Alan Bennett, Claire Skinner, Charles Dance and Judi Dench are among the star casts of these superlative BBC Radio productions

Graham Greene was the 20th century’s master of plot, an expert chronicler of Catholic guilt, Cold War intrigue, conflict and crime. A prolific polymath, his work incorporated serious novels, thrillers, short stories, screenplays, stage plays and more.

This wide-ranging box set includes the finest examples of his early work, written between 1932 and 1948, and contains over 15 hours of unmissable drama. It includes captivating adaptations of his classic novels Stamboul Train, Brighton Rock, The Confidential Agent, The Power and the Glory, The Ministry of Fear and The Heart of the Matter, performed by an array of A-list actors including Joseph Millson, Claire Skinner, Kenneth Cranham, Stephen Rea, Charles Dance, Harriet Walter and Tom Hollander.

Also featured are Greene’s only original radio play, The Great Jowett, starring Alan Bennett as the titular Oxford don, and an adaptation of his BAFTA-nominated screenplay The Fallen Idol, starring acclaimed classical actor Richard Pasco and a young Judi Dench.

Concluding this definitive collection are two bonus pieces. Great Lives: Graham Greene sees war reporter Tim Butcher and presenter Matthew Parris exploring the strange world of Graham Greene, and in a fascinating 1971 interview from Radio 4’s Now Read On, the author himself discusses his novels with Magnus Magnusson – and reveals which book he considers to be his best...

Contents
Stamboul Train
Brighton Rock
The Great Jowett
The Confidential Agent
The Power and the Glory
The Ministry of Fear
The Heart of the Matter
The Fallen Idol
Great Lives: Graham Greene
Now Read On

Text copyright © 1932 (Stamboul Train), 1938 (Brighton Rock), 1939 (The Great Jowett, The Confidential Agent), 1940 (The Power and the Glory), 1943 (The Ministry of Fear), 1948 (The Heart of the Matter, The Fallen Idol)

With thanks to Keith Wickham of the Radio Circle for supplying several of the audio recordings.

© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd