Drama of the Week

"Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life."

Charles Dickens' novel - subtitled 'For These Times' - is a vivid story for our own age - a short, sharp satire of target-driven education, business, and the denial of the imagination. Headmaster Thomas Gradgrind has developed a rigid, facts-driven curriculum for his school. And at home, he raises his two children, Tom and Louisa, within a similar system of utilitarian metrics. But the human spirit has an inherent thirst for wonder and Louisa struggles inside the constraints of her education.

Dramatised by Graham White

Thomas Gradgrind…..David Morrissey

Louisa Gradgrind…..Rachel Harper

Tom Gradgrind…..Ike Bennett

Josiah Bounderby…..Shaun Dooley

Sissy Jupe…..Janey Orchard

Mrs Sparsit…..Jan Ravens

James Harthouse…..Will Close

Stephen Blackpool…..Arthur Hughes

Rachael…..Claire Cage

Mrs Gradgrind/Margaret/Josephine…..Julie Barclay

Mr M’Choakumchild/Slackbridge/Collins…..Richard Elfyn

Bitzer…..Aaron Anthony

Sleary…..Patrick Robinson

Production co-ordinators Lindsay Rees and Eleri Sydney McAuliffe

Sound by Rhys Morris, Nigel Lewis and Catherine Robinson

Directed by Emma Harding, BBC Audio Wales

By Kevin Core

Baby boomer streamer Trudy Stark's clickbait pronouncements on younger generations have resulted in a big online following, much to the embarrassment of her two struggling daughters 37-year-old Jenny, and 22-year old Chloe. For them there’s nothing funny in being mocked by the boomers with charmed lives who scooped up the nation’s wealth. But the death of Trudy’s father brings these three very different generations together – and as the war between 'Boomer', 'Millennial' and 'Gen Z' rages, they begin to reveal how unreliable these labels are.

Trudy..........................Susan Twist
Jenny..........................Erin Shanagher
Chloe..........................Sade Malone
Craig...........................Gareth Cassidy
Praj...............................Sushil Chudasama
Dan..............................Tarek Slater

Production Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley
Studio Manager - Amy Brennan
Sound Designer - Simon Highfield
Director/ Producer - Gary Brown

A BBC Studios Audio Production.

Daisy Johnson is a multi-award-winning short story writer whose debut novel Everything Under was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

In The Stranger she weaves a gentle romantic story beginning with an unusual flatshare to save money, then twists it into a suspenseful thriller all in the space of 14 minutes - read by Saffron Coomber.

Saffron Coomber has recently starred in Sir Lenny Henry's Windrush drama Three Little Birds, was in Small Axe by Steve McQueen, and made her West End debut as Shakespeare's muse in Emilia by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm

Written by Daisy Johnson
Read by Saffron Coomber
Produced by Allegra McIlroy

By Helen Cross.

Rose has made a fresh start in the City of Angels and life feels good. But she can't ignore the past, and now it's starting to bite.

Her ex-boss Maya is loving never getting older and has Rose to thank for that. Maya has big plans for a 'rejuvenation' spa in the California hills, but Rose suspects all is not what it seems. On top of that she's worried that someone, or something, is trying to send her telepathic messages. But are they to warn her, or frighten her?

Stylish and surprising fantasy horror with a comic twist, starring Alexandra Mardell (Coronation Street) and Demetri Goritsas (Ten Percent). With music by Dana Margolin and Sam Yardley of Mercury-nominated band, Porridge Radio.

Helen Cross wrote ‘My Summer of Love’ which won a Betty Trask award and was made into a Bafta-winning film with Emily Blunt (recently rated her best film in The Guardian top ten Emily Blunt films). Mary Ward-Lowery won Best Director in 2020 Audio Drama Awards.

Rose ... Alexandra Mardell
Maya ... Miranda Braun
Austin ... Demetri Goritsas
Siobhan ... Deirdre Mullins
Delphine ... Yasemin Özdemir
Mam ... Jane Thornton
Jack ... Tyler Cameron
Gym owner ... Don Gilet
Dakota ... Rhiannon Neads
Alina ... Kitty O'Sullivan
Englishman ... Martin Bonger
Angry Man ... Douglas Hodgson
Gully ... Bruce Casswell

Original music written and performed by Dana Margolin and Sam Yardley of Porridge Radio.

Sound design by Ilse Lademann and Mary Ward-Lowery
Assistant Producer ... Alison Crawford
Director ... Mary Ward-Lowery

By Samantha Harvey. Mum drives through the Dark Hedges, crossing a threshold into a different world. Read by Deirdre Mullins.

Topical fiction inspired by the story, in this week's news, that some of the beech trees that line the Bregagh Road in Armoy, County Antrim, have been felled amid concern for public safety. The trees, a landmark in their own right, were made more famous after featuring in the fantasy drama Game of Thrones.

Samantha won the Betty Trask Prize for her first novel The Wilderness, which was longlisted for the Man Booker, and shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Guardian First Book Award. Her work has been described by critics as 'spectacular', 'beautiful' and 'profound', and her latest novel, 'Orbital', an 'awe-inspiring and humbling love letter to Earth', has been selected by The Guardian as one of the most important books of 2023.

Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery