Radio 3 Drama, 2025
Drama on 3 – 2025; Sunday evenings
The lists I used to compile this page were issued each Saturday. So a play indicated by the '4 Jan' list would actually have been broadcast on 5 Jan.
I hope that's clear.
Now - on with the drama details ... the last R3 page ever ...
w.b. Sat 4 Jan: The Dead
A reading by Jonathan Forbes. Written by James Joyce.
'Snow was general all over Ireland.' An overheard Irish folk song at a Twelfth Night party in Dublin uncovers deep-buried memories and provokes a personal epiphany for Gabriel Conroy. Sound design by Jonathan Thomas. Produced by Emma Harding, BBC Wales.
w.b. 11 Jan 25: Gatsby in Harlem, 1
By Roy Williams. A re-imagination of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, set in Harlem in 1925. This reimagined take of the original classic, moves the location from Long Island. The Harlem Renaissance offered African Americans across the country a new spirit of self determination, pride and a belief in their own American Dream: that all Americans would one day be able live and be respected and accepted and that segregation would become a thing of the past.
Nick Carraway - Malachi Kirby,
Jay Gatsby - Ncuti Gatwa,
Daisy Buchanan - Gugu Mbatha-Raw,
Tom Buchanan Chiké Okonkwo,
Jordon Baker - Michaella Moore,
Myrtle Wilson - Harmony Rose Bremner,
Wilson - Ako Mitchell,
Stephanie St Claire - Moya Angela,
Dan Cody - Sam Dale,
Klipspringer - Tom Glenister,
Mr Greene - Joseph Mydell.
Other parts played by
Tom Alexander, Sam Dale, Tayla Kovacevi-Ebong, Vigs Otite, Finlay Paul and Romario Splatt.
Produced by Celia de Wolff.
Assistant Producer - Eleanor Mein
Indie (Granny Eats Wolf production).
Runner - Greg Birks.
Sound Design - Andreina Gomez Casanova and Axel Kacoutie.
Dialogue editor and engineer - Matt Bainbridge.
Additional editor - Lucinda Mason-Brown.
Original music and composition - Emily Tran.
Music Supervisor - Ben Burrell.
Musical Director - Gary Crosby.
Musicians: Gary Crosby and Tom Sheen on Bass,
Will Gibson on Sax and Clarinet,
Mark Kavuma on Trumpet,
Sarah Tandy on Piano,
Rod Youngs on Drums.
Arrangements by Mark Kavuma and Emily Tran.
Producer for Tomorrow’s Warriors - Fish Krish.
Music sound-engineered, mixed and mastered by Luc Saint Martin.
Everything recorded at The Confetti Institute - London, part of Nottingham Trent University.
w.b. 18 Jan 25: Gatsby in Harlem, 2
Production details - see previous entry.
Indie ( Granny Eats Wolf ).
25 Jan 25: Emperor and Galilean, 1: Young Julian
By Ibsen. Two-part stage play adapted by Ben Power for the National Theatre in 2011. Set in the 4th century AD, it tells the story of Julian the Apostate and his failed attempt to abolish Christianity in the Roman Empire. An apostate is one who renounces a religious (or political) belief.
Julian ..... Freddie Fox,
Maxima ..... Siân Phillips,
Peter ..... Jonathan Forbes
Gregory ..... Samuel James,
Agathon ..... Nye Occomore,
Helena ..... Gabrielle Brooks,
Constantius ..... Gerard McDermott,
Ursulus ..... Ewan Bailey,
Jovian ..... Joshua Manning,
Ammian ..... Will Kirk,
Myhhra ..... Kymberley Cochrane,
Varro ..... Hasan Dixon.
Adapted by Ben from literal translations from Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife and Marie Wells.
Production Coordinator ..... Jonathan Powell.
Sound Design / SMs ..... Peter Ringrose, Caleb Knightley, Alison Craig, Keith Graham.
Produced by Carl Prekopp.
1 Feb 25: Emperor and Galilean, 2: Emperor Julian
By Ben Power, after Ibsen (see previous entry). The conclusion of Ibsen's play telling the story of Julian the Apostate and his attempt to abolish Christianity in the Roman Empire. In the aftermath of his wife's murder, Julian is proclaimed Emperor. Ben's version premiered at the National in 2011.
Julian ..... Freddie Fox,
Maxima ..... Siân Phillips,
Peter ..... Jonathan Forbes,
Gregory ..... Samuel James,
Agathon ..... Nye Occomore,
Eutherius ..... Gerard McDermott
Ursulus ..... Ewan Bailey,
Jovian ..... Joshua Manning,
Ammian ..... Will Kirk
Myhhra ..... Kymberley Cochrane,
Publia ..... Leah Marks.
Adapted by Ben Power from translations by Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife and Marie Wells.
Production Coordinator ..... Jonathan Powell.
Sound Design ..... Peter Ringrose, Caleb Knightley, Alison Craig, Keith Graham.
Produced by Carl Prekopp.
BBC Studio.
8 Feb 25: Saint Joan of the Anthropocene
By Linda Marshall Griffiths, based on Shaw's play... Saint Joan is now a young British climate activist.
Saint Joan ..... Safia Oakley-Green,
Robert ..... Cel Spellman,
Senator Warwick..... Toby Jones,
Aide?Mum/Counsel ..... Jenny Platt,
Dad/ Judge/ UK Secretary of State ....Rupert Hill,
Kit/ Sean ..... Tachia Newall,
Hannah/ Emergency Operator ..... Kiara Kiandra,
Prosecutor/Fireman/MI5 Agent ..... Esh Alladi,
Ensemble..... Louis Brown, Ethan Cale, Katie Fletcher, Leah Gwendolyn,
Naomi Riccia, Una Togher, Elsa Tuxworth, Samuel Tweats.
Produced by Nadia Molinari.
Technical Production and Sound Design by Sharon Hughes.
Assistant Technical Producer Simon Highfield
Production Co-ordinator Lorna Newman.
BBC.
15 Feb 25: Calmer
By Lolita Chakrabarti. Three generations of ultra-successful women in one family:
Maya, a self-help guru with an avid following, has an American TV deal in the offing.
Nina, her daughter, a psychiatrist, has a thriving practice.
Amber, Nina's daughter, has an offer from Cambridge.
But a fault line appears.
Maya…. Meera Syal,
Nina… Lolita Chakrabarti,
Amber… Payal Mistry,
Michael… Julian Wadham,
Jude… Benjamin Westerby,
Grace… Sophie Melville,
Production co-ordinator: Lindsay Rees,
Original music… Lee Affen,
Sound design: Nigel Lewis,
Produced by Fay Lomas.
BBC Wales.
22 Feb 25: Messiaen and the Birds
By poet Michael Symmons Roberts, who goes on a creative pilgrimage to get to the heart of Messiaen's obsession with birdsong, creating an imaginative sonic journey through drama, poetry and Messiaen's music.
One of Messiaen's inspirations was the pioneering sound recordist Ludwig Koch. Messiaen transcribed many of his birdsong recordings, and listened to birds in every conceivable location. His mystical experiences led him to believe that birds had escaped the Fall, so when he heard birdsong he was hearing the unaltered music of the garden of Eden. Michael travels to Paris to retrace Messiaen's steps and to see his birdsong notebooks in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in order to understand his own obsession with Messiaen.
Olivier Messiaen.....Andonis Anthony,
Yvonne Loriod.....Rosalie Craig
Gerygone.....Julie Hesmondhalgh
Paul Dukas/ Jean Bachmann.....David Seddon.
With special thanks to Marie-Gabrielle Soret, Thomas Lacote, Isabelle Kermet and the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.
Produced by Nadia Molinari.
Technical Production and Sound Design by Sharon Hughes.
Assistant Technical Producer: Amy Brennan.
Production Co-ordinator: Pippa Day. BBC Studio.
1 Mar 25: Hamlet
By William Shakespeare. A restored archive production, unheard for half a century, with Ronald Pickup and produced by John Tydeman, with a score by Malcolm Clarke of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. The play is introduced by Andrea Smith, English lecturer at Suffolk University and author of "Shakespeare On The Radio: A Century of BBC Plays".
