Description

A collection of BBC dramatisations and readings of William Boyds awardwinning novels and short stories

One of Britains foremost contemporary writers William Boyd is renowned worldwide for his bestselling novels which have been translated into over 30 languages He has won numerous awards including the Somerset Maugham Award for A Good Man in Africa the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for An IceCream War and the Costa Book Award for Restless

Collected here are the BBC radio productions of all three acclaimed books Starring Alan Rickman Alison Steadman and Bill Patterson A Good Man in Africa tells the satirical story of a buffoonish diplomats struggles in a fictional West African country In the espionage thriller Restless it is 1976 and Ruth discovers that her very English mother Sally is in fact a Russian emigr and former British spy Eileen Atkins stars as Sally with Fenella Woolgar as Ruth And in An IceCream War as millions face slaughter on the Western Front British and German colonists in East Africa try to emulate their European counterparts Nickolas Grace and William Hootkins star in this darkly comic drama

Also included are dramatisations of three of Boyds superb short stories On the Yankee Station is a gripping tale of revenge on an American aircraft carrier The Destiny of Nathalie X features an African filmmakers encounter with Hollywood and its grotesque inhabitants and in the eerie A Haunting a landscape architect finds himself taken over by an unseen presence Peter Whitman Keith Edwards John Sessions and Maynard Eziashi are among the star casts

We conclude with five further stories read by Ben Miles Jonathan Firth Bill Nighy Niamh Cusack and Tom GoodmanHill Adult Video features an Oxford postgraduate who rewinds fast forwards and plays through his life Varengeville sees a young boy go exploring and meet a painter as his mother entertains her friend Lunch reveals a diners eventful days through his restaurant receipts and pithy comments Fantasia on a Favourite Waltz centres around a prostitutes encounter with a talented young pianist and The Pigeon takes us into the world of a sickly author facing romantic betrayal and family fissures

Cast and credits
Written by William Boyd

Text copyright William Boyd 1981 A Good Man in Africa On the Yankee Station 1982 An Ice Cream War 1995 The Destiny of Nathalie X 1998 Varengeville 2000 A Haunting 2004 Adult Video Lunch Fantasia on a Favourite Waltz The Pigeon 2006 Restless

A Good Man in Africa
Dramatised by Stephen Davis
Directed by Richard Wortley
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 18 March 1985

Restless
Dramatised by Melissa Murray
Directed by Marc Beeby
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 617 April 2009

An Ice Cream War
Dramatised by John Peacock
Directed by Eoin OCallaghan
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 19 May16 June 1994

On the Yankee Station
Adapted by William Boyd
Directed by Richard Wortley
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 9 May 1985

The Destiny of Nathalie X
Directed by Dave Batchelor
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 20 November 1998

A Haunting
Directed by Dave Batchelor
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 28 December 2001

William Boyd Fascination
Abridged by Neville Teller
Produced by Duncan Minshull
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 1519 November 2004

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