A. J. Liebling, born in Manhattan in 1904, joined the staff of the New Yorker in 1935 and contributed innumerable articles to the magazine throughout his lifetime, on subjects ranging from food to boxing and France to horse racing. As a war correspondent during the Second World War, he reported from France, England and Algeria, and participated in the Normandy landings. In later life he married the writer Jean Stafford, his third wife. He died in 1963.

A. J. Liebling

A. J. Rosen is an author of YA fantasy and is known as @agatharoza on Wattpad.

A. J. Rosen

A. K. Davidson

A. O. Scott has been a film critic at the New York Times since 2000. His writing has appeared in many other publications, including the New York Review of Books, Slate, the New Yorker and the Nation. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 2010, Scott is currently Distinguished Professor of Film Criticism at Wesleyan University. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York. 
 
@aoscott

A. O. Scott

A.S. Byatt (1936-2023) was a novelist, short-story writer and critic of international renown. Her novels include Possession (winner of the Booker Prize 1990), the Frederica Quartet and The Children’s Book, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. She was appointed CBE in 1990 and DBE in 1999, and was awarded the Erasmus Prize 2016 for her ‘inspiring contribution to life writing’ and the Pak Kyongni Prize 2017. In 2018 she received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.

A. S. Byatt

A. T. Williams won the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2013 for his book A Very British Killing: The Death of Baha Mousa. He lives in Warwickshire.

A. T. Williams

A. W. Chase

Dubbed ‘The new queen of spy fiction’ by the Guardian newspaper, and ‘the real thing’ by the Washington Post, A.C. 'Ava' Glass is the CWA Dagger-shortlisted author of Alias Emma (The Chase), The Traitor and The Trap. The Traitor was a 2023 Richard and Judy Bookclub pick. Alias Emma was a Barnes and Noble book of the month. A former crime reporter and communications consultant, for five years Ava worked closely with spies. Her time in that world fascinated her, and the people she met back then inspire every book she writes.

A.C. Glass

A.E. Housman

Arthur Edward Waite was the designer and co-creator of the now famous Rider Waite Tarot deck. 
 
An American-born British poet and scholarly mystic, his strong interest in all esoteric matters - divination, magic, Kabbalism, alchemy and Freemasony - led to him penning a number of books. These include the Key to the Tarot, The Book of Ceremonial Magic and A New Encyclopedia of Freemasony.

A.E. Waite

A.E. Warren is the author of the Tomorrow's Ancestors series, which consists of Subject Twenty-One, The Hidden Base, The Fourth Species and The Final Rising. 
 
After spending eight years working as a lawyer, she began to write in the evenings and early mornings as a form of escapism from life in a very small cubicle with lots of files. She self-published her first novels in her spare time, which were picked up by Del Rey UK which is the science fiction/fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. 
 
 She is an avid reader, occasional gamer and fair-weather runner. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and hopefully, one day, a wise border terrier named Austen.

A.E. Warren

A.G.D. Maran

A.J. Ayer

A K Benedict writes crime and speculative fiction in a room filled with clowns, mannequins and Doctor Who figures. Her first novel, The Beauty of Murder, was nominated for an eDunnit award and is in development for a major 8-part TV series by Company Pictures. Her second, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts, came out in February 2016. She's written Torchwood audio dramas for Big Finish and her short stories have featured in anthologies including Great British Horror and Best British Short Stories. She lives in St Leonards-on-Sea with her dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford.

A.K.Benedict

A. L. Kennedy has twice been selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards – including the Costa Book of the Year for her novel Day. She lives in Essex.

A.L. Kennedy

A.M. Ellis is a speculative fiction author and lover of everything steeped in myth and mystery. Her stories often lean into diverse voices, not only in her identity as a Black woman, but in exploring neurodivergence and mental health. A proud introvert and nostalgic gamer, she lives in Maryland, USA, with her husband and three children. Angelica is also the author of Hunt A Killer, a PERFECT SCORE novel, under the pen name A.M. Ellis, which she wrote as an IP for Scholastic in the US.

A.M. Ellis

A.N. Wilson was born in 1950 and educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he holds a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism. He is an award-winning biographer and a celebrated novelist, winning prizes for much of his work. He lives in North London.

A.N. Wilson

A.T. Emerald

A.W. Priest

A.B.C. Merriman-Labor was a barrister, writer and munitions worker born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1877. His published works include A Series of Lectures on the Negro Race and The Story of the African Slave in a Nutshell. He also edited two editions of the Handbook of Sierra Leone. He arrived in the UK in 1904 to study law. In 1907, he organised a centenary commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade in Westminster Abbey. He later embarked on an 'entertainment-lecture' tour called Life and Scenes in Britain, travelling across thousands of miles of West, South West and Central Africa, which he expanded on to create Britons Through Negro Spectacles.

ABC Merriman-Labor

AJ Cronin

AJ Molloy

Aabria Iyengar is an American actress and author.

Aabria Iyengar

Aaliya Jaleel is a freelance illustrator, designer, and visual development artist, currently majoring in Animation at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is also the illustrator of Under My Hijab and Muslim Girls Rise. You can visit her online at www.aaliyamj.com.

Aaliya Jaleel

Aaron Allston

After more than fifteen years of experience as a clinical psychotherapist, Dr Aaron Balick has taken the amazing insights from psychology and psychotherapy out of the consultation room and made them accessible to the wider world. 
 
He has been an ‘agony uncle’ for many years for both CBBC and BBC Radio 1, as well as on television, including BBC Worldwide, BBC 3 and BBC Learning.

Aaron Balick

Aaron Carroll

Aaron Dignan is the founder of The Ready--a global organizational transformation and coaching practice--that helps companies large and small adopt new forms of self-organization and dynamic teaming. Clients include Johnson &amp; Johnson, Microsoft, Lloyds Bank, Citibank, Boeing, Mailchimp, Airbnb, Dropbox, and charity: water. 
 
He is also the founder of Murmur--a SaaS startup that helps teams scale culture through the magic of working agreements. The Murmur platform will allow every team on the planet to define and share their ways of working. 
 
Dignan is the author of Brave New Work (2019) and Game Frame (2011), co-host of the Brave New Work podcast, and a friend to misfit toys.

Aaron Dignan

Aaron Edwards is a senior lecturer in defence and international affairs at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, specialising in terrorism and counter-insurgency. He is the author and editor of several books, including Defending the Realm: The Politics of Britain’s Small Wars Since 1945, and has lectured all over the world on aspects of national and international security. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Aaron Edwards

Aaron Robertson is a writer, an editor, and a translator of Italian literature. His translation of Igiaba Scego’s Beyond Babylon was short-listed for the 2020 PEN Translation Prize and the National Translation Award, and in 2021 he received a National Endowment for the Arts grant. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The Nation, Foreign Policy, n+1, The Point, and Literary Hub, among other publications. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Aaron Robertson

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

Eric Saward

David Banks reads this action-packed novelisation featuring the Sixth Doctor and Peri. 
 
What links a diamond raid in 20th Century London, a secret base in the heart of the city's sewer system, a cold and desolate planet light years from Earth, and a daring plan to alter the entire course of interplanetary history? 
 
The Doctor's old enemy, Lytton, has allied himself with the Cybermen. Their scheme, if successful, could bring the human race to its knees. 
 
For the Cybermen have journeyed back in time to prevent the destruction of their home world. And for Mondas to survive, the Earth must die...

