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A A Gill

Andrew Swanston read law at Cambridge, but was inspired to write by his lifelong interest in early modern history. His Thomas Hill novels – The King’s Spy, The King’s Exile and The King’s Return – are set against the backdrops of the English Civil War, Cromwell’s Commonwealth and the early Restoration respectively. He is also the author of Waterloo: The Bravest Man and Beautiful Star and Other Stories. His first historical thriller set during the reign of Elizabeth I – Incendium (published in paperback as The Incendium Plot) – introduced readers to the academic, lawyer and intelligencer Dr Christopher Radcliff, whose adventures continue in Chaos. Andrew Swanston lives in Surrey.

A D Swanston

A E Langsford

A G Hopkins

A. J. BAIME is the New York Times best-selling author of The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War and Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans. Both books are in development for major motion pictures. Baime is a longtime regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Popular Science, and Men’s Journal. He lives in Granite Bay, California. Visit him at facebook.com/ajbaime and trumanbook.com.

A J Baime

A J Jacobs

A J P Taylor

Anthony James Pollard is a British medieval historian, specialising in the fifteenth century and in particular the Wars of the Roses. A leading authority in the field, he is profesor emeritus of Teesside University. His books include North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses, Richard III and the Princes in theTower, Imagining Robin Hood: the Late Medieval Stories in Historical Context and Warwick the kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame.

A J Pollard

A J Rochester

A K Benjamin is a clinical neuropsychologist and the author of Let Me Not Be Mad: A Story of Unravelling Minds.

A K Benjamin

A. L. Berridge read English at Oxford, and taught for ten years before moving into television, where her production credits range from period drama and thrillers to long-running soaps. She has written two previous novels, Top Ten besteller Honour and the Sword and In the Name of the King. Into the Valley of Death is her third novel.

A L Berridge

Alison Gaylin's first job was as a reporter for a celebrity tabloid, which sparked a lifelong interest in writing about people committing despicable acts. More than a decade later, she wrote and published her Edgar-nominated first novel, HIDE YOUR EYES. 
 
She's since published nine more books, including the USA Today and international bestselling Brenna Spector suspense series, which has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Thriller awards and won the Shamus award. 
 
She lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, cat and dog.

A L Gaylin

A Maxwell-Hyslop

A McArthur

A P Wavell

A.S. Webb is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Daughter of Chaos, the first instalment of The Dark Pantheon Trilogy. She is inspired by stories rooted in history and mythology, that push the boundaries of imagination and urge us to reflect on what it means to be human.

A S Webb

A. A. Dhand is the author of six previous novels, and has been shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Award. His DI Harry Virdee novels are currently being adapted for TV by the BBC. He was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired all his novels. For more information about A. A. Dhand and his books, follow him on X @aadhand, and on Instagram @aa_dhand.

A. A. Dhand

A. A. Gill

A. A. Milne

A. Anatoli

A. B. Poranek grew up sharing her time between Ontario, Canada and rural Poland, and eventually completed a veterinary degree at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. A lover of mythology and history, she enjoys exploring both in her writing. Her debut novel, Where the Dark Stands Still, an instant New York Times bestseller, is an ode to Poland's folktales, while A Treachery of Swans transports readers to a world inspired by 17th century France.

A. B. Poranek

A. Bradley

Professor A. C. Grayling is Principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy, history, science and current affairs. For several years he wrote columns for the Guardian newspaper and The Times and was the chairman of the 2014 Man Booker Prize.

A. C. Grayling

A.D. Miller is the author of Snowdrops, The Earl of Petticoat Lane and The Faithful Couple. Snowdrops was a bestseller and was shortlisted for many prizes including the Man Booker and the CWA Gold Dagger. It was translated into 25 languages. As Moscow Correspondent of The Economist A.D. Miller has travelled across the former Soviet Union and covered the Orange Revolution in Ukraine; he is now the magazine’s Culture Editor based in London. 
 
admillerbooks.com

A. D. Miller

A. E. Ellis

A. E. W. Mason

A. Humphreys

A. Igoni Barrett was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 1979 and lives in Lagos. He is a winner of the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition, the recipient of a Chinua Achebe Center Fellowship, a Norman Mailer Center Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency. His short story collection, Love is Power, or Something Like That, was published in 2013. In 2014 he was named on the Africa39 list of sub-Saharan African writers under 40. Blackass is his first novel.

A. Igoni Barrett

The short life of A.J.A. Symons (1900-41) was described by his biographer as an intricate and largely harmless confidence trick. His many interests included the collection of musical boxes and rare books as well as the study and practice of forgery; they left him time to edit an anthology of Edwardian verse and compose studies of H.M. Stanley and other notable figures. He is remembered for The Quest for Corvo, one of the most remarkable biographies ever written, and for co-founding the Wine and Food Society.

A. J. A. Symons

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R.D. Blakemore

BBC dramatisation of the classic novel, an enduring romantic love story 
 Experience R.D. Blackmore’s classic novel like never before, in this full-cast adaptation of one of the greatest love stories ever told. Immerse yourself in the world of Lorna and John as they battle their families and their allegiances during the turmoil of the English civil war. This stunning full-cast adaptation brings the story to life for listeners in a rich and deeply rewarding listen.This is an enduring story of love, loss, redemption and revenge. Written in 1869, this adaptation transports the listener to 17th century Exmoor, Devon. Carver Doone and the Doone Clan, once nobles but now outlaws, murder the father of honest and hardworking John Ridd. Granddaughter of the head of the Doone Clan, Lorna meets John and the two fall in love, but can John really turn the other cheek? Murderous Carver has other intentions for Lorna and it turns out that she might not be who she thinks she is. Meanwhile the civil war rages, King Charles is executed and the Monmouth rebellion is not far away. Will John and Lorna, separated by circumstance and family, ever be able to be together…?Since its publication, Lorna Doone (written in the heyday of the great Victorian novels) has proved to be an enduring tale. This brilliant adaptation is perfect for fans of classic romance fiction. If you liked Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South or Mary Ann Evan’s (George Elliot) Middlemarch, then this is a listen you will love.Cast and creditsWritten by R.D. BlackmoreDramatised by Barry LettsDirected by Brian LighthillJohn Ridd - David Schofield 
Lorna Doone - Alison Pettit 
Mother - Janet Dale 
Tom Faggus - Cornelius Garrett 
Uncle Ben - James Warrior 
Carver Doone - Kim Durham 
Young Lorna - Charlotte Grattidge 
Jeremy Stickles - Graham Padden 
Lizzie Ridd - Sunny Ormonde 
Young Lizzie - Laura Berry 
Annie Ridd - Katherine Mount 
Young Annie - Samantha Dowling 
Gwenny - Susan Jeffrey 
John Fry - Ian Brooker 
Counsellor Doone - Graham Colclough 
Charlie Doon - David PerksJudge Jeffries/King James - Johnathan Wyatt First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14th - 28th September 1997©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Lorna Doone

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation

Ford Madox Ford

Major BBC adaptations of Ford Madox Ford’s two most famous works, with stellar casts including Tom Goodman-Hill, Ruth Gemmell, Kyle Soller and Mark Bonnar 
 
A forgotten great of British fiction, Ford Madox Ford wrote over 80 books, founded two trailblazing literary journals and was a friend and collaborator to some of the 20th century’s most significant authors, among them Joseph Conrad, DH Lawrence, Ezra Pound and James Joyce. His two masterpieces – the ‘Parade’s End’ quartet of novels and The Good Soldier – are dramatised here, alongside a fascinating profile of the author himself. 
 
Parade’s End – The scion of an old aristocratic family, Christopher Tietjens is ‘the last English gentleman’. Unhappily married to the beautiful, faithless Sylvia, he falls in love with young suffragette Valentine – but their burgeoning relationship is interrupted by the onset of the Great War. Plunged into the chaos of the trenches, Christopher must cope with both the terrors of battle and the radically changed world of post-war England... Tom Goodman-Hill and Ruth Gemmell star in this epic drama set in the years leading up to, and following, World War I. 
 
The Good Soldier – John Dowell is the original unreliable narrator as he recounts ‘the saddest story ever told’ – a twisted tale of sex, money and betrayal involving two married couples who meet at a German spa in 1904. Over the course of the next nine years, they become close friends, but when Edward Ashburnham embarks on an affair with Florence Dowell, tragedy ensues, and the lives of all four are ripped apart. Starring Kyle Soller, Tonya Cornelisse, Patrick Baladi, Fiona O’Shaughnessy and Mark Bonnar, and adapted by Pilgrim creator Sebastian Baczkiewicz, this searing psychosexual drama is sharp, menacing and mesmerizing. 
 
Ford Madox Ford and France – Julian Barnes and Hermione Lee tell the story of Ford Madox Ford, exploring his time in Paris and Aix-en-Provence, his tangled love affairs (including one with his protégé, Jean Rhys), his embroidered accounts of his own life, and his death in Deauville in 1939, three months before the outbreak of World War II. 
 
First published 1915 (The Good Soldier), 1924-1928 (Parade’s End) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Ford Madox Ford 
 
Parade’s End 
Christopher – Tom Goodman-Hill 
Sylvia – Ruth Gemmell 
Valentine – Katherine Igoe 
Mark/ Father Consett/Sergeant Major Cowley – Crawford Logan 
General Campion – Gareth Thomas 
Captain McKechnie – Michael Perceval-Maxwell 
Macmaster/Ducket – Steven McNicoll 
Mrs Satterthwaite – Monica Gibb 
Edith Duchemin – Noreen Leighton 
Mrs Wannop – Vivienne Dixon 
Lieutenant Aranjuez – Nick Underwood 
Perowne/Morgan – Matthew Zajak 
 
Adapted by Robert Forrest 
Produced and diirected by Patrick Rayner 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 18 May 2003 
 
The Good Soldier 
John Dowell – Kyle Soller 
Florence Dowell – Tonya Cornelisse 
Edward Ashburnham – Patrick Baladi 
Leonora Ashburnham – Fiona O’Shaughnessy 
Major Hazleton – Mark Bonnar 
Nancy Rufford – Ashna Rabheru 
Jimmy Doyle – Ronan Summers 
Maisie Maidan – Cecilia Appiah 
 
Adapted by Sebastian Baczkiewicz 
Directed by James Robinson 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 November 2020 
 
Ford Madox Ford and France 
Presented by Julian Barnes and Hermione Lee 
Produced by Robyn Read 
Reader: Kerry Shale 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24-31 August 2010 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Parade’s End & The Good Soldier

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Margaret Mitchell

A brand new adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s iconic novel, set against the turbulent backdrop of the American Civil WarMargaret Mitchell only had one book published in her lifetime, but it was a blockbuster. The epic, 1000-page, 1936 Pulitzer Prize-winning Gone With The Wind?has been hailed as the Great American Novel, sold over 30 million copies worldwide and is one of America’s most cherished books. Epic and sweeping in scale, it tells the story of a passionate, headstrong young woman whose destiny is forged by love and war.Sixteen-year-old Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara lives a life of ease and privilege at her wealthy family’s Georgia plantation home, Tara. But her carefree world is about to be turned upside down. When the man she adores, Ashley Wilkes, marries another woman, she is heartbroken – but worse is in store for her and her family. As the Civil War rips through the South and Atlanta burns, she finds herself fighting for survival. Determined to save her beloved Tara, Scarlett enlists the help of cynical opportunist Rhett Butler, and they embark on a tempestuous romance – yet she cannot let go of her dreams of Ashley...With its unforgettable anti-heroine and vivid depiction of a nation mortally divided and a people forever changed, this classic tale has entranced readers and movie audiences for 90 years. Both seminal and controversial, it has attracted criticism for its racist attitudes, sympathetic stance towards the Confederate South and failure to address the evils of slavery. This major radio retelling skilfully navigates these problematic issues, while never losing sight of the novel’s heart: its compelling characters and stirring, irresistible narrative.Production creditsWritten by Margaret MitchellProduced by Tracey NealeFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-22 February 2026© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Gone With The Wind

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisation

Jeffery Farnol

A vintage 13-part dramatisation of Jeffery Farnol’s historical romance 
 
When 22-year-old Barnabas Barty, the son of a landlord and ex-prize fighter, unexpectedly inherits £700,000 from his uncle in Jamaica, he decides to fulfil his dream of becoming a gentleman. Leaving his father’s country inn in Kent, he sets off to London determined to enter the beau monde. 
 
