The classic movie is coming to Radio 4 as a two-part dramatisation, with added extras.
Rob Reiner’s much-loved 1987 movie is coming to BBC Radio 4 as an audio drama for the festive season.
A tale of true love and high adventure, The Princess Bride features a fighting giant that loves to rhyme, a swordsman on the ultimate quest for revenge, a pirate in love with a princess, a princess in love with a farm boy and a prince in love with war.
As you might expect, it’s not a straight adaptation of the book though, as the synopsis suggests:
“This is my favourite book in all the world, though I have never read it”. When Goldman discovers The Princess Bride by S Morgenstern is not the swashbuckling fantasy his father read him as a child, but is in fact a patchy and extensive historical satire, he sets out to create the “Good Parts” version…
Bitesized Backstories
The Princess Bride: The Best Bits Of The Good Parts Version by Stephen Keyworth will be presented in two parts, with five additional 14 minute ‘backstories’ that will air daily;
The Book – William Goldman’s fictional account of how he came to discover he’d never actually read his favourite book but why you can.
The Bride – How the most beautiful woman in the world discovers her true love.
The Prince – Prince Humperdinck loves nothing more fighting and wars. But when he realises his father is dying, it’s time to find him a suitable bride.
The Henchman – Fezzik was a simple, happy giant…until his parents taught him to fight. The story of how a giant whose favourite sport was making rhymes became the henchman to a master villain.
The Swordsman – The story of why Inigo Montoya becomes the greatest swordsman in the world and why he uttered the infamous words: “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
The Cast
Taking on the famous roles are Ruby Barker as Buttercup, Tyler Collins as Fezzik, Emun Elliot as Inigo, Maryam Hamdi as Vizzini, Robin Lang as Count Rugen, Lorn Macdonald as Westley, Grant O’ Rourke as Prince Humperdinck/William Goldman, Crawford Logan as Goldman Snr/Father/Roberts and Rosalind Sydney as Countess. The dramatisation is directed by Kirsty Williams.
The Princess Bride will begin on Radio 4 on Christmas Day at 3.15 PM, with the backstories dropping daily thereafter at 12.04.
Or you’ll be able to hunt it down on BBC Sounds afterwards, as you wish.