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A A Gill

Andrew Swanston read law at Cambridge, but was inspired to write by his lifelong interest in early modern history. His Thomas Hill novels – The King’s Spy, The King’s Exile and The King’s Return – are set against the backdrops of the English Civil War, Cromwell’s Commonwealth and the early Restoration respectively. He is also the author of Waterloo: The Bravest Man and Beautiful Star and Other Stories. His first historical thriller set during the reign of Elizabeth I – Incendium (published in paperback as The Incendium Plot) – introduced readers to the academic, lawyer and intelligencer Dr Christopher Radcliff, whose adventures continue in Chaos. Andrew Swanston lives in Surrey.

A D Swanston

A E Langsford

A G Hopkins

A. J. BAIME is the New York Times best-selling author of The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War and Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans. Both books are in development for major motion pictures. Baime is a longtime regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Popular Science, and Men’s Journal. He lives in Granite Bay, California. Visit him at facebook.com/ajbaime and trumanbook.com.

A J Baime

A J Jacobs

A J P Taylor

Anthony James Pollard is a British medieval historian, specialising in the fifteenth century and in particular the Wars of the Roses. A leading authority in the field, he is profesor emeritus of Teesside University. His books include North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses, Richard III and the Princes in theTower, Imagining Robin Hood: the Late Medieval Stories in Historical Context and Warwick the kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame.

A J Pollard

A J Rochester

A K Benjamin is a clinical neuropsychologist and the author of Let Me Not Be Mad: A Story of Unravelling Minds.

A K Benjamin

A. L. Berridge read English at Oxford, and taught for ten years before moving into television, where her production credits range from period drama and thrillers to long-running soaps. She has written two previous novels, Top Ten besteller Honour and the Sword and In the Name of the King. Into the Valley of Death is her third novel.

A L Berridge

Alison Gaylin's first job was as a reporter for a celebrity tabloid, which sparked a lifelong interest in writing about people committing despicable acts. More than a decade later, she wrote and published her Edgar-nominated first novel, HIDE YOUR EYES. 
 
She's since published nine more books, including the USA Today and international bestselling Brenna Spector suspense series, which has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Thriller awards and won the Shamus award. 
 
She lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, cat and dog.

A L Gaylin

A Maxwell-Hyslop

A McArthur

A P Wavell

A.S. Webb is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Daughter of Chaos, the first instalment of The Dark Pantheon Trilogy. She is inspired by stories rooted in history and mythology, that push the boundaries of imagination and urge us to reflect on what it means to be human.

A S Webb

A. A. Dhand is the author of six previous novels, and has been shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Award. His DI Harry Virdee novels are currently being adapted for TV by the BBC. He was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired all his novels. For more information about A. A. Dhand and his books, follow him on X @aadhand, and on Instagram @aa_dhand.

A. A. Dhand

A. A. Gill

A. A. Milne

A. Anatoli

A. B. Poranek grew up sharing her time between Ontario, Canada and rural Poland, and eventually completed a veterinary degree at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. A lover of mythology and history, she enjoys exploring both in her writing. Her debut novel, Where the Dark Stands Still, an instant New York Times bestseller, is an ode to Poland's folktales, while A Treachery of Swans transports readers to a world inspired by 17th century France.

A. B. Poranek

A. Bradley

Professor A. C. Grayling is Principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy, history, science and current affairs. For several years he wrote columns for the Guardian newspaper and The Times and was the chairman of the 2014 Man Booker Prize.

A. C. Grayling

A.D. Miller is the author of Snowdrops, The Earl of Petticoat Lane and The Faithful Couple. Snowdrops was a bestseller and was shortlisted for many prizes including the Man Booker and the CWA Gold Dagger. It was translated into 25 languages. As Moscow Correspondent of The Economist A.D. Miller has travelled across the former Soviet Union and covered the Orange Revolution in Ukraine; he is now the magazine’s Culture Editor based in London. 
 
admillerbooks.com

A. D. Miller

A. E. Ellis

A. E. W. Mason

A. Humphreys

A. Igoni Barrett was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 1979 and lives in Lagos. He is a winner of the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition, the recipient of a Chinua Achebe Center Fellowship, a Norman Mailer Center Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency. His short story collection, Love is Power, or Something Like That, was published in 2013. In 2014 he was named on the Africa39 list of sub-Saharan African writers under 40. Blackass is his first novel.

A. Igoni Barrett

The short life of A.J.A. Symons (1900-41) was described by his biographer as an intricate and largely harmless confidence trick. His many interests included the collection of musical boxes and rare books as well as the study and practice of forgery; they left him time to edit an anthology of Edwardian verse and compose studies of H.M. Stanley and other notable figures. He is remembered for The Quest for Corvo, one of the most remarkable biographies ever written, and for co-founding the Wine and Food Society.

A. J. A. Symons

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Margaret Mitchell

A brand new adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s iconic novel, set against the turbulent backdrop of the American Civil WarMargaret Mitchell only had one book published in her lifetime, but it was a blockbuster. The epic, 1000-page, 1936 Pulitzer Prize-winning Gone With The Wind?has been hailed as the Great American Novel, sold over 30 million copies worldwide and is one of America’s most cherished books. Epic and sweeping in scale, it tells the story of a passionate, headstrong young woman whose destiny is forged by love and war.Sixteen-year-old Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara lives a life of ease and privilege at her wealthy family’s Georgia plantation home, Tara. But her carefree world is about to be turned upside down. When the man she adores, Ashley Wilkes, marries another woman, she is heartbroken – but worse is in store for her and her family. As the Civil War rips through the South and Atlanta burns, she finds herself fighting for survival. Determined to save her beloved Tara, Scarlett enlists the help of cynical opportunist Rhett Butler, and they embark on a tempestuous romance – yet she cannot let go of her dreams of Ashley...With its unforgettable anti-heroine and vivid depiction of a nation mortally divided and a people forever changed, this classic tale has entranced readers and movie audiences for 90 years. Both seminal and controversial, it has attracted criticism for its racist attitudes, sympathetic stance towards the Confederate South and failure to address the evils of slavery. This major radio retelling skilfully navigates these problematic issues, while never losing sight of the novel’s heart: its compelling characters and stirring, irresistible narrative.Production creditsWritten by Margaret MitchellProduced by Tracey NealeFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-22 February 2026© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Gone With The Wind

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisation

Martin Boyd

The classic tale of an Australian girl who marries into the English aristocracy at a time of great change to the traditional orderNovember 1910, and seventeen-year-old Lucinda is looking forward to being making her debut in Melbourne society. Beautiful and wealthy, she is set to make a brilliant match – and when she meets dashing army officer Hugo Brayford, the younger brother of an English viscount, it seems she has succeeded in landing her prize. Bowled over by his charm and aristocratic lineage, impressionable Lucinda quickly forgets her first love, Tony Duff, and accepts Hugo’s proposal of marriage.Leaving Australia, she prepares to start a new life in England – but all is not as she had anticipated. Hugo is frequently away, runs up debts that Lucinda must settle, and even the birth of his son, Stephen, cannot keep him by his wife’s side. And when he is injured fighting in the Great War, Lucinda finds herself faced with a terrible dilemma. Torn between society’s expectations and her heart’s desires, can she find the happiness she craves?Inspired by his own upper-class ancestors and his experiences during World War I, Martin Boyd’s seminal tale of family, class, marriage and money spans 30 years, from the last days of the Edwardian era to the Second World War. At once a romance and a chronicle of a world in flux, it charts one woman’s life and loves against the backdrop of societal transformation. Juliet Aubrey stars in this captivating adaptation, with a stellar cast including Eleanor Bron, James Laurenson, Penelope Wilton and Paul Rhys.Production creditsWritten by Martin BoydDramatised by Elspeth SandsDirected by Janet WhitakerCastLucinda – Juliet AubreyHugo – Jonathan FirthJulie – Angela PleasenceFred – James LaurensenLydia – Abigail McKernLady Wendale – Eleanor BronMarian – Penelope WiltonTony Duff – Matt DayPaul Brayford – Paul RhysSusannah Brayford – Pamela WiseArthur – Michael CochranePat Lanfranc – Mark StrakerWatteau – Miranda BarberCanon Chapman – David TimsonBill Vane – Nicholas BoultonMrs Greene-James – Joanna McCallumMrs. Galway – Ndidi Del FattiDriver – Jason ChanLord Fitzauncell – Stephen HoganStephen – Robert HastieMuriel – Helen LongworthHeather – Alex TregearBill as a child/Stephen as a child – Pax BaldwinCommanding Officer – Hugh DicksonFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-16 January 2005© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Lucinda Brayford

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama

Christopher Isherwood

Full-cast dramatisations of three insightful novels by Christopher Isherwood, plus a bonus interview 
 
Novelist and playwright Christopher Isherwood is best known for The Berlin Stories of pre-Hitler Germany, which inspired the musical Cabaret. Many of his works have been adapted for stage and screen. This BBC Radio collection comprises full-cast adaptations of three of the Anglo-American’s acclaimed works, together with a riveting interview with Isherwood himself. 
 
Mr Norris Changes Trains – The Berlin Stories Part One. 1930. Travelling by train to Berlin, impressionable young English teacher William Bradshaw asks his fellow passenger for a light. This chance meeting leads to a bizarre friendship, as William is caught up in the strange world of the mysterious, disreputable Mr Norris… Michael Maloney and David March star in this evocative portrait of the last, decadent years of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism. 
 
Christopher Himself – Charting the young Isherwood’s creative coming of age in the movie world of the 1930s, and his relationship with his Austrian mentor, the autocratic director Friedrich Bergmann, this piece was written by Philip Glassborow inspired by Isherwood's Prater Violet. Starring David Suchet and Adam Godley, and featuring interviews with Isherwood’s partner Don Bachardy and biographer Kate Bucknell. 
 
A Single Man – Following the death of his young lover, Jim, middle-aged English college professor George must deal with his feelings of grief, loneliness and alienation. Alec McCowen stars in this radio dramatisation of Isherwood’s 1964 novel, which was adapted as an Oscar-nominated film (starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore) in 2009. 
 
