The Diary of Samuel Pepys cover art

The Diary of Samuel Pepys

The BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation

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The Diary of Samuel Pepys

By: Samuel Pepys, Hattie Naylor
Narrated by: Kris Marshall, Katherine Jakeways, Full Cast
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About this listen

Kris Marshall and Katherine Jakeways star as Mr & Mrs Pepys in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the world famous diaries.

Samuel Pepys was 26 when he decided to start keeping a diary, in January 1660. For the next 10 years he faithfully recorded the day's events and confessed his innermost thoughts. That diary has since become one of our most important, and fascinating, historical documents. Pepys gave us eyewitness accounts of some of the great events of the 17th century, including the Great Fire of London and the Second Dutch War. He also told us what people ate and wore, what they did for fun, the tricks they played on each other, what they expected of marriage, and even how they conducted love affairs. He described London - the frozen river Thames, the rising crime rate and the poverty - and recorded the details of his own life: his wife, rivals, lovers and friends, his work for the Navy, his drinking and social life.

Over 350 years may have passed since Pepys first put pen to paper, but the man and his preoccupations feel surprisingly familiar. In this major BBC Radio dramatisation of the journals, the sights and sounds of his world are vividly conjured. This collection comprises all 10 radio series plus a special Saturday Drama centring on the Great Fire of London.

©2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Europe Great Britain England Funny Witty Inspiring Thought-Provoking Marriage Adaptation

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Most relevant

What did you like most about The Diary of Samuel Pepys?

Absorbing and engaging dip into mid 17th century life.

What did you like best about this story?

Normal life is depicted as it was 400 years ago in such detail.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The cast of this audiobook were superb.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Funny in many areas.

Any additional comments?

Good to relive the experience of the great fire of London and also to see how irrational some people were about the Dutch or French invading or the fact that Catholics must be blamed even in the face of blatent facts to the contrary.

Absorbing and enjoyable

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I thoroughly enjoyed this. And completely brought Samuel Pepys and his life alive. The common experiences and emotions reach through time. Social mores may have changed but people are people. The middle of the seventeenth from 1660 to 1670, which was a decade when many well-known historical events took place. The ongoing naval warfare with the Dutch, the Black Death and the Great Fire of London. A window for us to peer through to this time is opened to the daily rounds, political intrigue, and medicine. The cast is fabulous giving vibrant engaging performances.

Never wanted it to end!

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I couldn't stop listening. Great narration /actors. I may just listen to it all over again😁

Excellent

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I really feel I got to know and love the characters, especially Samual's wife Elizabeth. Poor Lizzy! Samuel was a gent of his time, but never the less likeable, and his eye for detail gives us a great insight into this period of history.

This made me smile!

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Fascinating glimpse into history. Beautifully brought to life and makes you realise how little has changed with humankind ! Thoroughly enjoyed it moving and comical at times and a great insight to life in the 1600's.

Great Listen!

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