Author:Tom Crowley,Beth Crane,Janina Matthewson,Eno Mfon,Greer Ellison,Jesse Schwenk,Robert Valentine,Chris Sugden,Jen Sugden,Full Cast,Alex Lawther,Peter Bankole,Valene Kane,Camille Coduri,Danielle Vitalis,Lloyd Everitt,Eiry Thomas,Don Gilet,Dylan Llewellyn
Ten mind-altering tales from some of the best new drama writers
There's a crack in reality. Our world has brushed up against another, and something is breaking through. Ordinary people are experiencing strange disruptions, as inexplicable events and bizarre elements from the other side start to interfere with their lives...
A ghost soldier embarks on a time-travelling mission. A homeless woman discovers a portal to a parallel universe. A librarian becomes gradually invisible. A queue stretches across the North of England, as people wait years for an answer to one question. And a mother and daughter realise that someone - or something - is listening in on their conversations, and fixing their problems. These are just some of the intimate, immersive stories in this collection; all set in the same shared universe, and including seven standalones and one three-part drama.
With echoes of The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror, Murmurs mixes horror, sci-fi and fantasy to gripping effect. Told through phone calls, answerphone messages, radio broadcasts, voice notes and other 'found recordings', and enhanced by an eerie, otherworldly soundscape, it will intrigue, disturb, disorientate and burrow deep under your skin. But don't be alarmed - just listen to the murmurs...
Among the casts are Peter Bankole (Peaky Blinders), Abra Thompson (This Country), Camille Coduri (King Gary), Valene Kane (The Fall) and Alex Lawther (The End of the F***ing World).
Production credits
Music by Mary Epworth
A BBC Cymru Wales Production
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 9 January 2021
Over and Out
Lieutenant Beaumont - Peter Bankole
Kim - Katrina Allen
Amira - Helene Maksoud
Jimmy - Adam Courting
Written by Tom Crowley
Directed by David Devereux
When We Are Heard (Part 1)
Millie - Abra Thompson
Beth - Camille Coduri
Written by Janina Matthewson
Directed by James Robinson
Night Jungle
Eve - Aimee-Ffion Edwards
Alison - Larissa Hope
Mr Wensum - Ben Crowe
June - Claire Cage
Written by Beth Crane
Directed by Helen Perry
A Miracle
Precious - Danielle Vitalis
Temi - Doyin Ajiboye
Crazy Lady - Janice Acquah
The Reporter - Adam Courting
Written by Eno Mfon
Directed by John Norton
When We Are Heard (Part 2)
Millie - Abra Thompson
Beth - Camille Coduri
Written by Janina Matthewson
Directed by James Robinson
Last Night on Earth
Germaine - Georgia Henshaw
Detective Blake - Don Gilet
Booker - Lloyd Everitt
Ryan - Dom Francis
Written by Greer Ellison
Directed by John Norton
Disappearances
Mo - Valene Kane
Midge - Dylan Llewellyn
Midge's Mum - Eiry Thomas
Library Technician - Saikat Ahamed
Written by Jesse Schwenk
Directed by Helen Perry
Man's Best Friend
Lloyd - Alex Lawther
Nadia - Monica Sagar
Jacquie - Heather Craney
Marco - Lucio Veronesi
Police Officers - Adam Courting & Scarlett Courtney
Written by Robert Valentine
Directed by John Norton
The Queue
Elena - Adelle Leonce
Bronwyn - Gwyneth Keyworth
Neal - Ian Smith
Wilkes - Jessica Turner
Claire - Laura Christy
Carlson - Ikky Elyas
Written by Jen and Chris Sugden
Directed by David Devereux
When We Are Heard (Part 3)
Millie - Abra Thompson
Beth - Camille Coduri
Nurse - Scarlett Courtney
Train Announcer - Adam Courting
Written by Janina Matthewson
Directed by James Robinson
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
An important addition to the Pinter canon
—— The StageThis new book of conversations, photos and speeches is a beautifully presented, coffee table-friendly smorgasbord of uplift . . . Annotated versions of Obama speeches on their original notepaper, most movingly his passionate and compassionate eulogy for civil rights activist John Lewis ("like John, we have to keep getting into good trouble"), feel like a window on to history, as, to a lesser extent, do rather more pristine, handwritten Springsteen lyrics
—— iNewsOne may be a songwriter and the other a politician but Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama are both gifted storytellers who have crafted a story about themselves and their nation . . . Renegades reminds us that despite the hardness of the world and the challenges that demand to be faced there still exists the promise of better days
—— Sarfraz ManzoorIn this beautifully curated coffee-table book, which bulks up the extended podcast transcripts with photographs, annotated speeches and handwritten song lyrics to lend a degree of polished intimacy, these American heavyweights find the silver linings adorning even the darkest of clouds
—— The TimesRenegades: Born in the USA is human, vulnerable, smart, and passionate . . . Obama and Springsteen admire their country while considering its shortcomings and still come out the other side with a sense of patriotism and hope that spills over the bounds of a book
