Alison Bingeman

Alison Bond worked in the film industry for seven years before writing her debut novel How to Be Famous, published in 2005. A graduate of Bournemouth Media School, Alison currently lectures on the harsh realities of the film business as part of their MA screenwriting programme.

Alison Bond

Alison Boshoff is Editor-at-Large at the Daily Mail, where she has covered the world of showbusiness since 1997. Known for her sharp reporting and exceptional insider access, she has built an unrivalled network of contacts across the entertainment industry, breaking major stories and interviewing the most influential names in Hollywood and beyond. 
Alison has had a front-row seat to the evolution of the Beckham brand writing for The Daily Telegraph, The Sun and the Daily Mail from the beginnings of the Spice Girls and first headlines of David and Victoria’s romance. Few journalists have chronicled their rise as closely or for as long. 
In July 2022, just months after the Peltz-Beckham wedding, Alison broke the first reports of tensions within the family and has remained at the forefront of coverage ever since, including reporting on the alleged legal request for parental non-contact earlier this year. 
Brand Beckham is her first book.

Alison Boshoff

Alison Bowser

Alison Davies is the author of over 30 books. She runs workshops at universities throughout the UK, showing academics, students and early years practitioners how stories can be used as tools for teaching and learning. Alison writes for a wide selection of magazines and her features have also appeared in the Times Education Supplement, Daily Mail and Sunday Express parenting section, and various commercial magazines.

Alison Davies

Alison Entrekin

Alison Goldsworthy has been a political adviser and campaigner for more than twenty years. A former Deputy Chair of the Liberal Democrats, she led the team that built the fastest-growing campaigning organisation in the UK. In 2017 she was a Sloan Fellow at Stanford, co-creating its first depolarisation course. A board member of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, Alison has won numerous awards for her work. She has written for the Telegraph, Independent, New Statesman, The Times and Financial Times.

Alison Goldsworthy

Alison Goodman lives in bayside Melbourne, Australia with her husband and their indomitable Jack Russell Terrier. Alison was a D.J. O'Hearn Memorial Fellow at Melbourne University, holds a Masters degree, and has taught creative writing at postgraduate level. Her debut novel was the award-winning futuristic thriller, Singing the Dogstar Blues, and her second, the acclaimed adult crime thriller, Killing the Rabbit. She is currently writing full-time and mentoring others through the wild and wonderful process of writing a novel.

Alison Goodman

Alison Gopnik is a professor of psychology and an affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. She is an internationally recognised leader in the study of children's learning and development. She writes the Mind and Matter column for the Wall Street Journal and is the author of The Philosophical Baby and co-author of The Scientist in the Crib. She has three sons and lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, Alvy Ray Smith.

Alison Gopnik

Alison Grade is a career freelancer, serial entrepreneur and founder of the company Mission Accomplished, a consultancy that offers training, mentoring and strategic advice to start - ups and established SMEs principally in the creative industries. She is a NESTA-accredited creative enterprise trainer and has delivered international programmes in association with the British Council. She is the CEO of Screen Central which represents the professional screen community in the West Midlands where she lives.

Alison Grade

Adored for her quick wit, big heart and infamous laugh, Alison is one of the UK’s most popular TV presenters, famed for her hilarious celebrity interviews! The Queen of our hearts presents ITV's 'This Morning' alongside Dermot O’Leary, gearing viewers up for the weekend. 
 
Alison also co-hosts the ultimate televised baking battle, ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and ‘The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off’ for C4, receiving a nomination for the ‘Entertainment Performance’ category in the 2024 RTS Programme Awards with Noel Fielding. 
 
As a firm family favourite into the evening TV schedule, Alison is a Team Captain on Sky TV’s ‘Rob Beckett’s Smart TV’ and continues the late, great Paul O’Grady’s legacy hosting ‘For the Love of Dogs’ for Battersea Dogs Home and ITV.

