Audiobooks Narrated by Emily Mortimer

The Leo Tolstoy BBC Radio Drama Collection: Full-cast dramatisations of War and Peace, Anna Karenina

BBC Radio adaptations of Tolstoy's three major novels, plus a reading of his profound philosophical memoir, an original drama based on his life and a bonus documentary One of the greatest novelists of all time, Leo Tolstoy is famed worldwide for his masterpieces of realist fiction, War and Peace and Anna Karenina. This comprehensive collection contains both those iconic works, as well as his final novel Resurrection; his autobiographical essay A Confession; Stephen Wakelam's dramatic account of his tempestuous marriage, Mrs Tolstoy; and In Our Time: Tolstoy. War and Peace - 1805, and Napoleon Bonaparte is threatening the peace of Europe. In St Petersburg and Moscow, the lives of three aristocratic families are about to be changed forever... This epic dramatisation stars Simon Russell Beale, Gerard Murphy, Amanda Redman and Emily Mortimer. Anna Karenina - In 19th Century Russia, bored high society wife Anna embarks on an affair with the handsome Count Vronsky - but her passion sets her on a path to self-destruction. Starring Teresa Gallagher and Toby Stephens. Resurrection - Serving on the jury in a murder trial, Prince Dimitri recognises the young prostitute in the dock as Katerina Maslova, the girl he seduced years before. Knowing he is partly responsible for her plight, he attempts to atone for his mistakes and find redemption. Katherine Igoe and Richard Dillane star in this powerful adaptation of Tolstoy's final novel. A Confession - Read by Joss Ackland, this compelling religious testament describes Tolstoy's search for God, faith and the meaning of life. Mrs Tolstoy - In his fifties, Leo Tolstoy has a spiritual crisis. Converting to Christianity, he gives up writing, stops sleeping with his wife, won't see his children and wants to give away all his possessions. But Sofya is ready to fight for her husband and family... Starring Ian McDiarmid and Haydn Gwynne. In Our Time: Tolstoy - Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Tolstoy's life and writings, exploring his urgent desire to represent real life in his work, how he strove to convey truth to the reader - and why he ultimately gave up on literature to concentrate on religious and political philosophy. © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd First published 1869 (War and Peace), 1877 (Anna Karenina), 1879 (A Confession), 1899 (Resurrection)

Leo Tolstoy (Author), Amanda Redman, Emily Mortimer, Hadyn Gwynne, Ian Mcdiarmid, Katherine Igoe, Richard Dillane, Simon Russell Beale, Teresa Gallagher, Toby Stephens (Narrator)

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The Elizabeth Gaskell Collection: A BBC Drama collection including North and South, Wives and Daught

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, 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 is Mrs Gaskell: Portrait of a Victorian Novelist by Barry Campbell, which is 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. 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, 15 September-9 November 2001 Mr Harrison's Confessions Adapted for radio by Jeremy Front. Produced and directed by Sally Avens. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 June 1988 The Old Nurse's Story Produced by Kay Patrick. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24-25 May 1984 North and South Dramatised by Charlotte Keatley. Directed by Michael Fox. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 June 1997 Sylvia's Lovers Dramatised by Ellen Dryden. Produced and directed by Pauline Harris. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6-13 March 2016 Wives and Daughters Dramatised by Theresa Heskins. Produced and directed by Peter Leslie Wild First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 November-10 December 2010 Cranford Produced by Julian Wilkinson. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 November 2019 Christmas Storms and Sunshine Produced by Simon Richardson. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 December 2018 Death at the Bed End Written by Stephen Wakelam. Directed by Janet Whitaker. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 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, 21 August 1983 Great Lives: Mrs Gaskell Presented by Francine Stock, Amanda Vickery and Jenny Uglow. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 May 2005 ©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Amanda Vickery, Barry Campbell, Elizabeth Gaskell, Jenny Uglow, Steve Wakelam (Author), David Threlfall, Emily Mortimer, Jodie Comer, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Kenneth Cranham, Paul Copley, Rebecca Front, Sue Johnston (Narrator)

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