George Bernard Shaw: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

by George Bernard Shaw

Fifteen of the finest works by the world-renowned playwright, as heard on BBC radio.

George Bernard Shaw - or Bernard Shaw, as he preferred to be known - was one of Ireland's foremost dramatists and thinkers. His plays range from contemporary satires to historical allegories, and are infused with ideas, insight, wit and wisdom. Included here are some of his best works, adapted for radio and brought together in reverse chronological order in one statement collection.

We begin with his prophetic political comedy The Apple Cart, set in the future and pitting the fictional King Magnus against his Prime Minister. Next is his masterpiece Saint Joan, dramatising the trials of Joan of Arc, for which he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. Heartbreak House lampoons England's ruling elite before World War I, as they sail heedlessly towards catastrophe; Pygmalion explores feminism and the class system through Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle and irascible phonetics professor Henry Higgins; and in Androcles and the Lion, Shaw transforms Aesop's fable to impart his thoughts on human frailty, religion and martyrdom.

The Dark Lady of the Sonnets imagines a meeting between William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I, while alternate history Press Cuttings sets the suffragettes against crotchety war veteran General Mitchener. Here, too, are the controversial The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet, banned in England for contravening blasphemy laws; the classic comedy Major Barbara, a tale of romance, rich privilege and a battle of wills; and the humorous philosophical drama based on the Don Juan theme, Man and Superman, directed for Radio 3 by theatrical icon Sir Peter Hall.

Also featured are early works Caesar and Cleopatra, a dramatised account of the relationship between the Roman dictator and the Egyptian queen; The Devil's Disciple, set against the backdrop of the American War of Independence; The Man of Destiny, in which Napoleon enters into a battle of wits with a beautiful stranger; and Candida, about a vicar's wife whose life is turned upside down by a young poet. Finally, Shaw's acclaimed 'problem play', Mrs Warren's Profession, probes issues of Victorian prostitution and double standards. And in a bonus documentary, devotees of the great author discuss his life, work and legacy.

Among the array of stars in these coruscating dramas are Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Prunella Scales, Anton Lesser, Juliet Stevenson, Paul Merton, Ron Cook, Victoria Hamilton, Nicholas Le Prevost, David Suchet, Eleanor Bron, David Troughton, Julian Rhind-Tutt , Alistair McGowan, Al Murray, Morgana Robinson, Robert Bathurst, Leslie French, Marius Goring, Arthur Lowe, Denys Hawthorne, Rebecca Front, Alan Badel, Gregory Peck, Paul Ritter, Hannah Gordon, Edward Petherbridge and Maggie Steed.

Genres: Plays

26 pages, Audible Audio

Published February 24, 2022

About the author

George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, socialist, and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama. Over the course of his life he wrote more than 60 plays. Nearly all his plays address prevailing social problems, but each also includes a vein of comedy that makes their stark themes more palatable. In these works Shaw examined education, marriage, religion, government, health care, and class privilege.

An ardent socialist, Shaw was angered by what he perceived to be the exploitation of the working class. He wrote many brochures and speeches for the Fabian Society. He became an accomplished orator in the furtherance of its causes, which included gaining equal rights for men and women, alleviating abuses of the working class, rescinding private ownership of productive land, and promoting healthy lifestyles. For a short time he was active in local politics, serving on the London County Council.

In 1898, Shaw married Charlotte Payne-Townshend, a fellow Fabian, whom he survived. They settled in Ayot St. Lawrence in a house now called Shaw's Corner.

He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938). The former for his contributions to literature and the latter for his work on the film "Pygmalion" (adaptation of his play of the same name). Shaw wanted to refuse his Nobel Prize outright, as he had no desire for public honours, but he accepted it at his wife's behest. She considered it a tribute to Ireland. He did reject the monetary award, requesting it be used to finance translation of Swedish books to English.

Shaw died at Shaw's Corner, aged 94, from chronic health problems exacerbated by injuries incurred by falling.

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this was a bit of a struggle for me. Rather often I found I hadn’t really been listening. I enjoyed Pygmalion and Saint Joan, more or less listened to The Devil’s Disciple, Major Barbara and Mrs Warren’s Profession but abandoned Heartbreak House and Man and Superman. Many of the philosophising conversations were too long and ultimately not very interesting for me - the biography of Shaw at the end suggested that I’m not alone in that, especially in the present century when at least some of the issues raised are now resolved.
The 3 stars are my enjoyment factor. In fairness the performances were all good and these plays are classics.

[Taylor Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always had trouble with actually getting down to watching or reading all of the plays that I would like to familiarize myself with so I was quite excited when I saw this Bernard Shaw collection of BBC Radio Dramas on Audible. Whenever I had an XM radio subscription trial I would tune into the radio drama channel for fun and quite enjoyed the format. It was interesting to get through this audiobook because it made me realize how much I am wired for long form narrative fiction and non-fiction rather than other formats like plays, poems, or short stories. I’m not sure why but I always seem to find it so much easier to slog through a 60 hour audio novel instead of a 15 hour collection of short stories. I think it has to do with the switching of topics and casts of characters so often, makes me feel not too motivated to get on with it for some reason.

Anyway my issues with the medium aside I found this to be quite enjoyable. Gave me a good sense of what GBS was interested in and how he presented his ideas in his plays. Often they would feel more like excuses for characters to give long rhetorical speeches but they were also very funny. I particularly enjoyed Pygmalion and see why it has such a great reputation.