Radio Reads
BBC Radio 4

Opening Lines

John Yorke unpacks the themes and impact behind the books and stories being dramatised on Radio 4.

10 books

Books

Cover of Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility

by Jane Austen
Front Row · BBC Radio 4 · Sep 21, 2026
Cover of Walden

Walden

by Henry David Thoreau
Book of the Day · NPR · Jun 25, 2026
Cover of The Virginian

The Virginian

by Owen Wister
Opening Lines · BBC Radio 4 · Mar 1, 2026
Cover of Into The Woods

Into The Woods

by John Yorke
Opening Lines · BBC Radio 4 · Feb 22, 2026
Cover of The Wrath to Come

The Wrath to Come

by Sarah Churchwell
Opening Lines · BBC Radio 4 · Feb 22, 2026
Cover of Gone with the Wind/ Margaret Mitchell

Gone with the Wind/ Margaret Mitchell

by Margaret Mitchell
Opening Lines · BBC Radio 4 · Feb 22, 2026
Cover of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving Illustrated

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving Illustrated

by Washington Irving
Opening Lines · BBC Radio 4 · Jan 25, 2026
Cover of Empty Spaces

Empty Spaces

by Jordan Abel
Opening Lines · BBC Radio 4 · Jan 4, 2026
Cover of The Last of the Mohicans/James Fenimore Cooper

The Last of the Mohicans/James Fenimore Cooper

by James Fenimore Cooper
Opening Lines · BBC Radio 4 · Jan 4, 2026
Cover of Joy in the Morning

Joy in the Morning

by P.G. Wodehouse
Opening Lines · BBC Radio 4 · Dec 23, 2025