Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey read letters between Second World War lovers Chris Barker, a solider in Libya, and Bessie Moore, a Morse code interpreter in London.

In 1943, Chris Barker was serving as a signalman in North Africa when he decided to brighten the long days of war by writing to a former work colleague, Bessie Moore. The unexpected warmth of Bessie’s reply changed their lives forever. They married in 1945.

Originally read at the Union Chapel, London in March 2019.