Manx love story revived for the airwaves

Familiar voices feature in hour-long BBC radio adaption

A number of familiar Manx voices are to be featured in a special hour-long radio adaption of Hall Caine's mammoth novel 'The Manxman'.

Catherine Harvey's version for BBC Radio 4 was partly recorded here on the Island and features Manx voice actors including Manx Radio's own Phil Gawne.

Set here on the Island in the late-nineteenth century, 'The Manxman' was published in 1893 and sold half a million copies.

The novel is notable for its regular use of Manx dialect in speech.

It follows the story of childhood friends, fisherman Peter Quilliam and eminent lawyer Phillip Christian, who are both in love with Kate Gregan.

The webpage for the episode says: 'Catherine Harvey's adaptation focuses on the heart of the novel: the love triangle between Kate, Philip and Pete, while drawing on the strong sense of community and legend that are present in the original novel - their story told here by a narrator played by Rakie Ayola.

'Hall Caine's novel mixes humour and pathos, juxtaposing the personal and the mythic. Its themes have a strong modern resonance: fate, love and loss; the guilt of betrayal; the conflict of friendship and desire; the effects of marrying the wrong man for the right reasons; and whether advancement and ambition should be pursued at any cost - ultimately suggesting that sacrifice is necessary to obtain happiness.'

It's not the first time the novel has been adapted - the 1929 film served as Alfred Hitchcock’s penultimate silent film and is described as 'one of the best and most mature works of his early career'.

The Manxman began filming on the Isle of Man, but Hitchcock eventually relocated production to Cornwall due to 'frequent creative interference from the author'.

In a post on social media, one of the voice actors, former Manx Bard Annie Kissack said: "I was delighted to help with the Manx side of this in various ways and owe thanks to the many friends, musicians, Bunscoill Ghaelgagh children past and present, all of whom were ready to do some serious pretending for the sake of art. The ‘Albert Players’ of Port St Mary were something else! 

"I also enjoyed my own time recording for a role in this in Manchester with Phil, while seeing how the full-time professionals do these things. It was particularly good to meet the two young Manx actors who took on two of the lead roles; for them it was a novelty to finally get to play a Manx person in a production. 

"As for me, well poor old Grannie Annie has a bit of a time of it (and wouldn’t you, married to Cesar Cregeen, the oul dirt) but that’s nothing to the sufferings of Kate, Philip and Pete! Get your tissues ready!"

The new take on the classic will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 3pm on Sunday, 19 November.