Hamlet: Ronald Pickup
Claudius, King of Denmark: Robert Lang
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's Mother: Maxine Audley
Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain: William Squire
Ophelia, Polonius's daughter: Angela Pleasence
Horatio, friend of Hamlet: Martin Jarvis
Marcellus, an officer: Michael Kilgarriff
Ghost of Hamlet's Father: Rolf Lefebvre
Laertes, Polonius's son: David Spenser
Rosencrantz: Michael Spice
Guildenstern: Leslie Heritage
Sound restoration by Keith Wickham of the
Radio Circle; produced by James Peak at Essential Radio.
8 Mar 25: The Defectors
By Al Smith, presented by Paul French. The programme mixes documentary with drama (written by Al Smith) to explore a real-life story of espionage. It provides a snapshot of the world's only communist hereditary monarchy. On a quiet suburban street in Ealing there's a house with its windows blacked out. While kids play in the street and neighbours wash cars, the activities inside the house are secret. It's the home of the North Korean embassy in London. The story is inspired by the defection of its Deputy Ambassador, Thae Yong-ho in 2016. After a long career in Pyongyang’s foreign service, Thae Yong-ho moved to London with his wife and children. The parents embraced British life, sending their boys to London schools, joining the local tennis club and cultivating a taste for Indian restaurants. All the while, Thae was monitoring North Korean exiles in Britain. Then, in 2016, he received a message recalling his family to Pyongyang, forcing him into a difficult choice. The programme brings together the stories of those who made the choice to escape from one of the most impregnable and secretive countries in the world knowing they can never return, never contact their family and former friends, never knowing if those people closest to them were punished for their decision to flee. As well as the account inspired by Thae Yong-ho's defection, Paul French talks to North Koreans who’ve escaped and made it to the UK. Their stories never made it into the newspapers.
Thae . . . . . Andrew Leung,
Oh . . . . . Liz Sutherland Lim,
Ambassador . . . . . David K S Tse,
Kwan . . . . . Dan Li,
Ken . . . . . David Hounslow,
Hyuk . . . . . Nicholas Goh,
Jae . . . . . Michael Miller,
Jang . . . . . Chris Lew Kum Hoi,
Jenny . . . . . Ruth Everett,
Ron . . . . . Samuel James,
Ari . . . . . Rose Esconda,
Boy . . . . . Aurelius Eideberg.
Production co-ordinator: Gaelan Connolly-Davis.
Sound designer: Peter Ringrose.
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.
BBC Studio.
15 Mar 25: Henry V
By William Shakespeare. I do not dare to summarise such a well-known play. Shakespeare experts lurk everywhere.
The Chorus/Alice ..... Penelope Wilton,
King Henry ..... Ben Lloyd-Hughes,
Exeter ..... Nicholas Farrell,
Fluellen/Bedford ..... Steffan Rhodri,
Westmoreland/Governor of Harfleur .... Roger Ringrose,
Pistol/Grey ..... Lloyd Hutchinson,
Nym/Cambridge ..... Ben Crowe,
Bardolph/Scroop .... Ewan Bailey,
Hostess ..... Jessica Turner,
The Boy ..... Billy Jenkins,
King of France/Bishop of Ely ..... Steve Toussaint,
The Dauphin/Williams ..... Luke Newberry,
Katharine ..... Freya Mavor,
The Constable/York ..... John Lightbody,
Orleans/Bates/French soldier ..... Charlie Anson,
Montjoy/Gloucester/Messenger ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr,
Canterbury/Erpingham ..... MIchael Bertenshaw,
Burgundy/Salisbury ..... Nicholas Murchie.
Chorister, George B of The King’s School, Gloucester and Gloucester Cathedral Choir.
Music composed by Jon Nicholls.
Production Co-ordinator, Ben Hollands.
Technical Producers, Peter Ringrose & Ali Craig.
ProducerL Sally Avens.
22Mar
no drama
29Mar
no drama
5Apr
no drama
Radio 3 ceased broadcasting drama at this point. Permanently, we are told.
ND / 15 Jul 2025
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