The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

It’s the ‘saddest story ever told’.

Discover how ‘good soldier’ Edward Ashburnham's libido leaves countless lives in ruins.

Sharp, menacing and ultimately deadly, The Good Soldier can be seen as the prototype for the psychosexual drama.

In charge of the story is John Dowell - the impotent, voyeuristic husband of Florence, whose love affair with Edward ultimately ends in tragedy.

But how much can we trust Dowell’s account of events? How does he know such intimate details of his wife’s affair? And who is really responsible for the dramatic tragedies that hang over the story?

Kyle Soller stars as John Dowell - the original unreliable narrator in Ford Maddox Ford’s classic twisted tale of sex, money and murder.

Graham Greene commented 'I don't know how many times in nearly forty years I have come back to this novel'. While Julian Barnes simply described it as 'a masterpiece'.

Dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

John Dowell…. Kyle Soller
Florence Dowell…. Tonya Cornelisse
Edward Ashburnham…. Patrick Baladi
Leonora Ashburnham…. Fiona O’Shaughnessy
Major Hazleton…. Mark Bonnar
Nancy Rufford…. Ashna Rabheru
Jimmy Doyle…. Ronan Summers
Maisie Maidan…. Cecilia Appiah

Director: James Robinson

A BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2020.