BBC Radio 2 are helping to mark the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon album by airing an hour-long audio drama by award-winning playright Sir Tom Stoppard. Dark Side, to air on August 26th, will incorporate music from the album as part of its "fantastical and psychedelic" story. Actors Bill Nighy and Rufus Sewell will be amongst the cast.

Sir Tom, 75, a huge Pink Floyd fan, revealed that the idea was first mooted by a friend in 1973, but it took him four decades to come up with a suitable story. "(I thought) yes, I definitely want to do that but had no idea for a long time what I would do. Finally, I found some time and sat down and listened to the album for the thousandth time and picked up from the beginning and kept going. This is more or less, I think, the first time anything like this has been done on radio."

The BBC noted that David Gilmour 'has already read the script and given the play his seal of approval, describing it as "fascinating. I can't wait to hear it come to life with the great cast performing it and our music woven into it. I can't think of a better way to celebrate The Dark Side Of The Moon's 40 year anniversary."

Jeff Smith, BBC Radio 2's head of music, said, "Radio 2 is proud to be the home of a very special hour where you can hear an amazing new script by Sir Tom Stoppard framed and inspired by the music of Pink Floyd. Dark Side pays tribute to the album The Dark Side of the Moon with a dramatic examination of themes including conflict, greed and madness. A combination of Sir Tom's brilliance, an iconic album and an outstanding cast ensures this production will be unmissable."

Stoppard has prior experience blending the world of Floyd with drama - in 2006, he wrote Rock'n'Roll, a stage play inspired by Syd Barrett. This was adapted for a performance on BBC Radio 3 in 2007, and in 2008, toured regionally in the UK.