Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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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

Shelagh Delaney

A collection of plays by the trailblazing dramatist Shelagh Delaney 
 
'The fact is, Miss Delaney is not only a shrewd and penetrating observer; she is a very delicate artist.' Bernard Levin 
 
Shelagh Delaney was just 19 when her debut play, A Taste of Honey, premiered in 1958. One of the great &lsquo;kitchen sink dramas&rsquo;, it was ground-breaking in its portrayal of working-class Northern women, gay and Black men, and influenced popular culture from The Smiths to Coronation Street. A huge hit in the West End and on Broadway, it was made into a BAFTA-winning film starring Rita Tushingham. 
 
This collection opens with a 2004 radio production of A Taste of Honey, starring Beth Squires as the pregnant teenager trading insults and repartee with her mother (Siobhan Finneran). It is followed by seven dramas specially written for BBC Radio, all showcasing Delaney&rsquo;s extraordinary gift for depicting the experiences and emotions of ordinary women and children. 
 
In the trilogy Sweetly Sings the Donkey, Tell Me a Film and Baloney Said Salome, we follow the friendship of four women across the decades, from their childhood meeting in a Blackpool convalescent home to their 60th birthday reunion, and their fond farewell to one of their number. Beth Squires, Barbara Marten, Kay Purcell, Susan Twist and Eileen O&rsquo; Brien star in these funny, moving plays. 
 
Country Life and its sequel, Whoopi Goldberg&rsquo;s Country Life, centre around Rose, whose peaceful life on a remote Yorkshire smallholding is disrupted by her moody nephew, her film-star brother and her embittered ex-sister-in law. This witty, poignant double bill about parenting, rural life and family ties stars Barbara Marten as Rose. 
 
Starring Daniel Hanbridge and Brooke Vincent, the rite-of-passage drama Out of the Pirate&rsquo;s Playhouse sees five eleven-year-olds celebrating the start of the holidays by going to their favourite activity centre: only to be told they are too old to play there. Our final play, So Does the Nightingale, is set during another period of transition, as middle-aged Alice prepares for her father&rsquo;s impending death &ndash; and reveals her shocking plans for a new, independent life&hellip; Linda Polan stars, with a cast including Barbara Laurenson and Margot Boyd. 
 
Production credits 
Text copyright &copy; Shelagh Delaney 1959 (A Taste of Honey),1980 (So Does the Nightingale), 2000(Sweetly Sings the Donkey), 2003 (Tell Me a Film, Out of the Pirate&rsquo;s Playhouse), 2004 (Baloney Said Salome), 2007 (Country Life), 2010 (Whoopi Goldberg&rsquo;s Country Life) 
All rights reserved 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 Nov 1980, 18 Dec 2000, 6 Mar 2003, 22 Jul 2004, 7 Nov 2004, 22 Mar 2007, 18 Oct 2010, 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A Taste of Honey & more

Eight BBC Radio Full-Cast Productions

Gareth Edwards

The complete Series 1 & 2 of the BBC radio sitcom about an artists' colony in Cornwall 
 
Set in the Cornish cultural mecca of St Ives, Artists centres around a close-knit community of artists whose talent is matched only by their dysfunctionality. When they're not bitching about each other's work, they're bickering with one another - but as genius goes hand-in-hand with an artistic temperament, they never take their squabbles too seriously. 
 
Sharing a studio with landscape painter Tamsin are sculptor Dolores, who pushes the boundaries of papier maché; her bank manager partner, Nisha; and laissez-faire installationist Josef, Tamsin's lodger and sort-of boyfriend. Along with pub landlord Marcus, who provides inspiration in alcoholic form, and Tamsin's avuncular agent Gerard, they spend their time searching for their muse, suffering for their art - and making a thorough exhibition of themselves. 
 
In these 10 episodes, Tamsin competes with Josef to create a self-portrait, Marcus goes away for a weekend to save his marriage, Nisha proposes to Dolores - hypothetically, and Gerard takes a cross-Channel booze cruise that almost ends in tragedy... 
 
Written by award-winning radio producer Gareth Edwards, whose credits include That Mitchell and Webb Look and Bleak Expectations, this slow-burning, character-driven comedy features a stellar cast including Vicki Pepperdine, Pauline McLynn, Mina Anwar, Ben Miller, Dave Lamb and Graham Crowden, with guest appearances from Miranda Hart and Bertie Carvel. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Gareth Edwards 
Script editor: Paul Mayhew-Archer 
Produced by Katie Tyrrell 
 
Cast 
Tamsin - Vicki Pepperdlne 
Dolores - Pauline McLynn 
Gerard - Graham Crowden 
Nisha - Mina Anwar 
Josef - Ben Miller 
Marcus - Dave Lamb 
Jake - Dean Johnston 
Lindy - Maria Liberos 
Couple in art gallery - Stephen Critchlow & Caroline Johnson 
Ewan - Giles New 
Pippa - Miranda Hart 
Best Man/Clive - Bertie Carvel 
Cressida - Raquel Cassidy 
Charlotte - Phyllida Hewat 
Sam - Julia Morris 
Lesley/Weinberg - John Rowe 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 March-30 April 2003 (Series 1), 21 April-12 May 2004 (Series 2) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Artists

A BBC Radio 4 comedy

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

Jan Etherington

Gavin Petrie

All four series of the BBC radio comedy drama about a couple experiencing love for the second time – plus special festive episode The Fight Before Christmas 
 
Bill and Faith are both divorcees, late in love but new to each other. As they battle to forge a relationship together, they discover that the course of true love doesn’t always run smoothly. 
 
In these 31 episodes, they move in together, plan a wedding and deal with the challenges of married life – all the while trying to balance the demands of Gavin’s ex-wife, Liza, and her teenage children, Hannah and Joe. From bickering about the kids to worrying about money, trying to find time for romance and dealing with feelings of jealousy, the duo’s relationship comes under fire from all sides. Can they make love work the second time around? 
 
Inspired by the real lives of its writers, husband and wife Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie, this funny, bittersweet sitcom was adapted for ITV where it ran for five seasons and was followed by an equally successful sequel, Faith in the Future. It stars Lynda Bellingham as Faith and James Bolam as Bill. 
 
