Celia Glenister is best known professionally as Celia de Wolff, a British radio drama producer and director whose credits span BBC Radio, independent production companies, audiobooks, and Audible projects. Public references connect the names Celia Glenister and Celia de Wolff through her marriage to actor Robert Glenister and their son, actor Tom Glenister. Her body of work includes ambitious adaptations of War and Peace, Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, Jane Austen productions, and the Stephen Fry Harry Potter audiobooks.
Who Is Celia Glenister?
Public biographical references sometimes call her Celia Glenister, while her professional production credits overwhelmingly use the name Celia de Wolff. The Young Theatre describes Robert Glenister’s wife, Celia Glenister, as a radio drama producer and director, while other industry and charity sources identify Celia de Wolff as Robert’s wife and Tom Glenister’s mother. Taken together, these records establish that the names refer to the same person.
Rather than building a career in front of the camera, de Wolff has spent much of her professional life shaping performances behind the microphone. Her work encompasses producing, directing, casting and coordinating complex audio productions, particularly adaptations of major literary works. Link Age Southwark states that she worked both in-house at the BBC and as a freelance radio drama producer.
Celia Glenister Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Professional name | Celia de Wolff |
| Also publicly known as | Celia Glenister |
| Profession | Radio drama producer and director |
| Main fields | BBC radio drama, audiobooks, Audible productions |
| Husband | Actor Robert Glenister |
| Son | Actor Tom Glenister |
| Notable productions | War and Peace, In Search of Lost Time, The Neapolitan Novels, Stephen Fry’s Harry Potter audiobooks |
| Industry associations | BBC Radio, Pier Productions, Audible |
Sources for these details include Link Age Southwark, Audible production credits, VODzilla and the Young Theatre.
Her Career in BBC Radio Drama
Celia de Wolff’s career is particularly associated with large-scale literary drama. These productions require more than recording actors reading from a script. Directors and producers must coordinate adaptations, performances, recording sessions, sound design and pacing while preserving the character and structure of the original work.
One of her most prominent projects was the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. The ten-hour production was broadcast across New Year’s Day in 2015. Link Age Southwark credits de Wolff with the broadcast, while The Guardian later described the production as an example of ambitious “event radio.”
The scale of the project also became part of a broader conversation about listeners’ willingness to spend hours with literary audio adaptations.
“There is an appetite for the epic that has simply surpassed our expectations,” de Wolff told The Guardian in 2019.
That comment came as she was preparing another demanding production: an adaptation of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time.
In Search of Lost Time and Large-Scale Literary Adaptation
De Wolff both produced and directed the BBC Radio 4 version of In Search of Lost Time, adapted from Proust by playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker. Audible’s official production credits list de Wolff alongside sound designers David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown and executive producer Peter Hoare. The cast included Derek Jacobi, Simon Russell Beale, Paterson Joseph, Hattie Morahan and Robert Glenister.
The production illustrates an important part of de Wolff’s work: turning lengthy novels into structured audio drama without reducing them to straightforward narration. The cast, adapted script, sound design and performance direction all work together to create a dramatic rather than purely read-aloud experience.
She also directed adaptations of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. Audible credits Timberlake Wertenbaker with the dramatisation and de Wolff as director of the full-cast BBC Radio 4 production.
Celia de Wolff and the Harry Potter Audiobooks
Another major part of Celia de Wolff’s career is her connection to the Harry Potter audiobooks narrated by Stephen Fry. Link Age Southwark states that she produced a large proportion of children’s recordings for Cover to Cover Cassettes and HNP Ltd, including award-winning recordings of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books read by Fry. VODzilla also lists the Stephen Fry recordings among her notable credits.
This work places de Wolff behind one of the best-known British audiobook interpretations of the series. Although the narrator is naturally the most recognisable element to listeners, audiobook production also depends on editorial decisions, recording direction, consistency and technical coordination.
Her relationship with the Wizarding World has continued in a different form. The official Harry Potter website lists Celia de Wolff as the voice of Madam Malkin in the newer full-cast audio editions, alongside a cast that includes Hugh Laurie, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Gomez, Matthew Macfadyen and numerous other performers.
