L.P Hartley: The Go- Between, & More

Four of L. P. Hartley's finest novels adapted for BBC radio, plus bonus short stories

An acclaimed novelist, short story writer and critic, Leslie Poles Hartley is best known for his 1953 novel The Go-Between, which won the W. H. Heinemann Award and was adapted as a BAFTA-winning film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates. Included here is a radio dramatisation of that classic tale, alongside adaptations of three further novels and five short stories.

The Go-Between - 1901, Norfolk. Twelve-year-old Leo Colston is spending the long, hot summer with his school friend Marcus at his family estate, Brandham Hall. Drawn into an adult world of deception and forbidden desire, he sets in motion a tragedy that will haunt him forever. This moving tale of lost innocence stars Clive Swift, Joe Brothwell, Lisa Kay and Robert Glenister.

The Collections - Ambrose and Edwina possess exquisite collections of objets d'art, but need to dispose of them; Barbara owns a stately home, but has had to sell off the contents. Joining forces seems like the ideal solution - until a thief comes along... Starring Richard Pearson, Siân Phillips and Eva Stuart.

The Brickfield - Dictating his memoir to his secretary, elderly novelist Richard Mardick finds himself confiding a long-held secret from his youth: his adolescent romance with the beautiful Lucy, and its tragic conclusion... Martin Jarvis and Denys Blakelock star in this tender love story from the past, told against the bright awareness of the present.

The Betrayal - In this sequel to The Brickfield, Richard Mardick is forced once more to recall the long-ago days of his boyhood, as he reveals to his biographer-to-be how Lucy's death has blighted his life and disrupted his peace of mind. Starring Martin Jarvis and Denys Blakelock, with Irene Sutcliffe and Gudrun Ure.

Short Stories by LP Hartley - Robert Lang reads five creepy tales by the celebrated author: 'Night Fears', 'The Waits', 'W.S.', 'Someone in the Lift' and 'The Price of the Absolute'.

Text copyright © The Trustees of the Estate of Annie Norah Hartley, 1953 (The Go-Between), 1954 ('W.S.', 'The Price of the Absolute'), 1961 ('The Waits', 'Someone in the Lift'), 1964 (The Brickfield), 1966 (The Betrayal), 1972 (The Collections)
'Night Fears' first published 1924

Cast and credits
Written by L. P. Hartley

The Go-Between
Cast: Clive Swift, Joe Brothwell, George Greenbury, Eleanor Bron, Lisa Kay, Robert Glenister, Ed Sinclair, Jenny Coverack, Mark Hesketh, Brian Gear, Guy Shotton

The Collections
Cast: Richard Pearson, Martin Friend, Siân Phillips, Christopher Good, Elizabeth Rider,
Eva Stuart, John Bull, Peter Baldwin, Sonia Fraser

The Brickfield
Cast: Martin Jarvis, Denys Blakelock, Barbara Mitchell, Nigel Anthony, Ann Murray,
Noel Hood, Lockwood West, Humphrey Morton, Beth Boyd, Bernard Brown, David Brierley, Sian Davies, Michael Harbour, Leroy Lingwood

The Betrayal
Cast: Martin Jarvis, Denys Blakelock, Irene Sutcliffe, Alexa Romanes, Shelagh Willcocks,
Sian Davies, Bernard Brown, Douglas Hankin, Gudrun Ure, David Brierley, Alexander John, Beth Boyd

Short Stories by LP Hartley
Read by Robert Lang

First broadcast BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:

Night Fears 7 November 1988
The Waits 8 November 1988
W.S. 9 November 1988
Someone in the Lift 10 November 1988
The Price of the Absolute 11 November 1988

© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd