Edward Frederic Benson was born on July 24, 1867 in Berkshire, the son of a future Archbishop of Canterbury, and one of six children. He studied at Kings College, Cambridge and at the British School of Archaeology in Athens. Benson's first book, Dodo, was published to popular acclaim in 1893 and was followed by over a hundred books, including novels, histories, biographies and ghost stories. In 1920 Benson became a full-time tenant of Lamb House in Rye, which had once been home to the novelist Henry James. Rye provided the setting for the Mapp and Lucia stories and their author served three terms as mayor of Rye in the late 1930s. E.F. Benson died on February 29, 1940.

E F Benson

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A collection of social comedies, wry observations of Victorian society and ‘spook stories’ from the great humorist E. F. Benson 
 
E. F. Benson is probably best known for his wickedly satirical ‘Mapp and Lucia’ series. A prolific writer, his works included novels, biographies and supernatural fiction. His versatility is showcased in these dramatisations and readings, which range from the hilariously comic to the horribly chilling. 
 
Queen Lucia – Mrs Emmeline Lucas – or ‘Lucia’, as she prefers to be addressed – vigorously guards her status as the uncrowned Queen of Riseholme. But now a mysterious Indian guru has stolen her throne – can Lucia overthrow him and reign supreme? Barbara Jefford stars as Lucia, with Aubrey Woods as the Narrator, in this scintillating adaptation of the first ‘Mapp and Lucia’ book. 
 
Lucia in London – When Lucia inherits an elegant town house from her Aunt Amy, she sets about trying to conquer 1920s London society. Will she make her mark on the metropolis? This hilarious adaptation of the third book in the ‘Mapp and Lucia’ series once again stars Barbara Jefford and Aubrey Woods. 
 
Secret Lives – The formidable Mrs Mantrip is the doyenne of Durham Square, acknowledged by all as a most desirable address. But when the arrival of Miss Susan Leg threatens to lower the tone, Mrs Mantrip has a fight on her hands. Pauline Collins and Margot Boyd star in this effervescent three-part drama, set in Edwardian London. 
 
As We Were: A Victorian Peepshow – In these five marvellous monologues, read by Sir John Gielgud, we hear Benson’s witty, indiscreet recollections of both his gifted parents and a host of eccentric Victorian luminaries: clergymen, academics, poets, politicians and society hostesses. 
 
The Face – A happily married woman is haunted by a recurring nightmare from her childhood. Praying for release from her mounting dread, she knows she cannot escape the horror that is to come… Rosalind Ayres stars in this terrifying ghost story. 
 
The Terror by Night – A convivial reunion is marred by eerie sensations, inexplicable moods and strange smells, as two friends experience a feeling of indefinable fear… E. F. Benson’s uncanny tale is read by Brian Gear. 
 
 
First published 1912 (‘The Terror by Night’), 1920 (Queen Lucia), 1924 (‘The Face’), 1927 (Lucia in London), 1930 (As We Were: A Victorian Peepshow), 1932 (Secret Lives) 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

E. F. Benson: A BBC Radio Collection

Full-cast BBC Radio Dramatisations of Queen Lucia, Lucia in London & more

A VINTAGE MURDER MYSTERY 
WH Auden, Nancy Mitford and Noel Coward were among his fans... But have you discovered E. F. Benson yet? 
 
In a Holbein portrait above the grand old fireplace, Francis Vail, second baronet, brandishes a beautiful golden goblet, encrusted with pearls, rubies and emeralds. But this treasure, the Luck of the Vails, has since brought the family nothing but ruin and death. 
 
On the eve of his twenty-first birthday, Harry Vail discovers the Luck hidden in the attic of his ancestral home, the family curse is reawoken, and a tale of madness, avarice and murder unfolds. 
 
Murder mystery... Ghost story... Whodunnit. This is a classic detective story from the author of Mapp and Lucia. Crime fiction at its best.

The Luck of the Vails

A VINTAGE MURDER MYSTERY 
WH Auden, Nancy Mitford and Noel Coward were among his fans... But have you discovered E. F. Benson yet? 
 
Morris Assheton is in love and means to be married. But his happiness is spoilt when he discovers that someone has been whispering poisonous rumours about him to the girl’s father. The culprit is Mills, dastardly partner to the Assheton family's trusted lawyer. Morris vows revenge. 
 
