Gothic Imagination: Dracula, Frankenstein & more: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

A chilling collection of classic gothic horror and ghost stories adapted or written by women

In this breathtaking collection of gothic horror and eerie tales, draw the curtains and pull the blankets close for two classic Victorian horror tales in new adaptations, Dracula starring Nicky Henson, Charles Edwards, Don Gilet and Ellie Kendrick and Frankenstein, with Jamie Parker (Harry Potter) as Frankenstein and Shaun Dooley (Gentleman Jack, Broadchurch) as the Monster. Next is a thrilling drama about the scandalous Mary Shelley and Lord Byron in Bloody Poetry. In the sensational psycho-sexual thriller The Mysteries of Udolpho with Robert Glenister (Suspicion, Spooks), a young woman is trapped in a castle of nightmares and villains. But who can she trust?

Four spine-chilling dramatised tales follow: The Cold Embrace, where a handsome artist makes a terrible mistake, Man-size in Marble, in which newly-weds must face a horrifying truth, Afterward sees a couple paying the price for an unexpected windfall, and The Demon Lover, featuring Jenny Howe (Silent Witness, Eastenders) about a woman struggling home through the Blitz.

Finally, two of Mary Shelley's finest short stories, 'The Mortal Immortal '- when a young apprentice drinks a potion to cure his heartbreak but discovers a feeling far worse - and 'Rodger Dodworth: The Reanimated Englishman' - where a man is woken after 170 years encased in ice.

Cast and credits

Dracula Written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz Story written by Bram Stoker Directed by Jessica Dromgoole First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 14 October 2012

Frankenstein Dramatised by Lucy Catherine Written by Mary Shelley Directed by Marc Beeby First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 28 October - 4 November 2012

Bloody Poetry Written by Howard Brenton Adapted by Alison Hindell Directed by Alison Hindell First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 20 October 2012

The Mysteries of Udolpho Written by Ann Radcliffe Dramatised by Catherine Czerkawska Directed by David Blount First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 13 October - 24 October 1996

The Cold Embrace Written by Mary Braddon Produced by Marion Nancarrow Directed by Christopher Hawes First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26 July 1997

Man-size in Marble Written by Edith Nesbit Produced by Marion Nancarrow Dramatised by Christopher Hawes First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 17 November 1997

Afterward Written by Edith Wharton Produced by Marion Nancarrow Directed by Christopher Hawes First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 24 November 1997

The Demon Lover Written by Elizabeth Bowen Produced by Marion Nancarrow Directed by Christopher Hawes First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 17 July 1997

'The Mortal Immortal' Written by Mary Shelley Produced by Gemma Jenkins First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3 December 2005

'Rodger Dodworth: The Reanimated Englishman' Written by Mary Shelley Produced by John Cardy First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 24 May 1982

©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

© 2023 BBC Digital Audio (Lydbog): 9781529188455

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Lydbog: 16. februar 2023