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Dorothy L. Sayers

Dorothy L. Sayers' classic play cycle based on the life and times of Jesus 
 
 Dorothy L. Sayers was best known for her mystery novels featuring aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. But she was also a poet, playwright and committed Christian, and in The Man Born to Be King she combined art and evangelism to powerful effect, making the story of Christ accessible, relevant and every bit as thrilling as her detective fiction. 
 
 Written specially for the BBC Radio, the play cycle caused huge controversy for its depiction of Christ as a character, and its use of contemporary speech instead of Biblical language. However it proved extremely popular with listeners, who wrote in to thank Sayers for making Jesus real to them and reigniting their interest in his remarkable story. 
 
 Based on the four Gospels, it includes one story of the Nativity, six plays about Jesus' life and ministry, and five Passion Plays telling of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Jesus' arrest and trial before Pontius Pilate, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Backed up with a sweeping musical score, these immersive dramas surprise and shock us anew and provide fresh, illuminating insight into 'the greatest story ever told'. 
 
 The plays included are Kings in Judea, The King's Herald, A Certain Nobleman, The Heirs to the Kingdom, The Bread of Heaven, The Feast of Tabernacles, The Light and The Life, Royal Progress, The King's Supper, The Princes of This World, King of Sorrows and The King Comes to His Own. 
 
 Cast and credits 
 Written by Dorothy L Sayers 
 Adapted by/Producer: Raymond Raikes 
 The Evangelist (John Bar-Zebedee): Gabriel Woolf 
Jesus: John Westbrook 
Joseph/ Jacob Ben-Issachar: Norman Shelley 
Simon Bar-Jonah (Simon Peter): Stephen Jack 
Judas Iscariot: Alan Wheatley 
Matthew: Nigel Stock 
Herod The Great: Robert Eddison 
Nicodemus: John Wyse 
Ephraim: Denys Blakelock 
Shadrach: Malcolm Hayes 
Rabbit Solomon: John Gabriel 
Phoebe: Caroline Monkhouse 
Flavius: Trader Faulkner 
Calpurnia: Penelope Lee 
Mary Virgin: June Tobin 
Mary Magdalen: Mary Wimbush 
Martha: Marjorie Westbury 
Lazarus: Richard Hurndall 
Benjamin Ben-Hadad: Ralph Truman 
Joseph, kinsman to Jesus: Haydn Jones 
Simeon, kinsman to Jesus: Wilfrid Carter 
Baruch the Zealot: Francis de Wolff 
Baruch's Wife: Vivienne Chatterton 
Gestas: John Laurie 
Dysmas: Russell Napier 
Simon of Cyrene: Rodney Dias 
Proclus, a Roman Centurion: Trevor Martin 
Roman soldier: Bruce Beeby 
Roman soldier: Harvey Hall 
Joseph of Arimathea: Howieson Culff 
Calaphas, High Priest of Israel: Heron Carvic 
Salome, mother to James and John: Henzie Raeburn 
Mary Cleophas: Molly Rankin 
Balthazar, King of Ethiopia: Paul Danqdah 
Melchior/ A Zealot: Michael Kilgarriff 
Casper: James Dale 
Claudia Procula, wife to Pilate: Mary Law 
Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judaea: Alec Clunes 
Philip: Rolf Lefebvre 
Thomas Didymus/ Father: Philip Leaver 
Mother: Wynne Clark 
Miriam, child: Elizabeth Proud 
Isaac, child/a slave boy: Daniel Rose 
Hannah: Hester Paton-Brown 
James Bar-Zebedee: John Glen 
Andrew Bar-Jonah: John Boxer 
Hezekiah, secretary/ Roman Soldier: John Baker 
Annas, father-in-law to Caiaphas: Edward Atienza 
Captain Elihu: Keith Alexander 
Eunice, a Syro-Phoenician: Elizabeth Morgan 
Cleophas: Harry Hutchinson 
Portress at the High Priest's House: Miriam Margolyes 
Zillah, her daughter: Jo Manning-Wilson 
Issacher, servant: Hugh Dickson 
Susannah, mother to the Bride groom: Betty Baskcomb 
Rebecca, friend to Susannah: Gladys Spencer/ Janet Burnell 
Other cast: Ian Frost, Janette Richer, Nan Marriott-Watson, Janette Richer, Peter Marinker, Raf de la Torre, James Thomason, John Forrest, Michael Goldie 
First broadcast BBC Home Service 19th, 26th Jan, 2nd, 9th , 16th, 23rd Feb, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 28th, 30th March 1975 
 ©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Man Born To Be King

A BBC Radio 4 drama collection

Graham Greene

This play produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company has as its chief characters A. J. Raffles, the literary creation some seventy odd years ago of E. W. Hornung. The cool daring of the impeccable Amateur Cracksman, always torn between the rival claims of burglary and cricket, ensured his popularity in Edwardian England. Evading the dogged pursuit of Inspector Mackenzie of Scotland Yard, Hornung's character eventually met a hero's death in South Africa in the Boer War. 
 
Graham Greene's The Return of A. J. Raffles begins some months after. Raffles' loyal assistant Bunny still mourns his friend's death in Raffles' chambers in Albany, despite the blandishments of Lord Alfred Douglas. A visitor forces his way in - Raffles has cheated death as he once cheated Inspector Mackenzie - and immediately Lord Alfred sees in the Amateur Cracksman and Bunny heaven-sent instruments to revenge and disgrace of Oscar Wilde on his odious father, the Marquess of Queensberry... 
 
Graham Green never fails to surprise and delight admirers of his comic genius, and the twists and turns of this story of Edwardian high life, when Raffles returns to the scene of his earlier triumphs, provide a richly satisfying entertainment.

The Return Of A. J. Raffles

An Edwardian comedy in three acts based somewhat loosely on E.W. Hornung's characters in The Amateur Cracksman

Peter Shaffer

Peter Shaffer’s three most renowned plays, plus a radio monologue performed by Dame Judi Dench 
 
Sir Peter Shaffer was one of the most distinguished and successful British playwrights of his generation. He won the Tony Award for both Amadeus and Equus, and the film adaptation of Amadeus garnered eight Oscars. In 1997, he was awarded an OBE, and he was knighted in the 2001 New Year honours list. This collection contains his best-known plays and a monologue specially written for radio, first broadcast in 1989. 
 
Amadeus – Antonio Salieri is 18th-century Vienna’s favourite composer – until a brilliant young upstart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, appears on the scene and takes his crown. Consumed by jealousy, Salieri plots his rival’s downfall… Directed by Sir Peter Hall, this sensational drama is performed by the cast of the original National Theatre production, including Paul Scofield, Simon Callow and Felicity Kendal. 
 
Equus – When psychiatrist Martin Dysart is asked by the local magistrate to treat a disturbed 17-year-old boy who has blinded six horses, he soon finds himself in the midst of a nightmare. Starring Peter Barkworth and Ian Sharrock. 
 