Christopher and His Kind – Recorded in 1977, soon after Isherwood published his autobiography ‘Christopher and His Kind’, the author chats to novelist and critic Paul Bailey about the formative experiences of his life, and how he used them in his novels. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Christopher Isherwood 
 
Mr Norris Changes Trains 
Mr Norris – David March 
William Bradshaw – Michael Maloney 
Helen Pratt – Sheila Grant 
Fraulein Schroeder – Hilda Schroder 
Friedrich/Otto – Haydn Wood 
Waiter – Spencer Banks 
Schmidt – Adrian Egan 
Baron von Pregnitz – Sean Arnold 
Whore/Portress – Denica Fairman 
Anni – Deborah Paige 
Bayer – Wolf Kahler 
German Official/Policeman/Waiter – Danny Schiller 
 
Dramatised by Eric Ewens 
Directed by David Spenser 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16-23 Sep 1984 
 
Christopher Himself 
Isherwood – Adam Godley 
Bergmann – David Suchet 
Brian – Bernard Cribbins 
Mother – Sylvestra Le Touzel 
Waitress – Polly March 
Meadwell – Robert Meadwell 
 
Written by Philip Glassborow 
With scenes based on the novel Prater Violet by Christopher Isherwood 
Directed by Beaty Rubens 
Music: Guy Meredith 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 Aug 2004 
 
A Single Man 
George – Alec McCowen 
Charley – Rosemary Martin 
Jim – William Gaminara 
Kenny – Neil Roberts 
Doris – Liza Ross 
Mrs Strunk – Valerie Colgan 
Andy – Angelo Gibson 
Cynthia – Bonnie Hurren 
Rick – Michael Morris 
Nurse – Jane Whittenshaw 
 
Adapted for radio by Michael Michaelian from his own stage play 
Directed by Glyn Dearman 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 10 Nov 1991 
 
Christopher and his Kind 
Presented by Paul Bailey 
With Christopher Isherwood 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 28 Mar 1977 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
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Christopher Isherwood: A BBC Radio Collection

Three Full-Cast BBC Radio Adaptations including Mr Norris Changes Trains

William Harrison Ainsworth

An epic 13-part dramatisation of William Harrison Ainsworth’s historical romance, centring around the rise and fall of Lady Jane GreyWilliam Harrison Ainsworth was lauded by his contemporaries as a successor to Sir Walter Scott, and was named in 1847 as one of the three most popular writers in England (alongside Edward Bulwer-Lytton and Charles Dickens). His first three historical novels were inspired by the lives of Dick Turpin, ‘Honest Jack’ Sheppard and ‘the Admirable Crichton’, but with The Tower of London, he decided to base his book around a place rather than a person. Depicting the ancient citadel ‘in its triple light of a palace, a prison and a fortress’, he went on to weave a thrilling tale of power struggles, romance and political intrigue – featuring two coronations, a wedding, several executions and a siege...It begins in July 1553, as the newly-crowned Queen Jane makes her way by barge to the Tower, where she will spend the first days of her reign. Following the death of Edward VI, she has been installed on the throne by her father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland, who has married her to his son Lord Guildford Dudley with hopes of making him King.But danger lurks within the Tower’s high walls, for there are many who plot against Jane: not least Simon Renard, the Spanish Ambassador, who is determined to make Catherine of Aragon’s Catholic daughter, Mary, Queen in Jane’s place. Surrounded by enemies and betrayed by those she trusted most, Jane is led step by step to her tragic fate... Meanwhile, the beautiful Cicely, the ‘Rose of the Tower’, has fallen in love with Dudley’s squire, Cuthbert Cholmondeley, only for their budding romance to be thwarted by the villainous, jealous head jailer Nightgall. As history plays out around her, is she destined for happiness or heartbreak?Dramatised by actor and writer Tony Van den Bergh, this riveting 1968 drama dates from the glory days of the BBC Repertory Company, and features an ensemble cast including Gudrun Ure, Peter Baldwin, Francis de Wolff, Rosalind Shanks, Garard Green and Marjorie Westbury.With thanks to Keith Wickham and the Radio CircleNB: This recording contains dated language and attitudesProduction creditsWritten by William Harrison AinsworthFirst published 1840Dramatised by Tony Van den BerghProduced and directed by R D SmithCastJane, the Queen – Gudrun UreNightgall, head jailer – Peter BaldwinMagog, a giant warder – Francis de WolffRibald, his crony – Leigh CrutchleyArchbishop Cranmer/Arundel – John WyseBishop Ridley – Ralph Trumande Noailles, French Ambassador – David MarchSimon Renard, Spanish Ambassador – Malcolm HayesSuffolk – Peter WilliamsLord Guilford Dudley – Michael HarbourCuthbert, his squire – Christopher BidmeadCicely – Beth BoydGunnora, an old nurse – Phyllis MontefioreDame Potentia, a cook’s wife – Lynn CarsonXit, a dwarf – Nigel AnthonyNorthumberland, Lord Protector – Denis McCarthyPrincess Elizabeth – Rosalind ShanksQueen Mary – Alexa RomanesLord Gardiner – Duncan McIntyreLord Courtenay – Douglas HankinAlexia, a crazed prisoner – Margaret FordWinchester – Rolf LefebvreDean Feckenham – Geoffrey WincottSir Thomas Wyatt – Garard GreenMistress Ellen – Marjorie WestburyUnderhill – Haydn JonesMauger – John Holus Other parts played by Diana Robson, Jan Edwards, Norma Griffin, Joyce Latham, Henry Webb, Norman Wynne and members of the BBC Drama Repertory CompanyFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 March-5 June 1968© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tower of London

A Vintage BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisation

Liz Lochhead

Five full-cast dramas by the celebrated Scottish writer Liz Lochhead, plus a short story 
 
Liz Lochhead is a widely recognised poet, playwright and performer. She was the Makar, Scotland’s national poet, between 2011 and 2016, and was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2015. The six pieces in this anthology are characterised by their evocative language and focus on different facets of female identity: from schoolgirls, wives and mothers to convention-defying creators and ‘cunning women’. 
 
Blood and Ice – Summer, 1816. Following their scandalous elopement, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her lover Percy Shelley decamp to Lake Geneva. There, they are joined by Lord Byron and his mistress Claire Clairmont, and one night, in a villa by the shore, they challenge each other to write a ghost story. Mary’s tale will become the most famous Gothic novel of all time – and the creature at its centre will haunt her for the rest of her life. Starring Gerda Stevenson, Stephen Boxer, Jack Klaff and Stella Gonet. 
 
Quelques Fleurs – Liz Lochhead plays lonely, ‘born to shop’ housewife Verena, with Stuart Hepburn as her oil-rig worker husband in these tragicomic intercut monologues, which paint a portrait of a childless couple trapped in an unhappy marriage. 
 
Maleficium – Taking its title from a Latin word meaning ‘malevolent sorcery’, this chilling play draws on real accounts of witch trials to create voices for three women: Alice, Margery and Jinnet – a farm labourer, a farmer's wife and an elderly wisewoman. When two of them are accused of witchcraft by the other, they are brought to the point of tragedy… Starring Clare Corbett, Siobhan Redmond and Freda Dowie. 
 
Fancy You Minding That – Separated by three generations and by the 400 miles from London to Glasgow, a grandmother, mother and daughter recall their very different, very painful memories of the men in their lives. With Phyllis Logan as Valerie, Jennifer Piercey as Ina and Catherine Clarke as Kate. 
 
Cuba – Scotland, 1962. With the Cuban Missile Crisis at its height, best friends Barbara and Bernadette believe the world is about to end. They decide to spend their last days making a stand for women and peace – only to find themselves facing a very personal betrayal. Julie Wilson Nimmo, Pauline Lockhart and Liz Lochhead star. 
 
‘The Cure’ – Hoping to impress her handsome house captain, a schoolgirl takes to the athletics track – but the course of true love does not run smoothly. Read by Grace Glover. 
 
Text copyright © Liz Lochhead 1982 (Blood and Ice), 1986 (Fancy You Minding That), 1991 (Quelque Fleurs), 1994 (‘The Cure’), 1998 (Cuba), 2001 (Maleficium) 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Blood and Ice & other plays

Five Full-Cast BBC Radio Productions

Sean O'Casey

An unparalleled collection of Full-Cast BBC Drama adaptations of Sean O’Casey’s powerful, poignant works 
 
 One of Ireland’s foremost playwrights, Sean O’Casey is renowned for his groundbreaking plays depicting the lives of poor, working-class Dubliners struggling with social and political upheaval and revolutionary change. This is the first comprehensive audio collection of O'Casey's works, and includes the three masterpieces collectively known as the ‘Dublin Trilogy’, as well as the dark comic satire Cock-a-Doodle Dandy, the one-act Bedtime Story and the anti-war drama The Silver Tassie.The Shadow of a Gunman – Dublin, 1920. With the Irish War of Independence raging, poet Donal Davoren finds himself caught up in danger and violence when he is mistaken for an IRA gunman on the run. Bryan Murray, Alan Devlin and Marcella O’Riordan star in this Radio 4 production of Sean O’Casey’s breakthrough play.Juno and the Paycock – The slum-dwelling Boyle family are blighted by poverty, war and the alcoholism of its feckless patriarch 'Captain' Jack Boyle. Will a surprise legacy transform their lives? Adapted for Radio 3, O’Casey’s classic tragicomedy stars Sorcha Cusack and Stanley Townsend.The Plough and the Stars – Painting a stark portrait of a city and a nation in turmoil, this classic play tells the story of ordinary Dubliners during the Easter Rising of 1916. Introduced by the playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah and starring Elaine Cassidy, Padraic Delaney, Gabrielle Reidy, Finbar Lynch & Matthew McNulty.Cock-a-Doodle Dandy – Rich farmer Michael Marthraun tries to stamp out permissiveness in rural Ireland, but the appearance of a beautifully plumed rooster calls the villagers to love and liberty. Believing the bird to be demonic, Marthraun calls in the priest, Father Domineer… Joseph O’Conor, Stephen Brennan and T. P. McKenna star in this adaptation of O’Casey’s own favourite play.Bedtime Story – Pious young clerk John Joe Mulligan is known to be a pillar of the Church. So why has he invited the seductive Angela back to his room? A concise exploration of morality and religious hypocrisy, this farcical comedy stars John Lynch, Sorcha Cusack and Angela Dearden.The Silver Tassie – A tale of love and the bitter heroics of war, O’Casey’s moving Expressionist play follows young athlete Harry Heegan (Jim Norton) as he leaves the football field for the Western Front.Text copyright © Sean O’Casey 1923 (The Shadow of a Gunman), 1924 (Juno and the Paycock), 1926 (The Plough and the Stars), 1927 (The Silver Tassie), 1949 (Cock-a-Doodle Dandy), 1951 (Bedtime Story)Production creditsWritten by Sean O’CaseyThe Shadow of a GunmanJuno and the PaycockThe Plough and the StarsCock-a-Doodle DandyBedtime StoryThe Silver Tassie© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Dublin Trilogy & more

Six BBC Radio Full-Cast Productions including Shadow of a Gunman & Juno and the Paycock

Greg Haddrick

Jeremy Fox

From Vietnam to JFK - spies, lies and the story of the CIA told by its longest-serving agent 
 
The utterly gripping, award-winning drama Central Intelligence is back, revealing further inside stories of the CIA and featuring an all-star cast. Told from the perspective of Eloise Page (Kim Cattrall), who joined on the Agency’s first day in 1947 and, in her 40-year career, became one of its most powerful women. Eloise takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of US foreign policy, spanning the staggering world events that shaped not only her career, but also her personal relationships with CIA leaders Allen Dulles (Ed Harris) and Richard Helms (Johnny Flynn). 
 
