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Anansi Boys
- A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation
- Narrated by: Josiah Choto, Jacob Anderson, Lenny Henry, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Angela Wynter, Joseph Marcell, full cast
- Length: 3 hrs and 16 mins
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Anansi Boys
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Summary
A brand-new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's best-selling and much-loved novel.
When his father dies, Fat Charlie Nancy discovers that not only was the late Mr Nancy actually the god Anansi, but he also has a long-lost brother, Spider, who is everything Fat Charlie is not. When Spider begins to take over Fat Charlie's life, his flat and even his fiancée, Rosie, Fat Charlie is forced to make a pact that lands him in trouble with the gods themselves....
Anansi Boys is a story of love, laughter, music and murder, old gods and new tricks that takes Fat Charlie from his home in South London to Florida, the Caribbean, and the very Beginning of the World itself. Or the End of the World. Depending on which direction you're coming from.
Jacob Anderson stars as Charlie, and he has written and performed a specially commissioned song - 'Charlie's Song' - which forms part of the magical fabric of Anansi Boys.
Dramatised for Radio 4 by the award-winning Dirk Maggs (Neverwhere, Good Omens, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), the stellar cast of this series also includes Joseph Marcell, Lenny Henry, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Angela Wynter, Josiah Choto, Adjoa Andoh, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Ariyon Bakare, Earl Cameron, Ronke Adekoluejo, Sheila Atim and Pippa Bennett-Warner, as well as a cameo appearance from Neil Gaiman himself.
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What listeners say about Anansi Boys
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Director
- 10-05-19
absotively absorbing story telling
invokes the imaginations of a seven year old in even the most hard worn realistic adults.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gourley S.
- 15-01-19
Fantastic cast and production
A really great production, with an incredibly strong voice cast. It may, as a dramatisation be short in comparison to many narrations on Audible, but what's lacking in length is more than made up for in quality. Highly enjoyable listening experience; a motion picture for the ears.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dan Ware
- 17-12-19
Excellent story with great actors!
The story is a classic for me, having read the book on its initial release I have always loved the story.
I don’t know what it is that makes Lenny Henry the perfect role for Anansi but he is ideal. This version is brilliant but it is short - I really cannot fault any of the actors, they all played their part as I pictured the characters many years ago! The hard work of Dirk Maggs’ crew shines through here.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nitin
- 13-02-23
Great story. Very good performances.
A always enjoy worlds created by Neil Gaiman. This was no less interesting than others. Also reading Gaiman’s interview and non-connection, except one character, put it in right context. Overall, throughly enjoyable experience and await the Amazon series.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Libby from London
- 25-02-18
Brilliant and Funny Performances
I loved the performances which were very entertaining and made the most of the script. This spin off from American Gods was amusing and I enjoyed it but often I felt it was aimed at a young audience.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- helen
- 09-03-20
good fun
enjoyed it. very Neil Gaiman. voice were good. brought it to life. would recommend for fans
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jim C.
- 22-04-18
good but felt short
pretty good adaptation with some great moments. Definitely worth a listen. American Gods is much better tho.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Zach Bromfield
- 16-11-20
(Mild spoilers) Well performed but frustrating and annoying plot
The performances in this story are stellar and hold up very well as can be expecting for a Dirk Maggs adaptation of a Neil Gaiman story, and this is one of the few fantasy stories with a majority of its main characters being black and driving the plot.
My objections come purely from my personal dislike against the story’s use trope of the unrepentant trickster who weasels his way out of trouble and refuses to fully acknowledge or apologise for his actions. This manifests in one main character in Spider, who appears in Charlie’s life after his father dies and proceeds to wreak havoc, disguising himself as him and stealing his fiancé. The whole plot revolves around Spider escaping or being saved from his just punishment for being a trickster with the help of the brother whose life he effectively ruined. The story is well rounded and the theme of the hero stepping up to meet his expected role and atone for a mistake made long ago is told well through the increasingly baffled and bemused Charlie Nansi, played flawlessly by Game of Thrones’s Grey Worm Jacob Anderson. When the father appears, he plays his role as a mystic instructor, but doesn’t apologise for his actions. For me who gets easily frustrated, Spider and his father who behave like scoundrels were the obstacles for making this a fully enjoyable tale.
Download this if you love Neil Gaiman, Compe Anansi and his mythology, and American Gods for the enchanting fresh urban take on West African and Caribbean Mythology about magical godly animals and the song that created the world. Don’t download this if you viciously dislike unapologetic scoundrels not getting their just deserts, weaselly bosses and fiancé stealing tricksters
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L E Saull
- 24-09-19
Excellent Adaptation
I really enjoyed this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s book, there is even a cameo from the man himself. Great performances from all the cast and I especially loved the three older West Indian ladies, I felt there was a nod to Terry Pratchett’s witches there.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tyrrell
- 13-10-22
Anansi Boys
Love this book,hardback, paperback, audio. It's such a great piece of storytelling. Will read again.
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1 person found this helpful