Postcards: The Complete Series 1-15: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama

Behind every picture-perfect Cornish holiday lies a story waiting to be told

Porthant Bay looks like the perfect Cornish seaside escape: white sands, sparkling blue sea, narrow winding streets and a picturesque harbour. But beneath its postcard-perfect surface lies a town full of hidden stories.

This immersive drama collection follows the lives of the visitors and residents who pass through Porthant Bay, each revealing their hopes, regrets, secrets and dreams through the postcards they send home. As lives briefly intersect, moments of joy, loss, mystery and unexpected connection unfold against the backdrop of the Cornish coast.

Among them are a woman returning to Cornwall for the first time in sixty years; two sisters uncovering long-buried family secrets; a bank employee on the run with stolen cash; a diver investigating a Tudor shipwreck; teenagers on a caravan holiday; and a fading Hollywood star seeking refuge far from the spotlight. Whether escaping the past, searching for answers or beginning again, everyone has a story to tell.

Originally broadcast on Woman's Hour in 1998 and 1999, these 15 acclaimed dramas are written by leading radio dramatists including Dave Sheasby, Jonathan Holloway, Bryony Lavery, Nick Darke, Charlotte Jones and Sue Teddern. They feature an outstanding cast including Mark Bonnar, Tim McInnerny, Susannah Doyle, Jane Whittenshaw, Rosemary Leach, Charlotte Coleman, Lorelei King, Alison Pettitt and Tristan Sturrock.

Series:
Shifting the Leaves by Dave Sheasby
I Am a Postcard by Lavinia Murray
Spring Tide by Jonathan Holloway
Sunblock by Ginnie Hole
Breathing Underwater by Bryony Lavery
The Funny Bones by Helen Kluger
The Last Waltz by Sue Teddern
Gone Fishing by Nick Darke
Basic Magic by John Peacock
The Real Dennis Truelove by Dave Sheasby
The Fall by Jonathan Holloway
On the Rocks by Helen Kluger
Flotsam and Jetsam by Nick Darke
Partial Eclipse by Charlotte Jones
Now You See It, Now You Don't by Jonathan Holloway

© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd