Ships - Radio Plays
1969 Hornblower (20 episodes)
1972 Peter Terson- The 1861 Whitby Lifeboat Disaster
1973 Mutiny on the Bounty, 90m
1979 Hornblower, another production (20 episodes)
1980 James Follett - The long lonely voyage of U-395 (WW2)
1981 Nick Darke - Lifeboat
1982 David Fisher - The Manila Galleon. 60m.
1994 Moya O'Shea - C.Q.D.
1995 Bert Coules - Mutiny on the Bounty, 3 x 60m classic serial
1998 Eric Pringle - Hard Row to Porlock
1998 Nicholas Monserrat / Joe Dunlop - The Cruel Sea
2002 J.M.Scott - Sea Wyf and Biscuit. 45m.
2004 Jennie Buckman - Deptford Wives
2008 Patrick O'Brien - H.M.S. Surprise. 3 x 45m.
NOTES
HORNBLOWER....1969 (and 1979)
Adapted from the books of C.S.Forester by Val Gielgud; produced by Trevor Hill.
More information about these broadcasts on the Trevor Hill page (see Producers). Amazing series - the fictional memoirs of Admiral Hornblower, who flourished at the time of the Napoleonic Wars.
The Hornblower Story: The episodes:
Book 1: Mr Midshipman Hornblower
1: The Even Chance
2: The Cargo of Rice
3: The Man Saw God
4: The Examination for Lieutenant
5: The Duchess and the Devil
Book 2: Lieutenant Hornblower
1: The Peculiar Captain
2: Sealed Orders
3: The Landing
4: Court of Inquiry
5: Home and Beauty
Book 3: Hornblower and the Hotspur
1: Hotspur Sails
2: Hotspur and the Loire
3: The Raid
4: Blockade
5: The Treasure Fleet
Book 4: Lord Hornblower
1: The Mutiny
2: Plan for Rebellion
3: Counter-Stroke
4: Out of the Past
5: Story's End
THE WHITBY LIFEBOAT DISASTER....1972
See Radio Plays by Year, 1972.
THE LONG LONELY VOYAGE OF U-395....1980
U-395 is a U-boat. 90m; stars Margot Boyd.
LIFEBOAT....1981
A dramatic rescue at sea.
THE MANILA GALLEON....1982
22 Jul 82. The true story of William Dampier: writer, naturalist, privateer and ... pirate.
C.Q.D.....1994
R4 , 25/1/94 , 30min.
A ship en route to Canada picks up a female survivor on a lifeboat, but from what boat has she come?
HARD ROW TO PORLOCK....1998
The amazing story of the Lynmouth lifeboat rescue of 1897. See Eric Pringle page for more information.
THE CRUEL SEA....1998
The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat was adapted by Joe Dunlop and went out on 6 Wednesday evenings on R2 at 2130 hrs. from 7 January. Sir Donald Sinden narrated and the cast included Philip Madoc, Paul Rhys and Helen Baxendale. The production was 50% longer than that broadcast in September, 1980, but held the attention well. A memorable scene was HMS 'Compass', engines stopped, motionless, a sitting target for a U-boat, whilst the engineers struggled to do the repair. "Radio Times" reported the efforts of Jonathan Ruffle, the Producer, to get the sound effects right. He decided that it was no good using any old wind and wave recordings - they had to be from the North Atlantic. He went from Le Havre to Montreal on a cargo ship, taking tape recorders and microphones with him. "It's no good trying to fool the listeners", he said. "They'd be able to tell if we were recording on board the Isle of Wight ferry".
SEA WYF & BISCUIT....2002
The story of a shipwreck. 45m.
DEPTFORD WIVES....2004
The story behind an extraordinary autobiography -
"The history of the female shipwright". Directed by
Janet Whitaker.
H.M.S. SURPRISE....2008
A serial - three afternoon plays broadcast on successive days. From Patrick O'Brien's novel, adapted for radio by Roger Danes. 8,9,10 Oct 08.
Naval battles, political intrigue and romantic rivalry on the high seas. Set in 1804-5. Captain Jack Aubrey and his super-intelligent sidekick Dr. Stephen Maturin engage the Spanish at sea and the French on land. David Robb as Aubrey, Richard Dillane as Maturin. Other cast members: Jon Glover, David Timson, Struan Roger, Liz Sutherland, David Holt, Dan Starkey, Lesley Nicol, Sarah Danes. Produced by Bruce Young.
Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
Asterisked plays known to exist in VRPCC collections
