Episodes
| Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epitaph For A Spy (part 1) | 20190512 | 20190518 (R4) | By Eric Ambler Adapted by Nick Perry As clouds of war gather over Europe, Josef Vadassy, a Hungarian refugee and language teacher, is enjoying his first break in years at a small hotel on the French Riviera. But when he takes his holiday photographs to be developed at the local chemists, sensitive images of the local military facility are discovered on his roll of film. Vadassy is accused of being an enemy agent and of espionage. To prove his innocence, he must become a sleuth to discover the identity of the real spy among his fellow hotel guests. Vadassy has many attributes but guile and subtlety are not among them, and it isn't long before his own mishaps get him into further trouble. Part of the Eric Ambler season on BBC Radio 4, which also includes a two-part adaptation of Journey Into Fear, and a biographical drama about Eric Ambler and Hollywood director John Huston's collaboration on war film The Battle of San Pietro. Eric Ambler's pre-war novels remain the base upon which his reputation rests. Fresh and exciting, they laid out the ground for writers such as John Le Carr退 and Len Deighton. During the years before WWII, Ambler created the image of the modern spy. He was hailed by Graham Greene as 'our greatest thriller writer'. These are novels of education. The protagonist typically thinks of himself as a skilled reader of personality and motive - and then gets everything wrong. Ambler thrusts his hapless heroes - teachers, engineers and writers - into a world of political intrigue. Set mostly in Europe, the novels paint haunting panoramas of intrigue and villainy. Credible heroes, realistic settings and vivid evocations of the nervous, politically-charged years that led to World War II, evoke the queasy atmosphere and conspiratorial politics of 1930s Europe. Joseph Vadassy . . . Edward Hogg Frau Koche . . . Clare Corbett Duval . . . Tony Turner Schimler . . . Mark Edel-Hunt Rempenault . . . Don Gilet Skelton . . . Joseph Ayre Mary . . . Franchi Webb Roux . . . Christopher Harper Vogel . . . Sam Dale Director . . . Sasha Yevtushenko Eric Ambler's classic wartime thriller, about an innocent man accused of being a Nazi spy. A season of adaptations that celebrate Eric Ambler's striking pre-World War II thrillers. |
| Epitaph For A Spy (part 2) | 20190519 | 20190525 (R4) | By Eric Ambler Adapted by Nick Perry As clouds of war gather over Europe, Josef Vadassy, a Hungarian refugee and language teacher, is enjoying his first break in years at a small hotel on the French Riviera. But when he takes his holiday photographs to be developed at the local chemists, sensitive images of the local military facility are discovered on his roll of film. Vadassy is accused of being an enemy agent and of espionage. Now, in order to prove his innocence to the French police, Vadassy must discover the identity of the person who took the incriminating photos, presumably one of the guests at his hotel. Vadassy's suspicions fall on one guest after another but his investigation stalls. Just when he begins to doubt whether there's a spy at all, he is knocked unconscious by an unseen assailant. Part of the Eric Ambler season on BBC Radio 4, which also includes a two-part adaptation of Journey Into Fear, and a biographical drama about Eric Ambler and Hollywood director John Huston's collaboration on war film The Battle of San Pietro. Eric Ambler's pre-war novels remain the base upon which his reputation rests. Fresh and exciting, they laid out the ground for writers such as Le Carr退 and Deighton. During the years before WWII, Ambler created the image of the modern spy. He was hailed by Graham Greene as 'our greatest thriller writer'. These are novels of education. The protagonist typically thinks of himself as a skilled reader of personality and motive - and then gets everything wrong. Ambler thrusts his hapless heroes - teachers, engineers and writers - into a world of political intrigue. Set mostly in Europe, the novels paint haunting panoramas of intrigue and villainy. Credible heroes, realistic settings and vivid evocations of the nervous, politically-charged years that led to World War II, evoke the queasy atmosphere and conspiratorial politics of 1930s Europe. Joseph Vadassy . . . Edward Hogg Frau Koche . . . Clare Corbett Duval . . . Tony Turner Schimler . . . Mark Edel-Hunt Rempenault . . . Don Gilet Skelton . . . Joseph Ayre Mary . . . Franchi Webb Roux . . . Christopher Harper Vogel . . . Sam Dale Director . . . Sasha Yevtushenko Eric Ambler's classic wartime thriller, about an innocent man accused of being a Nazi spy. A season of adaptations that celebrate Eric Ambler's striking pre-World War II thrillers. |
