Opening Lines Podcast
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.
Episodes to download
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The Princess Bride
Sun 30 Nov 2025
John Yorke takes a look at William Goldman鈥檚 metafictional fairytale.
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The Wind in the Willows
Sun 16 Nov 2025
John Yorke takes a look at The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
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Northanger Abbey - Episode Two
Sun 9 Nov 2025
John Yorke takes a look at Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.
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The Castle of Otranto
Sun 26 Oct 2025
John Yorke takes a look at The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.
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Star of the Sea
Sun 5 Oct 2025
John Yorke explores Joseph O鈥機onnor鈥檚 novel Star of the Sea, about the Irish Famine.
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A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
Sun 28 Sep 2025
John Yorke looks at the worldwide bestseller A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.
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The Cherry Orchard - Episode Two
Sun 14 Sep 2025
John Yorke takes a look at Anton Chekhov鈥檚 final and most radical play.
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The Cherry Orchard - Episode One
Sun 14 Sep 2025
John Yorke takes a look at Anton Chekhov鈥檚 final and most radical play.
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On the Origin of Species
Sun 31 Aug 2025
John Yorke investigates Charles Darwin鈥檚 world-changing book On The Origin of Species.
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Hiroshima
Sun 10 Aug 2025
John Yorke looks at how Hiroshima, the book by John Hersey, changed journalism.
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Death at La Fenice
Sun 27 Jul 2025
John Yorke looks at Death at La Fenice, Donna Leon鈥檚 first Commissario Brunetti novel.
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The Girls of Slender Means
Sun 29 Jun 2025
John Yorke takes a look at The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark.
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Comet in Moominland
Sun 22 Jun 2025
John Yorke takes a look at Tove Jansson's 1946 novel Comet in Moominland.
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King Lear - Episode Two
Sun 15 Jun 2025
John Yorke takes a look at King Lear, Shakespeare鈥檚 most brutal tragedy.
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King Lear - Episode One
Sun 8 Jun 2025
John Yorke takes a look at King Lear, Shakespeare鈥檚 most brutal tragedy.
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Underfoot in Show Business
Sun 18 May 2025
John Yorke looks at Underfoot in Show Business by US writer Helene Hanff.
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Casino Royale
Sun 20 Apr 2025
John Yorke looks at Casino Royale, the novel by Ian Fleming that introduced James Bond.
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London Belongs to Me
Sun 6 Apr 2025
Ian Sansom takes a look at Norman Collins鈥檚 novel London Belongs to Me.
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Kramer Versus Kramer
Sun 23 Mar 2025
John Yorke looks at Avery Corman鈥檚 1977 bestselling novel Kramer Versus Kramer.
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Brat Farrar
Sun 9 Mar 2025
John Yorke investigates Josephine Tey鈥檚 classic story about an imposter, Brat Farrar.
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Spring Awakening - Episode 2
Sun 23 Feb 2025
John Yorke looks at Spring Awakening by German dramatist Frank Wedekind.
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Spring Awakening - Episode 1
Sun 23 Feb 2025
John Yorke looks at Spring Awakening by German dramatist Frank Wedekind.
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That Hideous Strength - Episode 2
Sun 16 Feb 2025
John Yorke looks at CS Lewis鈥檚 novel That Hideous Strength.
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That Hideous Strength - Episode 1
Sun 9 Feb 2025
John Yorke looks at CS Lewis鈥檚 novel That Hideous Strength.
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The History of Mr Polly
Sun 26 Jan 2025
Ian Sansom takes a look at The History of Mr Polly, the satirical novel by HG Wells.
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The Plague
Sun 19 Jan 2025
John Yorke on Albert Camus and his exploration of the absurd in The Plague.
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Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Episode 2
Mon 6 Jan 2025
John Yorke looks at Kate Atkinson鈥檚 debut novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum.
