Dido has turned A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow into a radio series; fifty years since the book originally came out.
It will be on BBC Radio 4 Mon-Fri for a fortnight (2 weeks) in the 'Woman's Hour' slot, starting on 12th July.

More information below.

Can I download it later if I can't listen at that time?

Veer: Thanks for the alert, and the link!

And did you see the lovely photo of our Dido?

This will be my last for a while - nothing else in the pipeline at the moment and, though I love the work, I'm very glad to have a bit of a rest. Having said that is tempting fate though - something will turn up, to be done by the day before yesterday!

Dido

Schedule according to BBC-Radio 4:
Episode 1 has 6 days to go. Episode 2 has 7 days to go. Etc.

In New York City this is how it worked on my MacBook --
Googled: BBC Radio Home Page
In Search box (up right corner) -- type "A kind of Loving".
That took me to several choices. Just look over the ones on the first page. You'll find it; I think it's about the 4th or 5th choice down.

I didn't have to download any special listening devices (like Flashpoint, or whatever). And there aren't any fees. It's all free. The reception was crystal clear.

Thank you for putting up the 'How' of getting the programme which will surely help anyone across the pond (and other ponds probably) trying to find it. So glad you got a good reception, too. And it's very interesting to hear from someone who doesn't know the novel at all - not even from seeing the film (1962, I think) which starred Alan Bates as Vic Brown.

Hope you continue to enjoy.

D.

But on a slightly unrelated note....to me, this is a DRAMatization of the book - pronounced as a dram of whisky. But I was amused to hear that, according to two different announcers on R4, it's actually a DRAHMatization - as in the word drama.

It must be the house stle, but it sounds very slightly affected to me. After all, it's a graph (pronounced GRAHF), but the adjective is not pronounced GRAHFICAL - it's GRAFFICAL. (Isn't it?)

Interestingly enough, Collins English Dictionary agrees with me!

BTW -- How many episodes are there?
P.S.: Glad I could be of help as far as reception goes (at least I hope I was).

Lauramarie, the actor Lee Ingleby is the young sidekick policeman in a police series called Inspector George Gently, starring Martin Shaw, which might have been picked up in the states. Rebecca (playing Ingrid) has apparently done quite a lot of things in British TV, but I'm not au fait with a great deal of new stuff. There are pictures of them both - and more - on the link which Vee put up in her introductory posting of this thread, so if you look at the bottom of the various episodes 1-5, so you might recognise them from there. Brigitte Forsyth (coming up as the awful Mrs Rothwell, Ingrid's mother, next wek) is quite a well-known British actor too.

I don't envy you the heatwave. We've had a lot of rain here (in Wales) this month so far, but I'd rather have that than have it so hot you can't breathe comfortably.

Diana/Dido

I have never seen the film, have always wanted to. I'm sure I could find it somewhere but as I don't have either a television or DVD player I haven't exactly been looking. I never watch DVDs on my computer, just doesn't work for me.

If anyone is reading this thread and hasn't tuned it, be sure to do so quickly as this program is only available for a short time - get it while it's hot!

The West Yorkshire accents of Vic and Ingrid are indeed authentic, as are the accents of many more of the cast. Radio, more than any other medium, will show up where you come from in a very short time because all you've got is sound with no visuals to distract you. If continue to use a 'cod' Scots or Welsh or London or whatever accent, the audience will start complaining. Actors are, of course, trained at Drama School to use R(eceived)P(ronunciation) and lose their native accents if necessary, and how to approach another accent not their own. Some are utterly brilliant at anything - Meryl Streep is a prime example.

D.

What is Received Pronunciation? I've heard that term many times before, like when reading British actors' autobiographies.

Also: I've heard Englishmen say that Renee Zellwegger's accent in "Brigit Jones's Diary" "wandered off course" now and then. It sounded pretty darn good to me. As for Meryl Streep: I remember when "Plenty" opened, Tatler Magazine said that people in England laughed at her pronouncing "Iranian vase" as "Ira-r-nian vase" ! !

