The Shooting Party

A full-cast adaptation of Isabel Colegate's acclaimed novel, one of the inspirations behind Downton Abbey This captivating drama, narrated by Academy Award winner Olivia Colman ( The Crown , Broadchurch , Wonka ), is an exquisite elegy for a vanished world. Funny, compassionate and quietly devastating, it captures the final days of Edwardian England with extraordinary precision, on the cusp of irrevocable change. It is 1913. Just a year before the outbreak of the First World War, an assorted group of guests gathers at Sir Randolph Nettleby's country estate for a traditional shooting party. Amid rituals of fine dining, sport and carefully observed etiquette, the privileged elite move confidently through a world that seems permanent and unshakeable. Behind the scenes, an army of servants and gamekeepers has meticulously prepared every detail of the hunt. Yet beneath this polished surface, the social and moral order is beginning to fracture. Across the course of a single gathering—from dinner to the morning's shoot, lunch and its tragic aftermath—a single error of judgement exposes the tensions, frustrations and inequalities that lie beneath Edwardian society. Soon, the certainties of this world will be swept away by the devastation of the Western Front. A quiet, elegant meditation on class, privilege and the fragility of civilisation, The Shooting Party also served as an inspiration for one of the defining period dramas of modern television, Downton Abbey . Originally published in 1980, The Shooting Party was Isabel Colegate's ninth novel and won the WHSmith Literary Award. This acclaimed five-part dramatisation by DJ Britton features narration by Olivia Colman , alongside Ellie Kendrick ( Game of Thrones ) and Sam Dale . A compelling listen for fans of Howards End , Brideshead Revisited and All Quiet on the Western Front . Cast and credits Written by Isabel Colgate Dramatised by DJ Britton Directed by Jessica Dromgoole Narrator - Olivia Colman Cicely Nettleby - Ellie Kendrick Sir Randolph Nettleby - Sam Dale Olivia Lilburn - Jaimi Barbakoff Lionel Stephens - Michael Shelford Minnie Nettleby - Christine Kavanagh Osbert Nettleby - Joshua Swinney Lord Gilbert Hartlip - Sean Baker Aline Hartlip/Ellen - Sally Orrock Cornelius Cardew - Jude Akuwudike Gamekeeper Glass/Count Tabor - David Seddon John - Michael Shelford First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2nd - 6th August 2010 ©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd