BBC Audio

A brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Aldous Huxley's classic dystopian novel, set in the future and widely considered one of the greatest novels of all time. Duration: 2 hours approx.

Brave New World: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation by Aldous Huxley (audiobook extract)

Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) stars as Jonathan Harker with David Suchet (Poirot) as Dracula in Liz Lochhead's powerful BBC radio adaptation of the classic novel by Bram Stoker. 

When solicitor Jonathan Harker sets off for Transylvania to sell the mysterious Count Dracula a Gothic mansion, his bride-to-be Mina begs him to stay – to no avail. 

But on arrival at Dracula's castle, deep in a black forest surrounded by wolves, Harker wishes he had listened to his fiancée. The Count is welcoming but unnerving, and his castle oppressive. Plagued by nightmares, Harker soon longs to leave... 

Back in Whitby, Mina is increasingly worried. She has heard nothing from Jonathan, and now her sister Lucy – newly engaged to Harker's friend, Dr Seward – is becoming pale and thin. In Seward's lunatic asylum in London, a madman named Renfield babbles about his master who is coming. And as a midnight storm rages, a black ship heads towards the English coast... 

Acclaimed poet and playwright Liz Lochhead's adaptation was first performed on stage in 1985, and this thrilling radio drama was broadcast on the World Service in 2006. Suspenseful, chilling and suffused with dark eroticism, it retains all the eerie dread of Stoker's infamous horror novel. Duration: 2 hrs approx.

Dracula by Bram Stoker, Starring David Suchet and Tom Hiddleston (audiobook extract)

A bumper collection of classic fun and games from one of BBC Radio 4's best-loved and most enduring comedy panel games. 

‘The funniest comedy quiz show of them all.’ Sue Arnold, Observer 

The inimitable Humphrey Lyttelton is in the chair for these 36 hilarious editions, collected together for the first time. He presides over regular players Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Willie Rushton; plus guests including Stephen Fry, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, Paul Merton, Sandi Toksvig and Jeremy Hardy. 

Hear them having their wicked way with favourite rounds including One Song to the Tune of Another, Limericks, Sound Charades, Cheddar Gorge and Swanee Kazoo. The teams are helped along by lively audiences from a variety of British towns and cities and, as is customary on Clue, Colin Sell is at the piano and the lovely Samantha sits on Humph's right hand. 

Also included is a special episode, Everyman’s Guide to Mornington Crescent, which reveals the full and unexpurgated history of The Greatest Game on Earth; and Willie Rushton's last show, featuring an introductory tribute from Ned Sherrin. 

A feast of unrestrained revelry and inspired ad-libs, this is the authentic, award-winning antidote to panel games. Accept no substitutes! Duration: 18 hours approx.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue Treasury (audiobook extract)

Maurice Denham stars as John Mortimer's famous comic creation Rumpole of the Bailey. 

Defender of the underdog, friend of South London villains and scourge of QCs, much-loved barrister Horace Rumpole was first brought to life on television, and in 1980 BBC Radio 4 introduced him to the airwaves for a 13-episode series. 

In these delightful full-cast courtroom dramas, the claret-drinking, poetry-quoting lawyer recalls his colourful career at the Old Bailey, while being supported at home by the redoubtable Hilda ('She Who Must Be Obeyed'). From a disputed will case to a GP accused of murder, Rumpole must exercise all his talents as an advocate to fight for justice... 

Includes Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt, Rumpole and the Dear Departed, Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail, Rumpole and the Rotten Apple, Rumpole and the Man of God, Rumpole and the Defence of Guthrie Featherstone, Rumpole and the Show Folk, Rumpole and the Fascist Beast, Rumpole and the Case of Identity, Rumpole and the Expert Witness, Rumpole and the Course of True Love, Rumpole and the Perils of the Sea and Rumpole and the Age for Retirement. 

Among the supporting cast are Margot Boyd, Michael Maloney, Michael Elphick, Angela Thorne, Geoffrey Bayldon and Saeed Jaffrey. Duration: 6 hours 30 mins.

Rumpole by John Mortimer (audiobook extract)

The legendary demise of Phil Archer’s first wife is recalled in these archive editions of the much-loved BBC radio serial, plus a unique behind-the-scenes drama about Grace’s death. 

The Archers is the longest-running radio drama in the world, and in 1955 the death of Grace Archer became one of the most notorious – and controversial – events in the history of the show. Over 20 million people tuned in to hear the shocking storyline, and the BBC switchboard was jammed with thousands of calls from distraught listeners. 

