Abie Longstaff is the eldest of six children and grew up in Australia, Hong Kong and France. She knows all about squabbling, chaos and bossing younger sisters around. So she logically began her career as a barrister. She started writing when her children were born. Her favourite childhood books were Hating Alison Ashley, A Little Princess, Maura's Angel and The Black Stallion and she sneakily reads them again sometimes. Abie lives in Hove with her family.

Abie Longstaff

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Neil Gaiman

Matthew Beard and Sophie Rundle star in a brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the bestselling novel by Neil Gaiman, narrated by Eleanor Bron. 
 
Challenged to retrieve a fallen star, Tristran Thorn leaves the sleepy English village of Wall and crosses into the land of Faerie and the realm of Stormhold. Locating the star, he discovers it is no meteorite, but a young woman, Yvaine. 
 
When Yvaine evades him and escapes, Tristran discovers he is not the only one in pursuit of the star: there are dark forces in this magical land, and he must find Yvaine before she falls into their clutches. As he does so, Tristran will uncover the secret to his own identity and a fate beyond his wildest dreams. 
 
Directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, and featuring over 35 minutes of unbroadcast material, this stunning new dramatisation boasts an extensive cast including Frances Barber, Maggie Steed, Nicholas Boulton, Blake Ritson, Bryan Dick, Charlotte Riley, Aisling Loftus, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Alex Macqueen. There are also cameo appearances by Tori Amos and Neil Gaiman. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Stardust

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

A gripping BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's bestselling and much-loved novel 
 
When his father dies, Fat Charlie Nancy discovers that not only was the late Mr Nancy actually the god Anansi, but that he also has a long-lost brother, Spider, who is everything Fat Charlie is not. When Spider begins to take over Fat Charlie's life, flat and even his fiancée Rosie, Fat Charlie is forced to make a pact that lands him in trouble with the gods themselves... 
 
Anansi Boys is a story of love, laughter, music and murder, old gods and new tricks that takes Fat Charlie from his home in South London to Florida, the Caribbean, and the very Beginning of the World itself. Or the End of the World. Depending on which direction you’re coming from. 
 
Jacob Anderson stars as Charlie, and he has written and performed a specially commissioned song – ‘Charlie's Song’ – which forms part of the magical fabric of Anansi Boys. 
 
Dramatised for Radio 4 by the award-winning Dirk Maggs (Neverwhere, Good Omens, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), the stellar cast of this series also includes Joseph Marcell, Lenny Henry, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Adjoa Andoh,Julie Hesmondhalgh and Julian Rhind-Tutt, as well as a cameo appearance from Neil Gaiman himself.

Anansi Boys

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

A brand new BBC Radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's award-winning fairytale, merging Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to enchanting effect 
 
In a mountain kingdom far away, a young queen prepares for her wedding, believing her future is sealed. But when three dwarves bring news of a sleeping sickness sweeping across her realm, she knows she cannot stand by and do nothing. As a girl, she survived her own long, magical sleep, so she must try to turn back this new plague and save her people. 
 
Abandoning her bridal finery, she dons her armour instead, and rides out to a castle at the very heart of the sleeping lands. There, she finds a beautiful princess, sound asleep, and a very old woman, forever awake. With no handsome prince in sight, the queen wakes the princess in the traditional way - but things are not as they seem, and it will take more than a kiss to ensure everyone lives happily ever after... 
 
Penelope Wilton, Gwendoline Christie, Ralph Ineson and Neil Gaiman himself are among the star cast in this captivating fable of love, loss, hope and destiny. 
 
This release is an extended cut of the story broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and features an exclusive introduction from Neil Gaiman. 
 
 
Credits 
Written by Neil Gaiman 
Adapted by Katie Hims 
Directed and produced by Allegra McIlroy 
 
Recorded remotely by Sharon Hughes and John Benton 
Sound design by Sharon Hughes 
 
A BBC Audio North Production 
 
Cast 
The Narrator/The Old Woman - Dame Penelope Wilton 
The Queen - Gwendoline Christie 
The Home Secretary - Neil Gaiman 
The First Dwarf - Ralph Ineson 
The Second Dwarf - Stefan Adegbola 
The Third Dwarf/The Prince/The Tinker/The Woodcutter - Ian Dunnett Jnr 
The Pot Girl/The Young Girl/The Mother - Cecilia Appiah 
The Maid/The Other Woman/The Stepmother - Emma Handy 
The Father/The Inn Keeper/The Bandit - Roger Ringrose 
The Child - Milton Dighton 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2020

The Sleeper and the Spindle

Neil Gaiman’s delightfully quirky story, in which Mrs Whitaker discovers the Holy Grail in a charity shop. 
 
