Agnes Grey, adapted by Rachel Joyce in BBC Radio 4

A new radio adaptation of Agnes Grey opens today, March 6, in BBC Radio 4:

Anne Brontë's debut novel is the story of Agnes, a young woman who is determined to take care of herself and help the family finances. But what can a young girl with no money, no connections and no prospects do? How does a young woman find her way in the world? - she becomes a governess.

Agnes Grey, Anne Brontë's debut novel, is the least known of the Bronte novels. Agnes is nineteen and determined to take care of herself - but she has no money, no connections, and no job. She isn't even very confident. So how does a young woman with nothing find her way in the world? She has to be a governess. Even if she knows little about children. And even if they treat her like dirt. As a governess, Agnes is not a part of the family and neither is she a servant. She's isolated and an outsider. This compelling drama tells the story of Agnes's self-discovery and her search for love.
As in Anne Brontë's second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, there is an underlying nasty and dangerous barbarity. Written in and set in 1845, it's a biting analysis of the moral emptiness of the wealthy classes and a deeply personal account of the development of a young woman's heart and mind.
Rachel Joyce had adapted all of Charlotte and now Anne's novels. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë will complete the canon when it is broadcast in 2018. An award winning writer for radio she is now a successful novelist. Her novels include The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and a collection of short stories, The Snow Garden & Other Stories. Her new novel, The Music Shop, will be published later this year.

Agnes Grey
Author Anne Brontë
Adaptor Rachel Joyce
Producer and Director Tracey Neale

Cast (in the picture, Ellie in the center and the other actors can be found in clockwise order)
Agnes Grey ... Ellie Kendrick
Mrs Grey  ... Juliet Aubrey
Mr Grey  ...  John Bowler
Mrs Bloomfield  ...  Catriona McFarlane
Mr Bloomfield  ...  David Sterne
Tom  ...  Felix Lailey
Mary Ann  ...  Amy Jayne Leigh
Edward Weston  ... George Watkins
Mr Hatfield  ... Luke MacGregor
Rosalie  ...  Keziah Joseph
Matilda  ... Natasha Cowley
Mrs Murray  ... Karen Bartke
Nancy  ...  Alison Belbin
BBC Radio 4.
15 Minute Drama
Monday to Friday, 10:45 AM  and 19:45 PM

Agnes Grey. Episode 1 of 5
Rosalie. Episode 2 of 5
With the family fortune lost and her father ill, Agnes is making her way in the world. But she has already been beset with great disappointment. What should she do?
Weston. Episode 3 of 5
Agnes has been a governess in the Murray household for two years. Her charges a pair of ignorant girls. She is lonely and desperate for a friend.
Mirth and Mourning. Episode 4 of 5
Agnes is falling in love but she has a rival.
Seaside. Episode 5 of 5
Agnes's father is seriously ill so she returns home with a heavy heart.

EDIT:

Agnes Grey OmnibusBBC Radio 4 Extra
Sat 11 Mar, 13:00, Sun 12 Mar 2017 01:00