This Archers retrospective includes the omnibus edition from September 1955, featuring the fateful night of Grace's demise, and two editions of Vintage Archers from 1986 and 1987 in which the residents of Ambridge – including Jill, Walter, Tom, Shula and Christine – gather at Christmas and remember events of the past. 

Finally, in the 2015 radio play Dead Girls Tell No Tales, the real-life circumstances of Grace's departure from the serial are dramatised by long-term Archers writer Joanna Toye. With a star cast including Eleanor Tomlinson, Simon Russell Beale, Ysanne Churchman, Jon Culshaw, Pam Ferris and Miles Jupp, it delves deep into The Archers' archives to reveal the truth about why Grace had to die. Duration: 3 hours approx.

The Death Of Grace Archer: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation (audiobook extract)

One Spring morning, Mole abandons his spring cleaning and surfaces into the sunlight and warm grass of a great meadow. Rambling busily along the hedgerows he comes all at once to the edge of a river. Mole is entranced. Here on the river bank he meets the Water Rat. Mole stays with the Water Rat in his snug waterside home where the river laps at the sill of the window and here he meets Ratty’s friends, Badger who lives in the Wild Wood and the incorrigible Toad of Toad Hall.   A timeless tale of waterside Britain that has been loved by generations of children and acclaimed as a classic. The story of Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad and their escapades, whether messing about on the river or poop-pooping in Toad’s shiny new car, cannot fail to enchant every listener.   Many of the original cast from Alan Bennett's acclaimed National Theatre production appear in this dramatisation for BBC Radio 4, including Richard Briers as Rat, Adrian Scarborough as Mole and Terence Rigby as Albert with Alan Bennett as the narrator.

The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame starring Alan Bennett and full cast

A unique collection of eight Alan Bennett stories, read by the author. Alan Bennett is one of Britain's best-loved authors and an acclaimed storyteller. This exclusive compilation includes eight of his best tales, collected together for the first time. 

Here is his celebrated, iconic memoir The Lady in the Van; as well as two fascinating autobiographical accounts of his family and childhood. Uncle Clarence sees Bennett visiting the grave of a relative who died in Flanders in 1917; while in Hymn he joins forces with composer George Fenton and the Medici String Quartet to explore his musical memories. 

Bennett's incisive, acute observations shine through in his fiction too, with wry, moving and darkly humorous meditations on death (Father! Father! Burning Bright and The Laying On of Hands), sex (The Shielding of Mrs Forbes) and middle-age ennui (The Clothes They Stood Up In). His gift for affectionate satire reaches its pinnacle in The Uncommon Reader, a delightful tale in which the Queen discovers the pleasures of literature. 

Poignant, compassionate, wise and witty, the stories included are The Lady in the Van, Uncle Clarence, The Clothes They Stood Up In, Father! Father! Burning Bright, Hymn, The Laying On of Hands, The Uncommon Reader and The Shielding of Mrs Forbes. Duration: 13 hours approx.

Alan Bennett: Stories (audiobook extract) read by Alan Bennett

Two new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations of Roald Dahl's gripping autobiographical stories. 

These two compelling adaptations, based on Roald Dahl’s real-life tales of his of his boyhood and youthful overseas adventures, celebrate his remarkable life and commemorate his genius. 

Boy Dahl’s childhood was one of excitement, wonder, terror and sadness. From his fascination with the local sweetshop to the Great Mouse Plot, the horrors of boarding school, the obnoxious Boazers and his time as a chocolate taster for Cadbury’s, we hear of the extraordinary events that shaped him and inspired his bestselling books.

Going Solo Setting sail for Africa on the SS Montola, aged 22, Dahl is plunged into an unfamiliar world of eccentric colonial characters. In Tanzania he enjoys life on the savannah, encountering lions and deadly mambas – but when World War II breaks out, and he must round up the Germans in Dar es Salaam, he experiences the brutality of war. As he leaves the bush behind and takes to the skies as an RAF pilot, many thrilling adventures and dangerous missions will ensue before he finally makes his way back home... 

Starring Patrick Malahide as the voice of Dahl, these colourful dramatisations will carry you away into worlds every bit as amazing, strange and memorable as the ones in his acclaimed fiction. Duration: 3 hours approx

Boy & Going Solo: BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramas by Roald Dahl (audiobook extract)

Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers star in 10 rare episodes of The Goon Show, plus a plethora of bonus features. 

Immensely popular and hugely influential, the groundbreaking series The Goon Show changed the face of British comedy. 