Mrs Whitaker just wants to have a chat with her dear friend Mrs Greenberg over home-made macaroons. But her charity shop find soon makes her the focal point of a most important quest when a handsome young man - who says he’s called Galaad - comes asking for the Grail. 
 
This sound designed, multi-voiced reading is an extended cut, including material not heard in the radio broadcast, and is introduced by an exclusive interview with Neil Gaiman. 
 
Starring Glenda Jackson as the Narrator and Mrs Whitaker, and Kit Harington as Sir Galaad. 
 
Written by Neil Gaiman 
Produced and Directed by Allegra McIlroy 
 
Cast: 
Narrator/ Mrs Whitaker ….. Glenda Jackson 
Sir Galaad ….. Kit Harington 
Mrs Greenberg and the new lady on the till….. Jessica Turner 
Marie ….. Lucy Reynolds 
 
Sound design ….. David Chilton 
Neil Gaiman’s Chivalry is a BBC Northern Ireland Production

Chivalry

A BBC Radio full-cast reading

A full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's magical retellings of the Norse myths, inviting us into a world of gods and monsters, tricks and trust, fiery endings and new beginnings 
 
Winner of The London Book Fair CAMEO Award 2020 for Book to Audio adaptation. 
 
'And the game begins anew…' 
 
Meet the trickster god Loki and his astonishing children – the giant wolf Fenrir, Jormungundr the snake that encircles the world, and Hel, the little girl who grows up to be Queen of the dead. Here, too, is Odin the all-father, who sacrificed his eye to see the future; Thor the thunderer, who defends Asgard with his fearsome strength and mighty hammer; and Freya the understandably angry, most beautiful of the gods and always being gambled for by unwanted suitors. 
 
From the beginning of the universe in fire and ice, to the very end of the world, Ragnarok, these enthralling tales of gods, goddesses, dwarves and giants bring the ancient myths to vigorous life. 
 
Diana Rigg, Derek Jacobi, Colin Morgan, Natalie Dormer and Neil Gaiman himself are among the stellar cast in these spellbinding stories of old betrayals – and new hope.

Norse Mythology

Paterson Joseph stars as the Marquis de Carabas in this brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's spin-off short story, set in the magical world of Neverwhere. 
 
Returning us to London Below, this enchanting tale continues the story of one of the most colourful characters from Neverwhere – the cool, charming, resourceful Marquis de Carabas, who trades in favours and always has a plan... 
 
The Marquis' coat is a thing of wonder and beauty. Sleek, stylish and 'the colour of a wet street at midnight', it has numerous pockets, sumptuous sleeves and the power to transform a young sneak thief into a nobleman. 
 
And now it is missing, sold by the Sewer Folk. To reclaim it, the Marquis must venture into one of the most terrifying parts of the subterranean city, encounter an old enemy, face dreadful dangers and – worst of all – accept help from someone very close to home. 
 
Expanded and dramatised for Radio 4 by the award-winning Dirk Maggs (Neverwhere, Good Omens, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and co-directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, this spine-tingling production features a star cast including James McAvoy, Adrian Lester, Don Warrington and Bernard Cribbins, with a cameo appearance by Neil Gaiman himself. 
 
Contains 15 minutes of additional unbroadcast material. Duration: 60 mins approx.

Neil Gaiman's How the Marquis Got His Coat Back

Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere... An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into the strange world of London Below. There he meets the Earl of Earl's Court, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with the Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington. Accompanied by the mysterious Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family - all the while trying to get back to his old life in London Above. Adapted for radio by the award-winning Dirk Maggs, this captivating dramatisation features a stellar cast including David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head and David Schofield. Contains over 25 minutes of additional unbroadcast material, including extended scenes, bloopers and outtakes. 
 
 
 ©2013 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2013 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Neverwhere

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisation

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