord Rufford. But fortune-hunting is a dangerous game, as she is soon to discover. Starring Robert Glenister, Anna Maxwell Martin and Barbara Flynn. 
 
John Caldigate &ndash; Disinherited by his father, a young man leaves home to seek his fortune in Australia&rsquo;s gold mines. But an unwise shipboard romance leads to trouble down the line&hellip; Jeremy Clyde stars as John Caldigate, with Margaret Wolfit as Euphemia Smith. 
 
The Pallisers &ndash; A pacy, radical reboot of Anthony Trollope&rsquo;s celebrated novels about high life and low politics in Victorian England. Jessica Raines stars as our omniscient narrator, Lady Glencora, who takes us through two decades of scandal, scheming, ambition and powerbroking. 
 
The Way We Live Right Now &ndash; When shady financier Ghassan Mehmoud recruits gullible investors for his get-rich-quick scheme, the stage is set for scandal&hellip; Henry Goodman stars in this present-day reworking of Trollope&rsquo;s satirical masterpiece about money, greed and dishonesty. 
 
Mr Trollope and the Labours of Hercules &ndash; Paterson Joseph stars in this engrossing drama based on Anthony Trollope&rsquo;s experiences in Jamaica in 1858. 
 
Credits 
Written by Anthony Trollope 
 
Orley Farm (1861) 
Dramatised by Martyn Wade 
Directed by Tracey Neale 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 December 2008-11 January 2009 
 
Miss Mackenzie (1865) 
Dramatised by Martyn Wade 
Directed by Tracey Neale 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9-16 January 2011 
 
The American Senator (1876) 
Dramatised by Martyn Wade 
Directed by Tracey Neale 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 August-4 September 2011 
 
John Caldigate (1879) 
Dramatised by D. G. Bridson 
Directed by David H. Godfrey 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 August-10 October 1976 
 
The Pallisers (1861-1879) 
Dramatised by Mike Harris and Sharon Oakes 
Directed by Gary Brown and Emma Harding 
Produced by Gary Brown 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10 November 2019-8 March 2020 
 
The Way We Live Right Now (1875) 
Adapted by Jonathan Myerson 
Directed by Jonquil Panting 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16 June-4 July 2008 
 
Mr Trollope and the Labours of Hercules 
Written by Patricia Cumper 
Produced and directed by Marion Nancarrow 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 August 2016 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Anthony Trollope: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

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