Madame Bovary Speaks
First broadcast from 20060918 to 20060922.
Five specially commissioned monologues to mark the 150 year anniversary of the publication of Madame Bovary. Each give a contemporary twist to the themes and passions of Flaubert's classic novel.
5 episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Other Madame Bovary | 20060918 | By Joanne Harris, read by Geraldine James. Emma Bovary's mother-in-law looks back over her son's two disastrous marriages, revealing her opinions of his dead wives as she clears the attic of their possessions. |
| 02 | Not The Real Madame Bovary | 20060919 | By Adam Thorpe, read by Emma Fielding. A 21st-century Emma has limitless credit, a beautiful home in the country, mixes with the social elite - and yet she is still unhappy. |
| 03 | Félicité's Story | 20060920 | By Michèle Roberts, read by Jo McInnes. Emma's maid, Félicité, feels compelled to reveal a hidden love story when she encounters her mistress' ghost. |
| 04 | Unrequited Love | 20060921 | By Fay Weldon, read by Jane Slavin. The plight of the plain daughter born to a beautiful mother is captured in exquisite detail as Emma's daughter, Berthe, recalls her childhood. |
| 05 LAST | The Rebuke | 20060922 | By Julian Barnes, read by Pat Kavanagh. What if Emma lives beyond her years, then starts to think about the shortcomings of her creator? |