
Waiting for the Boatman
A BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $5.81
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
David Tennant
-
Anton Lesser
-
Full cast
-
By:
-
Stephen Wakelam
About this listen
The painter Mario Minniti has travelled to Naples to seek out his old friend and former mentor Caravaggio. But on arrival, the great painter is nowhere to be found. In a bid to find him, Mario retraces Caravaggio's last known movements. His search reveals a life lived dangerously.
Starring David Tennant as Mario Minniti, with Anton Lesser, Peter Hamilton, Joe Dempsie, Tracy Wiles and Harry Livingstone. Written by Stephen Wakelam. Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko. Editor: Colin Guthrie. Studio Managers: Colin Guthrie, Keith Graham, Alison Craig. Production Coordinator: Nicole Fitzpatrick.
©2012 Stephen Wakelam (P)2012 AudioGO LtdListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Comedy of Errors
- Arkangel Shakespeare
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: David Tennant, Brendan Coyle, Alan Cox, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chaos and confusion mount to a crescendo in a wild and fast-paced comedy of mistaken identity, one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. Young Antipholus of Syracuse is searching the world for his identical twin brother, separated from him at birth. With him is his servant Dromio, who lost his twin brother at the same time. The pair arrive in Ephesus where, unbeknownst to them, their twins are living.
-
-
Ill deeds is doubled with an evil word
- By Darwin8u on 03-16-17
-
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- By: Ian Fleming
- Narrated by: David Tennant
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Crackpot is what everybody calls the Pott family. So when they go to buy a new car and come back with a wreck, nobody is surprised. Except for the Potts themselves. First, the car has a name. And she tells them what it is. Then they find that she can fly... and swim... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a car on a mission to stop a criminal gang in its tracks and she is taking the Potts with her! Jump into the world s most loved magical car, for her first adventure ever!
-
-
Not even close to the musical movie
- By MissSusie66 on 05-30-14
By: Ian Fleming
-
Good Omens
- A Full Cast Production
- By: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Rebecca Front, Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan.
-
-
Brilliant and epic
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 11-02-21
By: Neil Gaiman, and others
-
Treasure Island
- By: Robert Louis Stevenson
- Narrated by: Timothy West
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First conceived during a rainy summer holiday in the Highlands of Scotland in an attempt to amuse his stepson, Treasure Island began with the map. Young Lloyd Osbourne had drawn a crude version of an island, and Stevenson, looking over the boy's shoulder, began to elaborate, christening various curves and smudges the famed names of Skeleton Island and Spyglass Hill and finally adding the three red crosses marking the buried treasure.
-
-
1st Rate Narrator
- By flashcraft on 03-05-16
-
The Wizards of Once
- By: Cressida Cowell
- Narrated by: David Tennant
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once there were Wizards, who were Magic, and Warriors, who were not. But Xar, son of the King of Wizards, can't cast a single spell. And Wish, daughter of the Warrior Queen, has a banned magical object of her own. When they collide in the wildwood, on the trail of a deadly witch, it's the start of a grand adventure that just might change the fabric of their worlds.
-
-
Great Narrator - silly story
- By Ruth Nielsen on 03-30-18
By: Cressida Cowell
-
The Passion
- By: Jeanette Winterson
- Narrated by: Tania Rodrigues, Daniel Pirrie
- Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set during the tumultuous years of the Napoleonic Wars, The Passion intertwines the destinies of two remarkable people: Henri, a simple French soldier, who follows Napoleon from glory to Russian ruin; and Villanelle, the red-haired, web-footed daughter of a Venetian boatman, whose husband has gambled away her heart. In Venice’s compound of carnival, chance, and darkness, the pair meets their singular destiny.
-
-
Excellence.
- By Scottie V. on 10-07-19
-
The Comedy of Errors
- Arkangel Shakespeare
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: David Tennant, Brendan Coyle, Alan Cox, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chaos and confusion mount to a crescendo in a wild and fast-paced comedy of mistaken identity, one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. Young Antipholus of Syracuse is searching the world for his identical twin brother, separated from him at birth. With him is his servant Dromio, who lost his twin brother at the same time. The pair arrive in Ephesus where, unbeknownst to them, their twins are living.
-
-
Ill deeds is doubled with an evil word
- By Darwin8u on 03-16-17
-
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- By: Ian Fleming
- Narrated by: David Tennant
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Crackpot is what everybody calls the Pott family. So when they go to buy a new car and come back with a wreck, nobody is surprised. Except for the Potts themselves. First, the car has a name. And she tells them what it is. Then they find that she can fly... and swim... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a car on a mission to stop a criminal gang in its tracks and she is taking the Potts with her! Jump into the world s most loved magical car, for her first adventure ever!