Written by Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie 
Produced by Pete Atkin (Series 1), Sioned Wiliam (Series 2) and Paul Schlesinger (Series 3 and 4 and The Fight Before Christmas) 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 3 November-22 December 1988 (Series 1), 31 October-19 December 1989 (Series 2), 9 April-28 May 1991 (Series 3), 18 June-23 July 1992 (Series 4), 25 December 1992 (The Fight Before Christmas) 
 
Cast 
Faith……………………Lynda Bellingham 
Bill……………………James Bolam 
Hilary……………………Celia Imrie/Geraldine Fitzgerald 
Liza……………………Belinda Lang 
Hannah……………………Kelda Holmes/Emma Gregory/Julia Sawalha 
Joe……………………Mark Denham 
Grace/Jill……………………Moir Leslie 
Alex……………………John Samson/Mark Straker 
Ray……………………Nicholas Courtney/Ian Lindsay 
Ted/Mr Burrows……………………Norman Bird 
Treadwell……………………Richard Tate 
Christian/Gideon/Waiter……………………Ian Targett 
Richard……………………John Moffatt/Christopher Good/Geoffrey Whitehead 
Steve……………………Guy Brougham 
Rachel……………………Rebecca Front 
Police Officer……………………Deborah Rowbottom 
Dennis……………………Brian Bowles 
Mr Roper……………………Danny Schiller 
Marjorie……………………Jo Kendall 
Registrar……………………John Baddeley 
Video Man……………………Richard Tate 
Cabbie……………………Ben Onwukwe 
Gina……………………Danielle Allen 
Kevin……………………Mark Straker/David Learner 
Karel Cerny……………………Nigel Carrington 
Clayton……………………David Learner 
Chris……………………Peter Gunn 
Louise……………………Melanie Hudson 
Course Leader/Duncan……………………Nick Murchie

Second Thoughts

Series 1-4 of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom

Matthew Broughton

A compelling new thriller from the creator of Tracks 
 
When artist Jess is rescued by a mysterious stranger after collapsing at a protest rally, neither of them know that their lives are about to be transformed forever. The pair swiftly fall in love, but when Dan disappears, Jess realises how little she knows about the man who saved her. 
 
Jess is an aspiring artist with synaesthesia - she sees colours and patterns when she hears certain sounds, and uses her unique ability to connect the unconnected. Searching for answers, she is seduced by a glamorous and shadowy underworld of criminal gangs and a brutal leader with murderous intent. Conflicting perceptions compete as Jess's world begins to spiral out of control in this dark and gripping thriller... 
 
Who is Dan, really? Who can Jess trust, and is the truth what it appears to be? 
 
Senses collide and worlds change in this taut full-cast drama, starring Holli Dempsey as Jess and Josef Altin as Dan. 
 
 
Written by Matthew Broughton and Faebian Averies 
Directed by John Norton, Emma Harding and Philippa Swallow 
Sound Design by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis 
Produced by John Norton, Philippa Swallow and Emma Harding 
 
Cast 
Jess - Holli Dempsey 
Dan - Josef Altin 
Johnny - Tom Byrne 
Melissa - Alexandria Riley 
Petal - Rina Mahoney 
Daisy - Grace Cooper Milton 
Clem - Francois Pandolfo 
Desk Sergeant, Security Guard, Newsreader - Chris Jack 
Security Guard, Janey, Gallery Director - Jasmine Hyde 
Mark, Magner - Neil McCaul 
Ryan - Justice Ritchie 
Ronnie Vaz - Alun Raglan 
Henry - Brendan Charleson 
Mother - Christine Kavanagh 
Molly - Molly Pepper Tuer 
Man - Dean Rehman 
Gina - Suzanne Packer 
Anthony Wheeler - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong 
Vic - David Sterne 
Maggie - Ashleigh Haddad 
Blue Rider - Olivia Vinall 
 
Series 1 first broadcast BBC Radio 4, February 2022 
Series 2 first broadcast BBC Radio 4, December 2022 
Series 3 first broadcast BBC Radio 4, December 2023 
 
©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Broken Colours: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast thriller

Isy Suttie

The Sony Award-winning comedian and Peep Show star talks life and love 
 
Isy Suttie is our guide to all things love-related in these five fantastic series. Come with her as she shares her relationship stories, talks about the couples she's tried to bring together, evokes bittersweet memories of her childhood and adolescence, and shares a couple of the weird and wonderful things that give her pleasure. 
 
In her award-winning show Isy Suttie's Love Letters, she recounts love stories affecting people she's known, intertwined with anecdotes and songs about her own disastrous romantic life and eventual happiness. 
 
Isy Suttie's Guide to Love and Romance sees her chatting to friends and partner Elis James, and sourcing extracts from The Listening Project, to paint a picture of love in the 21st Century - from first loves and Valentines to hook-ups and break-ups. 
 
And in Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family, she returns to her teenage home town, Matlock, for a celebration of family life and growing up. Along the way, she reminisces with old friends in The Shoe Box of Memories, and treats us to some classic BBC comedy from Sarah Millican's Support Group, After Henry, Old Dog and Partridge and Not in Front of the Children. 
 
Ever since she was little, Isy has experienced something she calls 'head squeezing' - a euphoric, incredibly relaxing version of goosebumps that starts around her scalp and spreads down her arms. Its official name is ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), and in Brain Tingles, she investigates this mysterious phenomenon, chatting to scientists and fellow 'ASMRians' to explore why it happens and whether it can play a role in creativity. 
 
Finally, in While My Guitar Gently Bleeps, Isy takes a nostalgic look at chiptune: the catchy, evocative videogame music of the 1980s and '90s that she loved as a geeky kid. She meets the musicians using joysticks and old computers to create unique electronic tunes - and even tries her hand at writing her own digital classic... 
 
 
Isy Suttie's Love Letters 
Written and performed by Isy Suttie 
Pilot ('Pearl and Dave') first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 January 2012 
Produced by John Pocock 
Series 1 first broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 1-22 April 2013 
Produced by Lianne Coop 
Series 2 first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 April-21 May 2014 
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner 
 
Isy Suttie's Guide to Love and Romance 
Written and performed by Isy Suttie 
Produced by Stephen Garner 
Featuring 'Valentine's Day' by John Osborne (2013) and extracts from The Listening Project 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 10 February 2018 
 
Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family 
Written and performed by Isy Suttie 
Produced by Stephen Garner 
Featuring The Shoebox of Memories and episodes from Sarah Millican's Support Group, After Henry, Old Dog and Partridge and Not in Front of the Children 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 5 December 2015 
 
Brain Tingles 
Presented by Isy Suttie 
Produced by Nicola Swords 
With Joe Lycett, Rhodri Marsden, Zoe Fothergill, Charlotte Luke, Claire Tolan, Dr Nick Davis, Dr Tom Hostler, Dr Giulia Poerio, Theresa Veltri 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 December 2015 
 
While My Guitar Gently Bleeps 
Presented by Isy Suttie 
Produced by Benn Cordrey 
With Aoife Wilson, Steve McNeil, Andrew Schartmann, Graeme Booth, Rob Hubbard, Ben Daglish, Joe Bleeps, Jesper Holm and Søren Trautner Madsen from the band Press Play On Tape, and performers and customers at Manchester's SuperByte Festival 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7 June 2016

Isy Suttie’s Love Letters & Other Matters of the Heart

The complete series 1 and 2 of the award-winning BBC Radio comedy

Peter Flannery

Olivia Poulet

Laurence Dobiesz

Karen Laws

Melanie Harris

Hannah Silva

Dan Rebellato

Tim Dawson

Gemma Bedeau

Ishy Din

Derron Sandy

Kyle Hernandez

Elisha Efua Bartels

Lucy Montague Moffatt

Thirteen plays about human connection, from some of BBC Radio's best writers exploring love, family, romances and life's ups and downs 
 
This diverse collection of stories centres around family dynamics, relationships both romantic and platonic, and the diverse ways ordinary people navigate the vicissitudes of everyday life. 
 
Ranging from modern fairy tales to coming-of-age dramas, they feature a wide variety of styles, and are scripted by an array of writers from award-winning dramatists to first-time authors. Here are stories of meeting and parting; hope and heartbreak; grief and forgiveness; and the endless possibility of change. 
 
We meet the couple racing to secure their IVF treatment; the wide-eyed young Conservative whose awakening is more than just political; the teenager who discovers a secret that threatens his entire extended family; the ex-offender transformed through his friendship with a photographer, and many more captivating characters. These engrossing dramas let us venture into their worlds; giving us an intimate insight into their lives and loves. 
 
Among the casts are Jaime Winstone, Sean Gallagher, Rhea Bailey, Mina Anwar, Ciarán Griffiths and Harry McEntire. 
 
Cast and credits 
All plays are Sparklab productions for BBC Radio 4 and Radio 3. 
Produced by Melanie Harris and Executive Produced by Polly Thomas, Jeremy Mortimer & Jo Meek. 
 
#blessed 
Cast: Olivia Poulet, Laurence Dobiesz, Ayesha Dharker, Valmike Rampersad, Fenella Woolgar 
Written by Olivia Poulet and Laurence Dobiesz. Directed by Susannah Tresilian. 
 
Indigo Children 
Cast: Lizzy Clark, Jaime Winstone, Luke Jerdy, Sylvestra Le Touzel 
Written by Hannah Silva. Directed by Jude Kelly 
 
My Life Is a Series of People Saying Goodbye 
Cast: Sean Gallagher, David Annen, Will Payne, Fenella Woolgar, Frances Grey, Jenny Jules 
Written by Dan Rebellato. Produced and Directed by Polly Thomas 
 
Not for Turning 
Cast Nicola Holt, Henry Devas, Andrew Bentley, Ashley Gerlach, Toby Hadoke 
Written by Tim Dawson. Directed by Lawrence Till 
 
The Ladies Room 
Cast: Rhea Bailey, Lisa Livingstone, Lois Chimimba 
Written by Gemma Bedeau. Directed by Melanie Harris 
 
Whose Baby? 
Cast: Gurjeet Singh, Mina Anwar, Perveen Hussain, George Bukhari, Sid Akbar Ali 
Written by Ishy Din. Directed by Julia Ford. 
 
1963 
Cast: Andy Clark, Curtis Appleby, Ross Waiton, Jill Dellow, Micheal Ajao 
Written by Peter Flannery. Directed by Melanie Harris 
 
Carifesta 2019: Mr Singh 
Cast: Keegan Maharaj, Rhesa Samuel, Idrees Saleem, Tafar Lewis, Khadijah Kirton, Israel Nunes Children from the Quays Foundation, Maloney, Trinidad & Tobago. 
Written by Derron Sandy. Directed by Melanie Harris 
 
Carifesta 2019: Aron 
Cast: Levee Rodriguez, Errol Fabien, Anand Lawkaran, Jayron Remy, Tishanna Williams, Nickolai Salcedo. Written by Kyle Hernandez. Directed by Melanie Harris 
 
Carifesta 2019: Water More Than Flour 
Cast: Mandisa Granderson, Conrad Parris, Kimmy Stoute-Robinson, Arnold Goindham 
Written by Elisha Efua Bartels. Directed by Melanie Harris 
 
Karin and Andrew 
Cast: Eve Shotton, Ciarán Griffiths, Darren Kuppan, Melissa Jane Sinden 
Scripted and directed by Melanie Harris. 
 
In His Kiss 
Cast: Niamh McGowan, Harry McEntire, Kimberly Hart-Simpson 
Written by Lucy Montague Moffatt. Directed by Julia Ford 
 
The Reality Tunnel 
Cast: Sarah Miele, Sam Newton 
Written by Karen Law. Directed by Melanie Harris 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

#Blessed and other stories of love and friendship

13 BBC Radio Dramas

Jeremy Front

"Jack &amp; Millie" is the brainchild of Jeremy Front who, with his sister Rebecca Front had been improvising these two characters for years - and now they've been brought to life in a new show... 
 
The second series of this new comedy show is written by Jeremy Front (writer of the Charles Paris mysteries for Radio 4) and stars Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front as Jack &amp; Millie Lemman - an older couple who are fully engaged with contemporary life whilst being at war with the absurdities of the modern world... 
 
The show also features Millie's frenemy Shirley - played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, Jack's all-too-easygoing friend Harry (Nigel Lindsay), their high-pressure son Melvin (Harry Peacock) and their high-maintenance (and Catholic) (and French) daughter-in-law Delphine (Jenny Bede - most recently heard in Tom Neenan's "The Hauntening" and an episode of "John Finnemore's Double Acts" alongside Mathew Baynton). 
 
In the first episode, Jack &amp; Millie are back and ready to deal with Harry's bongos, Delphine's chicken, Shirley's bombshell and a cleaner with flashbacks, while in episode 2, Jack meets an unwanted old friend, Melvin gets hot under the collar, Delphine makes a French joke and Shirley and Millie get an unexpected buzz... 
 
In episode 3, Jack &amp; Millie's TV binge comes to an abrupt end when they have to face a mindfulness pillow, a Tudor sallet and some hot yoga and in episode 4, Millie feels like a natural woman while Jack feels like a man grappling with a keyboard, a saucepan and some shonky decking... 
 
The show comes from Pozzitive, proud producers of Cabin Pressure, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Agendum, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, The Brig Society, The Castle, Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Shush! &amp; Kevin Eldon Will See You Now...

Jack & Millie: Series 2

The BBC Radio 4 Comedy

Jack &amp; Millie is the brainchild of Jeremy Front who, with his sister Rebecca Front had been improvising these two characters for years - and now they’ve been brought to life in a new show... 
 
 
This new comedy show written by Jeremy Front (writer of the Charles Paris mysteries for Radio 4) and starring Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front as Jack &amp; Millie Lemman - an older couple who are fully engaged with contemporary life whilst being at war with the absurdities of the modern world... 
 
 
The show also features Millie’s frenemy Shirley - played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, Jack’s all-too-easygoing friend Harry (Nigel Lindsay), their high-pressure son Melvin (Harry Peacock) and their high-maintenance (and Catholic) (and French) daughter-in-law Delphine (Jenny Bede - most recently heard in an episode of “John Finnemore’s Double Acts” alongside Mathew Baynton). 
 
 
Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front ,Tracy-Ann Oberman, Nigel Lindsay, Sue Kelvin, Adam G Goodwin and Llewella Gideon star in the first episode – “Death And The Maven” -, where Film Club Leo dies suddenly, Jack &amp; Millie have to make a choice between good behaviour and cheesecake... in this new comedy starring Jeremy and Rebecca Front 
 
In Episode 2, entitled “Special Lunch” and starring Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front, Harry Peacock, Jenny Bede and Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Jack &amp; Millie have a son. And Melvin has an app. And Melvin’s wife, Delphine has a dog. And Daniel Craig has both his eyebrows. A Special Lunch turns into a Totteridge tale of decking, Bond, beef tomahawks and a married lifetime’s-worth of verbal sparring... 
 