In series two, the Cold War intensifies with US involvement in South Vietnam. It’s 1954. Colonel Ed Lansdale, former advertising executive and the CIA’s maverick agent in South-East Asia, is given the task of creating dissension in the North to stop the advance of the communists. The death of Stalin brings confusion and elsewhere, Nasser seizes the Suez Canal in Egypt and global powers scramble. The British want control back. The Soviets move in. And the CIA races to keep Egypt from slipping behind the Iron Curtain. 
 
In the shadow games of empire, Eloise Page watches the balance of power shift. The space race begins and high-altitude spy planes are deployed with great success. As CIA policy architect John Foster Dulles becomes gravely ill, Eisenhower’s presidency comes to an end, revolution erupts in Cuba and in the Congo chaos reigns. The charismatic democrat John F Kennedy takes the presidential reins, but tragedy awaits… 
 
Kim Cattrall is a multi-award-winning actress, perhaps best known for her role as Samantha Jones in Sex in the City. In a career spanning over four decades she has appeared in films, on TV and on stage in both the West End and Broadway. Ed Harris is an Academy Award-nominated actor known for his roles in The Truman Show, Pollock and The Hours. He recently starred in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Johnny Flynn is best known for his role in TV comedy drama Lovesick, and played David Bowie in the biopic Stardust. He recently performed on stage at the National Theatre as Richard Burton in The Motive and the Cue directed by Sam Mendes, and is also the composer and singer of the theme music for the TV series The Detectorists. 
 
Written by Greg Haddrick 
Directed by John Scott Dryden 
Produced by Emma Hearn 
Original music by Sacha Puttnam 
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20th June - 22nd August 2025 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Central Intelligence: Series 2

The Inside Story of the CIA

Jane Harris

Full-cast adaptations of two of Jane Harris’s gripping novels - plus an interview with the author 
 
Listen now to these two stunning, suspenseful historical dramas, performed by a full cast and based on the novels by best-selling author, Jane Harris. 
 
The Observations transports listeners to Scotland, 1863. A young Irish girl, Bessy Buckley, escapes her former life as a prostitute when she's hired as a maid in a big house near Edinburgh. But her new employer, Arabella, has secrets of her own. She encourages Bessy to write her thoughts and experiences in a journal, and subjects her to odd experiments. Bessy quickly grows attached to her mistress but things change when Bessy discovers Arabella has been writing a book, ‘The Observations’, a study of the ‘habits and nature of the Domestic Class’. Bessy is incensed, and concocts an act of revenge… Starring Lucy Paterson and Candida Benson (The Crown). 
 
In Gillespie and I, it’s 1888 and Harriet Baxter, an art-loving Englishwoman, arrives in Glasgow for the city's International Exhibition. She meets the Scottish painter, Ned Gillespie, and his wife, Annie - but tragedy is about to strike the Gillespies. A chilling listen, involving anonymous letters, sleazy journalism and a notorious court case. This gripping story is performed by a full cast including Phyllis Logan (Downtown Abbey), Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones) and Liam Brennan. 
 
Also included here is an interview with Jane Harris from Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, in which she discusses Gillespie and I. 
 
Jane Harris is a best-selling writer whose novels have been published in over 20 countries worldwide and translated into many different languages. In 2007 The Observations was short-listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Harris was nominated for the British Book Awards Newcomer of the Year and the Southbank Show/Times Breakthrough Award the same year. Gillespie and I was longlisted for the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction. 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Observations & Gillespie and I

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Peter Shaffer

Peter Shaffer’s three most renowned plays, plus a radio monologue performed by Dame Judi Dench 
 
Sir Peter Shaffer was one of the most distinguished and successful British playwrights of his generation. He won the Tony Award for both Amadeus and Equus, and the film adaptation of Amadeus garnered eight Oscars. In 1997, he was awarded an OBE, and he was knighted in the 2001 New Year honours list. This collection contains his best-known plays and a monologue specially written for radio, first broadcast in 1989. 
 
Amadeus – Antonio Salieri is 18th-century Vienna’s favourite composer – until a brilliant young upstart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, appears on the scene and takes his crown. Consumed by jealousy, Salieri plots his rival’s downfall… Directed by Sir Peter Hall, this sensational drama is performed by the cast of the original National Theatre production, including Paul Scofield, Simon Callow and Felicity Kendal. 
 
Equus – When psychiatrist Martin Dysart is asked by the local magistrate to treat a disturbed 17-year-old boy who has blinded six horses, he soon finds himself in the midst of a nightmare. Starring Peter Barkworth and Ian Sharrock. 
 
The Royal Hunt of the Sun – In 1532, Francisco Pizarro and his 167 soldiers captured the last Inca Emperor, Atahuallpa. This gripping drama, starring Gerald Murphy and Norman Rodway, tells the story of the conquest of Peru, and the power struggle and fatal friendship between the Spanish conquistador and the Sun-God King. 
 
‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’ – Alone in her Clapham flat, Angela Parsons dictates a potentially explosive memoir onto her cassette recorder. It is an account of her life, death and a shocking scandal involving Hollywood’s most beloved film star… With Dame Judi Dench as Angela Parsons. 
 
Text copyright © Peter Shaffer 1964 (The Royal Hunt of the Sun), 1973 (Equus), 1979 (Amadeus), 1989 (‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Peter Shaffer 
 
Amadeus 
Antonio Salieri – Paul Scofield 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Simon Callow 
Constanze Mozart – Felicity Kendal 
Joseph II – John Normington 
Gottfried, Baron van Sweiten – Nicholas Selby 
Count Franz Orsini Rosenberg – Willoughby Goddard 
Johann Kilian von Strack – Basil Henson 
Venticelli – Donald Gee/Dermot Crowley 
Citizens of Vienna – Nigel Bellairs, Susan Gilmore, Peggy Marshall, Robin Meredith, Anne Sedgwick, William Sleigh, Glenn Williams 
 
Equus 
Martin Dysart – Peter Barkworth 
Alan Strang – Ian Sharrock 
Heather Salomon – Jennifer Piercey 
Frank Strang – Malcolm Hayes 
Dora Strang – Jane Wenham 
Jill Mason – Jenny Twigge 
Harry Dalton – Ronald Herdman 
Young Horseman – Philip Sully 
Nurse – Jan Carey 
Other voices – Richard Gibson, Nigel Greaves, David Parfitt, Jonathan Scott 
 
The Royal Hunt of the Sun 
King Atahualpa – Gerald Murphy 
Pizarro – Norman Rodway 
Old Martin – Bob Peck 
Hernando de Soto – Edward de Souza 
Diego de Trujillo – Gordon Reid 
Young Martin – Matthew Sim 
Pedro de Candia – Keith Drinkel 
Fray Vincente de Valverde – Nigel Anthony 
Felipillo – David Holt 
Domingo – Nicholas Mercie 
Challcuchima – John Fleming 
Miguel Estete – Martyn Reid 
Salinas – Peter Gunn 
Rodas – John Webb 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’ 
Angela Parsons – Dame Judi Dench 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Amadeus, Equus & more

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Productions

Bernardine Evaristo

Full-cast dramatisations and original plays and stories from the award-winning author. 
 
Bernardine Evaristo won the Booker Prize 2019 with her novel, Girl, Woman, Other and the one-off Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award in 2025. The author of ten books, her 2013 novel Mr Loverman was adapted into a BBC 1 drama series in 2024, winning two BAFTAS. She has received over 90 awards and honours and is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University of London. Featured here are some of her most innovative works, as well as an illuminating documentary about her life and career. 
 
The Emperor’s Babe – Set in AD 211, this drama adaptation of Evaristo’s 2001 verse novel, follows Zuleika, of Nubian heritage, who grows up wild and adventurous in Roman London and has a dangerous affair with the Roman emperor, Septimius Severus 
 
Hello Mum – Fourteen-year-old Jerome grows up on a rough housing estate and makes a mistake that has disastrous consequences. Now he needs his mother to understand why - and what the world looks like through his eyes. A powerful tale adapted from Evaristo’s 2010 novella 
 
Madam Bitterfly and the Stockwell Diva - Feisty South Londoner, Charmayne, is determined to make it big in Hollywood – no matter what it takes…A wickedly comical take on the hierarchy of colour, told in verse 
 
Medea – Mapping the Edge – Three writers: Amanda Dalton, Alison Fell and Evaristo, wrote three versions of the Medea myth featuring characters from Greece, Yemen and Yorkshire, which were integrated into a stunning and unique single drama. Originally staged as a promenade theatre production by Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, with WilsonWilson Company. Dalton adapted it for radio 
 
On Top of the World – A woman's feelings of alienation and isolation lead her to the frozen landscape of the beautiful Arctic 
 
London Choral Celestial Jazz – Bernardine Evaristo reads her own experimental verse short story, inspired by Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, and featuring four very different Black women who navigate the high-octane, adrenaline-charged streets of contemporary London 
 
Profile: Bernardine Evaristo –A radio documentary about Bernardine Evaristo and her life 
 
Original Text copyright © Bernardine Evaristo 2001 (The Emperor’s Babe), 2003 (Madam Bitterfly and the Stockwell Diva), 2005 (On Top of the World), 2010 (Hello Mum), 2014 (London Choral Celestial Jazz), 2003 (Medea – Mapping the Edge) text copyright © Amanda Dalton, Alison Fell and Bernardine Evaristo 
 
Content Warning: contains strong language and deals with themes of racism 
 
Written by Bernardine Evaristo 
The Emperor’s Babe 
Zuleika – Michelle Asante 
Felix – Paul Chahidi 
Alba – Alex Tregear 
Valeria – Hannah Wood 
Tranio – Rick Warden 
Severus – Terence Anderson 
 
Hello Mum 
Jerome – Anthony WelshAdrian/Boy – Damson IdrisKimisi – Nadine MarshallDelmar – Malachi Kirby 
Keith – Jude Akuwudike 
Dexter – Alex Lanipekunwith Robert Blythe, Joe Sims 
 
Madam Bitterfly and the Stockwell Diva 
Charmayne – Petra Letang 
Sonia – Sharon Duncan-Brewster 
Hortense – Dona Croll 
Rhona – Stephanie Turner 
Keisha – Clare Perkins 
Principal – Martin Hyder 
 
Medea – Mapping the Edge 
Mildred – June Broughton 
Young Mildred – Tassia Messimeris 
Jamal – Sushil Chudasama 
Gerald – Martin Pirongs 
Nadia – Sara Powell 
Jason – Danny Seward 
Maddy – Lexi Strauss 
Texan – Deka Walmsley 
Narrator – David Fleeshman 
 
On Top of the World 
Read by Adjoa Andoh 
 
London Choral Celestial Jazz 
Read by Bernardine Evaristo 
 
Profile: Bernardine Evaristo 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Bernardine Evaristo: A BBC Radio Collection

Including original writing for radio, plus full-cast adaptations of The Emperor’s Babe and Hello Mum

Alex Y. Ferguson

A lively comedy drama about a young boy growing up in 1930s Tyneside with the help of his favourite uncle 
 
Lecky Ferguson is growing up in a penniless but close-knit family in Jarrow. He relies on his imaginative Uncle Freddie for explanations of the world’s many mysteries. Packed with humour and adventure, this award-winning full-cast drama tells the life of a young man that is far from ordinary. 
 
