The reworking of Voltaire’s brisk and capricious satire into a one-hour radio drama is no mean feat. Through thirty chapters, Candide, ou l’Optimisme tells the story of the innocent and guileless Candide, who is in love with the seemingly unattainable Cunégonde. Candide enjoys a sheltered existence with his Leibnizian optimist tutor Pangloss, but when he is discovered kissing Cunégonde, Candide is swiftly ejected from this paradise. Left to his own devices, Candide makes new friends—including the good-hearted Anabaptist Jacques, the valet Cacambo, and the academic Martin—and teams up once more with Pangloss and Cunégonde along the way. With his new companions, he finds himself on a whirlwind tour of Lisbon, South America, El Dorado, Surinam, France, Venice, and Turkey, hurtling from adventure to adventure: he survives storms, escapes tribes, kills his enemies, and pillages priceless jewels, ultimately winning back his beloved Cunégonde. Throughout his travels Candide becomes increasingly doubtful of his learned optimism, questioning whether everything is indeed for the best by necessity. His apprehensions are shown to be justified when, at the close of the novella, Candide is bored and bad-tempered, despite having achieved all of his aims. A chance meeting with a farmer, who works on nothing but his patch of land, confirms to Candide that it is useless to philosophise and to agonise over external affairs; Candide thus announces the now-famous aphorism: ‘il faut cultiver notre jardin’ (‘we must cultivate our garden’).

Robin Brooks has adapted and abridged the plot with remarkable success: it remains unexpected, outlandish, and whimsical; the twists and turns are fast-paced, and the intrigue surrounding the principal characters is soundly conveyed. Adrian Scarborough—who recently won acclaim for his role in the Bafta-winning Killing Eve—is an unparalleled storyteller, and a superb choice of narrator for this tale. He delivers a wholehearted and vivid performance, and his interpretation of each character, communicated through an animated and memorable range of voices, adds some important nuances to the reading. Scarborough’s portrayal of the insipid and increasingly petulant Cunégonde deserves a special mention: his performance works well to emphasise the absurdity of Candide’s fervent infatuation with his beloved. The novella’s humour is also energetically conveyed, and Scarborough’s talent for tongue-in-cheek delivery and satirical dialogue is adeptly utilised, engaging the listener, adding depth and intricacy to the story, and spotlighting its political and philosophical implications (Voltaire promotes the advantages of practicality, the futility of abstract contemplation, and the untrustworthiness of religious leaders, among many other ideas). Candide’s voyage to Cayenne—recounted by Scarborough with gasps, laughs, and suggestive pauses—makes for particularly enjoyable listening, as does Candide’s discovery of the weather-beaten Cunégonde towards the end of the final episode, which is read with suitable horror and alarm. Although somewhat condensed, the closing satire on the optimist Pangloss, coupled with Candide’s (now immovable) doubts in the world’s pre-established harmony, is delivered with conviction: the listener is left gratified by the tale but, aptly, with many unanswered questions as to its wider meaning.

Some listeners may well wonder about the distinct lack of music and sound effects in this adaptation. Many a radio drama has been entirely transformed with the addition of canny sound processes, and some of the novella’s more convoluted episodes might have been more penetrable to the listener with some corresponding effects. Nonetheless, there is, for the most part, sufficient realism without these: it is hard to be distracted from Scarborough’s unaccompanied voice, and the traditional setup adds a certain charm to the performance. It was a shrewd choice by producer Bruce Young, who has worked on previous radio dramas such as Owen Whitelaw’s excellent Faking It for BBC Radio 3. This drama is available in five episodes averaging fifteen minutes each, ideal for commute or breakfast listening; otherwise, the BBC have created an omnibus with the readings compiled. This new version is a valuable addition to the range of theatrical and television adaptations of Candide: not only is it entertaining for the general listener, but it might also be an effective teaching resource, introducing students to the text in an accessible and appealing format. Young’s Candide is a triumph for BBC Radio 4, and a must-listen for the budding dix-huitiémiste.

The five episodes of Candide aired on BBC Radio 4 between 18 November and 22 November 2019.