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The George Eliot BBC Radio Drama Collection
The George Eliot BBC Radio Drama Collection
Jan 12, 2026 12:51 AM

Author:George Eliot,Robert Glenister,George Costigan,Thomas Arnold,Anna Chancellor,Roger Allam,Caroline Martin,Jasmine Hyde,Full Cast,Deborah Findlay,David Tennant

The George Eliot BBC Radio Drama Collection

One of the greatest English authors of the 19th Century, George Eliot is renowned for her realistic storytelling and insight into the human psyche. This BBC Radio collection presents dramatisations of her five most famous novels, as well as an exploration of her life through her fictional characters.

Adam Bede

Summer, 1799, and in the Staffordshire village of Hayslope, one of Lisbeth Bede's sons has marriage on his mind... Eliot's haunting story of love betrayed and rewarded stars Thomas Arnold and Victoria Liddelle.

The Mill on the Floss

Free-spirited country girl Maggie Tulliver must look outside the love of her own family to find the fulfilment she craves. This classic tale of rejection and reconciliation stars Deborah Findlay, Jasmine Hyde, Tom Goodman-Hill and David Tennant.

Silas Marner

Reclusive, embittered miser Silas Marner finds salvation when he fosters a little foundling girl - but his life with Eppie is threatened when her biological father makes a claim on her... Starring George Costigan andRebecca Callard.

Middlemarch

In 1830s England, passionate idealist Dorothea Brooke yearns to right society's wrongs. Starring Caroline Martin, Robert Glenister and Roger Allam.

Daniel Deronda

From the moment their eyes meet across a packed gaming room, Gwendolen Harleth and Daniel Deronda are irresistibly drawn to one another - and their fates become eternally and tragically entwined. Starring Anna Chancellor and Michael Perceval-Maxwell.

In George Eliot: A Life in Five Characters, presenter Kathryn Hughes paints a portrait of the author through her key characters, as she talks to Eliot's biographer Philip Davis and authors Tessa Hadley, Sarah Moss, Sathnam Sangera, David Constantine and Kathy O'Shaughnessy.

First published 1859 (Adam Bede), 1860 (The Mill on the Floss), 1861 (Silas Marner), 1871-72 (Middlemarch), 1876 (Daniel Deronda)

©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Reviews

I absolutely loved Because of You. Fantastic, passionate, compassionate, so much wisdom, a lot of humour, very real and credible

—— BERNARDINE EVARISTO, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other

Gorgeous . . . wise and sad and full of love

—— Marian Keyes

An extraordinary book - sad, heartening, gripping and reassuringly human

—— Jo Brand

Incredible

—— Russell Brand

Dawn tackles the big ones - love, death, grief, childhood, motherhood, parenthood - head on

—— Guardian

Harrowing but uplifting . . . It is a book about mistakes, regret, forgiveness and unconditional love

—— Daily Mirror

Fans who have waited five long years for French's fourth novel won't be disappointed: Because Of You is a book with a beating heart, a story told with warmth and verve

—— Daily Express

Moving . . . French's best yet

—— Good Housekeeping

The final scenes are so perfectly executed they almost broke my heart. Because of You is a story to cherish

—— Sunday Express

Told with French's unfailing wit and warmth, Because Of You is the tale of family bonds and the mother-daughter relationships that ultimately make us who we are

—— Independent

Brilliant . . . a moving read that will stay with you long after you've finished the last page

—— Closer

A fantastic page-turner

—— Mail on Sunday

Beautifully observed

—— The Times

Wise and poignant, Because of You is a story about mothers and daughter, love and loss, mistakes and regrets, and family bonds

—— Eastern Daily Press

A must-read story told with compassion and heart

—— Sunday Express

French always writes so melodically about the truth of human nature . . . French manages to pick your heart up with the nib of her pen and slowly pull it apart, heart-wrenchingly, page by page . . . A true writing talent

—— My Weekly

An emotionally charged story - and a heartbreaking twist at the end

—— Hello!

A warmly told story about the bond between mothers and daughters

—— Evening Standard

Warm, witty and wise . . . I raced through

—— Daily Mail

A powerful and emotional book

—— Good Housekeeping

A bright, brilliant and heartbreaking tale of two mothers, two babies and the far-reaching consequences of one fateful day

—— Yahoo! Style

A beautifully powerful story about mothers, family and sacrifice

—— Sun

An uplifting story about mothers and daughters and familial relationships, in which two very different women give birth to two very similar daughters on the same night

—— Woman & Home

Arresting page-turner

—— Best

A novel her fans are sure to love

—— Woman's Weekly

A story of love, identity and belonging

—— i

Heartbreaking and humorous in equal measures

—— Boundless

A bouncy, comedy drama. Funny, poignant and bursting with joie de vivre

—— Daily Mail

A thought-provoking read . . . shows the true extent of motherly love

—— Publishers Association

Dawn French moves between the aftermath of that fateful night and 18 years later, when the explosive impact of Hope's actions is finally felt

—— Daily Express

A heartfelt story, handled so carefully and empathetically

—— Aisling Bea

Because Of You is a tale told with warmth by a storyteller who never takes herself too seriously

—— Sunday Express

Heartbreaking but redemptive, and lightened by French's trademark humour, this is a compelling read that will keep you poised between laughter and tears

—— Daily Mail

A tantalising story of motherhood told with Dawn French's signature warmth

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

As ever, even in the darkest of times, Dawn has found humour to inject into her novel

—— Best

A brilliant book

—— Good Housekeeping

The life-affirming and unmissable new novel

—— Eastern Daily Press

A tale told with warmth

—— Daily Record

While Dawn French's latest novel contains a dash of humour, it's also heart-wrenching

—— The Hunsbury Handbook

A fabulous emotional tearjerker of a novel

—— Silversurfers

Praise for Dawn French

—— -

Hilarious and brilliant

—— Woman & Home

I adored According to YES. It's so different to anything I've read in forever, so charming, wise, brilliantly written. I loved it all

—— Marian Keyes

Witty and wise, it'll have you burning the midnight oil. A cracker

—— Woman's Weekly

Very funny and packs an emotional clout. Brilliant!

—— Heat

An enlightening and feel-good read offering a fresh look at life and how to embrace it. Funny and enjoyable to the end

—— We Love This Book

There is lots of fun to be had reading this book. It's impossible not to warm to Rosie, a funny and open-hearted woman who acts as a salve and comfort blanket for this unhappy, inhibited family. There's something quite joyous about the way she unashamedly romps her way through the novel, changing the lives of those around her for the better

—— Express

Another hilarious novel!

—— Bella

French can spin a yarn . . . which sets According to YES apart. Think the vicar of Dibley, without the dog collar. YES YES YES indeed

—— Independent

Wise and poignant

—— Beyond the Joke

Heart-warming

—— Choice Magazine
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