The complete BBC Radio 4 magical comedy drama

Curious Under the Stars

All eleven series of the mystical drama set in the wild Welsh coastal village of Glan Don 
 
When Gareth finds his wife Diane in bed with another man, the couple attempt to save their marriage by uprooting from London to the West Wales village where Gareth grew up, and buying the local pub. It's a bit of a dive - the wallpaper's peeling, there are squirrels in the saloon bar and something's growing out of the pool table. But it's got potential, and they're determined to make a go of it. 
 
Soon, the locals are flocking to The Druid's Rest - and as Diane discovers, her husband's old friends are an eccentric bunch. There's ex-soldier Gwyn, who carries a machine gun everywhere; garrulous waitress Megan; cook Matty, whose dishes cast a spell over everyone who eats them; and enigmatic potman (and narrator) Emlyn, who seems built into the fabric of Glan Don. And then there's Bethan - beautiful, bewitching Bethan, Gareth's teenage sweetheart, who may still have a hold on his heart... 
 
If the villagers are strange, Glan Don itself is even stranger. Steeped in ancient folklore, it is both eerie and enchanting. The sea is an all-pervading presence, magical and menacing in turn, home to mermaids and submerged forests. On land are haunted caves, dark woods, ruined castles, old lead mines - and legendary beings including ghosts, dragons, witches and the King under the Hill. 
 
As Gareth and Diane struggle to cope with the dual challenges of running a pub and dealing with the supernatural, will Glan Don bring them closer together - or tear them apart? 
 
Starring Elis James (Tourist Trap), Louise Ford (Chickens), Amy Hoggart (Almost Royal), Emma Sidi (W1A), Ifan Huw Dafydd (Gavin &amp; Stacey) and Amy Ffion Edwards (Detectorists), Curious Under the Stars takes us deep into a Welsh landscape of myth, magic and mayhem. 
Gareth - Elis James/Sion Pritchard/Richard Elis 
Diane - Louise Ford/Amy Hoggart/Emma Sidi 
Emlyn - Ifan Huw Dafydd 
Bethan - Eiry Hughes/Hannah Daniel 
Gwyn - Matthew Gravelle 
Matty - Siw Hughes 
Megan - Aimee-Ffion Edwards/Gwyneth Keyworth 
Pierre - Lee Mengo 
Gwyneth/Customer - Kath Weare 
Charlie - Donal Gallery 
Magda - Wanda Opalinska 
Gregor - Marc Danbury 
Guto - John Weldon 
Referee/Doctor - Mike Bubbins 
Gertrude - Joanna Scanlan 
Fluffy - Sion Pritchard 
Hadrian - Paul Rhys 
Geraint - John Pierce-Jones 
Fleur - Catrin Stewart 
The Ghost - Owain Gwynn 
 
Anwen - Juno Robinson 
 
 
Created by Meic Povey 
Written by Meic Povey, Annamaria Murphy and Alan Harris 
Directed by James Robinson and Nigel Lewis 
A BBC Cymru Wales Production 
Music: Knee-Deep in the North Sea by Portico Quartet 
 
 
 
 
? 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Lighthouse

Paul Rhys and Ifan Huw Dafydd star in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatization.

Alan Harris is a Welsh playwright who has written several plays for BBC radio including The Lighthouse and The Gold Farmer. His play A Good Night Out in the Valleys launched the new National Theatre Wales in 2010 and he has also been awarded a prestigious Creative Wales Award.

Lighthouse keepers Howell and Griffith are posted to 6 weeks on the Smalls - a desolate rock 20 miles off the Pembrokeshire coast. But the two men share a past, and because of what happens next, lighthouses would never again have only a crew of two. Based on a true story. Written by Alan Harris, and starring Paul Rhys as Howell and Ifan Huw Dafydd as Griffith. Directed by James Robinson.