Meanwhile, back to the BEEB!

I've been particularly impressed by the use of music during the show - it really adds to it. Does that come from your original dramatization, or is it something added by the director, or some combination of both?

And also - do you happen to know off the top of your head what the two pieces of classical music were that were used at the start of the episode where Vic joins Mr Van Huyten's shop (episode 6, I think...) The first is clearly a Brahms symphony, from the context, but the second sounds like a violin concerto (though I know it is NOT Brahms Violin Concerto, which I know very well).

Thanks!

Still thoroughly enjoying the show. I've also picked up one or two other items on R4 advertised before or after the episodes which I've listened to. I really ought to listen to the radio more often...

R(eceived)P(ronunciation) is the term given to what results when actors are taught to lose their local/regional British accents to achieve a sort of general, ironed-out, all-purpose, standard English. Remember Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion/My Fair Lady when Professor Higgins is teaching her to lose the cockney vowel sounds of her upbringing, and the exercises he takes her through? 'The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain' is one - though I doubt if that's one taught today.

Martin,

As to the music, our producer/director (the two are usually the same in radio), Pauline Harris, whom I've worked with for years, is always absolutely brilliant at finding suitable things - and I think she has excelled herself in this production with the mix of 50s pop, excerpts of solo guitar and classical. I can suggest things, if I want to and occasionally I do, and, in this drama there are occasions when Vic gives pointers - like, Brahms is Mr Van Huyton's favourite composer. As to your 2 queries for ep.6, I can't remember quite what was used so I'll contact Pauline and ask her - she's probably got the information to hand.

I'm so pleased it's all going so well.

D

I wish Vic would stop seeing Ingrid. I thought he'd given her up for good. But she kept popping up in his life every once in awhile. Guess in a small town where there are so few attractive, single, young girls, it's hard for a guy to keep putting off someone like Ingrid!

They're all up there for listening to - I just checked - in BBCR4 Woman's Hour Drama. I can't do links like Vee, but maybe the following will take you there:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qy2s

Or Vee will come to the rescue - where are you, Vee?

D.

Well done dido (with a little help from SB for writing the book). The best one yet . . . and I'm not just saying that to win the first edition signed copy.
And doesn't the story remind us 'older' folk how much has changed in the last 50 years to do with marriage, divorce, pre-marital 'fumblings' and perhaps, most importantly the feeling of responsibility . . . what happened to that?

And this evening, I suddenly remembered that I had a tape of a BBC Radio 4 dramatization of A Raging Calm by a certain Stan Barstow, dramatized by our good friend Dido back in 2002. Haven't listened to it for literally years.

We're four episodes into it. Excellent stuff!

Can someone fill me in on the rest of the story -- episode 7 onwards?

Thanks!

D.

Link below. If you right-click and select "save link as" (in Firefox) or "save target as" (in IE) you can download each episode asyou require it. Alternatively, you can just click on the link - if you have a reasonable broadband link, it may well just work.

Thank you for all your "listening" advice. Martin Z, your link was impeccable! -- Didn't have to attach any "fancy-schmancy" device (like Firefox, or whatever they call it).

Sorry I haven't been visiting here for so long (since last Sunday). I was only online once this week...spent 3 hours looking for work on Internet... too tired afterwards. I felt bad when I came here today, and saw all your messages to me... followed by days without a response from me. It might've looked as if I'd lost interest; but here I am.

I just had to post here now -- Just finished listening to all the rest (episodes 7 through 10). And I have to say -- the ending was beautifully done. Vic's soliloquy at the end is lovely advice. ... An ODD THING -- it's the same advice, worded almost the same way, too!, as a book I just finished reading (on finding Mr. Right).

Again, Good Work, Diana!

Your radio listener,
laura

Dido/Diana

I forgot to ask you about the rendition of "The Party's Over". It was the best version of that song I've ever heard. It sounded like Peggy Lee singing. Was it her?

I'll ask the producer. I've also got a query on music used, for Martin, which she hasn't yet answered. She's rushed off her feet just now but I'll email her.

D.