Yeartides: Beltane, Samhain, Imbolc, Lughnasadh: Four Pagan Celtic BBC Radio Dramas

A quartet of soulful dramas weaving folklore, pagan rituals and love stories

Since ancient times, human beings have celebrated the changing seasons, navigating the natural cycles of growth, death and rebirth through the ‘Wheel of the Year’. Four ‘quarter days’ – the Summer and Winter solstices and the Autumn and Winter equinoxes – marked key points in the solar calendar, while sitting at the midpoint of these quarters are the Celtic festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain. These interconnected dramas explore the myths and rituals of those four festivals through standalone stories, linked by Claire, a down-to-earth phenology professor and druid. Enhanced by evocative music from folk musician Anna Massie, they mingle storytelling and song to tell tales of love, loss and new beginnings.

Beltane – It’s May Day, and Claire is driving to Edinburgh, accompanied by a young woman she’s meeing for the first time. The journey brings up memories of first love, happiness and heartache, as both women prepare for the important ritual they have come together to perform...

Samhain – All Hallow’s Eve – Samhain – is a night when time becomes slippery: the past, present and future swirl together and the veil between this world and the next is said to be at its thinnest. Staying at an isolated house on the remote Scottish island of Jura with her husband David, Claire feels her own past reaching out into her present...

Lughnasadh – Claire and David are visiting his parents’ family farm to celebrate his mum’s 75th birthday, but an argument over land casts a pall over the festivities. It’s harvest time, and the impact of seeds sown decades before is about to be felt.

Imbolc – As the dark days of winter give way to the first stirrings of spring, Claire too is returning to life, as she joins a group of guerrilla gardeners battling to regenerate a lifeless urban wasteland – and finds herself nurturing a fragile romance between two unlikely young lovers.

Infused with wit, warmth and wonder, these thoughtful, moving dramas feature an ensemble cast including Neve McIntosh, Charithra Chandran, Bryan Dick, Chloe Pirrie, Emun Elliot, Georgie Glen and Jack Greenlees.

Cast and credits
Written by Ben Lewis
Directed by Kirsty Williams
Music performed by Anna Massie
Sound Design by Kris McConnachie
Production Co-ordinator: Rosalind Gibson
Studio Production: Keith Graham
With thanks for farming consultation to Roger Howison and Willie Young

Beltane
Starring
Claire - Neve McIntosh, Charithra Chandran and Bryan Dick
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 May 2024

Samhain
Starring Chloe Pirrie, Emun Elliot and Bryan Dick
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 October 2025

Lughnasadh
Starring Neve McIntosh, Emun Elliot, Georgie Glen, Jack Greenlees
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 July 2026

Imbolc
Cast TBC
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 February 2027

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