Gary Brown

Leah Chillery

David Hodgson

Alan Harris

Anna Mary Murphy

Lavinia Murray

Don Gilet

Matthew Gravelle

Dylan Edwards

William Ash

Kathryn Hunt

Lisa Palfrey

Eiry Thomas

Graeme Hawley

Full cast

Six Full-Cast Original BBC Radio Dramas

A series of inter-linked plays exploring birth, marriage and death through the prism of a Welsh Register OfficeIsn't it strange that the registering of life's most important moments happens in a sterile municipal office? Everyone's got a story to tell about how they got there. Listen for the first time to this spectacular collection of six funny, quirky and moving plays that start in a Register Office and end in a birth, marriage or death.In Uncle Harry, Mark’s life is nicely well-ordered until a passing comment from Uncle Harry sends him on a quest to discover his true identity. This is a comedy about grief and the true meaning of family.Losing my Penny is a story of love, secrets and family. Leo is in love with Penny and plans to marry her but Penny's possessive father has other ideas. Leo has secrets of his own which threatens to ruin everything.Teddy is on his stag night in the comedy Time and Tide. He wakes up naked and handcuffed to a lamp post. So far, so normal. But then he realises that something very weird has occurred which makes him question everything…A Certain Date is a surreal and darkly comic exploration of the meaning of death. Geoff Levine, aka the Slim Reaper, is a pest control technician. All day long he kills rats and other vermin but when he meets Mystic June, she tells him something that will alter the rest of his life – what's left of it anyway.An unexpected family secret is unearthed in Nine Lives, when Beth's elderly father Patrick claims never to have been born because he's lived forever. As Beth tries to untangle the truth of her father's birth, she uncovers more than she bargained for.Lastly, Elephants all the Way tells the story of Harper, who works in a zoo. He is a simple soul but his life is complicated. His wife is desperate for a baby, and his angry dad is a bare knuckle boxer. Then the ground starts to shift - literally…Engaging, funny and thought provoking, these six plays were recorded by BBC Wales. This brilliant series of modern dramas showcase some of Wales’s best acting talent. Download all six plays now for a mesmerising listen.Episode 1 - Uncle HarryWritten by Gary Brown 
Directed by Helen PerryMark - Dylan Edwards 
Uncle Harry - Ewan Bailey 
Elaine - Denise Black 
Helen - Katherine Jakeways 
Lionel - Christian Patterson 
Charlotte - Rachel Redford 
Dad - David CannEpisode 2 - Losing my PennyWritten by Leah Chillery 
Directed by Gary BrownLeo - Don Gilet 
Penny - Verity May Henry 
Rita - Kathryn Hunt 
Henry - Conrad Nelson 
Duchess - Tupele Dorgu 
Bartholomew - Fiona ClarkeEpisode 3 - Time and Tide Written by David Hodgson 
Directed by Gary BrownOld Man - Will Tacey 
Teddy - Alan Morrissey 
Lawrence - Will Ash 
Megan - Hannah Wood 
Brankin - Sean Mason 
Jess - Harriet Chandler Judd 
Shaffy - Hamilton BerstockEpisode 4 - A Certain DateWritten by Alan Harris 
Directed by Helen PerryGeoff - Julian Lewis Jones 
Valmai - Sara McGaughey 
Sandy - Katy Owen 
Mystic June - Lisa Palfrey 
Doctor Ramis - Richard Mitchley 
Pigeon - Sion Pritchard 
King Rat - Michael BertenshawEpisode 5 – Nine Lives Written by Anna Maria Murphy 
Directed by James RobinsonBeth - Eiry Thomas 
Patrick - Peter Marinker 
Bill - Christian Patterson 
Mrs Knowles - Sharon Morgan 
Miriam/Janet - Eirlys Bellin 
Reg/Harold - Matthew GravelleEpisode 6 – Elephants All the Way Up Written by Lavinia MurrayDirected by Gary BrownHarper - Graeme Hawley 
Yolanda - Kate Coogan 
Dad - Seamus O'Neill 
Carlos - Chris Jack 
Arlo/Turtle - Lloyd Peters 
Grayson/Turtle -Malcolm Raeburn 
Woman/Turtle - Lisa Allen©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Alan Harris

Books by Alan Harris

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter