{"product_id":"book-y5fn","title":"Muriel Spark: A BBC Radio Drama Collection","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBBC Radio dramatisations of some of Muriel Spark's best works, plus \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ebonus episode of \u003ci\u003eThe Essay: All Miss Brodie's Girls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMuriel Spark was one of Scotland's brightest and most original literary talents. In a career spanning over 60 years, she published over 20 novels, as well as essays, poems and plays. Her work won her numerous awards and honours, and she was made a Dame in 1993 for her services to literature. These nine radio dramas showcase the breadth and variety of her oeuvre, with tales ranging from the humorous to the macabre, and featuring casts including \u003cb\u003eCelia Imrie, Patricia Hodge, Siân Phillips, Mark Straker\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eSorcha Cusack \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003eMaggie Service\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Girls of Slender Means\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, it is 1945, and a group of young women are bracing for the future as the world transitions to peace. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e focusses on an inspirational teacher whose illusions are shattered by a tragic betrayal. Based on Spark's own Edinburgh schooldays in the 1930s, this classic tale was adapted as an Oscar-winning film and chosen as one of the BBC's 100 'Novels That Shaped Our World'. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMemento Mori\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, meanwhile, is a gloriously dark, metaphysical comedy, set among a group of elderly people tormented by an anonymous caller who repeatedly rings with the message 'Remember, you must die'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Vital Spark: The Driver's Seat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e tells the tense, disturbing story of Lise, an enigmatic young woman travelling alone to a European city in search of 'the one', while \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Abbess of Crewe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is a sparkling satire on the Watergate affair, centred around a rigged election in a Benedictine convent. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Far Cry From Kensington\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e evokes a witty slice of '50s London life, as we meet the inhabitants of a rooming-house near South Kensington Underground, and the charming gentlemen and ladies of the shabby but genteel world of publishing. The winner of the 1962 Prix Italia, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Ballad of Peckham Rye\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is a musical version of Muriel Sparks' magical realist fable, with lyrics by Spark herself and music by pioneering composer Tristram Cary. Also featured are an adaptation of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBang, Bang, You're Dead\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003c\/b\u003e a short crime story set in Africa; and Spark's first radio play, the ghost story \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Party Through the Wall\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. Capping off the collection is a bonus programme, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Essay: All Miss Brodie's Girls,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e presented by Ali Smith and exploring the many glittering facets of Muriel Spark.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCast and credits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten by Muriel Spark\u003cbr\u003eFirst published 1957 (\u003ci\u003eThe Party Through the Wall)\u003c\/i\u003e, 1959 (\u003ci\u003eMemento Mori\u003c\/i\u003e), 1960 (\u003ci\u003eThe Ballad of Peckham Rye\u003c\/i\u003e), 1961 (\u003ci\u003eThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie\u003c\/i\u003e), 1963 (\u003ci\u003eThe Girls of Slender Means\u003c\/i\u003e), 1970 (\u003ci\u003eThe Driver's Seat\u003c\/i\u003e), 1974 (\u003ci\u003eThe Abbess of Crewe\u003c\/i\u003e), 1982 (\u003ci\u003eBang-Bang You're Dead\u003c\/i\u003e), 1988 (\u003ci\u003eA Far Cry from Kensington\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eContents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Girls of Slender Means\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMemento Mori\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Vital Spark: The Driver's Seat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Abbess of Crewe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Far Cry from Kensington\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Ballad of Peckham Rye\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBang, Bang, You're Dead\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Party Through the Wall\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Essay: All Miss Brodie's Girls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":67371767628080,"sku":"BDy5fn","price":11.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/y5fn-Square-cover.jpg?v=1784107096","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-y5fn","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}