BBC Radio 4, December 26 2020, and on BBC Sounds

A queen prepares for her wedding day – but there’s trouble approaching…

Katie Hims’ adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s story is a wonderful and beguiling piece of fantasy to help round out a not so wonderful or beguiling year. It’s a tale that takes an oblique look at fairy tales, challenging the basis in much the same way that Stephen Sondheim does in Into the Woods – treating the people involved as real and three-dimensional rather than caricatures simply playing out their part in the drama.

If you don’t know Gaiman’s original, I won’t spoil some of the surprises but within this are a tribute to Eric and Ernie as well as a scene that wouldn’t be out of place in The Walking Dead. There are princes and queens, princesses and old ladies, and a trio of dwarves who aren’t hi-hoing their way through life. There are choices to be made, and unpleasantness to face. And of course, there’s someone sleeping who needs to be woken in the traditional fashion…

Director Allegra McIlroy marshals her forces – including a suitably dour turn from Ralph Ineson, and the author himself as the Home Secretary (no pressure there then!) – with precision, and Sharon Hughes’ sound design and music complement it well. I’m not sure if Gaiman has continued the adventures of the Princess (as we’re informed, names are in somewhat short supply in this story), but I hope that Penelope Wilton will open her storybook and Gwendoline Christie’s Queen will be back for more adventures in the years to come.

Verdict: You’d think a realistic fairy tale would be a contradiction in terms. Have a listen to this and you may well agree it’s the right description. 9/10

Paul Simpson