Author:Nancy Mitford,Full Cast,Timothy West,Prunella Scales,Jane Knowles,Amanda Root,Teresa Gallagher,Pauline Letts,Edward de Souza,Elizabeth Proud
BBC Radio adaptations of Nancy Mitford's most famous novels and acclaimed biography of Madame de Pompadour plus bonus programmes
The eldest of the notorious Mitford sisters, Nancy Mitford was renowned for her comic novels of upper-class life. An aristocrat and socialite, she mingled with the 'Bright Young Things' in interwar London, and went on to satirise their foibles in razor-sharp, wickedly funny prose. Collected here are adaptations of her two bestsellers, the semi-autobiographical The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate; her delightful biography of Louis XV's chief mistress; and a pair of fascinating programmes exploring her own unconventional life.
The Pursuit of Love
This bittersweet tale follows the fortunes of Fanny Logan and her eccentric aristocratic cousins, the Radletts, as they embark on disastrous love affairs and misconceived marriages while searching for Mr Right.
Cast
Lord Radlett - Rolf Lefebvre
Lady Radlett - Joan Matheson
Fanny - Susan Maudslay
Linda - Jane Knowles
Matt - Brian Hewlett
Captain Davey Warbeck - Godfrey Kenton
Emily - Joan Hart
Tony Kroesig - Michael Spice
Lord Merlin - John Rye
Bessie - Olwen Griffiths
Mrs Fletcher - Barbara Mitchell
The Bolter - Cecile Chevreau
Other parts played by Sion Probert, George Raistrick, Alan Rowe and William Sleigh.
Adapted by Alan Melville. Produced by Norman Wright.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 February 1974
Love in a Cold Climate
A glamorous invitation to a grand party at Hampton - home of the fantastically rich Montdores and their beautiful daughter Polly - brings Fanny into the world of 1920s high society: and in and out of love when the temperature drops... Amanda Root stars in this sparkling sequel to The Pursuit of Love.
Cast
Fanny - Amanda Root
Lady Montdore - Barbara Jefford
Polly - Teresa Gallagher
Veronica - Jenny Howe
Uncle Davey - Jon Strickland
Aunt Emily - Patience Tomlinson
Aunt Sadie - Tessa Worsley
Uncle Matthew - Ioan Meredith
Boy Dougdale - Stephen Critchlow
Jassy - Sarah-Jane Holm
Victoria - Tilly Gaunt
Cedric - William Hope
Alfred - Tom Beard
Dramatised by Claire Luckham. Directed by Marion Nancarrow.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3 May 1999
The King's Favourite
Based on Mitford's Madame de Pompadour, this three-part drama vividly evokes the colourful atmosphere of 18th Century Versailles, and Louis XV's tempestuous relationship with his adored mistress, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour.
Cast
Narrator - Alan Melville
Duc d'Orléans - Patrick Tull
Madame de Ventadour - Katherine Parr
Infanta Maria of Spain - Elizabeth Proud
Louis XV (as a youth) - Nigel Anthony
Duc de Bourbon - James Thomason
The Queen - Pauline Letts
Louis XV - Edward de Souza
Lebel, concierge - Robin Browne
Marquise de la Ferté - Margot Boyd
Monsieur Poisson - Harold Kasket
Madame d'Etioles - Moira Lister
Monsieur d'Etioles - John Gabriel
Lasmartre, a huntsman - David Timson
Lady of the Court - Olwen Griffiths
Produced by Norman Wright.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10-24 December 1971
Dearest Evelyn, Darling Nancy
Adapted from the witty correspondence of lifelong literary friends Evelyn Waugh and Nancy Mitford, this entertaining, gossipy 'conversation in letters' stars Timothy West and Prunella Scales.
Cast
Evelyn Waugh - Timothy West
Nancy Mitford - Prunella Scales
Adapted by Alan Bell. Produced by Pete Atkin.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 December 1993
Greatest Lives - Nancy Mitford
Grace Dent loves Nancy Mitford for her wit, and for the way in which she showed women that it was possible to live your life fully and unconventionally. Matthew Parris asks what it is about Nancy that so inspires Grace, with the aid of Mitford biographer Lisa Hilton.
Produced by Beth O'Dea.
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 January 2013
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
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—— Daily TelegraphDavison's evocative, far from linear approach does great service to the composer
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—— Evening StandardWhen the party starts, it's celebrity mayhem but the heart of the book is family, love and loyalty. I adored everything about this punchy and incisive take on fame and its consequences, from the sympathetic characters to the salty surf atmosphere.
—— Daily MailThink Selling Sunset with knobs on as Taylor Jenkins Reid again plunges us into the intoxicating, heat-heavy realm of intrigue of Malibu, this time amidst the world of the filthy rich.
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—— StylistHot off the success of the immensely enjoyable 1970s band story Daisy Jones & The Six comes Taylor Jenkins Reid's latest, a superfun foray into the 1980s ... Delicious.
—— Sunday Telegraph, Novel of the WeekSimmering with sexual tension, this hugely enjoyable ensemble narrative turns on a raucous party.
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—— 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.
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—— 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.
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