Show 3, and Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Nigel Lindsay, Rebecca Gethings, Naz Osmanoglu and Luke Sumner star in “Deliver Us From Ebay” - Jack &amp; Millie discover the 11th Commandment - Thou shalt not try and please a son’s scary ex-girlfriend. And what’s really in the mysterious neighbour’s packages...? 
 
Episode 4 stars Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Nigel Lindsay, Harry Peacock, Jenny Bede and Lauren O' Rourke in “The Kids Are Alright” - All grandkids make mistakes. But only Jack &amp; Millie’s do it quite so loudly and on video... 
 
And in the bonus Pilot edition, “Kafka Died At 39”, a phone, a strudel &amp; Franz Kafka combine to make Jack &amp; Millie’s day rather complicated in this new comedy about an older couple getting to grips with a French daughter-in-law, gassy beer, Eye-Closing Leon and a married lifetime’s-worth of verbal sparring... 
 
 
The show comes from Pozzitive, proud producers of Cabin Pressure, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, The Brig Society, The Castle, Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive, Shush! &amp; Kevin Eldon Will See You Now...

Jack & Millie

The BBC Radio 4 comedy

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

E. V. Crowe

A frank and funny comic drama about two late 30-something friends and the pressures on their friendship 
 
Montserrat Lombard and Ophelia Lovibond star in this frank and funny exploration of female friendship in all its gruesome glory. 
 
Sally and Bea have been friends since school, but life always threatens to push them apart, whether it's about family and relationships, or work and money - or the thousands of other issues that come up in adulthood. They meet whenever they can for coffee and a catch-up, and each time discover new issues that will decide if their friendship is just one more thing they wish they could ditch, or whether it's exactly what they need for many more happy decades. 
 
Cry Babies is written by E V Crowe, a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme Super Group, whose first play, 'Kin', was nominated for the Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Awards, and second Royal Court play, 'Hero', was part of the Olivier Award winning Season in the Theatre Upstairs. She has received commissions from Manhattan Theatre Club, The Royal Court, The Unicorn Theatre, The Coterie, Manchester International Festival and Chichester Festival Theatre. 
 
Starring Montserrat Lombard (Ashes to Ashes, Upstart Crow) and Ophelia Lovibond (W1A, Elementary), this frank and funny exploration of female friendship in all its gruesome and beautiful glory is just the treat for listeners of To Hull and Back, Alison and Maud, and A Brief History of Timewasting. 
 
Cast and credits 
 
Sally - Montserrat Lombard 
Bea - Ophelia Lovibond 
Dave/Eddie/Waiter - Shaun Mason 
 
Sound - Jenni Burnett and Keith Graham 
Writer - E V Crowe 
Director - Abigail le Fleming 
 
Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4: 
30 September - 4 October 2019 (Series 1) 
2 November - 6 November 2020 (Series 2) 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Cry Babies

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama

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

Sue Teddern

The complete Series 1-5 of the BBC Radio 4 comedy about parenting in modern times 
 
Tom and Rosie are solo parents living 250 miles apart. Both recently divorced, bruised and lonely, they're looking for a cyber pal who understands what they're going through. So when they log on to a parenting advice website, they make an instant, sparky connection. Gradually, their online friendship becomes something more, and a 'will they/won't they' relationship develops via emails, text, phone calls and the SPP forum. 
 
Following a succession of twists and turns, mistiming's and misunderstandings, they finally meet - only for things get even more complicated. But fortunately, new chatroom buddies and confidants Baz, Tash, Gilly, Scott and Barb are there to provide advice and a shoulder to cry on - as well as chipping in with the latest news on their own tangled love lives... 
 
Written by Sue Teddern, whose credits include Birds of a Feather and My Family, this hit sitcom first aired in the Woman's Hour drama slot under the title Singleparentpals.com, and went on to run for five successful series between 2009 and 2014. Funny, moving and involving, it will strike a chord with single parents everywhere. Maxine Peake and Liz White star as Rosie, with Kris Marshall and Julian Rhind-Tutt as Tom. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Sue Teddern 
Produced and directed by David Hunter 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-6 November 2009 (Series 1), 23-27 August 2010 (Series 2), 24-28 October 2011 (Series 3), 18 March 2013 (Series 4), 31 March-4 April 2014 (Series 5) 
 
Cast 
Rosie - Maxine Peake/Liz White 
Tom - Kris Marshall/Julian Rhind-Tutt 
Tash/SPP chat room voice - Laura Molyneux/Karina Jones 
Gill - Janice Acquah/Christine Kavanagh/Jane Whittenshaw/Joanna Brooks 
Scott - Matt Addis/David Seddon 
Mark - Matt Addis 
Robin - Malcolm Tierney 
Bazz - Jonathan Tafler/Sam Dale 
Jo-C - Annabelle Dowler 
Lily - Isadora Dooley Hunter 
Calum - Thomas Rolinson/Keaton Lansley/Arthur Hughes 
Barb - Alison Pettitt/Adjoa Andoh 
Waiter/Tony - James Lailey 
Debbie/Lindsey - Philippa Stanton 
Rugby Ryan - David Seddon 
Ginny - Philippa Stanton/Priyanga Burford 
Pat - Carolyn Pickles 
 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Soloparentpals.com

Paul Mendelson

All three series of the BBC sitcom about a couple who've split up, but can't quite call it quits 
 
 
When two people have history, how can they ever be history? That's the question facing Molly and Doug, who are separating after 16 years of marriage. He's moving out (albeit a mere three streets away), and she's moving on (just as soon as she can get her wedding ring off) - only somehow, they can't seem to stay away from one another. 
 
Breaking up would be so much easier if it wasn't for the woes of their two teenage children, Doug's elderly mum's interference, and the sneaking suspicion that perhaps they shouldn't be divorcing at all.... Will the couple get closure and accept that their relationship is over, or can they find a way to rebuild their lives together? 
 
Written by acclaimed scriptwriter Paul Mendelson (May to December, My Hero), this sparkling romantic comedy stars Rebecca Lacey as Molly and Paul Venables as Doug, with a full cast including Rebecca Front, Samantha Spiro and Robin Weaver. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Paul Mendelson 
Produced by David Ian Neville 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 July-13 August 2003 (Series 1), 14 July-18 August 2004 (Series 2), 27 July-31 August 2005 (Series 3) 
 
Cast 
Molly - Rebecca Lacey 
Doug/Shopkeeper - Paul Venables 
Kaz/Michelle/Emma - Soumaya Keynes 
Ryan - Jessie Sullivan 
Dawn - Rebecca Front/Samantha Spiro/Robin Weaver 
Scarlet/Mrs Johnston - Rebecca Front 
Mrs Lonsdale/Annie/Mrs Dawlish/Lydia/Mrs Niarchos/Waitress/Mrs Luigi/Old lady - Marlene Sidaway 
Ansel/Steve/Stallholder/Surgeon - Richard Firth 
Raymond/Mr Silverton/TV announcer/Ernie/Alistair - Jonathan Tafler 
Gwynneth - Jennifer Hill 
Susan - Samantha Spiro 
Eirwen/Waitress - Robin Weaver 
 
'Bittersweet and very funny' The Times 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Snap: Clean break or clean slate?