Doctor Who: Attack of the Cybermen

6th Doctor Novelisation

Barbara Taylor Bradford

A powerful billionaire who appears to have everything. The woman that holds the key.When a beautiful piece of music stirs mega-tycoon, Maximilian West, he remembers the women who have loved him and shaped his life. So begins a dazzling tale, taking us from the streets of London to the suites of New York, from the rise of Nazi Germany to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Strong, powerful, enigmatic, aloof, and adoring - many women made Maximilian the man with everything, but there is only one woman who can make him feel truly alive&hellip;Hear an unforgettable journey of sacrifice, secrets, love and redemption. Be mesmerised across all eight episodes of this sumptuous full-cast adaptation that will have you gripped from start to finish.Barbara Taylor Bradford is one of the world&rsquo;s greatest storytellers, her books have sold over 92 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 40 languages. Her debut, A Woman of Substance, was an instant bestseller and she has established herself as one of the best-known writers of compelling stories with heart. Bert Coules has written several hugely successful radio and TV adaptations including the Brother Cadfael novels, works by Val McDirmid, Ian Rankin and The Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes series.&ldquo;Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is one of the world&rsquo;s best at spinning yarns.&quot; The Guardian&ldquo;Queen of the genre.&rdquo; Sunday TimesCast and creditsWritten by Bert CoulesOriginal story by Barbara Taylor BradfordDirected by Enyd WilliamsPianist Michael HaslamMaximilian West - Robin EllisPrincess Irina Troubetzkoy - Dorothy TutinAnastasia &ndash; Alexandra BastedoCamilla Galland - Nicola PagettAdriana Macklin - Joanna MunroBlair Martin &ndash; Alice Arnold Theodora/Teddy - Emma FieldingUrsula Westheim - Susannah CorbettFrau Westheim - Sonia FraserSister Constanza &ndash; Sian Phillips Aunt Ketti &ndash; Maria CharlesAlix West - Elaine Pyke Michael West - Nicholas FletcherAlan Trenton &ndash; Simon WilliamsMargot Derevenko &ndash; Pauline Jameson Willy Herzog - Kim WallMark Lewis &ndash; Christopher Scott Little Maxim - William Nichols RoseYoung Maxim &ndash; Jonathan Kitchens Teenage Maxim- Robert Harper Teenage Alan &ndash; Alex LoweOther parts played by Janet Maw, Chris Pavlo, Shirley Dixon, Jonathan Adams, Sean Baker, Colleen Prendergast, Rory Jennings, Denys Hawthorne, Joan Meredith First Broadcast BBC Radio 2, 22 Oct &ndash; 10 Dec 1996&copy;2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Women in His Life

A BBC Radio Dramatisation

James Goss

Dan Starkey reads this novelisation of the brand new adventure for Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary, featuring the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble, as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate 
 
A sinister toyshop. The Earth erupting in violence. Shockwaves travelling through history. 
 
With old friends powerless to help, the Doctor is drawn into a deadly duel against an old nemesis who can bend reality to his will – and change the Doctor’s life for ever… 
 
Dan Starkey, whose roles in the BBC TV series include the Sontaran Strax, reads James Goss’s novelisation of the 2023 television adventure by Russell T Davies. 
 
This edition includes some unique chapters specially adapted for the audiobook medium. 
 
? 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
Reading produced by Neil Gardner/Ladbroke Audio. 
Sound design by Oliver Denman. 
Executive producer for BBC Audio: Michael Stevens.

Doctor Who: The Giggle

14th Doctor Novelisation

Gary Russell

Jacqueline King reads this brand-new adventure for Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary, based on a script by Russell T Davies and featuring the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble, as played on TV by David Tennant and Catherine Tate. 
 
A life-changing encounter. A fugitive from the stars. Wrathful warriors in pursuit. 
 
Landing on Earth, the Doctor finds a stranded alien in need of protection – and is dragged headlong into the life of his old friend Donna Noble, knowing that if she ever remembers their time together, she will die… 
 
Jacqueline King, whose plays Sylvia Noble in the BBC TV series, reads Gary Russell’s novelisation of the 2023 television adventure by Russell T Davies. 
 
? 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
Reading produced by Neil Gardner/Ladbroke Audio. 
Sound design by David Darlington. 
Executive producer for BBC Audio: Michael Stevens.

Doctor Who: The Star Beast

Mark Morris

Bonnie Langford reads this novelisation of the brand new adventure for Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary, featuring the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble, as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate. 
 
A ship at the edge of space. A robot with a secret. A sinister presence. 
 
The Doctor and Donna are trapped on board a mysterious spacecraft. Fate of the crew: unknown. Fate of the universe if what’s on board gets out: terminal. 
 
Bonnie Langford, whose plays Mel in the BBC TV series, reads Mark Morris’s novelisation of the 2023 television adventure by Russell T Davies. 
 
? 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
Reading produced by Neil Gardner. 
Sound design by David Roocroft. 
Executive producer for BBC Audio: Michael Stevens.

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder

Noel Streatfeild

Full-cast dramatisations of three of Noel Streatfeild's classic children's books 
 
Rising to fame with her 1936 novel Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfeild soon became one of the most popular authors of her day. She was one of the first winners of the Carnegie Medal and was awarded an OBE in 1983. She died in 1986, but her stories continue to captivate children today. Included here are three of her very best - Ballet Shoes, The Growing Summer and When the Siren Wailed. 
 
Ballet Shoes - Adopted by Great Uncle Matthew on his archaeological expeditions, Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil grow up as sisters, and vow to make their name famous. When they enrol at the Children's Academy of Dancing, the Fossil girls share a future of a dazzling life onstage, where their dreams and fears will soon come true.... Rosemary Leach, Alexandra Mathie, Victoria Shalet and Lucy Curtis star in this delightful dramatisation. 
 
The Growing Summer - It is 1965, and the young Gareth children's lives are about to change for ever. When their father falls dangerously ill, they are sent to Ireland to stay with their eccentric Great-Aunt Dymphna for the summer. There, in her crumbling mansion on the west coast, they face dangers and adventures they could never have imagined... Starring Ann Rye, Holly Grainger, Will Haigh, Emily Fleeshman and Paul Herriott. 
 
When the Siren Wailed - When World War Two breaks out, Laura, Andy and Tim Clark are evacuated to the countryside. Brought up in poverty, they find a happy, comfortable home with the Colonel - but then tragedy occurs, and the children decide to run away back to London. Caught up in an air raid, can they make their way through the blackouts and bombed-out streets to find their mother? Narrated by Wendy Richard, this gripping, moving adventure story stars Norman Bird, John Church, Nicholas Courtney and Keeley Hawes. 
 
Text copyright © Noel Streatfield 1936 (Ballet Shoes), 1966 (The Growing Summer), 1974 (When the Siren Wailed) 
Copyright © Beneficiaries of Noel Streatfeild 1986 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Noel Streatfeild 
 
Ballet Shoes 
With Rosemary Leach, John Ringham, Alexandra Mathie, Victoria Shalet, Lucy Curtis, Lia Williams, Charles Edwards, Abigail Thaw, Alison Skilbeck, Olivia Breeze, Max Digby, Jonathan Dryden Taylor and Miriam Berry 
Adapted by Ellen Dryden 
Directed by Don Taylor 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27-31 Dec 1999 
 
The Growing Summer 
With Ann Rye, Holly Grainger, Will Haigh, Emily Fleeshman, Paul Herriott, James Caplin, Catherine Keane, Vincent Patrick 
Dramatised by Julie Wilkinson 
Directed by Sue Sutton Mayo 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 Aug 2000 
 
When the Siren Wailed 
Narrated by Wendy Richard 
With Norman Bird, John Church, Nicholas Gatt, David Goudge, Keeley Hawes, Joan Matheson, Marc Murphy, Judy Parkin, Christopher Scott, Joan Walker, Melinda Walker, Howard Ward, Nicholas Courtney, Malcolm Hebden and Eva Stuart 
Dramatised by Richard Pinner 
Produced by Mary Kalemkarian 
Researcher: Lis Roberts 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 Jan-19 Mar 1989 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Noel Streatfeild: Ballet Shoes & more

A BBC Radio 4 Children’s Drama Collection

Ted Willis

A collection of full-cast dramatisations from the renowned screenwriter and novelist Ted Willis 
 
"There are great actors and intriguing premises in every one of the stories ... If you’d forgotten what an ingenious mind Ted Willis had, and what a gifted writer he was for espionage plots, then this collection is a timely reminder." Entertainment Focus 
 
Ted Willis began his creative life in amateur theatre and journalism before moving into writing for films, TV and radio, and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most prolific writer for television. His best-known creation was the hit police procedural Dixon of Dock Green which he based on the stories told to him by a policeman friend. This radio anthology includes five of his best-loved crime tales from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. 
 