En route, he meets and falls in love with a beautiful woman, and engages in fisticuffs with an arrogant aristocrat in a green coat. Though the lady vanishes before Barnabas can ask for her name, he later learns that she is Lady Cleone Meredith… and that he has several rivals for her affections. He also learns that he has made a powerful enemy – for the man he knocked down was Sir Mortimer Carnaby, a member of the Ton and a close friend of the Prince Regent… 
 
Has Barnabas blighted his chances of becoming a person of quality? Can he ever win the heart of the fair Cleone? And what will fashionable London make of this amateur gentleman? 
 
Alongside Georgette Heyer, Jeffery Farnol largely originated the ‘Regency romance’ genre, and in his 50-year career he wrote over 40 bestselling tales of love and adventure. The Amateur Gentleman was among his most popular novels, and was adapted as a film three times in the 1920s and 1930s. First broadcast in 1966, this classic BBC Radio dramatisation stars Brian Hewlett as Barnabas, with Anthony Jackson as the Storyteller and Eva Haddon as Cleone. 
 
Cast 
Barnabas Barty – Brian Hewlett 
Storyteller – Anthony Jackson 
John Barty/Captain Slingsby – John Dearth 
Mr Crabtree – Stephen Jack 
Nathaniel Bell/Jack Truelove/Jaspar Gaunt – Wilfred Babbage 
A Chapman/Pufton, a Gentleman-in-Powder/Quinly – Michael McClain 
Sir Mortimer Carnaby/Jerry Tucker, the Bosun/Coachman/Waiter//Mr Tressider/Bow Street Runner – Ronald Herdman 
Cleone – Eva Haddon 
John Chumley/Gamekeeper/Jaspar Shrig – Basil Jones 
Viscount Devenham – Henry Stamper 
Milo – Nigel Anthony 
Mr Chichester/Guard – Anthony Hall 
John Peterby/A landlord – Kevin McHugh 
Clemency Dare – Carol Marsh 
Billy Button/Corporal Richard Roe/Nick, the Cobbler – Michael Kilgarriff 
A Fussy Gentleman/Sir George Annersley/Mr Bimby – Walter Fitzgerald 
Gabriel Martin/Major Piper – Alan Dudley 
Digby Smivvle – Harold Kasket 
The Marquis of Jerningham – John Justin 
Ronald Barrymaine – Allan McClelland 
A woman debtor/Mrs Smummitt – Anna Burden 
Duchess of Camberhurst – Noel Hood 
Countess of Orme – Joan Matheson 
Marquis of Jerningham – John Justin 
Ralph Darville – Noel Howlett 
 
Adapted by Felix Felton and Susan Ashman 
Produced by John Powell 
First broadcast BBC Home Service, 29 July-21 October 1966 
 
Episode list 
1. The Road to London 
2. The Lace Handkerchief 
3. At Oakshott’s Barn 
4. The Duties of a Valet 
5. The Misfortunes of Ronald Barrymaine 
6. Annersley Revisited 
7. Barnaby Bright 
8. Wagers and Warnings 
9. The Great Steeplechase 
10. The Gathering Shadows 
11. Account Settled 
12. The Harder Way 
13. The Duchess Decides 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Amateur Gentleman

Rudyard Kipling

Selected works of Rudyard Kipling

11 Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Martin Boyd

The classic tale of an Australian girl who marries into the English aristocracy at a time of great change to the traditional orderNovember 1910, and seventeen-year-old Lucinda is looking forward to being making her debut in Melbourne society. Beautiful and wealthy, she is set to make a brilliant match – and when she meets dashing army officer Hugo Brayford, the younger brother of an English viscount, it seems she has succeeded in landing her prize. Bowled over by his charm and aristocratic lineage, impressionable Lucinda quickly forgets her first love, Tony Duff, and accepts Hugo’s proposal of marriage.Leaving Australia, she prepares to start a new life in England – but all is not as she had anticipated. Hugo is frequently away, runs up debts that Lucinda must settle, and even the birth of his son, Stephen, cannot keep him by his wife’s side. And when he is injured fighting in the Great War, Lucinda finds herself faced with a terrible dilemma. Torn between society’s expectations and her heart’s desires, can she find the happiness she craves?Inspired by his own upper-class ancestors and his experiences during World War I, Martin Boyd’s seminal tale of family, class, marriage and money spans 30 years, from the last days of the Edwardian era to the Second World War. At once a romance and a chronicle of a world in flux, it charts one woman’s life and loves against the backdrop of societal transformation. Juliet Aubrey stars in this captivating adaptation, with a stellar cast including Eleanor Bron, James Laurenson, Penelope Wilton and Paul Rhys.Production creditsWritten by Martin BoydDramatised by Elspeth SandsDirected by Janet WhitakerCastLucinda – Juliet AubreyHugo – Jonathan FirthJulie – Angela PleasenceFred – James LaurensenLydia – Abigail McKernLady Wendale – Eleanor BronMarian – Penelope WiltonTony Duff – Matt DayPaul Brayford – Paul RhysSusannah Brayford – Pamela WiseArthur – Michael CochranePat Lanfranc – Mark StrakerWatteau – Miranda BarberCanon Chapman – David TimsonBill Vane – Nicholas BoultonMrs Greene-James – Joanna McCallumMrs. Galway – Ndidi Del FattiDriver – Jason ChanLord Fitzauncell – Stephen HoganStephen – Robert HastieMuriel – Helen LongworthHeather – Alex TregearBill as a child/Stephen as a child – Pax BaldwinCommanding Officer – Hugh DicksonFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-16 January 2005© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Lucinda Brayford

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama

Robert Browning

BBC Radio dramatisations and readings of Browning’s most famous poems, performed by stars including Anton Lesser, Roger Allam and David Tennant, plus two bonus plays 
 
Victorian poet Robert Browning was renowned for his evocative dramatic monologues peopled with vivid, morally ambiguous characters. In 1846, he eloped with fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett, and they rapidly became Britain’s most famous literary power couple. This collection brings together four of Browning’s poetic masterpieces, juxtaposed with a play inspired by his work and a drama about Robert and Elizabeth’s romance. 
 
The Ring and the Book – In the aftermath of a triple stabbing, Rome is rife with speculation. Accused of murdering his young wife and her parents, Count Guido Franceschini is put on trial, and finds himself desperately fighting for his life. Anton Lesser, Roger Allam and Andrew Sachs star in this thrilling tale of of sex, lies, murder and justice. 
 
The Pied Piper of Hamlin – When a town fails to pay the rat-catcher who has lured all the rats away with his magic pipe, the piper takes a terrible revenge. Playing his music once more, he leads all the children from the town. Only one boy remains behind… David Tennant stars as the Narrator, with Bertie Gilbert as the boy. 
 
My Last Duchess – Based on Browning’s chilling poem about an aristocrat whose wife died young in suspicious circumstances, this intriguing dramatisation attempts to solve the mystery of what happened to the duchess, and who did the deed. Starring Roger Allam, Emily Mortimer and Tim McInnerny. 
 
Andrea del Sarto – Richard Pasco reads Robert Browning's monologue about the 16th-century Florentine artist known as ‘the faultless painter’, whose marriage was the source of deep unhappiness. 
 
The Contemplative Life – Brother James's loathing of oafish Brother Lawrence has led him to petty acts of destruction. As a punishment, he is forced to share a cell with him… Alan Rickman and Michael Aldridge star in this comedy inspired by Browning’s poem ‘Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister’. 
 
The Barretts of Wimpole Street – Starring Dorothy Tutin and Jeremy Brett, this radio version of Rudolf Besier’s celebrated stage play explores the secret courtship of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, which took place at No 50 Wimpole Street, her father’s forbidding household. 
 
First published 1842 (‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’, ‘My Last Duchess’), 1855 (‘Andrea del Sarto’), 1868 (‘The Ring and the Book’) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Robert Browning 
 
The Ring and the Book 
Cast: Anton Lesser, Roger Allam, Lou Brealey, Dominic Rowan, Andrew Sachs, Frances Jeater, Dan Starkey, Stephen Critchlow, Ben Crowe, Chris Pavlo, Joan Walker, John Rowe, Michael Maloney, Stephen Moore 
 
The Pied Piper of Hamelin 
Cast: David Tennant, Bertie Gilbert 
With music and songs written and performed by John Harle, lyrics by Joyce Harle, sung by Thomas Platts, head chorister at Canterbury Cathedral with the choir of Wingham School, Kent 
 
My Last Duchess 
Cast: Roger Allam, Emily Mortimer, Tim McInnerny, Robert Hands, John Hartley, Jacob Heringman 
 
Andrea del Sarto 
Read by Richard Pasco 
 
The Contemplative Life 
Cast: Alan Rickman, Michael Aldridge, David Garth, Brian Smith, Colin Starkey, David Sinclair, 
Trevor Nichols, John Webb 
 
The Barretts of Wimpole Street 
Cast: Dorothy Tutin, Jeremy Brett, Paul Rogers, William Eedle, John Rowe, John Samson, 
Robin Browne, David Valla, Christopher Good, Kate Binchy, Jane Knowles, Kenneth Fortescue, 
Helen Worth, Michael Kilgarriff, Rolf Lefebvre, John Ruddock, Sheila Grant 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Robert Browning: The Ring and the Book, The Pied Piper of Hamelin & more

BBC Radio dramatic reimaginings of five iconic poems

Carol Shields

Two novels by the award-winning Canadian writer Carol Shields, dramatised for BBC Radio 
 
Carol Shields was one of Canada’s most renowned contemporary authors. Often compared to Jane Austen, her deft, witty and compassionate works depicting the everyday lives of ordinary people won her numerous literary honours. Included here are adaptations of her Pulitzer Prize-winning tour de force, The Stone Diaries, and her final novel Unless, which was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2002. Both feature a full cast of well-known audio performers, including Barbara Barnes, Laurel Lefkow, Peter Marinker, William Hope, Teresa Gallagher and Garrick Hagon. 
 
The Stone Diaries – This remarkable fictional biography tells the story of Daisy Goodwill from her unexpected birth in rural Canada in 1905 to her death in a Florida nursing home nearly 90 years later. Like the 20th century itself, her life is full of uncertainties and instability. As she navigates the milestones of marriage, motherhood, widowhood and retirement, Daisy attempts to find her place in the world, reflecting on and reframing her life through the prism of her memories and her rich, colourful imagination. 
 
