A Passage to India (Omnibus)

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BBC Radio 4 Extra

EM Forster - A Passage to India (Omnibus): Episode 1

Episode 1

EM Forster - A Passage to India (Omnibus)

BBC Radio 4 Extra - EM Forster - A Passage to India (Omnibus), Episode 1

Muddle and mystery set against the backdrop of the British Raj and its control of India.

Is it possible for an Englishman and an Indian to be friends while the British still rule India? Starring Penelope Wilton.

When Mrs Moore and Adela arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they are excited about seeing the 'real India'. 

Dr Aziz, a charming young Doctor, puts out the hand of friendship but a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar Caves. 

This sets off a train of events that have serious repercussions for everyone including the friendship between Dr Aziz and Mr Fielding, the School Master at Government College.

Muddle and mystery disturb the British Raj sense of order. Is it possible for an Englishman and an Indian to be friends while the British still rule India?

EM Forster's masterful novel.

Omnibus of the first five of ten parts of Tanika Gupta's imaginative and bold adaptation.

Mrs Moore ...... Penelope Wilton
Adela ...... Ellie Kendrick
Dr Aziz ...... Shubham Saraf
Fielding ...... Jonathan Firth
Ronny Heaslop ...... Christopher Harper
Ralph Moore ...... Joseph Ayre
Professor Godbole ...... Thusitha Jayasundera
Hamidullah/Mr Das ...... Nicholas Khan
Mahmoud Ali ...... Ashley Kumar
Mr Turton ...... Tony Turner
Mrs Turton ...... Joanna Monro
Major Callendar ...... Michael Bertenshaw
Mrs Callendar ...... Susan Jameson
Mr McBryde ...... Sam Dale
Dr Panna Lal/Amritrao ...... Ronny Jhutti

With: 

Don Gilet
Franchi Webb
Sarah Ovens

EM Forster's A Passage to India is clever and thought provoking. There is an extraordinary richness of emotion and the philosophy is cleverly wrapped within the startling event at the Cave and its haunting echo that plagues both Mrs Moore and Adela. There is mastery, muddle and mystery and this is captured in this imaginative adaptation by Tanika Gupta with its multi-layered soundscape and Indian music. 

Tanika brings an insight that combines all the elements together beautifully. In addition to her original writing, Tanika has shown, both on radio and stage, that she can take an existing text and give it a rich an exciting feel. From her Midsummer Night's Dream for the Globe to Jane Austen's Emma for Radio 4 (Memsahib Emma) to Ibsen's A Doll's House.

Director:  Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2019.

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Drama: Classic & Period

Tanika Gupta's imaginative and bold adaptation of EM Forster's masterful novel.

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