There are adventures with new-fangled electricity and a fistfight with the rag and bone man, not to mention the time that Uncle Freddie became the Pineapple King. They meet a Romanov princess at the chippy and share a seaside trip with an exiled Leon Trotsky in a stolen tram. Plucky Lecky shoots down a biplane with his catapult and meets a mysterious French airman, and there’s also the small matter of the Prince of Wales, who they manage to rescue from the Tyne. 
 
Based on events from the author’s own childhood, Alex Y. Ferguson's hilarious and heart-warming series is both a passionate evocation of the poverty of 1930s Jarrow and a laugh-out-loud tale of a childhood full of family warmth, surreal delights and magical moments. 
 
Starring Alex Y. Ferguson as the Narrator, with Art Davies (Series 1-2) and Shaun Prendergast (Series 3-6) as Uncle Freddie, and Karl Boyd (Series 1), Simon Henderson (Series 2), Gareth Brown (Series 3-5) and Jamie Bell (Series 6) as young Lecky Ferguson. 
 
Alex Y. Ferguson is a national award-winning writer with Silver and Gold Awards from the Writers’ Guild. My Uncle Freddie, ran for six series on Radio 4 and won the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s Award for Comedy & Light entertainment in 1997. 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

My Uncle Freddie: The Complete Series 1-6

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Comedy Drama

Spies, lies and the origins of the CIA – an epic story starring Kim Cattrall and Ed Harris 
 
Listen now to this utterly gripping drama revealing the inside story of the CIA, featuring an all-star cast. Told from the perspective of Eloise Page (Kim Cattrall), who joined on the Agency’s first day in 1947 and, in her 40-year career, became one of its most powerful women. Eloise takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of US foreign policy, spanning the staggering world events that shaped not only her career, but also her personal relationships with early CIA leaders, Allen Dulles (Ed Harris) and Richard Helms (Johnny Flynn). 
 
From its inception the CIA has been at its heart a secretive organisation, wielding phenomenal power and influencing events on a global scale. The story begins as tensions with Russia in war-torn Europe rise, and a letter is found in Hitler’s safe. As the new agency grows in both reach and power, Eloise takes us on a thrilling journey through Europe, as the Iron Curtain descends, then to Iran where a fearful Shah meets a secret operative and eventually to Central America where the implications of short-terms wins lead to unforeseen consequences. Featuring spies, traitors, secret operations, regime change, murder and the internal politics of an organisation that defined the shape of global politics for over half a century, this is a stunning listen from start to finish and performed by an impressive A-list cast. 
 
Kim Cattrall is a multi-award-winning actress, perhaps best known for her role as Samantha Jones in the popular TV series, Sex in the City. In a career spanning over four decades she has appeared in films, on TV and on stage in both the West End and Broadway. Ed Harris is an Academy Award nominated actor known for his roles in The Truman Show, Pollock and The Hours. He recently starred in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Johnny Flynn is a British actor best known for his role in TV comedy drama Lovesick and for playing David Bowie in the biopic Stardust. He recently performed on stage at the National Theatre as Richard Burton in The Motive and the Cue directed by Sam Mendes, and is also the composer and singer of the theme tune for The Detectorists. 
 
Written by Greg Haddrick, who created the series with Jeremy Fox 
Directed by John Scott Dryden 
Produced by Emma Hearn 
Executive Producers: Howard Stringer, Jeremy Fox, Greg Haddrick and John Scott Dryden 
Original music by Sacha Puttnam 
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13th September - 15th November 2024 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Central Intelligence: Series 1

Jonathan Myerson

A scandalous full-cast dramatized romp through Hogarth’s famous paintings, bringing to life the story in – and behind – each canvas 
 
 
Listen to this double helping of laugh-out-loud comedy featuring an all-star cast including Stephen Mangan, Annabel Scholey (The Split), Sheila Reid (Benidorm) and Will Keen (His Dark Materials and The Crown) as they bring alive the life and times of William Hogarth and the stories revealed - and concealed - in his famous sequence of engravings.This enchanting and hilarious collection is comprised of two audio treats. In the first, A Harlot’s Progress, it’s 1732 and a young, undistinguished painter abandons his classical training and sets out to tell the tale of a country girl's downfall on the streets of London in a series of paintings. Innocent Moll Hackabout, the story’s heroine, arrives in London and is swiftly taken in by procuress Mrs Needham. She becomes a city trader’s courtesan but falls for a famous highway man. As she descends into a life of prostitution, penury and misery, painter William’s life in 18th century London is just beginning…In Marriage a la Mode the story continues and Mr and Mrs Hogarth return with another romp through a series of classic engravings as a marriage made in the Bank of England unites the aristocratic Squanders with the bourgeois Grubpumps, to the disgust of both bride and groom. Hogarth engraves the disastrous consequences of marrying for money rather than love as the wealthy newlyweds indulge every desire - if only they desired each other. Affairs, transgressions, debts, deceit and murder are only a part of this pacy and hilarious adventure that culminates in very different endings for the Squanders, Grubpumps and Hogarths.Writer Jonathan Myerson is a renowned TV and radio dramatist. His animated film The Canterbury Tales won a BAFTA Award and four primetime Emmys and he has also written scripts for several British television drama series including The Bill, Holby City, EastEnders, Jupiter Moon and The Legend of William Tell.A Harlot’s Progress Cast and creditsWritten by Jonathan MyersonDirected and produced by Jonquil PantingWilliam Hogarth - Will KeenJean - Shella ReidMoll - Liz WhiteLondon girl - Amelia LowdellLondon girl - Annabel ScholeyMrs Needham - Rosemary LeachCharteris - Crawford LoganGourlay - Gerard McDermottWagondriver - Stephen CritchlowGiuseppe - Paul ReynoldsSolomon - Nickolas GraceBess - Amelda BrownJames/Dr Rock - Ben CroweClient/Joshua - Geoffrey BeeversFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6th - 10th February 2006Marriage a la Mode Cast and creditsWritten by Jonathan MyersonDirected and produced by Jonquil PantingWilliam Hogarth - Will KeenJane Hogarth - Rebecca JohnsonCharles - Stephen ManganEmily Grubpump (Later Countess Squander) - Anna MadeleyGrubpump - Robin SoansSylvester Silvertongue/Sir Andrew - John DougallOld Squander/Misaubin - Sam DaleMrs Wisebourne - Nichola McAulffleTyers - Anthony GlennonClarissa - Poppy FriarMissus - Rachel BavidgeSteward - Mark StrakerSimmy - Jasmine CallanLittle William - Jordan ClarkeFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26th - 2nd March 2007©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

William Hogarth’s A Harlot’s Progress & Marriage a la Mode

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Leon Garfield

Charles Dickens

A full-cast historical mystery by award-winning author Leon Garfield, plus his captivating conclusion to The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens 
 
Leon Garfield was the renowned author of more than 30 novels for children and adults. He won numerous awards for his work, including the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Award and the inaugural Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Inspired by Charles Dickens, he set many of his tales in the 18th and 19th century, and became Dickens’ co-author when he wrote an ending to The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was left unfinished on Dickens’ death. Their joint version was dramatised for radio in 1990, and is included here, together with an adaptation of one of Garfield’s own thrilling adventures. 
 
Devil in the Fog – The oldest child in a family of travelling actors, 14-year-old George Treet lives a happy life with his father and six siblings. The only blot on his happiness is ‘The Stranger’, a shadowy, mysterious figure who arrives twice-yearly, hands Mr Treet a sum of money and disappears. But the Stranger’s final visit leads Mr Treet to reveal a terrible secret: George is the son of a nobleman, and must return to his real family. Reluctantly reunited with his true father, Sir John Dexter, George does his best to settle into his forbidding new home. But danger is waiting in the fog that surrounds the house – and George soon realises that someone is out to kill him... Tim McMullan and Joe Dempsie star in this rip-roaring tale of highwaymen, duels, swirling fogs and escaped convicts. 
 
The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Orphan Edwin Drood is engaged to the beautiful Rosa Bud. But his uncle John Jasper, the choirmaster of Cloisterham Cathedral and a secret opium addict, wants Rosa for himself. Then Neville Landless arrives with his twin sister, Helena, and he too falls in love with Rosa. When Edwin disappears, presumed murdered, both Neville and Jasper have a motive – but which of them is the killer? Dickens’ famously unfinished novel never answers this question, but in this suspenseful drama, starring Ian Holm, Mark Payton and Moir Leslie, Leon Garfield provides an ingenious and satisfying solution. 
 
Devil-in-the-Fog text copyright © 1966 by Leon Garfield 
The Mystery of Edwin Drood text copyright © 1980 by Charles Dickens and Leon Garfield 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Devil in the Fog & The Mystery of Edwin Drood

RF Delderfield

A stunning full-cast dramatisation of R.F. Delderfield's classic novel of life between the warsListen now to this epic story of tragedy, love and betrayal set during the inter-war period as soldier Davy Powlett-Jones, invalided out of the trenches, must face a new start in life…A coal miner's son, Davy has risen from the ranks of the South Wales Borderers and been commissioned as a Second Lieutenant after serving three years in the front-line trenches in the First World War. The story begins in 1918, when injured and shell-shocked Davy leaves the war behind him to face new challenges and begin a new life teaching history at Bamfylde School in North Devon. Over the following decade Davy’s life reflects the turmoil, tragedy and hope of the men and women who fought in the Great War and how they come to terms with peaceful life in Britain which inexorably ruptures as the Second World War looms.In this beautiful full-cast BBC Radio adaptation, the General Strike, socialism, the development of the Labour Party and the formation of the National Government all play out through the story of a humble teacher.To Serve Them All My Days was first published in 1972 and swiftly became a modern classic. The book was adapted into a hugely popular TV show and continues to be loved by fans of J.L. Carr and L.P. Hartley. Listen now to this stunning adaptation that takes a microscope to the lives of ordinary people during extraordinary times and brings to life a bygone era of British existence facing the moral perplexities and harsh economic realities of emerging modern times.Cast and creditsWritten by R.F. DeldefieldAdapted by Shaun McKennaDirected by Marc BeebyDavy Powlett-Jones - Oliver Milburn Algy Herries - John Wood Howarth - John RoweCarter - Anthony Calf Beth/Grace - Alison PettitThe Guard/Stratton/Gage - Delroy Brown"Nipper" Shawe/Skidmore/Featherstone - Josh Freeborn"Chad" Boyer/Dobson/Stoker Monk - Steven WilliamsBriarley/Lowther - Steven RobertsJulia - Juliet AubreyKeith/Alderman Blunt/McNaughton - John CumminsSpats/Hislop - Anthony GlennonBrigadier Cooper/Barnaby/Rigby - Gerard McDermottBristow - Harry FrancisAlcock - Clive MerrisonChristine - Kate BufferyEwart - Nick SayceFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23rd - 27th Jan 2006©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

To Serve Them All My Days

A BBC Radio Dramatisation

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Full-cast adaptations of four works by Nathaniel Hawthorne 
 
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. A descendant of judge John Hathorne, who oversaw the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, he wrote several works inspired by Puritan New England, with themes of guilt, sin and retribution. This collection contains his classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, as well as Wakefield, Rappaccini's Daughter and The Blithedale Romance. 
 
