2 Cassettes.
Part of the BBC Radio Collection.
Full-cast dramatisation starring Sting as Steerpike.
"Mile upon mile of mouldering masonry, acre after acre of ancient buildings . . . Gormenghast . . . the looming stronghold of time-eaten buttresses."
So begins the fantastical tale of the Groan clan. Filled with memorably grotesque characters such as the cunning Steerpike who wiles his way from kitchen boy to Master of the Rituals, to the oozingly fat cook Swelter, his arch-rival Flay and Nannie Slagg.
The birth of Titus, the 77th Earl of Gormenghast, ushers in a realm of change inside the crumbling castle of Gormenghast. Steerpike quickly wins the affection of Lady Fuchsia, the neglected daughter of the 76th Earl, and with her help lands a job with Dr Prunesquallor. He studies and schemes, drawing on the help of Titus' twin aunts Clarice and Cora, and finally insinuates himself into the highest position in the castle.
As Titus grows into a young man, he realises the extent of Steerpike's treachery and in a spectacular battle set against the decaying castle, the two engage in a battle to the death.
