Over Sea, Under Stone & King of Shadows Résumé

Two magical adventure stories from the queen of fantasy

Immerse yourself in the magical world of Susan Cooper’s imagination. Drawing upon Celtic and Norse mythology and English folklore, Cooper creates worlds like no other. She is best known for her The Dark Is Rising series, the first of which is included in this magical adventure collection, with two tales adapted for radio and brought to life by a full cast.

In Over Sea, Under Stone siblings Simon, Jane and Barney are holidaying with their great-uncle in Cornwall, and make a curious discovery in a cluttered attic. What they expected to be an ordinary summer in the village of Trewissick turns into something very unordinary - and frightening... Starring Ronald Pickup as Great Uncle Merry and Struan Rodger as Hastings. This is the is the first instalment of Cooper’s classic The Dark Is Rising series and a listening treat.

King of Shadows is a magical adventure story set both in the present day and in Elizabethan England. Chosen to play Puck in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare's Globe, young American Nat Field travels to London. Visiting the theatre for the first time, he falls seriously ill. When he awakes, he finds that he has gone back 400 years in time. Will he ever be able to return home… Starring Robert Glenister (Strike, Hustle, Spooks) as Will and Adam Sims (Lost in Space, Band of Brothers) as Nat.

These stunning listens are perfect for fans of His Dark Materials, The Hobbit, CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle. These stories are a delight for listeners young and old and not to be missed.

Note: King of Shadows deals with sensitive themes of grief.


Cast and credits
Written by Susan Cooper

Over Sea, Under Stone
Dramatised by David Calcutt
Directed by Nigel Bryant
Music by Martin Allcock

Great Uncle Merry - Ronald Pickup
Jane - Naomi Kerbel
Simon - Ben Gutteridge
Barney - Edward Clarke
Hastings - Struan Rodger

First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20th Aug - 10th Sep 1995

King of Shadows
Written by Susan Cooper
Dramatised by Beatrice Collin
Directed by Gaynor MacFarlane

Rachel - Buffy Davis
Queen Elizabeth - Sally Dexter
Harry - Tom George
Will - Robert Glenister
Doctor - Martin Hyder
Nat - Adam Sims
Arby/Richard Burbage - Andrew Woodall

First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20th Mar 2003

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