The Royal Hunt of the Sun – In 1532, Francisco Pizarro and his 167 soldiers captured the last Inca Emperor, Atahuallpa. This gripping drama, starring Gerald Murphy and Norman Rodway, tells the story of the conquest of Peru, and the power struggle and fatal friendship between the Spanish conquistador and the Sun-God King. 
 
‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’ – Alone in her Clapham flat, Angela Parsons dictates a potentially explosive memoir onto her cassette recorder. It is an account of her life, death and a shocking scandal involving Hollywood’s most beloved film star… With Dame Judi Dench as Angela Parsons. 
 
Text copyright © Peter Shaffer 1964 (The Royal Hunt of the Sun), 1973 (Equus), 1979 (Amadeus), 1989 (‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Peter Shaffer 
 
Amadeus 
Antonio Salieri – Paul Scofield 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Simon Callow 
Constanze Mozart – Felicity Kendal 
Joseph II – John Normington 
Gottfried, Baron van Sweiten – Nicholas Selby 
Count Franz Orsini Rosenberg – Willoughby Goddard 
Johann Kilian von Strack – Basil Henson 
Venticelli – Donald Gee/Dermot Crowley 
Citizens of Vienna – Nigel Bellairs, Susan Gilmore, Peggy Marshall, Robin Meredith, Anne Sedgwick, William Sleigh, Glenn Williams 
 
Equus 
Martin Dysart – Peter Barkworth 
Alan Strang – Ian Sharrock 
Heather Salomon – Jennifer Piercey 
Frank Strang – Malcolm Hayes 
Dora Strang – Jane Wenham 
Jill Mason – Jenny Twigge 
Harry Dalton – Ronald Herdman 
Young Horseman – Philip Sully 
Nurse – Jan Carey 
Other voices – Richard Gibson, Nigel Greaves, David Parfitt, Jonathan Scott 
 
The Royal Hunt of the Sun 
King Atahualpa – Gerald Murphy 
Pizarro – Norman Rodway 
Old Martin – Bob Peck 
Hernando de Soto – Edward de Souza 
Diego de Trujillo – Gordon Reid 
Young Martin – Matthew Sim 
Pedro de Candia – Keith Drinkel 
Fray Vincente de Valverde – Nigel Anthony 
Felipillo – David Holt 
Domingo – Nicholas Mercie 
Challcuchima – John Fleming 
Miguel Estete – Martyn Reid 
Salinas – Peter Gunn 
Rodas – John Webb 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’ 
Angela Parsons – Dame Judi Dench 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Amadeus, Equus & more

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Productions

Anne Tyler

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is hilariously reimagined by one of our greatest living novelists, in this very funny, heartbreaking story of one woman, two men and unconventional happy endings. 
 
Kate Battista is stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and infuriating younger sister Bunny? Dr Battista has other problems. His brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. And without Pyotr, his new scientific breakthrough will fall through... 
 
When Dr Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he's relying - as usual - on Kate to help him. Will Kate be able to resist the two men's touchingly ludicrous campaign to win her round? 
 
Anne Tyler's brilliant retelling of The Taming of the Shrew asks whether a thoroughly modern woman like Kate would ever sacrifice herself for a man. The answer is as surprising as Kate herself. 
 
'A thoroughly modern love story' Guardian, Book of the Year 
 
‘The worst wedding in history...vintage Anne Tyler’ The Times 
 
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: Time travel. Zombies. Power-hungry media moguls. This is Shakespeare as you’ve never seen him before: nine iconic plays transformed by the best novelists of our time, with covers by Michael Craig-Martin.

Vinegar Girl

The Taming of the Shrew, Retold

David Hare

Eight incisive dramas by the internationally-renowned playwright - plus bonus interview 
 
Writer and director David Hare is one of England's leading political dramatists, celebrated for his many award-winning plays analysing the morality of contemporary Britain. This collection comprises some of his most acclaimed pieces, as well as a fascinating radio interview with Hare himself. 
 
It opens with his two acknowledged masterpieces: Plenty and Amy's View. These mesmerising dramas, both spanning several decades, present vivid portraits of strong women diminished by circumstance, metaphorically evoking the changing values and collapsing ideals of the postwar period. These are followed by Knuckle, a fast-paced parody of the American hardboiled thriller set in the Home Counties; and Pravda, co-written with Howard Brenton, a satirical comedy about a monstrous media tycoon. 
 
Also included are The Bay at Nice, set in 1950s Russia and exploring the nature of art and freedom; Skylight, about the reunion between a Thatcherite entrepreneur and his onetime mistress; Racing Demon, the first in a trilogy of plays about British institutions, focusing on the Church of England in crisis; and the play in which Hare made his acting debut: the powerful monologue Via Dolorosa, a meditation on his extraordinary 1997 trip to Israel and Palestine. 
 
Among the stellar cast: Jane Lapotalre, Zoë Wanamaker, Judi Dench, Samantha Bond, Anthony Hopkins, Bill Nighy, Robert Glenister, Stephen Tompkinson, Ronald Pickup, Geoffrey Palmer, Stella Gonet &amp; Paul McGann. 
 
In an interview for the World Service arts programme Meridian, David Hare talks about why he enjoys writing good parts for women, what he believes plays can achieve that other media cannot, and the capacity of art to change society. 
 
Production credits 
Written by David Hare. 
Pravda written by David Hare and Howard Brenton. 
Text copyright © David Hare 1974 (Knuckle), 1978 (Plenty), 1986 (The Bay at Nice), 1990 (Racing Demon), 1995 (Skylight), 1997 (Amy's View), 1998 (Via Dolorosa). Pravda text copyright © David Hare and Howard Brenton 1985. 
All rights reserved. 
Special thanks to The British Library and Keith Wickham for sourcing audio files. 
 
Content list 
 
 
1. Plenty 
2. Amy's View 
3. Knuckle 
4. Pravda 
5. The Bay at Nice 
6. Skylight 
7. Racing Demon 
8. Via Dolorosa 
 
Bonus interview 
Meridian: David Hare 
First broadcast BBC World Service, 21 October 1991 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

David Hare: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

8 full-cast productions including Plenty, Skylight, Amy’s View & others

Basil Boothroyd

The convoluted chronicle of an optimistic crime writer 
 
'Basil Boothroyd's quietly comic classic' Gillian Reynolds, The Telegraph 
 
Gerald C Potter is the proud author of Death in the Arboretum, described by the Bournemouth Echo as 'well-written'. He works hard on his books, and worries about every comma, adjective and unfortunate typo: but somehow, he never seems to get very much done. However, his wife and fellow novelist, Diana (aka Magnolia Badminton) is positively prolific - much to his chagrin. 
 
These four series recount his daily activities and struggles for inspiration, as he tries to solve the mystery of his missing briefcase; goes up against his wife as they compete to publicise their new books; takes a holiday abroad that's far from relaxing; and receives a double-edged surprise on United Potter Day. And in special festive episode 'The Cousin', an unexpected message in a Christmas card leaves Gerald and Diana scrambling to prepare for a last-minute visitor... 
 
Written by celebrated humorist Basil Boothroyd, this witty, quick, clever sitcom ran for five years on Radio 4 between 1976 and 1981. It stars Ian Carmichael (The World of Wooster, Lord Peter Wimsey) as Gerald C Potter, with Charlotte Mitchell (Waggoners' Walk, The Adventures of Black Beauty) as Diana. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Basil Boothroyd 
Produced by Bobby Jaye 
 
Cast 
Gerald C Potter - Ian Carmichael 
Diana, his wife - Charlotte Mitchell 
With Michael McClain, James Thomason, Trader Faulkner, Robin Browne, Michael Deacon, Jo Manning Wilson, Margaret Robertson, Peter Craze, Anthony Smee, Michael Goldie, Penelope Reynolds, Geoffrey Matthews, Edward Kelsey, Betty Huntley-Wright, Fiona Mathieson, Garard Green, Brian Carroll, Danny Schiller, Douglas Blackwell, Patricia Hughes, Margot Boyd, Pauline Letts, Brian Haines, Lolly Cockerell, Jane Knowles, Michael Spice, Preston Lockwood, Charles Colville, Paddy O'Byrne, John Church, Judy Franklin and John McAndrew 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 22 March-26 April 1976 (Series 1), 9 November-14 December 1977 (Series 2), 26 December 1977 (Christmas Special, 'The Cousin'), 24 September-29 October 1979 (Series 3), 27 April-1 June 1981 (Series 4) 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Small Intricate Life of Gerald C. Potter

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

William Shakespeare

'Unable to rely on heaven, we look to Shakespeare as a contemporary conscience' Peter Conrad 
 
Coriolanus, a famed warrior turned politician, is driven from Rome as a traitor when he arrogantly speaks out against popular rule and loses the good will of the starving people. Banished and embittered, he allies himself with his former enemies and begins to plot a merciless revenge on Rome. Shakespeare's politically ambiguous late tragedy of a great soldier who fails to be a great leader questions the notion of heroism and what power really means. 
 
Used and Recommended by the National Theatre 
 
General Editor Stanley Wells 
Edited by G. R. Hibbard 
Introduction by Paul Prescott

Coriolanus

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a genius, the most brilliant musician the world will ever see. But the court of eighteenth-century Vienna doesn&rsquo;t recognize his talents - only Antonio Salieri, the Court Composer, does, and he is tortured by what he hears. Seething with rage at the genius of this flippant buffoon and suddenly aware of his own mediocrity, Salieri declares war and sets out to destroy the man he sees as God&rsquo;s instrument on earth. Peter Shaffer&rsquo;s award-winning play is a rich, exuberant portrayal of a God-like man among mortals, and lives destroyed by envy.

Amadeus

Peter Child

Peter Matthews

The classic 1970s sitcom about a lively gang of labourers working on the motorways 
 
In 1971, Radio 2’s Comedy Parade – a showcase for new comedy – aired two pilots that would go on to become the highly popular series Parsley Sidings and The Motorway Men. Though the latter ran for just one series in early 1972, it succeeded in gaining up to five million listeners. 
 
Featuring the comic escapades of unruly road crew Number 9 Gang, it starred Dad’s Army stalwarts Bill Pertwee and James Beck as flustered foreman Ponsonby and naive Cockney lad Steve, alongside bolshy shop steward Irish (Milo O’Shea), wily Welshman Randy (Richard Davies), bungling bosses Hanson (Anthony Sagar) and Fairfax (Richard Caldicot) and camp surveyor Peter Stephens. Titillating their palates and keeping them all well provisioned is posh canteen manager Gladys (Amanda Murray). 
 
In these nine entertaining episodes, the hapless highway operatives go on the fiddle to sell off some surplus coal and cement; run into a spot of bother with a bulldozer; get their link roads and their flyovers in a muddle (and accidentally bury Steve in the process); and uncover an ancient Roman hypocaust, only to find themselves participating in an archaeological dig. 
 
They also get into a bit of argy-bargy with Farmer Barrett (and his bull); attempt to impress an observer from a Chinese trade delegation; are sent to extend the runway at London Airport (and end up winging it) and have a bit of trouble with technology in the shape of a new-fangled American steamroller and a specially customized boat... 
 
Content warning: the humour in this programme reflects the era in which it was broadcast and may not reflect current attitudes 
 
Cast and credits 
 
Written by Peter Child and Peter Matthews 
Produced by Alastair Scott Johnston 
 
Ponsonby – Bill Pertwee 
Steve – James Beck 
Irish – Milo O'Shea 
Randy – Richard Davies 
Mr Fanshaw/Mr Fairfax – Richard Caldicot 
Hanson – Anthony Sagar 
The Surveyor – Peter Stephens 
Gladys/Air Traffic Controller – Amanda Murray 
The Minister – Nigel Graham 
Victoria – Gretta Gouriet 
Farmer Barrett – Alan Thompson 
 
With thanks to Keith Wickham and The Radio Circle 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 21 March 1971 (pilot episode), 2 February-22 March 1972 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Motorway Men

