Cry of the Bittern
BBC radio drama series by Tim Jackson re-released as audiobook
Penguin, December 2025
This month sees the audiobook release of Tim Jackson’s environmental drama series Cry of the Bittern. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the series has been re-released by Penguin and is now available on all major audiobook platforms.
Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the Norfolk fens, Cry of the Bittern is a full-cast mystery exploring the tensions between environmental protection and economic development. The story follows Laura McLaren, newly appointed to the Environment Agency, as she investigates a mysterious illness affecting a local child and uncovers a deeper contamination threat to the region’s fragile ecosystem.
A TV treatment for Cry of the Bittern won a Public Awareness of Science (PAWS) Drama Fund award way back in 1997. The play was later commissioned as a thirty episode series by former Archers producer Vanessa Whitburn with an all-star cast including Rachel Atkins, Ian Pepperell and Sean Baker.
The new audiobook release offers a fresh opportunity to experience this gripping, environmentally themed story—one that remains even more relevant today than it was when the series was first written.
The play is available on all the common audiobook platforms, including: Penguin | Apple Books | Spotify | Audible | Google Play | Kobo | Libro.fm
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