Dance Til You Bleed: The World According To Hans Christian Andersen (Omnibus)

DANCE TIL YOU BLEED: THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (OMNIBUS) (320kbs-m4a/163mb/1hr11mins)
BBC Radio 3 broadcast: 10th August 2025

Omnibus of five fairy tales shining a light into the dark regions of the mind of author Hans Christian Andersen.

Starring Toby Jones.

Hans Christian Andersen jettisons the conventions of fairy tale logic, giving his characters realistic motivations for why they do what they do. He directly links the fantastical with the psychological. He subverts fairy tale logic whereby the good are beautiful and the bad, ugly. Without him, every fairy tale would end happily ever after and the true power of the genre might never have been realised.

As Andersen, Toby Jones is the guide, embarking on a journey through the author's imagination as he attempts to identify the source of his creativity, delving into the darker tales including the later stories that anticipate Surrealism and Freud.

Each of the dramas is introduced by bestselling author and fairy tale aficionado, Joanne Harris.

Adaptations by Lucy Catherine

1/5 'The Most Incredible Thing': A foolish King barters with his daughter's happiness when he issues a proclamation.

King .... Clive Hayward
Princess .... Scarlett Courtney
Nicholas .... Greg Jones
Vandal .... Ian Conningham
Lord Chamberlain .... Adam Courting
Nightwatchman/Moses .... Neil McCaul

2/5 'The Red Shoes': A young girl's escape from poverty comes at a terrible price. The anti-heroine in this vicious tale was based on Andersen's loathed half-sister.

Karen .... Shannon Tarbet
Lady .... Jessica Turner
Mirror .... Sinead MacInnes
Soldier .... Ian Conningham
Shoemaker's Wife .... Lucy Reynolds
Reverend .... Clive Hayward
Executioner .... Neil McCaul

3/5 'Anne Lisbeth': A son rejected by his mother is given a way to exact retribution. Andersen's own troubled relationship with his mother and his experience of childhood bullying infuse this tale of haunting strangeness.

Anne .... Amanda Hale
Mrs E .... Heather Craney
Son .... Will Kirk
Skipper .... Adam Courting

4/5 'The Ice Maiden': Rudy hovers on the brink of romantic happiness but first he must face the Ice Maiden. One of the inspirations for the film ‘Frozen' but here, in Andersen's original, Elsa is a far more terrifying creation.

Rudy .... Joseph Ayre
Babette .... Sinead MacInnes
Ice Maiden .... Laura Christy
Miller .... Ian Conningham
Cat .... Clive Hayward

5/5 'The Wicked Prince': A power-hungry prince ignores the voices of reason as he embarks on a campaign of dominion over all things.

The Prince .... Craig Parkinson
Captain of the Guard .... Ian Conningham
Enemy Emissary .... Ikky Elyas
Keeper of the Coin .... Greg Jones
Advisors .... Clive Hayward and Jessica Turner

Director: Gemma Jenkins

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in November 2019.