This twelfth collection includes the episodes China Story, Foiled by President Fred, Tales of Old Dartmoor, The Macreekie Rising of '74, Robin Hood, Six Charlies in Search of an Author, Insurance – The White Man's Burden, The Red Fort and The Missing Ten Downing Street (aka Ten Downing Street Stolen), along with the 1972 reunion The Last Goon Show of All. 

Also included are numerous bonus archive items, including celebratory programmes Parkinson Meets The Goons and Heroes for a Time: 6 – The Goons. Here, too, are interviews and features taken from The Best of British Laughs: Peter Sellers, Robbie Vincent's Late Night London, It Takes All Sorts and more, as well as extracts from unedited studio recordings and rehearsals. 

Two illustrated booklets tell the story of the show's development with reference to original archive paperwork, plus the history of the recordings. Remastered using newly sourced material and the latest technology to give the best possible sound quality, these recordings are sure to appeal to all collectors of The Goon Show.

Duration: 10 hours approx

The Goon Show Compendium Volume 12 by Spike Milligan (audiobook extract)

A thrilling BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation based on the third novel in C. J. Sansom's bestselling Tudor crime series featuring hunchback lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake. 
 
Autumn, 1541. Henry VIII, accompanied by his young bride Catherine Howard, has embarked on a Great Progress from London to York, to establish his power and authority with his rebellious subjects in the North and receive their oaths of loyalty.
 
Shardlake, sent ahead of the 3000-strong procession, is in the city to help prepare legal petitions for the King – and to undertake a delicate clandestine mission for Archbishop Cranmer. Sir Edward Broderick, a dangerous conspirator imprisoned in York Castle, is being transferred to the Tower of London for interrogation, and it is up to Shardlake and his faithful assistant Barak to ensure he gets there safe and well. 
 
But the death of a glazier sees the duo drawn into a murder investigation, a treasonous plot and a secret that threatens to bring down the royal family… 
 
Starring Justin Salinger as Shardlake and Bryan Dick as Barak, this gripping third instalment of the 'Shardlake' series is a compelling murder mystery and a deeply evocative portrait of the turbulent Tudor world. 
 
Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.
Tensions are running high in the city, and soon Shardlake is called to investigate a suspicious death - and stumbles upon a daring plot that has the potential to shake England to its core. 

CJ Sansom's 'Shardlake' series has sold over two million copies, and this atmospheric dramatisation starring BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries) brings his début novel to electrifying life. Fast-paced and suspenseful, it is both an engrossing murder mystery and a brilliantly realised portrayal of Tudor England. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Shardlake: Sovereign: BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramas by CJ Sansom (audiobook extract)

Stephen Fry narrates this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the famous Victorian comic novel. 
 
Orphan Becky Sharp and wealthy Amelia Sedley are best friends at Miss Pinkerton's Academy for Young Ladies. On leaving school, ambitious, social-climbing Becky looks for a rich man to support her, while the sweet-natured Amelia meets her old friend Dobbin, who is instantly captivated. 
 
Becky takes a job in the service of Sir Pitt Crawley, and uses her charm to hook his dashing son. However, marriage to Captain Rawdon of the Guards does not provide the fortune she seeks. Meanwhile, Amelia rejects the faithful Dobbin and becomes engaged to the handsome George Osborne – but destiny has some shocks in store for her, too. 
 
As time goes by, the girls' fortunes rise and fall. War, financial disaster and the ruin of her reputation leave the resourceful Beckyundaunted, but Amelia finds it harder to bear fate's blows. It will be many years before their story is played out, and their futures finally decided... 
 
William Makepeace Thackeray's classic satire of passion and ambition, first published in 1847 and 1848, is a deliciously ironic portrait of English society and its mores. This engaging 2004 radio production, published for the first time on audio, features a distinguished cast including Emma Fielding as Becky Sharp, Katy Cavanagh as Amelia and Toby Jones as Jos Sedley. 
 
Duration: 5 hours approx

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (audiobook extract) read by Stephen Fry

A brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. At its heart is an enigma: what is the strange connection between the apparently unrelated Dr Henry Jekyll and Mr Edward Hyde? A battle between good and evil is played out in Victorian London, and its origins are stranger than anyone could imagine. Duration: 1 hour 30 mins approx.

BBC Radio Dramatisation: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (audiobook extract)

Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick are the notorious resting thespians in this hilarious collection of sketches from Round the Horne.
 
‘Oh, hello. I’m Julian, and this is my friend Sandy...’ 
 
Through four series of Round the Horne, Julian and Sandy graced each episode with an encounter with ‘that nice Mr Horne’. Each week they'd be up to new tricks, from filmmaking (Bona Prods) to a travel agency (‘something exciting in a cheap package’) and a ‘bijou restaurantette’ (La Casserole de Bona Gourmet). 
 
In these 48 lally-trembling scenarios, Jools and Sand cater for the intimate at ‘omey in Bona Caterers, shake hands with a prospective member in Keep Britain Bona, set themselves up as Bona Tax Consultants and teach the world to talk proper in Bona School of Languages. Plus, they reveal to Mr Horne just what Julian received on his last birthday… 
 
This fantabulosa selection of Julian and Sandy sketches is brimming with sparkling repartee, gloriously camp humour and outrageous innuendo. So don’t be strange – come on in, rest your lallies and let your riah down with two of the best pros in the business. Duration: 3 hours 40 mins.

BBC Round The Horne The Complete Julian & Sandy (audiobook extract)

Nine episodes of the popular BBC Radio 4 Victorian detective drama starring Brian Cox and Siobhan Redmond – including a remake of the original pilot episode, Meet James McLevy. 
 
Inspired by the real-life memoirs of one of Scotland’s first policemen, this gripping series sees James McLevy prowling the dark streets of 1860s Edinburgh bringing criminals to justice, with the assistance of Constable Mulholland and Lieutenant Roach. 
 
A Price to Pay: The mild-mannered wife of a town councillor admits to murdering her husband. 
The Seventh Veil: An exotic dancer arrives in town, and Jean Brash pays some old debts. 
The Night Walker: A lodger dies in his room, and McLevy finds a woman unconscious in the street. 
The Devil Makes a Move: McLevy protects a young woman, and Jean Brash’s life is in danger. 
Meet James McLevy: How it all began – McLevy investigates when a bank manager is found dead. 
A Matter of Balance: A high-wire circus artiste receives a death threat. 
A Man of Honour: Mullholland is challenged to a duel, and McLevy is out of favour with Jean Brash. 
He Who Waits: The grand opening of the new Leith docks attracts bigwigs – and saboteurs. 
The Last Goodbye: After the opening of the docks, nothing will ever be the same again for McLevy. 
 
Brian Cox and Siobhan Redmond star as Inspector McLevy and Jean Brash, with Michael Perceval-Maxwell as Constable Mulholland and David Ashton as Lieutenant Roach. Duration: 7 hours approx.

BBC Radio 4 Drama: McLevy The Collected Editions Series 11 & 12 (audiobook extract)

Sue Johnston, John Hannah and Eddie Marsan are among the stars of this spellbinding, hilarious and uplifting comedy drama. 
 
Set entirely at a series of weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, these 13 episodes also feature Rebecca Front, Paul Kaye, Julia Deakin and Samantha Bond. 
 
Love in Recovery follows the lives of five very different recovering alcoholics. Eddie Marsan is Andy, the sweet but simple group leader. Sue Johnston is Julie, who's been known to have the odd relapse here and there, and everywhere. John Hannah is Simon, a snide journalist with a big secret. Rebecca Front is the snobby and guarded Fiona, who used to be a banker who had it all, and then lost the lot. Paul Kaye is Danno, a dodgy geezer with no front teeth, but a lot of heart. 
 
During the course of two series and a special Christmas episode, we hear them get to know each other, get on each other’s nerves, laugh, argue, fall apart, fall in love and, most importantly, tell their stories. 
 
Written and created by Pete Jackson, Love in Recovery is inspired by his own road to recovery. Duration: 5 hours approx

BBC Love In Recovery (audiobook extract) by Pete Jackson

A rib-tickling collection of seasonal sketches, songs and plays from Eric and Ernie's BBC television Christmas specials.

'The greatest double act in the history of British television' The Independent

Morecambe and Wise are one of the most popular and enduring double acts ever to appear on television. Their Christmas specials were amongst the highest-rated programmes of all time, with viewing figures in the tens of millions, and they soon became regarded as a national institution.

These highlights from the years 1969 to 1975 feature a host of stellar guests including Eric Porter, Fenella Fielding, Peter Cushing, Glenda Jackson and Des O'Connor. Here, too, is Ernie's play Victoria and Albert, the classic Grieg's Piano Concerto with Eric as soloist, conducted by Mr André Previn/Preview and Eric's appearance at the flat with a giant Christmas tree taken from Trafalgar Square ('we were very lucky, there was only one left').