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

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

F. Scott Fitzgerald

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

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

Four Full Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Tennessee Williams

A collection of BBC Radio full-cast dramatisations of plays by Tennessee Williams, plus bonus material. 
 
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams is one of the three most important American dramatists of the 20th Century, alongside Arthur Miller and Eugene O'Neill. Acclaimed for their lyrical language, dark themes and vivid portrayal of the American South, his works have spawned several Oscar-winning films and been translated and performed worldwide. 
 
Collected here are some of the best, beginning with the play that launched Williams' career: The Glass Menagerie. Telling the story of a family in crisis in 1930s St Louis, it is one of his most autobiographical works, and a timeless evocation of lost love and loneliness. It is introduced by Williams' biographer, John Lahr, and stars Anastasia Hille, George MacKay, Patsy Ferran and Sope Dirisu. 
 
Next up is his masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire. With an introduction by author Sarah Churchwell, it stars Olivier Award-winning actress Anne-Marie Duff as damaged Southern belle Blanche Dubois, pushed to the brink of sanity by her explosive brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski (Matthew Needham). It is followed by one of Williams' earliest plays, Spring Storm, about Heavenly Critchfield, a young woman forced to decide between a respectable suitor and a handsome, wild, lover. Liz White stars as Heavenly, with Matthew Malarkey and Michael Thomson. 
 
First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2006, Tennessee's Women comprises five one-act plays: This Property is Condemned, Something Unspoken, The Long Goodbye, Portrait of a Madonna and 27 Wagons Full of Cotton. Among the casts are Maria Watton-Graham, Barbara Jefford, Elizabeth McGovern, Nick Sayce, Eleanor Bron and Gerard Murphy. 
 
Also included is the world premiere of one of Williams' last screenplays, Secret Places of the Heart, starring Sheila Gish and Ian Hogg. In addition, three bonus programmes take an in-depth look at the iconic playwright. John Lahr's evocative biography, Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh, draws on Williams's poems, journals and correspondence to create a compelling portrait of his life and career; Frost Over America: Tennessee Williams features David Frost in conversation with the author; and in Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, Kwame Kwei-Armah investigates the creative influence of Williams' childhood home on his writing. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Tennessee Williams 
First published 1937 (Spring Storm), 1944 (The Glass Menagerie), 1946 (This Property is Condemned, The Long Goodbye, Portrait of a Madonna, Wagons Full of Cotton), 1947 (A Streetcar Named Desire), 1953 (Something Unspoken), 1984 (Secret Places of the Heart) 
 
The Glass Menagerie 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 8 July 2018 
 
A Streetcar Named Desire 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 26 March 2017 
Broadcast by arrangement with the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee 
 
Spring Storm 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 6 March 2011 
 
Tennessee's Women 
1. This Property is Condemned 
 
2. Something Unspoken 
 
3. The Long Goodbye 
 
4. Portrait of a Madonna 
 
5. 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23-27 January 2006 
 
Secret Places of the Heart 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 4 November 1988 
 
Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22-26 September 2014 
 
Frost over America: Tennessee Williams 
Interviewer: David Frost 
Interviewee: Tennessee Williams 
First broadcast BBC One, 15 July 1970 
 
Cat on A Hot Tin Roof- an audio documentary 
Presented by Kwame Kwei-Armah 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 4 August 2009 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tennessee Williams: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

A Streetcar Named Desire, A Glass Menagerie, Spring Storm and More

The first six episodes of the BBC radio comedy drama about a couple who have been married for over 40 years but are still passionate about life, love and each other 
 
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam play a married couple who met in the Summer of Love and have stayed together ever since. Children of the Sixties, they are still free spirits, drawn together by their love for music and one another. 
We follow their conversations from the café to the kitchen table, taking in everyday chores, dealing with problems with long-held friendships and tackling their frustrations with each other. With warmth, wit and honesty, they talk about the indignities of ageing (he has a dodgy knee and is on statins, she resents her new, tri-focal glasses), their desire to still be seen as attractive and their fears and vulnerabilities around growing older. 
 
There's jealousy and talk of affairs, confessions are made and long-held secrets are unearthed - but underlying it all is their enduring love for each other and their desire to keep the passion alive. 
 
Written by award-winning comedy writer and journalist Jan Etherington, and based on her own 35-year marriage, this gentle comedy will ring a bell with couples of all ages. 
 
Starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam 
Produced by Claire Jones 
A BBC Studios Production 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Conversations from a Long Marriage

Anne Tyler

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

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

Three BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Vince Powell

All three series of the BBC radio comedy about the turbulent relationship of an odd couple 
 
Dithering undertaker's assistant Bernard Pringle has finally got engaged to his sweetheart, Iris Bickerdyke - but Iris still has to persuade her fiancé to buy her a ring. And goodness knows when he'll manage to get her down the aisle... 
 
The course of their true love runs rather less than smooth in these 20 episodes, as a trip to the cinema turns into an off-screen disaster, Iris faces competition in the shape of new office secretary Crystabelle, and Bernard is all at sea after he's asked to scatter a client's ashes. There are problems with their parents too, as Iris's mum Daisy is conned out of her inheritance and Bernard's dad Wilf is caught with his guard - and his trousers - down. But as father and son stride to the crease in the annual cricket match, Bernard finds himself just 22 yards from glory - can he save the day? 
 
Written by Vince Powell, who scripted a string of successful TV sitcoms including For the Love of Ada, Bless This House and Here's Harry for Harry Worth, this warm-hearted comedy stars Gorden Kaye ('Allo 'Allo!) as Bernard and Su Pollard (Hi-de-Hi!) as Iris. 
 
Written by Vince Powell 
Produced by Mike Craig 
 
Cast 
Iris - Su Pollard 
Bernard - Gorden Kaye 
Wilf - David Ross 
Daisy - Paula Tilbrook/Marlene Sidaway 
Mr Foley/Police Sergeant - Peter Wheeler 
Mr Matthews - John Jardine 
Miss Parker/Myrtle/Doreen/Crystabelle - Julie Higginson 
Tommy/Mr Cameron - Roger John-Lee 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 11 February-1 April 1993 (Series 1), 3 December 1994-12 January 1995 (Series 2), 18 January-22 February 1996 (Series 3)

For Better Or For Worse: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio comedy drama

Maeve Binchy

A BBC Radio collection of dramatisations and readings of Maeve Binchy’s sparkling stories 
 
Irish writer Maeve Binchy was one the best-loved and most successful authors of her time. Her bestselling books sold over 40 million copies worldwide, and were translated into 37 languages. This comprehensive anthology of her finest fiction, as heard on BBC Radio, demonstrates all the warmth, wit and compassion that made her so popular. 
 
