Oz (Radio/TV)

One of the true classics of American literature. Originally published in 1900, it was the first truly American fairy tale, as Baum crafted a wonderful fantasy, peopled with memorable characters — a cornfield scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and a humbug wizard.

Here is Linda Marshall’s BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of L Frank Baum's children's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, originally broadcast as part of the BBC Christmas 2009 season.... When a tornado strikes her farmhouse in Kansas, young Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are lifted to the magical Land of Oz, the strange home of the Munchkins. There she embarks upon a perilous journey to find the wonderful Wizard of Oz and a way back home.

Tip, a young Gillikin boy, runs away from his cruel guardian, the wicked witch Mombi. He meets up with the Scarecrow, now ruler of the Emerald City; the Tin Woodman; many new friends; and an army of girls who want to overthrow the Scarecrow. Before it's over, Tip finds out that he is part of a dark secret from Oz's past.

Dorothy Gale, on a voyage at sea, is tossed overboard during a storm. She is washed ashore at Ev, a country neighboring Oz, where she meets up with her old friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion. She also meets Ozma, the new Princess of Oz, who has come to Ev on a mission of her own, which will bring them all in contact with the nefarious Nome King.

In this adventure, Dorothy gets caught in a California earthquake with her cousin Zeb, and they have many adventures underground with none other than the Wizard of Oz! But can they find their way back to the surface world?

While guiding a lost traveler, Dorothy herself gets lost, and finds herself on an enchanted road headed yet again to Oz. She meets many new friends and dangers along the way, but can she get to the Emerald City in time for Ozma's birthday party?