The Buckingham Palace Connection - Summer, 1976. A question in the House of Lords leads Ted Willis to uncover the extraordinary true story of a 1918 mission to rescue the Romanovs... Maurice Denham, Jeremy Clyde and Miriam Margolyes star in this exciting drama, based on real events and adapted by Ted Willis from his own novel. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3-31 May 1981 
 
The Left-Handed Sleeper - Ted Willis' neighbours have become embroiled in scandal. MP Mark Ritchie has gone on the run, suspected of being a spy, and MI5 are on his trail. Can his wife Christine prove his innocence? Dramatised by the author from his 1975 novel, this gripping espionage thriller stars Ted Willis as the narrator, with Annette Crosbie as Christine. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14 November-12 December 1982 
 
Death May Surprise Us - Attending a country fair, the Prime Minister and his wife are kidnapped in broad daylight, within yards of a huge crowd. With the country reeling, the hunt is on to find them and bring them home safely... Leslie Sands and Mary Wimbush star in this suspenseful tale, adapted by Ted Willis from his 1974 novel. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 August-30 September 1984 
 
The Blue Lamp - This vintage drama by Ted Willis and Jan Read was based on their original treatment for the 1950 Ealing Studios film that introduced the character of PC George Dixon, who went on to appear in TV's Dixon of Dock Green. Deryck Guyler stars as the veteran London copper who faces up to an armed robber. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 December 1962 
 
And No Birds Sing - Philip Brooks is quietly reading at home, but a knock on his front door may change his life forever... This intriguing play stars Hugh Burden as Philip Brooks, Mary Miller as Ann Brooks and Adrian Egan as Detective Sergeant Syms. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 May 1979 
 
Credits 
Written and dramatised by Ted Willis 
 
The Buckingham Palace Connection: Directed by Glyn Dearman 
The Left-Handed Sleeper: Produced by Christopher Venning 
Death May Surprise Us: Directed by Graham Gauld 
The Blue Lamp: Produced by David H. Godfrey; Written by Ted Willis and Jan Read; Adapted for radio by Jan Read 
And No Birds Sing: Directed by David Johnston 
 
With special thanks to Keith Wickham 
 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Buckingham Palace Connection and more

Five Full-Cast BBC Radio Vintage Thrillers

Arthur Conan Doyle

BBC Radio dramatisations and readings of some of Arthur Conan Doyle's other works - plus extracts from his letters and a bonus drama by Bert Coules 
 
Arthur Conan Doyle is well known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, but he also wrote numerous works in which the great detective played no part. Included here is a selection of the best, ranging from science fiction to tales of supernatural terror and rip-roaring adventures set in Jacobean and Regency England. 
 
Our collection opens with the first of three dramas featuring the hot-tempered, larger-than-life scientist and explorer Professor Challenger. 'The Lost World' stars David Robb as Challenger, he heads on an expedition to a plateau in the Amazon Basin. Following this drama we have two further dramatisations starring Bill Paterson as Challenger this time. In 'When the World Screamed', he sets out on a bold mission to be recognised by Mother Earth, while 'The Disintegration Machine' sees him investigating dastardly Latvian inventor Theodore Nemor. 
 
'The Captain of the Polestar' drama tells the chilling story of a ship trapped in the Arctic, and stars Alec Heggie as Craigie, a man haunted by a strange apparition. 
 
Also included are the short stories 'Playing With Fire', 'How It Happened', 'One Crowded Hour', 'The Fall of Lord Barrymore', 'The Sealed Room' and 'The Lost Special' (read by Edward de Souza, Sam Dale, Christopher Harper and David Schofield), and the fascinating series Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters, in which Forbes Masson and John Dougal read extracts from his correspondence to his mother about marriage, fatherhood, killing off Holmes and going into politics. Finally, how the author ran for Parliament in 1900 and lost is explored in Bert Coules' biographical drama Vote For Conan Doyle!, starring John Sessions. 
 
First published 1883 ('The Captain of the Polestar'), 1898 ('The Sealed Room', 'The Lost Special'), 1900 ('Playing With Fire'), 1911 ('One Crowded Hour'), 1912 ('The Lost World'), 1912 ('The Fall of Lord Barrymore'), 1913 ('How It Happened'), 1928 ('When The World Screamed'), 1929 ('The Disintegration Machine'), 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 
 
Track list 
Dramatisations 
1. Professor Challenger: The Lost World Episode 1- A Bridge to the Unknown 
2. Professor Challenger: The Lost World Episode 2 - Our Eyes Have Seen Great Wonders 
3. Professor Challenger: When The World Screamed 
4. Professor Challenger: The Disintegration Machine 
5. The Captain of the Polestar 
Short Stories 
6. Playing With Fire 
7. How It Happened 
8. One Crowded Hour 
9. The Fall of Lord Barrymore 
10. The Sealed Room 
11. The Lost Special 
Bonus content 
12. Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters 
13. Vote for Conan Doyle! 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Arthur Conan Doyle: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Douglas Hill

Embark on a perilous quest into a magical realm where a young boy must do battle with monsters and demons in order to survive. 
 
Immerse yourself in an epic fantasy adventure, based on the book by the hugely popular science fiction writer Douglas Hill, and brought to life in this full-cast performance. 
 
When his village is destroyed by the evil Prince Mephtik, young Jarral Gullen must search for answers. With the help of his three friends Archer, Scythe and the Lady Mandragorina - a band of magically talented adventurers - Jarral must make a terrifying journey into the unknown. Only then will he be able to answer the questions that haunt him. Will he be able to discover what strange talents he possesses? And why does the spectre known as the Poisoner want to hunt him down? Marked with the tainted sword of Prince Mephtik, Jarral is doomed to die a terrible death unless both the blade and the prince are destroyed by the next full moon. The band of friends must complete their treacherous quest to Mephtik's demon-guarded fortress - but can Jarral connect with his power in time, and will he live long enough to use it? 
 
This exclusive edition includes a bonus fantastical story of magic and mayhem - Penelope's Pendant. When eleven-year-old Penny finds a pendant on the beach she discovers that it gives her the power to move herself and other objects through space. But when the pendant's maker comes to claim it, Penny doesn't want to let it go. 
 
Starring Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh alongside James Holland, Eric Allen, Elizabeth Bell, Ben Onwukuwe, Susan Sheridan and Hugh Dixon, these adventures will delight fans of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea novels and J.R.R. Tolkien's Tales from the Perilous Realm. 
 
 
Blade of the Poisoner 
Written by Douglas Hill 
Dramatised by Wally K Daly 
Produced by Peter Fozzard 
Music by Peter Howells 
Special Effects by Dick Mills 
 
Jarral the Man - Eric Allen 
Jarral the boy - James Holland 
Archer - Elizabeth Bell 
Carver - Ben Onwukwe 
Dorrina - Adjoa Andoh 
Mandra - Susan Sheridan 
Prince Mephtik - Hugh Dixon 
Yorrold - David Bannerman 
Soldiers - Nigel Carrington, Charles Millom and Neil Roberts 
Cryltor Tabatang - James Thomason 
Flammarock - Bret Usher 
Whiney - Richard Pierce 
Innkeeper - Anne Windsor 
Other parts played by Auriol Smith and Charles Millom 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 5, July 1991 
 
Penelope's Pendant 
Written by Douglas Hill 
Adapted by Paul Copley 
 
Penelope - Keeley Forsyth 
Trish - Vicky Fox 
Alan - Jason Lowe 
Ralph - Jonathan Tristram 
Tony - Matthew Raybould 
Errol - Richard Redpath 
Gummy - James Buckley 
Mother - Joanna Myers 
Narrator - Paul Copley 
Glumdole - Barry Kaylor 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 5, 2 April 1991 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Blade of the Poisoner

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Fantasy Adventure plus bonus story Penelope’s Pendant

Victor Pemberton

A suspenseful archaeological thriller full of secrets, lies and mysteries from acclaimed writer and producer Victor Pemberton 
 
Best known as a TV producer, writer and script editor for Doctor Who, Victor Pemberton created the Doctor's most iconic gadget, the sonic screwdriver. A prolific dramatist, he also penned a wide variety of plays for BBC Radio including this gripping 8-part adventure, first broadcast in 1968. 
 
