Tom Stoppard: A BBC Radio Collection

14 full-cast productions including Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead & others

By: Tom Stoppard

Narrated by: Rufus Sewell, Bill Nighy, Harriet Walters, full cast, Hugh Grant, Peggy Ashcroft, Felicity Kendal, Timothy West, Toby Jones, Penelope Keith

Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

The collected BBC radio productions of the internationally renowned playwright Tom Stoppard.

One of the giants of British theatre, Sir Tom Stoppard has been writing for the stage and screen for over 50 years. Full of wit, verbal brilliance and big ideas, his plays appeal to critics and audiences alike and are among the most studied works of the last century.

Our collection contains the masterpiece, Arcadia, which won him an Olivier Award for Best Play and transferred to radio with the cast of the award-winning National Theatre production. It is followed by two of his most famous and best-loved dramas: the hilarious spoof whodunnit The Real Inspector Hound and the play that made Stoppard's name, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Also included is the bittersweet drama Dalliance, based on Arthur Schnitzler's play Liebelei.

The troubled history of Stoppard's home country, Czechoslovakia, is explored in two thought-provoking plays. Rock 'n' Roll, about love, loyalty, compromise and music, was specially adapted for radio by Stoppard himself, with a new final scene and a soundtrack featuring artists such as, U2, Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and The Velvet Underground. Its themes of resistance to totalitarianism are echoed in Professional Foul, dramatised by Stoppard from his award-winning BBC TV play and set in communist Prague.

Stoppard also wrote numerous original radio plays, eight of which are featured here including; The Prix Italia-winning Albert's Bridge, In the Native State (later adapted as the stage play Indian Ink) and Darkside, based on the themes of Pink Floyd's classic album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Among the multitude of stars in these dazzling dramas are Hugh Grant, Rufus Sewell, Bill Nighy, Felicity Kendal, Harriet Walter, Amaka Okafor, Emma Fielding, Bill Paterson, John Hurt, Bertie Carvel, Toby Jones, Penelope Keith, John Le Mesurier, Penny Downie, Anna Massey, Ron Cook, Ronny Jhutti, Mathew Baynton, Peggy Ashcroft and Timothy West. 

Production credits:

Written by Tom Stoppard.

Text copyright 1964 (The Dissolution of Dominic Boot, M Is for Moon Among Other Things), 1966 (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, If You're Glad, I'll Be Frank), 1967 (Albert's Bridge), 1968 (The Real Inspector Hound), 1970 (Where Are They Now?), 1977 (Professional Foul), 1982 (The Dog It Was That Died), 1986 (Dalliance), 1991 (In the Native State), 1993 (Arcadia), 2006 (Rock 'n' Roll), 2013 (Darkside).

All rights reserved.  

Arcadia - directed by David Benedictus. Original music composed by Jeremy Sands.

The Real Inspector Hound - directed by Gordon House.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - directed by Emma Harding.

Music arranged and performed by Clare Salaman, Philip Hopkins and Amelia Shakespeare from The Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments.

Albert's Bridge - produced and directed by Charles Lefeaux.

Where Are They Now? - produced by John Tydeman.

If You're Glad, I'll Be Frank - produced by John Tydeman.

The Dissolution of Dominic Boot - directed by Glyn Dearman.

The Dog It Was That Died - produced by John Tydeman.

Rock 'n' Roll - directed by Alison Hindell.

Darkside - produced by James Robinson.

Professional Foul - directed by Gordon House.

Dalliance - directed by Jeremy Howe. Based on a play by Arthur Schnitzler. Piano played by Steve Edis.

M Is for Moon Among Other Things - directed by Paul Schlesinger.

In the Native State - produced by John Tydeman. Excerpt from Up the Country by Emily Eden, read by Auriol Smith.

©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Old, outdated and boring

All the great actors narrating this cannot save it. Very dull and snooze worthy. I love Stoppard's plays, but this is unbearable.

This purchase suddenly stopped working!

I used credits for this edition and now it's just silence, static, and glitchy noises.

Audio Problems mar some good plays.

I love Stoppard. But these recordings are nearly unlistenable. Way too faint, especially with road noise.

Dated

old old stuff and nonsense must have needed great acting to make up for lack of characterization

Ideas and Language

This collection of BBC broadcasts of Tom Stoppard's hilarious and challenging plays demonstrate his joy in juggling both simple and complex ideas. The actors clearly welcome this quality writing. You will too!

Clever and prescient

Loved this and will listen again, it has depth and wit, pace, passion, and music.

A joy to listen to

As a new listener to the plays and dramas of Tom Stoppard, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. The performances from all of the cast were brilliant. The quality writing, and the storyline, made it a joy to listen to.

Outstanding value

A wonderful cast displaying Stoppards gift for language.
l can recommend this amazing collection of plays.

highly recommended

A great selection of Stoppard's works performed by fine radio actors and a silent tortoise and juggler.