Raymond Chandler: The BBC Radio Drama Collection

By: Raymond Chandler

Narrated by: Toby Stephens

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

The complete collection of landmark BBC Radio dramas of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe mysteries.

Philip Marlowe is the archetypal noir detective: wisecracking and world weary, hard boiled yet honourable. This volume includes all eight dramatisations of Raymond Chandler's groundbreaking crime novels featuring his iconic hero.

The Big Sleep: Marlowe is consulted by a wealthy family man with two big problems: his children.

Farewell My Lovely: Marlowe's search for an ex-con's ex-girlfriend leads him into danger.

The High Window: when a rare gold coin is stolen from her collection, Mrs Murdoch hires Philip Marlowe to find it.

The Lady in the Lake: businessman Derace Kingsley hires Marlowe to find his estranged wife, Crystal.

The Little Sister: commissioned to find Orfamay Quest's missing brother, Marlowe is drawn into the glamorous film world of Hollywood.

The Long Goodbye: Marlowe befriends a drunk named Terry Lennox but comes to regret doing him a favour.

Playback: hired to follow the mysterious Betty Mayfield, Marlowe soon finds that he is being tailed, too.

Poodle Springs: newly married Marlowe puts his bride aside to look for a gambler on the run.

Starring Toby Stephens as Philip Marlowe, these stylish, suspenseful dramatisations - full of witty, ironic dialogue and colourful characters - bring the beautiful, corrupt world of California in the '40s and '50s to luminous life.

Duration: 11 hours approx.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2016 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2016 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Noir Perfection

I keep coming back to this collection again and again, and yes, again. Toby Stephens is the definitive Marlowe, for me, and the whole cast is solid. Music, pacing, and the writing of these Chandler adaptations is absolutely superb - and you if you go to read the stories after, you won't be able to get Stephens out of your head. Engaging on all levels. The only gripe I have is not with the content, but the organization of the episodes - the separate episodes are not labelled, only called chapters, which makes it difficult to figure which one is which - but heck, I just choose one anyway and love it all the same.

Happy

Glad to have all the novels dramatized together since the little sister wasn't available by itself. They're a little short but still fun.

OTR detectives live again

Got started on OTR by my grandmother as a kid and after having listened to so much of the classics I’m ecstatic to find this. Absolutely fantastic

Classic Chandler - all the stories

This is a decent dramatization of a Raymond Chandlers works, including the post-mortem Poodle Springs written by Robert B Parker, creator of the Spencer detective series. It's good but I don't think Auntie Beeb excels when it comes to American accents. Still, it grows on you and by the end of the series I felt it was a good dramatization.

great performance

These productions are very well done. The stories were fresh in this presentation, instead of just read by someone.

GREAT collection of stories!

Great detective stories from a long gone era, kept my interest on long road trips.

I have listened to these over and over

I love this series.

The hardboiled detective that lives by his own code. Murders that keep you guessing. A vivid ensemble of characters to flesh out the world of 1930s Los Angeles. And I love the way that they all say "tarred" in their near-flawless transatlantic accents.

This series is so fun. The only problem I ever have with it is that it ends.

You need to appreciate the wit...

I listened to these stories because I enjoyed the wonderful one liners bouncing off the walls. The stories were hollow but the writing very clever in the mouth of the hero detective. And I like Toby Stephen's portrayal of Marlowe most surprisingly of all. It is unbelievable how he was able to change his voice and accent to become a sexy American detective. When I hear him as an Englishman in other plays, he is no longer sexy to this American ear. It's like Royals can't sound like virile Cowboys. But Toby was tough in a very quiet way and although he could have shown a little more edginess, I liked him anyway. The males were generally good, the females mostly awful.

great performance

voice acting and recording are absolutely top notch, but the stories are heavily shortened, though it's to be expected fora radio drama. I'd give my right arm for an unabridged series done as well.

A jewel of its genre

These stories are for anyone who love the noir or detective genre. I can’t recommend them enough.