Alison Hammond

Alison Jameson grew up on a farm in the Irish midlands, a secluded and beautiful place that continues to inspire her work. She is the bestselling author of This Man and Me, which was nominated for the IMPAC Literary Award, and Under My Skin. Her third novel, Little Beauty, was published by Doubleday Ireland in 2013. An English and History graduate of University College Dublin, she worked in advertising for many years before becoming an author. Home is Dublin where she lives with her husband and son.

Alison Jameson

Alison Jefferies, MEd, has worked extensively as an educator. She is a former president of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Faculty and Family Organization and works closely with Lorenzo Cohen to foster health and wellness in individuals and their communities.

Alison Jefferies

Alison Joseph

Alison Kennedy

Alison Leonard

Alison Light

Alison Lurie published ten novels, among them Foreign Affairs (which won the Pulitzer Prize), The Truth About Lorin Jones (winner of the Prix Femina étranger), and The Last Resort. She was also the author of many works of non-fiction, including The Language of Clothes, Don't Tell the Grownups, Familiar Spirits, and two collections of essays and reviews, Reading for Fun and Words and Worlds. She taught literature, folklore and creative writing at Cornell University for many years and was the Whiton Professor of American Literature emerita. She lived in upstate New York but also spent much time in Key West, Florida and in London, all of which provided settings for her fiction. She married the writer Edward Hower, and had three sons and three grandchildren. Alison Lurie died in 2020.

Alison Lurie

Alison MacLeod was raised in Canada and has lived in England since 1987. She is the author of three novels, The Changeling, The Wave Theory of Angels and Unexploded, and of a collection of stories, Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction. Unexploded was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2013. Alison MacLeod is Professor of Contemporary Fiction at Chichester University and lives in Brighton.

Alison MacLeod

Alison Maloney has been writing the Strictly Come Dancing annuals for nearly a decade. A multi-faceted and versatile writer, she has also written several other books, including The Mums' Book, Woman's Hour: Words from Wise, Witty and Wonderful Women and The World of Mr Selfridge.

Alison Maloney

Alison Mercer was born in Reading and studied English at University College, Oxford. She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and two children. She is the author of Stop the Clock and After I Left You. 
 
You can get in touch with Alison via her blog at http://alisonmercerwriter.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AlisonMercerwriter, or talk to her on Twitter: @AlisonLMercer.

Alison Mercer

Alison Miller

Alison Perry is a journalist and mum of twins (and an older daughter who is 9). She is an award winning blogger with her site Not Another Mummy Blog (notanothermummyblog.com) and also hosts the Not Another Mummy Podcast where she has chatted to guests such as Philippa Perry and Emma Bunton. She lives in London and you can find her on Instagram @iamalisonperry

Alison Perry

Alison Plowden

Alison Prince

Alison Roman is the host of the Home Movies series on YouTube and author of the incredibly popular food newsletter, appropriately titled A Newsletter. Prior to that, she was a columnist for the New York Times Food section and a senior food editor at Bon Appétit. The author of Dining In, Nothing Fancy and Sweet Enough, Alison has worked professionally in kitchens such as New York's Momofuku Milk Bar and San Francisco's Quince. Originally from Los Angeles, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their son. She has recently opened her pantry store in Upstate New York called First Bloom. A long-time dream fully realised: a grocery store of her own and a physical manifestation of all her favourite pantry items, curated with love and care. Her platform continues to grow – since her first book, Dining In, her Instagram following has jumped from 66k to 778k.

Alison Roman

Alison Rumfitt

Alison Rumfitt is a writer and cultural critic. Her two horror novels Tell Me I'm Worthless and Brainwyrms push the boundaries of both taste and form to the shock of readers everywhere. She has written for Little White Lies and Dazed, and interviewed new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa for Rolling Stone. She's considered herself a fan of Doctor Who ever since her father played her the theme song to scare her when she was about five years old.

Alison Scott-Wright is a baby-, toddler- and child-sleep expert who also specializes in helping parents with the management of infant and toddler acid reflux and associated dietary intolerances. For over twenty-five years she has worked 'hands-on' with families, sharing her knowledge and expertise with her clients and, most importantly, bringing sleep to thousands of homes. Fifteen years ago, one client named her the Magic Sleep Fairy and the name stuck - in fact, it became the trademarked name of her ever-expanding consultancy business, through which Alison continues to provide practical help, invaluable advice and much-needed support to parents around the world. She is a mother and a grandmother - known by her grandchildren as Mops - and she divides her time between her homes in Turkey and on the south coast of Dorset.

Alison Scott-Wright

Alison Sherlock

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Anita Sullivan

Three elderly tailors - a trouser-maker, a coat-maker and a waistcoat-maker - have been commissioned to make a bespoke suit for an up-and-coming politician. They have worked together for decades but have only met very rarely, although increasingly, these days, at their colleagues' funerals. The suit has been designed by Mrs White, a mysterious woman whom they've never met. Mrs White has imposed very strict rules about secrecy, and all off-cuts have to be returned to her. The suiting fabric supplied is also unusual. It seems to change colour and quality with the mood of the tailors, and to move against the needle in a sentient manner. As the garment takes shape, it begins to have a powerful effect on anyone who comes into contact with it. Starring Allan Corduner, Malcolm Storry, Stephen Marzella, Catrin Stewart, Liza Sadovy, Claire Cage and Richard Nichols. A BBC/Cymru Wales production, written and directed by Anita Sullivan.

Rock Of Eye

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

J. M. Barrie

A BBC Radio adaptation of J. M. Barrie's classic satire about the changing fortunes of Crichton, the perfect butler. Liberal aristocrat Lord Loam favours a return to nature, with masters and servants living together as equals, but Crichton is the perfect butler and the perfect snob who adores the intricacies of the class system. He cannot help but be horrified by his master's opinions, and it will take a sea change to alter them. Starring Russell Tovey as Crichton, David Bannerman as J. M. Barrie, Beth Chalmers as Lady Mary, David Timson as Lord Loam, Martha Howe-Douglas as Lady Agatha, Gunnar Cauthery as Ernest Woolley, Lizzy Watts as Tweeny, Adrian Grove as Rev. John Treherne, Stephen Hogan as Lord Brocklehurst and Tina Gray as Lady Brocklehurst. Directed by Fiona Kelcher.

The Admirable Crichton

Steve Richards

Steve Richards tells the inside story of Gordon Brown's time as prime minister, based on revealing interviews with his close colleagues. Interviewees include former ministers Peter Mandelson, Ed Balls, Harriet Harman, Jack Straw, Douglas Alexander, Alan Johnson, Hazel Blears, Peter Hain and Shriti Vadera; and several former Downing St insiders including those responsible for policy, political strategy and polling. Producer: Martin Rosenbaum.

The Brown Years

Lavinia Greenlaw

The emergence of the Polgar sisters in the 1970s and 80s rocked the chess world. In a heavily male dominated game, the three Hungarian girls broke record after record. The youngest, Judit, was talked of as a potential world champion. The Chess Girls is the story of their parents, Laszlo and Klara Polgar, and how they defied the Communist authorities to conduct a remarkable educational experiment. Laszlo Polgar, convinced that any healthy child can be trained to become a genius, set out to prove his theory with his own children. This is a drama-documentary with excerpts from an interview with Laszlo and Klara Polgar recorded for the play. The writer, Lavinia Greenlaw, takes their account and re-creates the lives of the young Polgar family in their tiny Budapest flat. The fictional Laszlo is played by Kerry Shale, and Klara by Sally Orrock. Director: Chris Ledgard.

The Chess Girls

Russell Davis

Clive Coleman

A celebration of one hundred years of outstanding comic performers from music hall, radio and television. Researched, compiled and presented by Russell Davies, the collection includes a wide range of personalities, from the Crazy Gang to John Cleese and from Tallulah Bankhead to Victoria Wood.

The Comedy Greats

Frank Muir

Eight 'Take It From Here' radio episodes from the 1950s, featuring Ron and Eth Glum. Jimmy Edwards stars as the beer-swilling head of the Glum household, with Dick Bentley as Ron and June Whitfield as Eth.

The Glums

Various

Enjoy the best of Lakeland poets Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey in this specially selected anthology, including The Two-Part Prelude, Wordsworth's own shortened version of his great autobiographical work The Prelude, and Coleridge's celebrated Kubla Khan. John Rowe, Alex Jennings and Stephen Critchlow read these perfect evocations of majestic Cumbrian scenery.

The Nation's Favourite Lakeland Poems

Joseph Lidster

Ross Chapman is one of life's losers. So when he survives a point-blank shooting, dons a superhero costume and becomes a crime-busting vigilante, something strange is clearly going on. And Ross's transformation isn't the only odd thing happening in Cardiff. Time is distorting - around the city, some people are aging, dying and decomposing in a matter of minutes, while others are reverting to childhood. Sgt Andy Davidson knows he's out of his depth - so when Jack Harkness sweeps into the police station, he's glad of the help that only Torchwood can provide. But for Jack, the stakes are higher than ever. He's seen a vision of Gwen, dead, murdered by an unknown gunman. And if he can't solve the mystery of Mr Invincible, he can't save her... Written specially for AudioGO by Mark Morris, Mr Invincible is read by Tom Price, who played Sgt Andy Davidson in the hit BBC television series.

Torchwood Mr Invincible

Molly Naylor

How does it feel to have your world blown apart? Molly moves to London full of naive dreams, high hopes and on a quest to make her life just like the movies. Then on 7/7/2005 she finds herself on a tube train blown up by terrorists and her life is forced to take a different direction. Funny, frank and poetic; this is the true story of what happened next and how things are put back together after they've been blown apart. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, to mark the 6th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings. Starring Morven Christie as Molly, Bryan Dick as Dan, Sam Dale as Dad, Susie Riddell as Mum, Jonathan Forbes as Pavel and James Lailey as Matt. Read by Molly Naylor. Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.

Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think of You

Will Gompertz

The Royal Collection is one of the most wide-ranging collections of art and artefacts in the world and provides an intriguing insight into the minds of the monarchs who have assembled it. In this series, BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz examines dozens of these unique objects, in a quest to 'use the Collection as a prism through which to better understand the art of being a monarch'. From intimate portraits to epic tapestries, from the Coronation pen to the Investiture sword, from a treatise against Martin Luther to the first televised Christmas message, each has an absorbing history. Famous objects such as the Gold State Coach and the Imperial State Crown rub shoulders with lesser-known but still fascinating artefacts such as the Exeter Salt and the Wriothesley Garter Book. With the help of historians, academics and Royal Collection curators, Gompertz selects choice items to find out what secrets they reveal about the art of monarchy.

The Art Of Monarchy

Cecil Beaton

Cecil Beaton was a portrait and fashion photographer, as well as a diarist and Oscar-winning designer. Here he discusses his life and achievements in a series of interviews from the BBC radio and TV archive: 
 
At Home: Cecil Beaton, broadcast on BBC Radio, 7th May 1957 (featuring Hywel Davies) 
Face To Face, broadcast on BBC Television, 18th February 1962 (featuring John Freeman) 
Late Night Line-Up, broadcast on BBC Television, 9th May 1968 (featuring Sheridan Morley) 
Desert Island Discs, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26th January 1980 (featuring Roy Plomley) 
 
Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
&copy;2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Cecil Beaton In His Own Words

Jean-Dominique Bauby

Whilst suffering from a condition whereby he was unable to speak and his only movement was the blinking of an eyelid, Jean-Dominique Bauby devised a code for each letter of the alphabet and dictated this book about his experiences and feelings. He died just after it was published. This moving, extraordinary book is read by Richard Derrington.

The Diving-Bell And The Butterfly

Laura Marney

Ruth Thomas

Alan Spence

A collection of three stories to mark the Leap Year by Laura Marney, Ruth Thomas and Alan Spence. 
 
The Leap Year Tales are: 
 
'Aw Wrong' by Laura Marney 
Facing the imminent birth of their first child, a couple take steps to try to influence the course of nature. 
Read by Gabriel Quigley. 
 
'February Alone' by Ruth Thomas 
An intended romantic lunch goes strangely awry. Will a gift of lingerie help save the hour? 
Read by Melody Grove. 
 
'Excepting February' by Alan Spence 
February's extra day threatens to cause technical meltdown in Scotland's granite city, but meanwhile may give love another chance for one man. 
Read by John Buick. 
 
Produced by Patricia Hitchcock.

Leap Year Tales

A BBC Radio Collection

Nigel Smith

The History Plays is a series of five two-hander plays by Vent author Nigel Smith, which are imagined conversations at key moments in recent history, moments that have permanently changed the British psyche. 
 
Starting with Mick Jagger's conviction for drug possession; through the fragmented morality of John Stonehouse; the Indian summer of patriotism over the Falklands; the death of Diana; and the end of the Blair years. The History Plays are a satirical and thoughtful exploration of huge social forces played out in small human dramas. This is a series about the promises and pitfalls of history but what's really significant is what these moments say about our attitudes and assumptions now. 
 
Jagger in Jail 
1967, the summer of love and Mick Jagger begins his 3 month sentence for drug possession. Jagger in Jail imagines the conversations that may have taken place between Mick and his cellmate, Jim, during what turned out to be his only night behind bars. 
 
Stonehouse in Alice 
Ed Jennings, a cub reporter for a local paper, stumbles upon the scoop of a lifetime while holidaying in Australia. Leonard has found missing maverick MP, John Stonehouse, who recently faked his death to escape his mountains of debt, the fraud squad, his wife and a series of misadventures back at home. Stonehouse presents Ed with an offer that will change both of their lives. 
 
Maggie Heart Galtieri 
Maggie Watkins finds a wounded Argentinian soldier, Christian Galtieri, in her kitchen and in need of shelter. As she slowly learns why he is in hiding the pair begin to fall in love, but as their relationship grows the Task Force lands and it becomes harder and harder to ignore the larger forces at play. 
 
O Salutaris Hostia, Diana 
Martha and Graham look back over their lives together, but their very different views on Diana mask a far more personal conflict, and Graham's dislike of the princess has its roots in his pain over the circumstances of their son Alan's death. 
 
A History of Blair in 9 1/2 Voices 
Tony Blair, lost in the winding corridors of the BBC the day after his resignation, finds himself sharing a room with Sue, a struggling impressionist who assumes he is a Tony Blair lookalike. Blair enjoys the opportunity to speak in the third person and to show off a few impressions of his own. A darkly comic but thoughtful exploration of what makes Blair tick, alongside a compelling explanation for what may have lain behind Blair's early political successes and what prompted his unwavering commitment to the war in Iraq. 
 
Produced by Gareth Edwards.

The History Plays

Five BBC Radio 4 dramas

Jack Harness is in need of a holiday. He wants to get away from Torchwood, away from the human race - and where better to get completely away from it all than Cotter Paluni's World, a planet surrounded by deadly scarlet lightning and cut off from the entire universe?   But there are some shocks in store for Jack: the 'Devil's World' might be completely isolated and inaccessible, but its inhabitants worship Torchwood. And before he can find out why, or how this is even possible, he finds himself arrested for murder.   It looks as if someone on the planet knows who Jack is - and they're out to get him... .

