The Thomas Hardy BBC Radio Drama Collection
10 Full-Cast Dramatisations Including Tess of the d’Urbervilles & Far from the Madding Crowd
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The Thomas Hardy BBC Radio Drama Collection
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By:
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Thomas Hardy
About this listen
A definitive, fully-dramatised collection of the best-known works of Thomas Hardy.
Renowned novelist and poet Thomas Hardy is best known for his fatalistic, often tragic novels set in the 'realistic dream-country' of Wessex, in south and south-west England. Drawing on his own life, he created some of the most memorable characters and stories in Victorian literature - many of which are included here.
In five dramas taken from Radio 4's 'Hardy's Women' season, we meet a few of Thomas Hardy's most compelling female protagonists. The Hand of Ethelberta centres around an infamous poet who's not the lady everyone thinks she is; while Two on a Tower is the star-crossed love story of Lady Viviette Constantine and handsome young astronomer Swithin St Cleeve. The Woodlanders tells Hardy's tale of ambition, money and missed chances from the perspective of its unsung heroine, Marty South; unhappy Tess Durbeyfield recounts her life story in Tess of the d'Urbervilles; and in Jude the Obscure, Sue Bridehead relates the tale of stonemason Jude and his dreams of being a scholar. Among the stars of these irresistible adaptations are Rebecca Humphries, Olivia Poulet, Callum Scott Howells, Katy Sobey, Sacha Dhawan, Faye Marsay, Kirsty Oswald and Robert Emms.
Also featured are dramatisations of three of Hardy's other masterpieces. Far from the Madding Crowd sees the beautiful, independent Bathsheba Everdene (Alex Tregear) pursued by three suitors: Gabriel Oak (Shaun Dooley), William Boldwood (Toby Jones) and Sergeant Troy (Patrick Kennedy). In The Return of the Native, Hardy's poignant tale of love and longing is brought to life by an ensemble cast including David Calder, Emma Fielding and Adam Godley. And in The Mayor of Casterbridge, starring John Lynch and Ruth Wilson, a man spends his life trying to atone for his terrible past - but however hard he tries to conceal it, it will not be buried.
Rounding off our collection we have a pair of classic short stories - 'The Withered Arm' and 'The Fiddler of the Reels', starring Victoria Hamilton, Susan Jameson, Janet Dale, Stephen Tomlin and Struan Rodger.
Contents
Far from the Madding Crowd
The Hand of Ethelberta
The Return of the Native
Two on a Tower
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Woodlanders
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Jude the Obscure
'The Withered Arm'
'The Fiddler of the Reels'
First published 1874 (Far from the Madding Crowd), 1876 (The Hand of Ethelberta), 1878 (The Return of the Native), 1882 (Two on a Tower), 1886 (The Mayor of Casterbridge), 1887 (The Woodlanders), 1888 ('The Withered Arm'), 1891-2 (Tess of the d'Urbervilles), 1893 ('The Fiddler of the Reels'), 1895 (Jude the Obscure)
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What listeners say about The Thomas Hardy BBC Radio Drama Collection
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- BJC
- 18-01-23
Absolutely brilliant
I thoroughly enjoyed this dramatisation, and hadn’t realised what a wonderful story teller Thomas Hardy was.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Banjoman
- 07-10-23
Excellent collection
A brilliant collection of Hardy's most famous novels presented as dramatisations. Hardy wrote interesting and challenging stories about women and their lives in Wessex during the 19th century. Back then women were treated as second class citizens, with little opportunity for self improvement - and crucially, no voting rights or other rights. Unfairly and unjustly, this is how it was back then.
I have never read Hardy, so these dramatisations were perfect. The cast deliver a first class performance, and each dramatisation is evocative of the times.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-01-24
Easy Listening
This adaptation is easy to follow the storyline whilst in keeping with the historic context.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs H
- 28-08-23
Wonderful!!
This was just wonderful…. Listened to it continuously just waiting avidly for the next story!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Highlight
- 21-11-24
BRILLIANT THOMAS HARDY’S STORIES ARE NOW TOO DEPRESSING To LISTEN ANY MORE
These drama’s are excellent representations of Hardy’s works but having listened to this full collection several times and enjoyed them, I now find them far too depressing, especially Tess, which I just cannot stomach any longer and vow never to listen again. Like Jane Ayre it has been done to death, times have changed too much for these stories to have significance. The stories depress me now, apart from Far From The Madding Crowd, which I have fond memories simply for the 1960’s Film, which is sweet.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Blue
- 30-11-22
Radio drama at its best
Each drama is perfection - perfectly cast and acted, perfectly realised - and each captures the pathos and tragedy of Hardy exquisitely.
For those unfamiliar with Thomas Hardy, his books are extremely depressing. I had to have a break after Woodlanders - a bit of levity before facing Tess and Jude was necessary.
I noted a previous review describing all the women as deranged doormats. It's probably a good idea, whilst listening, to accept that in Hardy's time women had few rights or opportunity for self-determination. In fact, the key central theme of the books/dramas is pointing out this injustice - for both women and the working classes during their time.
A really wonderful addition to my library!
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- WSB
- 16-02-23
Perfect dramatizations
If you are Hardy fan like me, you are certain to enjoy this audio collection.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mr J Billett
- 17-12-23
Accents
Ooh aah it be a terrible load of naive fake zummersett accents and completely devoid of the nastiness of peasant life.
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