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Drama of the Week

A Whole Giant's Daughter Quest Thing

Drama of the Week

BBC

Fiction, Drama

3.72K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2026

⏱️ 15 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Read by Alexander Vlahos.

Culhwch can love only the giant's daughter Olwen. To win her hand he must first complete a list of 39 impossible tasks. Arthur's champions take up the challenge, but time slips steadily away from them in Jo Lloyd's poignant contemporary take on the oldest Arthurian romance.

Production Co-ordinator: Eleri McAuliffe

Sound: Rhys Morris

Producer: John Norton

A BBC Audio Wales Production

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts.

0:05.7

Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, The Traitors Uncloaked.

0:12.7

But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's Saturday bonus episodes,

0:18.2

The Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Rylan, and comedy specials

0:22.2

from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffle and Rommashranganathan.

0:25.9

However, and maybe I'm biased, it's really all about the traitors uncoaked.

0:30.3

So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds.

0:35.9

A whole giant's daughter quest thing.

0:39.6

By Joe Lloyd.

0:41.2

Read by Alexander Vlahos.

0:45.6

Somehow, Kieluch got it into his head that he could love only Ollwen, the daughter of the chief giant.

0:52.8

And to win Ollwen, he had to fulfil every one of the giant's

0:56.6

39 impossible demands. For example, to find a food basket that could not be emptied,

1:03.0

and a harp that would play forever without breaking a string. Perhaps the giant meant only

1:08.2

to hint that love itself is an impossible desire that its attainment cannot quench, but Kiluk took him at face value.

1:16.1

Kiluk was Arthur's cousin, so he asked the king for help.

1:19.5

It's a whole giant's daughter-quest thing, said Kiluk.

1:22.4

There's no way around it.

1:24.0

Arthur smiled and waved one hand around his dining hall.

1:30.3

Look at all these idle champions, he said. "'A giant's daughter Quest is right up this street.'

1:33.3

"'Arthur's knights, who had been slumped over the tables, grew suddenly taller and handsomer,

1:39.5

"'and the hounds ran about, squeaking and falling over their feet like puppies.

...

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