When Mills’ body is discovered, brutally beaten, the ugly quarrel comes to light and suspicion naturally falls on Morris. His innocence is debated in a tense courtroom, as an eager public and press look on. 
 
Murder mystery... Courtroom drama. This is a classic whodunnit from the author of Mapp and Lucia. Crime fiction at its best.

The Blotting Book

Sherlock star Mark Gatiss selects and introduces chilling tales by the unsung master of the classic ghost story - E.F. Benson. 
 
There's nothing sinister about a London bus. Nothing supernatural could occur on a busy Tube platform. There's nothing terrifying about a little caterpillar. And a telephone, what could be scary about that? Don't be frightened of the dark corners of your room. Don't be alarmed by a sudden, inexplicable chill. There's no need for a ticking clock, a limping footstep, or a knock at the door to start you trembling. There's nothing to be scared of. Nothing at all.

Ghost Stories

Selected and Introduced by Mark Gatiss

Look out for the new BBC adaptation starring Anna Chancellor, Miranda Richardson and Mark Gatiss! 
 
Miss Elizabeth Mapp reigns supreme over the village of Tilling...until the advent of Mrs Emmeline Lucas, or 'Lucia' to her friends. No one could compete, surely, with Lucia's formidable armoury: her duchesses, her Italian, her financial speculations, her celebrated recipe for Lobster à la Riseholme. But Mapp will not relinquish her supremacy in local society so easily, and battle is joined between these two indomitable queens and their rather fickle allies.

Mapp and Lucia

&quot;Mapp &amp; Lucia&quot; first published in 1935. &quot;Lucia's progress&quot; first published 1935. &quot;Trouble for Lucia&quot; first published in 1939.

Lucia Victrix

Mapp and Lucia, Lucia's Progress, Trouble for Lucia

Three of Benson's Lucia stories. &quot;Queen Lucia&quot; was published in 1920, &quot;Miss Mapp&quot; in 1922 and &quot;Lucia in London&quot; in 1927. They are much-loved novels of provincial snobbery and became a successful television series.

Lucia Rising

Queen, Miss Mapp Including the Male Impersonator, Lucia in London

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Subtly brilliant comedy of social rivalry between the wars. Emmeline Lucas (known universally to her friends as Lucia) is an arch-snob of the highest order. In Miss Elizabeth Mapp of Mallards Lucia meets her match. Ostensibly the most civil and genteel of society ladies, there is no plan too devious, no plot too cunning, no depths to which they would not sink, in order to win the battle for social supremacy. Using as their deadly weapons garden parties, bridge evenings and charming teas, the two combatants strive to outcharm each other - and the whole of Tilling society - as they vie for the position of doyenne of the town.

The arrival of the snobbish Mrs Emmeline Lucas (known as Lucia to her friends) in the small seaside town of Tilling causes waves as she threatens the queen bee of Tilling’s social circle, Miss Elizabeth Mapp. Against a backdrop of genteel tea parties and bridge evenings, a series of hilarious conflicts ensues between the two power-hungry women as they battle on the social stage to gain the ultimate place as the first lady of Tilling society.This edition includes all three novels the brand new BBC adaptation is based on: Queen Lucia and Miss Mapp and Mapp and Lucia.

Mapp and Lucia Omnibus

Queen Lucia, Miss Mapp and Mapp and Lucia

At last they meet – the two most formidable ladies in English literature collide in genteel and deadly enmity. Lucia shakes the dust of Riseholme from her elegant feet and, with Georgie Pilson as devoted courtier, prepares to conquer the high society of Tilling. And Miss Mapp, her features corrugated by chronic rage and curiosity, can only prepare to defend her position as doyenne of Tilling. The town is split in an exciting and scintillating war of garden parties, bridge evenings and staggeringly simple little dinners. Mapp and Lucia is the fourth of the Lucia novels, a chronicle of life in two English country towns described with malicious delicacy and wit.

Mapp And Lucia

Aubrey Woods

Barbara Jefford is the hilariously outrageous Lucia in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the novel by E.F. Benson. Lucia is the uncrowned queen of 1920s provincial society, the Everest of social climbers and the most delicious of snobs. In the pastoral serenity of the village of Riseholme, Lucia and her unforgettable cronies face up to an Indian guru, spiritualism and a cultural usurper. 
 