-
-
Not even close to the musical movie
- By MissSusie66 on 05-30-14
By: Ian Fleming
-
Good Omens
- A Full Cast Production
- By: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Rebecca Front, Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan.
-
-
Brilliant and epic
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 11-02-21
By: Neil Gaiman, and others
-
Treasure Island
- By: Robert Louis Stevenson
- Narrated by: Timothy West
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First conceived during a rainy summer holiday in the Highlands of Scotland in an attempt to amuse his stepson, Treasure Island began with the map. Young Lloyd Osbourne had drawn a crude version of an island, and Stevenson, looking over the boy's shoulder, began to elaborate, christening various curves and smudges the famed names of Skeleton Island and Spyglass Hill and finally adding the three red crosses marking the buried treasure.
-
-
1st Rate Narrator
- By flashcraft on 03-05-16
-
The Wizards of Once
- By: Cressida Cowell
- Narrated by: David Tennant
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once there were Wizards, who were Magic, and Warriors, who were not. But Xar, son of the King of Wizards, can't cast a single spell. And Wish, daughter of the Warrior Queen, has a banned magical object of her own. When they collide in the wildwood, on the trail of a deadly witch, it's the start of a grand adventure that just might change the fabric of their worlds.
-
-
Great Narrator - silly story
- By Ruth Nielsen on 03-30-18
By: Cressida Cowell
-
The Passion
- By: Jeanette Winterson
- Narrated by: Tania Rodrigues, Daniel Pirrie
- Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set during the tumultuous years of the Napoleonic Wars, The Passion intertwines the destinies of two remarkable people: Henri, a simple French soldier, who follows Napoleon from glory to Russian ruin; and Villanelle, the red-haired, web-footed daughter of a Venetian boatman, whose husband has gambled away her heart. In Venice’s compound of carnival, chance, and darkness, the pair meets their singular destiny.
-
-
Excellence.
- By Scottie V. on 10-07-19
Related to this topic
-
The Honeymoon
- By: Jane E. James
- Narrated by: Rose Robinson, Sean Burke, Leena Makoff, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timothy and Jonah, wealthy entrepreneurs with a spoiled son, hide sins from their past—one involving a death on a cruise, the other a crime in Bali. Nathan and Samantha, the hot ex-nanny turned trophy wife, grapple with infertility and a shocking paternity secret. Bartosz and Angelika (he’s a chef, she’s a former sex worker) carry debts to the other couples they don’t even realize they owe. Over fourteen days, the couples bond—but their pasts are too deeply intertwined to stay hidden. The sly concierge, Putu, knows more than he lets on.
-
-
Great storytelling!
- By Ashley R on 03-31-25
By: Jane E. James
-
Hitchhikers
- By: Ben H. Winters
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Annie has always had high hopes for her future. But the reality of her life just isn’t measuring up. She loves her fiancé, Greg–doesn’t she? She’s going to get her degree and open her own business–won’t she? Then, a strange old woman shows up outside her house, and she seems to know a lot about Annie. An awful lot. Annie could tell the old woman to get lost. Yet there’s something about her Annie just can’t shake. And what she learns could change her life forever–but is it the life she envisioned?
-
-
The ever present battle between past and future.
- By Kindle Customer on 03-14-25
By: Ben H. Winters
-
George Orwell’s 1984
- An Audible Original adaptation
- By: George Orwell, Joe White - adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.
-
-
A Revelation!
- By wotsallthisthen on 04-07-24
By: George Orwell, and others
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Nemo71 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
The Answer Is No
- A Short Story
- By: Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma - translator
- Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.
-
-
Narrator doesn’t get Backman’s satire or rhythm
- By joey1603 on 12-01-24
By: Fredrik Backman, and others
-
Say No More
- By: Caroline Overington
- Narrated by: Anna Skellern
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who is Audrey Hoedemaker? It's a question her sister Maureen has heard more times than she can count, and she doesn't know what the short answer would be. Little sister, troubled teen, backpacker, musical theatre coach, con artist, childcare worker. Murderer. A tragic, traumatic childhood casts a long shadow on the Hoedemaker sisters. Maureen has worked hard to move beyond the violence of the past and build a good, honest life for herself. Audrey, however, just can't seem to do the same, careening from one state of chaos to another.
-
-
Seriously, that was the ending?
- By alicia in athens on 02-13-25
-
The Honeymoon
- By: Jane E. James
- Narrated by: Rose Robinson, Sean Burke, Leena Makoff, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timothy and Jonah, wealthy entrepreneurs with a spoiled son, hide sins from their past—one involving a death on a cruise, the other a crime in Bali. Nathan and Samantha, the hot ex-nanny turned trophy wife, grapple with infertility and a shocking paternity secret. Bartosz and Angelika (he’s a chef, she’s a former sex worker) carry debts to the other couples they don’t even realize they owe. Over fourteen days, the couples bond—but their pasts are too deeply intertwined to stay hidden. The sly concierge, Putu, knows more than he lets on.