—— Associated PressA collection of intimate and thoughtful conversations between the President and the Boss
—— Los Angeles TimesDo you dream of scoring an invitation to Springsteen's Colts Neck compound? Maybe strumming on those guitars, riding horses, riffing on the American experiment in the recording studio? Unless you're an American president, you're going to have to get in line. But in between daydreams, pick up Renegades. It's the closest thing to being a fly on the wall of an incredible friendship
—— EsquireMark that young man, he will make a name for himself in the world
—— Mozart after hearing the young Beethoven playTunbridge has come up with the seemingly impossible: a new way of approaching Beethoven's life and music . . . and in every chapter a superb - and accessible to non-musicians - analysis of the music . . . profoundly original and hugely readable
—— John Suchet, author Beethoven: The Man RevealedRemarkable . . . she captures the essence of his genius and character. I'll always want to keep it in easy reach
—— Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the third ReichIlluminating . . . deftly gathers in the connections . . . In 288 pages, Tunbridge gives us detail enough to create a rounded portrait . . . She makes us marvel at Beethoven all the more
—— Fiona Maddocks , ObserverYou don't have to be a music scholar to enjoy this brilliant, and pleasingly concise book. But, if you don't love Beethoven, both the man and his music, when you start, you should by the time you finish
—— Roger Alton , Daily MailCuts straight to the action . . . Tunbridge balances the traditional narrative of universal, timeless genius, of innovation before its time, with a pragmatic, jobbing musician working hard to make a living
—— Alexandra Coghlan , SpectatorCompact but also rewarding...a lot of information is packed into her musical portraits
—— Richard Fairman , Financial TimesLaura Tunbridge finds something fresh to say about Beethoven by looking at his life through nine pieces... An entertaining way to celebrate the great man's 250th birthday
—— James Marriott , Sunday Times Books of the YearA twinkling elucidation of concert life in Vienna... fluent, concise and engaging
—— Paul Griffith , Times Literary SupplementLaura Tunbridge, in her new biographical study, has found an elegant way to give Beethovenian heroism and struggle its due, while slyly plucking at the reverse of Solomon's martial banner... Each chapter delivers its little shock of correction
—— James Wood , London Review of BooksLaura Tunbridge offers a timely portrait of the composer in an elegant biography . . . refreshingly, [she] focuses on the man rather than the myth. Knowledgeable and humane, this is a deeply sympathetic portrait of a turbulent musical genius
—— Jane Shilling , Daily MailTunbridge never stints on musical description, nor compromises her admirable rigour, while her prose is vivid, crystal-clear and never less than fascinating . . . a wonderfully rewarding book
—— Jessica Duchen , Classical Music MagazineSimmering with sexual tension, this hugely enjoyable ensemble narrative turns on a raucous party.
—— Mail on SundayMalibu Rising is finely crafted commercial fiction, escapism in high definition, a quintessential beach read... If Nina Riva's party is the hottest ticket of the summer, then Malibu Rising is a front-row seat at the main event.
—— Irish TimesA gorgeous, sun-soaked novel that delves into the glamour and desperate hope of 1980s Malibu, and the saga of a family that will never be the same again.
—— The SkinnyThe perfect summer novel, a vibrant story filled with sun, surfing, and flawed but lovable characters.
—— Daily BeastAfter a year where most people stayed home, it's a great time to escape to the beach, even if only through Reid's writing.
—— IndependentThis glamourous, compulsive novel is best enjoyed from your sun lounger with a cocktail in hand.
—— Good HousekeepingA deliciously decadent tale of sex, tragedy, celebrity, surfboards and tanned skin in 1980s Malibu.
—— The TimesI absolutely loved her book.... It's an absolute blast to read
—— Alice- Azania JarvisJACKIE COLLINS, BUT BETTER Sacrilege to say "better", I know, but there we are. Set in the 1980s, Taylor Jenkins Reid's Malibu Rising is wonderfully written, intensely evocative and concerns the model/ surfer children of a rock star. Tons of glamour, tons of sharply observed insights about sibling relationships, plus a massive party. Beach read par excellence. See also her brilliant Daisy Jones & the Six, which is heaven (more rock stars).
—— AnonymousWhen we picked up Malibu Rising, the new novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, we could barely put it down
—— That's LifeYou'll never want this book to end, it will suck you in and spit you out!
—— Muddy Stilettos