Episode 1

Adrian Mole’s diary restarts in 2002.

He is 34, working in a bookshop in Leicester and, despite his strained finances, about to become the proud owner of a trendy loft apartment.

As war looms, Adrian is unwavering in his support for Prime Minister Tony Blair and military action, even though his eldest son Glenn is facing deployment to the Gulf. One day, a young woman comes into the bookshop with an unusual request....

The fifth book in our series of readings from Adrian’s diaries, written by Sue Townsend.

Sue Townsend was born in Leicester in 1946. She left school at 15 and was a single parent with three young children by the age of 23. Like Adrian, she wrote in secret for many years, and acknowledged that they often shared the same views - Adrian "C’est moi," she once said.

First published in 1989, Adrian Mole’s diaries were instant bestsellers and Adrian, the remarkably resilient underdog, quickly became a national treasure.

While recording the experiences of one individual and showcasing Sue's fearless and razor sharp wit, the diaries also illustrate how socio-political matters of the time affected the lives of ordinary people.

Copyright Siegfried Sassoon by kind permission of the Estate of George Sassoon

Omnibus of the first five of ten parts abridged by Sara Davies.

Read by Harry McEntire

Producer: Alexa Moore

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2019.