The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection

The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection

15 BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Summary

Riveting radio dramatisations of Charles Dickens' fifteen full-length novels.

Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned authors of all time, and this digital volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes fifteen of his most popular novels.

This collection includes the episodic adventure Nicholas Nickleby, comic tale The Pickwick Papers, poignant melodrama The Old Curiosity Shop, the much-loved Oliver Twist. Plus, the gripping historical novel Barnaby Rudge, picaresque comedy Martin Chuzzlewit and bittersweet tale of family relationships Dombey and Son. Also included is 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. Plus 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 their compelling plots, larger-than-life characters and vivid descriptions of Victorian life, Dickens’ stories have captivated generations of readers. These radio adaptations bring out all the hope and happiness, pathos and tragedy, satire and social realism of his seven classic masterpieces.

Among the star cast are Anna Massey, Alex Jennings, Phil Daniels, Julia McKenzie, Tim McInnerny, 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:
1-6: The Pickwick Papers
7-12: Oliver Twist
13-42: Nicholas Nickleby
43-67: The Old Curiosity Shop
68-70: Barnaby Rudge
71-80: Martin Chuzzlewit
81-100: Dombey and Son
101-120: David Copperfield
121-125: Bleak House
126-129: Hard Times
130-134: Little Dorrit
135-139: A Tale of Two Cities
140-145: Great Expectations
146-165: Our Mutual Friend
166-170: The Mystery of Edwin Drood

About the author

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born in Hampshire on February 7, 1812. His father was a clerk in the navy pay office, who was well paid but often ended up in financial troubles. When Dickens was twelve years old he was send to work in a shoe polish factory because his family had been taken to the debtors' prison. His career as a writer of fiction started in 1833 when his short stories and essays began to appear in periodicals. The Pickwick Papers, his first commercial success, was published in 1836. The serialisation of Oliver Twist began in 1837. Many other novels followed and The Old Curiosity Shop brought Dickens international fame and he became a celebrity in America as well as Britain. Charles Dickens died on 9 June 1870. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
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