-
-
Great storytelling!
- By Ashley R on 03-31-25
By: Jane E. James
-
Hitchhikers
- By: Ben H. Winters
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Annie has always had high hopes for her future. But the reality of her life just isn’t measuring up. She loves her fiancé, Greg–doesn’t she? She’s going to get her degree and open her own business–won’t she? Then, a strange old woman shows up outside her house, and she seems to know a lot about Annie. An awful lot. Annie could tell the old woman to get lost. Yet there’s something about her Annie just can’t shake. And what she learns could change her life forever–but is it the life she envisioned?
-
-
The ever present battle between past and future.
- By Kindle Customer on 03-14-25
By: Ben H. Winters
-
George Orwell’s 1984
- An Audible Original adaptation
- By: George Orwell, Joe White - adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.
-
-
A Revelation!
- By wotsallthisthen on 04-07-24
By: George Orwell, and others
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Nemo71 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
The Answer Is No
- A Short Story
- By: Fredrik Backman, Elizabeth DeNoma - translator
- Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.
-
-
Narrator doesn’t get Backman’s satire or rhythm
- By joey1603 on 12-01-24
By: Fredrik Backman, and others
-
Say No More
- By: Caroline Overington
- Narrated by: Anna Skellern
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who is Audrey Hoedemaker? It's a question her sister Maureen has heard more times than she can count, and she doesn't know what the short answer would be. Little sister, troubled teen, backpacker, musical theatre coach, con artist, childcare worker. Murderer. A tragic, traumatic childhood casts a long shadow on the Hoedemaker sisters. Maureen has worked hard to move beyond the violence of the past and build a good, honest life for herself. Audrey, however, just can't seem to do the same, careening from one state of chaos to another.
-
-
Seriously, that was the ending?
- By alicia in athens on 02-13-25
What listeners say about Waiting for the Boatman
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Elena Georgobiani
- 10-20-19
Poignant performance of a study of art and love
I love Tennant's audiobooks, but have never read anything by Wakelam. This gem was amazing
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Larissa
- 06-05-17
Beautifully performed, too maudlin for me
Well written and lovely casting. Good sound engineering. The story just wasn't to my taste. If you like tragic but not dramatic historical pieces this will probably be just your cup of tea.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GinaGMart
- 11-18-22
Cinematic!
Beautifully done. My only wish is that it be longer….I wanted it to go on.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- bgr
- 02-23-13
A Gem
What made the experience of listening to Waiting for the Boatman (Afternoon Drama) the most enjoyable?
It's a short piece masterfully written and gorgeously performed. Like all great short pieces, it manages to deliver a tremendous amount with powerful brevity.
What other book might you compare Waiting for the Boatman (Afternoon Drama) to and why?
The pathos of this piece remind me of Jeanette Winterson's The Passion. Although the form of the prose, as intended for an "afternoon drama", is quite unlike anything else I've listened to.
What about David Tennant’s performance did you like?
He's absolutely stunning. His voice conveys incredible depth and a wide range of emotions: longing, pain, recognition, obsession, surprise, regret, resignation... I hung on to every word. How delightful to see him shine in a serious drama/literary piece.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I listened to it twice in two days. Each time a somewhat different facet is revealed. The poignancy of the prose and the mastery of the actor(s) make this piece unforgetable.
Any additional comments?
Timeless theme of love and passion. Magnificently written and breathtakingly performed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- tina
- 05-25-15
A quiet story, well told
Listened to this because it was David Tennant. I like the way the story moves and the descriptions of the paintings and the artist's interactions through the eyes of the narrator. I listen to it often.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kalindi Stone
- 08-20-17
David tennant...
This was really lovely and atmospheric. And David Tennant- I could get lost in his voice.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J
- 01-20-16
Meh
What disappointed you about Waiting for the Boatman (Afternoon Drama)?
The story was a bit boring. The narration was fine, I just found it a tad dry, and ultimately not all that interesting.
Has Waiting for the Boatman (Afternoon Drama) turned you off from other books in this genre?
No. This genre is always a gamble. Some writers are great at it, others not so much.
What does David Tennant bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
David Tennant is always a good narrator, so I have no complaints there. I think I would have made it through the book a lot faster on my own, but then again, I may not have finished it in that case. I finished it in audiobook format because I listen to audiobooks while I draw, so I just sorta let them play.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!