Hello all, this is a brief post to highlight that there is a lovely adaptation of Madam, Will You Talk? being broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It is in two hour-long parts, with part one having aired for the first time this weekend and part two due to play at 3.00pm next Sunday (UK time). Also, I haven’t checked if this is correct but I believe that the episodes are available internationally. I listened to the first episode and enjoyed it a great deal, we are taken as far as Charity’s arrival in Marseille and I feel that mood and setting have been conveyed very well. Enough from me, enjoy the adaptation here!
Also: first aired on 17 August 2020 and accesssible for several more weeks, there is a discussion of Mary Stewart, including promotion of this radio adaptation and the treatment of female v male writers, on BBC Woman’s Hour. Writers Harriet Evans and Jane Casey talk about their favourite Mary Stewart novels. You can listen here. The section on Mary Stewart starts at 31m50s.
Some links:
Radio Times article
Radio pick of the week in The Times
Website of Mahla Bess, programme illustrator: I have used her gorgeous image in this post (and just take a look at the lovely mugs and prints in her Etsy shop!)
Info on Marcy Kahan (who adapted Madam, Will You Talk? for this radio production)
Info on director/producer Caroline Raphael
Thank you for the heads up, I would never have found this dramatization without your mention of it. It seems far better than the average run of dramatizations, in my limited experience. And welcome back, I have missed your blog posts. And continued to recommend your blog to people who want to learn more about Mary Stewart.
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Hi Jerri, it’s lovely to hear from you and thanks for the kind comment. I wasn’t planning to post but I just had to share the good news about the radio play! I’m pleased you are enjoying it.
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Thanks so much!!! Enjoyed the interview on the Woman’s Hour. Particularly the brief clip of Mary Stewart!! And am looking forward to listening to the radio adaptation of “Madam.” Would love to read the paper comparing Mary Stewart to Fleming. I’ve only read one book by Fleming – Casino Royale – and it left me with no desire to read another. Excessively violent and misogynistic. Stewart holds up so much better after half a century!!! Thanks so much!!!
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You’re very welcome!
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Oh wow, this is awesome! Mary Stewart will always remain one of my absolute favourite authors – thanks so much for this, Allison!
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You’re welcome, Anne, I’m happy to share such great news
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Thank you, Allison, you’ve been missed!
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That’s lovely, Nan, thank you
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Thank you so much for letting me know!
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You’re welcome!
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THANK YOU!
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You’re welcome, Cathy, I am enjoying that you all seem as thrilled as I am at the news!
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Thanks ever so much Allison for the information on the Radio 4 broadcasts and the Woman’s Hour programme. Strangely I have always thought that Mary Stewart would be an ideal subject for Woman’s Hour – a very much underappreciated women’s writer. Thanks again.
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Hi Lucy, you’re welcome – let’s hope this is just the start, it would be great if they kept going with radio plays of all her books. It’s lovely to hear from you.
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I loved this and now reading more of Mary Stewarts books. Hitchcockian. I hope more of her books get adapted to radio.
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Couldn’t agree more, Diane!
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Thought this would interest you
https://reading19001950.wordpress.com/2020/09/03/madam-will-you-talk-1955-by-mary-stewart-another-review/
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Thank you for sharing this! Definitely worth a read
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Many thanks, Allison. Without your post I’d have missed this programme. (I’ve really enjoyed re-reading Mary Stewart’s books during the past few months as a break from reality!)
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Hi Dorothy, glad you enjoyed it. And perhaps her books should be on prescription during lockdown, as a wellness aid…
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I missed this adaptation entirely but hope to track it down eventually. I am intrigued to hear about the comparisons between Mary Stewart and Fleming though. I must admit I am a fan of Fleming – and think Casino Royale, which was the first of his books, was also by far the most violent and misogynistic. His later Bond novels showed a much more emotional, humorous and intelligent side to his hero, as well as introducing some notably well-developed and imaginatively-conveyed female characters. I am particularly intrigued by The Spy Who Loved Me, which is nothing like the film and was written from an adventurous young woman’s perspective. Vivien Michel is spirited, independent and a loner, and like Gilly in Thornyhold, was miserable at boarding-school because she didn’t fit in and preferred nature. If only she and Gilly could have been friends! I would love to read a paper exploring Fleming and Stewart’s work!
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Thanks for your insights, Annabel, it is good to get your perspective on Fleming. I’d like to read a paper by you on Fleming and Stewart and *heavy-handed hint alert* wouldn’t it be good if someone wrote a story featuring Gilly and Vivien?
I’m sorry you missed the adaptation, I mentioned it to you at the time but you must have missed it. Hopefully the BBC will air Madam again soon.
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I’m so glad you’re back! This is my favorite Mary Stewart blog. You have SO much information I haven’t found anywhere else. Thanks for doing this!
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Thank you so much! 😊
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