The Underground Railroad

Episode

First
Broadcast

Comments

20170220

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017.

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

After a violent incident on the Randall Plantation, Caesar asks Cora to run north with him

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170221

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

Cora and Caesar encounter the underground railroad for the first time.

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170222

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

The runaways take on new identities and begin a new life across the state line.

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170223

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

Cora takes on a job in the Museum of Natural Wonders.

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170224

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

Cora flees, but where will the railroad take her on this occasion?

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170227

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

Still stranded in North Carolina, Cora awaits word from the underground railroad

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170228

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

Ridgeway the slave catcher is determined to deliver Cora back to the Randall Plantation.

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170301

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

Cora meets freeborn men for the first time and begins a new life on the Valentine farm.

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170302

'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?'

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

Cora's refuge, Valentine farm, comes under threat.

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

20170303

What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?

Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.

Cora faces Ridgeway once more, and makes a final journey on the railroad.

Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.

Episodes

Episode	First Broadcast	Comments
01	20170220	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. After a violent incident on the Randall Plantation, Caesar asks Cora to run north with him Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
02	20170221	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. Cora and Caesar encounter the underground railroad for the first time. Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
03	20170222	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. The runaways take on new identities and begin a new life across the state line. Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
04	20170223	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. Cora takes on a job in the Museum of Natural Wonders. Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
05	20170224	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. Cora flees, but where will the railroad take her on this occasion? Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
06	20170227	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. Still stranded in North Carolina, Cora awaits word from the underground railroad Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
07	20170228	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. Ridgeway the slave catcher is determined to deliver Cora back to the Randall Plantation. Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
08	20170301	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. Cora meets freeborn men for the first time and begins a new life on the Valentine farm. Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
09	20170302	'What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?' Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. Cora's refuge, Valentine farm, comes under threat. Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.
10	20170303	What if the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America? Colson Whitehead's inventive novel follows Cora and Caesar as they escape from a Georgia cotton plantation and run north in pursuit of freedom, aided by the stationmasters and conductors of the Underground Railroad. This brilliant and at times brutal novel about the history of slavery and racism in America, won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2016 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017. Read by Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio in Bristol. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017. Cora faces Ridgeway once more, and makes a final journey on the railroad. Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery in America.