Elizabeth Warwick, the daughter of a famous archaeologist, travels to Egypt's Valley of the Kings to explore the mysterious tomb her father discovered before his death. Following in his footsteps, she hopes to find out what secrets lurk within. Is it an empty shell, or the final resting place of a Pharaoh? 
 
But her investigations lead her further and further into danger. Sir Richard Warwick had enemies, and now they are pursuing her. Embroiled in intrigue and unsure who to trust, she embarks on a quest that will take her from the Temple of Luxor to Cairo's City of the Dead... 
 
Among the cast of this thrilling serial are Sheila Grant, John Humphry, David Spenser, Rolf Lefebvre, Nigel Anthony and Marion Mathie. 
 
 
NB: Contains some dated references. Due to the age and nature of the recording, the sound quality may vary 
 
Cast 
Elizabeth Warwick - Sheila Grant 
Mahmoud - James Thomason 
Mr Wilder - John Humphry 
Fuad - David Spenser 
Charles Villiers - Rolf Lefebvre 
Margaret Villiers - Marion Mathie 
Achmed Araby - Haydn Jones 
Abdullah - Antony Viccars 
Bertie Pringle - Barry Lowe 
O'Hara - Denis McCarthy 
Captain Aziz - John Justin 
Achmed Araby - Haydn Jones 
The stranger/Michael Warwick - Christopher Bidmead 
Dr Fawzad - Nigel Anthony 
 
Other parts played by Anthony Jackson, Ian Thompson, Barbara Mitchell, Margaret Robertson, Rosalind Shanks, Douglas Hankin, LeRoy Lingwood, Alexander John and members of the BBC Drama Repertory Company 
 
Written by Victor Pemberton 
Produced by John Tydeman 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 30 May-24 June 1968 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Kill the Pharaoh!

A Vintage BBC Radio Thriller

Mike Walker

Four gripping historical dramas centred around key figures who shaped America in the 20th century 
 
Award-winning writer Mike Walker has created many acclaimed docudramas and historical dramas for Radio 4, including The Stuarts, Tsar, Caesar! and Plantagenet. This collection includes four nuanced dramas featuring a trio of controversial men who stamped their mark on American history: J Edgar Hoover, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Richard Baines Nixon. Among the casts are William Hootkins, Bob Sherman, Lorelei King, Nathan Osgood and Alex Lanipekun. 
 
J Edgar Hoover - This four-part drama charts the rise and fall of the notorious FBI director. Beginning in 1919, when a young Hoover uses his reputation for anti-Communist zealotry to further his ambitions, it takes in his single-minded pursuit of criminals including 'Public Enemy Number One' John Dillinger; his struggles with Bobby Kennedy and his relationship with his longtime deputy and close companion Clyde Tolson. 
 
LBJ - Inspired by real historical events, this two-part drama looks at the Kennedy administration, LBJ and the Vietnam War through the eyes of fictional journalist Lyle Weaver. Offered a job working as speechwriter to Vice-President Johnson, idealistic Lyle can't resist the chance to become an insider, helping to drive change. But the White House is riven by power struggles and, forced to take sides, he fails to consider the personal cost of being one on LBJ's people. 
 
The Product - Vietnam, 1968. When their helicopter is shot down, a soldier and a reporter are stranded in the jungle. Battling together to reach safety, they share stories, and realise that they were part of opposing campaigns in the historic 1960 election which saw JFK narrowly defeat Nixon. Reflecting on a victory won through propaganda, dollars and dirty tricks, they recall the candidates they each supported - and consider the legacy of their choices. 
 
American Faith: Richard Milhous Nixon's Road to Watergate - An epic, intimate drama recounting the life and extraordinary career of one of America's most fascinating and enigmatic Presidents: from his upbringing as a Quaker shopkeeper's son to his involvement in the 1970s Watergate scandal that rocked the nation and forced his resignation. 
 
NB: Contains strong language and attitudes from the era in which these stories are set which would not be considered acceptable today. 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

American Legacy: Epic dramas of US politics

Four BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas

Robert Louis Stevenson

A thrilling collection of dramatisations from the classic Scottish master of tales 
 
Robert Louis Stevenson was a novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer, and created some of the most famous and influential characters in modern literature. From Long John Silver and David Balfour to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, his figures swiftly became the shorthand for piracy, monstrous medicine, and the slave trade in America. A master of atmosphere and an enthusiast of foreign travel, Stevenson wrote countless stories which have been enjoyed in film, television and theatre adaptations throughout the years. 
 
In this fantastic collection, enjoy the ripping adventures of Treasure Island, with young Jim Hawkins discovering a treasure map in a pirate's chest and soon finding himself drawn into a world of danger and high seas adventure with the charismatic Long John Silver. The next two stories are introduced by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Good Omens): Kidnapped, the thrilling tale of one young man's escape from the Jacobite rebellions, only to be press-ganged onto a slave ship heading for the plantations of America, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the terrifying story of a scientist experimenting on himself, and the terrible dark discovery he makes, featuring Stuart McQuarrie (The Crown, Shetland) and John Dougall (The Girl on the Train, Holby City). 
 
Five further stories follow: 'The Bottle Imp', a twisted tale about a magic bottle, The Master of Ballantrae, a buccaneering tale of two rival brothers, and Weir of Hermiston, Stevenson's unfinished novel of passion and rebellion in the Lowlands. In 'Olalla', a family is hiding a terrible secret in the Spanish hills, and in 'Markheim', an unusual stranger is suspiciously helpful. 
 
Finally, two fascinating pieces of non-fiction: Travels with a Donkey, Stevenson's account of attempting to travel the French mountains with only a donkey for company and Great Lives, an episode of the series featuring Stevenson as the examined life. 
 
Starring such acclaimed actors as David Tennant, Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey, Lovejoy), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Mary Queen of Scots) and Alan Cumming (The High Life, The Good Wife), this is a collection not to be missed by any fan of literature or adventure. 
 
Contents List 
 
Treasure Island 
 
Kidnapped 
 
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 
 
'The Bottle Imp' 
 
The Master of Ballantrae 
 
Weir of Hermiston 
 
'Olalla' 
 
'Markheim' 
 
Travels with a Donkey 
 
Great Lives - Robert Louis Stevenson 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Robert Louis Stevenson: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Treasure Island, Kidnapped, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and more

Irène Némirovsky

BBC radio adaptations of four acclaimed works from the bestselling Ukrainian-born author Irène Némirovsky 
 
Best known for her posthumously published novel Suite Française, Irène Némirovsky was born in Kiev in 1903. Her family fled the Russian Revolution for Paris, where she found fame as a novelist. But when the Nazis occupied France, she was arrested as a Jew and sent to Auschwitz, where she died aged just 39. This collection includes four of her best works, dramatised for radio with a full cast. 
 
The Misunderstanding - Scarred by war, Yves returns to the Spanish resort of his childhood. There he meets beautiful, bored Denise, and the duo embark on an affair. But their love is challenged by mutual misunderstanding. Described as Némirovsky's Madame Bovary, this compelling tale of passion and regret stars Sarah Smart and Joseph Kloska. 
 
Jezebel - 1935, and Gladys Eysenach, a beautiful, elegant woman obsessed with her lost youth, is on trial for shooting dead her much younger lover. Delving into her past, she recounts the key events that led to the murder. Frances Barber stars as Gladys, with Anna Francolini as Némirovsky. 
 
