Neil Gaiman's How the Marquis Got His Coat Back

BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Paterson Joseph, Bernard Cribbins, Samantha Beart, Adrian Lester, Mitch Benn, Don Warrington

Length: 1 hr

Publisher's summary

Paterson Joseph stars as the Marquis de Carabas in this brand-new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's spin-off short story, set in the magical world of Neverwhere.

Returning us to London Below, this enchanting tale continues the story of one of the most colourful characters from Neverwhere - the cool, charming, resourceful Marquis de Carabas, who trades in favours and always has a plan....

The Marquis' coat is a thing of wonder and beauty. Sleek, stylish and 'the colour of a wet street at midnight', it has numerous pockets, sumptuous sleeves and the power to transform a young sneak thief into a nobleman. And now it is missing, sold by the Sewer Folk. To reclaim it, the Marquis must venture into one of the most terrifying parts of the subterranean city, encounter an old enemy, face dreadful dangers and - worst of all - accept help from someone very close to home.

Expanded and dramatised for Radio 4 by the award-winning Dirk Maggs (Neverwhere, Good Omens, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and codirected by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, this spine-tingling production features a star cast including Adrian Lester, Don Warrington and Bernard Cribbins. Contains 15 minutes of additional unbroadcast material. Duration: 60 mins approx.

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

skip this one.

the multicast production was confusing, and really the story just wasn't all that good. Most likely the book would have been considerably better.

Paterson Joseph is a genius! And so was the entire cast!

Very entertaining! Well acted! Well adapted! Wish there was more stories coming out of London Below. Paterson Joseph is easily one of my favorite actors. He would be a great Doctor in the Doctor Who series. I wonder is a Marquis de Carabas would make a good series— the producers of Doctor Who and Sherlock should consider the idea... just sayin’...

great story!

A very fun and clever story from Neverwhere but is still enjoyable on it's own.

really great short read

it is the perfect short story taking place in the Backdrop of neverwhere. If you loved neverwhere, you will absolutely love this story. Its honestly more entertaining than the story Neverwhere

Simply delightful!

I've loved this story ever since I read it at the end of the author's preferred version of Neverwhere. Once again, Dirk Maggs and an extraordinary cast of actors deftly bring Gaiman's unique and strange characters to life. There is even a bit of a surprise included for those who have read or listened to the short story. Overall, this is a fun and sparkling adaptation that is well worth your time.

too short.

the narrators were great but the story was too short to get into and ended to soon m

terrific story

I loved the story, it was a continuation of Neverwhere and it was a bit easier to follow if you had already read it, but you catch on fairly quickly even if you hadn't. Gaiman has a gift for magical realism. the voice acting was terrific and the only time I had difficulty was during a brief chorus at Shepherd's Bush. the difficulty might have been due to my speakers, but the multiple voices made me long for a written copy to refer to. still, the experience was easily worth the price of the book.

Neverwhere-riffic!

Let me start with explaining that I left this sitting in my library for so long that I forgot it was Neverwhere-related and it took me a good 10 minutes of the story to realize how much of the setting and background I already had stored in my brain. It was kind of a jolt when I went from "Why is this in my library? Well, it's short. I'll just listen and find out." to "OH!"

I heartily recommend reading / listening to Neverwhere immediately prior to listening to this radio play. It's excellent, but you'll probably want the events and characters of the novel fresh in your mind when you experience this fun tangent.

As a stand-alone story, I feel like this 1-hour-long adventure of the Marquis de Carabas has the Gaiman charm. It definitely would leave the listener perplexed if they haven't previously invested time in Neverwhere. As an in-universe bonus episode, it's great.

The cast does exactly what you would expect them to do: bring the story and characters to life. They're wonderful.

I would be hard-pressed to suggest spending a credit on a title that only lasts an hour. I picked it up when it was on a rare sale. If you have credits to burn, definitely consider this title.

I categorize this story as Experience-Neverwhere-first-and-hopefully-recently-then-enjoy-it-like-a-dessert.

Great supplemental story

This story could never stand alone nor should it be expected to. It was the perfect thing to listen to right after finishing the Neverwhere BBC Radio Drama -- which I love dearly and have listened to many times.

So good

This adaptation is amazing. If you have read Neverwhere and want more, listen to this instead of just reading it. It makes the good story even better.