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The Elizabeth Gaskell Collection
- A BBC Drama Collection Including North and South, Wives and Daughters & More
- Narrated by: full cast, Jodie Comer, David Threlfall, Emily Mortimer, Sue Johnston, Kenneth Cranham, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Paul Copley, Rebecca Front
- Length: 23 hrs and 20 mins
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North and South
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Too brief
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Excellent adaptation..No chapter titles
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Elizabeth Gaskell's comic portrait of early Victorian life in a country town describes with poignant wit the uneventful lives of its lady-like inhabitants, offering an ironic commentary on the separate spheres and diverse experiences of men and women. As the external world necessarily impinges even on Cranford, the unlikely juxtapositions of old and new brought about by the pace of change are also explored.
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A treat
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Overall
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Too brief
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Not a faithful rendition
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England, 1647. Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army has routed the Royalists, and the king, having fled to Scotland, has been ransomed, sent back across the border and imprisoned. It seems the war is over, but there is trouble ahead. Parliament wants to disband the army and install its own militia - an act that looks, to Cromwell's loyal soldiers, like outright betrayal.
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The dapper, mustache-twirling little Belgian with the egg-shaped head and curious mannerisms has solved some of the most puzzling crimes of the century - and, in his own humble opinion, is "probably the greatest detective in the world". In this complete collection of more than 50 stories, ranging from short tales to novellas, Poirot faces violent murders, poisonings, kidnappings, and thefts - all solved with his characteristic panache. Only Agatha Christie could have devised cases worthy of Hercule Poirot's skill and "little gray cells".
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Excellent! (List of Narrators)
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By: Agatha Christie
Publisher's Summary
A collection of BBC Radio dramatisations of Elizabeth Gaskell's well loved novels - plus bonus material.
Elizabeth Gaskell was one of Victorian England's pre-eminent female novelists. Admired by Charles Dickens, who described her as his 'dear Scheherazade', she mingled storytelling and social realism to superb effect in her highly acclaimed fiction.
This comprehensive collection comprises dramas and readings of her finest works and some lesser-known pieces. Among the adaptations are her final, unfinished novel Wives and Daughters, her debut novel Mary Barton and her only historical novel, Sylvia's Lovers; as well as the 1851 novella Mr Harrison's Confession (a prequel to Cranford), and her great novel of industrialisation, female independence and identity, North and South. All feature star casts including Emerald O'Hanrahan, Sue Johnston, Jodie Comer, Emily Mortimer, Rod Hudd, David Threlfall and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
Also included are readings of Mrs Gaskell's chilling supernatural tale 'The Old Nurse's Story', her much-loved novel of life in a small town and its female inhabitants, Cranford and her festive short story 'Christmas Storms and Sunshine'.
Based on true events, Stephen Wakelam's detective drama Death at the Bed End, starring Kenneth Cranham, explores the controversy surrounding Elizabeth Gaskell's biography of Charlotte Brontë and the libel threat that followed its publication. Also included are Mrs Gaskell: Portrait of a Victorian Novelist by Barry Campbell; inspired by the author’s letters. And in Great Lives: Elizabeth Gaskell, historian Amanda Vickery and biographer Jenny Uglow discuss Mrs Gaskell's life, work and achievements with presenter Francine Stock.
Cast and credits:
Written by Elizabeth Gaskell
Written by Stephen Wakelam
Mary Barton
Dramatised by Lavinia Murray. Produced and directed by Claire Grove and Tracey Neale
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15th September-9th November 2001
Mr Harrison's Confessions
Adapted for radio by Jeremy Front. Produced and directed by Sally Avens.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27th June 1988
'The Old Nurse's Story'
Produced by Kay Patrick. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24th-25th May 1984
North and South
Dramatised by Charlotte Keatley.
Directed by Michael Fox.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29th June 1997
Sylvia's Lovers
Dramatised by Ellen Dryden. Produced and directed by Pauline Harris.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6th-13th March 2016
Wives and Daughters
Dramatised by Theresa Heskins. Produced and directed by Peter Leslie Wild
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29th November-10th December 2010
Cranford
Produced by Julian Wilkinson. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1st November 2019
'Christmas Storms and Sunshine'
Produced by Simon Richardson. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21st December 2018
Death at the Bed End
Written by Stephen Wakelam.
Directed by Janet Whitaker.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4th December 2004
Mrs Gaskell: Portrait of a Victorian Novelist
Written by Barry Campbell based on Elizabeth Gaskell: A Biography by Winifred Gérin. Permission granted by Oxford Publishing Ltd (Academic), Oxford University Press (via PLSclear). Produced by James Runcie. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21st August 1983
Great Lives: Mrs Gaskell
Presented by Francine Stock.
With Amanda Vickery and Jenny Uglow. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20th May 2005.
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- Bibi Green
- 04-01-22
Varied performances
Some were better than others, which was a shame. North and South was particularly disappointing.
2 people found this helpful