stardustBy Neil Gaiman, adapted by Dirk Maggs

Directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour

BBC Radio 4 17/18 December 2016

Many folk seek the secret of the fallen star…

If you want a fairy tale for Christmas that will warm your heart – and chill a few other extremities along the way – then download Dirk Maggs’ wonderful adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s tale. It errs more toward the Grimm than the bowdlerized Disney-ified version of such myths and legends but not for one second does it lose the sense of wonder that is essential to the story.

stardust-castMaggs and co-director Heather Larmour have assembled a stellar cast (pun intended) with Eleanor Bron as the narrator, Matthew Beard as Tristan and Sophie Rundle as Yvaine keeping it all together. Despite the many different threads concerning the various people who are searching for the fallen star, each for their own purposes, it never feels rushed or confusing. While I’m sure those very familiar with Gaiman’s original will spot some of the elisions and omissions (there’s at least one notable four-letter word understandably missing), which the forthcoming CD version will I’m sure rectify to some extent, this two hour audio movie feels like a very coherent whole, introducing the characters and their different quests, and tying them up – as far as such things can be. (For those interested, the scripts have been made available at the BBC Writers room)

The soundscapes are as immersive as ever in a Maggs/Larmour production and there’s suitable – but not too much – voice treatment where required. The actors give the necessary sense of a heightened reality, but it’s never allowed to become melodramatic (save where it absolutely needs to be). The music is never overpowering but serves the story rather than becoming obtrusive and something you’re listening to in its own right. It all adds up to two hours of magic.

Verdict: An ideal audio fairy tale – and not just for Christmas. 10/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to listen to part 1 on BBC iPlayer