Dolce - In 1941, a German regiment is billeted in a French village. In the Angellier household two warring women pack away their valuables and prepare to meet the enemy. An adaptation of the second, standalone volume of Némirovsky's masterpiece, Suite Française, this searing depiction of France under German occupation stars Sian Thomas, Eve Best, Deborah Findlay and James D'Arcy. 
 
The Dogs and the Wolves - Growing up during the Jewish pogroms in Ukraine, Ada falls in love with her rich cousin, Harry Sinner. But her poor cousin, Ben, is in love with her. When both families move to Paris, Ada becomes an artist, while Harry moves in elite French society. Then one day, he sees two of Ada's paintings, and her life is changed forever... Sarah Smart stars as Ada, with Carl Prekopp as Harry and Graeme Hawley as Ben, in Némirovsky's epic tale of family, finance and fate. 
 
First published 1926 (The Misunderstanding), 1937 (Jezebel), 2006 (Dolce), 2009 (The Dogs and the Wolves) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Irène Némirovsky 
Translated by Sandra Smith 
 
The Misunderstanding 
Cast: Joseph Kloska, Sarah Smart, Charlotte Sienna Lee, Jake Ferretti, Evan Jones, Rupert Hill, Emma Gregory 
Dramatised by Lin Coghlan 
Directed by Pauline Harris 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21-25 January 2019 
 
Jezebel 
Cast: Frances Barber, Anna Francolini, Natasha Cowley, David Sterne, Keziah Joseph, Victoria Brazier, Conrad Nelson, Ellen Dryden, John Catterall, Ashley Margolis 
Dramatised by Ellen Dryden 
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7-11 November 2016 
 
Dolce 
Cast: Sian Thomas, Eve Best, Deborah Findlay, James D'Arcy, Alex Tregear, Stuart McLoughlln, Teresa Gallagher 
Adapted by Penny Leicester 
Produced and directed by Di Speirs 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14-18 August 2006 
 
The Dogs and the Wolves 
Cast: Anna Francolini, Sarah Smart, Carl Prekopp, Graeme Hawley, Sydney Wade, Ellis Hollins, Ben Hanley, Will Tacey, Olwen May, Fiona Clarke, Natalie Grady, Will Tacey 
Dramatised by Ellen Dryden 
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10-14 June 2013 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Irène Némirovsky: Four BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations

The Dogs and the Wolves, Jezebel, The Misunderstanding and Dolce from the Suite Française Series

Jack London

Jack London was the epitome of the hard-drinking, hard-living novelist. His extraordinary career included spells as an oyster pirate, sailor, hobo, prospector in the Klondike Gold Rush, reporter in the Russo-Japanese war and round-the-world yachtsman. A chronic alcoholic, he died aged just 40, having written some of the best-loved adventure stories in American literature. Included here are three of his most famous works, together with a thrilling original drama about the man himself and a fascinating documentary exploring his turbulent life. 
 
The Call of the Wild - Kidnapped from a wealthy Californian household, domestic pet Buck is sold to become a sled dog in the harsh landscape of the Yukon. To survive, he must shed the veneer of civilization and rediscover his primordial instincts... Robert Jack and Finn den Hertog star in this atmospheric dramatisation of London's epic novella. 
 
The Sea Wolf - Shipwrecked literary critic Humphrey Van Weyden is rescued by Wolf Larsen, the ruthless, demonic captain of the seal-hunting schooner, Ghost. But when the ship picks up another castaway, Maud Brewster, the real danger on the voyage begins... Jack Klaff, Kerry Shale and Shelley Thompson star in this gripping tale of heroism, survival and love on the high seas. 
 
To Build a Fire - In this classic short story, a man walks the frozen Yukon back to base camp, his only companion a wild husky dog. As conditions steadily worsen, it becomes a fight for survival in the unforgiving wilderness. How far, then, is base camp? Read by Stuart Milligan. 
 
Jack - In 1906, Jack London set out to circumnavigate the world in a small boat, accompanied by his wife, Charmian. Through the couple's revealing letters, author Steve May tells the ultimately tragic story of this most quintessentially 'macho ' of American writers. Starring Keith Alexander and Kate Harper. Content warning: The characters in this story express racist views from the era in which the story is set. 
 
London Calling - Aminatta Forna explains how the vivid descriptions of the wilderness in the works of Jack London had a crucial influence over her. Talking to authors including Tobias Wolff and George Monbiot, she finds out about his remarkable life and the enduring popularity of his work. 
 
First published 1903 (The Call of the Wild), 1904 (The Sea-Wolf), 1908 (To Build a Fire) 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Jack London: A BBC Radio Collection

Including The Call of the Wild & The Sea Wolf

A classic BBC Radio adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novels of adventure and romance 
 
First published in 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson's rollicking historical novel Kidnapped was an instant bestseller. It was followed by an 1893 sequel, Catriona, which Stevenson regarded as his 'high water mark', declaring that he would 'never do a better book'. Included here is the epic 10-part BBC radio dramatisation of both action-packed tales. 
 
Narrated by the central character, David Balfour, this riveting retelling sees him looking back over his eventful life and recalling his escapades as a young man. It begins in 1751, with Scotland in turmoil in the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion. Newly orphaned, 17-year-old David sets out for Edinburgh and the House of Shaws, to meet his rich Uncle Ebenezer. Betrayed by his scheming relative and kidnapped, he finds himself aboard the brig Covenant, to be sold into slavery in America - but the ship has a castaway on board, a certain Alan Breck... 
 
Though David is a Lowlander and Alan a Highland Jacobite, the two become fast friends. Together they face danger on the high seas and in the Scottish wilderness, as they head south to confront the treacherous Ebenezer and claim David's fortune. But even with his inheritance secured, our hero's adventures are not over. He must find safe passage to France for Alan, endeavour to prove a man's innocence - and win the heart of Catriona, the feisty granddaughter of infamous outlaw Rob Roy McGregor. 
 
David Rintoul stars as David Balfour, with Paul Young as Alan Breck and Gerda Stevenson as Catriona. Among the distinguished cast are Rikki Fulton, Sandy Neilson, Rose McBain, Iain Cuthbertson and Siobhan Redmond. 
 
First published 1886 (Kidnapped) and 1893 (Catriona) 
 
Production credits 
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson 
Dramatised by Catherine L. Czerkawska 
Directed by Marilyn Imrie 
 
Cast 
David Balfour - David Rintoul 
Alan Breck - Paul Young 
Ebenezer Balfour - Rikki Fulton 
Hoseason - Jonathan Battersby 
Campbell - John Shedden 
Ransome/Seaman - Ray Dunsire 
Jennet - Marilyn Gray 
Landlord/Seaman - Tam Dean Burn 
Riach - Billy Riddoch 
Shuan/Seaman - Stuart Bishop 
Gaelic fisherman/Highland gillie/Gaelic servant/Neil - John Carmichael 
Mr Henderland - Henry Stamper 
Crofter - Ian Stewart 
Neil Roy - Iain Agnew 
Mungo - Brown Derby 
Colin Campbell - Sandy Neilson 
James of the Glens - Bob Docherty 
Mistress Stewart - Rose McBain 
Cluny Macpherson - David McKail 
John Breck MacColl - Finlay McLean 
Mistress McLaren - Ann Louise Ross 
Alison Hastie - Terry Cavers 
Mistress Rankeillor - Harriet Buchan 
Rankeillor - Gerard Slevin 
Torrance - Iain Wotherspoon 
Stewart the Writer - Iain Cuthbertson 
Catriona - Gerda Stevenson 
The Lord Advocate Prestongrange - Russell Hunter 
James More - Alec Heggie 
Balfour of Pilrig - Michael Elder 
Simon Fraser - John McGlynn 
Barbara Grant - Siobhan Redmond 
Isabella Grant - Ann Lannan 
Jean Grant - Hilary Lyon 
Woman/Goodwife - Ann Scott Jones 
Porter/Robin Oig - John Buick 
Servant - Simon Donald 
Mistress Ogilvy - Edith MacArthur 
Duncansby - Ian Briggs 
Robert Macintosh - Leon Sinden 
Andy Dale - Tony Roper 
Sheriff - Paul Kermack 
Duke of Argyle - Charles Kearney 
Duncan Dhu McLaren - Simon Donald 
Doig - John Shedden 
Capt Sang - Don Gallagher 
Sprott - Finlay Welsh 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 16th June - 25th August 1985 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Kidnapped and Catriona

A BBC Radio Full Cast Dramatisation

A collection of dramas set in South and Central America by acclaimed dramatist Mike Walker 
 
An award-winning dramatist, author and feature writer, Mike Walker has written numerous original dramas for BBC Radio 4, including his epic chronicles Tsar, Caesar!, The Stuarts and Castle of the Hawk. Collected here are five of his gripping dramas from the 1980s and '90s, set around the Amazon rainforest and Nicaragua. 
 
Broken Wings and Bright Stars - Life in Tomas's small Brazilian fishing village hasn't changed for generations. But the old ways are dying, and few men now venture out to sea. For young Tomas, the future lies with the developers and their promise of jobs and money - so when his grandfather asks for his help building a boat, he is faced with a dilemma... Gary Cady stars as Tomas, with Michael Spice as Jose, in this first play in the Broken Wings and Bright Stars trilogy. 
 
Dull Sun, Polished Moon - American filmmaker Bill Krause leads a crew into the Amazon jungle to make a documentary about tribal life, accompanied by his friend Father Alvarro, Tomas and Javari, a Brazilian Indian. They want to record the truth - but the truth is complicated, and difficult to reconcile. This second drama in the Broken Wings and Bright Stars trilogy stars Gary Cady, Ronald Herdman, Crawford Logan and Steve Hodson. 
 
Fallen Leaves, Dead City - In this final part of the Broken Wings and Bright Stars trilogy, Tomas, desperate to make a difference, has embarked on a dangerous venture. Forced to confront the consequences of his actions, he must put aside idealism and face some harsh realities. Starring Gary Cady, Frances Jeater, Richard Pascoe and Crawford Logan. 
 
Staying Still - When Jack Lowell is not organising survival courses for unfit executives on a remote Scottish island, he is living with an indigenous tribe in the Brazilian rainforest. Then tragedy occurs and his two worlds collide. Unhinged by grief, he seeks to extract payment for his losses... Nigel Anthony and Hilary MacLean star in this haunting tale of ritual, remorse and revenge. 
 
Compañeros - Four strangers meet and decide to make a journey into the heart of Nicaragua, but when they happen upon a group of trigger-happy Contras, their nightmare begins... Starring Derek Newark, Angharad Rees, Trevor Nichols and Colin Stinton. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Mike Walker 
 
Broken Wings and Bright Stars 
Cast Gary Cady, Michael Spice, Steve Hodson, Eric Lander, Pauline Letts, Martyn Read, Anton Phillips, Crawford Logan, John Webb, Jill Lidstone, Ronald Herdman, Patience Tomlinson 
Directed by Christopher Venning. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 October 1981 
 
Dull Sun, Polished Moon 
Cast Gary Cady, Ronald Herdman, Steve Hodson, Frank Ellis, Crawford Logan, John Livesey, Stephen Thorne, Hugh Dickson 
Directed by Christopher Venning. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 April 1982 
 
Fallen Leaves, Dead City 
Cast, Richard Pascoe, Gary Cady, Frances Jeater, Beth Porter, Aaron Swartz, Ronald Herdman, Nick Reding, James Bryce, Crawford Logan, Alex Jennings, Stuart Organ, 
Henry Stamper, Michael Spice, John Livesey 
Directed by Christopher Venning. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3 February 1983 
 
Staying Still 
Cast Nigel Anthony, Hilary MacLean, Bob Docherty, David Bannerman, Pavel Douglas, Patricia Gallimore, Deborah Berlin, Cornelius Garrett, Tina Gray, Richard Fleming, Aled Jones, Rachel Oldfield, Anna Rose 
Directed by Shaun MacLoughlin. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 October 1994 
 
Compañeros 
Cast Derek Newark, Angharad Rees, Trevor Nichols, Colin Stinton, Stuart Milligan, Arturo Venegas, Francisco Morales, Alan Dudley, Michael Deacon 
Directed by Peter King. First broadcast BBC Radio 4,11 January 1988 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Broken Wings and Bright Stars & other stories

Five BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramas

Jatinder Verma

Claudia Mayer

Amber Lone

Full-cast dramatised retellings of the two most important epic Sanskrit poems of ancient India 
 
The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are literary classics, the longest epic poems in world literature, as significant as the Bible, the Qu'ran and the works of Shakespeare. Estimated to have been composed over a period of time around the 3rd and 4th centuries BC, they encompass some of the greatest stories ever told - tales of the deeds of gods and men, and the eternal battle between good and evil. Included here are full-cast BBC Radio adaptations of both, directed by award-winning producer Claire Grove and with original music by acclaimed composer Niraj Chag. 
 
Viewed from the perspective of one of the central characters, Yudhishtra, The Mahabharata recounts the struggles of a divided family as they fight over their inheritance and destroy the very thing they seek most - a peaceful and harmonious land. Exiled for 13 years, Yudhishtra knows his cousin will never give up the throne. War is inevitable - but which side will Krishna be on? Paul Battacharjee, Nitin Ganatra and Raad Rawi star in this intimate, accessible reimagining by Jatinder Verma and Claudia Mayer. 
 
One of the world's most popular love stories, The Ramayana centres around the separation and reunion of Rama and Sita. When Sita first glimpses the beautiful Prince Rama, she determines to marry him or die. She wins his heart - but his stepmother's plot sees him banished from his position as heir to the throne. Exiled, he retreats to the forest, where Sita is abducted by a ruthless warlord. Rama enlists the help of an army of monkeys to get her back - but has she betrayed him with the evil ruler of Lanka? Manjinder Virk stars as Sita, with Lloyd Thomas as Rama in Amber Lone's distinctive modern version of the ancient legend. 
 
Also included is the 5-part series Let's Talk About Rama and Sita, in which award-winning poet and broadcaster Daljit Nagra takes stories from The Ramayana into his community and finds the ancient tales alive with contemporary Asian dilemmas. Are Rama and Sita useful role models for men and women nowadays? How is the duo's relationship relevant to marriage today? And what lessons can the Indian epic teach us about loyalty and betrayal? 
 
Produced and directed by Claire Grove 
Music composed by Niraj Chag 
 
The Mahabharata 
Yudhishtra - Paul Bhattacharjee 
Krishna - Nitln Ganatra 
Bhishma - Raad Rawi 
Dhirtrashtra - Sam Dale 
Duryodhana - Zubln Varla 
Arjuna - Paul Bazely 
Bhima - Danny Sapani 
Draupadi - Sasha Behar 
Gandhari - Sudha Buchar 
Kunti - Indira Joshi 
Shakuni - Jude Akuwudike 
Uttara - Saikat Ahamed 
Dramatised by Jatinder Verma and Claudia Mayer 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4-18 February 2007 
 
The Ramayana 
Sita - Manjinder Virk 
Rama - Lloyd Thomas 
Lakshman - Adeel Aktar 
Ravan - Paul Bhattacharjee 
Surparnaka - Sasha Behar 
Dasarath/Sugreeva - Jude Akuwudike 
Sister/Mandodari - Deeivya Meir 
Bharat - Saikat Ahamed 
Hanuman - Kulvinder Ghir 
Kush - Omar Kent 
Lava - Neil Reynolds 
Dramatised by Amber Lone 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 October-7 November 2010 
 
Let's Talk About Rama and Sita 
Presented by Daljit Nagra 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24-28 February 2014 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Mahabharata and The Ramayana

Two full-cast BBC Radio dramatisations based on the classic Indian epics

Ged Parsons

Christopher Marlowe turns government spy in these four comedy crime dramas 
 
Murder and intrigue are all in a day's work for Kit Marlowe, England's leading playwright and undercover agent in Her Majesty's Secret Service. Amid the squalor and splendour of Elizabethan London, he probes a series of baffling mysteries, aided by his trusty underworld accomplice Bartholomew Ratsbane. 
 
