A BBC Christmas

A sparkling seasonal anthology of BBC dramas and readings

Christmas is the perfect time to curl up with a good story, and this cracking collection brings you 30 wonderfully diverse tales inspired by this most special of seasons. From Santa Claus, gift-giving and family gatherings, to an unexpected encounter in a snowstorm and an alternative take on the Nativity, they're sure to get you in the festive mood.

Here are modern readings of classics such as Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Tree', Anton Chekhov's 'At Christmas Time', Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Fir Tree', O Henry's 'The Gift of the Magi', Elizabeth Gaskell's 'Christmas Storms and Sunshine' and Leo Tolstoy's 'Papa Panov's Special Christmas'. Alongside them is some superb short fiction by contemporary authors, including Stella Duffy ('South'), Paul McVeigh ('Daddy Christmas'), Laura Barnett ('Survivors'), and nine delightful stories by Alexander McCall Smith. Among the stellar narrators are Don Gilet, Nina Sosanya, Hannah Gordon, Stephanie Cole and Meera Syal.

Interspersed with these are a range of spellbinding plays, including Rachel Joyce's poignant Christmas by the Lake; festive action comedy Lena Marsh, Live and Schticking! by Jeremy Front; a very unusual and very dangerous Santa in The Morpeth Carol by Timothy X Atack; and Robert Hudson and Marie Phillips' epistolary animal tale, Some Hay in a Manger, introduced by Stephen Fry. All feature star casts including Niamh Cusack, Robert Lindsay, Sam Troughton, Clare Corbett, Tamsin Greig and Joel Fry.

Heartwarming and heartfelt, comic and bittersweet, moving and magical, these fantastic, evocative stories are a real Christmas treat.

Note: Chapter metadata updated in January 2023.

Contents
Christmas by the Lake by Rachel Joyce
Christmas Short Stories by Alexander McCall Smith:
· 'Motordrome'
· 'The Revenge, or Otherwise, of Herbie Bontemps'
· 'How to Escape in Gaelic'
· 'The Colourful Life of Cousin Grace'
· 'Good President Wenceslas'
The Christmas Present by Ben Crompton
Christmas Compass: Series 1:
· 'North' by Malachy Tallack
· 'South' by Stella Duffy
· 'East' by Ruth Thomas
· 'West' by Mike McCormack
A Time to Dance by Lucy Gannon
Christmas Compass: Series 2 by Alexander McCall Smith
· 'Winter Journey'
· 'In the DRC'
· 'Primatologist'
· 'On The Island'
Midnight at Christmas by Elliott Kerrigan
'The Fir Tree' by Hans Christian Andersen
'At Christmas Time'by Anton Chekhov
'Papa Panov's Special Christmas' by Leo Tolstoy
Some Hay in a Manger by Robert Hudson and Marie Phillips
'Daddy Christmas' by Paul McVeigh
'Christmas Storms and Sunshine'by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Morpeth Carol by Timothy X Atack
'Survivors' by Laura Barnett
Lena Marsh, Live and Shticking!by Jeremy Front
'A Christmas Tree' by Charles Dickens
'The Gift of the Magi' by O Henry
Get Santa by Peter Gibbs
'Home' by Christine Dwyer Hickey

© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tony Robinson stars in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of E.T.A. Hoffmann's renowned Christmas story, which inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet 'The Nutcracker'

It is Christmas Eve, and young Mary and Fred are opening presents from their godfather, Drosselmeier the toymaker. Mary’s favourite gift is a nutcracker soldier, and she is disappointed when his jaw breaks on a particularly hard nut.

She puts him away carefully, promising that Drosselmeier will mend him – and at that moment he seems to come alive. Surely she is just imagining things? But as the grandfather clock begins to chime midnight, all her toys spring to life! Led by the Nutcracker, they rush into battle with an army of mice who emerge from beneath the floorboards – including the seven-headed Mouse King…

Hoffmann's classic children’s tale is adapted by Brian Sibley (who also dramatised 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia' for radio). Starring Tony Robinson as the Nutcracker, Edward de Souza as Drosselmeier, Eric Allen as the Mouse King and Angela Shaftoe as Mary, it is sure to delight fans of Tchaikovsy's famous ballet - and anyone who loves the magic of a good fairy tale.

