Adam Thirlwell was born in London in 1978. The author of three previous novels, his work has been translated into thirty languages. His essays appear in the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books, and he is an advisory editor of the Paris Review. His awards include a Somerset Maugham Award and the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; in 2018 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He has twice been selected by Granta as one of their Best of Young British Novelists.

Adam Thirlwell

Adam Thorpe was born in Paris in 1956. His first novel, Ulverton, appeared in 1992 and he has published two books of stories and ten further novels, most recently Missing Fay (2017), and six poetry collections. 
 
 
www.adamthorpe.net

Adam Thorpe

Adam Tooze is the author of the highly praised Crashed, The Deluge and The Wages of Destruction, all published by Allen Lane. He has been the recipient of the Wolfson Prize for History, the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Prize and the Lionel Gelber Prize. Tooze has taught at Cambridge and Yale and is now Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of History at Columbia University.

Adam Tooze

Adam Usden

Adam Wagner

Adam Wasson

Adam Weymouth's work has been published widely, including in Granta, The Atlantic, The Observer and the BBC. His first book, Kings of the Yukon, won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, the Lonely Planet Adventure Travel Book of the Year and the Prix Paul-Emile Victor. He has been named by the National Writing Centre as one of ten writers shaping the UK's future.

Adam Weymouth

Adam Wisniewski-Snerg (1937-95) was born on the outskirts of Warsaw. His science fiction writing is largely focused around the consequences of totalitarianism. Although largely unread during his lifetime, after his suicide in 1995 his work began to receive major critical attention. He is now considered to be, along with Stanislaw Lem, one of Poland's greatest science fiction writers.

Adam Wisniewski-Snerg

Ade Edmondson

Adele Lang

Adele Nozedar is an author and photographer. Previously, she was in a cult indie band, then ran her own indie record label and became A&amp;R Director/General Manager of a major record company. 
 
Her wide-ranging passions are reflected in her books, which include The Hedgerow Handbook (2012), The Signs and Symbols Sourcebook (2011), The Secret Language of Birds (2006), and The Element Encyclopedia of Native Americans (2013).

Adele Nozedar

Adele Puhn

Adeline Yen Mah

Adelle Waldman is a freelance writer and book critic. She worked as a reporter at the New Haven Register and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal's website. Her articles also have appeared in The New York Times Book Review,The New Republic,Slate,The Wall Street Journal, and other national publications. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Adelle Waldman

Aditi Kakade Beaufrand is an Indian illustrator based in France. She likes experimenting with bright, happy colours. She grew up reading fairytales, watching animated films and imagining adventure stories, and her style is an embodiment of her Indian heritage and western culture. She loves animals and taking long walks on the beach, but she is never too far away from a pencil and a paper to draw her perception of the world.

Aditi Kakade Beaufrand

Aditya Chakrabortty

Adiva Geffen is a bestselling writer and playwright. Her plays have appeared on major stages in Israel, she lectures and leads numerous writing workshops and she is a board member of the Israeli Writers’ Association. 
 
 Geffen started out as a special-education teacher, before serving as the spokesperson for the Habima National Theatre for more than a decade. She founded and subsequently led the Israeli Theatre Award for ten years, and now serves as head of The Gnazim Institute of the Hebrew Writers Association, the largest Hebrew literature archive in the world. 
 
 Born in Haifa, Israel and the mother of three sons, Geffen now lives in Tel Aviv with her partner Aharon Meidan.

Adiva Geffen

Adnan Sarwar, 35, is a former British soldier who served in the Iraq War.  He has since worked as a military consultant to film and is a writer based in London.  Read more at www.adnansarwar.com / @adnansarwar

Adnan Sarwar

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Loos (1877-1933) was a leading Austro-Hungarian architect, perhaps most famous for the revolutionary 'Loos House' opposite the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, which caused outrage when it was built in 1912, and the wonderful American Bar, also in Vienna. He wrote extensively on architecture and design, working in reaction to the elaborate mass of decoration celebrated by the Vienna Secession movement.

Adolf Loos

Adolfo García Ortega

Adomnan of Iona

Adonis

Adriaan Van Dis

Adrian Bean

Adrian Bliss is a creator, writer and performer from London, best known for his comedy sketches which, explore everything from history to natural science to religion. Adrian's work has earned him nearly 20 million followers across social media and has been featured in CNN, The Times and Vogue. Adrian was named one of the New Faces of Comedy at Just For Laughs, and his one-man play Inside Everyone sold out its debut run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival prior to opening.

Adrian Bliss

Adrian Desmond

Adrian Edmondson

Adrian Fort

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Anne Tyler

Captivating BBC radio adaptations of three of Anne Tyler’s bestselling novels 
 
Award-winning author Anne Tyler is loved worldwide for her fiction exploring the intricacies of marriage and domesticity. These three acclaimed books, each set in Baltimore, describe the small triumphs and tragedies of everyday American family life, as relationships are made and broken, and families come together, drift apart, hurt and heal each other. 
 
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (Tracks 1 and 2) 
Abandoned by her salesman husband, Pearl Tull attempts to keep her family together – but her anger and fierce maternal energy has damaging effects on her three children. 
 
Ladder of Years (Tracks 3 and 4) 
An unexpected romantic encounter in the grocery aisle is the beginning of a new adventure for homely Delia Grinstead, leading her to make a sudden, impulsive change in her life. 
 
The Amateur Marriage (Tracks 5 and 6) 
We follow the turbulent relationship of Michael and Pauline Anton over sixty years, from their whirlwind romance in 1941, to marriage, parenthood and beyond. 
 
Multi-layered and universal, with details that ring sharply true and characters that are both recognisable and entertaining, these three dramatisations feature a distinguished cast including Barbara Barnes, Lorelei King and Nathan Osgood. 
 
Dramatised by Rebecca Lenkiewicz 
Produced and directed by David Hunter 
 
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant 
Pearl...Barbara Barnes 
Narrator...Lorelei King 
Beck...Nathan Osgood 
Young Cody...Max Baldry 
Young Ezra...Richard Linnell 
Young Jenny/Jane...Eloise Webb 
Cody...Ben Crowe 
Ezra...Simon Lee Phillips 
Jenny...Fenella Woolgar 
Josiah...Matthew Watson 
Harley...David Seddon 
Mrs Payson/Mrs Scarlatti...Joanna Brookes 
Ruth...Amaka Okafor 
Slevin...Will Howard 
Joe/Driver...David Seddon 
Priest/Driver/Dr Vincent...Paul Stonehouse 
Teacher/Driver...Philippa Stanton 
Mr Murphy...Sean Murray 
 
The Ladder of Years 
Delia...Nancy Crane 
Adrian...Ian Conningham 
Sam...Nathan Osgood 
Eliza...Jessica Turner 
Narrator/Woman...Barbara Barnes 
Rosemary/Debbie/Mother/Binky...Rhiannon Neads 
Skipper...David Acton 
Carroll/Clerk...Sam Valentine 
Driscoll/Ramsay/Vernon/Assistant...Mark Edel-Hunt 
Susie...Roslyn Hill 
Mr Maxwell/Nat...David Hounslow 
Linda/Belle...Jane Slavin 
Eliza...Jessica Turner 
Eleanor...Carol MacReady 
Mr Pomfret....Stephen Critchlow 
Noah...Sean McCrystal 
Joel...Sam Dale 
Rick Rack/Telephone Voice...Jude Akuwudike 
 
The Amateur Marriage 
Pauline/Young Pauline...Julianna Jennings 
Michael/George/Pagan...Tom Forrister 
Narrator...Barbara Barnes 
Mrs Anton...Pandora Colin 
Wanda/Lindy/Gina...Sarah Ridgeway 
Mrs Brunek/Mrs Serge/Mrs Barclay/Donna/Marilyn...Sanchia McCormack 
Katie/Karen...Maeve Bluebell Wells 
Mrs Golka/Destiny/Karen...Chetna Pandya 
Mrs Kowalski/Anna/Katie...Georgie Glen 
Officer/Policeman...John Bowler 
John Piazy/Alex/Policeman/Becoming....Finlay Robertson 
Eustace/Dun...David Sterne 
Lindy...Kayla Gal 
George/Pagan...Finn Monteath 
Michael...Ian Porter 
Cabbie...Nicholas Murchie 
Pauline...Sara Stewart 
Pagan...Noel Brooke 
George...David Sturzaker 
Lindy...Jane Slavin 
Pauline...Sara Stewart

Anne Tyler: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Ladder of Years & The Amateur Marriage

Three BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

John Galsworthy

Jessica Raine stars in all four BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations of John Galsworthy's Forsyte novels. 
 
