William Boyd: A BBC Radio Drama Collection: A Good Man in Africa, An Ice Cream War, Restless and more

A collection of BBC dramatisations and readings of William Boyd's award-winning novels and short stories


One of Britain's foremost contemporary writers, William Boyd is renowned worldwide for his bestselling novels, which have been translated into over 30 languages. He has won numerous awards, including the Somerset Maugham Award (for A Good Man in Africa), the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize (for An Ice-Cream War) and the Costa Book Award (for Restless).

Collected here are the BBC radio productions of all three acclaimed books. Starring Alan Rickman Alison Steadman and Bill Patterson, A Good Man in Africa tells the satirical story of a buffoonish diplomat's struggles in a fictional West African country. In the espionage thriller Restless, it is 1976, and Ruth discovers that her very English mother, Sally, is in fact a Russian emigré and former British spy. Eileen Atkins stars as Sally, with Fenella Woolgar as Ruth. And in An Ice-Cream War, as millions face slaughter on the Western Front, British and German colonists in East Africa try to emulate their European counterparts. Nickolas Grace and William Hootkins star in this darkly comic drama.

Also included are dramatisations of three of Boyd's superb short stories. 'On the Yankee Station' is a gripping tale of revenge on an American aircraft carrier; 'The Destiny of Nathalie X' features an African filmmaker's encounter with Hollywood and its grotesque inhabitants; and in the eerie 'A Haunting', a landscape architect finds himself taken over by an unseen presence. Peter Whitman, Keith Edwards, John Sessions and Maynard Eziashi are among the star casts.

We conclude with five further stories, read by Ben Miles, Jonathan Firth, Bill Nighy, Niamh Cusack and Tom Goodman-Hill. 'Adult Video' features an Oxford post-graduate who 'rewinds', 'fast forwards' and 'plays' through his life; 'Varengeville' sees a young boy go exploring and meet a painter - as his mother entertains her 'friend'; 'Lunch' reveals a diner's eventful days through his restaurant receipts and pithy comments; 'Fantasia on a Favourite Waltz' centres around a prostitute's encounter with a talented young pianist; and 'The Pigeon' takes us into the world of a sickly author facing romantic betrayal and family fissures.

Cast and credits
Written by William Boyd

Text copyright © William Boyd 1981 (A Good Man in Africa, 'On the Yankee Station'), 1982 (An Ice Cream War), 1995 ('The Destiny of Nathalie X'), 1998 ('Varengeville'), 2000 ('A Haunting'), 2004 ('Adult Video', 'Lunch', 'Fantasia on a Favourite Waltz', 'The Pigeon'), 2006 (Restless)

A Good Man in Africa
Dramatised by Stephen Davis
Directed by Richard Wortley
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 March 1985

Restless
Dramatised by Melissa Murray
Directed by Marc Beeby
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6-17 April 2009

An Ice Cream War
Dramatised by John Peacock
Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 May-16 June 1994

'On the Yankee Station'
Adapted by William Boyd
Directed by Richard Wortley
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 May 1985

'The Destiny of Nathalie X'
Directed by Dave Batchelor
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 November 1998

'A Haunting'
Directed by Dave Batchelor
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 December 2001

William Boyd - Fascination
Abridged by Neville Teller
Produced by Duncan Minshull
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15-19 November 2004

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