Torchwood Red Skies

O. Henry

A collection of three Christmas classics by a cherished American writer, to warm the soul and intrigue the listener with satisfyingly unexpected plot twists. 
 
Episode 1: The Gift Of The Magi 
A young couple struggle to find the money for a really special Christmas present for each other. 
 
Episode 2: Mammon And The Archer 
A young man is encouraged to pursue the love of his life by his father. But is it cupid or cold hard cash that decides his fate? 
 
Episode 3: The Retrieved Reformation 
Safebreaker Jimmy Valentine is unexpectedly released from prison and vows to go straight. 
 
Abridged by Annie Caulfield 
Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery

O. Henry Stories

Aesop

40 of Aesop's tales, specially adapted for young children. Read by Richard Briers, Jane Horrocks, Jonathan Pryce, Alison Steadman, Richard E. Grant, Lindsay Duncan and Brenda Blethyn. Stories include: The Hare &amp; the Tortoise/The Frogs &amp; the Ox/The Fox &amp; the Crow/The Monkey as King/The Bundle of Sticks/The Gnat &amp; the Lion/The North Wind &amp; the Sun/The Fox &amp; the Grapes/The Dog, the Cockerel &amp; the Fox/The Miller, His Son &amp; the Donkey/The Wolf &amp; the Heron/The Donkey in the Lion's Skin/The Ant &amp; the Grasshopper/The Vain Jackdaw/The Frogs who Wanted a King/The Cat &amp; the Mice/The Lion &amp; the Mouse/The Caged Bird &amp; the Bat/The Fox &amp; the Goat/The Lion &amp; the Elephant/The Crow &amp; the Pitcher/The Fox &amp; the Stork/Two Travellers &amp; a Bear/The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs/The Kid &amp; the Wolf/The Old Lion &amp; the Fox/The Eagle &amp; the Jackdaw/The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing/The Goatherd &amp; the Wild Goats/The Dog in the Manger/Androcles &amp; The Lion, plus 9 more.

Aesop's Fables

The Complete Collection

Andrew Readman

Davis Finch is a hack TV writer with aspirations to write a novel. In order to be a real writer he feels he needs a proper desk. The one he buys changes his life. He becomes a success - but at what price? This spooky psychological thriller by Andrew Readman stars Graeme Hawley, Tim McInnerny, Karen West, Greg Wood, Melissa Jane Sinden and Russell Richardson. Producer/Director: Gary Brown.

All the Dark Corners: The Desk

Beryl Reid

Beryl Reid, OBE, (1919-1996) was one of Britain's much-loved comedy actresses. She won a BAFTA for Best Actress and received a lifetime achievement award at the British Comedy Awards. 
 
 In this collection we hear - in her own words - about other funny women, as well as some of her well-known roles in The Belles of St Trinian's and Smiley's People, and the reaction to her role in The Killing of Sister George. She discusses her radio career and Educating Archie, as well as going to dancing school at 4 years old, becoming a success and playing the eccentric. She's also open about the challenge of maintaining relationships, her lack of confidence and having no regrets. 
 
 Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Beryl Reid In Her Own Words

Neil Forsyth

Cyber hero Bob Servant became a cult classic in the best-selling Delete This At Your Peril. Now this much-anticipated sequel tells the life story of one of Scotland's unsung heroes. From his days in the Merchant Navy to his creation of a window-cleaning round and his time as a cheeseburger magnate, Bob Servant has lived life to its fullest. With touching bravery, he takes the listener on a fearless romp through the hilarious, whimsical and impassioned memories that surely make him the undisputed Hero of Dundee.

Bob Servant Hero Of Dundee

Sean Grundy

After ten years, Peter leaves Gillian for Laura. Distraught, Gillian goes round to Peter's parents to be consoled. They take her in - then things go a little weird. Starring Diane Morgan, Colin Hoult, Janine Duvitski, John Henshaw, Zoe Gardner, Zahra Barri, John Biddle, Tony Marshall, Christine Hall and Sean Grundy. Written by Sean Grundy. Director: Alison Crawford.