With the duo's inimitable style of delivery and repartee, it's no wonder that a BBC poll saw Morecambe and Wise voted 'Best Light Entertainment Performers of All Time'. This fantastic compilation represents the very best of Eric and Ernie's festive fun. Duration: 2 hours approx


Read more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1112657/morecambe-wise-christmas-special/#A2qeY6TLduhyfKer.99

BBC Morecambe & Wise Christmas Special (audiobook extract)

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


Read more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1108793/tom-baker-reads-a-christmas-carol/#UglEicBCjk4VwlDt.99

BBC Tom Baker Reads A Christmas Carol (audiobook extract) by Charles Dickens

Harry Enfield stars as the eponymous detective in two full-cast radio dramatisations of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently novels.

Dirk Gently has an unshakeable faith in the interconnectedness of all things, but his Holistic Detective Agency mainly succeeds in tracking down missing cats – until he becomes embroiled in two surreal, supernatural cases that will test his belief to the limits...

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency When an old friend starts behaving strangely, Dirk is drawn into a murder investigation involving quantum physics, an Electric Monk and a four-billion-year-old mystery that must be solved if the human race is to avoid immediate extinction.

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul Fallen on hard times, the psychic sleuth is reading palms in a tent, dressed as an old gypsy woman. But the discovery of a headless body in a sealed room plunges Dirk into a mystery involving a goblin, a giant eagle and several Norse gods…

Directed for BBC Radio 4 by Dirk Maggs (chosen by Douglas Adams to conclude the award-winning The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy), these fantastically entertaining comedy sci-fi dramas star Harry Enfield as Dirk Gently, with Olivia Colman, Billy Boyd, Andrew Sachs, John Fortune, Peter Davison, Jan Ravens, Susan Sheridan, Jim Carter and many more.

These CDs contain over 90 minutes of additional unbroadcast material. Duration: 7 hrs approx.


Read more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1112900/dirk-gently-the-bbc-radio-collection/#j2FRioIIuS6mq7Ux.99

BBC Radio Drama, Dirk Gently- The BBC Radio Collection (audiobook extract)by Douglas Adams

Kris Marshall (My Family) stars in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the famous diarist's account of the aftermath of the Great Fire of London.

Following on from the acclaimed radio dramatisation of Pepys' complete diaries, this further instalment of his chronicles focuses on events following the cataclysmic inferno that destroyed much of the capital four hundred years ago.

When the Great Fire of 1666 was finally extinguished, little remained of London but smouldering rubble. Samuel Pepys witnessed firsthand the impact it had on the city and its people, and would be haunted by what he had seen for the rest of his life. Thousands of homes and many key buildings had been destroyed or damaged, including St Paul's Cathedral.

Now aged 70, in poor health, and living with his servant Will in Clapham, Pepys remembers the devastation. He recalls burying his prize Parmesan to keep it safe, standing in Moorfield among the homeless as London burned, going out in his carriage to look at the ruins, and viewing the plans for the new city that would rise from the ashes – its centrepiece a magnificent cathedral that would be hailed as a masterpiece.

Starring Kris Marshall as Samuel Pepys, this entertaining and enlightening adaptation by Hattie Naylor vividly conjures up the sights and sounds of Pepys' world. Duration: 1 hour 15 mins approx.

Read more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1111729/the-diary-of-samuel-pepys-pepys-and-the-rebuilding-of-london/#vr2cxk1Wr66qgL9P.99

BBC Radio Drama, Samuel Pepys: After The Fire (audiobook extract)

Alan Bennett reads the latest instalment of his diaries, as heard on BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week.

Following on from Alan Bennett's bestselling, award-winning prose collections Writing Home and Untold Stories, Keeping On Keeping On is a third anthology featuring his unique observations, recollections and reminiscences. At its heart is his latest published collection of diaries.

In these entries, covering the years 2005 to 2014, Bennett looks back on a packed decade that included writing four highly-acclaimed plays – The Habit of Art, People, Hymn and Cocktail Sticks, all of which premiered at the National Theatre – as well as the screenplays for the hit films of The History Boys and The Lady in the Van.

In addition, he reflects on his 25 years of friendship and collaboration with director Nicholas Hytner, life with his partner Rupert Thomas and, radical views notwithstanding, his status as ‘kindly, cosy and essentially harmless’.

Packed with perceptive impressions of people and places, sharp social commentary, expressive description and delightful jokes, this irresistible record of life according to Alan Bennett is a treasury of wisdom and insight.

Duration: 2 hours 20 mins approx.

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Keeping On Keeping On written and Narrated by Alan Bennett (audiobook extract) BBC Audio

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