Unless – Reta Winters has always considered herself to be a sunny, contented person. But then her 19-year-old daughter Norah suddenly drops out of university to sit on a Toronto sidewalk with a begging bowl and a cardboard sign that reads ‘Goodness’. Devastated, Reta attempts to discover why Norah has turned her back on her loved ones – and as she searches for answers, she learns that happiness is not what she thought. Fierce, fearless and frank, this compelling tale of loss, family and a woman’s role in society is adapted for radio by the Booker-nominated novelist Deborah Levy. 
 
Text copyright © the Carol Shields Literary Trust 
First published 1993 (The Stone Diaries) and 2002 (Unless) 
All rights reserved 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Carol Shields 
 
The Stone Diaries 
Daisy – Liza Ross 
Young Daisy – Barbara Barnes 
Mercy/Beans/Victoria – Teresa Gallagher 
Cuyler – Peter Marinker 
Young Cuyler/Lewis – Ryan McCluskey 
Clarentine – Briony Glassco 
Barker – William Hope 
Magnus/Mr Sinclair – Ewan Hooper 
Abram – Chris Pavlo 
Doctor – Ewan Bailey 
Fraidy – Debora Weston 
Mrs Hoad – Buffy Davis 
Harold – Walter Lewis 
Newswoman – Denica Fairman 
Mrs Donaldson – Nancy Galr 
Alice – Laurel Lefkow 
Young Alice – Courtney Halgren 
Warren – Kyle Dadd 
Young Warren – Daniel Anthony 
Joan – Vicki Simon 
Young Joan – Josi Kook-Clark 
Beverly – Joanne McQuinn 
Jay – Garrick Hagon 
Pinky – Rick Bland 
Young Victoria – Andrea Muller 
Betty – Georgina Sowerby 
Joan – Sarah Mennell 
Glad – Pat Starr 
Lily – Marcia Warren 
Myrtle – Margaret Robertson 
Rev Rick – John Schwab 
Dr Aaronfield – Rick Bland 
Jubilee – Sarah Paul 
Dramatised by Claire Luckham and Briony Glassco 
Directed by David Hunter and Marion Nancarrow 
 
Unless 
Reta – Barbara Barnes 
Norah – Laurel Lefkow 
Natalie – Vicki Simon 
Danielle – Sara Kestelman 
Tom – Rick Bland 
Chris/Sylvia/Emma/Christine – Teresa Gallagher 
Gwen/Lois/Volunteer – Liza Ross 
Young Norah – Josephine Kook-Clark 
Arthur – Ryan McCluskey 
Dramatised by Deborah Levy 
Produced by Di Speirs 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Stone Diaries & Unless

Leo Tolstoy

Charlotte Brönte

Gustave Flaubert

William Shakespeare

Colette

Jane Austen

Alessandro Manzoni

Radclyffe Hall

Emily Brontë

Elizabeth Gaskell

Edith Wharton

Thomas Hardy

Twelve dramatisations of the best love stories ever written, performed by star casts 
 
Treat yourself to this stunning collection of classic stories of love, loss, obstacles overcome and desperate attraction. This is a beautiful, moving and at times thrilling listen which takes you on a journey through the greatest tales of romance ever told. These unmissable, dramatised novels feature stellar performances from fantastic casts including Vanessa Kirby, Hiftu Quasem, Kate Philips, Rory Kinnear, Toby Jones, John Hurt and David Tennant. 
 
Anna Karenina is Leo Tolstoy's powerful drama of desire, transgression and heartache. Starring Kate Philips (Wolf Hall), Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter) and Rory Kinnear (James Bond films). 
 
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a fantastic mix of injustice, romance, passion and danger wrapped up in a glorious love story. Starring Amanda Hale (Catastrophe) and Tom Burke (Strike). 
 
Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary is a masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness - the first great novel of adultery. Starring Sarah Smart (Wallander), Jude Akuwudike (Gangs of London) and James D’Arcy (Broadchurch) with John Hurt (Harry Potter) as the Narrator. 
 
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In a town full of hatred, where the streets ring with the Capulet-Montague feud and swords are too easily drawn, Romeo and Juliet find each other, fall in love, and never let go. Starring Trystan Gravelle (Mr Selfridge), Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible), David Tennant (Broadchurch) and Paul Ready (Motherland). 
 
Chéri by Colette is the story of a love affair between a courtesan and a man half her age, set in Paris before the First World War. Starring Frances Barber (Silk) and Joseph Millson (The Last Kingdom) with Lindsay Duncan (Birdman) as the Narrator. 
 
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen remains one of the world’s favourite novels, dealing with the timeless issues of love, social class and money with a witty, clever - though flawed - heroine at its heart. Starring Pippa Nixon (Unforgotten), Jamie Parker (The Crown) and Toby Jones (The Detectorists). 
 
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni is an icon of Italian literature: the story of two lovers who want nothing more than to marry but are beset by the hazards of war, bread riots and the machinations of a nameless crime lord. Starring Hiftu Quasem (Killing Eve) and Ian Dunnett Jnr (Masters of the Air). 
 
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, written in 1928, is a pioneering novel about love and attraction between women. Starring Valerie Edmond as the enigmatic Stephen. 
 
Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontë's iconic love story. Heathcliff and Cathy's love is the beating heart of the story, set against the backdrop of the bleak Yorkshire moors. Starring Chloe Pirrie (Temple) and Ben Batt (Shameless). 
 
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell explores social conscience, ideological difference and love in a mill town in the 1800s. Starring Emily Mortimer (The Pursuit of Love) and David Threlfall (Shameless). 
 
The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a passionate life-long love affair which breaks all the rules of the restrictive high society of 1870's New York. Starring Susan Lynch (Happy Valley) and Kellie Bright (Eastenders). 
 
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy is a story of the belief in true romance and the power of money and love. Starring Alex Tregear (Silk: The Clerk’s Room), Toby Jones (The Detectorists) and Patrick Kennedy (Boardwalk Empire). 
 
This stunning collection is packed with the best romance stories written in the last 500 years – a fully dramatised, unmissable listen featuring some of the biggest names of stage and screen. 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Classic Love Stories: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

12 Full-Cast Dramatisations

Thomas Mann

Dramatisations of Thomas Mann’s three bestselling novels 
 
One of Germany’s greatest and most revered writers, Thomas Mann won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929. A vocal critic of Nazism, he had to leave his homeland when Hitler came to power, and lived in exile in Europe and America for the rest of his life. Collected here are full-cast adaptations of his three most famous novels. 
 
Buddenbrooks – Drawing on Mann’s own experience as the son of a wealthy merchant in 19th-century Lübeck, his debut novel follows four generations of Buddenbrooks as they struggle to maintain the family business in the face of change. Powerful, humorous and heartbreaking, this epic drama traces the decline of a civilisation as well as a family. Starring Terence Edmonds, Harriet Walter, James Laurenson and Timothy Spall. 
 
Death in Venice – Seeking inspiration, a famous German writer travels to Venice, but finds only decay and disease behind the city’s gorgeous facades. Then he notices a beautiful young Polish boy, and is consumed by a fatal obsession... Clive Francis stars as Aschenbach, with Peter England as Tadzio. 
 
The Magic Mountain – When Hans Castorp pays a social visit to a Swiss sanatorium, he is himself diagnosed with TB and ends up staying for seven years. Trapped on the mountain, he becomes acquainted with his fellow inmates – including the humanist, the radical, the dionysiac and the inamorata – who represent a microcosm of European society and culture in the run-up to World War One. Paul Scofield stars in this radio version of Thomas Mann’s masterpiece. 
 
First published 1901 (Buddenbrooks), 1912 (Death in Venice), 1924 (The Magic Mountain) 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Thomas Mann: Buddenbrooks, Death in Venice, The Magic Mountain

Three BBC Radio full-cast dramas

A female-centred collection of four dramatisations celebrating Jane Austen’s classic novels - plus bonus series When I Met Jane Austen 
 
On 16 December 1775, a literary icon was born. Jane Austen’s groundbreaking novels pioneered the romantic comedy genre and put women front and centre, depicting their innermost thoughts and feelings. To celebrate her 250th anniversary, here are four new dramas, focusing on the fabulous, flawed, funny and fascinating women who blaze out from her books. Full of her characteristic wit and biting comedy, they feature star-studded casts including Tamsin Greig, Isabella Laughland, Luke Thompson, Miles Jupp, Adjoa Andoh, and Ben Hardy. 
 
Pride and Prejudice – Featuring one of the best-loved heroines in literature – lively, quick-witted Elizabeth Bennet – this dramatisation tells the story of the five Bennet sisters’ romantic escapades, as they endeavour to fulfil their mother’s dreams and marry well. 
 
Sense and Sensibility – When their father’s death turns their world upside down, rational, reserved Elinor Dashwood and her impulsive, emotional sister Marianne leave their old lives behind and embark on a voyage of romantic discovery. 
 
Northanger Abbey – Seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland is a kind, honest and unworldly young woman with a head full of Gothic novels and little experience of the real world. So when wealthy, handsome Henry Tilney invites her to Northanger Abbey, she is determined to discover its dark secrets... 
 
Mansfield Park – Aged just nine, Fanny Price is sent away from her impoverished parents to live with her rich relatives at Mansfield Park. Shaped by family and adversity, this displaced child becomes a fiercely moral young woman with an unshakable conscience – and as she navigates the complexities of love and jealousy, her true strength of character is revealed. 
 
When I Met Jane Austen – Ten of the world’s most prominent authors and thinkers talk to Jane Austen biographer Paula Byrne about when they first encountered the great writer. Featuring contributions from David Baddiel, Andrew Davies, Amy Heckerling, Marlon James, Philippa Perry, Gurinder Chadha, Val McDermid, Colm Toibin, Katherine Rundell and Kate Atkinson. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Jane Austen 
 
Pride and Prejudice 
Starring Tamsin Greig, Isabella Laughland, Luke Thompson, Miles Jupp, Rosie Cavaliero, Lucy Doyle, Kitty O’Sullivan, Gaia Wise, Imogen Front, Louis Landau, Toby Regbo, Adjoa Andoh, Catherine Bailey, Josh Bryant-Jones, Sasha McCabe, Jasmine Hyde, Clive Haywood, and Sarah Thom 
 
Dramatised by award winning writer Rachel Joyce 
Produced by Tracey Neale 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 Dec 2025 
 
Sense and Sensibility 
Starring Tamsin Greig, Madeleine Mantock, Rose Basista, Ben Hardy, Enyi Okoronkwo, Richard Goulding, Ava Talbot, Jasmine Hyde, Carolyn Pickles, Clive Hayward, Django Bevan, Sasha McCabe, and Bethan Rose Young 
 
Dramatised by Claudine Toutoungi 
Produced by Anne Isger 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 Dec 2025 
 
Northanger Abbey 
Starring Madeleine Gray, Will Howard, Cecilia Appiah, Ella Smith, John Heffernan, Scarlett Courtney, Jasmine Hyde, Josh Bryant-Jones, and Django Bevan 
 
Dramatised by Clara Glynn 
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-9 Nov 2025 
 
Mansfield Park 
Starring Lydia Wilson, Bryan Dick, Tala Gouveia, Tom Mothersdale, Janice Acquah, Madeleine Worrall, Joshua Riley, John Hollingworth, Samuel Valentine, Faith Alabi, and Hollie Burgess 
 
Dramatised by Clara Glynn 
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10-17 Jul 2022When I Met Jane Austen 
Presented by Paula Byrne 
With David Baddiel, Andrew Davies, Amy Heckerling, Marlon James, Philippa Perry, Gurinder Chadha, Val McDermid, Colm Toibin, Katherine Rundell and Kate AtkinsonProduced by Maggie Ayre 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-19 Dec 2025 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Jane Austen: The 250th Anniversary Collection

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

J.M. Synge

Two of J M Synge’s remarkable plays and an exploration of the man, his work and his life on the Aran Islands 
 
J M Synge was one of the giants of Irish theatre, and a leading dramatist of the Irish Literary Renaissance. Together with W B Yeats and others, he co-founded Dublin’s famous Abbey Theatre in 1904, and was a director there until his death in 1909. He is best known for his comic masterpiece The Playboy of the Western World, which appears here alongside his dark comedy The Well of the Saints and the illuminating documentary Synge Song. 
 
