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Five Full-Cast Dramatisations Including Macbeth, Emma & The Great Gatsby

Anti-Heroes: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

BBC radio dramatisations of classic novels centred around engaging anti-heroes who dominate high societyAmbitious. Ruthless. Unprincipled. With their blurred morals and relatable imperfections, it’s no wonder we find anti-heroes so appealing and fascinating. Featuring a mixture of male and female anti-heroes across England, Scotland, France and New York, these fantastic adaptations of five of the best-known and best-loved classics of literature follow some of these flawed, nuanced characters as they steal the spotlight and make their presence known.Macbeth – Scottish general Macbeth’s life is changed when he encounters three witches who predict that he will become the king of Scotland. Encouraged by his forceful wife, he proceeds to fulfil the prophecy, but descends into madness and tyranny... This thrilling production of William Shakespeare's dark tragedy about ambition for power stars Neil Dudgeon and Emma Fielding.The Count of Monte Cristo – Marseilles, 1815. Nineteen-year-old seaman Edmond Dantès is engaged to the beautiful Mercédès and about to be promoted to Captain. But when three acquaintances betray him, he is condemned to 14 years of solitary confinement in the Chateau D'If. Escaping the notorious prison, Dantès plots his enemies’ destruction… Iain Glen stars in Alexandre Dumas’s swashbuckling tale of revenge.Emma – Handsome, clever and rich, Emma Woodhouse is so blessed by life that she declares she will never marry. However, she is determined to find the right match for her new friend Harriet Smith. Eve Best stars in this adaptation of Jane Austen's sparkling comedy of young love and romantic meddling.Vanity Fair – Thackeray's deliciously ironic tale of passion and ambition, set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, follows the fortunes of penniless, social-climbing Becky Sharp and her wealthy, sweet-natured best friend, Amelia Sedley. Starring Stephen Fry as the Narrator, with Emma Fielding as Becky, Katy Cavanagh as Amelia and Toby Jones as Jos.The Great Gatsby – Arriving in Long Island, Nick Carraway is reacquainted with his distant cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and falls in with her wealthy crowd. His neighbour, self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby, is the man who has everything – but one thing will always be out of his reach... A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, this dramatisation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's seminal novel stars Bryan Dick and Andrew Scott.Credits MacbethWritten by William ShakespeareDirected by Marc BeebyComposer: Timothy X AtackSound design by Colin GuthrieFirst broadcast BBC Radio 3, 17 May 2015The Count of Monte CristoWritten by Alexandre DumasAdapted by Sebastian BaczkiewiczDirected by Jeremy Mortimer and Sasha YevtushenkoMusic by David Tobin and Jeff MeeganFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 November–16 December 2012EmmaWritten by Jane AustenDramatised by April de AngelisDirected by Jonquil PantingMusic: Martin Souter and Sarah StoweFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 November–3 December 2000Vanity FairWritten by William Makepeace ThackerayDramatised by Stephen WyattProduced by Claire GroveFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 September–8 October 2004The Great GatsbyWritten by F. Scott FitzgeraldDramatised by Robert ForrestDirected by Gaynor MacFarlaneFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6–13 May 2012© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

William Shakespeare (Author) William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama ever produced, including Romeo and Juliet (1595), Henry V (1599), Hamlet (1601), Othello (1604), King Lear (1606) and Macbeth (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which number among the most profound and influential love poetry in English. Shakespeare died in Stratford in 1616. Jane Austen (Author) Jane Austen was born in Steventon rectory on 16 December 1775. Her family later moved to Bath, then to Southampton and finally to Chawton in Hampshire. She began writing Pride and Prejudice when she was twenty-two years old. It was originally called First Impressions and was initially rejected by the publishers and only published in 1813 after much revision. She published four of her novels in her lifetime, Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816). Jane Austen died on 18th July 1817. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were both published posthumously in 1818. F. Scott Fitzgerald (Author) Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born in 1896 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age – a term he popularized in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age. His first novel, This Side of Paradise, was published in 1920 and was a tremendous critical and commercial success. Fitzgerald followed with The Beautiful and the Damned, The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night . He was working on The Last Tycoon when he died, in Hollywood, in 1940.

The Three Musketeers

Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child 
Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of The Three Musketeers. 
 
When young D'Artagnan comes to Paris to seek his fortune, he is challenged to a duel with not one, but three of the king's Musketeers. But Athos, Porthos and Aramis become his trusted friends as he tries to prove himself worthy of becoming a fourth Musketeer.

Alexander Dumas was born in 1802 at Villes-Cotterets. He received very little education but when he entered the household of the future king, Louis-Philippe, he began to read veraciously and then to write. In 1839 he began writing novels dealing with the wars of religion and the Revolution, but he is most remembered for his historical novels, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of The Three Musketeers. 
 
