Fourble

Abraham Stoker was an Irish author who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of the famous Shakespearean actor Sir Henry Irving and the business manager of the West End's Lyceum Theatre, which Irving owned.


In his early years, Stoker worked as a theatre critic for an Irish newspaper, and wrote stories as well as commentaries. Since his death, his magnum opus Dracula has become one of the best-known works in English literature, and the novel has been adapted for numerous films and plays. Stoker's stories are today included in the categories of horror fiction, romanticized Gothic stories, and melodrama. They are classified alongside other works of popular fiction, such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which also used the myth-making and story-telling method of having multiple narrators telling the same tale from different perspectives.


Collected here are nine BBC Radio productions of Stoker works, plus a drama by Joseph O'Connor which explores the close collaboration and intense friendship between Bram Stoker and Henry Irving.


Dracula
Bram Stoker's masterpiece: a disturbing vampire tale of horror. An all-action adventure story, with ghosts, ghouls, lunatics, and seriously gripping chase sequences. A thrilling ride through the dark psyche of Victorian England.
Count Dracula ..... Nicky Henson
Dr Seward ..... Charles Edwards
Renfield ..... Don Gilet
Jonathan Harker ..... Michael Shelford
Mina Murray ..... Ellie Kendrick
Lucy Westenra ..... Scarlett Brookes
Dr Van Helsing ..... John Dougall
Arthur ..... Joe Sims
Landlord's Wife ..... Christine Absalom
Driver ..... Robert Blythe
Simmons ..... Patrick Brennan
Vampiresses ..... Sarah Thom/Ellie Crook/Stephanie Racine
Child ..... Harper Bone
Singer ..... Adriana Festeu
Written by Bram Stoker
Dramatised by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2012


Dracula's Guest
Count Dracula looks out for a curious Englishman.
Written by Bram Stoker
Read by Dan Stevens
Producer Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 7 in February 2011


The Lair of the White Worm
It's 1870 in Derbyshire's High Peak district. While on a visit to his elderly uncle in the tiny village of Penda's Dale, Adam Salton - already shocked by the oppressive melancholic atmosphere in the village - quickly realises that the disappearance of several local men is not accidental. His investigations lead him to the discovery of a terrifying and ancient secret: a malevolent force is at work in Penda's Dale.
Adam Salton .... Jimi Mistry
Dr Daniel Salton .... Peter Marinker
Frank Davenport .... Ben Crowe
Dick Watford .... Ian Masters
Mother .... Richenda Carey
Lila .... Eleanor Howell
Mary .... Lydia Leonard
Ned .... Stuart McLoughlin
Jackson .... Robert Hastie
Lady Arabella March .... Juliet Aubrey
Michael O'Langan .... Jonathan Keeble
Lord Edgar Caswall .... Stephen Critchlow
Policeman .... Jason Chan
Written by Bram Stoker
Dramatised by Brian Wright
Producer Rishi Shankar
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in December 2004


The Judge's House
Malcolm Malcolmson discovers the truth of 'absurd prejudices' which have accrued around an empty property.
Malcolmson ...... Nigel Havers
Mrs Witham ...... Jane Thompson
With David Timson and Alexander John
Written by Bram Stoker
Dramatised by Patricia Mays
Directed by Derek Hoddinott
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in January 1982


The Secret of the Growing Gold
Fair hair becomes an unusual tool of marital revenge.
Written by Bram Stoker
Abridged by Donald Bancroft
Read by Dyfed Thomas
Produced by David Benedictus
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1990


The Coming of Abel Behenna
Two rivals in love make a pact. Will it end in betrayal?
Written by Bram Stoker
Abridged by Donald Bancroft
Read by Dyfed Thomas
Produced by David Benedictus
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1990


The Dream in the Dead House
An Englishman in Munich receives a most unexpected rescue.
Written by Bram Stoker
Abridged by Donald Bancroft
Read by Dyfed Thomas
Produced by David Benedictus
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1990


A Dream of Red Hands
Jacob Settle hides a dark past. What does his dream mean?
Written by Bram Stoker
Abridged by Donald Bancroft
Read by Dyfed Thomas
Produced by David Benedictus
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1990


The Squaw
An arrogant American earns himself a horrific retribution.
Written by Bram Stoker
Abridged by Donald Bancroft
Read by Dyfed Thomas
Produced by David Benedictus
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1990


Vampyre Man
A drama about the close collaboration and intense friendship between Bram Stoker and the famous Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. Under Irving's reckless tutelage, the young Irish accountant struggled to keep the theatre afloat. Irving's demands were indomitable and over the years Stoker endured the actor's outrageous whims and acerbic tongue. And yet, Stoker remained mesmerised by him, absorbing his traits and suffering his humiliations all the while letting him grow in his imagination until he was ready to release him into the world as Count Dracula.
Bram Stoker ...... Darragh Kelly
Henry Irving ...... Anton Lesser
Ellen Terry ...... Amanda Redman
Florence ...... Eva Birthistle
Harker ...... Patrick FitzSymons
Detective ...... Dan Gordon
Actor ...... Peter Balance
Written by Joseph O'Connor
Directed by Stephen Wright
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in April 2015

1. Dracula (104.2Mb)
2. Dracula's Guest (22.6Mb)
3. The Lair of the White Worm (52.5Mb)
4. The Judge's House (25.1Mb)
5. The Secret to Growing Gold (13.6Mb)
6. The Coming of Abel Behenna (13.5Mb)
7. The Dream in the Dead House (13.5Mb)
8. A Dream of Red Hands (13.4Mb)
9. The Squaw (13.4Mb)
10. Vampyre Man (81.3Mb)

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