The Playboy of the Western World – When handsome adventurer Christy Mahon walks into a pub in County Mayo, claiming to have killed his violent father, landlord’s daughter Pegeen is smitten. She’s not the only villager to be beguiled by his bravery and his tall tales, and Christy soon achieves the status of local hero – until another stranger arrives in town… Aisling O’Sullivan and Finbar Lynch star in this classic play, which caused riots during its opening run at the Abbey Theatre in 1907. 
 
The Well of the Saints – Set in a lonely, mountainous district of Ireland, this blackly comic play tells the story of Martin and Mary Doul, old, blind beggars who have been tricked by the local villagers into believing they are beautiful. A wandering saint restores their sight with water from a holy well, but this miracle cure brings more problems than it solves, as their eyes are opened to their own ugliness and the harsh realities of life. Starring Cyril Cusack and Marie Kean, this 1971 radio production was broadcast to mark the 100th anniversary of Synge's birth. 
 
Synge Song – Before he was a playwright, Synge was a talented composer, and a sense of music informs everything he wrote for the stage. Visiting the Aran Islands, where Synge spent several summers, musician and writer Ann Mann looks at the sights and sounds that inspired him, talking to Aran Islanders and Synge scholars about the source of his unique language – his ‘Synge song.’ Interspersed with their insights are extracts from his compositions for violin and piano, and readings from his work by Kate Binchy and Jim Norton. 
 
First published 1905 (The Well of the Saints), 1907 (The Playboy of the Western World) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by J M Synge 
 
The Playboy of the Western World 
Pegeen Mike – Aisling O’Sullivan 
Christy Mahon – Finbar Lynch 
Sean Kheough – Lloyd Hutchinson 
Widow Quin – Dillie Keane 
Old Mahon – Michael Elphick 
Michael James – John Rowe 
Philly Cullan – David Bannerman 
Jimmy Farrell – Anthony Ofoegbu 
Sarah Tansey – Anne-Marie Duff 
Susan Braidy – Janet Maw 
Honor Blake – Tracy Ann Oberman 
 
Adapted for radio and produced by Peter Kavanagh 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 October 1997 
 
The Well of the Saints 
Martin Doul – Cyril Cusack 
Mary Doul – Marie Kean 
Timmy – Kevin Flood 
Molly Byrne – Kate Binchy 
Bride – Rosalind Shanks 
Mat Simon – Alan Barry 
The Saint – Martin Dempsey 
Reader – Denys Hawthorne 
 
Produced by John Scotney 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 September 1971 
 
Synge Song 
Presented by Ann Mann 
Music performed by Krysia Ostostowicz and Timothy Carey 
Readings by Kate Binchy and Jim Norton 
Produced by Piers Plowright 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 January 1994 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Playboy of the Western World & The Well of Saints

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama Productions

William Harrison Ainsworth

An epic 13-part dramatisation of William Harrison Ainsworth’s historical romance, centring around the rise and fall of Lady Jane GreyWilliam Harrison Ainsworth was lauded by his contemporaries as a successor to Sir Walter Scott, and was named in 1847 as one of the three most popular writers in England (alongside Edward Bulwer-Lytton and Charles Dickens). His first three historical novels were inspired by the lives of Dick Turpin, ‘Honest Jack’ Sheppard and ‘the Admirable Crichton’, but with The Tower of London, he decided to base his book around a place rather than a person. Depicting the ancient citadel ‘in its triple light of a palace, a prison and a fortress’, he went on to weave a thrilling tale of power struggles, romance and political intrigue – featuring two coronations, a wedding, several executions and a siege...It begins in July 1553, as the newly-crowned Queen Jane makes her way by barge to the Tower, where she will spend the first days of her reign. Following the death of Edward VI, she has been installed on the throne by her father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland, who has married her to his son Lord Guildford Dudley with hopes of making him King.But danger lurks within the Tower’s high walls, for there are many who plot against Jane: not least Simon Renard, the Spanish Ambassador, who is determined to make Catherine of Aragon’s Catholic daughter, Mary, Queen in Jane’s place. Surrounded by enemies and betrayed by those she trusted most, Jane is led step by step to her tragic fate... Meanwhile, the beautiful Cicely, the ‘Rose of the Tower’, has fallen in love with Dudley’s squire, Cuthbert Cholmondeley, only for their budding romance to be thwarted by the villainous, jealous head jailer Nightgall. As history plays out around her, is she destined for happiness or heartbreak?Dramatised by actor and writer Tony Van den Bergh, this riveting 1968 drama dates from the glory days of the BBC Repertory Company, and features an ensemble cast including Gudrun Ure, Peter Baldwin, Francis de Wolff, Rosalind Shanks, Garard Green and Marjorie Westbury.With thanks to Keith Wickham and the Radio CircleNB: This recording contains dated language and attitudesProduction creditsWritten by William Harrison AinsworthFirst published 1840Dramatised by Tony Van den BerghProduced and directed by R D SmithCastJane, the Queen – Gudrun UreNightgall, head jailer – Peter BaldwinMagog, a giant warder – Francis de WolffRibald, his crony – Leigh CrutchleyArchbishop Cranmer/Arundel – John WyseBishop Ridley – Ralph Trumande Noailles, French Ambassador – David MarchSimon Renard, Spanish Ambassador – Malcolm HayesSuffolk – Peter WilliamsLord Guilford Dudley – Michael HarbourCuthbert, his squire – Christopher BidmeadCicely – Beth BoydGunnora, an old nurse – Phyllis MontefioreDame Potentia, a cook’s wife – Lynn CarsonXit, a dwarf – Nigel AnthonyNorthumberland, Lord Protector – Denis McCarthyPrincess Elizabeth – Rosalind ShanksQueen Mary – Alexa RomanesLord Gardiner – Duncan McIntyreLord Courtenay – Douglas HankinAlexia, a crazed prisoner – Margaret FordWinchester – Rolf LefebvreDean Feckenham – Geoffrey WincottSir Thomas Wyatt – Garard GreenMistress Ellen – Marjorie WestburyUnderhill – Haydn JonesMauger – John Holus Other parts played by Diana Robson, Jan Edwards, Norma Griffin, Joyce Latham, Henry Webb, Norman Wynne and members of the BBC Drama Repertory CompanyFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 March-5 June 1968© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tower of London

A Vintage BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisation

Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli’s powerful, polemical story of love across the class divideChosen by The Guardian as one of the best 100 novels of all time, Disraeli’s classic 1845 ‘condition-of-England’ novel exposes the inequality and exploitation endemic in 19th century Britain, and the vast gulf between the haves and the have-nots.It centres on Charles Egremont, a member of the landed gentry and newly elected MP. With a glittering future ahead of him, he is in need of a suitable wife, and his brother, the Earl of Marney, is keen that he should marry Lady Joan Fitz-Warene. The heiress to Mowbray Castle, she brings with her a considerable fortune: but from the moment Charles sets eyes on Sybil Gerard in the ruins of Marney Abbey, he can think of no-one else.Sybil is beautiful, graceful and ethereal – and the daughter of a Yorkshire millworker. When her father, a militant Chartist, shares with Charles his theory of the ‘two nations’ of rich and poor, Charles’ eyes are opened, and he disguises himself as a reporter to investigate the plight of the working classes. As he falls deeper in love with Sybil, and discovers what life is really like for the less fortunate, he determines to use his position to effect change. But those in power are not easily swayed, nor is Sybil’s heart easily won...Starring Richard Derrington as Charles, with Sorcha Cusack as Sybil, this absorbing historical drama vividly evokes both the luxurious life of the aristocracy and the grinding poverty of the farm labourers, miners and factory workers struggling for existence on the other side of the social divide.Production creditsWritten by Benjamin DisraeliDramatised by Frederick BradnumDirected by Vanessa Whitburn 
Episode List: 
1: Marney Town and Marney Abbey 
2: Mowbray Town and Mowbray Castle 
3: Mowedale and Hellhouse 
4: The Chartists and the Aristocracy 
5: Love and Conspiracy 
6: Of Destruction and Reconciliation 
CastCharles Egremont – Richard DerringtonWalter Gerard – Alan DobleLord Marney – Michael N HarbourStephen Morley – Terry MolloyBenjamin Disraeli – Richard PascoLady Marney/Lady Deloraine – Patricia GallimoreArabella Marney – Kathryn HurlbuttSir Vavasour Firebrace – Robert DorningMother Superior – Penelope LeeTaper/Bingley/Sinister man – David VannTadpole – David PeartMr Pugh – Bill BellamyLord Milford/Brewer – Kim DurhamCaptain Grouse/Lawyer – Scott CherryMountchesney/Constable/Tanner/Field – Peter HarloweBerneers/Peer/Youth – Jonathan OwenLord Mowbray/Juggins – Stephen HancockLady Joan/Caroline – Elizabeth ProudLady Maud/Harriet – Hedli NiklausLady Mowbray – Eileen BarryAubrey St Lys – Clive MarloweDandy Mick/Youth – Paul CopleyDevilsdust – Alan DevereuxChaffing Jack/Police Inspector – William EedleWidow Carey – Mary WimbushMrs Warner – Pauline SiddleMaria/Dame – Carole BoydBishop Hatton – Roger HumeMrs Hatton – Joyce LathamNixon/Jermyn/Diggs – James KerryMr Trafford/Waghorne/Sergeant – Michael BiltonMrs Trafford – Shirley StelfoxScrubbynose – David ConnerBaptist Hatton – Peter TuddenhamJulia – Anna LindupGirls and boys of Mowedale and Hellhouse – Members of the Forest Youth Theatre, WalsallFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 November-18 December 1983© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Sybil, or The Two Nations

Tim Jackson

A full-cast environmental mystery set against the evocative backdrop of the Norfolk fens 
 
Mist rising over the fens. The haunting cry of the nesting bittern. But not everything is as pristine as it appears to be. The protection of nature and the pursuit of progress collide in this thrilling, full-cast, environmental drama. 
 
When Laura McLaren lands a much-needed job with the Environment Agency in Norfolk, her principal concern is the distance it involves from her fiancé Dean. But things soon change when Dean joins a development company, and Laura finds herself trying to help a young girl suffering from a mystery illness. As she seeks to unravel the source of a contamination in a local water supply, Laura quickly discovers greater distances, deeper mysteries, and concerns she had only previously dreamed about. Will the conflict between her career and her relationship with Dean change their lives irrevocably? And what can be done ensure the protection of the delicate eco-system of the fens in the face of relentless progress? 
 
