Episode 2

By Alan Le May
Dramatised for radio by Adrian Bean

A new adaptation of the classic western novel, upon which the famous film was based. Episode two.

Texas, 1851. It's been three years since the Comanches attacked the Edwards family's settlement on the Texas plains, and kidnapped ten year-old Debbie. Now only Amos Edwards and his nephew Mart remain on the epic search. But Mart is concerned about what Amos might do if he finds Debbie.

Alan Le May's 1954 novel is a timeless work of western fiction and a no-holds-barred portrait of the real American frontier. It explores the fear and the hatred that underpinned the lives of both the white settlers and the Native Americans. And what emerges is a violent account of a creeping genocide, as one culture inevitably triumphs over the other.

John Ford's 1956 film, based on the novel, starred John Wayne as Ethan Edwards (called Amos in the book and radio adaptation). Ford's version of The Searchers was named the Greatest Western Movie of all time by the American Film Institute in 2008.

Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru/Wales Production.