It opens with Firefly Summer, her moving, humorous novel about a sleepy Irish town facing monumental change. No Nightingales, No Snakes comprises five short plays: ‘The Night the People Came Over for Something That Was No Trouble’, ‘The Stepson’, ‘Decisions at Sea’, ‘The Answer Machine’ and ‘By the Time We Get to Clifden’. 
 
Following these are five short stories exclusively created for BBC Radio – ‘The Garden Party’, ‘Home Coming’, ‘Telling Stories’ ‘Needy’, and ‘The Interview’. 
 
First published in the short story collections Central Line and Victoria Line, London Transports features four full-cast dramas set on London’s Tube: ‘Brixton’, ‘Green Park’, ‘Holland Park’ and ‘Lancaster Gate’. Full of wry humour, irony and empathy. 
 
Concluding this compilation is a dramatisation of ‘‘Taxi Men Are Invisible’, and readings of eight more short stories. Specially commissioned for Radio 4, ‘The Special Sale’, ‘The Sensible Celebration’, ‘Love in the Afternoon’, ‘’The White Trolley’ and its counterpart story ‘The Feast of Stephen’ . ‘Euston’, a seasonal tale taken from Victoria Line followed by ‘Dolly’s Mother’ and ‘Christmas Present’ – both originally written for radio. 
 
Text copyright © Maeve Binchy 1978 (Central Line), 1980 (Victoria Line), 1987 (Firefly Summer), 1989 (‘Dolly’s Mother’), 1990 (‘The Sensible Celebration’), 1992 (‘Telling Stories’, ‘The Interview’), 1995 (‘The Garden Party’, ‘Christmas Present’), 1997 (‘Needy’, ‘Euston’), 1998 (‘The White Trolley’, ‘The Feast of Stephen’), 1999 (‘Taxi Men are Invisible’), 2000 (‘The Special Sale’), 2001 (‘Home Coming’), 2007 (No Nightingales, No Snakes), 2008 (‘Love in the Afternoon’) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Maeve Binchy 
 
Firefly Summer - Drama 
No Nightingales, No Snakes - 5 Dramas 
The Garden Party 
The Homecoming 
Telling Stories 
Needy 
The Interview 
London Transports - 4 Dramas 
- Brixton 
- Green Park 
- Holland Park 
- Lancaster Gate 
Taxi Men Are Invisible - Drama 
The Sensible Celebration 
Love in the Afternoon 
Euston 
Dolly’s Mother 
The Special Sale 
The White Trolley 
The Feast of Stephen 
Christmas Present 
 
Copyright © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Maeve Binchy: A BBC Radio Collection

11 Full-Cast Dramatisations and 13 Readings

Jason Hazeley

Joel Morris

A current affairs parody & stupidly feasible visit to the 24-hour Hall Of Opinion Mirrors. Because there are two stories to every story. 
 
Created by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, the masterminds behind Philomena Cunk and the adult spoof Ladybird books, the show was piloted in September 2017 and sent off to Radio 4. 28 minutes later, it was commissioned for its first series, which started going out in August 2018... 
 
The show comes from Pozzitive, proud producers of Cabin Pressure, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, The Brig Society, The Castle, Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Shush! & Kevin Eldon Will See You Now... 
 
Carrie Quinlan ("John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme") , Justin Edwards ("The Thick Of It"), Melanie Hudson ("I'm Alan Partridge"), Samson Kayo ("Famalam"), Jess Robinson ("The Imitation Game"), Luke Sumner and Tony Way ("Game Of Thrones") star in the first episode - 'Breakthrough' -, where a scientific breakthrough, a human rights scandal and Britain's favourite fruit come under the idiot microscope of a team of talking heads, hosted by hostioneer Alexandra Palisades. Also featuring the voice of Josh Berry. 
 
In Episode 2, 'Crisis', Kath Hughes, Simon Kane (John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme) and Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong join the Agendum team as a cotton-based crisis, a row about dimensionality and the ethics of the whoopee cushion are analyzed with forensic skill by a team of paid voices, chaired by chairperson-in-chief Alexandra Palisades. 
 
In the third episode, ('Shock'), a deadly pandemic, an inappropriate economic yardstick and a very special anniversary are thrown about by some talking heads who probably came in a taxi, corralled by presenterer Alexandra Palisades. 
 
And in the final episode- 'Threat' - the very young, the very old and Stevenage all come under the microscope of talking, collimated by Alexandra Palisades. Also featuring Peter Serafinowicz (Shaun Of The Dead) as a guest Paul McCartney.

Agendum: Series 1

The BBC Radio 4 current affair pardody

Nicholas McInerny

Julia Ford and Greg Wise star in this BBC Radio 4 drama about a husband who comes out as gay after 19 years of marriage 
 
Jack and Karen are an ordinary, happily-married couple. They've been together for years and are convinced every problem can be worked through. Until Karen finds an odd text on Jack's phone, and her confrontation leads to a shock revelation: Jack is gay, and he wants a male lover. 
 
Seeking stability for themselves and security for their teenage children, they settle on a 'closed loop' arrangement, whereby they stay together and Jack has a boyfriend. So begins a new type of marriage, where small deceptions and unspoken fantasies are replaced with radical honesty. But can they make this work for everyone? When Jack decides he wants to move on, and live his life openly as a gay man, it's time for more negotiations with Karen and the girls. How will Naomi and Ella deal with the seismic changes to their family? 
 
Scripted by award-winning writer Nicholas McInerny, this autobiographical look at modern relationships stars Greg Wise as Jack and Julia Ford as Karen, with Katriona Perrett as Naomi and Ellie Bindman and Izzy Watts as Ella. Among the supporting cast are John Sessions, Con O'Neill, Toby Sawyer, Daniel Crowder and Andrew Hayden-Smith. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Nicholas McInerny 
Produced and directed by Melanie Harris 
Sound designers: Eloise Whitmore and Alisdair McGregor 
Executive Producers: Polly Thomas and Jo Meek 
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Karen - Julia Ford 
Jack - Greg Wise 
Naomi - Katriona Perrett 
Ella - Ellie Bindman/Izzy Watts 
Cecily - Liza Sadovy 
Miranda - Liza Sadovy/Mary Doherty/Dona Croll 
Ben - Con O'Neill/John Sessions 
Malcolm - Toby Sawyer 
Tom - Toby Sawyer/Daniel Crowder 
Max - Andrew Hayden-Smith 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12-16 August 2013 (Series 1), 10-14 August 2015 (Series 2), 27 June-1 July 2016 (Series 3), 26-30 June 2017 (Series 4) 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

How to Have a Perfect Marriage

A BBC Radio 4 Drama

Bill Dare

A hilarious BBC Radio sitcom of big dreams, small towns, and rock'n'roll! 
 
