The Well of Loneliness & The Trial that Gripped a Nation

Synopsis

The pioneering novel of lesbian love and attraction brought to life by a full cast. Includes exclusive content. A baby girl named Stephen Gordon, is born to well-to-do parents. She grows from a young tomboy into a thoughtful woman who feels 'different'. Stephen is understood by her father but alienated from her mother. Bucking against the conventions of society she turns down an offer of marriage and forms a passionate attachment to an American woman. Gradually, Stephen realises she will never fall in love with a man – but will she be an outcast? In pursuit of love and experience, Stephen takes herself to bohemian Paris, a far cry from the strict confines of British society. She joins the ambulance corps in the First World War. It’s here she meets Mary and, when they become lovers, she takes a fatal step in deciding their future. First published in 1928, Hall’s novel has become a classic, telling the story of one woman’s desperate attempt to be loved and to love against all odds.To complement this stunning adaptation, writer Shelley Silas, in The Trial of the Well of Loneliness, tells the gripping story of how Hall’s pioneering novel, though not sexually explicit, became the centre of a 1928 obscenity trial. This original drama explores how the novel remains an iconic portrayal of lesbian relationships and contains the passionate plea: "Give us also the right to our existence."This download edition also features an exclusive edition of The Essay: Journeys to the Grave. A reflective, restorative and often playful journey in search of the final resting place of a literary hero.Diana Souhami steps into Radclyffe Hall’s tomb in London’s Highgate Cemetery, where the author resides with her lover, her lover’s husband and their dog Tulip – an aptly unconventional set-up in death as in life.©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution LtdCast and creditsThe Well of Loneliness Dramatised by Sarah WoodsWritten by Radclyffe HallDirected by Melanie HarrisMusic composed and played by Odaline de la MartinezViolinist - Janet FoustCellist - Andy WardaleStephen - Valerie EdmondYoung Stephen - Alexandra BatemanMary/Collins/Angela - Amanda RootAnna/Valerie - Roberta KerrPuddle - Sarah ParkMartin - Paul WarrinerJamie/Violet - Katy CavanaghBrockett - Malcolm HebdenPhilip - Rob PickvanceColonel Antrim - Russell DixonYoung Violet - Sara KaplanYoung Roger - Thomas HudsonRalph - Martin ReeveFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 May 1999The Trial of the Well of Loneliness Written by Shelley SilasDirected by Emma HardingRadclyffe Hall - Kate FleetwoodUna, Lady Troubridge - Anastasia HilleStephen Gordon - Laura ChristyGilchrist Thompson - Will KirkSir Chartres Biron - Neil McCaulEustace Fulton - Clive HaywardNorman Birkett - Rick WardenJames Melville - Tony TurnerDesmond McCarthy - Greg JonesCourt Clerk - Adam CourtingCourt Actress - Scarlett CourtenayPuddle - Jessica TurnerAdditional research documents courtesy of Morris Ernst Papers, Harry Ransom Center and the University of Texas at AustinFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, January 2020The Essay: Journeys to the GraveWritten and presented by Diana SouhamiFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 June 2022