Commissioned for Radio 4 by former Archers’ producer Vanessa Whitburn, this is a gripping full-cast dramatisation by author, playwright and economist Tim Jackson. Since 2016 Jackson has been Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), which aims to understand the economic, social and political dimensions of sustainable prosperity. His ground-breaking book Prosperity without Growth has been translated into twenty foreign languages and was named as a Financial Times ‘book of the year’ in 2010 and UnHerd’s economics book of the decade in 2019. 
 
Starring Rachel Atkins, Ian Pepperell, and Sean Baker, this series won the Public Awareness of Science (PAWS) Drama Fund award in 1997. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Tim Jackson 
Directed by Peter Leslie Wild and Vanessa Whitburn 
Music by Malcom McKee performed by Paul Arden Taylor 
 
Laura McLaren - Rachel Atkins 
Dean Finch - Ian Pepperell 
Alice Tibbett - Lesley Carvello 
Tom Tibett - Terry Molloy 
Alex Sawyer - Sean Baker 
Other parts played by Helen Palmer, Peter Tuddenham, Kelly Hunter, Tina Gray, Eric Allan, David Holt, Bella Hamblin, Joe Crowley, Marian Kemmer, Norman Bird, Use Stuart, Daphne Neville, Martin Cookson, Sunny Ormonde, Graham Padden, Peter Gunn, Ian Brooker and James Thackwray 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15th February - 26th March 1999 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Cry of the Bittern

Matthew Lewis

Ann Radcliffe

Horace Walpole

Four full-cast dramatisations of classic Gothic novels, plus documentaries exploring the genre’s rise and enduring appeal 
 
Dark deeds, dastardly villains, innocent victims and supernatural happenings – these are the terrifying tropes that make up Gothic fiction, a genre that has captured our imagination for over 250 years. Blending both classic and modern dramatisations, this specially curated anthology couples thrilling masterpieces with insightful documentaries… 
 
We begin with A Gothic Quest, in which Louise Welsh examines what ‘gothic’ really means, and takes a look at its many appearances in poetry, fiction, art, architecture and film. In A Guided Tour of the Castle of Otranto, Rory McGrath explores the origins of gothic horror, first manifested in Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel. It is followed by a dramatisation of The Castle of Otranto itself, a dark supernatural tale of duplicity and dynastic rivalry. Treading warily into the book’s strange world in Kaleidoscope Feature: A Little Gothic Castle, Peggy Reynolds draws parallels between Walpole’s vision for his London villa, Strawberry Hill, and the haunted mansion in the novel. 
 
Next, we unveil the male gothic in a gripping drama featuring disguise, abduction, incest and murder. The Monk, based on the 1796 classic by Matthew Lewis, tells the story of Ambrosio (Michael Pennington), who is tempted into breaking his vows of chastity by a beautiful young nun. The dawn of the female gothic is revealed in The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, centred on a powerless young heroine trapped in an isolated castle and pitted against an evil Italian Count. Showcasing the Gothic satire is Jane Austen’s 1817 novel Northanger Abbey, poking fun at the popular sensation fiction of her day. In this witty drama, Catherine Morland is taken to Bath for the season, and finds that in her fertile imagination, danger and hair-raising horrors lurk around every corner. Georgia Groome, Miriam Margolyes and Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson star in this full-cast dramatisation. 
 
Wrapping up our collection is In Our Time: Gothic, which sees Melvyn Bragg and guest experts considering the origins and significance of the 18th century Gothic movement. 
 
 
First published 1764 (The Castle of Otranto), 1794 (The Mysteries of Udolpho), 1796 (The Monk), 1817 (Northanger Abbey) 
 
 
Content List 
 
Part 1. Gothic Imagination 
 
A Gothic Quest 
Presented by Louise Welsh 
 
Part 2. The First Gothic Novel: The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole 
 
A Guided Tour of the Castle of Otranto 
Presented by Rory McGrath 
 
The Castle of Otranto 
cast and credits to be announced 
 
Kaleidoscope Feature: A Little Gothic Castle 
Presented by Peggy Reynolds 
 
Part 3. Unveiling A Male Gothic: The Monk by Matthew Lewis 
 
The Monk 
Starring Michael Pennington, Sorcha Cusack, Emily Morgan, Christopher Douglas, Brian Smith, Jenny Funnell, Tessa Worsley, Mary Wimbush, Simon Hewitt, Anne Jameson, Alan Thompson, Melinda Walker, Mia Soteriou, Allan McClelland, Garard Green, Graham Blockey, Peter Acre, David Learner and Bernard Brown 
 
 
Part 4. The Dawn of a Female Gothic: The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe 
 
The Mysteries of Udolpho 
Starring Georgia Groome, Tracy Wiles, John Dougall, Finlay Robertson, Luke Thompson, Natasha Cowley, Stephen Wight, John Bowler, Karen Bartke and Alison Belbin 
 
Part 5. Gothic Satire: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 
 
Northanger Abbey 
Starring Georgia Groome, Luke Thompson, Tracy Wiles, Kim Wall, Ainsley Howard, Alison Belbin, John Bowler, Karen Bartke, Miriam Margolyes, Stephen Wight, Finlay Robertson, Natasha Cowley, John Dougall, Nick Murchie, Keziah Joseph and Luke MacGregor 
 
 
Part 6. Gothic Legacies 
 
In Our Time: Gothic 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
With Chris Baldick, A N Wilson and Emma Clery 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tales of Terror: A BBC Radio Gothic Drama Collection

The Castle of Otranto, The Monk, The Mysteries of Udolpho & Northanger Abbey

Sean O'Casey

An unparalleled collection of Full-Cast BBC Drama adaptations of Sean O’Casey’s powerful, poignant works 
 
 One of Ireland’s foremost playwrights, Sean O’Casey is renowned for his groundbreaking plays depicting the lives of poor, working-class Dubliners struggling with social and political upheaval and revolutionary change. This is the first comprehensive audio collection of O'Casey's works, and includes the three masterpieces collectively known as the ‘Dublin Trilogy’, as well as the dark comic satire Cock-a-Doodle Dandy, the one-act Bedtime Story and the anti-war drama The Silver Tassie.The Shadow of a Gunman – Dublin, 1920. With the Irish War of Independence raging, poet Donal Davoren finds himself caught up in danger and violence when he is mistaken for an IRA gunman on the run. Bryan Murray, Alan Devlin and Marcella O’Riordan star in this Radio 4 production of Sean O’Casey’s breakthrough play.Juno and the Paycock – The slum-dwelling Boyle family are blighted by poverty, war and the alcoholism of its feckless patriarch 'Captain' Jack Boyle. Will a surprise legacy transform their lives? Adapted for Radio 3, O’Casey’s classic tragicomedy stars Sorcha Cusack and Stanley Townsend.The Plough and the Stars – Painting a stark portrait of a city and a nation in turmoil, this classic play tells the story of ordinary Dubliners during the Easter Rising of 1916. Introduced by the playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah and starring Elaine Cassidy, Padraic Delaney, Gabrielle Reidy, Finbar Lynch & Matthew McNulty.Cock-a-Doodle Dandy – Rich farmer Michael Marthraun tries to stamp out permissiveness in rural Ireland, but the appearance of a beautifully plumed rooster calls the villagers to love and liberty. Believing the bird to be demonic, Marthraun calls in the priest, Father Domineer… Joseph O’Conor, Stephen Brennan and T. P. McKenna star in this adaptation of O’Casey’s own favourite play.Bedtime Story – Pious young clerk John Joe Mulligan is known to be a pillar of the Church. So why has he invited the seductive Angela back to his room? A concise exploration of morality and religious hypocrisy, this farcical comedy stars John Lynch, Sorcha Cusack and Angela Dearden.The Silver Tassie – A tale of love and the bitter heroics of war, O’Casey’s moving Expressionist play follows young athlete Harry Heegan (Jim Norton) as he leaves the football field for the Western Front.Text copyright © Sean O’Casey 1923 (The Shadow of a Gunman), 1924 (Juno and the Paycock), 1926 (The Plough and the Stars), 1927 (The Silver Tassie), 1949 (Cock-a-Doodle Dandy), 1951 (Bedtime Story)Production creditsWritten by Sean O’CaseyThe Shadow of a GunmanJuno and the PaycockThe Plough and the StarsCock-a-Doodle DandyBedtime StoryThe Silver Tassie© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Dublin Trilogy & more

Six BBC Radio Full-Cast Productions including Shadow of a Gunman & Juno and the Paycock

Louise Wener

Roy Boulter

Is the world ready for The Velveteens? An all-girl punk band try to make it to the top Get your crimper out, your mohawk ready and your best punk pout on - the Queens of Noise have arrived! Set in 1980s London, this modern music drama charts the rise of a girl punk band. Packed with classic hits as well as the girls very own songs, this is a drama with punk power for any music lover. Writers and music industry veterans Louise Wener (ex-singer of Sleeper) and Roy Boulter (drummer with The Farm) bring their wealth of experience to this story of a young band chasing their dream and getting their big break.In Shout to the Top it’s 1988, we meet the girls fizzing with energy and potential, starting out in London. We discover how they went from ‘young women with a dream’ to the formation of The Velveteens, to first gig; from first demo to (hopefully) first record deal.In series one, Get It On the story follows the three ambitious young women, Sylvie, Beth and Rain, and their unique band, The Velveteens, take on the world. Armed with loud guitars, attitude to burn, and a makeshift manager, the band is on the verge of signing to a major record company. However, they still only have pennies in their pockets. Can they make it in the days before the digital revolution changed the business forever?In the second series, Rip It Up, the music drama continues as the girls conquer America. The three bold band members embark on a roller-coaster ride on the road to who-knows-where, and calling the shots is their new manager, Sam Shephurst. Can he take them to champagne heights or are they on the road to Top of the Flops…?Actor, singer and comedian Shane Richie (EastEnders) stars as the band's temporary manager, Vince. This brilliant drama was commissioned by BBC Radio 2’s Head of Music and is packed with industry insight from the experts. Music production for this listening treat was taken care of by producers Brian Rawling (Bowie, Kylie, Cher, Craig David, One Direction and more) and Marky Bates (Faithless, Dido).CreditsWritten by Roy Boulter and Louise WenerDirected by Toby Swift 
 
 
 Pilot Episode - Shout To The Top Vince - Shane RichieBeth - Fiona MacraeSylvie - Samantha RobinsonRain - Hannah ArtertonMaggie - Liza SadovyRuss - Ben CroweDavid - Adam NagaitisJournalist - Joe SimsSeries 1 - Queens of Noise: Get It OnBeth - Anneika RoseSylvie - Samantha RobinsonRain - Hannah ArtertonMaggie - Liza SadovyVince - Ben CroweDavid - Adam NagaitisJournalist - Joe SimsChristy - Clare CorbettAlec - Damian LynchRichard - Matthew WatsonJoyce/Stylist - Jane SlavinLucas/Shop Assistant - Mark Edel-HuntSam - Joe AbsolomMike - Michael BertenshawSeries 2 - Queens of Noise: Rip It UpBeth - Anneika Rose Sylvie - Samantha RobinsonRain - Hannah ArtertonSam - Joe AbsolomJoyce - Janes SlavinJournalist/Mavis - Elaine ClaxtonTJ - Clive HaywardChristy - Clare CorbettUS cop - Damian LynchMono - Harry MyersRichard/Digby - Matthew Watson ©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Queens of Noise

Rosamond Lehmann

BBC adaptations of four of Rosamond Lehmann’s best-known novels, plus short stories and a bonus documentary 
 
Rosamond Lehmann’s first novel, Dusty Answer, was published in 1927 when she was just 26. It was a scandalous success, and was followed by six more acclaimed novels exploring human relationships and the emotional lives of girls and women. Four of the finest are dramatised here, alongside readings of two of her short stories and a fascinating profile of Lehmann herself. 
 