The Scarlet Letter – Hester Prynne, a scarlet letter on her breast and her baby in her arms, stands on the scaffold as the crowd around her cries out for her execution. Her sin of adultery is marked by the "A" she wears, but who should stand by her side? Deborah Findlay stars in this tale of passion and repression, set in Puritan Boston in the 1640s. 
 
Wakefield – A middle-aged man, steeped in routine, decides one day to leave home temporarily. and observe the effect on his wife from a flat opposite. But the longer he stays away, the harder it is to return… David Haig stars in this tale of indecision and isolation. 
 
Rappaccini’s Daughter – Student Giovanni rents a room overlooking an exotic garden belonging to botanist and poisons expert Dr Rappaccini. But when he glimpses the doctor’s daughter in the garden, Giovanni becomes dangerously obsessed. Part mystery, part love story and part haunting allegory, this dark romance stars Joseph Cohen Cole and Emerald O’Hanrahan. 
 
The Blithedale Romance – A society based on brotherhood, not competition – such are the ideals of the commune Miles Coverdale joins. But as he befriends fellow inhabitants Hollingsworth, Zenobia and Priscilla, his dreams of a rural idyll are soured by rivalry and unrequited love. Jonathan Newth stars in this adaptation of Hawthorne’s 1852 novel, loosely based on his time at the utopian community of Brook Farm. 
 
First published 1835 (‘Wakefield’), 1844 (‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’), 1850 (The Scarlet Letter), 1852 (The Blithedale Romance) 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Nathaniel Hawthorne: A BBC Radio Collection

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations including The Scarlet Letter

George MacDonald Fraser

Full-cast adaptations of two Flashman novels, plus a standalone historical romp, a humorous short story and an interview with George MacDonald FraserScottish author George MacDonald Fraser took the loutish bully from Thomas Hughes’ Tom Brown's Schooldays and gave him a new lease of life. Over the course of 12 novels, caddish anti-hero Flashman swashbuckled his way around the British Empire, playing a key role in some of the 19th century’s most significant events.Adapted for BBC Radio, and featuring a stellar cast, this collection includes:Flash for Freedom! – It is 1848 and Flashman is considering a political career. But a disastrous card game with Disraeli plunges him into hair-raising involvement with a murderous sea captain, the transatlantic slave trade, the Underground Railroad and Abraham Lincoln.Flashman at the Charge – Renowned bounder, blackguard, liar, lecher, and self-confessed coward Sir Harry Flashman suffers the ill fortune of being caught up in the Charge of the Light Brigade – and rides with the descendants of Genghis Khan against the might of Imperial Russia, as he attempts to save British India…Good Queen Bess and the Dastardly Don – England, 1599, and at the Spanish Embassy, a devilish plot is brewing. New envoy Don Diego claims to possess a compromising letter written by Queen Elizabeth 50 years ago: and unless it is retrieved, her reputation as the Virgin Queen will be in tatters. Time to call in Mistress Phoebe Fosdyke, Secret Agent…‘Monsoon Selection Board’ – Corporal David MacNeill recalls his challenging time in 1940s Burma, when he was part of a battalion trying to stop the Japanese army escaping. Hoping to become an officer, he is sent to face the Selection Board – but can he prove his mettle?Bookclub: George MacDonald Fraser – James Naughtie talks to George MacDonald Fraser about his inspiration for the Flashman books, writing a Bond screenplay, and why we can’t resist a rogue.Text copyright © George MacDonald Fraser 1970 (‘Monsoon Selection Board’), 1971 (Flash for Freedom!), 1973 (Flashman at the Charge), 2000 (Good Queen Bess and the Dastardly Don) Cast and creditsWritten by George MacDonald FraserFlash for FreedomFeaturing Joss Ackland, Rhys Meredith, Nigel Anthony, Christian Rodska, William Hope, Ndidi Del Fatti, Emily Wachter, Jamie Newall, Robert Hastie, Damian Lynch, Stuart MilliganDramatised by George MacDonald FraserDirected by Patrick RaynerFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 Mar-3 Apr 2005Flashman at the ChargeFeaturing Joss Ackland, Angus Wright, Jayne McKenna, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Nigel Anthony, David Holt, David Bannerman, Peter KennyDramatised by George MacDonald FraserDirected by Patrick RaynerFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13-20 Oct 2002Good Queen Bess and the Dastardly DonFeaturing Vivienne Dixon, Crawford Logan, Katherine Igoe, Mark McDonnell, James Bryce, Julie AustinWritten by George MacDonald FraserDirected by Patrick RaynerFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 May 2000‘Monsoon Selection Board’Read by Tom FlemingProduced by Bruce YoungFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 Oct 1990Bookclub: George MacDonald FraserPresented by James NaughtieWith George MacDonald FraserProduced by Dymphna FlynnFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 Jan 2006© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Flashman & more

Three Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Ivan Turgenev

Nine classic works by the Russian literary giant, adapted for BBC Radio 
 
Ivan Turgenev stands alongside Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as one of the three great Russian novelists of the 19th century. He was also a consummate short story writer, poet and playwright, and the first Russian author to become popular in the West. This specially curated collection showcases his key works, from the most celebrated to the undeservedly underrated. 
 
Described as ‘one of the most perfect things ever written’, the lyrical novella First Love tells the story of 16-year-old Vladimir, whose longing for the capricious Zinaida informs his whole life. Dramatised for Radio 4, it stars Simon Cadell, Rosalind Ayres and Bill Nighy. Succeeding it is Turgenev’s masterpiece, Fathers and Sons, an exploration of the eternal conflict between the reactionary older generation and the revolutionary younger one. John Castle stars as youthful nihilist Bazarov, with Maurice Denham as his father Nikolai. First published in 1855 as Two Women, Turgenev’s best-known play A Month in the Country centres around a landowner’s wife who finds herself attracted to her son’s tutor. Translated by Isaiah Berlin, our Radio 3 version stars Maureen O’Brien and Gerard Murphy. 
 
Written a few years before A Month in the Country, the little-known play The Poor Gentleman is an emotional comedy about an elderly man’s devotion to a daughter he can never recognise publicly. It stars Frank Finlay, Morag Hood and Colin Baker. Next up is Smoke, Turgenev’s only novel not to be set in Russia. Baden Baden is the setting for a tale that blends poignant love story and searing political satire, starring Garard Green, Rachel Gurney and Patricia Leventon. Meanwhile, in the short story ‘The Dog’, a mild Hussar (Timothy West) is the subject of a bizarre haunting… 
 
Turgenev’s debut novel, Rudin, features that archetypal character in Russian literature, the ‘superfluous man’. Ian Holm stars as the eponymous hero, an idealistic intellectual who is incapable of taking action: and suffers for it. Set just before the Crimean War, the romantic novella On the Eve has passion and patriotism as its themes. Amanda Root stars as the upper-class Elena, who embarks on a doomed affair with Bulgarian revolutionary Insarov (Philip Franks). We conclude as we began, with a tale of first love – Spring Torrents, one of Turgenev’s greatest and most autobiographical novellas. Adapted for Radio 4’s ‘Book at Bedtime’, it is read by David Horovitch. 
 
First published 1848 (The Poor Gentleman), 1855/1872 (A Month in the Country), 1857 (Rudin), 1860 (First Love, On the Eve), 1862 (Fathers and Sons), 1866 (‘The Dog’), 1867 (Smoke), 1872 (Spring Torrents) 
 
Production credits 
Written by Ivan Turgenev 
With thanks to Keith Wickham 
 
Contents List 
First Love 
Fathers and Sons 
A Month in the Country 
The Poor Gentleman 
Smoke 
The Dog 
Rudin 
On the Eve 
Spring Torrents 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ivan Turgenev: A BBC Radio Full-Cast Drama Collection

First Love, Father and Sons, A Month in the Country & more

Sir Walter Scott

Full-cast BBC adaptations of five of Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Waverley’ novels, plus a play adapted from his journal starring Alec Guinness, and a documentary about Scott and his legacyPoet, novelist, critic and campaigner Walter Scott invented the historical novel and shaped the world’s image of Scotland. His tales of heroism, romance and adventure were hugely successful, outselling Jane Austen and Lord Byron, and are still popular today. Included here are adaptations of five of the best-loved books in his ‘Waverley’ series, as well as two bonus programmes.Waverley – Sent to Scotland with his regiment, young English soldier Edward Waverley becomes embroiled in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. Torn between love and duty, he falls in with Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebel army – and finds himself accused of treason… Richard Greenwood stars in this adaptation of Scott’s groundbreaking debut novel.Rob Roy – Francis Osbaldistone, the son of a rich London merchant, is banished to his family seat in the North. There, he meets the beautiful, high-spirited Diana Vernon and his villainous cousin Rashleigh, and befriends the enigmatic Scot, Robert Campbell – hero, chieftain of the clan MacGregor and wanted outlaw… Starring Liam Brennan, this thrilling drama is set during the Jacobite rising of 1715.The Heart of Midlothian – Edinburgh, 1737, and young Effie Deans is arrested for child murder and sentenced to death. Convinced of her innocence, her sister Jeanie decides to walk to London to plead for her sister’s life. Gerda Stevenson and Irene Allen star in this adaptation of Scott’s gripping novel, widely considered to be the finest of the ‘Waverley’ books.The Bride of Lammermoor – Edgar Ravenswood has sworn vengeance on the Ashton family who have destroyed his honour and ruined his fortune – but Lucy Ashton will come to mean more to him than honour, fortune and life Itself… This tragic tale of a doomed love affair stars David Rintoul and Gerda Stevenson.Woodstock – England, 1651. Charles Stuart’s army has been defeated at Worcester, and he is on the run. Suspecting that he will take refuge at Woodstock Manor, Oliver Cromwell sets a trap for him there – but he has reckoned without the wily King and his loyal Cavalier supporters… John Rowe and Brian Hewlett star in this epic Civil War tale.My Own Right Hand Shall Do It – Suffering a terrible reversal of fortune late in life, Sir Walter Scott determines to recover from financial ruin. Sir Alec Guinness stars in this moving portrait of tragedy and ultimate triumph.The Man Who Made Scotland – James Naughtie makes the case for a reappraisal of Sir Walter Scott, arguing that his branding of Scotland is the mark of a thoroughly modern thinker.NB: Due to the age of the recordings, the sound quality may varyFirst published 1814 (Waverley), 1817 (Rob Roy), 1818 (The Heart of Midlothian), 1819 (The Bride of Lammermoor), 1826 (Woodstock)© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Sir Walter Scott: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Five Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations including Waverley and Rob Roy

