Laurie Lee: A BBC Radio Collection

Synopsis

A collection of full-cast dramatisations plus interviews with Laurie LeeLaurie Lee was a poet, novelist and screenwriter renowned for his bestselling autobiographical trilogy Cider With Rosie, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and A Moment of War. Among the best loved memoirs in the English language, the books chart Lee’s life from his boyhood summers in a remote Cotswold village to joining the Republican International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. Included here are dramatisations of the first two volumes, alongside a specially written radio play and four fascinating interview programmes.Cider with Rosie – Recorded on location in and around the Slad valley in Gloucestershire, this lyrical, evocative account of Laurie Lee’s childhood in the West Country just after the First World War stars Tim McInnerny and Niamh Cusack.As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning – It is the mid-1930s and 19-year-old Laurie sets out on foot to London, but soon finds himself en route to Spain. Accompanied by his trusty fiddle, he walks the length of the country – but as he reaches Almunecar, the Spanish Civil War begins… Featuring recordings made in Spain, this irresistible tale stars Jonathan Keeble as Laurie Lee.I Call Me Adam – Laurie Lee retells the story of the Bounty mutineers, as they occupy Pitcairn Island and try to create a new life there. Produced by the celebrated poet and playwright Louis MacNeice, this bloodthirsty take on what happened to Fletcher Christian and his crew stars Ralph Truman and Wilfred Babbage.Literary Walks: Laurie Lee – The poet and author takes Christopher Somerville on a stroll around Slad, where he grew up and where Cider with Rosie is set.Through My Window: Laurie Lee – Casting his eye over the countryside seen from his window, Laurie Lee waxes lyrical over the view that inspired his most famous work.Laurie Lee’s Long Sleep – This interview with Christopher Cooke from 1989 sees Lee discussing his own sense of mortality. These thoughts are accompanied by a reading of poems and tributes from his 1997 Thanksgiving Service.Laurie Lee’s final interview – In this last radio interview, recorded in 1997 by BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Mark Hurrell, Laurie Lee talks about the inspiration for Cider With Rosie, his epic walk from Stroud to Spain and his love for the landscape around his beloved home village.Text copyright © Laurie Lee 1959 (Cider with Rosie, I Call Me Adam), 1969 (As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning)CreditsWritten by Laurie LeeCider with RosieDramatised by Nick DarkeMusic arranged and performed by Paul BurgessDirected by Viv Beeby and Jeremy HoweFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12-19 Apr 1998As I Walked Out One Midsummer MorningDramatised by Christopher DenysMusic arranged and played by Chris LeslieDirected by Peter Leslie WildFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 Aug 2000I Call Me AdamProduction by Louis MacNeiceFirst broadcast BBC Third Programme, 1 Nov 1959Literary Walks: Laurie LeeProduced by Jude HowellsFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 Sep 1985Through My Window: Laurie LeeProduced by John HarrisonFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 Aug 1981Laurie Lee’s Long SleepProduced by Chris Eldon LeeFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 Oct 1997Laurie Lee’s final radio interviewFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 Apr 2014© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd