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John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Producer and writer John Yorke unpacks the themes and impact behind the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Producer and writer John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact behind the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

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Opening Lines: The Betrothed - Episode 1

The Betrothed - Episode 1

BBC Radio 4 - Opening Lines, The Betrothed - Episode 1

John Yorke explores the Italian 19th century classic novel The Betrothed.

The series that takes a look at books, plays and stories and how they work. John Yorke explores the classic Italian novel The Betrothed.

John Yorke explores a work that every Italian will know – I Promessi Sposi by Alessandro Manzoni, known in English as The Betrothed. 

A classic of Italian literature, The Betrothed follows the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, who plan to marry, only to be thwarted by a Spanish noble, Don Rodrigo, who has his eye on Lucia. 

Told against a backdrop of 17th century Lombardy, before Italy became a unified country, The Betrothed is a call for national unity as well as a compelling love story. 

In this first of two episodes, John looks at the rich cast of characters which makes The Betrothed such a powerful read. He meets the local priest, Don Abbondio, who is supposed to wed Renzo and Lucia but is easily dissuaded under pressure from Don Rodrigo, the Nun of Monza whose life in a convent is not the one she would have chosen, and the ‘Nameless One’, a thug straight out of a Mafia playbook. 

It's a novel with many twists and turns, and at times even the author admits that he may be giving his readers too much detail. But as John finds, there’s good reason to stick with the story and enjoy a novel which every Italian is likely to have encountered at school.  

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for thirty years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatized on BBC Radio 4. From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters - his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone. 


Contributors: 
Tim Parks, Author of A Literary Tour of Italy 
Eileen Horne, Adapter  

Reader:   Marco Gambino 

The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, translated by Michael F. Moore, The Modern Library New York 
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, translated by Bruce Penman, Penguin Classics 

Produced by Mark Rickards 
Executive Producer: Sara Davies 
Sound by Charlie Brandon-KIng 
Researcher: Nina Semple 
Production Manager: Sarah Wright 

 A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

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