Legends: Radio Plays
For plays based on the legends of Oedipus, Oysseus, Troy, etc,
see GREEKS page.
(Click on RADIO PLAYS followed by RADIO PLAYS BY TOPIC
followed by GREEKS)
Others are listed below. One particular legend which keeps
popping up in many guises is that of King Arthur ...
BBC Radio Plays:
2006 Gilgamish, another production. Details anyone?
2005 Kiss of the Ice Maiden, by Hattie Naylor.
2004 Arthur, by Sebastian Baczkiewicz and Steve May (six plays)
2000 The Swansong, by David Grieg
1997 Valley of Trelamia
1997 Over sea, under stone, by David Calcutt
1993 Merlin and Arthur....by Nigel Baldwin
1992 The legend of Robin Hood, by John Fletcher
1986 Passings, by Ian Weir
1983 Epic of Gilgamish
1981 The sword in the stone, by T.H.White
Others:
A series of Arthurian tales, early 1990s. Can't remember author.
NOTES
KISS OF THE ICE MAIDEN....2005
R4, 25 May 05. Afternoon play.
By Hans Christian Andersen and Hattie Naylor.
Fairy tales and history are intertwined in Hattie Naylor's epic
account of the life of author Hans Christian Andersen, a story that
begins in the spinning rooms of a lunatic asylum in provincial
Denmark and ends with international acclaim for tales such as
The Little Mermaid, The Tin Soldier and The Ugly Duckling.
Grandmother ...... Rachel Atkins
Young Hans ...... Jonathan Bullock
Father ...... Ben Crowe
Tea Cup Dog ...... Daniel Goode
The Ice Maiden ...... Catherine Harvey
Mette ...... Helen Longworth
Older Hans ...... Tim McMullan
Mother ...... Louise Plowright
Music composed (and play directed) by Paul Dodgson.
KINGS....2004
Six plays on the Arthurian legend by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
and Steve May. See Sebastian's page for more details.
THE SWANSONG....2000
R4, 11/2/00, 60min, by David Greig.
A contemporary variation of the legend of Leda and the Swan.
A young woman sits by a pond with only a bottle of gin for company.
Then a handsome stranger waddles out of the rushes and whisks
her off for a magical and memorable night on the town. (I've mis-spelled
the name "Greig" above so theat search engines pick up either
version)
The Valley of Trelamia....1997
Afternoon play involving Cornish legends.
OVER SEA, UNDER STONE....1997
See David Calcutt's page.
Merlin and Arthur on the way to Glastonbury, not
to mention Whatserface....1993
By Nigel Baldwin. (see Nigel's page) - a modern setting of the
Arthurian legand.
THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD....1992
Interesting dramatisation of almost everything known about
"Robin Hood". See John Fletcher's page for details.
PASSINGS....1986
BBCR3 8/8/86 (orig 1984), 70min,
by Ian Weir. Arthurian legend
EPIC OF GILGAMISH....1983
An adaptation of the Sumerian epic, which has some interesting
parallels with the biblical story of the flood. But that's where
the similarities end.....R4, 8pm, 21 Mar 83. Adapted by Alec Reid; stars
Max Wall as the ferryman.
Gillian Reynolds didn't like the adaptation much; I can see
why, but it appealed to me. It wasn't a normal play, but something
of an extravaganza - a bit like a series of tableaux. Stories from very early times are
never paced in the same way as those of today. The
atmosphere which it built up, and the music composed for it, were very effective.
THE SWORD IN THE STONE....1981
Adapted by Neville Teller. See Neville's page. With Michael
Hordern.
Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
Most of the above plays known to exist in VRPCC collections