The Curious Case of the Curs'd Quayside - Two of the navy's finest warships have been mysteriously sunk while moored in harbour. Sent by spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham to investigate, can Marlowe find the saboteur before more ships are scuppered? 
 
The Turbulent Tale of the Troubl'd Tragedy - Spring, 1590, and the keen-witted spy is faced with two tricky cases. Who has stolen Mighty Meg from the Tower, and why has an unknown patron funded the worst play ever written? 
 
The Perplex'd Plot of the Perilous Plague - Fleeing the epidemic that is ravaging London, Christopher Marlowe takes refuge with Walsingham at the Palace of Whitehall. But it seems the plague has followed them to the very heart of government... 
 
The Murky Mystery of Murder at St Marks- When an eminent professor receives a death threat, Marlowe sets off to his Cambridge college to make enquiries. But no sooner has he arrived than the dons start dropping like flies. Can the murderer at large be outwitted? 
 
Dominic Jephcott stars as Marlowe in these light-hearted comic mysteries, with Bill Wallis as Ratsbane, Paul Brooke as Sir Francis Walsingham and guest appearances from Roy Hudd, Hugh Bonneville (credited as Richard Bonneville), Peter Serafinowicz and Hugh Dennis. 
 
Written by Ged Parsons 
Produced and directed by Richard Wilson 
 
Cast 
Marlowe - Dominic Jephcott 
Bartholomew Ratsbane - Bill Wallis 
Sir Francis Walsingham - Paul Brooke 
Admiral Downing/Beaumont - Garard Green 
Captain Curtis/Dr Heywood - Brian Bowles 
Captain Barnaby - Julian Dutton 
Ned Peake - Roy Hudd 
Fortescue - Simon Godley 
Trump - Lionel Jeffries 
Squires - Daniel Strauss 
Gloriana Nonsuch - Victoria Carling 
Faversham - Ronald Herdman 
Ripley - Richard Bonneville 
Dr Valentine - Hugh Dennis 
Dr Darras - Peter Serafinowitz 
Sir Hubert Sharpe - Gordon Reid 
Mistress Parker - Sarah Thomas 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9-30 December 1993 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Christopher Marlowe Mysteries

Four BBC historical crime comedies

David Ashton

Counterfeiters, spies, murderers... and Isaac Newton must use his brilliant mind to defeat them all in this pair of full-cast historical crime dramas 
 
In Master of the Mint, a new figure of justice is walking the streets of 17th-century London - Isaac Newton, scientific genius. After thirty years as a Cambridge academic, Newton takes up a new post at the Royal Mint in the Tower of London. But the work doesn't stay peaceful: soon he finds himself asking questions within drinking dens of ill-repute, in pursuit of a notorious counterfeiting gang. Can he stop their plans to set off a financial crash that will bring down the Government? 
 
In Nemesis, Isaac Newton must contend not only with opponents to his currency plans, but also with a French secret agent who is aiding the theft of England's entire supply of silver. When a wagon of silver is stolen, and his close colleague murdered, Newton must face facts: he's been betrayed. But is he able to protect his country from the same fate? 
 
From the writer of McLevy, these are fun, gripping and irresistible tales of thugs and villains, treasure and treachery, and the scientific logic which might just save an entire country... 
 
Cast 
William Gaminara - Isaac Newton 
Gunnar Cauthery - Hopton Haynes 
Kerry Gooderson - Catherine Barton (Master of the Mint) 
Laura Christy - Catherine Barton (Nemesis) 
Nicholas Tizzard - Charles Montague (Master of the Mint) 
Rick Warden - Charles Montague (Nemesis) 
Jonathan Forbes - Albert Chandler 
Michael Nardone - John Gibson 
Ryan Early - Jack Carter 
Clive Hayward - Thomas Carey 
Melody Grove - Belle Russell 
Lauren Cornelius - Mary Docherty 
Sean Murray - Elliot Miller 
Will Kirk - Jamie Wilde 
Greg Jones - Gilchrist 
Gerard McDermott - Richard Vernon/Bob Phillips (Master of the Mint) 
Neil McCaul - Richard Vernon (Nemesis) 
 
Production credits 
Written by David Ashton 
Produced and Directed by Bruce Young 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 21 July 2018 (Master of the Mint) and 14-15 November 2019 (Nemesis) 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Isaac Newton: Master of the Mint & Nemesis

Two BBC Radio full-cast crime dramas

Ian Brown

James Hendrie

An all-star cast attend a mysterious private club in this hilarious parody of classic horror tales 
 
Membership of the exclusive Mausoleum Club isn't for the faint of heart. The Honorable Clarence Green wants in, but to join he must first hear the spine-chilling stories of the existing members, before enthralling them with one of his own. But are their stories fact or fiction? And will Green still want to join after hearing the horrors they have to tell? 
 
A brilliantly unexpected and macabre comedy series parodying classic Victorian stories in episodes such as 'A Study in Starlets', 'The Turn of the Knob' and 'The Pet and the Pendulum', Tales from the Mausoleum Club brings to life strange tales of mystery objects, spooky country mansions, West Country paganism and unholy animal projects. 
 
This creepy collection of thirteen episodes opens with the standalone pilot episode, 'The Demon Cakestand of Beastley Chase', starring Stephen Fry. The following two series - Tales from the Mausoleum Club and The Fall of the Mausoleum Club - feature more stunning casts including Terence Stamp, Timothy Spall, Andrew Sachs, Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent, Roy Hudd, Miranda Richardson, Martin Jarvis and Spike Milligan. It is a compilation of curses, hauntings, monsters and (hysterical) laughter. So... will you dare to join the Mausoleum Club? 
 
Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie 
Music by Max Harris 
Produced by Paul Spencer 
 
Contents 
 
Pilot episode: The Demon Cakestand of Beastley Chase 
 
Tales from the Mausoleum Club: 
The Inaudible Man 
Heart of Skegness 
A Study in Starlets 
The Turn of the Knob 
Soldiers Three: India Nil 
Jess of the B'ournevilles 
 
The Fall of the Mausoleum Club: 
The Pet and the Pendulum 
The Charge of the Boys' Brigade 
Trevor Island 
The Prunestone 
The T Machine 
Bleak Horse 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
22 December 1984 (The Demon Cakestand of Beastley Chase) 
3 January - 7 February 1987 (Tales from the Mausoleum Club) 
7 September - 12 October 1988 (The Fall of the Mausoleum Club) 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tales from the Mausoleum Club

13 full-cast curious tales

JG Farrell

BBC Radio 4 productions of JG Farrell's celebrated historical novels - plus bonus material 
 
Acclaimed author JG Farrell came to fame with his Empire Trilogy, exploring the collapse of British colonialism and its repercussions in three different countries. The first book in the series, Troubles, won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and the Lost Man Booker Prize, while the second, The Siege of Krishnapur, was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction. Included here are three BBC Radio adaptations of the trilogy, plus an edition of Witness History exploring Farrell's tragic accidental death. 
 
Troubles - 1919, and Major Brendan Archer travels to Kilnalough in Ireland to visit his accidental fiancée, Angela. Arriving at her father's once-grand hotel, the Majestic, he finds it a dilapidated wreck, overrun by vegetation and hordes of feral cats. And outside its walls, a violent storm is brewing - one that will sweep him, and the Majestic, away... Jim Norton reads Farrell's tragicomic novel set during Ireland's struggle for independence. 
 
