The Princess Bride by William Goldman - BBC Radio Drama

Category: Children, Fantasy, Full Cast, Humor
Language: English
Keywords: BBC Comedy Drama Fantasy Movie Novel Radio

Written by William Goldman, S Morgenstern, Stephen Keyworth
Read by Grant O’Rourke, Full Cast
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 128 Kbps
Dramatization

“This is my favourite book in all the world, though I have never read it.”

When William Goldman discovers The Princess Bride by S Morgenstern is not the swashbuckling fantasy his father read him as a child, but is in fact a patchy and extensive historical satire, he sets out to create the “Good Parts” version…

A tale of true love and high adventure featuring a fighting giant that loves to rhyme, a swordsman on the ultimate quest for revenge, a pirate in love with a princess, a princess in love with a farm boy and a prince in love with war.

First a novel, then a film, now an audio experience! It’s inconceivable that you wouldn’t want to download this, The Best Bits of the Good Parts Version by Stephen Keyworth.

A two-part, full-cast dramatisation of swashbuckling adventure plus five short stories.

Episodes 1 & 2 Cast:

Buttercup … Ruby Barker
Fezzik … Tyler Collins
Inigo… Emun Elliott
Vizzini… Maryam Hamidi
Count Rugen … Robin Laing
Goldman Snr / Father / Roberts / Arch Dean / Max … Crawford Logan
Westley … Lorn Macdonald
Prince Humperdinck / William Goldman … Grant O’Rourke
Countess … Rosalind Sydney

Short stories read by Grant O’Rourke

1. The Book - William Goldman’s fictional account of how he came to transform The Princess Bride from a dull historical satire into a tale of true love and high adventure.

2. The Bride - Buttercup is the most beautiful woman in the world and she’s about to realise she’s in love with a farm boy.

3. The Prince - When a war loving Prince realises he needs to marry, the royal family begin searching for a suitable bride.

4. The Henchman - How does a simple giant that loves to rhyme become a master villain’s henchman?

5. The Swordsman - The story of why Inigo Montoya becomes the greatest swordsman in the world and why he uttered the infamous words: “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!”

Sound recording: Joanne Willott
Sound design: Fraser Jackson

Directed by Kirsty Williams

First broadcast Christmas 2021

My recordings from BBC Sounds VBR M4B