Comedian Al Murray stars in a new adaptation of Vanity Fair on BBC Radio 4, starting 26 May.  He will play his great-great-great grandfather William Makepeace Thackeray, the author and narrator of Vanity Fair.  Al also contributes new material to this reworking of the Victorian satire, with a comic surrealism that shines on radio. 

Al Murray comments: “Thackeray’s masterpiece Vanity Fair skewers class, celebrity, society and of course snobbery, so perfectly that he could have written it yesterday. With an all-seeing and not entirely reliable narrator, it feels as fresh and contemporary as anything styling itself as post-modern. The novel without a hero rides again!”

Radio 4 Commissioning Editor for Drama and Fiction, Alison Hindell says: “With Radio 4 a natural home to both audio drama and comedy, it is exciting to embrace the talents of Al Murray for this adaptation of Vanity Fair.  We’re sure that Thackeray would appreciate his great-great-great grandson’s creative contribution to this production.”

This forthcoming version has been adapted by Jim Poyser, comedy writer and TV producer whose credits for Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra include Everyone Quite Likes Justin and The Architects. 

Further casting information will be announced soon. 

Al Murray can currently be seen on Al Murray's Great British Pub Quiz on TV channel Quest on Thursdays (pictured).

Vanity Fair
Sunday 26 May, 2 June, & 9 June
15:00 – 16:00

Producer: Gary Brown for BBC Radio 4