Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20201026 | Over drinks in Stoke Newington, Hermes and Aphrodite get into a debate about whether animals could live happily if they had the same cognitive and speech abilities as humans. They decide to wager a year of servitude on the outcome of granting the gifts of human reasoning and language to a group of dogs in a nearby kennel. Given their newfound abilities, the dogs are able to escape, where they set up their own new protosociety. The novel then explores the functioning of their new society through the impact of human values, such as individuality and personal freedom, on the conventionally hierarchical social order of dog packs. Key characters in the canine society include Atticus, a Neapolitan Mastiff who naturally emerges as the group leader; Majnoun, a black poodle who is reluctant to trust other dogs; and Princess, a mongrel who embraces her language skills to become a poet. The novel was written by Canadian writer André Alexis and has been freely adapted by Mike Harris who has many successful Radio 4 credits to his name. Cast: Adapted for Radio by Mike Harris Two gods make a bet that if they give human intelligence to dogs they will all die unhappy |
| 02 | 20201027 | Over drinks in Stoke Newington, Hermes and Aphrodite get into a debate about whether animals could live happily if they had the same cognitive and speech abilities as humans. They decide to wager a year of servitude on the outcome of granting the gifts of human reasoning and language to a group of dogs in a nearby kennel. Given their newfound abilities, the dogs are able to escape, where they set up their own new protosociety. The novel then explores the functioning of their new society through the impact of human values, such as individuality and personal freedom, on the conventionally hierarchical social order of dog packs. Key characters in the canine society include Atticus, a Neapolitan Mastiff who naturally emerges as the group leader; Majnoun, a black poodle who is reluctant to trust other dogs; and Princess, a mongrel who embraces her language skills to become a poet. The novel was written by Canadian writer André Alexis and has been freely adapted by Mike Harris who has many successful Radio 4 credits to his name. Cast: Adapted for Radio by Mike Harris Nira and Mick adopt Majnoun the poodle. But who is training whom? Two gods make a bet that if they give human intelligence to dogs they will all die unhappy |
| 03 | 20201028 | Over drinks in Stoke Newington, Hermes and Aphrodite get into a debate about whether animals could live happily if they had the same cognitive and speech abilities as humans. They decide to wager a year of servitude on the outcome of granting the gifts of human reasoning and language to a group of dogs in a nearby kennel. Given their newfound abilities, the dogs are able to escape, where they set up their own new protosociety. The novel then explores the functioning of their new society through the impact of human values, such as individuality and personal freedom, on the conventionally hierarchical social order of dog packs. Key characters in the canine society include Atticus, a Neapolitan Mastiff who naturally emerges as the group leader; Majnoun, a black poodle who is reluctant to trust other dogs; and Princess, a mongrel who embraces her language skills to become a poet. The novel was written by Canadian writer André Alexis and has been freely adapted by Mike Harris who has many successful Radio 4 credits to his name. Cast: Adapted for Radio by Mike Harris Atticus the Bull Mastiff gets into trouble whilst Princess the mongrel learns poetry. Two gods make a bet that if they give human intelligence to dogs they will all die unhappy |
| 04 | 20201029 | Over drinks in Stoke Newington, Hermes and Aphrodite get into a debate about whether animals could live happily if they had the same cognitive and speech abilities as humans. They decide to wager a year of servitude on the outcome of granting the gifts of human reasoning and language to a group of dogs in a nearby kennel. Given their newfound abilities, the dogs are able to escape, where they set up their own new protosociety. The novel then explores the functioning of their new society through the impact of human values, such as individuality and personal freedom, on the conventionally hierarchical social order of dog packs. Key characters in the canine society include Atticus, a Neapolitan Mastiff who naturally emerges as the group leader; Majnoun, a black poodle who is reluctant to trust other dogs; and Princess, a mongrel who embraces her language skills to become a poet. The novel was written by Canadian writer André Alexis and has been freely adapted by Mike Harris who has many successful Radio 4 credits to his name. Cast: Adapted for Radio by Mike Harris Nira and Mick's relationship is deteriorating over Nira's fondness for the poodle Majnoun. Two gods make a bet that if they give human intelligence to dogs they will all die unhappy |
| 05 | 20201030 | Over drinks in Stoke Newington, Hermes and Aphrodite get into a debate about whether animals could live happily if they had the same cognitive and speech abilities as humans. They decide to wager a year of servitude on the outcome of granting the gifts of human reasoning and language to a group of dogs in a nearby kennel. Given their newfound abilities, the dogs are able to escape, where they set up their own new protosociety. The novel then explores the functioning of their new society through the impact of human values, such as individuality and personal freedom, on the conventionally hierarchical social order of dog packs. Key characters in the canine society include Atticus, a Neapolitan Mastiff who naturally emerges as the group leader; Majnoun, a black poodle who is reluctant to trust other dogs; and Princess, a mongrel who embraces her language skills to become a poet. The novel was written by Canadian writer André Alexis and has been freely adapted by Mike Harris who has many successful Radio 4 credits to his name. Cast: Adapted for Radio by Mike Harris Despite increasing hardships, Princess the mongrel takes solace in poetry. Two gods make a bet that if they give human intelligence to dogs they will all die unhappy |