In this rich and memorable evocation of the fictional South Riding of Yorkshire are the lives, loves and sorrows of the central characters. There is Sarah Burton, fiery young headmistress; Robert Carne of Maythorpe Hall, a councillor tormented by his own disastrous marriage; Jo Astell, a socialist fighting poverty and his own illness; and Mrs Beddows, the first woman Alderman of the district (like Winifred's own mother). They are the people who work together in the council chambers and backrooms of local politics. Alongside them, however, are the people affected by their decisions.

Winifred Holtby was born in 1893 in the East Riding of Yorkshire. She was educated at Scarborough College, Oxford and gave up her studies to join the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps in France during the First World War. Later she became an ardent feminist and lecturer on politics and was a prolific contributor to many newspapers. Her last and best-known novel was South Riding, which was finished shortly before her early death in 1935.

Since winning the BBC Radio Drama Prize, Carole Boyd has worked extensively in radio and theatre. She played Shirley Edwards in the Radio 2 soap opera Waggoner's Walk for four years and plays Lynda Snell in The Archers. An experienced narrator and radio actress, she appears regularly on BBC Radio.