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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Don Quixote - Episode Two
Sun 10 May 2026
John Yorke explores Miguel de Cervantes鈥� seminal epic, Don Quixote.
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Don Quixote - Episode One
Sun 3 May 2026
John Yorke explores Miguel de Cervantes鈥� seminal epic, Don Quixote.
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Flight - Episode Two
Sun 29 Mar 2026
Flight by Walter White concerns the complex issue of 鈥榩assing鈥�. John Yorke investigates.
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Flight - Episode One
Sun 22 Mar 2026
John Yorke on a fascinating insight into Black American history: Flight, by Walter White.
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Gone with the Wind - Episode 3
Sun 22 Feb 2026
John Yorke explores Margaret Mitchell鈥檚 epic novel Gone with the Wind.
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Gone with the Wind - Episode 2
Sun 15 Feb 2026
John Yorke explores Margaret Mitchell鈥檚 epic novel Gone with the Wind.
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Gone with the Wind - Episode 1
Sun 8 Feb 2026
John Yorke explores Margaret Mitchell鈥檚 epic novel Gone with the Wind.
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Sun 25 Jan 2026
John Yorke takes a look at Washington Irving鈥檚 classic ghost story.
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The Last of the Mohicans - Episode Two
Sun 4 Jan 2026
John Yorke on James Fenimore Cooper鈥檚 The Last of the Mohicans.
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The Last of the Mohicans - Episode 1
Sun 28 Dec 2025
John Yorke looks The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.
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Sense and Sensibility - Episode Two
Sun 21 Dec 2025
John Yorke explores the enduring appeal of Jane Austen鈥檚 Sense and Sensibility.
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Sense and Sensibility - Episode One
Sat 20 Dec 2025
John Yorke explores Jane Austen鈥檚 influential novel, Sense and Sensibility.
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Pride and Prejudice - Episode Two
Sun 14 Dec 2025
John Yorke explores Jane Austen鈥檚 most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice.
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Pride and Prejudice - Episode One
Sat 13 Dec 2025
John Yorke explores Jane Austen鈥檚 most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice.
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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.