In The Family

John Gielgud

Sir John Gielgud was one of his generation's leading actors, who won an Academy Award. In this collection we hear - in his own words - about his family and childhood, deciding to be an actor and his first confident performance. He discusses understudying Noël Coward and failing as Romeo, playing Hamlet for the first time and working with other actors. He also talks about bringing Shakespeare back to the West End, directing plays himself, film vs theatre acting, making mistakes and writing his autobiographies. 
 
Interviews include: BBC radio archive interview (first broadcast 1 January 1941) Great Acting, BBC TV (first broadcast 12 February 1966); Parkinson, BBC 1 (first broadcast 7 October 1972); An Actor In His Time, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 15 October 1978); Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 30 January 1980); Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 16 May 1981); Sir John Gielgud Looks Back, BBC World Service (first broadcast 19 February 1995). 
 
Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

John Gielgud In His Own Words

John le Carré

John le Carré was a bestselling author whose books include The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. 
 
On this recording we hear - in his own words - about being brought up by his grandparents and feeling deserted by his mother and father. He talks about being creative as a means of escapism, by telling stories about his absent parents; as well as hating public school where he suffered severe beatings. We also hear about when he worked in the army as an interrogator and his experience working in British intelligence. He discusses becoming a writer, creating Smiley, working with Alec Guinness and why he hid behind two names. In addition, we learn about what he thought of awards - and critics. 
 
 Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

John Le Carré In His Own Words

Brian Johnston

Jovial Johnners was the doyen of cricket commentators, as well as a consumer of chocolate cake, a reporter, presenter, quizmaster and much-loved voice at State occasions. For nearly 50 years the ever-affable, always enthusiastic Brian Johnston brought warmth and wit to a wide range of BBC programmes - commentating for Test Match Special and the Boat Race, reporting for In Town Tonight and presenting Down Your Way, playing games on Twenty Questions and Trivia Test Match, and describing Royal events such as the Coronation and the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Here, selected and introduced by his son Barry, is the best of Johnners at the Beeb, a marvellous kaleidoscope of the man at the microphone. The gaffes and the giggles are all included here, of course, helping to make an unforgettable portrait of this inimitable raconteur.

Johnners At The Beeb

Charles Dickens

Left penniless by the death of his father, nineteen-year-old Nicholas Nickleby seeks help, along with his mother and sister, from Uncle Ralph Nickleby. The hard-hearted money lender takes an instant dislike to his nephew and gets rid of the boy by securing him a teaching position at Dotheboys Hall, where the evil Wackford Squeers presides. Horrified by the barbarity he sees there, Nicholas defies Squeers and is forced to flee. He is joined by Smike, who has been treated cruelly by Squeers, and the two become great friends. Nicholas joins a travelling theatre troupe and enjoys great success but, with his mother and sister depending on him for their survival, he must find a way to make a decent living. His adventures are numerous and include some of Dickens' most comic characters. Starring Anna Massey, Sophie Thompson, Ken Campbell and Tom Baker, with Alex Jennings as the voice of Dickens.

Nicholas Nickleby

David Pownall

Joseph Fiennes stars as the young Lieutenant Richard Burton who in 1853 disguised himself as an Afghani pilgrim and undertook an expedition to Mecca. His aim was to explore the Holy of Holies. He chronicles this journey fraught with dangers and misadventure. But can he hide his identity from his two young guides?  With Akbar Kurtha, Rasmus Hardiker, Paul Rider, Roger Hammond, Inam Mirza, Jonathan Tafler and Natasha Pyne.  Written by David Pownall. Directed by Peter Kavanagh.

