View source for Stardust: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation by Neil Gaiman

{{infobox1
|title=Stardust: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation 
|author=Neil Gaiman 
|reviewer=Z J Cookson
|genre=Fantasy 
|summary=While the adaptation has flaws, the acting in this full-cast dramatisation is superb. The hugely talented cast makes this more than worth listening to.
|rating=3.5
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=A2h30m
|publisher=BBC Physical Audio
|date=February 2017
|isbn=978-1785295621
|website=http://www.neilgaiman.com/ 
|cover=1785295624
|aznuk=1785295624
|aznus=1785295624
}}

Tristan Thorn has never wanted to cross the Wall from his sleepy English village to the land of Faerie beyond. However, when the girl of his dreams – the beautiful Victoria Forester – promises to be his bride if he retrieves a fallen star, he has no choice. Without hesitation, Tristan sets out on a quest that will lead him into a series of bizarre adventures and set him against the dark forces of the strange and magical land of Stormhold. 

This is a new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation, available on CD and audio download, with a running time of 2 hours 30 minutes.
I've not read the original book but I assume the dramatisation is heavily abridged: my head was constantly full of questions about the plot that were never fully answered. Indeed, on more than a few occasions, I simply didn't understand the logic of some of the story jumps.

I wasn't overly impressed by the adaptation either. While I found it perfectly acceptable for the narrator to simply describe events to build a clear picture in the listener's mind, this description simply didn't work when it was continued into the character's speech. The script is heavily reliant on expositional dialogue with characters constantly explaining what they can see or what they are thinking in a way that felt totally false. I lost count of the number of times I cringed at the unnatural way the characters' spoke. Admittedly, I haven't read the book so I can't verify whether this is a problem with the book or with the adaptation but I suspect it is probably a result of the desire, on the part of the writer responsible for the adaptation, to convey as much information as possible in a short time.

While the adaptation has flaws, the acting is superb with particularly strong performances by Sophie Rundle playing Star (Yvaine), Matthew Beard in the lead role as Tristran Thorn, and – probably stealing the show – Maggie Steed as M Semele. In fact, this hugely talented cast makes the dramatisation more than worth listening to.

Overall, I did enjoy the dramatisation but perhaps not enough to encourage me to seek out the book on which it is based. It has, however, motivated me to seek out more of BBC Radio 4's dramatised stories: it definitely made my time sitting in traffic on the motorway much more enjoyable.

If you're looking for similar adaptations, why not join me in trying the BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere or I'm a big fan of the 2003 BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy. 
 
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