Anti-Heroes: A BBC Radio Drama Collection
Five Full-Cast Dramatisations Including Macbeth, Emma & The Great Gatsby
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About this listen
BBC radio dramatisations of classic novels centred around engaging anti-heroes who dominate high society
Ambitious. Ruthless. Unprincipled. With their blurred morals and relatable imperfections, it’s no wonder we find anti-heroes so appealing and fascinating. Featuring a mixture of male and female anti-heroes across England, Scotland, France and New York, these fantastic adaptations of five of the best-known and best-loved classics of literature follow some of these flawed, nuanced characters as they steal the spotlight and make their presence known.
Macbeth – Scottish general Macbeth’s life is changed when he encounters three witches who predict that he will become the king of Scotland. Encouraged by his forceful wife, he proceeds to fulfil the prophecy, but descends into madness and tyranny... This thrilling production of William Shakespeare's dark tragedy about ambition for power stars Neil Dudgeon and Emma Fielding.
The Count of Monte Cristo – Marseilles, 1815. Nineteen-year-old seaman Edmond Dantès is engaged to the beautiful Mercédès and about to be promoted to Captain. But when three acquaintances betray him, he is condemned to 14 years of solitary confinement in the Chateau D'If. Escaping the notorious prison, Dantès plots his enemies’ destruction… Iain Glen stars in Alexandre Dumas’s swashbuckling tale of revenge.
Emma – Handsome, clever and rich, Emma Woodhouse is so blessed by life that she declares she will never marry. However, she is determined to find the right match for her new friend Harriet Smith. Eve Best stars in this adaptation of Jane Austen's sparkling comedy of young love and romantic meddling.
Vanity Fair – Thackeray's deliciously ironic tale of passion and ambition, set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, follows the fortunes of penniless, social-climbing Becky Sharp and her wealthy, sweet-natured best friend, Amelia Sedley. Starring Stephen Fry as the Narrator, with Emma Fielding as Becky, Katy Cavanagh as Amelia and Toby Jones as Jos.
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, self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby, is the man who has everything – but one thing will always be out of his reach... A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, this dramatisation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's seminal novel stars Bryan Dick and Andrew Scott.
Credits
Macbeth
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Marc Beeby
Composer: Timothy X Atack
Sound design by Colin Guthrie
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 17 May 2015
The Count of Monte Cristo
Written by Alexandre Dumas
Adapted by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Sasha Yevtushenko
Music by David Tobin and Jeff Meegan
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 November–16 December 2012
Emma
Written by Jane Austen
Dramatised by April de Angelis
Directed by Jonquil Panting
Music: Martin Souter and Sarah Stowe
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 November–3 December 2000
Vanity Fair
Written by William Makepeace Thackeray
Dramatised by Stephen Wyatt
Produced by Claire Grove
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 September–8 October 2004
The Great Gatsby
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dramatised by Robert Forrest
Directed by Gaynor MacFarlane
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6–13 May 2012
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- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson, Samuel West, Anne-Marie Duff, and others
- Length: 26 hrs and 33 mins
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This diverse, wide-ranging anthology features readings of 10 of the greatest books in the English language, taken from the BBC's Book at Bedtime and performed by a stellar cast of narrators. Here are nearly 27 hours of sensational stories, from iconic romances and humorous travelogues to pioneering Modernist masterpieces and compelling explorations of the human heart. Comprising much-loved favourites as well as neglected classics, this genre-spanning selection has something for everyone.
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Loud musical interludes
- By L. Lang on 10-13-24
By: Charlotte Brontë, and others
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George Bernard Shaw
- A BBC Radio Drama Collection
- By: George Bernard Shaw
- Narrated by: full cast, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, and others
- Length: 25 hrs and 48 mins
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George Bernard Shaw - or Bernard Shaw, as he preferred to be known - was one of Ireland's foremost dramatists and thinkers. His plays range from contemporary satires to historical allegories, and are infused with ideas, insight, wit and wisdom. Included here are some of his best works, adapted for radio and brought together in reverse chronological order in one statement collection.
