Anthony Trollope: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Anthony Trollope was one of Victorian England’s most popular and prolific authors. He worked for the Post Office while establishing himself as a writer, and is credited with introducing the pillar box to Britain. Best known for his ‘Barsetshire’ and ‘Palliser’ novels, he wrote over 50 works in total, including short stories, travel books, biographies and a posthumously published autobiography. Collected here are a selection of superb adaptations of his much-loved novels, as well as an original radio play by Patricia Cumper.

Orley Farm – Starring Tim Pigott-Smith, Samantha Bond and Ronald Pickup, this adaptation of Trollope’s 1861 novel is a compelling, emotional tale of disreputable lawyers, young lovers, the beautiful Lady Mason and the honourable Sir Peregrine Orme.

Miss Mackenzie – Hattie Morahan stars as Margaret Mackenzie, a single woman past the bloom of youth, who inherits a fortune and is then beset by suitors who may, or may not, simply be after her money. Can she pick her way through this romantic minefield and find true happiness?

The American Senator – Ruthless Arabella Trefoil wants to keep her engagement to John Morton a secret while she pursues the wealthy Lord Rufford. But fortune-hunting is a dangerous game, as she is soon to discover. Starring Robert Glenister, Anna Maxwell Martin and Barbara Flynn.

John Caldigate – Disinherited by his father, a young man leaves home to seek his fortune in Australia’s gold mines. But an unwise shipboard romance leads to trouble down the line… Jeremy Clyde stars as John Caldigate, with Margaret Wolfit as Euphemia Smith.

The Pallisers – A pacy, radical reboot of Anthony Trollope’s celebrated novels about high life and low politics in Victorian England. Jessica Raines stars as our omniscient narrator, Lady Glencora, who takes us through two decades of scandal, scheming, ambition and powerbroking.

The Way We Live Right Now – When shady financier Ghassan Mehmoud recruits gullible investors for his get-rich-quick scheme, the stage is set for scandal… Henry Goodman stars in this present-day reworking of Trollope’s satirical masterpiece about money, greed and dishonesty.

Mr Trollope and the Labours of Hercules – Paterson Joseph stars in this engrossing drama based on Anthony Trollope’s experiences in Jamaica in 1858.

Credits
Written by Anthony Trollope

Orley Farm (1861)
Dramatised by Martyn Wade
Directed by Tracey Neale
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 December 2008-11 January 2009

Miss Mackenzie (1865)
Dramatised by Martyn Wade
Directed by Tracey Neale
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9-16 January 2011

The American Senator (1876)
Dramatised by Martyn Wade
Directed by Tracey Neale
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 August-4 September 2011

John Caldigate (1879)
Dramatised by D. G. Bridson
Directed by David H. Godfrey
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 August-10 October 1976

The Pallisers (1861-1879)
Dramatised by Mike Harris and Sharon Oakes
Directed by Gary Brown and Emma Harding
Produced by Gary Brown
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10 November 2019-8 March 2020

The Way We Live Right Now (1875)
Adapted by Jonathan Myerson
Directed by Jonquil Panting
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16 June-4 July 2008

Mr Trollope and the Labours of Hercules
Written by Patricia Cumper
Produced and directed by Marion Nancarrow
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 August 2016

© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.