Stardust

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Aisling Loftus, Alex Macqueen, Blake Ritson, Bryan Dick, Charlotte Riley, Frances Barber, full cast

Matthew Beard and Sophie Rundle star in a brand-new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman, narrated by Eleanor Bron.

Challenged to retrieve a fallen star, Tristran Thorn leaves the sleepy English village of Wall and crosses into the land of Faerie and the realm of Stormhold. Locating the star, he discovers it is no meteorite but a young woman, Yvaine.

When Yvaine evades him and escapes, Tristran discovers he is not the only one in pursuit of the star: there are dark forces in this magical land, and he must find Yvaine before she falls into their clutches. As he does so, Tristran will uncover the secret to his own identity and a fate beyond his wildest dreams.

Directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, and featuring over 35 minutes of unbroadcast material, this stunning new dramatisation boasts an extensive cast including Frances Barber, Maggie Steed, Nicholas Boulton, Blake Ritson, Bryan Dick, Charlotte Riley, Aisling Loftus, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Alex Macqueen, Matthew Beard and Sophie Rundle. There are also cameo appearances by Tori Amos and Neil Gaiman. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

©2017 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2017 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Neil Gaiman Classic Fairy Tale for grownups

Comfort food! I could listen to it over and over.
The voice actors are great, and the story is magical.

A Pleasant Adventure

To be honest I wanted to see what was the difference between the movie versus the book. The acting was very good and I enjoyed the direction of the story. I will admit it comes second when comparing it to the film version. Overall the story felt too short and many other characters underdeveloped plus there were a few story lines that seem to be unresolved or could have been completely cut out all together.

A wonderful adaptation

Given its run time of 2.5 hours, I was a bit apprehensive. Stardust is one of my favourite stories, and I wondered what they'd cut out in order to make it a sensible radio play.

But it was exceptionally well done. All the key scenes were kept in (including that ending), and the story is told in such a way that it felt whole and well paced.

movie vs book

this would be the first time I prefer the movie to the book. several variations in plot made the movie more enjoyable for me.

Stardust

A rare production in which the abridgement loses little to nothing of the text and the entire cast is brilliantly suited to its various parts. I have listened to this one several times and can continue doing so; it's wonderful each and every time.