Rumer Godden: Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer & The Dark Horse

Full-cast radio adaptations of three of Rumer Godden's bestselling novels, plus a bonus interview with the author

Rumer Godden is well known for her acclaimed novels for adults and children. She wrote over 60 works in her lifetime, nine of which were made into films. Included here are dramatisations of three of her classic tales, as well as a fascinating interview with the renowned author.

Black Narcissus - A group of nuns establishing a remote mission in an old palace in the Himalayas is warned that it is no place for a nunnery. And as the Sisters' tragic destiny unfolds, those prophetic words are soon proved right. Sinead Cusack and Lesley Sharp star in this atmospheric dramatisation of Godden's 1939 novel, famously adapted as an Oscar-winning film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The Greengage Summer - When their mother falls ill during a holiday to France, the Grey children are left to entertain themselves. Over the course of the long, hot summer, they are caught up in an adult world of deception and lies... Starring Ellie Beaven, Abigail Docherty and Michael Maloney.

The Dark Horse - Set in Calcutta in 1933, this is the story of a thoroughbred racehorse, a jockey seeking a second chance, a shrewd Mother Superior and a miracle - all based on true events. Geoffrey Whitehead, Indira Varma, Dearbhla Molloy and Ioan Meredith star in this heartwarming drama.

Third Ear - Recorded in 1992, this illuminating Radio 3 interview sees the octogenarian Rumer Godden talking to Geoffrey Baskerville about how her life and beliefs are reflected in her writing.

Text copyright © The Rumer Godden Literary Trust 1939 (Black Narcissus), 1958 (The Greengage Summer), 1981 (The Dark Horse)

Black Narcissus
Sister Clodagh - Sinead Cusack
Sister Ruth - Lesley Sharp
Mr Dean - David Rintoul
Dilip Rai - Ronny Jhutti
Sister Briony - Susan Engel
Sister Philippa - Jenny Lee
Sister Honey - Rachel Atkins
The General/Father Roberts - Sam Dastor
Ayah - Indira Joshi
Mother Dorothea/Sister Adela - Carolyn Jones
Con - Alastair Danson
Kanchi - Sumitra Bhagat
Joseph Anthony - Dhiraj Prasai
Dramatised by April de Angelis
Music by Elizabeth Parker
Directed by Sally Avens
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 December 1997

The Greengage Summer
Cecile - Ellie Beaven
Joss - Abigail Docherty
Hester - Ciara Janson
Eliot - Michael Maloney
With Luke Newbury, Claire Marchionne, Rachel Atkins, Theo Fraser Steele, Sean Baker, Jenny Lee, Brian Parr and Chris Wright
Dramatised by Dawn Lowe Watson
Directed by Sally Avens
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 May 1988

The Dark Horse
Sister Morag - Dearbhla Molloy
Levantine - Nickolas Grace
Ted - Ioan Meredith
John Quillan - Gareth Armstrong
With Geoffrey Whitehead, Indira Varma, Siobhan Stamp, Frances Jeater, Nitin Chandra Ganatra, Richard Rees and David Antrobus
Dramatised by Liane Aukin
Directed by David Hunter
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 September 1988

Third Ear
Presented by Geoffrey Baskerville
With Rumer Godden
Produced by Vivien Devlin
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 12 May 1992

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