BBC Radio 4 has announced details of its upcoming Dickensian season of audio dramas, which begins on Sunday 29 September…
The season celebrates the work of one of history’s most inventive writers, Charles Dickens, known for his dazzling array of characters, socially astute commentary and enduring popularity.
Director of Speech and Radio 4 Controller Mohit Bakaya:
“As the world’s biggest commissioner of original audio drama, the BBC is delighted to breathe new life into these much-loved works for Radio 4 listeners. Alongside his fiction and journalism, Dickens was also a keen actor who regularly performed his works for fans on hugely popular public reading tours – his novels are written as much for the ear as for the eye.
“That may help explain why these stories are so well suited to the medium of audio drama, a format which we at the BBC know is immensely popular with our listeners, and which we are committed to continuing to invest in, so that everyone can enjoy brilliant works of classic literature like Dickens – as well as the very best new writing.”
The Dickensian dramas were launched tonight (17 September) at an event at Dickens’ former home, now the Dickens Museum.
They are part of a raft of recent audio drama commissions for BBC Radio 4, including Central Intelligence, a ten-part series which tells the inside story of the CIA, starring Kim Cattrall and Ed Harris. Audio drama fans will also be able to enjoy more of Breaking the Rules season this autumn, a series of one-off original plays on the theme of rule breaking. Other recent drama announcements include a new adaptation of King Lear starring Richard Wilson.
Radio 4 Commissioning Editor for Drama and Fiction, Alison Hindell:
“This brilliant season of Radio 4 audio dramas demonstrates why the genre remains so popular with our listeners. Through audio we can immerse ourselves in Dickens’ world – with its unforgettable characters, unputdownable plots, hilarious comedy and searing commentary on social injustice – and reflect on its resonance today.”
