Episode 1

Margaret Atwood's powerful and long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, set 15 years after the events of her dystopian masterpiece.

The Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. Now the testimonies of three different women bring the story to a dramatic conclusion. We hear from infamous Aunt Lydia. From Agnes, a young girl who has only known life in Gilead; and from Daisy, a teenage girl in living in Canada.

Omnibus of the first five of fifteen parts.

Readers: Sara Kestelman, Katherine Press and Samantha Dakin

Margaret Atwood is the author of more than 50 books, including novels such as Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid's Tale, went back into the bestseller charts with the election of Donald Trump, when he Handmaids became a symbol of resistance against the disempowerment of women, and with the 2017 release of the award-winning Channel 4 TV series.

Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Justine Willett

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019