Dusty Answer – Growing up, Judith Earle’s only friends are the Fyfe family cousins, who live next door. As Judith moves from childhood to adulthood, Charlie, Roddy, Julian and Martin drift in and out of her life, bringing with them romance, heartbreak and disillusionment. Starring Julia Hills, Rosina Carbone, Jack Farthing, Brodie Ross, Oliver Gomm and Tom Ferguson. 
 
Invitation to the Waltz – Waking on her 17th birthday, Olivia senses her rite of passage has begun. Anticipating her very first dance, she is both anxious and excited – will it live up to her hopeful expectations? Mary Nighy stars in this adaptation of Lehmann’s 1932 classic. 
 
The Weather in the Streets – Now living a bohemian life in London, Olivia embarks on a passionate affair with the handsome and unhappily married Rollo. Eve Best and Jonathan Firth star in this sequel to Invitation to the Waltz. 
 
The Echoing Grove – After 15 years apart, two sisters meet to seek reconciliation. Between them lay various ghosts – not least that of Rickie, husband of Madeleine and lover of Dinah… Starring Janet Suzman, Susan Engel and Christopher Cazenove. 
 
‘When the Waters Came’ – Ensconced in an English village during wartime, a mother and her two children experience a sudden sharp freeze and a violent, torrential thaw. Read by Lin Sagovsky. 
 
‘A Dream of Winter’ – In the midst of a great frost, a woman in bed with flu is visited by the bee man, who has come to remove the swarm living in the walls of her country house. Read by Maureen O’Brien. 
 
Kaleidoscope: An Inner Life – Presented by Richard Mayne, this absorbing profile from 1985 features interviews with Rosamond Lehmann, in which she discusses her debut novel, the impact of World War Two on her work, the death of her beloved daughter and her subsequent spiritual visions. With contributions from Sybille Bedford, Anita Brookner, Valentine Cunningham, Marghanita Laski, John Lehmann and Gillian Tindall. 
 
First published 1927 (Dusty Answer), 1932 (Invitation to the Waltz), 1936 (The Weather in the Streets), 1946 (‘When the Waters Came’, ‘A Dream of Winter’) 1953 (The Echoing Grove) 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Rosamond Lehmann: A BBC Radio Collection

Four Full-Cast Dramatisations including The Weather in the Streets

Rajaa Alsanea

Can you be a 21st century woman and a Saudi woman? Four friends come of age and look for love in a changing world. 
 
Follow the social, romantic, and sexual tribulations of four young women in elite Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Based on Rajaa Alsanea’s explosive novel that shook the Middle East, this full-cast dramatisation is a powerful, moving and, at times, funny story of being a young woman experiencing life between two very different worlds. In between dating, shopping, drinking, dancing and having fun, the girls of Riyadh live by Saudi Arabia’s strict cultural traditions. Well, not quite... They’re still trying to be good Muslims and please their families. Their lives become a social experiment that brings into question what it means to be a good Muslim, a good daughter and a good friend - even when you are worlds apart. 
 
Gamrah, Sadeem, Lamees and Michelle are the best of friends and have all dreamt of romance since they were young. Wanting a change from the strict rules of Saudi life, Gamrah embarks on married life a long way from home, but will Chicago make her happy? Sadeem, suffering the shame and injustice of a rejected proposal, flees to London to recover and meets the mysterious Firas. Is he the one she is looking for? Michelle is torn: she loves Faisal, but his conservative mother is proving an impediment to their marriage. Lamees, however, has a plan – and she is not going to share the same fate as her friends. The girls of Riyadh are hopeful, but will their hopes be dashed? 
 
Originally released in Arabic in 2005, Rajaa Alsanea’s novel was immediately banned in Saudi Arabia due to the controversial and inflammatory content. Black-market copies were secretly exchanged, and the daring originality of Girls of Riyadh created a firestorm all over the Muslim world, spreading far beyond the Middle East. This powerful dramatisation of a seminal work by a Saudi woman tells the story of globe-trotting women trying to reconcile their traditional Arabic customs with life in a Western society. An engaging listen that resonates today just as much as when it was first released. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Rajaa Alsanea 
Dramatised by Claudine Toutoungi 
Directed by Emma Harding 
 
Gamrah - Lara Sawalha 
Sadeem - Laila Alj 
Michelle - Jasmine Jones 
Lamees - Nyla Levy 
Faisal - Ikky Elyas 
Rashid - Elham Ehsas 
Firas - Moe Bar-El 
Pilot/ Bookseller - Ian Conningham 
Tara - Sinead MacInnes 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17th - 21st February 2000 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Girls of Riyadh

Catherine Czerkawska

A stunning family saga set on the banks of the River Clyde 
 Immerse yourself in this beautiful family story set in the heart of Scotland as stories old and new emerge from the banks of the river. Featuring a full-cast, this is a stunning drama from the BBC archives and a treat for any audio fan with a love of rich stories, beautifully told.On a trip home, young Alison Lynn discovers an old wooden boat lying out of the water in the marina, named Isabella. Curious as to the origins of the boat’s name, she sets about finding the story of the elusive Isabella. Discovering that the boat’s namesake is still alive, an elderly lady of eighty-eight, Alison decides to track her down. The journey transports Alison back to the 1880s and she is immersed in her own family history, where the Lynns were a powerful force, building exquisite yachts with great craftsmanship. As a yachting fan herself, Alison is determined to bring Isabella back to her former glory with the help of her new found relative.This is a story full of love and passion, sorrow and death. It weaves a tale of family history against a backdrop of turbulent times that echo down the generations. Will Alison and Isabella be able to find peace and will they be able to save this relic of the past and embrace a new future?This listening treat is perfect for fans of immersive family stories from authors such as Anne Tyler and Joanna Trollope and is available as a complete download for the first time.Cast and creditsWritten by Catherine CzerkawskaDirected by Hamish WilsonIsabella - Sybil Wintrope 
Alison - Louise Beattie 
Adam/Stirling - Allan Sharpe 
David - Alec HeggiePaolo - John Buick Hetty - Monica GibbIan - Liam BrennanMaclehose/Luke - Gibert Martin 
Annie - Sheila Donald 
Sadie - Anne Downie 
Malcolm - Alec MonteathDavid - Mark McDonnellForeman/ Alexander - Tom Smith 
Emily - Irene MacDougallJessie/Receptionist - Astrid Wilson 
Archivist/Archie - William ArmourMatron/Young James - Mary Riggans 
Nurse/Midwife - Susie MaguireCook - Ceit Kearney Kitchen maid - Wendy Ronald 
Young Hetty - Isabel Wright 
James Lynn - James MacPhersonBosun/Gardener - Stuart Davids OldMan/Paolo’s Papa - Douglas StivenEpisode titles 1. Casting Off2. Hoisting the Sail 3. Still Waters 4. Weathering the Storm First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16th March - 6th April 1994©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Running Before the Wind

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Drama

Jan Etherington

The complete sixth series of the award-winning comedy drama starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam 
 
‘A work of supreme craftsmanship.’ Radio Times 
 
Roger Allam and Joanna Lumley return as the loving long-marrieds, still passionate about life, music and each other. 
 
Having taken a three-month break from their relationship following the shock revelation that Roger has an adult son, Joanna has come back home – though she’s still struggling to come to terms with his ‘new’ family. A mouse invasion brings the matter to a head, and she agrees to see a therapist, telling Roger she’s happy to go again: ‘...But she wants to see you first’. 
 
Change is in the air as the duo decide to sell their ‘money pit’ house and find a smaller place by the sea, and they’ve got Georgia on their minds as they take a trip to Savannah for the wedding of Roger’s grandson. When Joanna has a cataract operation and is banned from bending over, it’s down to Roger to pack up for their move to the coast – once they’ve hosted a farewell party, that is. And as moving day arrives, bringing chaos, craziness and a canine calamity, there are a few tears when Roger reveals he’ll miss his shed… 
 
Scripted by comedy writer and journalist Jan Etherington (Second Thoughts, Faith in the Future), this funny, warm-hearted sitcom will strike a chord with couples of all ages who are laughing, loving and keeping the dream alive. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Jan Etherington 
Produced by Claire Jones 
Sound engineer: Wilfredo Acosta 
Sound designer: Jon Calver 
Production coordinator: Sarah Nicholls 
An EcoAudio certified production 
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4 
 
Starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 May-23 June 2025 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Conversations from a Long Marriage: Series 6

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama

Joe Orton

Selected plays by the great playwright Joe Orton, plus bonus material 
 
Joe Orton was among the towering geniuses of 1960s theatre. His life was tragically cut short in 1967, but he left behind him a handful of shocking and scabrous black comedies that will live on in the public imagination for years to come. Orton’s career was kickstarted by the BBC. John Tydeman who is widely considered to have found him when working at the BBC as an trainee. He came across an early version of The Ruffian on the Stair called The Boy Hairdresser and persuaded his seniors to let him meet him and discuss the play, there began a friendship that shaped Orton’s life. Tydeman recommended a top literary agent and the rest is history. 
 
Featured here are two of his lesser-known works, The Erpingham Camp and The Ruffian on the Stair, collected together as a double bill. The former, loosely based on Euripides’ tragedy The Bacchae, is an anarchic, subversive farce set in a holiday camp, where a group of campers decide to revolt against the dictatorial owner. It stars an ensemble cast, including Robert Daws and Jonjo O’Neill. In the latter, Orton’s breakthrough hit, an ex-boxer (Gerard Horan) and an ex-prostitute (Sophie Thompson) have their lives disrupted by a stranger (Jack Rowan). Recorded live at the BBC’s radio theatre in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of Orton's death, the plays are accompanied by an interview with Orton's friend, Kenneth Cranham, who discusses the Joe Orton he knew. 
 
Also featured are the darkly comic Funeral Games, starring Phil Daniels, Martin Jarvis, Tony Rohr and Liza Sadovy, which takes a sideswipe at religious hypocrisy and is considered the linking work between his two key plays, Loot and What the Butler Saw. Plus, John Sessions reads extracts from Joe Orton’s posthumously published journals in The Orton Diaries; Ned Sherrin hears from Kenneth Williams about his experiences directing Loot in Kenneth Williams on Joe Orton, and Samira Akhmed talks to guests including Orton’s sister Leonie and Sheila Hancock about the playwright’s life and legacy in Front Row: Joe Orton. 
 
