Neil Gaiman’s The Sleeper and the Spindle.

Written by Neil Gaiman

Adapted by Katie Homs

Directed and Produced by Allegra McILroy

A twisted fairy tale part Snow White, part Sleeping Beauty with women at the forefront of the tale. Sleeping Beauty is awoken by a kiss from the Soldier Queen- the prince is redundant and the dwarfs aren’t to be taken seriously. On her awakening we find that Sleeping Beauty put a counter-spell on the old woman, ensuring that she can never sleep.

A brilliant BBC radio dramatization narrated by Dame Penelope Wilton with Neil Gaiman himself as The Home Secretary.

DI Gwen Danbury: An Odd Body by Sue Rodwell.

English cosy crime at it’s best. DI Gwen Danbury comes from a family of investigators- her father was a police investigator and discussed his cases with her mother. We follow Gwen as she solves a series of unpredictable crimes. The characters were totally engaging- long suffering Gwen, endearing but comically interfering mother Joan and solid policeman Henry who Gwen secretly admires. Kept me quietly amused listening to this BBC Radio drama in the car, on a run and walking the dog.

The Bronte BBC Radio Drama Collection.

The Bronte BBC Radio Drama Collection by Charlotte Brontë

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed these Bronte dramatisations. I had not read more Bronte than I had read, but couldn’t bring myself to wade through all the others. These radio dramas were perfect to help me know the narratives. Brilliant casts helped me through quite a few car journeys. Even more interesting was the interview with Rachel Joyce (The Making of the Bronte BBC Dramas) at the end. Here they talk about the process of making and recording a dramatisation- the acting and movement involved and also the process of rewriting a book for a drama, what to cut and what to keep/ what works and what doesn’t- especially important in well known and well loved Classics like the Bronte books.

View all my reviews

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestly.

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An Inspector Calls (Classic Radio Theatre): Amazon.co.uk: Priestley, J.B., Barber, Frances, Full Cast, Jones, Toby: 9781408467244: Books

Yesterday I was on a steam paddler down the Nile, this morning I was in the drawing room of a respectable industrial family in J B Priestly’s play An Inspector Calls – listening to what was a family dinner party, turn into a murder inquiry and a judgement on the families morals and behaviour- competently led by a certain Inspector…. The BBC Classic Radio Theatre production, starring Sam Alexander, Frances Barber, David Calder, Morven Christie and Toby Jones was the version I listened to – highly recommend it.

View all my reviews