Audiobooks narrated by Anastasia Hille

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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[German] - Bubble im Kosmos: Eine Odyssee mit Stephen Hawking

"Der berühmte Astrophysiker Stephen Hawking wird zu Hause von seiner Haushaltshilfe Zephyra tyrannisiert. Um ihr zu entfliehen, startet er in seinem Rollstuhl eine phantastische Reise ins Universum. Dort will er Schwarze Löcher erforschen. Auf seiner Reise begegnet er singenden Planeten und einer verschollenen Zarentochter, die mit ihrem Kater auf einem Asteroiden wohnt. Zusammen erleben sie viele Abenteuer und erforschen das Weltall."

Tba (Author), Anastasia Hille, Dennis Wilkesmann, Jens Kipper, Robin Schüllenbach, Samantha Senn, Stephan Christina, Stephan Peters, Thekla Gras (Narrator)

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The Glass Menagerie: A BBC Radio 3 full-cast production

"Anastasia Hille stars as Amanda Wingfield and George MacKay as her son Tom in BBC Radio 3’s landmark production of Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece Tennessee Williams's iconic play tells the story of a family trapped in their own unhappy situation and the shattering of their quiet existence when is stranger is brought home. Tom shares the cramped and claustrophobic tenement home with his over-bearing mother, Amanda and painfully shy sister, Laura. He works in a warehouse but dreams of becoming a poet, escaping his mundane life. Laura hides at home lacking the confidence to engage meaningfully with the outside world, preferring instead to lose herself in her collection of fragile glass animals. Amanda sells magazine subscriptions over the phone and commits herself to finding a match for her daughter. One day, Tom succumbs to his mother's pressure and brings home a gentleman caller… Creating a dream-like atmosphere, The Glass Menagerie has remained one of Williams’ most touching, tender and painful works. Tennessee Williams's drama is one of the most loved and well-known stage plays of the 20th century. It won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award in 1945 and paved the way for Williams to become one of America’s most highly regarded playwrights. The Glass Menagerie is introduced by John Lahr, author of the acclaimed biography Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh. Cast: Amanda . . . . . Anastasia Hille Tom . . . . . George MacKay Laura . . . . . Patsy Ferran Jim . . . . . Sope Dirisu Directed and produced by Sasha Yevtushenko Sound design by Peter Ringrose and Caleb Knightley. Production co-ordinator: Mabel Wright Music for violin arranged and performed by Bogdan Vacarescu"

Tennessee Williams (Author), Anastasia Hille, George Mackay, Patsy Ferran, Sope Dirisu (Narrator)

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The Neapolitan Novels: My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who S

"From one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, The Neapolitan Novels is an exploration of the friendship between Lila and Lena, two bright young girls who grew up in the tough, rough streets of post-war Naples. This is no normal friendship; it's a friendship that loves, hurts, supports and destroys - and yet it is one that lasts a lifetime. These four full-cast BBC adaptations bring the streets of Naples vividly to life. The first novel , My Brilliant Friend, begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these streets two girls, Lena and Lila, learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone - or anything. The Story of a New Name sees the two girls striving to make a better life for themselves. They work hard at school but Lila is stopped in her tracks when forced to give up her education to work for the family shoe-making business. It's not long before their worlds are pushed apart. In the third book, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, Lena escapes to Milan but struggles to find the courage to live, parent and write again after her marriage to her increasingly dismissive husband. Lila, meanwhile, also struggles to rise above her social conditions and desperately tries to find a way to better herself in whatever way she can. In the final part of their story, The Story of the Lost Child, Lena returns to Naples with her two children to find Lila has also managed to turn her life around, despite remaining in the claws of violent and mafia-run Naples. Through broken marriages, violent pasts, and the yearning for something more, the two women always turn to each other as their friendship – and the tensions between them – grow ever deeper. Adapted from the books by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein. Dramatised by Timberlake Wertenbaker Directed by Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4."

Elena Ferrante (Author), Anastasia Hille, Full Cast, Monica Dolan (Narrator)

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Othello: A BBC Radio Shakespeare production

"In this BBC full-cast production, Othello is drawn further and further into jealous rage by the manipulative Iago. In this story of evil cunning perverting a once noble mind, radio captures Iago's sly hints and boasts to the audience with shocking clarity. The listener is led along an emotional path that grips with fascinating horror until the play's tragic conclusion. Staring Ray Fearon as Othello, James Frain as Iago and and Anastasia Hille as Desdemona. BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly-formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. In this acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the modern day."

William Shakespeare (Author), Anastasia Hille, Cal Macaninch, James Frain, Ray Fearon (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Anastasia Hille