Robert has suddenly left Yorkshire, unaware that Caroline has fallen into a deep sickness.

Charlotte Bronte's tale of romantic entanglements and turbulent times in the Yorkshire of 1811.

Omnibus of the last five of ten parts adapted by Rachel Joyce.

Set against a Yorkshire industrial background, Bronte's powerful second novel is also an impassioned plea for social equality - for workers and women alike. Set during the time of the Luddite unrest, two strands weave together. One, the struggles of workers against mill owners, the other involving the romantic entanglements of the two heroines - Shirley Keelder and Caroline Helstone. It is the friendship of these two women, and the contrast between their situations, that lies at the heart of the piece. Many believe the character of Shirley was written for, and about, Charlotte's sister, Emily, who was dying as Charlotte wrote the novel.

An earthy, vivid and poignant re-telling of one of the lesser-known Bronte classics. The scenes of dangerous social unrest and conflict and love are as relevant today as when the novel was published. It's a story of friendship and love, longing and loss. A rollicking good story with plenty of cliffhangers to keep you hooked to the very end.

Charlotte Bronte .... Lesley Sharp
Shirley .... Jemima Rooper
Caroline .... Joanne Froggatt
Robert Moore .... Joseph Kloska
Louis Moore .... Joel MacCormack
Mrs Pryor .... Christine Kavanagh
Helstone .... Sean Murray
Hortense Moore .... Priyanga Burford
Mr Sympson .... David Seddon

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014. Show less