BBC Radio 4, September 27, 2018 and on iPlayer

A father puts his most valued possession up as a gambling stake – and loses…

This penultimate adaptation from Angela Carter’s 1979 collection of tales is one of my personal favourites in the collection, and Olivia Hetreed’s script does it justice, combined with strong performances from Hannah Genesius, Ariyon Bakare, Jonathan Tafler and Jasmine Jones. It’s one of those stories that you can find multiple interpretations of – some of which, to me, seem to spectacularly miss the point… but then Carter’s work is read very differently by people.

The story follows Beauty as she is gambled away by her father and the winner (whose animal-like noises can only be interpreted by his valet) has what seems to be a very peculiar request of her – that she reveal herself to him naked, and in return for that he will release her and pay back all her father lost. Listen carefully to the way in which she responds, and the counter-offer she makes – Genesius captures the necessary tone, with Tafler’s valet caught between the two.

It’s the first of those stories that I’ve gone straight back and relistened to – and I suspect like the original tales, they will hold up for many years to come.

Verdict: A haunting tale that will surprise on first hearing. 9/10

Paul Simpson