| Journey Into Fear (part 1) | 20190428 | 20190504 (R4) | By Eric Ambler Adapted by Nick Perry As clouds of war gather over Europe, Alec Graham, a mild-mannered arms expert, is in Istanbul, having just completed consultation work with the Turkish government. And now somebody wants him dead. Shots are fired at Graham as he steps into his hotel room, so, terrified, he escapes in secret on a boat bound for Genoa, from where he will take a train back to England. As he journeys home, he enters a dangerous world and struggles to distinguish friend from foe. Part of the Eric Ambler season on BBC Radio 4, which also includes a two-part adaptation of Epitaph for a Spy, and a biographical drama about Eric Ambler and Hollywood director John Huston's collaboration on war film The Battle of San Pietro. Eric Ambler's pre-war novels remain the base upon which his reputation rests. Fresh and exciting, they laid out the ground for writers such as Le Carr退 and Deighton. During the years before WWII, Ambler created the image of the modern spy. He was hailed by Graham Greene as 'our greatest thriller writer'. These are novels of education. The protagonist typically thinks of himself as a skilled reader of personality and motive - and then gets everything wrong. Ambler thrusts his hapless heroes - teachers, engineers and writers - into a world of political intrigue. Set mostly in Europe, the novels paint haunting panoramas of intrigue and villainy. Credible heroes, realistic settings and vivid evocations of the nervous, politically-charged years that led to World War II, evoke the queasy atmosphere and conspiratorial politics of 1930s Europe. Alec Graham . . . Daniel Rigby Berlinsky . . . Simon Scardifield Jose . . . Simon Scardifield Dr Haller . . . Matthew Marsh Josette . . . Olivia Ross Mr Kuvetli . . . Atilla Akinci Colonel Haki . . . Raad Rawi Mme Mathis . . . Carolyn Pickles Mathis . . . Sam Dale Steward . . . Ronny Jhutti Director . . . Sasha Yevtushenko Dramatist . . . Nick Perry Eric Ambler's classic wartime thriller, about an English engineer on the run. A season of adaptations that celebrate Eric Ambler's striking pre-World War II thrillers. |
| Journey Into Fear (part 2) | 20190505 | 20190511 (R4) | By Eric Ambler Adapted by Nick Perry It is 1940 and Alec Graham, a mild-mannered engineer and arms expert, is on the run. Having finished consultation work with the Turkish government, shots were fired at him in his hotel room. Now he's left Istanbul in secret, on a boat bound for Genoa. Of his fellow passengers, Graham is unsure of who is friend or foe. Then, after docking in Athens, a new passenger has come aboard - a man that Graham suspects has been hired to kill him. Alec Graham . . . Daniel Rigby Dr Haller . . . Matthew Marsh Jose . . . Simon Scardifield Josette . . . Olivia Ross Mr Kuvetli . . . Atilla Akinci Banat . . . Simon Scardifield Mme Mathis . . . Carolyn Pickles Mathis . . . Sam Dale Balescu . . . Ronny Jhutti Captain . . . Christopher Harper Producer . . . Sasha Yevtushenko Dramatist . . . Nick Perry Eric Ambler's classic wartime thriller, about an English engineer on the run. A season of adaptations that celebrate Eric Ambler's striking pre-World War II thrillers. |
| The Battle Of San Pietro | 20190427 | In 1944, British spy novelist Eric Ambler and Hollywood film director John Huston were paired up to make a film to support the Allied war effort. Neither Huston nor Ambler had made a documentary before; they were used to writing the script then shooting and now they were going to shoot before writing. They agreed that there would be no staging, no re-enactment, nothing fake or artificial in their production. But the ethics of both men were tested by the reality of crafting a story in a war zone. John Huston . . . Elliot Cowan Eric Ambler . . . Joseph Kloska Jules Buck . . . Joseph Ayre Colonel Gillette . . . Nathan Osgood The Interviewer . . . Lorelei King David MacDonald . . . Christopher Harper General Harrison . . . Kenny Blyth Elsie . . . Helen Clapp Director . . . Sasha Yevtushenko The story behind John Huston and Eric Ambler's wartime documentary. A season of adaptations that celebrate Eric Ambler's striking pre-World War II thrillers. | |
| The Battle Of San Pietro | 20190427 | 20210527 (R4) | In 1944, British spy novelist Eric Ambler and Hollywood film director John Huston were paired up to make a film to support the Allied war effort. Neither Huston nor Ambler had made a documentary before; they were used to writing the script then shooting and now they were going to shoot before writing. They agreed that there would be no staging, no re-enactment, nothing fake or artificial in their production. But the ethics of both men were tested by the reality of crafting a story in a war zone. John Huston . . . Elliot Cowan Eric Ambler . . . Joseph Kloska Jules Buck . . . Joseph Ayre Colonel Gillette . . . Nathan Osgood The Interviewer . . . Lorelei King David MacDonald . . . Christopher Harper General Harrison . . . Kenny Blyth Elsie . . . Helen Clapp Director . . . Sasha Yevtushenko The story behind John Huston and Eric Ambler's wartime documentary. A season of adaptations that celebrate Eric Ambler's striking pre-World War II thrillers. |