Audiobooks Narrated by Valerie Edmond

Banned Books: A BBC Radio Drama Collection: Four Full-Cast Dramatisations of Modern Classics

"Four modern masterpieces that dared to push boundaries and disrupt the status quo Deviant. Depraved. Dangerous. Denounced for their transgressive themes and inflammatory ideas, these 20th-century classics have all been considered so seditious that they had to be suppressed. Find out what made these iconic works so threatening to governments worldwide in these superlative dramatisations, featuring stellar casts and specially composed music. Ulysses – Prosecuted for obscenity in the UK and US, James Joyce’s seminal novel tells the combined stories of Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom, as they wander through Dublin on one ordinary day: 16th June 1904. The Well of Loneliness – Radclyffe Hall’s groundbreaking tale of lesbian love was judged as obscene soon after its publication in 1928, and banned in the UK for over 20 years. It centres around Stephen, a baby girl born to well-to-do parents who grows up feeling ‘different’ and knows she will never be attracted to a man. But will she always be an outcast? Brave New World – Aldous Huxley's visionary dystopian fable, banned in Ireland and Australia when it first appeared in 1932, portrays a corrupt future society where promiscuity is the norm, eugenics a respectable science and the drug soma is the opiate of the people. Token dissidents Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson long to be free – but it is an outsider, John ‘the Savage’, who shows them the true meaning of rebellion. Nineteen Eighty-Four – London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Ministry of Truth employee Winston Smith finds love with Julia, the duo begin to question the Party – but for enemies of the state, Room 101 awaits… George Orwell’s classic tale, banned in the Soviet Union until 1988 and still one of the most-challenged books in the USA today. The star-studded casts of these dramatisations include Andrew Scott, Henry Goodman, Niamh Cusack, Stephen Rea, Valerie Edmond, Amanda Root, Justin Salinger, John Coy, Milton Lopes, Christopher Eccleston, Pippa Nixon and Tim Pigott-Smith. First published 1918 (Ulysses), 1928 (The Well of Loneliness), 1932 (Brave New World), 1949 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) Cast and credits Ulysses Cast: Stephen Rea, Andrew Scott, Kevin Trainor, Harry Livingstone, Janet Moran, Ronan Raftery, Jim Norton, Joshua Ellershaw, Aidan Dunlop, Henry Goodman, Niamh Cusack, Grainne Keenan, Stephen Hogan, Des McAleer, Christine Absalom, Jonathan Forbes, Bronagh Taggart, Sean Campion, John Rogan, Peter Hamilton Dyer, Joshua Ellershaw, Lorcan Cranitch, Gerard McDermott, Denise Gough, Pip Donaghy, Frances Barber, Susie Riddell Written by James Joyce Dramatised by Robin Brooks Directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Jonquil Panting Produced by Jeremy Mortimer Executive producer: Claire Grove Singer: Daire Halpin Pianist: Colin Guthrie The Well of Loneliness Cast: Valerie Edmond, Alexandra Bateman, Roberta Kerr, Rob Pickvance, Amanda Root, Sarah Parks, Paul Warriner, Russell Dixon, Katy Cavanagh, Sara Kaplan, Thomas Hudson, Martin Reeve, Paul Warriner, Katy Cavanagh, Malcolm Hebden Written by Radclyffe Hall Dramatised by Sarah Woods Directed by Melanie Harris Music composed and performed by Odaline de la Martinez Celloist: Andy Wardale Violinist: Janet Fuste Brave New World Cast: Justin Salinger, Jonathan Coy, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Anton Lesser, Milton Lopes, Karina Fernandez, Nicola Ferguson, Sam Rix, James Lailey, Sean Baker, Scarlett Brookes, Brian Protheroe, Nick Underwood Written by Aldous Huxley Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway Directed by David Hunter Nineteen Eighty-Four Cast: Christopher Eccleston, Pippa Nixon, Tim Pigott-Smith, Kim Wall, Robert Blythe, Sam Alexander, Susie Riddell, Christine Absalom, Don Gilet, Joe Sims and Joshua Swinney Written by George Orwell Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway Directed by Jeremy Mortimer (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, James Joyce, Radclyffe Hall (Author), Andrew Scott, Anton Lesser, Christopher Eccleston, Full Cast, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Coy, Justin Salinger, Niamh Cusack, Pippa Nixon, Stephen Rea, Tim Pigott-Smith, Valerie Edmond (Narrator)

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The Well of Loneliness & The Trial that Gripped a Nation: Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

"The pioneering novel of lesbian love and attraction brought to life by a full cast. Includes exclusive content. A baby girl named Stephen Gordon, is born to well-to-do parents. She grows from a young tomboy into a thoughtful woman who feels 'different'. Stephen is understood by her father but alienated from her mother. Bucking against the conventions of society she turns down an offer of marriage and forms a passionate attachment to an American woman. Gradually, Stephen realises she will never fall in love with a man – but will she be an outcast? In pursuit of love and experience, Stephen takes herself to bohemian Paris, a far cry from the strict confines of British society. She joins the ambulance corps in the First World War. It’s here she meets Mary and, when they become lovers, she takes a fatal step in deciding their future. First published in 1928, Hall’s novel has become a classic, telling the story of one woman’s desperate attempt to be loved and to love against all odds. To complement this stunning adaptation, writer Shelley Silas, in The Trial of the Well of Loneliness, tells the gripping story of how Hall’s pioneering novel, though not sexually explicit, became the centre of a 1928 obscenity trial. This original drama explores how the novel remains an iconic portrayal of lesbian relationships and contains the passionate plea: 'Give us also the right to our existence.' This download edition also features an exclusive edition of The Essay: Journeys to the Grave. A reflective, restorative and often playful journey in search of the final resting place of a literary hero. Diana Souhami steps into Radclyffe Hall’s tomb in London’s Highgate Cemetery, where the author resides with her lover, her lover’s husband and their dog Tulip – an aptly unconventional set-up in death as in life. ©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd Cast and credits The Well of Loneliness Dramatised by Sarah Woods Written by Radclyffe Hall Directed by Melanie Harris Music composed and played by Odaline de la Martinez Violinist - Janet Foust Cellist - Andy Wardale Stephen - Valerie Edmond Young Stephen - Alexandra Bateman Mary/Collins/Angela - Amanda Root Anna/Valerie - Roberta Kerr Puddle - Sarah Park Martin - Paul Warriner Jamie/Violet - Katy Cavanagh Brockett - Malcolm Hebden Philip - Rob Pickvance Colonel Antrim - Russell Dixon Young Violet - Sara Kaplan Young Roger - Thomas Hudson Ralph - Martin Reeve First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 May 1999 The Trial of the Well of Loneliness Written by Shelley Silas Directed by Emma Harding Radclyffe Hall - Kate Fleetwood Una, Lady Troubridge - Anastasia Hille Stephen Gordon - Laura Christy Gilchrist Thompson - Will Kirk Sir Chartres Biron - Neil McCaul Eustace Fulton - Clive Hayward Norman Birkett - Rick Warden James Melville - Tony Turner Desmond McCarthy - Greg Jones Court Clerk - Adam Courting Court Actress - Scarlett Courtenay Puddle - Jessica Turner Additional research documents courtesy of Morris Ernst Papers, Harry Ransom Center and the University of Texas at Austin First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, January 2020 The Essay: Journeys to the Grave Written and presented by Diana Souhami First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 June 2022"

Radclyffe Hall, Shelley Silas (Author), Anastasia Hille, Diane Souhami, Full Cast, Kate Fleetwood, Shelley Silas, Valerie Edmond (Narrator)

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