The Classic BBC Radio Comedy

Nick Mohammed

Four BBC Radio 4 comedies from the award-winning Nick Mohammed, featuring an array of comic creations including Mr Swallow&lsquo;Delightfully bonkers!&rsquo; The GuardianDouble Emmy-nominated actor, comedian and writer Nick Mohammed is well known for his portrayal of Nate in Ted Lasso and his stage and screen performances as his critically-acclaimed alter ego Mr Swallow. For radio, he has written and starred in four fantastic comedy series, collected together in this audio anthology and co-starring Anna Crilly (Lead Balloon) and Colin Hoult (After Life).Nick Mohammed in Quarters features fast-paced sketches and monologues from Nick and friends. In these four episodes, you&rsquo;ll meet an awkward loans clerk, a multi-tasking air traffic controller, a travel agent who doesn't do 'exotic&rsquo; and a manic anger management facilitator. Plus, there&rsquo;s the weather forecast delivered backwards, smoothies in the jungle and the job interview from hell...Nick Mohammed in Bits comprises four one-off comic plays showcasing some of his best and most idiosyncratic characters, from a detective taking witness statements from an unhappy couple to self-important Sloane student Lila, clueless wildlife presenter Daniel Thornthwaite and lifestyle guru Mr Swallow.In the hit sitcom Detective Sergeant Nick Mohammed, we join DS Nick and his long-suffering CID colleagues Colin and Anna (plus special guests Peter Dickson, Kate Alexander, Margaret Cabourn-Smith and Will Andrews) as they attempt to solve a murder, tackle hostage negotiations, get to grips with a student protest (with the help of Lila from In Bits), and deal with a bank heist. Series 2 sees the DS discovering a forgery ring, testifying in court, on the trail of a dangerous fugitive and providing additional security for a major event. Never have serious crimes been made more entertaining, whilst remaining utterly, utterly tasteful!Also included is Apollo 21, a one-off mockumentary profiling the pioneering astronauts from the 1968-1972 moon missions. Forty years after man first set foot on the lunar surface, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins come together to commemorate the anniversary and tell their stories &ndash; with contributions from Neil Armstrong&rsquo;s mum and Laika, the first dog in space.Cast and creditsWritten and performed by Nick MohammedWith Colin Hoult and Anna CrillyNick Mohammed in QuartersProduced by Victoria LloydFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 Jan-11 Feb 2009Nick Mohammed in BitsProduced by Victoria LloydFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 Aug-21 Sep 2010Detective Sergeant Nick MohammedWith special guests Peter Dickson, Kate Alexander, Margaret Cabourn-Smith and Will AndrewsProduced by Tilusha Ghelani and Victoria LloydScript Editor: Johnny SweetFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14 Dec 2011-4 Jan 2012 (Series 1), 3-24 Sep 2013 (Series 2)Nick Mohammed: Apollo 21Produced by Victoria LloydRecorded at Bedford UniversityFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 Nov 2009Cover photography by Vanessa Whyte&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Nick Mohammed: A BBC Radio Comedy Collection

Nick Mohammed in Quarters, Nick Mohammed in Bits, Detective Sergeant Nick Mohammed & more

Harold Pinter

Karen Blixen

Harold Pinter's unproduced screenplay of Karen Blixen's intriguing short story of love and loss 
 
'An important addition to the Pinter canon' The Stage 
 
The annals of movie history are full of lost treasures - spectacular scripts from world-renowned writers that could have been classics, had they only been made. Now, for the first time, some of these forgotten gems have been brought to life, fully realised as vivid, cinematic radio productions. Scripted by major 20th Century writers, including Harold Pinter, Arthur Miller, Alfred Hitchcock and Dennis Potter, they star a host of A-list actors and feature richly evocative, atmospheric soundtracks. 
 
The Dreaming Child, one of seven 'unmade movies' available on audio, is an eerie, enigmatic drama set in Bristol in 1868. Emily Carter, married to a wealthy man, is haunted by her first love, who died at sea. Unable to have children, she and her husband Tom adopt a young slum child - but Jack is no ordinary boy, and seems to have an uncanny knowledge of his new home and family... 
 
Renowned for his critically-acclaimed plays, Harold Pinter also wrote many outstanding film scripts, including Accident, Betrayal and The Pumpkin Eater. The Dreaming Child was commissioned in 1997 by actress Julia Ormond, who wanted to produce and direct, but the project never got the green light - until now. Lydia Leonard (Last Christmas) stars as Emily, with Bertie Carvel (The Sister) as Tom, Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) as Peggy and Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax) as the narrator, who provides the 'establishing shots' - the stage directions and descriptions from the screenplay. Moving, mesmerising and mysterious, this remarkable production is a triumphant fulfilment of Pinter's great artistic vision. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Harold Pinter 
Based on 'The Dreaming Child' by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) 
Adapted by Joanna Hogg and Laurence Bowen 
Directed by Joanna Hogg 
Produced by Laurence Bowen 
Sound design: Wilfredo Acosta 
A Feelgood Fiction production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Narrator - Anne Reid 
Emily - Lydia Leonard 
Tom - Bertie Carvel 
Charlie - Joshua Silver 
Mrs Jones - Joanna Scanlan 
Miss Scott - Susan Woolridge 
Jack - Jack Hollington 
Peggy - Rose Leslie 
Bess - Bryony Hannah 
Mr Rudd - Karl Johnson 
Mr Carter - Malcolm Sinclair 
Children - Flynn Allen, Esme Allen-Quarmby, Isabella Blake-Thomas &amp; Joey Price 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7 March 2015 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Unmade Movies: Harold Pinter's The Dreaming Child

A BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the unproduced screenplay

Moira Buffini

A deliciously black satirical comedy about the dinner party from hell. 
 
The fastidious host, Paige, decides to throw a dinner party in honour of her husband Lars, who is celebrating the success of his pop psychology book, Beyond Belief. She carefully plans a surprise menu that will mark the occasion, and anxiously checks with the waiter she has employed to make sure that everything is perfectly prepared. Her lucky guests include a post-feminist vegetarian artist, a distinguished microbiologist, a TV journalist and an uninvited guest who ends up staying for dinner. But it soon becomes apparent that the meal may contain some rather nasty surprises… 
 
Moira Buffini's outrageous comedy Dinner started life in the National Theatre's Loft in 2002, and became her first West End smash. In this production, adapted by the writer for BBC Drama on 3, Harriet Walter returns to the role she created: Paige, the hostess and architect of an evening which her guests will never forget. Two other original leads, Nicholas Farrell and Penny Downie, and four new cast members join her in this viciously black chamber piece about appetite, which will make you think twice about ever accepting another invitation to dinner. 
 
Moira Buffini was nominated for an Olivier Award for Dinner in 2003, and won the Olivier in 2014 for her play Handbagged. 
 
Cast 
Paige……………………Harriet Walter 
Lars……………………Nicholas Farrell 
Wynne……………………Penny Downie 
Hal……………………Paul Bazely 
Sian……………………Pippa Bennett-Warner 
Mike……………………Peter McDonald 
Waiter……………………David Hounslow 
 
Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting

Dinner

A full-cast production of the acclaimed black comedy

Christopher Douglas

The complete 16th series of the hit comedy – including the 100th episode 
 
‘Matchless’ Julie Burchill, The Spectator 
 
Ed Reardon, washed-up writer, master of the diatribe and a man with the unfaltering ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, hits the milestone of his 20th anniversary on Radio 4. Still mourning his beloved feline companion, he finds solace in a new life partner – the offspring of Elgar. But he’s sorely in need of a new source of income now his wealthy Third Age writing-class students have all decamped to Dubai. 
 
Never one to be defeated, he clears out his storage cupboard to illegally sub-let it as an ‘opportunity for boutique capsule living’, tries to find an outlet for his long-forgotten radio play A Pigeon in Sainsbury’s, takes on the role of theatre critic for The Countrywoman magazine, and agrees to write a bottle episode of Jaz Milvain’s new show about two chalk-and-cheese cops who do things their own way. With commissions thin on the ground, he’s forced to become the ‘Writer in Residence’ at a nuclear power station: but unfortunately, his on/off romantic partner Maggie is on the other side of the fence protesting. And in the final episode of the series – the landmark 100th show – the curmudgeonly author makes the fateful decision to stop writing for good. Can Zadie Smith persuade Ed not to throw in the towel? 
 
First broadcast in 2005, Ed Reardon’s Week has garnered two Broadcasting Press Guild awards for Best Radio Programme, and attracted some of the UK’s finest actors as guest stars. Joining the roll call in this series are Adrian Scarborough, Robert Powell, Stephen Mangan and Joe Thomas, while regulars include Christopher Douglas as Ed, Lisa Coleman as Eli, Barunka O’Shaughnessy as Ping and Pippa Haywood as Maggie. 
 
Written by Christopher Douglas 
Produced by Dawn Ellis 
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Baum 
Sound: Jon Calver & Alison McKenzie 
 
Cast 
Ed Reardon – Christopher Douglas 
Eli – Lisa Coleman 
Christos/Uncle Beastly – Simon Greenall 
Ping – Barunka O’Shaughnessy 
Sheila/Francesca/Fifi/Kayleigh/Newsreader – Nicola Sanderson 
Ross – Dan Tetsell 
Simon – Joe Thomas 
Maggie – Pippa Haywood 
The Pigeon – Stephen Mangan 
Nick – Adrian Scarborough 
Michael Berkeley – Himself 
Willow – Eve Ponsonby 
Sir Peter – Robert Powell 
Jaz Milvain – Philip Jackson 
Jake – Sam Pamphilon 
Clare – Clare Perkins 
Devashree – Aasiya Shah 
Danny – Tom Stourton 
Kate – Robin Weaver 
Petroc Trelawney – Himself 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 June-4 August 2025 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ed Reardon’s Week: Series 16

A BBC Radio 4 Sitcom

Howard Brenton

A collection of Howard Brenton's finest plays, produced for BBC radio 
 
One of Britain's leading contemporary playwrights, Howard Brenton is well known for his controversial state-of-the-nation plays, dark comedies and powerful political satires. He has written over 50 works for the theatre and numerous screenplays, including 13 episodes of the hit TV series Spooks. Included here are some of his most acclaimed dramas, including the award-winning Pravda, co-written with David Hare. 
 
Epsom Downs - Set on Derby Day in the Silver Jubilee year 1977, this provocative drama presents a teeming, Brueghel-like array of characters: from the gamblers, bookmakers and trainers to the jockeys, the horses and the Derby course itself... Among the ensemble cast are Peter Woodthorpe and Nigel Anthony. 
 
Pravda - Lambert Le Roux is an enormously powerful South African media tycoon. He's also a monster manipulating all, including Fleet Street. Anthony Hopkins and Bill Nighy star in this caustic black comedy. 
 
Thirteenth Night - Jack Beaty is an activist in a 'piddling little Labour Party ward.' What would he do if he came to power tomorrow? Tom Wilkinson, Frances Tomelty and Bill Nighy star in Brenton's surreal parody of Macbeth, with its horror-comic vision of a totalitarian state run mad. 
 
Nasser's Eden- 1956. Sir Anthony Eden and Gamal Abdel Nasser battle over Egypt nationalising the Suez Canal - Britain's last symbol of her empire. Written specially for radio and starring Alec McCowen and Nadim Sawalha, this fast-paced drama looks behind the politics to reveal the personalities who changed the face of history. 
 
Bloody Poetry - Switzerland, 1816. The poet Shelley, his future wife Mary and her step-sister Claire meet the infamous Lord Byron. But their dreams of a utopian future result in tragedy... Oliver Ryan, Clare Corbett, Patrick Kennedy and Sarah Ovens star in Brenton's compelling play celebrating these four young artistic radicals. 
 
Text copyright © Howard Brenton 1977 (Epsom Downs), 1981 (Thirteenth Night), 1984 (Bloody Poetry), 1998 (Nassar's Eden) Pravda text copyright © David Hare and Howard Brenton 1985 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Howard Brenton 
Pravda written by Howard Brenton and David Hare 
 
Epsom Downs 
Cast: Peter Woodthorpe, Nigel Anthony, Heather Bell, Peter Baldwin, Michael Spice, Graham Chinn, Jean Rogers, Chas Byer, Cliff Burnett, Mary Clare Nash, John Bull, Petra Davies, 
Eva Stuart, John Levitt, Susan Sheridan, Wilfrid Carter, Martin Muncaster, Tammy Ustinov, Heather Bell, Olivier Pierre, Michael McStay, Peter Gordon, Fred Bryant, David Tate, Andrew Branch 
Adapted for radio by Howard Brenton 
Directed by Richard Wortley 
 
Pravda 
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Bill Nighy, Robert Glenister, Suzanne Burden, Frederick Treves, 
Garard Green, Stephen Tompkinson, David King, Christopher Good, Vincent Brimble, 
James Greene, Simon Treves, Danny Schiller, Nicholas Gilbrook 
Adapted and directed by Richard Wortley. 
 
Thirteenth Night 
Cast: Tom Wilkinson, Frances Tomelty, Bill Nighy, Peter Woodthorpe, Sean Barrett, 
Timothy Bateson, Maggie McCarthy, Eileen Tully, Pauline Siddle 
With Alex Jennings, Richard Huw and Michael Jenner 
Directed by Michael Heffernan. 
 
Nasser's Eden 
Cast: Alec McCowen, Nadim Sawalha With Bob Peck, Nigel Davenport, Saeed Jaffrey, Raad Rawi, Trevor Peacock, James Laurenson, Alix Refaie, Antony Zaki, Clifford Rose, John Rowe, Peter Birrel, Vic Tablian and Ajay Chabra 
Produced by Carolyn Horn. 
 
Bloody Poetry 
Cast: Oliver Ryan, Clare Corbett, Patrick Kennedy, Sarah Ovens, Gareth Pierce 
Adapted for radio and directed by Alison Hindell 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Five BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Productions: Pravda, Epsom Downs and more

Dan Laurence

George Bernard Shaw

Androcles and the Lion is a 1912 play written by George Bernard Shaw. 
 
Androcles and the Lion is Shaw's retelling of the tale of Androcles, a slave who is saved by the requited mercy of a lion. In the play, Shaw makes Androcles out to be one of many Christians being led to the Colosseum for torture. Characters in the play exemplify several themes and takes on both modern and supposed early Christianity, including cultural clash between Jesus' teachings and traditional Roman values.

