The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Published: Dec. 23, 2019, 5 p.m.

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Although it was written nearly seventy years ago, \\u2018The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe\\u2019 still appears in the top ten favourite children\\u2019s books and has sold over 100 million copies in 47 different languages. It's set in the magical Land of Narnia where the White Witch has cast a spell to make sure that it is always winter and Christmas never comes. This changes when four siblings \\u2013 Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund \\u2013 stumble into Narnia through the back of a wardrobe and defeat the evil that has engulfed Narnia with the help of the mighty lion Aslan. For some readers, \\u2018The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe\\u2019 is an allegory of the story of Jesus. Many others view it simply as a good yarn. To discuss the religious message behind the book \\u2013 and whether or not it really matters \\u2013 Ernie is joined by three authors: Lucy Mangan, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Francis Spufford. Extracts are read by Julie Hesmondhalgh.

Producer: Helen Lee

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