George Orwell: A BBC Radio Collection

Including Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm and Other Dramas and Readings

By: George Orwell, Mike Walker, Jonathan Holloway

Narrated by: Christopher Eccleston, Full Cast, Joseph Milson, Nicky Henson, Pippa Nixon, Tamsin Greig, Tim Pigott-Smith, Toby Jones

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

A radio anthology of George Orwell's finest novels, memoirs and essays, plus four biographical dramas and a bonus documentary, The Road to Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Visionary author and journalist George Orwell was the man behind two of the best loved and most influential novels of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. This collection celebrating his life and work features dramatisations of both these classic books, with stellar casts including Christopher Eccleston, Pippa Nixon, Tim Pigott-Smith, Tamsin Greig and Nicky Henson.

Also included is a drama based on his autobiographical account of the Spanish Civil War, Homage to Catalonia, starring Joseph Millson and Lyndsey Marshal. Four biographical radio plays by Mike Walker and Jonathan Holloway - Burma, Dreaming, Loving and Jura - explore further episodes in Orwell's fascinating life, showing the disconnection between the man who was Eric Blair and the writer who was George Orwell.

Timeless examples of his essays and journalism are showcased here, including 'A Hanging', 'Confessions of a Book Reviewer', 'My Country Right or Left', 'Pleasure Spots' and 'As I Please' (all read by Clive Merrison), while Joseph Millson narrates Down and Out in Paris and London, Orwell's vivid memoir of his time living among the poor in Europe's two great cities.

Finally, in The Road to Nineteen Eighty-Four, David Aaronovitch examines what led avowed socialist George Orwell to write a book beloved of the Right, revealing how the novel grew from a forgotten political world shaped by the atom bomb.

George Orwell worked for BBC Radio from August 1941 to November 1943, and even went on air himself. Sadly, none of the programmes in which he took part survive - in those days, radio was essentially a live medium and broadcasts were not recorded for posterity. But Orwell's connection to the BBC remains a fascinating part of its wartime history.

©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

bad production

terrible direction. production assumed listeners were intimately acquainted with the literature.
I bought for my teenage sons. miserable experience.

Adaptation for radio - not a reading of the books.

Ch 1-2: 1984
Ch 3-4: Animal Farm
Ch 5-6: Homage to Catalonia
Ch 7: Burma
Ch 8: Dreaming
Ch 9: Loving
Ch 10: Jura
Ch 11-12: Down and out in Paris and London
Ch 13: A hanging
Ch 14: Confessions of a book reviewer
Ch 15: My country right or left
Ch 16: Pleasure Spots
Ch 17: As I please

A mixture of dramatic adaptations of Orwell's most famous stories concluding with readings of some of his more notable essays. Raw and honest depictions of his life. Doesn't shy away from his infidelities or snitch list. An insight in to the man behind the works, whatever you may think of him.

stories are great, but the narrations are not

The stories are great, but the narrations are not up to par. I wish there was a lot more intilligent effort put into it. So disappointed.

Don’t buy

Really bad chapters no make no sense and makes books seem not as great as they are

Exceptional.

This is an amazing collection of BBC radio programmes about Orwell, it is very clear what is what with each part being introduced. There are original plays about Orwell's life by Walker and Holloway, there are readings of some of his short works, and then there are BBC radio dramatisations of 1984 and Animal Farm - which are compelling and very good adaptations, with an amazing cast of actors.

It is some years since I read Orwell's books, and these were a great way to be reintroduced to them again especially if studying the texts.

Highly recommended.

Fitting Tribute

Very good, except there are too many guys playing Orwell, so you don't really get a sense of the man. The dramatizations of the novels are good, the readings excellent.