Production credits 
Text copyright © Joe Orton 1964 (The Ruffian on the Stair), 1966 (The Erpingham Camp), 1968 (Funeral Games), 1986 (The Orton Diaries) 
All rights reserved 
 
The Erpingham Camp 
Erpingham – Robert Daws 
Riley – Jonjo O'Neill 
Lou – Kerry Gooderson 
Ted – Samuel James 
Kenny – Charlie Clements 
Eileen – Sarah Ridgeway 
W.E. Harrison – Tom Forrister 
Jessie Mason – Sanchia McCormack 
Padre – Simon Ludders 
Accordion Player – Colin Guthrie 
 
The Ruffian on the Stair 
Mike – Gerard Horan 
Joyce – Sophie Thompson 
Wilson – Jack Rowan 
Produced by Mary Peate 
Kenneth Cranham interview by Matthew Sweet 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 2 July 2017 
 
Funeral Games 
Caulfield – Phil Daniels 
Pringle – Martin Jarvis 
McCorquodale – Tony Rohr 
Tessa – Liza Sadovy 
Policeman – Ben Crowe 
Produced and directed by Peter Kavanagh 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 July 2008 
 
Joe Orton: The Orton Diaries 
Diary selections read by John Sessions 
Produced by Ned Chaillet 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 March 1994 
 
Kenneth Williams on Joe Orton 
With Kenneth Williams and Ned Sherrin 
Produced by Ian Gardhouse 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, September 1980 
 
Front Row: Joe Orton 
Presented by Samira Ahmed 
Produced by Ekene Akalawu 
With Leonie Orton, Emma Parker, Sally Norman, Jenna Forbes, John Lahr, Sheila Hancock, Nikolai Foster 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 August 2017 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Joe Orton: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Three Full-Cast Productions & Joe Orton’s Diaries

Ronald Frame

All three series of Ronald Frame’s acclaimed drama set in a luxury hotel in the Scottish Highlands, plus ten spin-off stories 
 
The Carnbeg Hydro is a high-class spa resort set amidst the scenic wooded foothills of the Grampians. Over 100 years old, it’s a grand country hotel in the old tradition – but times have changed, and the Hydro must change with them. Following her husband’s death in a speedboat accident, Fee Drummond has taken over as managing director, and is determined to succeed in her own right. But she has enemies who would love to see her fail – among them, her own mother-in-law Marjorie… 
 
Fee has a tough task ahead of her – the hotel is in financial trouble, and the bank has just dropped a legal bombshell. And there is an even greater shock to come: one that will send skeletons tumbling out of the Drummond closet, and precipitate a crisis within the family. But in the midst of all the turmoil, there are still the hotel guests to attend to, each of whom has their own problems and secrets – from the distinguished concert violinist suffering from stage fright to the soap star planning revenge, the artist's widow trying to avoid the probing lens of a TV documentary crew, and the famous novelist out to settle old scores… 
 
Written by award-winning novelist Ronald Frame, this captivating serial stars Eliza Langland as Fee, with a full cast including David Rintoul, Crawford Logan and Ann Scott-Jones. 
 
Also featured are two spin-off series following the lives of various Carnbeg characters past and present, in Carnbeg Stories and More Stories from Carnbeg. 
 
 
Cast 
The Hydro 
Fee – Eliza Langland 
David – David Rintoul/Crawford Logan 
Mrs Kirkpatrick/Mary – Sheila Donald 
Marjorie Drummond – Ann Scott-Jones 
Sergeant Wilkie/Dunbar/Chris – Finlay McLean 
Mr Edel/Drummond – Crawford Logan 
Laura – Wendy Seager 
Kirsty – Gayanne Potter 
Calum – Geoffrey Lee 
Colin – Crawford Logan/Simon Tait 
With John Buick, Jan Moffatt, James Bryce, Alexander Morton, Mairi Gillespie, Liam Brennan, Sandy Neilson, Una McLean, Edith MacArthur, Gregor Powrie, Deirdre Davis, Louise Ludgate, Vivienne Dixon, Paul Young, Emma Currie, Irene MacDougall, Sarah Collier, Allan Sharpe, Richard Greenwood, Edward Forge, Muriel Romanes, Monica Gibb, Isabella Jarrett, Tom Watson, Russell Hunter, Anne Downie, Tony Cownie, Douglas Russell, Gerda Stevenson, Rose McBain, Barbara Rafferty, Michael Elder, Margot Clair, Eric Barlow and Catherine Baxter 
 
Directed by Patrick Rayner 
 
Carnbeg Stories read by Tamara Kennedy (‘The Doocot’, ‘The Fitting’, ‘Bonfires’) and Michael Mackenzie (‘The New’, ‘Away from It All’) 
 
More Stories from Carnbeg read by Paul Young (‘Blind Shot’), Nick Farr (‘Bull’), Eileen McCallum (‘The Evening News’, ‘Ben the Hoose’) and Irene MacDougall (‘The Adventures of Rosie Applecheeks’) 
 
Produced by David Jackson Young 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 30 April-21 May 1997 (Series 1), 25 August-15 September 1998 (Series 2), 26 October-16 November 1999 (Series 3), 7-11 July 2003 (Carnbeg Stories), 4-8 October 2004 (More Stories from Carnbeg) 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Hydro

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama Series

Avie Luthra

Gary Brown

Jon Sen

Mike Harris

Newly-elected MP Bobby Khan navigating the corruption and tricky world of politics, power and community life.Bobby Khan has a bright future ahead of him. Young, charismatic and ambitious, he’s recently got married to his long-term girlfriend Lucy, and has just won an important by-election in the Northern constituency of Floxton West.As an Asian MP, he hopes to improve race relations in his community and bring people together – but when a white DJ is found beaten to death, and a Muslim constituent is arrested for his murder, Bobby faces pressure from the accused’s family to get involved. Then his cousin Wasim is imprisoned on terrorism charges, and Bobby’s idealism is shattered as he becomes embroiled in a series of personal and political dilemmas.Two years later, the dust has settled, and Bobby is a rising star in Westminster, with his sights set on a ministerial position. But a family bombshell and a blackmailer turn his life upside down once more – and when he backs an animal-testing laboratory in his constituency, he finds himself facing a violent backlash...Nitin Ganatra and Zubin Varla play Bobby in this thrilling tale of politics, power, corruption and betrayal. Among the stellar cast are Vincent Ebrahim, Bhasker Patel, Barbara Marten, Christopher Bisson, Gillian Kearney, Nicola Stephenson and Sacha Dhawan. 
Content Warning: Contains strong language and deals with themes of racism 
 
 
 Production creditsSeries 1 written by Avie Luthra and Gary BrownSeries 2 written by Mike Harris, Jon Sen and Avie LuthraProduced and directed by Pauline HarrisCastBobby Khan – Nitin Ganatra/Zubin VarlaElizabeth – Barbara MartenImran – Vincent Ebrahim/Bhasker PatelWasim – Christopher BissonTerry – John McArdleAyesha – Archie PanjablLucy – Gillian Kearney/Nicola StephensonPaul Deacon – David FleeshmanRashid Choudry – Amer NazlrRhobina Choudry – Rani MoorthyCraig Williams – Sam CurtisJerome – Aaron CobhamNewsreader – Mark EdwardsonMartha Kearney – HerselfHarry/Hanif – Sacha DhawanDI Brown/Pathologist – Seamus O’NeillMike Winters – Michael FeastBarry – Lee BoardmanIsabella – Fiona ClarkeDavid/Geraint – James QuinnSara – Millie Rose KinseyShazia/Woman – Balvinder SopalAli – Darren KuppanGraham – Jonathan KeebleKarl – Graeme HawleyMinister – Malcolm RaeburnHelen – Christine BrennanNews reporter – Shari VahlSchool children from St Mary's Church of England Infant and Junior School, ManchesterFraud adviser: Shari VahlPolitical adviser: Andrew RussellMusic consultant: Philip TagneyFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 May-8 June 2007 (Series 1), 31 July-14 August 2009 (Series 2)© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Prospect

A BBC Radio Political Drama

Arline Whittaker

Vintage comedy as class and cultures clash, starring Barbara Windsor and Peter SallisLaugh-out-loud at this vintage radio comedy gem from the BBC archive starring legendary performers Barbara Windsor and Peter Sallis. 
 
Londoner Bill, gave up his beloved Stepney home in order to move to Cheshire. He’s renting the spare room in his son Trevor’s new marital home to help with the mortgage. Local dentist Trevor, is still trying to figure out ‘the nature of wives’ as he embarks upon his new life as a married man with his dad in tow. His wife, Katherine is dismayed at her father-in-law’s uncouth manners which threaten to lower the tone of her pretentious aspirations. 
 
Things go from bad to worse when Bill introduces them to his new girlfriend, Betty. His soon to be ‘live in lover’. Whilst the benefits are clear to Trevor (more rent) and Bill (none of the slap and all of the tickle) Katherine is fuming. What will the neighbours think!? Next door, fierce Muriel has her beady-eye on the unconventional set up. Hilarity ensures when Harold, Muriel’s hen pecked husband and Trevor’s ally, is found in the garden shed with Betty…This is a farcical comedy, very much of its time and packed with witty one-liners and endless innuendo. Filled with high-jinks and bedroom antics this is a must for any listener looking to enjoy an old fashioned, laugh-out-loud comedy. All six episodes of this charming archive gem are available to download in this edition for the first time. A listening treat.Barbara Windsor is perhaps best known for her funny girl roles in the popular Carry On films. She reached a whole new generation of fans as the feisty landlady Peggy Mitchell in BBC1’s EastEnders. Peter Sallis played the character of Cleggy in Last of The Summer Wine for nearly 50 years. He was also the original, much-loved voice, of Wallace in the smash hit animation movies ‘Wallace and Gromit’.Cast and creditsWritten by Arline WhittakerProduced by Mike CraigBetty - Barbara Windsor 
Bill - Glynn Edwards 
Harold - Peter Sallis 
Muriel - Rosalind Knight 
Trevor - Simon Molloy 
Katherine - Diana MatherVince/The Mechanic - Chris Ellison Mrs Brightwell - Rosalie Williams Sergeant Grimshaw - Peter Wheeler First Broadcast BBC Radio 2, 21 December 1986 - 23 January 1987©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Living with Betty

A BBC Radio Comedy

Jonathan Myerson

A scandalous full-cast dramatized romp through Hogarth’s famous paintings, bringing to life the story in – and behind – each canvas 
 
 
Listen to this double helping of laugh-out-loud comedy featuring an all-star cast including Stephen Mangan, Annabel Scholey (The Split), Sheila Reid (Benidorm) and Will Keen (His Dark Materials and The Crown) as they bring alive the life and times of William Hogarth and the stories revealed - and concealed - in his famous sequence of engravings.This enchanting and hilarious collection is comprised of two audio treats. In the first, A Harlot’s Progress, it’s 1732 and a young, undistinguished painter abandons his classical training and sets out to tell the tale of a country girl's downfall on the streets of London in a series of paintings. Innocent Moll Hackabout, the story’s heroine, arrives in London and is swiftly taken in by procuress Mrs Needham. She becomes a city trader’s courtesan but falls for a famous highway man. As she descends into a life of prostitution, penury and misery, painter William’s life in 18th century London is just beginning…In Marriage a la Mode the story continues and Mr and Mrs Hogarth return with another romp through a series of classic engravings as a marriage made in the Bank of England unites the aristocratic Squanders with the bourgeois Grubpumps, to the disgust of both bride and groom. Hogarth engraves the disastrous consequences of marrying for money rather than love as the wealthy newlyweds indulge every desire - if only they desired each other. Affairs, transgressions, debts, deceit and murder are only a part of this pacy and hilarious adventure that culminates in very different endings for the Squanders, Grubpumps and Hogarths.Writer Jonathan Myerson is a renowned TV and radio dramatist. His animated film The Canterbury Tales won a BAFTA Award and four primetime Emmys and he has also written scripts for several British television drama series including The Bill, Holby City, EastEnders, Jupiter Moon and The Legend of William Tell.A Harlot’s Progress Cast and creditsWritten by Jonathan MyersonDirected and produced by Jonquil PantingWilliam Hogarth - Will KeenJean - Shella ReidMoll - Liz WhiteLondon girl - Amelia LowdellLondon girl - Annabel ScholeyMrs Needham - Rosemary LeachCharteris - Crawford LoganGourlay - Gerard McDermottWagondriver - Stephen CritchlowGiuseppe - Paul ReynoldsSolomon - Nickolas GraceBess - Amelda BrownJames/Dr Rock - Ben CroweClient/Joshua - Geoffrey BeeversFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6th - 10th February 2006Marriage a la Mode Cast and creditsWritten by Jonathan MyersonDirected and produced by Jonquil PantingWilliam Hogarth - Will KeenJane Hogarth - Rebecca JohnsonCharles - Stephen ManganEmily Grubpump (Later Countess Squander) - Anna MadeleyGrubpump - Robin SoansSylvester Silvertongue/Sir Andrew - John DougallOld Squander/Misaubin - Sam DaleMrs Wisebourne - Nichola McAulffleTyers - Anthony GlennonClarissa - Poppy FriarMissus - Rachel BavidgeSteward - Mark StrakerSimmy - Jasmine CallanLittle William - Jordan ClarkeFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26th - 2nd March 2007©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