When Kenny (Stephen Tompkinson) gives up his life in the geography classroom to join a struggling a capella group with a beautician, a dentist and a boxer, he doesn't realise he'll soon be in the best band on the wedding circuit - and fronting the potential future of rock 'n' roll... 
 
Between trying to manage the band's failing love lives and their battling ambitions, Kenny finds that chaos greets them wherever they go. Arguments about who gets to sing the lead? Check. Rowing about recording contracts? Check. Selling out for a TV talent show? Check. 
 
Even if their only gigs are the engagement parties of their exes and a 'cruise ship' that's really a reconditioned destroyer, it doesn't mean they can't all dream of the big time: wealthy widows, international rock star glamour, private jets. It's just a pity that it looks more like old school reunions and the same old small time rows... 
 
A rib-tickling mixture of music and comedy from the writers of Peep Show, Dead Ringers, and The Now Show, and starring Stephen Tompkinson (Wild at Heart, Drop the Dead Donkey, Brassed Off), Nicola Walker (Last Tango in Halifax, Doctor Who: The Audio Adventures, Unforgotten), Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, Crashing, Miranda) and Clive Rowe (The Story of Tracy Beaker, Harry Hill). Also featuring Meera Syal, Henrietta Garden, Dan Strauss, Darren Boyd and Matthew Little. 
 
Written and devised by Bill Dare 
Written by Giles New, Jessie Armstrong and Sam Baine 
Producer Gareth Edwards 
 
Cast 
 
Stephen Tompkinson 
Clive Rowe 
Adrian Scarborough 
Doon Mackichan 
Nicola Walker 
Meera Syal 
Brian Bovell 
Rachel Preece 
Debra Stephenson 
Dave Lamb 
Giles New 
Matthew Little 
Tony Gardner 
Robert Webb 
Bill Dare 
Darren Boyd 
Dan Strauss 
Henrietta Garden 
Stephen Powell 
Raquel Cassidy 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, February-March 2000 and July 2001 
 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Big Town, All Stars

Tony Bagley

All twelve episodes of the rom-com serial with a twist, starring Martin Clunes, Zoë Wanamaker and Geraldine James 
 
Roy Hitchcock is a provincial hack journalist and inveterate daydreamer. When he meets his former English teacher at his old school&rsquo;s prize-giving ceremony, his private fantasies run wild and he sets out to capture her heart. Unfortunately, his attempts to get in Miss Callaghan&rsquo;s good books constantly backfire &ndash; and the more he apologises, the less impressed she is. There&rsquo;s also another major obstacle in his path, in the macho form of Jane&rsquo;s current lover, media hero Chad Mann. 
 
As Roy battles on against the odds, things go from bad to worse, and he finds himself jobless, rejected and about to have his house repossessed. But when his video diary is transmitted by a TV company, his emotional turmoil is revealed to the world. Will it finally win Jane over? 
 
Created by Tony Bagley (Married, Rubbish) and based on his own real-life experiences, this romantic comedy drama with a touch of the surreal stars Martin Clunes as Roy and Zoë Wanamaker and Geraldine James as Jane. Among the supporting cast are Toyah Willcox, David Troughton, Nicky Henson, Rebecca Front and Alistair McGowan, and Paul Vaughan and Dr Anthony Clare make special guest appearances as themselves. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Tony Bagley 
Produced by Paul Schlesinger 
Music composed by Julian Wastall 
Theme sung by Toyah Willcox 
 
Cast 
Jane Callaghan &ndash; Zoë Wanamaker/Geraldine James 
Roy Hitchcock &ndash; Martin Clunes 
Various roles played by Toyah Wilcox, David Troughton, Nicky Henson, Keith Drinkel, Sue Roderick, Melanie Hudson, Susannah Corbett, David Holt, Geoff McGivern, Steve Hodson/Simon Treves, John Baddeley, Peter Serafinowicz, Rebecca Front, Alistair McGowan, Paul Panting, Matthew Morgan, Jonathan Adams, Bryan Dick, Linda Polan, Philip Anthony, Tilly Vosburgh 
Also featuring Paul Vaughan and Dr Anthony Clare as themselves 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 12 Jan-16 Feb 1993 (Series 1), 16 Aug-20 Sep 1994 (Series 2) 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Older Woman: The Complete Series 1 and 2

A BBC Radio Sitcom

Paul Shearer

Richard Turner

Richard E Grant, Peter Capaldi and Amanda Root are among the stars of this BBC radio sitcom about three promising graduates still underachieving in their 30s 
 
Flatmates Judith, Giles and David once had it all: youth, optimism, ambition, and degrees from one of the country's best universities. In their 20s, they were full of potential, but ten years later, they're simply might-have-beens. Stuck in Streatham and strapped for cash, they're forced to mooch off their more successful mates just to get by... 
 
Wannabe actress Judith is searching for her big break, but all she finds are unsuitable men (and one equally unsuitable woman...) Could a baby be the answer to her unfulfilled yearnings - or maybe marriage to ex-lover Giles? Nerdy David is also hopelessly in love with Judith, but knows he doesn't have a chance. Will he ever meet a potential girlfriend who isn't in his cycling club? And for dissolute ex-public-schoolboy Giles, recently returned from 'finding himself' in Kathmandu, anything's preferable to going back to Norfolk and becoming a solicitor... 
 
As they battle with life, love, themselves and each other, can the not-so-young hopefuls finally find their focus and get to grips with adulthood? 
 
First broadcast in 1995, this fresh, funny series still feels real and relevant today, and features a stellar cast including Richard E Grant, Douglas Hodge and Tony Slattery as Giles, Peter Capaldi and Paul Bigley as David and Amanda Root as Judith. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Paul Shearer and Richard Turner 
Produced by Paul Schlesinger and Claire Jones 
Music by Pete Baikie 
 
Cast 
Giles - Richard E Grant/Douglas Hodge/Tony Slattery 
Judith - Amanda Root 
David - Peter Capaldi/Paul Bigley 
Mr Horrocks - Geoffrey Whitehead 
Mrs Horrocks - Tina Gray/Jillie Meers 
 
With Christopher Rozycki, Amerjit Deu, Kay Stoneham, Alexander Armstrong, Richard Turner, Eva Stuart, Peter Yapp, Simon Greenall, Annabel Mullion, Alex Lowe, Phil Nice, Siriol Jenkins, Paul Shearer, Abigail Cruttenden, Jane Slavin, Alice Arnold, Christian Rodska, Dominic Letts, Felicity Montagu, Gavin Muir, Colleen Prendergast, Stephen Critchlow, Abigail McKern, Nick Holder, Colin McFarlane, Hugh Bonneville, Margaret Robertson, Philip Glenister, Jonathan Kydd, Jane Whittenshaw, Sam Dastor, Peter Wingfield, Caroline Strong, Caroline Langrishe, Jacqueline Beatty, Pip Torrens, Patience Tomlinson, David Timpson, Kerry Shale, Debra Stephenson, Fiona Allen, Janet Ellis, Nina Wadia, Sue Elliot Nichols, Barbara Murray 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10 January-14 February 1995 (Series 1), 6 June-11 July 1996 (Series 2), 28 May-18 June 1998 (Series 3)

If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich?