Androcles and the Lion

Michael Payne

Debbie Cook

Dennis Ashton

Stephen Mulrine

Sarah Maxwell

Five fantastical tales, each with a magical twist 
 
Discover a lady with a taste for immortality, a man who becomes a dragon, a man-eating witch and a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Perfect for fans of fantasy, these epic tales are packed with magical elements, fantastical creatures, and heroic conflicts between good and evil.In Lady Faustus by Michael Payne, the town gossips have only one subject of conversation - the mysterious Lady Faustus. The conjectures about her and her origins are boundless. But a certain handsome young lieutenant finds that the truth about her is far stranger than any fiction. Starring Rula Lenska as Lady Faustus and James Aubrey as Franz.Debbie Cook’s The Beast of Long Mindham stars Jon Glover as John Tillner. John doesn’t believe in dragons – who does, these days? But then he meets a witch who offered to turn him into one. Will John be tempted…?There is a legend that King Arthur will return to save England from great danger. The Peril by Dennis Ashton tells the story of what happens when George, son of George, is made King. The year is 1940, and the Battle of Britain is at its height...Ivan the Fool and Vasilisa the Wise by Stephen Mulrine features a man-eating witch, a talking doll, a dead princess and a live skeleton. Ivan is determined to marry the beautiful Vasilisa, no matter what the obstacles. But, as the saying goes, the course of true love never did run smooth…The Good, the Bad and the Slightly Unprepossessing by Sarah Maxwell is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in America, with multi-millionaire 'Heartless' Harrison Hope. With his six-inch nails and hair and beard to the ground, he is very much the Beast and - well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

High Fantastical

Five Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh&rsquo;s 1970s classic play &lsquo;Abigail&rsquo;s Party&rsquo; focuses on an evening of domestic hell in the guise of a suburban drinks soir&eacute;e. While teenager Abigail parties a few doors away, the pretentious Beverly and her estate agent husband, Laurence, entertain their neighbours &ndash; Abigail&rsquo;s mother, Susan, ex-footballer, Tony, and his wife, Angela. But as the alcohol flows, tensions in the hosts&rsquo; barely functional marriage emerge and their obsessions, prejudices and petty competitiveness are ruthlessly, and hilariously, exposed. 
 
&lsquo;Goose-Pimples&rsquo;, meanwhile, is easily as sharp and uncompromising. This time, the action focuses on ambitious casino croupier, Jackie, and Saudi businessman, Muhammad, who meet &ndash; and misunderstand &ndash; one another spectacularly.

Abigail's Party & Goose-Pimples

Eugene Ionesco

These three great plays by one of the founding fathers of the theatre of the absurd, are alive and kicking with tragedy and humour, bleakness and farce. In Rhinoceros we are shown the innate brutality of people as everyone, except for Berenger, turn into clumsy, unthinking rhinoceroses. The Chairs depicts the futile struggle of two old people to convey the meaning of life to the rest of humanity, while The Lesson is a chilling, but anarchically funny drama of verbal domination. In these three 'antiplays' dream, nonsense and fantasy combine to create an unsettling, bizarre view of society.

Rhinoceros, The Chairs, The Lesson

Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams's controversial Hollywood screenplay Baby Doll opens with Archie Lee's teenage bride driving him to distraction, as she has refused to consummate their marriage until the day of her twentieth birthday. Enter wily Sicilian Silva Vaccaro, Archie's rival both in the cotton business and for the affections of the flirtatious Baby Doll, and things reach breaking-point. This volume also contains Something Unspoken, a brilliantly comic study of a wealthy, manipulative Southern spinster, and Summer and Smoke, a sexually charged portrayal of Alma, a sensitive, unmarried minister's daughter, and her childhood love, the wild, sensual doctor's son John.

Baby Doll and Other Plays

Henrik Ibsen

The Master Builder by Henrik Ibsen, in a new version by David Hare 
 
Master builder Halvard Solness is a self-made man. With no professional qualifications, he has built himself up through ruthless ambition, and achieved a position of power and domination in his home town. But his success has come at a cost. His marriage is empty, destroyed by a personal tragedy that has left him wracked with guilt and pain, and he is increasingly frightened of failure and being displaced by the next generation. 
 
Then a mysterious young woman, Hilde Wangel, appears from the mountains, claiming to have met Solness ten years earlier, when she was only 13. She asserts that he kissed her and promised her a kingdom: and now she has returned to claim it. Halvard becomes besotted with Hilde, seeing her as a breath of fresh air, revitalising his life with her youthful energy. And Hilde flatters and praises him, rebuilding his ego. But has she come to seduce him - or to destroy him? 
 
With mystical undertones and resonances for the #MeToo movement, this searing tragedy of middle-aged male hubris explores the troubled psyche of a successful, abusive man who has risen to the greatest heights, only to be toppled from his peak. David Schofield stars as Solness, with Siobhan Redmond as his wife Aline and Laura Aikman as Hilde. 
 
Also included is a bonus programme, In Our Time: Henrik Ibsen, in which Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great Norwegian playwright and poet. 
 
Cast and credits 
Solness - David Schofield 
Aline - Siobhan Redmond 
Hilde - Laura Aikman 
Brovik - Paul Bradley 
Dr Herdal - Jonathan Tafler 
Kaja - Shannon Hayes 
Ragnar - Joseph Ayre 
 
The Master Builder by Henrik Ibsen 
In a new version by David Hare 
Based on a literal translation by Torkil Heggstad 
Directed and produced by Gary Brown 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15-22 August 2021 
 
In Our Time: Henrik Ibsen 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
With Tore Rem, Kirsten Shepherd-Barr and Dinah Birch 
Produced by Simon Tillotson 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 May 2018 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Master Builder

A BBC Radio 4 full cast dramatisation

Arthur Miller

A reticent personnel manager living with his mother, Mr Newman shares the prejudices of his times and of his neighbours - and neither a Hispanic woman abused outside his window nor the persecution of the Jewish store owner he buys his paper from are any of his business. Until Newman begins wearing glasses, and others begin to mistake him for a Jew.

Focus

Abandoned by her husband, Amanda Wingfield comforts herself with recollections of her earlier, more gracious life in Blue Mountain when she was pursued by 'gentleman callers'. Her son Tom, a poet with a job in a warehouse, longs for adventure and escape from his mother's suffocating embrace, while Laura, her shy crippled daughter, has her glass menagerie and her memories. Amanda is desperate to find her daughter a husband, but when the long-awaited gentleman caller does arrive, Laura's romantic illusions are crushed.

The Glass Menagerie

Ben Travers

Six classic farces from the renowned comedy writer, with casts including Judi Dench, Michael Williams, Joan Hickson, Alex Jennings and Penelope Wilton 
 
In the 1920s and ’30s, Ben Travers proved himself a master of comic confusion with his hugely successful Aldwych farces. Featuring battle-axe mothers-in-law, beleaguered wives, henpecked husbands and a host of humorous misunderstandings, they wowed West End audiences and were frequently adapted for film and TV. Four of the funniest are included here – A Cuckoo in the Nest, Rookery Nook, Plunder and Turkey Time – along with the award-winning radio productions of The Dippers and Mischief. 
 
The Dippers – How does a meek, middle-aged solicitor end up demonstrating a new dance at a prestigious ball? And what will his wife do when she catches him in the bedroom of a lovely young dancer? Michael Williams and Judi Dench star in this sparkling drama, winner of the 1989 Sony Award for Best Dramatisation. 
 
A Cuckoo in the Nest – Mrs Stokes, landlady of the Stag and Hunt, will brook no hanky-panky with unmarrieds – but with only one room available, she unknowingly forces an innocent couple into a bed of shameful sin. Starring Joan Hickson, Ian Lavender and Phoebe Nicholls. 
 
Rookery Nook – Newlywed Gerald Popkiss motors to Chumpton for his honeymoon – but with his wife called away to nurse her mother, he finds himself alone in Rookery Nook. That is, until a pretty, pyjama-clad girl suddenly turns up in the middle of the night… Ian Lavender, Brett Usher and Anne Jameson star in Travers’ most famous farce. 
 
Mischief – When stodgy middle-aged banker Reggy marries Elly, a bright young thing half his age, the scene is set for mischief, misadventures, mistaken identities and marital mayhem. Starring Freddie Jones, Melinda Walker and Penelope Wilton, this effervescent comedy won the 1987 Sony Award for Best Drama. 
 
Plunder – Gentleman burglar Freddy Malone boasts that he lives by plunder. But blunder is more to the point, as his old schoolfriend D’Arcy Tuck discovers after he collaborates in a jewel theft that goes horribly wrong. Starring Gillian Lewis, Henry McGee, Alan Curtis and Richard Scott. 
 
Turkey Time – It’s Christmas Eve, and the Stoatts have invited family and friends to stay at Cobblers for the holidays. But the festivities turn farcical with the arrival of a stranded showgirl and her furious landlady… Alex Jennings, Elizabeth Spriggs and Teresa Gallagher star in this cheery, Christmassy romp. 
 
NB: Please note that Plunder is a vintage production from 1965, which is reflected in the sound quality. 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ben Travers: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Six Full-Cast Comedy Productions including A Cuckoo in the Nest, Rookery Nook & other farces

Andrew Undershaft, a millionaire armaments manufacturer, loves money and despises poverty. His estranged daughter Barbara, on the other hand, shows her love for the poor by throwing her energies into her work as a Major in the Salvation Army, and sees her father as another soul to be saved. But when the Army needs funds to keep going, it is Undershaft who saves the day with a large cheque - forcing Barbara to examine her moral assumptions. Are they right to accept money that has been obtained by 'Death and Destruction'? Full of lively comedy and sparkling debate, Major Barbara is one of Shaw's most forward-looking plays, brilliantly testing the tensions between religion, wealth and power, benevolence and equality, and metaphors and realities of war.

Major Barbara

Mary Cooper

Jonathan Tafler

Anna Linstrum

Alistair McGowan

Elizabeth Lewis

Robin Brooks

Lucy Caldwell

Sarah Wooley

Stephen Wakelam

Frances Bingham

David Pownall

Katie Hims

Ian Billings

Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre

Judith Adam

18 biographical dramas based on the lives and loves of celebrated writers 
 
These surprising, revealing dramas take a behind-the-scenes look at some of our best-loved authors, mingling fact and fantasy to explore their extraordinary hidden lives. From love affairs, friendships and family relationships to traumas, tragedies and journeys of self-discovery, we glimpse the unwritten worlds that shaped their unforgettable fiction. Among the star casts are Andrew Scott, Toby Jones, Richard Dormer, Glenda Jackson, Bella Ramsey, Julia Davis, Ian McDiarmid, Haydn Gwynne, David Threlfall, Alistair McGowan, Tom Goodman-Hill, Hattie Morahan, Rosie Cavaliero, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Paul Ritter and Lia Williams 
 
Jane and Tom - Writing to her sister, Jane Austen describes her love for Tom Lefroy - a love that would lead to Pride and Prejudice. 
 
When Fanny Met Germaine - A delightful romp through the passionate, scandalous friendship between two 18th Century writers: Fanny Burney and Mme de Stael. 
 
Comrade Ackland - Dorset, 1936. Newly returned from an illicit trip to Civil War Spain, Sylvia Townsend Warner and her lover Valentine Ackland have an unexpected visitor.... 
 
Tongues of Fire - 1913. When a Nobel laureate visits Dublin's Abbey Theatre, fireworks erupt between WB Yeats and Sean O'Casey. 
 
A Year at the Races - Approaching the end of his career, Groucho Marx meets a wisecracking fan determined to teach him new comedy tricks. 
 
Spike and the Elfin Oak- A comic fantasy inspired by Spike Milligan's madcap attempts in the mid-1960s to preserve a curious sculpture in Kensington Gardens. 
 
Everybody's Got Conditions - Casting Bette Davis in his play The Night of the Iguana proves the biggest mistake in Tennessee Williams' career... 
 
I Believe I Have Genius- Humble and obscure, young Charlotte Brontë travels to Brussels to study at a girls' school. 
 
Marian and George - Marian Evans (aka George Eliot) must choose between her adored brother and the love of her life... 
 
Lying Low - An intriguing drama imagining what happened to Samuel Beckett during his mysterious three weeks in Folkestone in 1961. 
 
A Terrible Beauty - WB Yeats travels to France to propose to beautiful Maud Gonne, soon after her husband's execution in the 1916 Easter Rising. 
 
The Watcher on the Wall - Dramatised from his letters, this is the story of Louis MacNeice's transatlantic love affair and the poetry it inspired. 
 
Edith Sitwell in Scarborough - Returning to her birthplace, Edith Sitwell sets out to wreak revenge. 
 
Mrs Tolstoy - A five-part drama charting the tempestuous marriage between Leo and Sofya Tolstoy. 
 
The 'B' Word - The opening night of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion causes a scandal and sparks a passionate love/hate triangle... 
 
The Rules of Palship - The young Noël Coward demanded fierce loyalty from his friends - but did he live up to his own high standards? 
 
The Lost Road - A playful tribute to the long friendship between CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien and how it influenced their respective masterpieces. 
 
Luxembourg Gardens - Re-imagined from Katherine Mansfield's stories, letters and journals, this Mansfieldesque play explores her last day in Paris, where she is dying of consumption aged 34. 
 
Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Behind the Author's Desk: Dramas of Famous Writers' Real Lives

Maxim Gorky

Full-cast productions of five plays by the celebrated Russian author, plus a reading of one of his most famous short stories 
 
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, known under his pseudonym Maxim Gorky, was one of Russia's greatest Soviet writers and the founder of the ‘socialist realism’ literary movement. Nominated for the Nobel Prize five times, his best-known works include the short story ‘Twenty-Six Men and a Girl’ and his seminal play The Lower Depths. Both are included in this collection, as well as four more acclaimed dramas. 
 
The Lower Depths – The arrival of the vagrant Luka has unexpected consequences for the down and out denizens of a Moscow dosshouse... First performed in 1902, Gorky’s pioneering play was the first to introduce Russian audiences to characters who were on the fringes of society, and was an instant success. This 1997 production, adapted by Alan Plater, stars Glyn Houston, with John Woodvine, Malcolm Storry, Laurence Allan and Joe Caffrey. 
 
Summerfolk – Spending the summer at their forest dachas, a group of middle-class holidaymakers embark on affairs, intrigues and amateur dramatics, but cannot escape the hollowness of their lives. Written as a response to Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Gorky’s 1904 play depicts the Russian bourgeoisie on the brink of tremendous social change. Initially performed at the National Theatre, this adaptation stars Christine Pritchard, Simon Armstrong, Kelly Hunter and Ruth Jones. 
 
Enemies – Summer 1905, and as Russia stands on the edge of revolution, landowner and textile factory owner Zakhar Bardin and his intransigent managing director are at odds over the sacking of a foreman. The situation quickly spins out of control – with tragic consequences… Allan McClelland and Timothy Bateson star in this powerful dramatisation of Gorky’s 1906 play, which was censored by both Russia’s Tsarist regime and by Stalin. 
 
Vassa Zhelyeznova – Iron-willed Vassa has always done whatever it takes to build up the family business. Now, as her husband lies dying, she is engaged in a life-and-death struggle over its future. This 1986 radio production stars Billie Whitelaw, who won a Sony Radio Award for Best Actress for her performance as Vassa. 
 
The Old Man – Set in provincial Russia at the turn of the century, Maxim Gorky’s philosophical drama centres around a successful building contractor whose life is shattered by the intrusion of an old man he knew in the past. This classic radio production from 1974 stars Freddie Jones, Maxine Audley and Alan Webb. 
 
Twenty-Six Men and a Girl – Working day and night making pretzels in an airless basement, a group of bakers have only one solace: Tanya, the young seamstress who visits every day to enjoy their wares. But then the soldier arrives, determined to seduce her… Read by Joe Melia. 
 
First published 1899 (‘Twenty-Six Men and a Girl’), 1902 (The Lower Depths), 1902 (Summerfolk), 1906 (Enemies), 1910, revised 1935 (Vassa Zhelyeznova), 1915, revised 1922 and 1924 (The Old Man). 
All rights reserved 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Maxim Gorky: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Five Full-Cast Productions

Clive Coleman

All three series of the comedy drama set in the chaotic world of arts broadcasting 
 
Featuring comedy A-listers Alistair McGowan, Rebecca Front, Harriet Thorpe and Geoffrey Whitehead, with Kevin Eldon and Felicity Montagu, this hilarious sitcom follows the ramshackle production of highbrow TV review show Arting About. 
 
Over 14 episodes, we eavesdrop behind the scenes and in front of the camera, as the hapless team endeavour to capture the zeitgeist and stay ahead of the cultural curve. From exposing heavy metal band Tanks n&rsquo; Daisies as closet anoraks, to interviewing sizzling Animalistic Impulse star Karen Stone and schmoozing Hollywood royalty at the Cannes Film Festival, they&rsquo;ll do anything to boost the show&rsquo;s ratings &ndash; and their own profiles. But whether they&rsquo;re tangling with a country-and-western legend, delving into lottery corruption or facing an alien incursion, things rarely go according to plan... 
 
Originally broadcast in 1993, the first series of Hair in the Gate aired on Radio 5. After that station&rsquo;s demise, it was rescued and remade for Radio 4, where it ran for two series between 1995 and 1996. Created by award-winning journalist and writer Clive Coleman (Chambers), it&rsquo;s full of brilliant banter and droll dialogue, and will appeal to anyone who loved Drop the Dead Donkey and His Master&rsquo;s Voice. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Clive Coleman, with Henry Naylor and Andy Parsons 
Produced by Paul Schlesinger and Jo Clegg 
 
Starring Alistair McGowan, Forbes Masson, Harriet Thorpe, Lorelei King, Geoffrey Whitehead, David Holt, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Kevin Eldon, Felicity Montagu, Rebecca Front, Joanna Monro, Chris Walker, Martin Hyder, Wayne Forester, Neil Conrich and Jonathan Rogers 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 17 September-22 October 1993 (series 1), BBC Radio 4, 3-24 August 1995 (series 2) and 14 November-5 December 1996 (series 3) 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Hair in the Gate: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio Sitcom

Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston star in Shakespeare's tragedy of love and power. 
 
As part of BBC Radio 3's celebration of the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston star in this brand new production. 
 
Lovers, politicians, superstars. Antony &amp; Cleopatra is Shakespeare’s late and epic tragedy of mature love, and the catastrophic fall from grace and power that it brings about. Irresistibly drawn together, the couple are surrounded by friends, enemies, admirers and critics, none of who remain unscathed by the folly and heartbreak of this magnificent pair. As empires clash around them, their destiny seems inevitable: to love each other ‘til death and even beyond. 
 
Produced by BBC Cymru Wales for BBC Radio 3, this radio production also features Geoffrey Streatfeild, Nigel Anthony, Don Gilet and Peter Polycarpou amongst its cast.

Antony and Cleopatra

Drama

&lsquo;A tearing, flaring, revivalist drama&rsquo; was how Desmond MacCarthy described The Shewing-up of Blanco Posnet. Set in America&rsquo;s Wild West and aptly subtitled &lsquo;A Sermon in Crude Melodrama&rsquo;, this single-act play concerns the conversion of a horse thief desperate to &lsquo;keep the devil&rsquo; in him and die game. Published in 1909, it brought Shaw into conflict with the Lord Chamberlain of England, who banned it on the grounds of alleged blasphemy, and it was twelve years before the play was performed in a London theatre. In an interview Shaw commented, &lsquo;I am sorry that Fanny&rsquo;s First Play has destroyed the cherished legend that I am an unpopular playwright &hellip; for the first time I have allowed a play of mine to run itself to death &hellip; And the worst of it is it will not die.&rsquo; First performed in 1911, the play is a delightful farce in which Shaw debates some of his favourite subjects: middle-class morality, marriage, parents and children and women&rsquo;s rights. And, deliberately concealing his authorship, Shaw took the opportunity to satirize contemporary drama critics who, he claimed, &lsquo;do not know dramatic chalk from dramatic cheese when it is no longer labelled for them.&rsquo;

The Shewing-up of Blanco Posnet and Fanny's First Play

Shaw&rsquo;s story is rife with such &lsquo;beyond opinions&rsquo;, as an Anglo-Irish Protestant, a Dubliner in London, and a socialist living in the aftermath of the industrial revolution. In one sense, as a Protestant choosing to live in London, he is a John Bull, yet he remains Irish &ndash; an Irish Bull, something alluded to in his one play set in Eire, John Bull&rsquo;s Other Island.

John Bull's Other Island

Peter Rabbit Tales

Explore with Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit Animation

Peter Rabbit Slide-and-Seek

Peter Rabbit Lift-the-Flap Tales

Peter Rabbit’s Peekaboo

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