Prayer Mask

George Eliot

Richard Cameron

Outcast from the church, community, and close friends for a crime he did not commit, Silas Marner's trust and faith falls away. A broken, disillusioned man, he builds a new faith, that will never let him down: gold. He weaves his cloths, counts his money, baptises himself with the coins of his new religion. When tragedy strikes again and all his money is stolen he's bereft and grief stricken. Then on New Year's Eve a vision of gold flickers before the flames. Spilling locks are tumbling coins. For a moment Silas is reunited with his lovely sovereigns. And then he sees a little child When Eppie crosses his threshold, Silas's life changes. Their life together, from her childhood to womanhood, is his salvation. But all is threatened when her biological father makes a claim on her. A BBC Radio dramatisation starring George Costigan as Silas Marner and Rebecca Callard as Eppie. Dramatised by Richard Cameron and directed by Pauline Harris.

Silas Marner (Classic Serial)

Clare Balding

Apart from the English language itself, the invention of modern sport has been our major cultural legacy to the rest of the world. In this 30-part narrative history series, with the help of the academic team from the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University, Clare looks at the unique and vital role sport has played, and continues to play, in our national life. Clare travels to Rugby, which can claim to be the birthplace of the modern Olympics, and she also investigates the role our sporting heroes play in shaping national identity - and rivalry. She discovers the vital role gambling has played, as well as the change from amateur to professional sport. From the birth of broadcasting to the way television has changed our relationship with sport forever - via the British Empire and the importance of sport between both world wars - this is a historic series about our national passion and how the British took sport to the world. Due to copyright reasons, this contains edited versions of the episodes that were originally broadcast.

Sport And The British

Steve Redgrave

Sir Steve Redgrave is a former British rower who won five Gold Medals in five successive Olympic Games. In this collection we hear - in his own words - about why he retired after the Olympic Games in Atlanta, yet returned for his fifth victory in Sydney. He discusses his early days rowing and his post-race emotions, and memories of his last race. He's also open about his retirement and knowing that Sydney was the last time, as well as missing the team and routine. In addition, he talks about his career after rowing, such as his charity running, his clothing range, his charity trust and running the London Marathon. 
 
The interviews included in this collection are Parkinson, BBC One (first broadcast 6 October 2000); Go 4 It, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 15 April 2001) and What Sports Stars Do Next, BBC Radio Wales (first broadcast 10 December 2007). 
 
Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Steve Redgrave In His Own Words

Ronnie Taylor

The second collection of classic sketches from a star of the golden age of radio comedy. With his well-known catchphrases 'Right Monkey' and 'You'll be lucky, I say, you'll be lucky', the immortal Al Read drew on a rich vein of Northern humour to bring us the Johnny know-all, the nagging wife in the kitchen and the horrible little boy in the Doctor's waiting room. A weekly audience of 35 million tuned in to catch the one-time sausage manufacturer from Salford turned household name. Enjoy those moments once again or discover Al's droll observational humour for the first time in this collection of his funniest sketches.

The Al Read Show 2

Mr Gum

Mr Gumpy

Mr Majeika

Mrs Pepperpot Picture Books

Ms Rachel

Mummy Fairy

From the bestselling novel I'm Travelling Alone, two dynamic characters are born. 
Police investigators Holger Munch and Mia Krüger work together to solve the most complex crimes in Oslo, catching serial killers before they strike again but their personal lives are not simple either. As people, they could not be more different but as they battle their own demons their unlikely pairing make Munch and Krüger the best kind of classic detective duo.

Munch and Krüger

Murakami Collectible Classics

Murder House Serial

Murder Is Forever

Murdoku

My Brother's Famous Bottom

My Kitchen

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

My Secret Unicorn

My Secret World

My Struggle

My Totally Secret Diary

Myron Bolitar

NYPD Red

Nat the Cat

Natalie Haynes Stands Up For the Classics

Natural Histories

Negima

Neil Gaiman Full-Cast Radio Adaptations

New Beginnings

New History of Britain

New Voices in Food

Nexus Confessions

From the turn of the century, through two world wars and a depression, the Neyler family face heartbreak and tragedy together.

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