Romesh Ranganathan and Natasia Demetriou have been cast in a new audio adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984.

The pair play Mr and Mrs Parsons, neighbours of the dystopian novel’s protagonist Winston Smith. Smith despises Parsons, who is also his co-worker at the Ministry of Truth, for his unquestioning acceptance of everything the Party tells him.

Andrew Garfield leads the cast as  as Winston in the adaptation made for Audible, with Cynthia Erivo as Julia, his lover and another colleague at the Ministry. Tom Hardy voices the infamous Big Brother.

The cast also features Chukwudi Iwuji as Charrington, Francesca Mills as Syme, Katie Leung as Ling, Alex Lawther as Ampleforth alongside a full ensemble.

Garfield said: ‘I’m very grateful to Audible to be a part of this new incarnation of Orwell’s radical, political classic, 1984. A classic that, disappointingly, humanity seems to need to be constantly engaged with. To keep ourselves awake and remembering that we each have a soul. 

‘And that that soul is full of beauty and value. And how vital it is for each of us to resist the forces that wish to subdue and strangle that collective soul. 

‘The cast and crew is clearly the best of the best of British and Irish talent. It was truly a joy to tell this story for an audience hungry for their own liberation.’

The adaptation has been officially authorised and endorsed by the Orwell Estate with Richard Blair, George Orwell’s son, calling it ‘sensational’ with a ‘brilliant cast’

George Orwell’s 1984, an Audible Original, releases globally today, exactly 40 years after the date of Winston’s first diary entry.

It is available to Audible members at audible.co.uk/1984.