An irresistible family saga of love, money and betrayal, The Forsytes: The Complete Series encompasses four acclaimed BBC Radio 4 productions of Galsworthy’s perennially popular epic, spanning 50 years from 1886 to 1936. 
 
The Forsytes sees wealthy Soames Forsyte questioning his relationship with his beautiful wife Irene. As evidence of her betrayal emerges, the family is torn apart and scandal unleashed. In The Forsytes Continues, it is 1920 and Soames would do anything for his sparkling daughter, Fleur. But when she falls in love with the wrong man, how can he stop history repeating itself? The Forsytes Returns picks up Fleur’s story four years later, as she vows to put her past behind her and settle down. But those around her are intent on stirring up trouble. The Forsytes Concludes introduces young Dinny Cherrell, Fleur’s cousin. Unbeknown to both, their lives will be paralleled in ways neither could have predicted... 
 
Starring Jessica Raine, with a cast including Joseph Millson, Juliet Aubrey, Jonathan Bailey, Ben Lambert and Sarah Ridgeway, this compelling drama delves behind the Edwardian façade to reveal Galsworthy's wonderful wit, observation and insight into human nature.

The Forsytes: The Complete Series

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Salman Rushdie

'Radio drama of the year' - Gillian Reynolds, The Telegraph 
 
Nikesh Patel stars as Saleem in BBC Radio 4’s epic dramatisation of Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize-winning novel of love, history and magic 
 
Saleem Sinai is born on the stroke of midnight on 14th-15th August 1947, at the exact moment that India and Pakistan become separate, independent nations. From that moment on, his fate is mysteriously handcuffed to the history of his country. 
 
But Saleem’s story starts almost thirty years earlier, when his grandfather, Dr Aadam Aziz, falls in love with a woman concealed behind a perforated sheet. That pivotal moment in Kashmir in 1919 sparks a series of bizarre events that will lead to a cryptic prophecy and the birth of a boy with an extraordinary destiny. 
 
As a ‘Midnight’s Child’, Saleem has magical powers, and can telepathically tune in to all the other gifted children whose birth coincided with India’s division. However, his strange entanglement with the fate of India will have dramatic repercussions for both him and his country… 
 
Adapted by Ayeesha Menon, this dazzling dramatisation of Rushdie’s many-layered, magical realist masterpiece is both an enthralling family saga and a riveting history of post-colonialism. First broadcast to mark the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India, it features Nikesh Patel as Saleem, with a star cast including Abhin Galeya, Meera Syal, Anneika Rose and Narinder Samra. 
 
Also included is an interview with Salman Rushdie, in which the author talks to radio drama director Emma Harding about his multi-award winning novel. 
 
Midnight's Children won the Booker Prize in 1981, and was subsequently awarded the 'Booker of Bookers' prize in 1993 and 'The Best of the Booker' prize in 2008.

Midnight’s Children

The Archers

The legendary demise of Phil Archer’s first wife is recalled in these archive editions of the much-loved BBC radio serial, plus a unique behind-the-scenes drama about Grace’s death. 
 
The Archers is the longest-running radio drama in the world, and in 1955 the death of Grace Archer became one of the most notorious – and controversial – events in the history of the show. Over 20 million people tuned in to hear the shocking storyline, and the BBC switchboard was jammed with thousands of calls from distraught listeners. 
 
This Archers retrospective includes the omnibus edition from September 1955, featuring the fateful night of Grace's demise, and two editions of Vintage Archers from 1986 and 1987 in which the residents of Ambridge – including Jill, Walter, Tom, Shula and Christine – gather at Christmas and remember events of the past. 
 
Finally, in the 2015 radio play Dead Girls Tell No Tales, the real-life circumstances of Grace's departure from the serial are dramatised by long-term Archers writer Joanna Toye. With a star cast including Eleanor Tomlinson, Simon Russell Beale, Ysanne Churchman, Jon Culshaw, Pam Ferris and Miles Jupp, it delves deep into The Archers' archives to reveal the truth about why Grace had to die. Duration: 3 hours approx.

