Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Board | 20211031 | 20240603 (R4) | Adrian Scarborough kicks off a dazzling new short story series, set in what might seem like and ordinary Essex village, but is anything but. Today, in 'The Board', it's Hallowe'en, and the village of Little Purlington has been gripped by chess fever.... Reader: Adrian Scarborough is an acclaimed TV and stage actor, known best for roles in Gavin & Stacey, The King's Speech and Gosford Park. Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary. Adrian Scarborough kicks off a dazzling new short story series by Eley Williams. Adrian Scarborough kicks of a new story series set in what might seem like an everyday Essex village, but is anything but. Today: in The Board, chess fever grips the villagers. Adrian Scarborough kicks off a dazzling new short-story series, set in what might seem like an ordinary Essex village, but is anything but. Today, in 'The Board', it's Hallowe'en, and the village of Little Purlington has been gripped by chess fever.... Adrian Scarborough kicks off a dazzling new short-story series by Eley Williams. Adrian Scarborough kicks off a new story series set in what might seem like an everyday Essex village, but is anything but. Today: in The Board, chess fever grips the villagers. |
| 02 | The King | 20211107 | 20240610 (R4) | Stephen Mangan continues a new short story series, set in what might seem like and ordinary Essex village, but is anything but. Today, in 'The King', Little Purlington has been gripped by chess fever, but the father of the local chess prodigy struggles to understand his son... Reader: Stephen Mangan is a British actor, known best for his TV roles in Episodes, I'm Alan Patridge and Green Wing. Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary. Stephen Mangan continues a dazzling new short story series for Radio 4 by Eley Williams. Stephen Mangan continues a new short story series, set in an Essex village gripped by chess fever when local child prodigy is chosen to play a grandmaster. Today: fathers and sons. |
| 03 | The Pawn | 20211114 | 20240617 (R4) | The next in a new short story series by Eley Williams. Little Purlington might seem like an ordinary Essex village, but is anything but. Today, in 'The Pawn', as chess fever continues to grip the village, the local teenage rebel finds herself making her own sacrifice... Reader: Rebekah Murrell currently playing Juliet in The Globe's Romeo and Juliet. Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary. A new short story series for Radio 4 by Eley Williams, riffing on the theme of chess. The next story in a new series for Radio 4. Little Purlington might seem like an ordinary Essex village, but is anything but. Today: secrets and lies from the local teen rebel... |
| 04 | The Rook | 20211121 | 20240624 (R4) | The next in a dazzling new short story series set in Little Purlington - a seemingly ordinary English village, but which is anything but. Today, in 'The Rook', a woman living secretly in the local folly finds herself under suspicion for the strange happenings in the village... Reader: Jasmine Hyde Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary. A new short story series by Eley Williams, set in an Essex village gripped by chess. The next story in a new series set in what might seem like an everyday Essex village, but is anything but. Today: in 'The Rook', the chess tutor finds herself under suspicion... |
| 05 | Check | 20211128 | 20240701 (R4) | The next in a gripping new short story series, set in Little Purlington - a seemingly ordinary English village, but which is anything but. Today, in 'The Check', local chess prodigy Matthew thinks he might know who is behind the strange acts of misrule in the village... Reader: Harry Redding Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary. The next story in series set in a seemingly dull village, now gripped by a game of chess. The next story in a series set in a seemingly ordinary English village, now gripped by chess: Today: in 'Check', has Matthew spotted the culprit behind the strange acts of misrule? |
| 06 | The Bishop | 20211205 | 20240708 (R4) | Anton Lesser continues Eley WIlliams' dazzling short story series, set in Little Purlington - a seemingly ordinary English village, but which is anything but. Today, in 'The Bishop', as the village continues to be gripped by chess, the local curate reveals some startling truths about who might be behind the strange acts of misrule in the village... Reader: Anton Lesser is an acclaimed stage and screen actor, known most recently for his roles as Thomas More in Wolf Hall and Harold Macmillan in The Crown. Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary. Anton Lesser continues Eley Williams' series set in an Essex village gripped by chess. Anton Lesser reads the next story in Eley WIlliams' series,set in an Essex village gripped by chess. Today, in 'The Bishop', the local curate reveals some startling truths. |
| 07 | Sacrifice | 20211212 | 20240715 (R4) | The next in a dazzling new short story series set in Little Purlington - a seemingly ordinary English village, but which is anything but. Today, in 'The Rook', a woman living secretly in the local folly finds herself under suspicion for the strange happenings in the village... Today: we learn why chess tutor Mary finally returned to the village - and what led her to leave... Reader: Jasmine Hyde Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary. The next in a new series for Radio 4 by Eley Williams set in a village gripped by chess. The next in a new short story series set in Little Purlington - a seemingly ordinary Essex village, but which is anything but. Today: why did the chess tutor return to the village? |
| 08 | The Queen | 20211219 | 20240722 (R4) | Tracy-Ann Oberman continues Eley Williams' short story series, set in what might seem like and ordinary Essex village, but is anything but. Today, in 'The Queen', the mother of the local chess prodigy has some startling revelations of her own... Reader: Tracy-Ann Oberman Writer: Eley Williams is the author of Attrib. and Other Stories, and a debut novel, The Liar's Dictionary. Tracy-Ann Oberman continues by Eley Williams series set in a village gripped by chess. Tracy-Ann Oberman continues Eley Williams' series set in a village gripped by chess. Today: the mother of the village's chess prodigy has some startling revelations of her own. |
| 09 | The Knight | 20211226 | 20240729 (R4) | Susannah Fielding continues Eley Williams' short story series set in an Essex village gripped by chess, and where dark secrets lurk behind its closed doors. Today, in 'The Knight', a woman finds herself in the home of the parents of the village's chess prodigy, and finds herself she enacting some revenge of her own... Reader: Susannah Fielding Writer: Eley Williams A new short story series for Radio 4 by Eley Williams, set in a village gripped by chess. Susannah Fielding continues Eley Williams' series set in a village gripped by chess, and where dark secrets lurk behind its closed doors. Today: another small act of revenge... |
| 10 | The Scoresheet | 20220102 | 20240805 (R4) | Adrian Scarborough reads the final instalment of Eley Williams' short story series set in an Essex village gripped by chess, and where dark secrets lurk behind its closed doors. Today, in 'The Scoresheet', as the human chess pieces arrange themselves on the village green with Matthew's match against the grandmaster set to begin, things suddenly, and shockingly, come to a head.... Reader: Adrian Scarborough Writer: Eley Williams Shocking revelations on the village green in the final story in a new series for Radio 4. Shocking revelations and a fight on the village green, as Adrian Scarborough reads the final part of Eley Williams' series set in an Essex village gripped by chess. |