Diana Wynne Jones’ novel has been adapted as an hour-long Sunday afternoon drama. 

First published in 1986, and famously made into an Oscar-nominated anime film, Howl’s Moving Castle is a fantasy classic.

Set in the land of Ingary, it tells the story of Sophie Hatter who is resigning herself to an uninteresting life working in a hat shop until a castle appears above the town of Market Chipping and refuses to stay still.

Visiting the shop one day, the dreaded Witch of the Waste transforms Sophie into an old crone. Setting off into the countryside to seek her fortune, Sophie soon runs into the sinister moving castle. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls.

Bafflegab

Audio producers Bafflegab, the creators of The Scarifyers, have recently been making a name for themselves with shows like The Battersea Poltergeist and Uncanny.

Here, they have assembled an impressive cast. With Robert Bathurst narrating, the ensemble includes Julia McKenzie, Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones), Angus Imrie, Dan Starkey (Doctor Who), Gwyneth Keyworth, Pippa Bennett-Warner (Gangs of London), Dakota Blue-Richards and Gerran Howell.

The story has been adapted by Robert Valentine, with sound design from Richard Fox and music by Evelyn Sykes. The director is Simon Barnard.

Howl’s Moving Castle airs at 3pm on Sunday 12th December, arriving on BBC Sounds thereafter.