Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20141201 | A struggling, young theatre designer - 19-year-old Therese Belivet - takes a temporary Christmas job in a New York store. A week before Christmas, a glamorous stranger comes into the toy department to buy a doll for her daughter - and suddenly Therese's life will never be the same again. A tender and unsettling love story about two women - one of them married, and the other 19 - who risk everything to be together. Written by Patricia Highsmith, who is best known as one of the 20th-century's most accomplished thriller-writers - a role she assumed overnight when Alfred Hitchcock turned her sublimely disturbing first novel, Strangers on a Train, into a hit movie in 1951. Written a year later, Carol broke all the rules for the portrayal of lesbians in American fiction. Despite warnings from her publisher and her agent that a lesbian novel would ruin her new-found reputation, the book became a major best-seller, with over a million sales when it was released in paperback - and Highsmith went on to write 30 more books before her death in 1995. Carol is a genuinely groundbreaking classic - and a truly modern love story. Carol..............Miranda Richardson Therese...........Andrea Deck Mrs Robichek....Beverley Klein Miss Davis........Liza Ross Richard.............Gunnar Cauthery with Barbara Barnes and David Jarvis Adapted and directed by Neil Bartlett Producer: David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014. New York, 1948. A young woman is about to have her life turned upside down. |
| 02 | 20141202 | In the week before Christmas Mrs Carol Aird, a married housewife, has met Therese Belivet, a would-be theatre designer, across the counter of the toy department in a big New York store. It's now two days later, and Therese has accepted an invitation out to Carol's home in New Jersey. She hasn't told her boyfriend. Patricia Highsmith's tender and unsettling love story about two women - one of them married, and the other 19 - who risk everything to be together. Highsmith is best known as one of the 20th-century's most accomplished thriller writers - a role she assumed overnight when Alfred Hitchcock turned her sublimely disturbing first novel, Strangers on a Train, into a hit movie in 1951. Written a year later, Carol broke all the rules for the portrayal of lesbians in American fiction. Despite warnings from her publisher and her agent that a lesbian novel would ruin her new-found reputation, the book became a major best-seller, with over a million sales when it was released in paperback - and Highsmith went on to write thirty more books before her death in 1995. Carol is a genuinely groundbreaking classic - and a truly modern love story. Carol..............Miranda Richardson Therese...........Andrea Deck Hargess...........Colin Stinton Richard...........Gunnar Cauthery Abby..............Lorelei King with David Jarvis, Beverley Klein and Liza Ross Written by Patricia Highsmith Adapted and directed by Neil Bartlett Producer: David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014. A chance meeting in a New York department store brings two women together. |
| 03 | 20141203 | Carol is battling her husband for custody of their daughter, Nerinda. Three weeks after their first meeting, Therese has agreed to escape New York and accompany Carol on a car trip. Her boyfriend isn't happy. Patricia Highsmith's tender and unsettling love story about two women - one of them married, and the other 19 - who risk everything to be together. Highsmith is best known as one of the 20th-century's most accomplished thriller writers - a role she assumed overnight when Alfred Hitchcock turned her sublimely disturbing first novel, Strangers on a Train, into a hit movie in 1951. Written a year later, Carol broke all the rules for the portrayal of lesbians in American fiction. Despite warnings from her publisher and her agent that a lesbian novel would ruin her new-found reputation, the book became a major best-seller, with over a million sales when it was released in paperback - and Highsmith went on to write thirty more books before her death in 1995. Carol is a genuinely groundbreaking classic - and a truly modern love story. Carol..............Miranda Richardson Therese...........Andrea Deck Richard...........Gunnar Cauthrey with David Jarvis Written by Patricia Highsmith Adapted and directed by Neil Bartlett Producer: David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014. Carol and Therese set out on a car trip to discover 1940s America - and each other. |
| 04 | 20141204 | Driving West across America from New York, Carol and Therese have become lovers in a motel room in the town of Waterloo. By the time they reach Utah, Carol's battle with her husband for custody of their daughter seems very far away. However, everything they've left behind is just about to catch up with them. Patricia Highsmith's tender and unsettling love story about two women - one of them married, and the other 19 - who risk everything to be together. Highsmith is best-known as one of the 20th century's most accomplished thriller-writers - a role she assumed overnight when Alfred Hitchcock turned her sublimely disturbing first novel, Strangers On A Train, into a hit movie in 1951. Written a year later, Carol broke all the rules for the portrayal of lesbians in American fiction. Despite warnings from her publisher and her agent that a lesbian novel would ruin her new-found reputation, the book became a major best-seller, with over a million sales when it was released in paperback - and Highsmith went on to write thirty more books before her death in 1995. Carol is a genuinely groundbreaking classic - and a truly modern love story. Carol..............Miranda Richardson Therese...........Andrea Deck Lobby Clerk......Colin Stinton Landlady.........Liza Ross with Barbara Barnes and David Jarvis Written by Patricia Highsmith Adapted and directed by Neil Bartlett Producer: David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014. Carol and Therese face the harsh realities of homophobia in 1940's America. |
| 05 | 20141205 | In an attempt to retain custody of her daughter, Carol has abandoned her 19 year-old lover, Therese, after her husband obtained evidence of their affair. Therese has returned to New York to try and pick up her career as a theatre designer - and to forget the woman who has torn her life apart. Conclusion of Patricia Highsmith's tender and unsettling love story about two women - one of them married, and the other 19 - who risk everything to be together. Highsmith is best-known as one of the 20th century's most accomplished thriller-writers - a role she assumed overnight when Alfred Hitchcock turned her sublimely disturbing first novel, Strangers On A Train, into a hit movie in 1951. Written a year later, Carol broke all the rules for the portrayal of lesbians in American fiction. Despite warnings from her publisher and her agent that a lesbian novel would ruin her new-found reputation, the book became a major best-seller, with over a million sales when it was released in paperback - and Highsmith went on to write thirty more books before her death in 1995. Carol is a genuinely groundbreaking classic - and a truly modern love story. Carol...................Miranda Richardson Therese................Andrea Deck Abby...................Lorelei King Genevieve Cranell...Felicity Dean Mr Bernstein..........Colin Stinton With David Jarvis, Barbara Barnes and Gunnar Cauthery Written by Patricia Highsmith Adapted and directed by Neil Bartlett Producer: David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014. Carol and Therese's relationship seems to be over. But will love find a way? |