Description
The dazzling BBC Radio adaptations of Ursula K Le Guins famous fantasy saga and her groundbreaking science fiction masterpiece plus bonus material
Ursula K Le Guin was one of the most revered and influential writers of the 20th Century Her Earthsea books have sold millions of copies and been translated into numerous languages while her trailblazing novel The Left Hand of Darkness was a landmark in feminist science fiction and ranks among the greatest SF novels of all time This BBC collection brings together the magical radio retellings of both these seminal classics
Set on an immense archipelago where magic is a part of life Earthsea tells the stories of Ged a young reckless wizard and Tenar taken from her home as a child to become Arha guardian priestess of the ominous Tombs of Atuan Meeting for the first time deep within the tombs their destinies become intertwined and they unite to bring peace to their troubled world Years later their paths have diverged but when Ged returns to Tenars island on a dragons back they are caught up in an epic battle for the future of Earthsea itself Starring James McArdle Shaun Dooley and Robert Glenister as Ged and Aysha Kala Vineeta Rishi and Nina Wadia as Tenar with Toby Jones and Noma Dumezweni
The Left Hand of Darkness takes place on an alien world in the grip of an Ice Age Genly Ai has been sent from Earth on a mission to persuade Gethen to join a planetary union the Ekumen But his task is fraught with difficulty For this is a world whose people have no fixed gender and Genlys encounters with the natives are marked by mutual incomprehension and mistrust In coming to terms with their otherness and their sameness Genly must let go of his fixed ideas about identity and embark on a dangerous journey across the snow plains with his only ally First Minister Estraven The stakes are high to save a world from war Kobna HoldbrookSmith stars as Genly with Lesley Sharp as Estraven
Also included Ursula Le Guin at 85 in which novelist Naomi Alderman interviews Le Guin with contributions from Neil Gaiman David Mitchell and Karen Joy Fowler
Production credits
Written by Ursula KLe Guin
Adapted by Judith Adams
Earthsea
Ged James McArdle/Shaun Dooley/Robert Glenister
Tenar Aysha Kala/Vineeta Rishi/Nina Wadia
Young Ged Kasper HiltonHille
Young Tenar Nishi Malde
Ogion Paul Hilton/Michael Bertenshaw
Manan Zubin Varla
Cob Toby Jones
Nilgu Noma Dumezweni
Other Cast Souad Faress David Hounslow Adam ThomasWright Mark EdelHunt Jessica Turner Lucy Hutchinson Stephen Critchlow Sam Dale Ayesha Antoine Richard Linnell Jack Kane David Acton Chris Pavlo Will Featherstone Jude Akudwudike Laura Elphinstone Rosie Boore Elizabeth Counsell John Lightbody Ryan Early Stephen Hogan Sean Murray Emma Handy Lauren Cornelius Kerry Gooderson Ryan Whittle Steven Robertson Joseph Ayre Narinder Samra Tom Vanson Sabrina Sandhu
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
Original music by Jon Nicholls Sound design by Caleb Knightley
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra 27 April5 May 2015 Series 1 1522 October 2018 Series 2
The Left Hand of Darkness
Genly Ai Kobna HoldbrookSmith
Estraven Lesley Sharp
Argaven Toby Jones
Other Cast Louise Brealey Noma Dumezweni Ruth Gemmell Adjoa Andoh Stephen Critchlow David Acton David Hounslow Rhiannon Neads Sam Dale Ayesha Antoine
Directed by Allegra McIlroy First broadcast BBC Radio 4 1219 April 2015
Ursula Le Guin at 85
Presented by Naomi Alderman
With Ursula K Le Guin David Mitchell Neil Gaiman and Karen Joy Fowler
Reader Ayesha Antoine
Produced by Allegra McIlroy First broadcast BBC Radio 4 9 April 2015
2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd P2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.