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King Magnus and Prime Minister Proteus
- By SS on 07-06-23
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The Tudor Crown
- A BBC Radio 4 Drama Collection
- By: Alison Plowden, Abigail Docherty, John Mortimer, and others
- Narrated by: Michael Bryant, Kathleen Helme, Melody Grove, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
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Affairs and assassinations. Conflict and chaos. Power and plots. The tumultuous Tudor period is one of the most iconic and fascinating chapters in British history. In these ten atmospheric dramas, we get a glimpse into the inner workings of Tudor England – and rediscover the key characters we have grown to love and hate. Featuring world-renowned actors, these gripping, historically accurate tales are packed with excitement.
By: Alison Plowden, and others
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Occupation: Spy
- Eight Full-Cast BBC Radio Spy Thrillers
- By: Ted Allbeury
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska, James Bolam, Nigel Hawthorne, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 42 mins
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Described by Len Deighton as ‘a classic writer of espionage fiction’, Ted Allbeury based his many acclaimed spy novels on his own real-life experiences. In World War II, he served as an intelligence officer with Special Operations Executive, and subsequently ran agents across the border between East and West Germany during the Cold War. He began writing in his fifties, and went on to pen over 40 bestselling books, five of which are dramatised here alongside three plays specially written for BBC Radio and two bonus documentaries.
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Classic spy thrillers
- By Thomas on 10-19-24
By: Ted Allbeury
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Franz Kafka: The Trial, Metamorphosis, Amerika & more
- A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama collection
- By: Franz Kafka
- Narrated by: David Tennant, Miriam Margolyes, Tom Basden, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
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By day Franz Kafka worked as a lawyer for an insurance company, but he spent his nights writing visionary stories and novels exploring bureaucracy, power and alienation – iconic fiction that gave the world the adjective ‘Kafkaesque’. This BBC anthology showcases his most famous works, dealing with ordinary men caught up in impossible situations.
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Best Kafka Collection
- By Nati Yakobovich on 10-31-24
By: Franz Kafka
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The Glass Bead Game
- A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation
- By: Hermann Hesse
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, Tom Ferguson, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
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Originally published in 1943, The Glass Bead Game was Herman Hesse’s last novel. It was hailed as his magnum opus, and was instrumental in securing him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. Set in a utopian future society, it explores themes of knowledge, individualism, creativity and spirituality, and has inspired contemporary thinkers from authors to game designers. Narrated by Derek Jacobi, this two-part radio drama tells the story of Joseph Knecht (Tom Ferguson), plucked from obscurity as a young orphan, admitted to the finest elite school and groomed for greatness.
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Abridgment
- By michael elliott on 05-23-24
By: Hermann Hesse
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The Pilgrim’s Progress
- A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation
- By: John Bunyan, Brian Sibley
- Narrated by: Anton Rodgers, Neil Dudgeon, Peter Bowles, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
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The Pilgrim's Progress is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and is considered by some to be the first novel written in English. First published in 1678, it has been translated into more than 200 languages and had never been out of print. In this production dramatist Brian Sibley delivers a fresh perspective and wonderful re-telling of the adventures of Christian, a pilgrim who embarks on a perilous journey from his hometown, the allegorical City of Destruction, to the Celestial City, or Heaven.
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Light reading
- By Radu Alexandru on 11-13-24
By: John Bunyan, and others
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Honoré de Balzac: Pere Goriot, The Black Sheep & More
- Four BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Honoré de Balzac
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry, Douglas Hodge, David Ross, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
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This brilliant collection of France’s foremost nineteenth-century novelist and playwright delivers four of his most fascinating works - stories of love, rivalry, horror and adventure - all brought to life by a stellar cast included Stephen Fry and Alex Kingston. A huge influence on many of the most famous writers from Proust to Kerouac to Dickens, Balzac delivers beautifully observed and complex characters with an unsurpassed attention to the details of society at the time, making him an exemplary of realism in European literature.
By: Honoré de Balzac