BBC Radio 4 Extra

Earthsea

Drama: SciFi & Fantasy

Ursula Le Guin - Earthsea

Tales of wizards, dragons and magic by Ursula K Le Guin.

Ursula K Le Guin - Earthsea: Series 1

Earthsea: Series 1: Episode 1: Shadow

Episode 1

Episode 1: Shadow

Series 1

Shadow

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Earthsea, Series 1, Shadow

Ged tampers with long-held secrets to release a terrible shadow into the world.

Made for 4 Extra. Ged tampers with long-held secrets to release a terrible shadow into the world. Wizards and dragons fantasy with James McArdle.

Ursula K Le Guin's enduring fantasy saga set on the magical archipelago rich with wizards and dragons. Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra. 

Based on the novels A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin. Adapted by Judith Adams. 

Hungry for power and knowledge, the young wizard Ged tampers with long-held secrets and releases a terrible shadow into the world. Meanwhile, Tenar is taken away from her home and family to become Arha, the guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. 

Published between 1968 and 1972, the first three books of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea cycle (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore) are re-told across six intertwined episodes. Set on a vast archipelago of islands, where magic is a central part of life, they tell the stories of Ged and Tenar. Ged is a boy from the island of Gont, born with innate magical talent and a reckless nature, who releases a terrible shadow into the world and must risk everything in order to restore the balance. Tenar, a girl from the island of Atuan, is taken from her home and family to become Arha, the Priestess Ever Reborn, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. Deep within the Tombs, Ged and Tenar encounter one another and seek a way of bringing peace to the troubled archipelago. 

Ged ..... James McArdle 
Tenar ..... Aysha Kala 
Young Ged ..... Kasper Hilton-Hille 
Young Tenar ..... Nishi Malde 
Ogion ..... Paul Hilton 
Manan ..... Zubin Varla 
Thar ..... Souad Faress 
Father ..... David Hounslow 
Boy ..... Adam Thomas-Wright 
Oarsman ..... Mark Edel-Hunt 
Witch ..... Jessica Turner 
Serret ..... Lucy Hutchinson 
Shipmaster ..... Stephen Critchlow 

Original music by Jon Nicholls. 
Sound design by Caleb Knightley. 

Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.

Earthsea: Series 1

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

A tale of wizards, dragons and magic by Ursula K Le Guin.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Earthsea

Series 1

Episode 1: Shadow

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC Radio 4 Extra

About BBC Radio 4 Extra