Thrush Green: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation

by Miss Read, Adam Godley (Narrator), Anna Massey (Narrator)

Wonderful comedy drama adapted from the beloved novels featuring an all-star cast



Welcome to Thrush Green, a small and peaceful village in the Cotswolds, where everything and nothing happens. This wonderful, gentle comedy features and all-star cast including Adam Godley (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Anna Massey (Rebecca), Geoffrey Whitehead (Poirot) and Trevor Peacock (The Vicar of Dibley). Over two series we follow the highs and lows of village life in this 60s village.



In series one, a young doctor comes to Thrush Green on the day of the spring fair and causes a stir. A host of unforgettable characters, from the school mistress to the church sexton, show that village life is far from quiet and challenges, secret love affairs, and even trials can make the seemingly most peaceful of villages teem with intrigue and delight. In the second series, we return to Thrush Green our familiar cast of characters is mixed with some new faces. When a young woman arrives in a red mini with her son in tow, confirmed bachelor Harold is smitten. The vicar is battling with not only a crumbling rectory but also an unexpected crisis and who will take care of Dotty Harmer’s animals when she is taken ill?



Written in the 1960s by Dora Saint, under the pen name Miss Read, these charming stories are laced with gentle humour and subtle social commentary. If you are fan of Barbara Pym or E.M. Delafield, then this is the perfect listen for you. A treat from the archive not to be missed.





Cast and credits



Series 1



Written by Miss Read

Dramatised by Lesley Bruce

Directed by Clare Grove and Marylin Imrie



Doctor Lovell - Adam Godley

Dotty Harmer - Anna Massey

Ella Bembridge - Maggie McCarthy

Dimity Dean - Janet Maw

Dr Bailey - Terence Edmond

Mrs Bailey - Marlene Sidaway

Miss Fogerty - Marcia Warren

Miss Watson - Linda Basset

Charles Henstock - Ian Masters

Harold Shoosmith - John Rowe

Albert Piggott - Trevor Peacock

Nelly Tiling - Annette Badland

Mrs Butler - Ann Beach

Mrs Cooke - Colleen Prendergast

Willie/Mulloy - Paul Ritter

PC - Ben Crowe

Witness - Harry Myers

Miss Potter - Tilly Gaunt

Ray - Christopher Scott

Mrs White/Kathleen - Jillie Meers

Robert/Edward - Andrew Harrison



First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24th May - 28th Jun 1999





Series 2



Written by Miss Read

Dramatised by Nick Warburton

Directed by Mary Peate and Marylin Imrie



Charles Henstock - Ian Masters

Ella Bembridge - Salina Cadwell

Dimity Dean - Janet Maw

Harold - Geoffrey Whitehead

Phil - Teresa Gallagher

Betty - June Barrie

Frank - Andrew Harrison

Anthony - Duncan Bell

Isobel - Dinah Stabb

Winnie - Marlene Sidaway

Dr Lovell - Adam Godley

Dotty Harmer - Anna Massey

Albert Piggott - Trevor Peacock

Nelly Tiling - Annette Badland

Molly - Alison Pettit

Ben - Tom George

Willie - Paul Ritter

Miss Potter - Tilly Gaunt

Ray - Christopher Scott

Mrs White/Kathleen - Jillie Meers

Jenny - Rachel Atkins

Percy - Geoffrey Greenhill



First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3rd Apr - 8th May 2000



2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Audible Audio

Published March 12, 2026

About the author

Dora Jessie Saint MBE née Shafe (born 17 April 1913), best known by the pen name Miss Read, was an English novelist, by profession a schoolmistress. Her pseudonym was derived from her mother's maiden name. In 1940 she married her husband, Douglas, a former headmaster. The couple had a daughter, Jill. She began writing for several journals after World War II and worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC.

She wrote a series of novels from 1955 to 1996. Her work centred on two fictional English villages, Fairacre and Thrush Green. The principal character in the Fairacre books, "Miss Read", is an unmarried schoolteacher in a small village school, an acerbic and yet compassionate observer of village life. Miss Read's novels are wry regional social comedies, laced with gentle humour and subtle social commentary. Miss Read is also a keen observer of nature and the changing seasons.

Her most direct influence is from Jane Austen, although her work also bears similarities to the social comedies of manners written in the 1920s and 1930s, and in particular the work of Barbara Pym. Miss Read's work has influenced a number of writers in her own turn, including the American writer Jan Karon. The musician Enya has a track on her Watermark album named after the book Miss Clare Remembers, and one on her Shepherd Moons album named after No Holly for Miss Quinn.

In 1996 she retired. In 1998 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature. She died 7 April, 2012 in Shefford Woodlands.

Reviews

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand this was originally a radio broadcast, and was written to condense the storylines and characters and present in short episodes. I love Thrush Green and so of course I'm glad to see more material available. The voice actors did a wonderful job and it really was a nice introduction to the stories. And one can never have enough of Trevor Peacock! He was perfect as Albert Piggott.

But, much like a television show or movie, it just wasn't the same as an audio book. Simply couldn't capture the many different lives and stories that are intertwined in village life.

Enjoyable, yes, but disappointing for a diehard unabridged fan.