The Archers: The Death of Grace Archer

Rachel Joyce

Charlotte Brontë

Amanda Hale and Tom Burke star in a brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Charlotte Brontë's most beloved novel, adapted by Rachel Joyce. 
 
Orphan Jane learns at an early age that self-control is the surest means of retaining self-respect in adversity. It is a lesson that serves her well in the years ahead as she endures the misery of life with her cruel, uncaring aunt, followed by the harsh regime at Lowood Institution, a charity school for poor children. 
 
After taking the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, she meets the master of the house, the brooding, enigmatic Edward Rochester, and finds herself falling in love with him. It seems as if happiness may finally be within her grasp – but a series of strange events leads her to believe that Rochester is concealing a dark secret. When the truth is revealed, the heartbroken Jane will need all her inner strength and resilience to face up to it... 
 
Dramatised for radio by bestselling novelist Rachel Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry), this iconic love story stars Amanda Hale as Jane and Tom Burke as Rochester. Suffused with romance, passion, mystery and danger, it is a spellbinding tale that is as real and relevant today as when it was first published in 1847. 
 
Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Jane Eyre

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Jane Austen

In this BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of one of Jane Austen's most beloved works, Mrs Bennet is determined to see her five daughters married off and secure a future for them all. 
 
When the wealthy Mr Bingley arrives in the neighbourhood, Mrs Bennet wastes no time in making his acquaintance. His friend Mr Darcy, however, discourages Mr Bingley from marrying Jane Bennet, and also appears to snub her sister Elizabeth. 
 
When Elizabeth hears that Mr Darcy himself is of poor character, her innate prejudice of him is reinforced, and she roundly refuses his unexpected proposal of marriage. But then, when she discovers that she was misinformed, Elizabeth wonders if she can ever hope to see Mr Darcy again.... 
 
Published over 200 years ago, Pride and Prejudice remains one of the British nation's favourite novels. Among the star cast in this radio production are Amanda Root, Pippa Nixon, Samantha Spiro and David Troughton. 
 
This title is part of the BBC's Jane Austen collection. 
 
© 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Pride and Prejudice

Michael Morpurgo

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the powerful novel set in the First World War, from the author of War Horse. 
 
This is the story of Thomas ‘Tommo’ Peaceful, a young soldier who finds himself in Belgium, in the trenches of the First World War, with his brother Charlie. It is also the story of Tommo’s life, growing up in Devon with his brothers, and of his love for Molly, the beautiful girl he met on his first day at school. 
 
As the story unfolds, from past to present, so approaches the hour when Tommo and Charlie will be separated for ever. The horrors of the First World War, and the injustice meted out to the soldiers who fought in it, are movingly described. 
 
Recorded on location Iddesleigh, the Devon village where the book is set, this radio dramatisation features among its cast Paul Chequer, Nicholas Lyndhurst and author Michael Morpurgo himself. 
 
It also features; Ted Allpress, Harvey Allpress, Amy Reade, Daniel Houghton, Paul Chequer, Mark Quartley, Annette Chown, Ben Allen, Alison Reid, Nick Brimble, Christopher Bianchi, Peter Ellis, Jonathan Keeble, Terence Mann, Simon Reade and Susan Roberts.

Private Peaceful

A BBC Radio Drama

Amber Lone

By Amber Lone. Part 1: A distinctive modern version of an ancient Indian epic and one of the world's most popular love stories. Teenage Sita sees the most beautiful stranger in the street. She'll marry him or die. He is Prince Rama, heir to the throne but his stepmother wants Rama sent into exile.Part 2:  A distinctive modern version of an ancient Indian epic and one of the world's most popular love stories. Sita has been abducted by a ruthless warlord. Rama enlists the help of an army of monkeys to get her back but has she betrayed him with the evil ruler of Lanka? The ancient Indian epic The Ramayana is one of the world's most popular love stories. The separation and reunion of two lovers gives it perennial appeal but Rama's jealousy and Sita 's metamorphosis into a strong independent woman gives the story a contemporary feel. Outstanding composer Niraj Chag creates original music.  Amber Lone (dramatist) is a bold new British Asian voice. Music composed by Niraj Chag.Directed by Claire Grove.

The Ramayana

Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy's story of one woman's fate is brought powerfully to life in this BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation starring Teresa Gallagher and Toby Stephens. Anna Karenina enjoys a privileged and aristrocratic lifestyle as the wife of influential government official Alexy Karenin. Yet their ten-year marriage is devoid of tenderness, and when Anna falls in love with the handsome Count Vronsky they embark upon a deep and passionate affair. Reflecting the social conditions of the era in which it was written, Tolstoy's masterpiece sets a doomed love story against a harsh and unforgiving backdrop.

Anna Karenina

Hugh Costello

Dublin, 1997. When Joe Finnerty marries into Dublin's political aristocracy his fortune appears to be made. Lucrative government contracts and the ready patronage of his heavy hitting father-in-law ensure that Joe soon becomes a man to be reckoned with. His own career in politics seems pre-ordained, until a disgruntled Party apparatchik leaks information concerning the unexplained death of Joe's ex-partner, creating a scandal which shakes the Finnerty empire and threatens to destroy Joe and everything he once held dear.  A cautionary tale about an individual's pact with political preferment - Irish style.  Written by Hugh Costello and directed by Eoin O'Callaghan. Starring Patrick Fitzsymons, John Kavanagh, Amanda Hurwitz, Cathy White, Michael J Murphy, Hugh Costello, Frankie McCafferty, Nicky Doherty and Padraig Doon.

Smoke And Daggers

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Louis de Bernières

Robert Powell reads Louis De Bernières’ bestselling novel set in the early days of the second world war, and as heard on BBC Radio 4...  Dr Iannis practices medicine on the island of Cephalonia, accompanied by his daughter, Pelagia, to whom he imparts much of his healing art. Even when the Italians do invade, life isn't so bad - at first anyway. The officer in command of the Italian garrison is the cultured Captain Antonio Corelli, whose most precious possession is his mandolin. It isn't long before Corelli and Pelagia are involved in a heated affair - despite her engagement to a young fisherman, Mandras, who has gone off to join Greek partisans. Love is complicated enough in wartime, even when the lovers are on the same side. And for Corelli and Pelagia, it becomes increasingly difficult to negotiate the minefield of allegiances, both personal and political, as all around them atrocities mount, former friends become enemies and the ugliness of war infects everyone it touches.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Duncan MacMillan

Duncan Macmillan's romantic comedy drama about the end of the world, a woman who falls in love with the moon, and her husband who falls back in love with her.  Starring Bill Nighy as Keith, Amelia Bullmore as Tilda and Harry Child as Oscar. Directed by Sam Hoyle.

I Wish To Apologise For My Part In The Apocalypse

BBC Audio presents Mansfield Park, Jane Austen's perceptive study of middle class morals in the 19th century. Jane Austen's unlikely heroine Fanny Price is plucked from her impoverished family and brought up by wealthy relatives at Mansfield Park. 
 
When two outrageous and flirtatious guests arrive at Mansfield Park, Fanny's moral compass is shattered. How will Fanny continue to appear meek and cheerful, whilst being forced to re-examine her entire life? 
 
Starring Hannah Gordon, Amanda Root and Michael Williams. 
 
© 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Mansfield Park

BBC Audio presents Persuasion, Jane Austen's last novel. Anne Elliot had never forgotten the personable Captain Wentworth, who reappears in Anne Elliot's life several years after she had been persuaded to break off their engagement. 
 
He makes no secret of his angry indignation. Newly wealthy from success at sea, a marriage with Frederick Wentworth could walk Anne and her entire family back from the brink of financial ruin. Can Wentworth forgive, and can the couple reunite? 
 
Narrated by Janet Suzman. 
 
© 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Persuasion

A BBC Radio 4 reading

BBC Audio presents Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's beloved novel following the five Bennett sisters as they try to find their way in the world. 
 
Gentle, beautiful Jane Bennett, strong-willed Elizabeth and their younger sisters have all been raised by a mother with one goal: to find wealthy husbands for all of her daughters. When Mr Bingley, a bachelor with a sizeable income takes up residence nearby, she thinks he is perfect for her eldest, Jane. However, when Elizabeth meets Mr Darcy their initial impressions of each other are less than favourable... 
 
Read by Patricia Hodge. 
 
© 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

William Shakespeare

In this BBC full-cast production of Henry IV Part 2, civil war is ravaging England. Rebels are rallying together, unified against Henry. Will Henry and his son, Hal, emerge victorious - or alive? 
 
Father and son Julian Glover and Jamie Glover star as King Henry and his son Hal in the powerful production which also stars Timothy West and Prunella Scales. 
 
BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly-formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. 
 
 In this acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the modern day.

Henry IV Part Two

A BBC Radio Shakespeare production

In this BBC full-cast production, Julius Caesar is triumphant after his victory over the sons of Pompey. But as bad omens and weather plague Rome, even his most loyal friends are starting to see the signs... 
 
Political intrigue and fierce battle rage in this tense and dynamic production in which a country is torn apart under the legacy of Julius Caesar, 'the colossus'. 
 
Gerard Murphy, Stella Gonet, Samantha Bond and Nicholas Farrell star in Shakespeare's turbulent Roman history. 
 
 BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly-formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. 
 
 In this acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the modern day.

Julius Caesar

In this BBC full-cast production, Othello is drawn further and further into jealous rage by the manipulative Iago. 
 
In this story of evil cunning perverting a once noble mind, radio captures Iago's sly hints and boasts to the audience with shocking clarity. The listener is led along an emotional path that grips with fascinating horror until the play's tragic conclusion. 
 
Staring Ray Fearon as Othello, James Frain as Iago and and Anastasia Hille as Desdemona. 
 
BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly-formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. 
 
 In this acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the modern day.

Othello

In this BBC full-cast production of The Merchant of Venice, love, bigotry, greed, and justice are entwined. 
 
Shakespeare's classic play explores the eternal themes of love and hate, mercy and justice, with parallel stories centred on the moneylender, Shylock, and the lovers, Portia and Bassanio. Shylock's angry insistence on the repayment of his debt from Bassanio ends in the Venetian courts, where he demands his pound of flesh. Portia meanwhile, a wealthy young Venetian woman, must marry one of her many suitors. Her late father's will has set the challenge by means of three caskets: one gold, one silver and one lead. 
 
Warren Mitchell stars as Shylock, with Martin Jarvis as Antonio, Samuel West as Bassanio and Juliet Aubrey as Portia. 
 
This superb production of Shakespeare's dramatic and complex play is directed by the award-winning Peter Kavanagh, and features specially-composed music by the renowned Barrington Pheloung. 
 
BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly-formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. 
 
 In this acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the modern day.

The Merchant Of Venice

Patrick White

Two dramatisations of novels by the Nobel prize winner Patrick White. 
 
Patrick White was an Australian novelist and playwright. He sharply divided Australian critics due to his satirical take on Australian society. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, the only Australian to be awarded this prize and his first published novel, Happy Valley (1939), was awarded the Gold Medal of the Australian Literature Society. 
 
This collection consists of two of his award winning novels dramatised with a full cast. 
 
Voss - Set in nineteenth-century Australia, Voss is the story of the secret passion between an explorer and a naïve young woman. Although they have met only a few times, Voss and Laura are joined by overwhelming, obsessive feelings for each other. Voss sets out to cross the continent, and as hardships, mutiny and betrayal whittle away his power to endure and to lead, his attachment to Laura gradually increases. Laura, waiting in Sydney, moves through the months of separation as if they were a dream and Voss the only reality. 
 
Voss: Robert Menzies 
Laura Trevelyan: Pamela Rabe 
 
Other Cast: with Bob Homery, Julia Blake, Tammy McCarthy, Paul English, Celia De Burgh. Michael Carman, Brian Lipson, John Dicks. Jerome Pride and Stanley McGeagh. 
 
 
 
The Twyborn Affair - As the London Blitz begins, a tangled tale of sexual identity unfolds. Eddie Twyborn is bisexual and beautiful, the son of a Judge and a drunken mother. With his androgynous hero - Eudoxia/Eddie/Eadith Twyborn - and through his search for identity, for self-affirmation and love in its many forms, Patrick White takes us into the ambiguous landscapes, sexual, psychological and spiritual, of the human condition. 
 
 
Dramatised by DJ Britton 
Producer/Director Alison Hindell 
 
Eddie: Julian Rhind-Tutt 
Eadie: Penny Downie 
Joan: Hattie Morahan 
Don: Philip Quast 
Marcia: Leigh Funnelle 
Angelos: John Rowe 
Rod: John Rowe 
Curly: David Henry 
Greg: David Henry 
Peggy: Manon Edwards 
Ada: Manon Edwards 
Driver: Piers Wehner 
Bridie: Emerald O'Hanrahan 
Philip: Joseph Cohen-Cole

Voss & The Twyborn Affair

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Dramatisations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most popular works, plus bonus documentary Often described as ‘the laureate of the Jazz Age’, F. Scott Fitzgerald captured the reckless, hedonistic spirit of 1920s America in his classic novels The Great Gatsby, The Beautiful and Damned and Tender is the Night. All three are dramatised here, as well as his sparkling short story ‘Head and Shoulders’, and a fascinating programme presenting a fresh perspective on Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece.The Great Gatsby – Arriving in Long Island, Nick Carraway is reacquainted with his distant cousin Daisy Buchanan, and falls in with her wealthy crowd. His neighbour, the self-made and self-invented millionaire, Gatsby, seems to have it all – but the one thing he truly wants, he can never have. Bryan Dick, Andrew Scott, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Amaka Okafor and Karl Johnson, star in this 2012 dramatisation of Fitzgerald’s seminal book on the fallibility of the American dream.The Beautiful and Damned – Anthony Patch and his wife, Gloria Gilbert, are the essence of glamour. True socialites, they spend their time drinking, partying and planning how to spend the vast fortune Anthony is set to inherit. But their decadence and excess will be their downfall, and when their perfect relationship hits the rocks, they descend into despair and alcoholism… Starring Joel MacCormack, Rhashan Stone and Jessica Hardwick, this mesmerising drama charts the Roaring Twenties via a vivid portrait of a golden couple and their doomed marriage.Tender is the Night – Psychoanalyst Dick Diver and his wife Nicole live the high life at their rented villa on the French Riviera. When young film star Rosemary Hoyt enters their circle, she fails to grasp the dark secrets that hold them together, and her dangerous attraction to Dick will have tragic consequences… Simon Harrison, Melody Grove and Kelly Burke star in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s poignant tale of love, disintegration and shattered dreams.Head and Shoulders – Seventeen-year-old Horace Tarbox, nicknamed ‘Horace Brainbox’ by his cousin Charlie, is a serious university scholar who doesn’t have time for romance. That is, until he meets sassy blonde flapper and chorus girl Marcia Meadow, and gives up the academic life for love… Starring Alan David Marriott and Briony Glassco.Against the Current: The Great Gatsby at 100 – Professor Sarah Churchwell explores new poetic, aesthetic and philosophical interpretations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, asking whether we have misunderstood the author’s intentions all along.Production creditsWritten by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
ContentsThe Great GatsbyThe Beautiful and DamnedTender is the NightHead and ShouldersAgainst the Current: The Great Gatsby at 100© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night & more

Four Full Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

By Hand

Byrne & Balzano

Described by his creator as 'short, fat and primitive', Evert Bäckström is a rather unique homicide detective but he is undeniably the real deal with it comes to modern policing. 
 
This series is blackly comic, thrillingly compelling and utterly real.

Bäckström

CAMP GOLD

Caedmon Aisquith

Cairo Trilogy

Can You Solve the Murder?

Capital

Care Bears

Cartoon Kid

Cath Kidston

A crime-fiction series with a twist - private investigator Catherine Berlin, is a damaged soul struggling with a heroin addiction, but she still manages to do her best, even when her own neck is on the chopping block.

Catherine Berlin

Celeste Express

Central Intelligence

Chaos and Flame

Charles Hayden

Charles Paris Dramatisations

Charlie Bass

Charlie Changes Into a Chicken

Charlie and Lola

Cherry Blossoms After Winter

Chevalier

Chinese Cinderella

Life at Tanglewood isn't all sleepovers, picnics and beach parties. Cherry, Summer, Skye, Coco and Honey all face some tough life challenges in this delicious series from bestselling girls' favourite Cathy Cassidy. Every sister has a secret to share. Which one will be your favourite?

Chocolate Box Girls

Christmas

Chronicles of Vladimir Tod

Churchminister

Welcome inside the violent, treacherous world of Roman politics, and learn how one man - clever, compassionate, devious, vulnerable - fought to reach the top.

Cicero Trilogy

Classic Radio Sci-Fi

Claudine

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