Lenny Henry

William Shakespeare

Three BBC Radio programmes charting Sir Lenny Henry’s transformation from comic actor to tragic hero – including the complete full-cast production of Shakespeare’s OthelloLenny Henry used to hate Shakespeare. For over 35 years he avoided anything to do with the Bard – until, in 2006, he decided to find out just what the rest of the world saw in him. In this enthralling collection, we hear how Lenny’s late-flowering passion for the legendary playwright’s works set him on the path that led to his sell-out stage debut as Othello. Bringing together this behind-the-scenes journey with the final result, this collection culminates in Lenny’s standout performance in a dynamic full-cast radio production of Othello. Lenny and Will sees him going ‘in search of the magic of Shakespeare in performance’, starting at the recreated Globe Theatre. Talking to leading actors and directors including Adrian Lester, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Dominic Dromgoole and Patsy Rodenburg, he wonders why we put Shakespeare on a pedestal, and confesses to a newfound enthusiasm for his classic dramas. And, after reciting Othello’s last speech to Northern Broadside’s Barrie Rutter, he begins to wonder if he could take on the role for real...Lenny Henry Plays Othello takes up the story where Lenny and Will left off, continuing Lenny’s personal odyssey. Having been offered the chance of a lifetime by Barrie Rutter, he sets out on a long road of preparation. Listening to his audio diary, we hear his hopes and fears – and eavesdrop on everything from coaching sessions to boot fittings. From first rehearsals to curtain up, we follow his remarkable metamorphosis into Shakespeare’s betrayed Moorish general.Finally, in Lenny Henry in Othello, we hear Lenny’s acclaimed performance as the noble African commander whose mind is poisoned by the hate-filled Iago: a stunning achievement that won him the Evening Standard’s Outstanding Newcomer Award. Featuring the cast of the acclaimed West End production and with original music from Conrad Nelson, who also plays Iago, this mesmerising tale of love, jealousy, racism and desire will grip you from start to tragic finish. Cast and creditsLenny and WillPresented by Lenny HenryProduced by Simon ElmesWith Adrian Lester, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Barrie Rutter, Dominic Dromgoole and Patsy RodenburgFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 Mar 2006 and 23 Dec 2006Lenny Henry Plays OthelloProduced by Simon ElmesFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 Feb 2009Lenny Henry in OthelloIago – Conrad NelsonRoderigo – Matt ConnorBrabantio – Geoff LeesleyOthello – Lenny HenryCassio – Richard StandingDuke/Gratiano – David BeckfordSenator/Lodovico – Simon Holland RobertsDesdemona – Jessica HarrisMontano – Andy CryerEmilia – Sara PoyzerHerald/Gentleman – Chris PearseBianca – Victoria GeeWritten by William ShakespeareDirected by Barrie RutterProduced by David HunterMusic arranged by Conrad Nelson and performed by the castOriginal stage production created by Northern Broadsides and West Yorkshire Playhouse and staged in London by Sonia Friedman ProductionsFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 Feb 2010© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Sir Lenny Henry’s Journey to Othello

A BBC Radio Collection

H. R. F. Keating

BBC Radio adaptations of two historical crime novels by H. R. F. Keating, plus bonus extract from BookshelfBritish detective writer H. R. F. Keating was best known as the creator of Inspector Ghote of the Mumbai CID. He won two Crime Writers’ Association Gold Daggers, and in 1996 was awarded the Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement. Included here are dramatisations of two of his most popular murder mysteries, set in 1930s India and Victorian London, plus a short clip from Radio 4’s Bookshelf featuring the award-winning author.The Murder of the Maharajah – His Highness the Maharajah of Bhopore delights in playing April Fool’s Day tricks on his guests – but the joke turns sour when one of his pranks inadvertently leads to his own murder. Five people apparently had the means and motive to kill him, but as District Superintendent of Police Howard investigates, he realises that the circle of suspects is wider than it seems. Zia Mohyeddin, Renu Setna and Sam Dastor star in this entertaining, Christie-esque drama, adapted from H. R. F. Keating’s Gold Dagger Award-winning novel.The Governess – When Harriet Unwin is hired as a governess in a wealthy London household, it seems that luck is on her side. That is, until the master of the house, William Thackerton, is found stabbed to death – and all the evidence points to her. Desperate to prove her innocence, she turns detective, uncovering the dark secrets hidden behind the family’s respectable Victorian facade.... Based on H. R. F. Keating’s novel written under the pseudonym Evelyn Hervey, this atmospheric adaptation stars Angela Pleasance and James Bolam.Bookshelf – Talking to fellow thriller writer Susan Hill, H. R. F. Keating holds up a magnifying glass to the art of crime fiction as he discusses his work and ideas. 
Please note: this collection contains language that reflects the attitudes of the eraThe Murder of the Maharajah text copyright © H. R. F. Keating 1980The Governess text copyright © Evelyn Hervey 1983Production creditsWritten by H. R. F. KeatingThe Murder of the MaharajahMaharajah – Zia MohyeddinDewan – Renu SetnaPorgy – Lyndam GregoryD S P Howard – Sam DastorRam Singh – Amerjit DeuSir Arthur – Philip AnthonyMichael – Luke BeesonSchoolmaster – BhaskerDolly – Rachel AtkinsJudy – Oona BeesonElaine – Sheila MitchellFrere – Dominic LettsJoe – Steve HodsonMorton – Barry GordonThe GovernessHarriet Unwin – Angela PleasanceSergeant Drewd – James BolamPelham – James HollandMrs Arthur Thackerton – Susan JamesonWilliam Thackerton – Jack MayArthur Thackerton – Tony MathewsJoseph – Steve HodsonVilkins – Emily RichardGrandmother Thackerton – Joan MathesonHopkinson – David SinclairHannah – Victoria CarlingMrs Breakspear – Eva StuartNewspaper voice – John RyeMiss Bond – Marian DiamondJohn – Stephen TompkinsonPC Wilson – Anthony JacksonSurgeon – Alan DudleyMr Brattle – Kim WallPC Smithers – Michael TroughtonSuperintendent – Stephen Thorne© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Murder of the Maharajah & The Governess

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Crime Dramatisations

Daphne du Maurier

A comprehensive collection of dramatisations of Daphne du Maurier’s works 
 
'Containing performances from well-known actors from past and present, Daphne du Maurier: The BBC Radio Collection is a rich feast for all fans of the writer's work.' - Entertainment Focus 
 
Daphne du Maurier was one of the 20th century’s most popular writers. Extraordinarily prolific, she produced a string of bestsellers, many of which were adapted as award-winning films. From romance and adventure yarns to psychological thrillers and supernatural tales, the breadth and imaginative variety of her storytelling continues to thrill us today. 
 
This bumper collection features her most famous works and some lesser-known gems, beginning with full-cast adaptations of seven of her much-loved novels – Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek, The King’s General, My Cousin Rachel, The Scapegoat and The House on the Strand. With settings ranging from the 19th century to the English Civil War and the Black Death of 1349, these thrilling tales take us from the wilds of Cornwall to Monte Carlo, Italy and northwestern France. Among the star casts are Susannah Corbett, Christopher Cazenove, Lorna Heilbron, Cathryn Harrison, Adam Godley, Hugh Burden and Ian Richardson. 
 
Next up are two of her acclaimed plays, The Years Between, set in the 1940s and telling the story of a woman whose MP husband is reported killed in action, and September Tide, a bittersweet love story centred around a mother, her newly-married daughter and her artist son-in-law. Diana Quick, Roger Allam, Paula Wilcox, Jonathan Firth and Alice Hart star in these twisty, subversive dramas. 
 
We conclude with a selection of Daphne du Maurier’s short fiction. Dramatised by Melissa Murray, ‘The Birds’ stars Neil Dudgeon and Nicola Walker. It is followed by ‘The Blue Lenses’ and ‘The Little Photographer’, starring Bethany Muir and Lucy Boynton respectively; and ‘The Apple Tree’, starring Charles Gray. Also included are full-cast adaptations of ‘Panic’ (starring Dinsdale Landen and Maureen O’Brien), ‘The Chamois’ (starring Christopher Cazenove and Anna Cropper), ‘The Alibi’ (starring Tony Britton and Sarah Badel), ‘Ganymede’ (starring John Le Mesurier and Anthony Daniels) and ‘Don’t Look Now’ (starring Jamie Parker and Aisling Loftus). 
 
Please note that the pieces in this collection range from vintage 1970s productions to modern adaptations, and the sound quality reflects the age of the recordings. 
 
Contents 
Jamaica Inn 
Rebecca 
Frenchman’s Creek 
The King’s General 
My Cousin Rachel 
The Scapegoat 
The House on the Strand 
The Years Between 
September Tide 
‘The Birds’ 
‘The Blue Lenses’ 
‘The Little Photographer’ 
‘The Apple Tree’ 
‘Panic’ 
‘The Chamois’ 
‘The Alibi’ 
‘Ganymede’ 
‘Don’t Look Now’ 
 
Text copyright © 1936 (Jamaica Inn), 1938 (Rebecca), 1941 (Frenchman’s Creek), 1943 (The Years Between), 1946 (The King’s General), 1949 (September Tide), 1951 (My Cousin Rachel), 1952 (‘The Birds’, ‘The Little Photographer’, ‘Blue Lenses’, ‘The Apple Tree’), 1954 (‘Panic’), 1957 (The Scapegoat), 1959 (‘The Chamois’, ‘The Alibi’, ‘Ganymede’), 1969 (The House on the Strand), 1971 (‘Don’t Look Now’). 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Daphne du Maurier: The BBC Radio Collection

Including Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, Frenchman’s Creek & more

Alison Plowden

Abigail Docherty

John Mortimer

Madame de Lafayette

Peter Wolf

Michael Butt

Amanda Whittington

Paul B. Davies

Friedrich Schiller

Nine gripping dramas that delve into the turbulent, thrilling history of the Tudor eraAffairs and assassinations. Conflict and chaos. Power and plots. The tumultuous Tudor period is one of the most iconic and fascinating chapters in British history. In these ten atmospheric dramas, we get a glimpse into the inner workings of Tudor England – and rediscover the key characters we have grown to love and hate. Featuring world-renowned actors, these gripping, historically accurate tales are packed with excitement.A Pattern of Tudors - the story of Cardinal Wolsey who built Hampton Court, and Henry VIII who took it from him.True and Lawful Queen - Katherine of Aragon’s refusal to divorce Henry VIII sparks a chain of events that leads to the Reformation.Black Queen to King’s Castle - the ghost of Anne Boleyn tells her own story of the events that led to her execution.The Babington Plot - Told from the perspective of the conspirators, this is an enthralling account of the 1586 plot to assassinate Elizabeth I and return England to Catholic rule under Mary, Queen of Scots.La Princesse de Clèves - a playful adaptation of Madame de Lafayette's classic novel of intrigue and love set in the 16th Century and following the dangerous liaisons of a beautiful young lady newly presented to Court.Gold’s Fool - the true story of how Queen Elizabeth I was misled by alchemists into believing that the Arctic black rocks of Baffin Island were rich in precious ore.Mary Stuart - we learn of the extraordinary relationship between Elizabeth I and her rival cousin, the imprisoned Scottish queen.Edward, Edward - seen entirely through the eyes of children, this shows how Edward VI, crowned king at the age of nine, finds himself powerless in a world ruled by adults.The Nine Days Queen - the tragic story of the trial of Lady Jane Grey. Crowned Queen of England in 1553 aged 16, she was imprisoned in the Tower nine days later, and was dead within a year.Among the stellar cast of these remarkable dramas are Phyllida Nash, Michael Hordern, David Troughton, Izzy Meikle-Small, Stephen Greif, Burn Gorman, Roger Lloyd Pack, Kathleen Helme and Melody Grove.© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Tudor Crown

A BBC Radio 4 Drama Collection

Kingsley Amis

Adaptations of Kingley Amis’s great novels and acclaimed short stories 
 
Novelist, poet and critic Kingsley Amis was one of Britain’s greatest post-war writers. A master of comic fiction, he came to fame in 1954, and won the 1986 Booker Prize for The Old Devils. Included in this collection are dramatisations of seven of his short stories and two novels, all imbued with his characteristic wit and social satire. 
 
We begin with ‘To See the Sun’, a tantalising tale of vampires, a mad Scots librarian, a handsome Englishman and a Countess, set in 1920s Dacia. In ‘Moral Fibre’, a Welsh librarian tangles with a social worker determined to save a young girl from sin, while in ‘All the Blood Within Me’, Alec attends the funeral of the only woman he has ever loved: and faces some uncomfortable truths. Tensions run high in ‘I Spy Strangers’ as a group of soldiers in 1945 hold a mock parliament; poet A E Potter questions the value of his art in ‘Dear Illusions’ and in ‘Affairs of Death’, the confessions of the Scottish King Macbeth trouble the conscience of Pope Leo X. 
 
Set in the late ’60s, I Want It Now centres around ambitious TV personality Ronnie Appleyard, who pursues wealthy Simona Quick for her money, only to fall in love. And recently recovered in the BBC’s Treasure Hunt, ‘Something Strange’ features four inhabitants of a space capsule, who have unusual experiences to report. 
Based on Amis’s classic novel Girl, 20 and written by Tony Bilbow, All Free Now is a hilarious observation of the Sixties’ permissive society. 
 
Please note: I Want It Now is an archive dramatisation from 1977, and the language used reflects some of the attitudes of that time. Due to the archive nature of some of the pieces, the sound quality may vary. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Kingsley Amis 
All Free Now written by Tony Bilbow, based on Kingsley Amis’s novel Girl, 20 
 
To See the Sun 
Cast: Christopher Cazenove, Gayle Hunnicutt, Graham Crowden, Alan Dudley, Jennifer Piercey, Zelah Clarke 
Dramatised by John Scotney 
Directed by Jane Morgan 
 
Moral Fibre 
Cast: Sion Tudor Owen, Julie Berry, Thelma Whiteley, Victoria Carling, Steve Hodson, Jennifer Piercey, Simon Cuff, Susan Sheridan 
Dramatised by John Scotney 
Directed by Jane Morgan 
 
All the Blood Within Me 
Cast: Tom Watson, David Sinclair, Mia Soteriou, Jonathan Tafler, Caroline Gruber, Jill Lidstone, Alan Dudley, Brian Hewlitt, Kim Hughes 
Dramatised by John Scotney 
Directed by Jane Morgan 
Piano: Mary Nash 
 
I Spy Strangers 
Cast: Iain Cuthbertson, Steve Hodson, Anthony Jackson, Philip Fox, Kim Wall, Michael Deacon, Paul Sirr, John Samson 
Dramatised by John Scotney 
Directed by Jane Morgan 
 
Dear Illusion 
Cast: Freddie Jones, Carolyn Pickles, Shaun Prendergast, Brian Hewitt, Alan Dudley, Michael Deacon 
Dramatised by John Scotney 
Directed by Jane Morgan 
 
Affairs of Death 
Cast: Peter Jeffrey, Ken Stott, Olivier Pierre, Kim Wall 
Dramatised by John Scotney 
Directed by Jane Morgan 
 
I Want It Now 
Cast: Nigel Anthony, David March, Irene Sutcliffe, Bruce Beeby, Anna Calder-Marshall, Margaret Robertson, William Fox, Alaric Cotter, Jonathan Scott, Penelope Reynolds, William Eedle, Heather Bell, Harry Towb, Harold Kasket, Rod Beacham, Michael Harbour 
Adapted by Frederick Bradnum 
Directed by Betty Davies 
 
Something Strange 
Cast: Noel Johnson, Garard Green, Nerys Hughes, Olive Gregg, Charlotte Mitchell, Frank Duncan, David Garth, Tom Watson, Brian Wilde and members of the BBC Drama Repertory Company 
Produced by Christopher Holme 
 
All Free Now 
Cast: Robert Stephens, Christopher Timothy, Eva Stuart, Geoffrey Whitehead, Kim Thomson, Anna Mazzotti, Okon Jones, Michael Graham Cox, Adrian Egan, Richard Pearce, Joan Walker, Michael Dean 
Produced by Matthew Walters 
 
Text copyright © The Estate of Kingsley Amis 1958 (‘Moral Fibre’), 1960 (‘Something Strange’), 1962 (‘All the Blood Within Me’, ‘I Spy Strangers’), 1968 (I Want It Now),1972 (‘Dear Illusion’), 1980 (‘To See the Sun’), 1982 (‘Affairs of Death’) 
All Free Now copyright © Tony Bilbow 1989 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Kingsley Amis: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

I Spy Strangers, I Want It Now, All Free Now based on Girl 20 and more

Will Hadcroft

Matthew Waterhouse reads this original story featuring the Fifth Doctor, Adric, Tegan and Nyssa. 
 
When the TARDIS lands on Earth in the 1830s, Tegan is keen to explore Dickensian London. The grim realities of poverty and destitution are sobering, with conditions exacerbated by the New Poor Law. Yet something else is affecting those most in need - something not of this world. 
 
As the Doctor falls into the hands of the law, and Tegan and Nyssa are abducted by a brutish pair of ne'er-do-wells, Adric finds himself on an altogether different plane, at the heart of the malaise affecting the capital city. 
 
For the beings who have formed a deadly contract with the people of Earth, the presence of TARDIS travellers in London is inconvenient, to say the least... 
 
Matthew Waterhouse, who played Adric in the BBC TV series, reads Will Hadcroft's atmospheric tale. 
 
? 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd &copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. 
 
Reading produced by Morrison Ellis. Sound design by David Roocroft. Executive producer for BBC Audiobooks: Michael Stevens

Doctor Who: Dark Contract

5th Doctor Audio Original

Arnold Evans

David Bamber stars in this comedy drama about the adventures and misadventures of 18th-century dandy Richard ‘Beau’ NashIn the fashionable spa town of Bath, one man is the arbiter of taste and the epitome of elegance: the self-proclaimed ‘King of Bath’, Beau Nash. In his capacity as Master of Ceremonies, he presides over the city’s social life, arranging balls and concerts for the ‘ton’, keeping a discreet eye on distinguished visitors and smoothing over any quarrels or disagreements.In these six episodes, he has his work cut out for him, as he saves an heiress from her wealthy aunt’s wrath; comes up against a duelling German Count to avert a looming tragedy; and endeavours to hide his Welsh origins to gain royal approval for his cordial. He also helps his nephew Ambrose realise his dream of running a school, does his best to compromise a Methodist minister; and turns detective to track down a highwayman – only to find that all the clues point to him...Full of farcical fun, this entertaining historical sitcom by Arnold Evans stars David Bamber (Pride and Prejudice, Rome) as Beau Nash, with Eiry Thomas (The Pact) as his loyal housemaid Annie.Production creditsWritten by Arnold EvansDirected by Alison HindellComposer: John HardyCastBeau Nash – David BamberAnnie – Eiry ThomasLucy – Lynn SeymourHazlitt – Peter GunnFanny – Alice ArnoldDr Cheyne/Count von Richthofen/Sir Percy – Andrew WincottMr Trout/Daniel Brewster – Simon LuddersFintan Fitzgerald – Richard NicholsPoppy – Lesley RooneyLady Huntingdon – Rosamund ShelleyPryderi – Iestyn JonesWidow Perkins – Stevie ParryAmbrose – James WestawayMr Whistle – Brendan CharlesonJoshua – James GreeneDr Collins – Patrick CollinsMrs Collins – Manon EdwardsNed – Stephen ThorneSophia – Claire CageFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 22 February – 29 March 1999© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

King of Bath

A BBC Radio 4 Sitcom

Rosamunde Pilcher

Rosamunde Pilcher's beloved saga of one family's passions and heartbreaks &ndash; plus an interview with the author&lsquo;A deeply satisfying story written with love and confidence&rsquo; Maeve BinchyRecovering from a heart attack, Penelope Keeling discharges herself from hospital and returns to her cosy Cotswolds cottage. Fiercely self-sufficient, she values her independence above everything &ndash; but fears that others wish to take it from her&hellip;Penelope has one treasured possession &ndash; &lsquo;The Shell Seekers&rsquo;, painted by her artist father Lawrence Stern. A comforting reminder of a precious bygone time, it sparks memories of her bohemian Cornish childhood and her wartime romance with the love of her life. But when her self-centred adult children, Noel and Nancy, find out that Stern&rsquo;s work is now worth a fortune, they urge Penelope to sell up and give the money to them. Only her daughter Olivia &ndash; who has also known love and loss &ndash; respects her mother&rsquo;s freedom to make her own decisions. As Penelope searches her heart, and recalls the passions, tragedies and secrets of her past, she knows what she must do&hellip; but will it rip her family apart?One of the best-selling and most famous sagas of the last four decades, The Shell Seekers is an enduring classic which has touched the hearts of millions worldwide. Set in Gloucestershire, London, Cornwall and Ibiza, and shifting between 1939 and 1985, this poignant drama explores themes of memory, fate, trauma and connection.Also featured is a fascinating episode of Bookshelf, in which Nigel Forde talks to Rosamunde Pilcher about her life and novels.Production creditsWritten by Rosamunde PilcherDramatised by Lin CoghlanDirected by Tracey NealeCastThe Narrator, Rosamunde Pilcher &ndash; Jessica TurnerPenelope &ndash; Emma FieldingOlivia &ndash; Emily BerringtonNancy &ndash; Jasmine HydeYoung Penelope &ndash; Kitty O'SullivanRichard &ndash; Carl PrekoppNoel/Ambrose &ndash; Will KirkCosmo/Mr Brookner/Soldier &ndash; John LightbodyAntonia &ndash; Imogen FrontDanus &ndash; Ian Dunnett JnrLawrence &ndash; Michael BertenshawDoris &ndash; Debra BakerMiss Pawson &ndash; Anna SpearpointMrs Enderby &ndash; Juliana LiskFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14-21 April 2024The Shell Seekers copyright &copy; 1987 Rosamunde Pilcher&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Shell Seekers

