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Producer and writer John Yorke unpacks the themes and impact behind the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Radio 4,131 episodes

Episodes

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The Cherry Orchard - Episode One
John Yorke takes a look at Anton Chekhov’s final and most radical play.
14 Sep 2025,14 mins
On the Origin of Species
John Yorke investigates Charles Darwin’s world-changing book On The Origin of Species.
31 Aug 2025,14 mins
Treasure Island
John Yorke looks at Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
24 Aug 2025,14 mins
Hiroshima
John Yorke looks at how Hiroshima, the book by John Hersey, changed journalism.
10 Aug 2025,14 mins
Death at La Fenice
John Yorke looks at Death at La Fenice, Donna Leon’s first Commissario Brunetti novel.
27 Jul 2025,14 mins
The Girls of Slender Means
John Yorke takes a look at The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark.
29 Jun 2025,14 mins
Comet in Moominland
John Yorke takes a look at Tove Jansson's 1946 novel Comet in Moominland.
22 Jun 2025,14 mins
King Lear - Episode Two
John Yorke takes a look at King Lear, Shakespeare’s most brutal tragedy.
15 Jun 2025,14 mins
King Lear - Episode One
John Yorke takes a look at King Lear, Shakespeare’s most brutal tragedy.
08 Jun 2025,14 mins
Next Season
John Yorke looks at the theatre novel Next Season by Michael Blakemore.
25 May 2025,14 mins
Underfoot in Show Business
John Yorke looks at Underfoot in Show Business by US writer Helene Hanff.
18 May 2025,14 mins
Casino Royale
John Yorke looks at Casino Royale, the novel by Ian Fleming that introduced James Bond.
20 Apr 2025,14 mins
London Belongs to Me
Ian Sansom takes a look at Norman Collins’s novel London Belongs to Me.
06 Apr 2025,14 mins
Kramer Versus Kramer
John Yorke looks at Avery Corman’s 1977 bestselling novel Kramer Versus Kramer.
23 Mar 2025,14 mins
Brat Farrar
John Yorke investigates Josephine Tey’s classic story about an imposter, Brat Farrar.
09 Mar 2025,14 mins
Spring Awakening - Episode 2
John Yorke looks at Spring Awakening by German dramatist Frank Wedekind.
23 Feb 2025,14 mins
Spring Awakening - Episode 1
John Yorke looks at Spring Awakening by German dramatist Frank Wedekind.
23 Feb 2025,14 mins
That Hideous Strength - Episode 2
John Yorke looks at CS Lewis’s novel That Hideous Strength.
16 Feb 2025,14 mins
That Hideous Strength - Episode 1
John Yorke looks at CS Lewis’s novel That Hideous Strength.
09 Feb 2025,14 mins
The History of Mr Polly
Ian Sansom takes a look at The History of Mr Polly, the satirical novel by HG Wells.
26 Jan 2025,14 mins
The Plague
John Yorke on Albert Camus and his exploration of the absurd in The Plague.
19 Jan 2025,14 mins
Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Episode 2
John Yorke looks at Kate Atkinson’s debut novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum.
06 Jan 2025,14 mins
Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Episode 1
John Yorke looks at Kate Atkinson’s debut novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum.
05 Jan 2025,14 mins
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower
John Yorke takes a look at Rumer Godden’s children’s book Miss Happiness and Miss Flower.
29 Dec 2024,14 mins
Christmas Pudding
John Yorke on the aristocratic festive foibles of Nancy Mitford’s Christmas Pudding.
22 Dec 2024,14 mins
The Girl of the Sea of Cortez
John Yorke takes a look at Peter Benchley’s novel The Girl of the Sea of Cortez.
08 Dec 2024,14 mins
The Lay of the Land
John Yorke looks at The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford.
24 Nov 2024,14 mins
Berlin Alexanderplatz
John Yorke takes a look at Alfred Döblin’s Berlin Alexanderplatz.
17 Nov 2024,14 mins
Our Mutual Friend - Episode 2
John Yorke continues his exploration of Charles Dickens’ classic novel Our Mutual Friend.
10 Nov 2024,14 mins
Our Mutual Friend - Episode 1
John Yorke takes a look at Charles Dickens’s classic novel Our Mutual Friend.
03 Nov 2024,14 mins