I had already listened to this production on its first broadcast two years ago: a second hearing confirmed my belief that David Timson had adopted an extremely romantic interpretation, concentrating especially on Cyrano’s (Kenneth Branagh’s) capabilities as a wit, raconteur and would-be lover. However the production did seem to have its deficiencies – despite Cyrano’s penchant for verbal pyrotechnics, we did not understand the effect he had on those around him: how they were quite literally transfixed by his rhetoric. Moreover it seemed that in spite of his romantic qualities, Cyrano remained at heart a self-centred person; he did not really care for Roxanne (Jodhi May), but only for himself. If this was the case, then perhaps he deserved his fate; to die not in a duel, but by having something dropped on his head. An ignominious end for a basically ignoble character, perhaps?