A Full-Cast BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation

Gareth Jones

Full-cast dramatisation of the hot-blooded historical romance set in 18th century Wales 
 
&lsquo;Jones has a talent for writing natural witty dialogue&hellip;&rsquo; Best Sellers 
Sworn allegiances, cruel punishments, broken hearts, shattered dreams and ancient magic make for an utterly spellbinding listen in this full-cast adaptation of Gareth Jones&rsquo;s masterful novel.1745. 18th century Wales is a land that time forgot. The burden of squalid poverty and the power of medieval superstition is writ large on the landscape as the adventurer, womaniser and dreamer Gruffydd comes to reclaim his birthright after the Jacobite Rebellion drives out George II. Hoping to deliver his people from the brutal control of a dissolute overlord, the local Squire Sir John Ffowlke, Gruffydd settles in the village of Cwmystwyth. Unrecognised, he becomes the local conjurer on whose magical powers the desperate villagers soon come to depend. Boldly, he fights for a vision of the future where they are free from the feudal chains that bind them.But Gruffydd is surrounded by enemies. Charisma may not be enough to keep him alive and if his people see through him, he may be faced with a bloody reckoning. The conflicting forces within the village of Cwmystwyth must be overcome if Gruffydd is to be able to unite the downtrodden community and guide its inhabitants towards freedom and a new life. Can any good come of a lie, however inspired?This powerful dramatisation of the novel by Gareth Jones is brought to life by Philip Madoc and Peter Halliday. Immerse yourself in the mystery, superstition, power and lust of a world long gone.Cast and creditsWritten by Gareth JonesDirected by Adrian MourbyProduced by BBC WalesGruffydd - Philip MadocIolo - Loan MeredithSir John Ffowlke - Peter HallidayMadlen - Meg Wynn OwenMari - Beth Morris Rhiannon Bevan - Lisabeth MilesHywel Bevan - Robert BlytheMihangel - Gareth SnookRachel - Donna EdwardsHannah - Adrian T FurseTalbot - Graham BlockeyCol Johnes - James BensonGwilym Brewer/Horseman - Dorien ThomasOld Thomas/Barnabas - Dillwyn OwenThomas Jenkins - Gareth ArmstrongJailer/Tollgate Keeper - David CharlesThomas Powell - Gerald JamesMorgan Brewer - Maurice ElliottLandlords daughter/Lissi Gillian - Gillian Elisa ThomasAmaranth - Helen RobertsRingmaster - Dorian Thomas Buddug - Di Botcher Sian - Rhian Morgan First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 Feb &ndash; 6 Apr 1986&copy;2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Lord of Misrule

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation

HE Bates

Selected Dramatisations and readings of the genre-spanning work of HE Bates 
 
'A great treasure trove to dive into' Entertainment Focus 
 
HE Bates is probably best known for his comic novel The Darling Buds of May, which introduced the lovable Larkins to the world and sparked three hugely popular TV adaptations. In his 68 years, Bates wrote over 20 further novels, more than 300 short stories, children&rsquo;s books, poems, plays and non-fiction. This collection brings together three full-cast BBC Radio dramatisations and fourteen excellent readings, rounding off with extracts from HE Bates autobiographies. 
 
His wartime bestseller Fair Stood the Wind for France is a classic tale of danger, suspense and romance, centred around a British aircrew who ditch in Occupied France, and their attempts to survive and escape. This BBC radio dramatisation stars Rory Kinnear, Tom Goodman-Hill and Louise Brealey. Adapted from HE Bates&rsquo; semi-autobiographical 1952 novel, Love for Lydia charts the romance between a young reporter and a shy heiress. Tim Pigott-Smith and Juliet Aubrey star in this moving story of first love. Death of a Huntsman, based on Bates&rsquo; 1957 novella, is a vintage radio drama about a middle-aged businessman who finds himself strangely drawn to his ex-lover&rsquo;s daughter. It stars Roger Delgado and Pauline Letts. 
 
Described by Graham Greene as &lsquo;the English Chekhov&rsquo;, HE Bates was much acclaimed for his short fiction. Included here are 14 of his best tales, beginning with five stories taken from his 1957 collection Sugar for the Horse. Featuring his much-loved character Uncle Silas, they include &lsquo;The Widder&rsquo;, &lsquo;The Blue Feather&rsquo;, &lsquo;Queenie White&rsquo;, &lsquo;The Singing Pig&rsquo; and &lsquo;Aunt Tibby&rsquo;. They are read by David Neal, who also reads six more bucolic tales: &lsquo;Time&rsquo;, &lsquo;Chaff in the Wind&rsquo;, &lsquo;The Maker of Coffins&rsquo;, &lsquo;The Cowslip Field&rsquo;, &lsquo;Loss of Pride&rsquo; and &lsquo;Great Uncle Crow&rsquo;. A further three stories, &lsquo;The Primrose Place&rsquo;, &lsquo;The Small Portion&rsquo; and &lsquo;The Sun of December&rsquo;, are read by Kim Hicks, John Rowe and Anthony Hyde. 
 
 
Contents, cast and credits 
Written by HE Bates 
 
Fair Stood the Wind for France 
Cast: Rory Kinnear, Louise Brealey, Ellie Haddington, Bruce Alexander, Kenneth Collard, Tom Goodman-Hill, Kate Layden, Kenneth Collard, John Biggins, Rhys Jennings and Piers Wehner 
 
Love for Lydia 
Cast: Tim Pigott-Smith, Jordan Frieda, Juliet Aubrey, Margaret Tyzack, Angela Thorne, Philip Fox, Jamie Bamber, Robert Purdy, Don McCorkindale, Clare Corbett, Crispin Bonham-Carter, Helena Breck, Joanna David, Tom Mannion, Isabelle Joss, Tracy Wiles, Ray Lonnen, Helen Longworth, Ndidi Del Fatti, Tom Calder 
 
Death of a Huntsman 
Cast: Eric Anderson, John Ruddock, Hugh Manning, James Thomason, Kathleen Helme, Sheila Grant, Joan Sanderson 
 
Sugar for the Horse: 
&lsquo;The Widder&rsquo;, &lsquo;The Blue Feather&rsquo;, &lsquo;Queenie White&rsquo;, &lsquo;The Singing Pig&rsquo; and &lsquo;Aunt Tibby&rsquo; read by David Neal 
 
Country Stories: 
&lsquo;Time&rsquo;, &lsquo;Chaff in the Wind&rsquo; and &lsquo;The Maker of Coffins&rsquo;, &lsquo;The Cowslip Field&rsquo;, &lsquo;Great Uncle Crow&rsquo; and &lsquo;Loss of Pride&rsquo; read by David Neal 
 
&lsquo;The Primrose Place&rsquo; read by Kim Hicks 
 
&lsquo;The Small Portion&rsquo; read by John Rowe 
 
&lsquo;The Sun of December&rsquo; read by Anthony Hyde

H.E. Bates: A BBC Radio Collection

Dramatisations and Readings including Fair Stood the Wind for France, Love for Lydia & More

Mike Walker

Mike Walker’s gripping BBC Radio drama about money, art, religion, politics and power 
 
Florence, 1415. Banker Cosimo Medici is looked down upon as a jumped up money-changer. Then he marries the noble Contessina de Bardi and becomes the richest man in Europe. But his wealth and power threaten the Florentine elite, who are determined to bring him down... 
 
However, the House of Medici cannot be crushed that easily. Sixty years and many violent deaths later, the family are the unquestioned, ruthless rulers of Florence. They control the government, have transformed the city through their patronage of the arts, and one of them has even been crowned Pope. But trouble is coming in the form of the fanatical poet monk Savonarola, and the bank is in decline. Can Lorenzo the Magnificent save anything for his dim-witted successors – and will they even care? 
 
With a cast of extraordinary characters including Piero the Gouty, master negotiator Lucrezia Tornabuoni and Pope Leo X, as well as Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Artemisia Gentileschi, this fast-paced ‘Renaissance Sopranos’ tells the thrilling story of one of the most infamous dynasties of all time. Among the cast are Patrick Baladi, Sirine Saba, Tom Cullen, Saran Morgan and Catrin Aaron. 
 
 
Created by Mike Walker 
Written by Mike Walker, Sian Ejiwunmi Le-Berre and Catherine Johnson 
Sound Design: Nigel Lewis and Catherine Robinson 
Organ: Branwen Munn 
Produced by John Norton 
 
Cast 
Cosimo de' Medici – Patrick Baladi 
Contessina de' Bardi – Sirine Saba 
Rinaldo degli Albizzi – Richard Elfyn 
Niccolo Tinucci – Christopher Elson 
Old Giovanni – Hugh Thomas 
Silvio – Marc Danbury 
Gio Verdi – Marco Fiera 
The Manager – David Hounslow 
Lorenzo de' Medici – Tom Cullen 
Lucrezia Tornabuoni – Saran Morgan 
Clarice Orsini – Abra Thompson 
Gio de' Medici – Gareth Pierce 
Marietta – Saran Morgan 
Cardinal Orsini – Simon Armstrong 
Soderini – Daniel Cerqueira 
Pope Sixtus – John Cording 
Tinucci – Tommy Sim'aan 
Pazzi – Matthew Durkan 
Savonarola – Matthew Gravelle 
King Ferrante – Jonathon Forbes 
Pope Innocent – Roger Ringrose 
Leonardo da Vinci – Tom Kiteley 
Botticelli – Hughie O' Donnell 
Alessandro de Medici - Elliott Barnes-Worrell 
Lorenzino de Medici - Sion Daniel Young 
Ippolito de Medici - Jacob Ifan 
Taddea Malaspina - Kiran Sonia Sawar 
Simonetta da Collevecchio - Marsha Millar 
Giorgio Vasari - Nico Pimparé 
Pope Clement - Arwel Gruffydd 
Emperor Charles V - Michael Bertenshaw 
Margaret - Kitty O'Sullivan 
Scoronconcolo - Tyler Cameron 
Strozzi - John Lightbody 
Young Alessandro - Hardy Yusuf 
Young Ippolito - Huw Huckstep 
Catherine de Medici - Catrin Aaron 
Silvestri - Julian Lewis Jones 
Diane de Poitiers - Juliette Aubrey 
Prince Henri - Arthur Hughes 
King Francis - Aneirin Hughes 
Guise - Joel MacCormack 
Nurse - Heather Craney 
Young Catherine - Grace Nettle 
Isabelle - Nia Gandhi 
Coligny - Ian Dunnett Jnr 
Le Conde - Matthew Bulgo 
Cardinal Guise - Tom Mumford 
Margot - Poppy Almond 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Medici: Bankers, Gangsters, Popes

A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Drama

The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that. But in this world, there are two moons in the sky. Discover the 1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami.

1Q84

365 Days of Art

A BBC Christmas

A Black Book Thriller

A Box Full of Murders

A Cal Leandros Novel

A Christmas Mystery

The intelligent and capable police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice.

A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

A DC Smith / Kings Lake Investigation Series

A Daisy Story

Chronicling the lives of over three hundred characters, unrivalled for its scope and humour, this is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

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