Jeremy Summerly tells the story of the Christmas Carol in England in these illuminating and delightful programmes.

The Christmas carol is as popular now as it was when singers celebrated the birth of Edward III in 1312. But the journey it has taken is unique in music history. Here Jeremy Summerly follows that journey from medieval times to the present day. It's a story that sees the carol veer between the sacred and secular, in a tradition that has always had one foot in the pub and another in the church.

The carol is an expression of seasonal joy in the coldest, hardest time of the year. However inefficient the heating system may be, the carol still generates warmth and positive nostalgia. Many favourite carols were actually written for children to sing, including Once in Royal David's City. It famously leads off the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a service broadcast by the BBC from King’s College, Cambridge since the 1920s, commanding a worldwide audience of several million. But has it left an imbalance in the appreciation of our caroling tradition? And why do carols remain popular and familiar to so many?

Illustrated with examples of carols obscure and familiar through the ages, and taking in numerous locations around Britain along the way, this is a history of the carol to bring comfort and joy.

Tom Baker reads Charles Dickens' timeless seasonal story.

Charles Dickens' story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by the three ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, has become one of the timeless classics of English literature. First published in 1843, it introduces us not only to Scrooge himself, but also to the memorable characters of underpaid desk clerk Bob Cratchit and his poor family, the poorest amongst whom is the ailing and crippled Tiny Tim.

In this captivating recording, Tom Baker delivers a tour-de-force performance as he narrates the story. The listener joins Scrooge on Christmas Eve, witnesses the visitation of Marley's ghost, and is given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date.

With atmospheric sound design, this ultimately uplifting tale is a festive delight to be treasured and listened to again and again.

Duration: 3 hours approx

Sir David Jason reads Charles Dickens' magical, much-loved Christmas story. Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially. But one Christmas Eve, he has a terrifying experience: He sees the ghost of his one-time business partner, Jacob Marley, who is bound in chains and doomed to wander the Earth because of the sins of his past life. Marley warns Scrooge that he is headed for the same dreadful fate: but there is one possible means of escape.
Soon, he will be visited by three more spirits: the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Can these phantoms persuade Scrooge to change his ways?

God Rest You Merry, a daily programme of readings and music for Christmas week, was first broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1961 and has been repeated in various forms over the years since then. Now, with this recording, listeners can hear again the series of programmes as a whole, including some of their favourite poems and carols. The Saint Martin Singers date back to 1942, and owe their origin to a small band of fire-watchers at the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Among the things which the Singers enjoy most, and have pioneered, are their programmes of music interwoven with poetry and prose to illustrate a theme, of which those you can hear on this record are examples in miniature. Christmas is always the most popular theme of all because the story of the Nativity has inspired the best in writers and musicians ever since St. Luke wrote the first narrative poem. Vintage Beeb: classic albums first available as BBC LPs, now available to download. This recording was previously released on LP in 1976.

Everyone loves a bedtime story. And here are eight of the best, each with a Christmas theme, written by an array of literature's best-known names: Laurie Lee, Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen are just some of the storytellers included in this collection. Amongst those giving voice to these stories are Patricia Routledge, Joss Ackland, Miriam Margolyes, Dame Judi Dench and Richard Briers. Intriguing, funny, poignant and above all entertaining, these eight Christmas stories are the best of BBC Radio 4's 'Book at Bedtime'.

Here's Dicken's Christmas classic of Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounter with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Originally published in 1843,A Christmas Carol has continued to be one of the most popular and enduring Christmas stories of all time.
Click here to see all the titles in our Charles Dickens collection.
Public Domain (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks Ltd