Work With Audible and Jane Austen
De Wolff has also directed work specifically released through Audible. In The Jane Austen Collection, she directed the Sense and Sensibility production adapted by Anna Lea. Its cast included Bessie Carter, Anya Chalotra, Paterson Joseph, Emma Mackey, Lesley Sharp, Robert Glenister and Tom Glenister.
Audible also credits her as the director of the drama Goose, starring Imelda Staunton and Tessa Peake-Jones, providing another example of a career extending beyond adaptations of enormous classic novels.
Selected Celia de Wolff Career Timeline
| Period | Project or milestone |
| Earlier audiobook work | Produced children’s audiobooks, including Stephen Fry’s Harry Potter recordings |
| 2015 | Directed/produced BBC Radio 4’s major War and Peace broadcast |
| 2016–2019 | Worked on adaptations of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels |
| 2019 | Produced and directed In Search of Lost Time for BBC Radio 4 |
| 2020 | Directed Sense and Sensibility in Audible’s Jane Austen Collection |
| 2025–2026 | Credited in the new Harry Potter full-cast audio project and continued directing BBC audio drama |
| 2026 | Malachi Kirby won a BBC Audio Drama Award for a performance in The Final Touch, directed by de Wolff |
The 2026 BBC Audio Drama Awards results credit de Wolff as director of Secrets and Lies: The Final Touch, for which Malachi Kirby won Best Actor.
Celia Glenister, Robert Glenister and Tom Glenister
Celia is married to British actor Robert Glenister, known for television work including Hustle and Spooks. The couple have a son, Tom Glenister, who also became an actor. The Young Theatre identifies Celia Glenister as Robert’s wife and Thomas’s mother, while VODzilla describes de Wolff as Robert’s wife and Tom’s mother.
Their professional worlds have crossed repeatedly. Robert and Tom both appeared in de Wolff’s In Search of Lost Time production: Robert played the Duke of Guermantes and Tom played Morel, with Tom also supplying additional soldier voices.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, the family also became involved in ITV’s Isolation Stories. Robert and Tom acted together in the episode Ron & Russell, while de Wolff unexpectedly took on camera duties inside their home because normal production arrangements were impossible under lockdown restrictions.
Charity Work
De Wolff became an ambassador for Link Age Southwark, a charity supporting older people and people living with dementia. In the charity’s profile, she connected her involvement with personal experience of supporting family members affected by early-stage dementia.
Her involvement adds another dimension to a career otherwise documented mainly through production credits and broadcasting projects.
FAQs About Celia Glenister
Is Celia Glenister the same person as Celia de Wolff?
Yes. Public sources identify Robert Glenister’s wife as Celia Glenister, while professional and interview sources identify his wife and Tom Glenister’s mother as radio producer Celia de Wolff. Her production credits generally appear under Celia de Wolff.
What does Celia Glenister do?
She is a radio drama producer and director who has worked on BBC Radio productions, audiobooks and Audible projects.
Is Celia Glenister married to Robert Glenister?
Yes. Robert Glenister is publicly identified as her husband. They have a son, actor Tom Glenister.
Did Celia de Wolff work on the Harry Potter audiobooks?
Yes. She produced recordings from the Stephen Fry-narrated Harry Potter audiobook series. She is also credited as Madam Malkin in the newer full-cast audio editions.
What are Celia de Wolff’s best-known radio productions?
Her documented credits include War and Peace, In Search of Lost Time, Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels and numerous other BBC and independent audio dramas.
Has Celia Glenister worked with her family?
Yes. Robert and Tom Glenister appeared in productions directed or produced by de Wolff, including In Search of Lost Time. The three also worked together under unusual lockdown conditions during the making of ITV’s Isolation Stories.
Conclusion
Celia Glenister, professionally known as Celia de Wolff, has built a substantial career in British audio drama largely from the production side of the industry. From Stephen Fry’s Harry Potter recordings to BBC adaptations of Tolstoy, Proust and Ferrante, her work has involved some of the most ambitious forms of literary audio production. Her continuing credits in BBC drama and the newer Harry Potter full-cast editions show a career that remains active across both traditional broadcasting and modern audiobook platforms.
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