William Hogarth’s A Harlot’s Progress & Marriage a la Mode

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

A full-cast dramatisation of Italy’s iconic novelThe Betrothed is a sweeping epic, packed with the passion of Les Misérables, the power of War and Peace and the action of Ivanhoe. Set in 17th century Italy, this is the ultimate story of love, faith, justice and power.Engaged couple, Renzo and Lucia must overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to be together. Lombardy, their region of northern Italy, is under Spanish occupation, and when the Spaniard Don Rodrigo blocks their union, in an attempt to have Lucia for himself, the couple are forced to resist his plots. Their love is thwarted at every turn by the hazards of war, bread riots and the machinations of a nameless crime lord. This gripping listen chronicles their unforgettable romance through tyranny, war, famine and plague. Renzo and Lucia are tested again and again, but can their union endure? Performed by a full cast, this stunning saga is masterfully brought to life and available to download for the first time as a complete listen.First published in 1827 as I Promessi Sposi, this icon of Italian literature as well as the country’s most popular novel, has never been out of print. Groundbreaking in its day, and hugely influential to succeeding generations, Alessandro Manzoni’s masterpiece has long been considered one of Italy’s national treasures. It is so integral to contemporary Italian culture every schoolchild reads it to this day. If you liked Les Misérables, War and Peace or Ivanhoe, then you will love The Betrothed. This is a must listen for any fan of classical literature. The Betrothed is a story that has, thought the centuries, been celebrated by writers, artists and composers such as Verdi, Primo Levi, Natalia Ginzburg, Umberto Eco and Pope Francis.A bona fide canonical classic hiding in plain sight - The Wall Street Journal 
 Cast and creditsWritten by Alessandro ManzoniAdapted by Eileen HorneDirected by Gaynor MacfarlaneLucia - Hiftu Quasem 
Renzo - Ian Dunnett Jnr 
Father Abbondio - Paul Higgins 
Gabriel/Servant Boy - Joel Maccormack 
Griso/Officer - Owen Whitelaw 
Nibbio/Ambrogio - Tunji Kasim 
Agnese - Maureen Beattie 
Brother Cristoforo - Ewan Bailey 
Nameless /Old Friar - Jonathan Forbes 
Rodrigo/Boss/Boatman/Traveller - Sandy Grierson 
Gertrude/Gilda - Chloe PirrieFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5th - 12th November 2023©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Betrothed

Leah Chillery

David Hodgson

Alan Harris

Anna Mary Murphy

Lavinia Murray

A series of inter-linked plays exploring birth, marriage and death through the prism of a Welsh Register OfficeIsn't it strange that the registering of life's most important moments happens in a sterile municipal office? Everyone's got a story to tell about how they got there. Listen for the first time to this spectacular collection of six funny, quirky and moving plays that start in a Register Office and end in a birth, marriage or death.In Uncle Harry, Mark’s life is nicely well-ordered until a passing comment from Uncle Harry sends him on a quest to discover his true identity. This is a comedy about grief and the true meaning of family.Losing my Penny is a story of love, secrets and family. Leo is in love with Penny and plans to marry her but Penny's possessive father has other ideas. Leo has secrets of his own which threatens to ruin everything.Teddy is on his stag night in the comedy Time and Tide. He wakes up naked and handcuffed to a lamp post. So far, so normal. But then he realises that something very weird has occurred which makes him question everything…A Certain Date is a surreal and darkly comic exploration of the meaning of death. Geoff Levine, aka the Slim Reaper, is a pest control technician. All day long he kills rats and other vermin but when he meets Mystic June, she tells him something that will alter the rest of his life – what's left of it anyway.An unexpected family secret is unearthed in Nine Lives, when Beth's elderly father Patrick claims never to have been born because he's lived forever. As Beth tries to untangle the truth of her father's birth, she uncovers more than she bargained for.Lastly, Elephants all the Way tells the story of Harper, who works in a zoo. He is a simple soul but his life is complicated. His wife is desperate for a baby, and his angry dad is a bare knuckle boxer. Then the ground starts to shift - literally…Engaging, funny and thought provoking, these six plays were recorded by BBC Wales. This brilliant series of modern dramas showcase some of Wales’s best acting talent. Download all six plays now for a mesmerising listen.Episode 1 - Uncle HarryWritten by Gary Brown 
Directed by Helen PerryMark - Dylan Edwards 
Uncle Harry - Ewan Bailey 
Elaine - Denise Black 
Helen - Katherine Jakeways 
Lionel - Christian Patterson 
Charlotte - Rachel Redford 
Dad - David CannEpisode 2 - Losing my PennyWritten by Leah Chillery 
Directed by Gary BrownLeo - Don Gilet 
Penny - Verity May Henry 
Rita - Kathryn Hunt 
Henry - Conrad Nelson 
Duchess - Tupele Dorgu 
Bartholomew - Fiona ClarkeEpisode 3 - Time and Tide Written by David Hodgson 
Directed by Gary BrownOld Man - Will Tacey 
Teddy - Alan Morrissey 
Lawrence - Will Ash 
Megan - Hannah Wood 
Brankin - Sean Mason 
Jess - Harriet Chandler Judd 
Shaffy - Hamilton BerstockEpisode 4 - A Certain DateWritten by Alan Harris 
Directed by Helen PerryGeoff - Julian Lewis Jones 
Valmai - Sara McGaughey 
Sandy - Katy Owen 
Mystic June - Lisa Palfrey 
Doctor Ramis - Richard Mitchley 
Pigeon - Sion Pritchard 
King Rat - Michael BertenshawEpisode 5 – Nine Lives Written by Anna Maria Murphy 
Directed by James RobinsonBeth - Eiry Thomas 
Patrick - Peter Marinker 
Bill - Christian Patterson 
Mrs Knowles - Sharon Morgan 
Miriam/Janet - Eirlys Bellin 
Reg/Harold - Matthew GravelleEpisode 6 – Elephants All the Way Up Written by Lavinia MurrayDirected by Gary BrownHarper - Graeme Hawley 
Yolanda - Kate Coogan 
Dad - Seamus O'Neill 
Carlos - Chris Jack 
Arlo/Turtle - Lloyd Peters 
Grayson/Turtle -Malcolm Raeburn 
Woman/Turtle - Lisa Allen©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Hatch, Match and Dispatch

Six Full-Cast Original BBC Radio Dramas

Louisa May Alcott

Dramatisations of Louisa May Alcott’s evergreen classic and its sequel, plus her Gothic tour de force about an orphan girl and her controlling guardian 
 
Born in 1832 in Pennsylvania, Louisa May Alcott was best known for Little Women, her phenomenal bestseller loosely based on her childhood experiences with her own sisters. Adapted numerous times for stage and screen, it is dramatised here alongside her follow-up novel Good Wives and the thrilling sensation story A Marble Woman. 
 
Little Women – With their father away fighting in the American Civil War, the four March sisters and their mother are facing a frugal Christmas in their New England home. But their close bond and determination to make the best of things enables them to find happiness despite their poverty. As they forge their path in the adult world, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy will encounter adventure, challenges, joys and disappointments – and while marriage and motherhood may beckon, their most enduring love is always for each other. Natasha J Barnes, Julianna Jennings, Bryony Hannah and Samantha Dakin star in this iconic coming-of-age tale. 
 
Good Wives– Now young women, the March girls meet with triumph and tragedy in this classic sequel to Little Women. Following Meg’s wedding, Jo finds success with her writing and Amy heads to Europe – but Beth’s health is failing, and her spirits are low. As the family face their greatest sorrow together and look to the future, Jo writes the story of their life – and finds true love at last… Starring Jemma Redgrave, Buffy Davis, Anne Marie Zola, Kara Zediker and Gayle Hunnicutt. 
 
A Marble Woman – Recently orphaned, Cecilia Stein turns up at the door of genius sculptor Bazil Yorke. Her dying mother had told her that Yorke was an old friend, and to trust his kindness. But the reclusive bachelor has neither forgiven nor forgotten his rejection by Cecilia’s mother, and decides to revenge himself by punishing his new ward. Insisting that she must submit her life to art and restrain all her emotions, he strives to turn her into his own creation – but can he control his own heart? Sexual repression, opium addiction and love collide in this dark Gothic tale, starring Bill Paterson and Amanda Root. 
 
First published 1865 (A Marble Woman), 1868 (Little Women), 1869 (Good Wives) 
 
Cast and credits 
 
Little Women 
Cast: Natasha J Barnes, Julianna Jennings, Bryony Hannah, Samantha Dakin, Tara Ward, John Bowler, Alex Lanipekun, Finlay Robertson, Joanna Monro, Alison Belbin, Karen Bartke, 
Natasha Cowley, Keziah Joseph, Luke MacGregor, Catriona McFarlane, Gunnar Cauthery 
Dramatised by Rhiannon Tise 
Directed by Tracey Neale 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16-27 January 2017 
 
Good Wives 
Cast: Gayle Hunnicutt, Jemma Redgrave, Buffy Davis, Anne Marie Zola, Kara Zediker, Marcus D'Amico, Don Fellows, John Guerrasio, Margaret Robertson, Alibe Parsons, Adam Henderson, 
Helen Horton, Lorelei King, David Holt, Tamsin Hollo, Faith Brook, Jill Graham, Toni G Barry, 
Melanie Hudson, Jonathan Tafler, Martin Jarvis, John Church, Andrew Wincott 
Dramatised by Marcy Kahan 
Directed by Marilyn Imrie 
First broadcast Radio 4, 11 February-18 March 1993 
 
A Marble Woman 
Cast: Bill Paterson, Amanda Root, John McArdle, Charles De'Ath, Sarah Parkes, Geoffrey Banks, 
Becky Simpson, Robert Pollard 
Dramatised by Lavinia Murray 
Produced by Pauline Harris 
First broadcast Radio 4, 8 April 2000 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Little Women, Good Wives & A Marble Woman

Three BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations

The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that. But in this world, there are two moons in the sky. Discover the 1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami.

1Q84

365 Days of Art

A BBC Christmas

A Black Book Thriller

A Box Full of Murders

A Cal Leandros Novel

A Christmas Mystery

The intelligent and capable police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice.

A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

A DC Smith / Kings Lake Investigation Series

A Daisy Story

Chronicling the lives of over three hundred characters, unrivalled for its scope and humour, this is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

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