My Dear Bessie
A wartime love story in letters between a soldier and a Morse code interpreter. Stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey.
A love story in letters played out against the backdrop of the Second World War.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey.
A small blue box opened in 2008 revealed a wartime world of love, longing and frustration.
On September 5th 1943, Chris Barker, a signalman stationed North Africa near Tobruk decided to write to former work colleague, Bessie Moore.
She is a Morse code interpreter at the Foreign Office in London.
The unexpected warmth of Bessie's reply changed their lives forever.
Chris Barker 鈥︹��.. Benedict Cumberbatch
Bessie Moore 鈥︹��.. Louise Brealey
Compiled by Simon Garfield and adapted for radio by Sara Davies.
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio 4 in April 2015.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
![]()
"You have smashed my perimeter defences"
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the part of Chris Barker, a soldier in Libya.
Clip
-
![]()
"I have been busting to send you a smashing reply!"
Duration: 01:34
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Chris | Benedict Cumberbatch |
| Bessie | Louise Brealey |
| Irena | Jane Slavin |
| Producer | Gemma Jenkins |
| Adaptor | Sara Davies |
Broadcasts
Mon 20 Apr 2015 14:15麻豆社 Radio 4- Fri 14 Apr 2017 14:15麻豆社 Radio 4
- Sat 14 Feb 2026 08:15麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Sat 14 Feb 2026 13:15麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Sat 14 Feb 2026 19:15麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Sun 15 Feb 2026 03:15麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
Featured in...
![]()
Love letters
A glimpse into that most intimate of corresponsdences - straight from the heart.
My Dear Bessie - Photographs
See pictures of Chris Barker and Bessie Moore and the letters that inspired the book.
Opening Lines
John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.
The Shakespeare Sessions
Immerse yourself in Shakespeare鈥檚 world