When young D'Artagnan comes to Paris to seek his fortune, he is challenged to a duel with not one, but three of the king's Musketeers. But Athos, Porthos and Aramis become his trusted friends as he tries to prove himself worthy of becoming a fourth Musketeer.

Vintage Classics French Series

All for one, and one for all! 
 
The young D'Artagnan and the legendary musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis are 'the inseparables' - ready to sacrifice everything in a duel or game of dice in order to defend their honour or that of the King and Queen of France. Handsome and hot-tempered, they dive into raging battles or back-street conspiracies with gusto, especially if by their daring deeds they can thwart the wicked devices of their arch-enemy, Cardinal Richelieu, and his mysterious accomplice, Milady de Winter. 
 
'Pure swashbuckling pleasure' Daily Telegraph 
 
TRANSLATED BY WILL HOBSON 
 
VINTAGE FRENCH CLASSICS - six masterpieces of French fiction in gorgeous new gift editions.

Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 5: The Three Musketeers (ELT Graded Reader)

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. 
 
Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. 
 
The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. 
 
The Three Musketeers, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing present perfect continuous, past perfect, reported speech and second conditional. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
When the young d'Artagnan leaves his home in Gascony with the hope of becoming one of the king's musketeers, it is the start of a wonderful adventure. D'Artagnan soon meets the three musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Together they cry, "All for one and one for all!" 
 
 Visit the Penguin Readers website 
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.

Alexander Dumas was born in 1802 at Villes-Cotterets. He received very little education but when he entered the household of the future king, Louis-Philippe, he began to read veraciously and then to write. In 1839 he began writing novels dealing with the wars of religion and the Revolution, but he is most remembered for his historical novels, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
The Three Musketeers, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing present perfect continuous, past perfect, reported speech and second conditional. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
When the young d'Artagnan leaves his home in Gascony with the hope of becoming one of the king's musketeers, it is the start of a wonderful adventure. D'Artagnan soon meets the three musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Together they cry, "All for one and one for all!"

Three BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo & The Lady of the Camellias

A BBC Radio collection bringing together much- loved works by Alexandre Dumas and Alexandre Dumas fils, starring Ruth Wilson, Dan Stevens and Timothy Spall.

A BBC Radio collection bringing together much-loved works by Alexandre Dumas and Alexandre Dumas fils, starring Timothy Spall, Anton Lesser, Iain Glen, Ruth Wilson and Dan Stevens. 
 
Alexandre Dumas père and fils are among the most popular and widely read authors in French literature, whose works have been adapted numerous times for stage, screen and radio. This BBC radio collection brings together three of their most famous tales of chivalry, heroism and romance. 
 
The Three Musketeers 
In this immortal tale of intrigue and derring-do, dashing young swordsman D’Artagnan and three members of King Louis XIII’s elite royal guard – Athos, Porthos and Aramis – embark on a series of adventures full of duelling, danger, courage and camaraderie. 
 
The Count of Monte Cristo 
Marseilles, 1815. Nineteen-year-old seaman Edmond Dantès is engaged to the beautiful Mercédès and about to be promoted to Captain. But his luck runs out when three acquaintances betray him, and he is condemned to fourteen years’ solitary confinement in the Chateau D'If. Escaping the notorious prison, Dantès plots his enemies’ destruction. His revenge will prove devastating… 
 
The Lady of the Camellias 
Written by Alexandre Dumas fils, this poignant tale of doomed love tells the story of Marguerite Gautier, a Parisian courtesan who goes on a journey through worldliness, romance, renunciation and atonement, thanks to a passionate affair with young Armand Duval. 
 
The Three Musketeers 
Written by Alexandre Dumas 
 
D'Artagnan – Jamie Glover 
Athos – Robert Glenister 
Porthos – Timothy Spall 
Aramis – Anton Lesser 
D'Artagnan’s father – James Taylor 
Jussac/Des Essarts – David Jarvis 
De Treville – Malcolm Ward 
King – Nicholas Boulton 
Planchet – Dominic Letts 
Bonacieux – Norman Bird 
Musketeer/Rochefort – Michael Onslow 
Narrator – John Rowe 
Madame Bonacieux – Helena Breck 
Duke of Buckingham – Michael Cochrane 
Queen – Teresa Gallagher 
Cardinal Richelieu – Julian Glover 
Magistrate – John Evitts 
Warder/Grimaud – Tom Bevan 
Bazin – David Rowan 
De Wardes – Kim Wall 
Milady de Winter – Imelda Staunton 
Lord de Winter – Gareth Armstrong 
Felton – Lyndam Gregory 
With Rachel Atkins, Nicholas Murchie, Peter Kenny, Frances Jeater and Stuart Organ 
Dramatised by James Saunders 
Produced and directed by Martin Jenkins 
 