Joanna Trollope

BBC Radio adaptations of three of Joanna Trollope's much-loved novels - plus bonus interview 
 
Bestselling author Joanna Trollope has been described as one of the most insightful chroniclers and social commenters writing fiction today. Her books have been translated into over 25 languages, and several have been adapted for television. This collection comprises the BBC Radio dramatisations of her historical novel Parson Harding's Daughter (written under the nom de plume Caroline Harvey) and two of her most popular contemporary novels, A Spanish Lover and Second Honeymoon, as well as an edition of the literary chat show The Book Café. 
 
Parson Harding's Daughter - 1775, and Caroline Harding's only suitor has disappeared to India without her. A plain, impoverished rector's daughter, she is left with few prospects - so when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to sail to Calcutta, bound for marriage to a man she hasn't seen for eight years... Rebecca Egan stars in this engaging love story, winner of the 1980 Romantic Novel of the Year Award. 
 
A Spanish Lover - Lizzie and Frances are twins, but while Lizzie appears to have everything, Frances' life seems to lack romance. But when Frances impulsively jets off to Spain, everything changes. While Frances discovers excitement and adventure, Lizzie's world begins to fall apart...Starring Jemma Redgrave as Frances, with Caroline Langrishe as Lizzie. 
 
Second Honeymoon - When Edie's youngest son leaves home she tries to come to terms with the empty nest, but her husband's thoughts turn to the second honeymoon that is about to begin. Or so he thinks... Starring Christine Kavanagh as Edie and Sam Dale as Russell. 
 
The Book Café: Joanna Trollope - Clare English talks to the acclaimed novelist about her life and work, discussing her Scottish heritage, her love of Chelsea FC - and why there is no sex in her books. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Joanna Trollope (Parson Harding's Daughter written under the nom de plume Caroline Harvey) 
 
Parson Harding's Daughter 
Cast: Rebecca Egan, Charles Simpson, Ross Livingstone, Geoffrey Whitehead, 
Jane Whittenshaw, Roger May, Jennifer Hilary, David Collings, Jilly Bond, Paul Jenkins, 
Nicholas Le Prevost, Andrew Wincott, Dhirendra, Stephen Critchlow, Patience Tomlinson, 
Tessa Worsley, David Timson, Emma Gregory, John Turner, Jillie Meers, Sam Dastor, Raj Patel, 
Becky Hindley, Joshua Towb, Badi Uzzaman, Gavin Muir, Monica Dolan, John Hartley. 
 
Dramatised by Eric Pringle 
Directed by Jane Morganl 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13-27 August 1995 
 
A Spanish Lover 
Cast: Jemma Redgrave, Caroline Langrishe, Dorothy Tutin, Geoffrey Palmer, Paul Rhys, 
John Turner, Zulema Dene, Sandra James Young, Kim Staines, George Allonby, Guy Witcher, James Cohen, Kirsty Adams, Patience Tomlinson, Andrew Branch, Roger May, Linda Reagan, Stephen Critchlow, Tessa Worsley, David Timson, Ross Livingstone 
 
Dramatised by Melissa Murray 
Produced and directed by Janet Whitaker 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 24 October-28 November 1995 
 
Second Honeymoon 
Cast: Christine Kavanagh, Sam Dale, Liza Sadovy, Jonathan Forbes, Alex Tregear, Simon Bubb, Carl Prekopp, James Lailey 
 
Dramatised by Rachel Joyce 
Directed by Tracey Neale 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26-30 September 2011 
 
The Book Café: Joanna Trollope 
Presented by Clare English 
With Joanna Trollope 
First broadcast BBC Radio Scotland, 18 March 2013 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Joanna Trollope: Parson Harding’s Daughter, A Spanish Lover, Second Honeymoon

Amanda Murphy

All 14 episodes of Amanda Murphy's sitcom about the will-they-won't-they romance between best friends Cassie and Pete 
 
Cassie's 30, single, and miserable. All her friends are getting married - even Ugly Paula (albeit to someone on a life sentence in a Kentucky prison) but nobody loves her. Except for Pete. And he's her best mate, so he doesn't count... or does he? Over the course of three series, we follow Cassie and Pete as they attempt to answer that critical question, and sort out their complicated feelings for each other. 
 
Joining a dating agency, they begin to suspect that they could be each other's perfect match - but it's only when they both start seeing other people that they realise how much they really mean to each other. Should they risk their lifelong friendship to take a chance on love? Just as Cassie's finally listening to her heart, Pete's new relationship gets serious - and when he's free and single, she's coupled up. Are they fated to remain just good friends, or can they overcome the obstacles in their way and find their happy-ever-after? 
 
Debra Stephenson (Spitting Image, Dead Ringers) stars as Cassie in this funny and relatable comedy drama, with Dave Lamb (Come Dine with Me) as Pete, and a stellar supporting cast including Brendon Burns, Shaun Dooley, Anne Reid, Mike Grady and Paula Wilcox. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Amanda Murphy 
Produced by Graham Frost and Dawn Ellis 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5-26 September 2001 (Series 1), 23 October-27 November 2002 (Series 2), 17 September-22 October 2003 (Series 3) 
 
Cast 
Cassie - Debra Stephenson 
Pete - Dave Lamb 
Rebecca/Jenny - Mika Simmons 
PJ - Brendon Burns 
Dad (Bill) - Mike Grady 
Mum (Janet) - Anne Reid/Brigit Forsyth/Paula Wilcox 
Simon - Shaun Dooley 
Checkout Girl - Victoria Ashley 
Maddie - Julia Morris 
Freddie Farmer/Mr Alison/News Anchor/Mr Priestley - Stephen Critchlow 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A Whole 'Nother Story: Complete series 1-3

A.L. Kennedy

The final two series of A L Kennedy's wry comic drama about love in later life 
 
In their youth, John and Maggie had a tempestuous on/off affair that ended badly. Now in their sixties, they've decided to give their romance another chance - and discovered that love doesn't get any easier when you're older but no wiser. 
 
Having survived dating and moving in together, the duo face the next big test for their relationship: tying the knot. They soon find that married life is no picnic either - even their honeymoon turns out to be more endurance test than relaxing spa break. 
 
As John worries that Maggie's getting bored with wedded bliss, he's got some work to do to save their marriage. And there are further challenges to come, in the form of lockdown and a mystery 'lurker' who seems to have set his sights on Maggie... Will the couple come through it all unscathed, and finally find their happy-ever-after? 
 
Created by award-winning writer A. L. Kennedy, this witty, engaging series stars Bill Nighy as John and Anna Calder-Marshall as Maggie. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by A L Kennedy 
Directed by Sally Avens 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Subterranean Homesick Blues: The Complete Series 4 and 5

A BBC Radio 4 drama

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