Loving, Doting & Party Going

A trio of dramas based on Henry Green’s most notable novels Born Henry Yorke, aristocrat and industrialist Henry Green led a double life as a managing director of an engineering firm and one of the finest English modernists of the 20th century. A contemporary and friend of Evelyn Waugh and Anthony Powell, he penned nine novels before giving up writing in 1952 at the age of 47. Three of them are dramatised here, with casts incuding Pauline Quirke, Amanda Root, Mark Straker, Fenella Fielding and Paul Herzberg. Loving – In their employers’ absence, the servants at Castle Tennant have enjoyed free run of the manor house, at liberty to indulge in romance, gossip, squabbles and battles over authority. Then an insurance man arrives, enquiring about Mrs Tennant’s missing diamond ring, and their habitual routine is thrown into disruption. Adapted by Booker Prize-winning author John Banville, this charming dramatisation of Green’s 1945 fairytale depicts life above and below stairs in an Anglo-Irish country house during the Second World War. Doting – Stuck in a humdrum marriage, middle-aged civil servant Arthur Middleton suddenly finds himself besotted with a much younger woman: pretty, 19-year-old Annabel Paynton, whom he has known since she was a child. As he pursues her, his wife Diana embarks on her own romantic adventure with family friend Charles Addinsell – who is in turn courting Annabel’s friend Claire… Set in postwar London, Henry Green’s final novel is a sophisticated social comedy exploring the subtle distinction between doting and loving. Party Going – Travelling by train to the South of France, a party of wealthy ‘Bright Young Things’ are delayed by heavy fog at Victoria Station. As they wait for the weather to lift, they take refuge in a hotel – but over the course of their stay, their lives change imperceptibly. Listed as one of the Guardian’s 100 best novels, this wry, dazzling, tale of self-absorbed socialites on the eve of war is adapted by veteran radio dramatist Neville Teller. First published 1939 (Party Going), 1945 (Loving), 1952 (Doting) Cast and credits Written by Henry Green Loving Charley Raunce – Martin Kemp Edith – Leanne Rowe Miss Welch – Pauline Ouirke Mrs Tennant – Joanna David Violet – Claudia Harrison Miss Burch – Amanda Root Kate – Zoe Tapper Capt Davenport – Mark Straker Bert – Harry Eden Albert – Johnny Brennan Other parts played by members of the cast Doting Mr Arthur Middleton – Frederick Treves Mrs Diana Middleton – Fenella Fielding Master Peter Middleton – Stephen Pacey Mr Charles Addinsell – James Villiers Miss Annabel Paynton – Illona Linthwaite Miss Claire Belaine – Mary-Claire Nash Party Going Angela Crevy – Amanda Murray Robin Adams – Paul Herzberg Miss Fellowes – Renee Asherson Claire Hignam – Rosalind Shanks Robert Hignam – Martin Connor Evelyn Henderson – Penelope Lee The Stranger – Sean Arnold Julia Wray – Selina Cadell Amabel – Frances Jeater Max Adey – David McAlister Edwards – Haydn Wood Alex Alexander – Geoffrey Bateman Thomson – Nick Brimble Station announcer/Porter – Graham Faulkner Driver/Porter – Alexander John Clerk/Driver – John Livesey Mr Roberts – Alan Dudley Mr Wray/Floor waiter – John Forbes-Robertson Cloakroom attendant – Sonia Fraser Mr Ogilvie/Stationmaster/Doctor – David Graham Counter Assistant/Receptionist – Jane Knowles Counter Assistant/Room service – Vanessa Knox-Mawer Embassy Richard/Passer-by – Rupert Everett © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd