BBC Radio 4's Great Western Adventure Readings
Five short stories inspired by a place created by the great engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, in celebration of his bicentenary.
1. Monday 3rd April 2006 1530-1545
London Terminal
by Richard Francis
Colin is waiting for his train at Paddington station. A hypochondriac fixated by his body and its imagined ills, his obsession colours the way he reacts to a fellow passenger.
Read by Rupert Wickham.
2. Tuesday 4th April 2006 1530-1545
Mr Brunel’s Sounding Arch
by Mavis Cheek
Agnes and Bernard have been married for forty years. In celebration, Bernard has arranged a special trip – a boat trip under Brunel’s Bridge at Maidenhead. It should be romantic, but Agnes has her doubts.
Read by Mavis Cheek.
3. Wednesday 5th April 2006 1530-1545
God’s Wonderful Railway
By Hattie Naylor
If you’ve got the sort of face that encourages people to talk to you – even complete strangers, even ghosts - then the train journey through Brunel’s Box tunnel can be an unsettling place. A place filled with the stories of the men who built it.
Read by Sheila Hannon
4. Thursday 6th April 2006 1530-1545
Exit, Stage Left
By Helen Dunmore
The Camera Obscura in Bristol gives you an amazing view of the city, and especially of the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, built by Brunel. ZsaZsa’s friend Manjiit has a summer job there, and invites her in after hours. The view of the bridge is extraordinarily clear in the moonlight. But they see something Zsa Zsa has to try to forget.
Read by Renu Brindle
5. Friday 7th April 2006 1530-1545
Coursework
By Steve May
A short story inspired by a place created by the great engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, in celebration of his bicentenary.
Zoe left college in a hurry. She’s going back home, over the Tamar bridge. The train stops on the bridge and makes her feel unsteady – it’s too high, and there’s nothing to catch you if you fall.
If they miss the broadcast, go to the Listen Again webpage on http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml