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Bleak Expectations
- The Complete BBC Radio 4 Series
- Narrated by: Anthony Head, Celia Imrie, David Mitchell, Geoffrey Whitehead, Jane Asher, Raquel Cassidy, Richard Johnson
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
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Bleak Expectations
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Summary
The complete collected series 1-5 of the gloriously daft Victorian romp Bleak Expectations.
Gasp at the evil Mr Gently Benevolent, played by Mr Anthony Head! Weep at the trials of our young hero, Pip Bin, played by Master Tom Allen! Be moved to joy and sorrow by the remarkable narration of Mr Richard Johnson! Swoon at the fragile beauty of Pip's poor mama, played by Miss Celia Imrie! Wonder at the thespian prowess of Mr Geoffrey Whitehead as six different siblings! Follow the remarkable adventures of young Pip Bin as he struggles to rescue himself and his sisters from the schemes of his evil and badly named guardian, Mr Gently Benevolent, and the blood-curdling Hardthrasher family.
Immerse yourself in a timeless epic featuring terrifying schools, even worse prisons, opium dens, disguises, court cases, shipwrecks, underwater squirrels and swashbuckling long-lost aunts. Revel in the many fine quips, characters and scenarios written by Mr Mark Evans and produced by Mr Gareth Edwards, previously renowned for their craftsmanship on the works of Messrs Mitchell and Webb.
Series 1: Televised as The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff on the BBC. Episodes: 'A Childhood Cruelly Kippered', 'An Adolescence Utterly Trashed', 'A Youth Utterly Crocked', 'A Young Adult Bitterly Dismantled', 'A Young Love Mercilessly Dismembered', 'A Life Sadly Smashed Then Happily Restored a Bit'.
Series 2: 'A Happy Life Cruelly Re-Kippered', 'A Re-Kippered Life Smashed Some More', 'A Recovery Made Miserable', 'A Restoration Re-Ruined Only Even Worse', 'An Already Bad Life Made Worse but Sort of on Purpose', 'A Happy Life Broken' and 'Then Mended a Bit'.
Series 3: 'A Lovely Life Re-Kippered Again Once More', 'A Now Grim Life yet More Grimmified', 'A Sort of Fine Life De-Niced Completely', 'A Horrible Life Un-Ruined and Then Re-Ruined Again', 'An Evil Life Sort of Explained', 'Lives Lost', 'Ruined Wrecked' and 'Redeemed'.
Series 4: 'A Tolerable Life De-Happified', 'A New-Spoiled Life Smashed Some More', 'A Wretched Life Made Much, Much Sadder', 'A Painful Life Re-Miserablised', 'A Now Tricky Life Woefully Miseried Up', 'A Life Destroyed then Repaired and Re-Happied'.
Series 5: 'A Pleasant Yet Dull Life Re-Evilled', 'A Re-Excited Life Made Distinctly Dangerous', 'An Alrightish Life Savagely Frozen to Bits', 'A Writerly Life Made Dreadfully Different', 'A Terrifying Life Made Even Scarier a Bit Some More', 'A Loved-Up Life Potentially Totally Annihilated'.
Audio updated as of February 2020.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Stephen Moffatt
- 01-08-17
An Absolute Joy....so clever, so funny!
What did you like most about Bleak Expectations?
From the first episode this radio series sparkles with with both with and broader too. The writing is very clever - the writer is clearly very fond of Dickens but paraodies his stories beautifully, gently mocking the Victorian values, the caricature characters and the fascinations of Britain's educated middle-class readers at the time.I loved the clear Goon Show references and all of the gentle references to contemporary pop culture - Darth Vader, Close Encounters of the Third Kind etc. And what acting...! Wonderful energetic performances throughout - all of the actors clearly loving the show and the script.Fabulous value too - would have forked our twice the price for such funny and original entertainment.
Who was your favorite character and why?
The Elder Pip Bin - the pomposity and self-importance are so funny.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The moment when a character encounters alien life and reproduces the Theme to 'Close Encounters of the Third kind' will stay with me forever - sublime!
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- G. Best
- 26-01-23
Swanalicious
Shame some of the editing was so intrusive, and sounded like badly stretched cassette tape.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jason M. Webber
- 12-03-23
Brilliantly funny
Such a fabulous and joyous show. Silly in the best way, I highly recommend it.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-07-19
A funny and enjoyable radio series.
This radio series was a lot of fun to listen to, an interesting story and concept with enjoyable voices and characters. I loved how the whole thing was a story making fun of Dickens and victorian life in general. On the whole this was a laugh from beginning to end.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Hitchhiker42
- 11-07-18
Hilarious, if you enjoy Black Adder humour.
A wonderful satire of the ilk of Bleak House and Great Expectations, it takes those tropes and runs with them. If you enjoy Black Adder don't hesitate. Genuinely laugh out loud funny.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- jsully
- 01-10-18
Brilliant
Possibly the funiest radio sitcoms I've ever listened too. If you've enjoyed things like Elven Quest and The Castle. This is another gem.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Simon S.
- 13-03-19
Bleak Expectations
The finest work that Darles Chickens never wrote. Absolute corker, bang tidy. Do not hesitate for one moment to get this.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Woodwood
- 02-08-18
very very funny.
Plenty of laugh out loud moments with the complete series being over 14 hrs. Excellent cast.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lesley Goodman
- 16-11-19
Excellent entertainment
Well written, well acted, excellent entertainment. I would thoroughly recommend this book.
The comic timing and delivery of the dialogue is absolutely brilliant.
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- ILikeBooks
- 21-08-23
PEEEEEEERFEcT!!🤯
ammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmazingly pefectct i couldent stop listening to it.
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