The Count of Monte Cristo 
Written by Alexandre Dumas 
 
Edmond Dantes – Iain Glen 
Haydee – Jane Lapotaire 
Abbe Faria – Richard Johnson 
Monsieur Morrell/Operator – Robert Blythe 
Danglars – Toby Jones 
Fernand de Morcerf – Zubin Varla 
Caderousse – Ben Crowe 
Jacopo – Joe Sims 
Captain Patin – Patrick Brennan 
Albert de Morcerf/Antoine/Andrea Cavalcanti – Will Howard 
Claude/Coachman/Bertuccio/Banker – Paul Stonehouse 
Max Morrell – Adam Nagaitis 
Mathilde– Liza Sadovy 
Julie Morrell/Eugenie Danglars – Eleanor Crooks 
Younger Haydee – Amber Rose Revah 
Gerard de Villefort – Paul Rhys 
Mercédès de Morcerf – Josette Simon 
Heloise de Villefort – Kate Fleetwood 
General Noirtier – Karl Johnson 
Hermine Danglars – Stephanie Racine 
Valentine de Villefort – Lizzy Watts 
Madame Lascelles/Actor – Sarah Thom 
Edourd de Villefort – Finn Monteath 
Adapted for radio by Sebastian Baczkiewicz 
Produced and directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Sasha Yevtushenko 
Music by David Tobin and Jeff Meegan 
 
The Lady of the Camellias 
Written by Alexandre Dumas fils 
 
Marguerite – Ruth Wilson 
Duval – Dan Stevens 
Dumas – Joseph Kloska 
Marguerite's sister/Prudence/Maid – Manon Edwards 
Gravedigger/Ernest/Count – Dick Bradnum 
Gaston/Porter – Keiron Self 
Duval Senior – Steffan Rhodri 
Olympe – Lynne Seymour 
Adapted by Frances Byrnes 
Produced and directed by Polly Thomas

The Story of a Nutcracker

Discover the real story of the Nutcracker as told by Alexandre Dumas

For all its darkness, [The Nutcracker] appeals to parents and their children because it's like one of those glowing glass globes that you can shake and see the snow swirl. It's a dream bubble, a vision of middle-class happiness and fantasy that precedes the Russian Revolution and all the horrors of the last century and this one. That world may have faded, but it is still our sweetest dream

Like Hansel And Gretel, The Nutcracker is a slightly dark story, but it s also magical...a world of childhood imagination

Alexandre Dumas (Author) 
Alexandre Dumas was a French playwright, historian and prolific novelist, penning a string of successful books including The Three Musketeers (1844), The Count of Monte Cristo (1845), and Twenty Years After(1845). His novels have been translated into a hundred different languages and inspired over two hundred films. In his day Dumas was as famous for his financial irresponsibility and flamboyant lifestyle as for his writing. Dumas died in 1870.

Discover the real story behind Disney’s latest blockbuster adaptation The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and the iconic Nutcracker Christmas ballet, as told by Alexandre Dumas 
 
‘How could you imagine, silly child, that this toy, which is made of cloth and wood, could possibly be alive?’ 
 
The nutcracker doll that mysterious Godfather Drosselmeyer gives to little Marie for Christmas is no ordinary toy. On Christmas Eve, as the clocks strike midnight, Marie watches as the Nutcracker and her entire cabinet of playthings come to life and boldly do battle against the evil Mouse King and his armies. 
But this is only the start of the tale. 
 
Read on for enchantment and transformation; enter a world by turns fantastical and sinister, a kingdom of dolls and spun-sugar palaces, and learn the true history of the brave little Nutcracker.

Alexandre Dumas

Puffin Clothbound Classics are stunning collectable hardback editions of some of the best-loved classics in the world - including this charming edition of The Tale of the Nutcracker. 
 
Enter a world of magic and enchantment with Dumas's timeless adaptation of the Nutcracker story. 
 
‘You foolish child, how can you imagine that this doll, which is composed of wood and cloth, can have life, motion and reflection?' 
 
When little Marie receives a rather ugly doll for Christmas, she isn't sure what to make of him. His head is far too large, his legs far too small; but he's certainly excellently dressed! Things take a strange turn on Christmas Eve when, as the clocks strike midnight, the odd little Nutcracker comes to life to do fierce battle against the malevolent Mouse King and his armies. 
 
Full of wonder, weirdness and fantasy, this famous adaptation, which inspired Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet, is a celebration of childhood imagination, full of talking toys, candy kingdoms and dastardly mice.

The Tale of the Nutcracker

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Everyman's Children's Classics has more than 50 titles in print. It offers the finest editions currently available of the world's greatest children's books in handsome, full cloth hardcover bindings. 
 
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