E.F. Benson's wickedly witty satires on the rivalries of English middle-class life have elevated Lucia's extravagant exploits to cult comedy status.

Queen Lucia

The BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Tim Firth

Noel Coward

William Chaucer

M. R. James

W.W.Jacobs

Classic plays and ghost stories, as performed by the residents of Ambridge and friends - plus bonus drama Dead Girls Tell No Tales 
 
Borsetshire's queen of amateur theatricals, Lynda Snell, never misses the chance to put on a Christmas show. Her productions are always a big hit with Ambridge audiences - and now, Archers fans can enjoy these top-notch performances alongside them (as well as eavesdropping on the shenanigans backstage). 
 
In Blithe Spirit, the Ambridge Am-Dram Society and guest star Julian Rhind-Tutt recreate Noël Coward's ghostly masterpiece, and Lynda finds herself in sympathy with eccentric medium Madame Arcati as she attempts to conjure some festive high spirits. Calendar Girls sees the group taking on Tim Firth's comedy of jam and Jerusalem, along with honorary resident Siân Phillips (who starred in the original West End show). Will the intrepid cast really bare all? And in the 2-parter The Canterbury Tales, the company present barnstorming adaptations of Chaucer's classic stories of courtly love, deadly rivalry and boisterous sex - with a little bit of magic thrown in. 
 
In Ambridge Ghost Stories, it's a cold December night, in the darkened attic of Lower Loxley. Then Jim Llloyd (John Rowe) takes to the stage to recount three spine-chilling supernatural tales from the turn of the last century - 'The Room in the Tower' by E. F. Benson, 'Lost Hearts' by M. R. James and 'The Monkey's Paw' by W. W. Jacobs. Prepare to be enthralled - and terrified... 
 
Also included are two special seasonal pageants, The Ambridge Mystery Plays- The Nativity and The Passion and a stunning original drama by Joanna Toye. Starring Eleanor Tomlinson and Ysette Churchman and Miles Jupp Dead Girls Tell No Tales explores the real story behind the death of Grace Archer: a watershed moment in the history of broadcasting and one of the defining cultural events of the 1950s. 
 
Production credits 
Blithe Spirit 
Written by Noël Coward 
Adapted and directed by Sean O'Connor 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2014 
 
Calendar Girls 
The accompanying pianist was Simon Taranczuk 
Written by Tim Firth and based on the motion picture Calendar Girls written by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi. Adapted and directed by Sean O'Connor 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 December 2015 
 
The Canterbury Tales, Parts 1 &amp; 2 
Tellers of the Tales 
The Knight's Tale 
The Miller's Tale 
The Wife of Bath's Tale 
The Sailor's Tale 
The Pardoner's Tale 
The Friar's Tale 
The Franklin's Tale 
The Bailiff's Tale 
Written by Geoffrey Chaucer 
Dramatised by Nick Warburton. Directed by Kim Greengrass. Produced by Alison Hindell 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 December 2018-5 January 2019 
 
The Ambridge Mystery Plays 
The Nativity 
The Passion 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26th December 2021 &amp; 2nd January 2022 
 
Ambridge Ghost Stories 
Abridged by Jeremy Osborne 
 
'The Room in the Tower' written by E F Benson 
Produced and directed by Charlotte Davey 
 
'Lost Hearts' written by M. R. James 
Produced and directed by Mel Ward 
 
'The Monkey's Paw' written by W. W. Jacobs 
Produced and directed by Charlotte Davey 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 December 2019-1 January 2020 
 
Dead Girls Tell No Tales 
Cast: Jon Culshaw, Pam Ferris, Lex Shrapnel, Eleanor Tomlinson, Georgie Fuller, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Sally Bretton, Simon Russell Beale, John Hopkins, Claudie Blakley, David Reed, Miles Jupp, Zeb Soanes, Paddy O'Connell, Ysanne Churchman, David Hounslow, Sam Dale, Chris Pavlo, Jessica Turner and Alex Tregear 
Written by Joanna Toye. Directed by Sean O'Connor 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 September 2015 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Archers: The Ambridge Players

Six BBC full-cast drama productions including Blithe Spirit, Calendar Girls & More

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