The Siege of Krishnapur - It is 1857 and British rule in India is under threat. At first the colonists are confident that their 'superior culture' will prevail, but when the Indian mutineers attack the Residency in Krishnapur, the Collector is unsure whether his defences can hold out... This thrilling adaptation of JG Farrell's masterpiece stars Alex Jennings, Shiv Grewal and Jasmine Hyde. 
 
The Singapore Grip - 1937. Young Matthew Webb arrives in Singapore to join the family rubber business, and becomes embroiled in a love triangle with two beautiful women. But as the Japanese invasion grows closer, Matthew's comfortable expat world is about to crumble... Robert Glenister, Jonathan Cake and Samantha Spiro star in this gripping dramatisation of Farrell's satirical tale of the fall of Singapore. 
 
Witness History: The Death of JG Farrell - The Booker Prize-winning author drowned off the south-west coast of Ireland in 1979, aged just 44. Vincent Dowd talks to those who knew him, and hears an eyewitness account of his death. 
 
Text copyright © JG Farrell 1970 (Troubles), 1973 (The Siege of Krishnapur), 1978 (The Singapore Grip) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by JG Farrell 
 
Troubles 
Read by Jim Norton 
Abridged by Doreen Estall. Produced by Heather Larmour 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-19 November 2010 
 
The Siege of Krishnapur 
Hopkins, The Collector - Alex Jennings 
Fluery - Ben Askew 
Prince Hari - Shiv Grewal 
Harry Dunstaple - Matt Addis 
Louise Dunstaple - Jasmine Hyde 
Dr Dunstaple - Malcolm Tierney 
Mrs Dunstaple - Caroline Guthrie 
Willoughby - Sam Dale 
Miriam - Janice Acquah 
Dr MacNab - Stephen Hogan 
The Padre - Philip Fox 
Cutter - Jonathan Tafler 
Lieutenant Peterson - Paul Rider 
Lucy Hughes - Lizzy Watts 
Dramatised by Shelagh Stephenson. Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10-17 May 2009 
 
The Singapore Grip 
JG Farrell - Robert Glenister 
Matthew - Jonathan Cake 
Joan - Samantha Spiro 
Monty/Mr Smith - David Thorpe 
Vera - Su-Lin Looi 
Major Archer - John Rowe 
Walter - Timothy Bateson 
Jim - Kenny Blyth 
Air Marshall Brook-Popham - Terence Edmond 
Brigadier - Karl Johnson 
Governor - John East 
Captain Sinclair - Alex Tender 
Percival - Barry Foster 
ADC - Thomas Arnold 
Dramatised by Mike Walker. Directed by Peter Kavanagh. Music: Felix Jay 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 October-12 November 2000 
 
Witness History: The Death of JG Farrell 
Presented by Vincent Dowd 
With Lavinia Greacen, Hilary Spurling, Jerry Daly, Pauline Foley 
First broadcast BBC World Service, 17 October 2017 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Empire Trilogy: Troubles, The Siege of Krishnapur, The Singapore Grip

3 BBC Radio 4 productions

Steve Waters

A gripping BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the 1970's Iranian Revolution 
 
Something is coming. What is on the horizon for the people of Iran? Can America's friendship with Iran survive? From Jimmy Carter's optimistic visit to Tehran in December 1977 to the trial of the state's enemies in 1979, this nine-part drama tells the story of the Iranian Revolution, where protestors took to the streets in support of the exiled religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, and the Shah requested help from an America already torn apart by its own conflicts. 
 
In a time of hope, of tyranny, of change, of oppression, in a tale of power, betrayal and fear, this true story will transport you to the 1970s, when the Iranian Revolution would change the world - forever. 
 
Featuring Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones, All Creatures Great and Small), Bijan Daneshmand (The Night Manager, The Boy from Aleppo that Painted the War) and Carolyn Pickles (Broadchurch, Land Girls). 
 
Cast 
Narrator - Diana Rigg 
The Shah - Bijan Daneshmand 
President Carter - Nathan Osgood 
The Ayatollah Khomeini - Selva Rasalingam 
Zbigniew Brzezinski - Sam Dale 
William Sullivan - Tony Turner 
Farah Pahlavi - Nathalie Armin 
Rosalynn Carter- Carolyn Pickles 
Nassiri - Peter Polycarpou 
Mehdi - Moe Bar-El 
Haikaz / Sadegh Ghotbzadeh - Philip Arditti 
Gary Sick - David Seddon 
Warren Christopher - Don Gilet 
Molly - Saffron Coomber 
Sharpour Bakhtiar - Peter Polycarpou 
General Gharabaghi / General Oveissi - Vincent Ebrahim 
Carole Bauman - Clare Corbett 
Sadegh Khalkhali - Bhasker Patel 
Ebrahim Yazdi - Paul Chahidi 
Hassan - Amir El-Masry 
Joan - Alexandra Constantinidi 
Iraj - Ashley Kumar 
Ahmad - Ronny Jhutti 
Amir - Dana Haqjoo 
Shirin - Afsaneh Dehrouyeh 
Nargess - Sara Zeymour 
 
Production credits 
Written by Steve Waters 
Composer- Ghanvar Khaleghi 
Sound Design - Caleb Knightley 
Produced and Directed by Marc Beeby 
 
'Exactly the type of drama at which the BBC excels' Guardian 
 
Originally broadcast January-March 2019 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Fall of the Shah

A BBC Radio full cast drama

Laurence Mason

Laurence 'Lol' Mason's spin-off homage to Dick Barton, following the adventures of the unretirable special agent and his doctor son 
 
A thrilling saga of criminal masterminds, espionage and adventure, Edward J. Mason's Dick Barton: Special Agent was a huge hit on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951. Together with his mates Jock Anderson and Snowy White, ex-Commando Dick faced dastardly villains and deadly peril - but always triumphed ('With one bound, Dick was free!') Half a century later, Edward J's son Lol paid affectionate tribute to the much-loved radio hero with this sparkling pastiche, featuring the joint escapades of father-and-son duo Dick and Richard Barton. 
 
Recuperating after an operation, the elderly crimefighter comes to stay with his GP son and daughter-in-law Sally in their sleepy rural village. Peace and quiet is what the doctor orders, so Dick settles down to get some rest and write his memoirs. But soon, mysterious parallels emerge between past and present, as Dick's old adventures start to echo events in Appledon... 
 
Robert Bathurst stars as Richard Barton, with Sally Phillips and Matilda Ziegler as Sally, Moray Watson as Dick Barton, Julian Dutton as his younger self and Iain Cuthbertson as Jock. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Lol Mason 
Produced by Jo Clegg 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 October 1997 (Pilot), 17 April-15 May 1998 (Series 1) 
 
Cast 
Richard Barton - Robert Bathurst 
Old Dick/Old Leslie - Moray Watson 
Jock - Iain Cuthbertson 
Young Dick/Young Leslie - Julian Dutton 
Sally Barton - Sally Phillips/Matilda Ziegler 
Mrs Cadwalladder - Ann Beach/Doreen Mantle 
Fassbinder - Kim Wall 
Colin Meadows - Wayne Forester/Julian Dutton 
Kenwood-Gore/Gordini - David Daker 
Dr Willoughby - Joss Ackland 
Marge - Carolyn Jones 
Dr Adebile - Adjoa Andoh 
 
With Roger Blake, Tim Whitnall and Fiona Allen 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Richard Barton: General Practitioner!

A BBC Radio 4 Crime Drama: Another Dick Barton Adventure

Andy McNab

A gripping story from the frontline of Afghanistan 
 
Afghanistan, 2009. Eighteen-year-old squaddie Briggsy is just three weeks into his first posting in Helmand Province and he's thrilled to be part of the action. But when his Rifle Section loses a man in battle, Briggsy is forced to confront the realities of war. 
 
Also included is the fascinating interview with Andy McNab, in which he speaks to Jo Fidgen about his childhood, military career and writing. 
 
Cast: 
Briggsy - Russell Tovey 
 Si - Lloyd Thomas 
 Flash - Paul Rider 
 Toki - Damian Lynch 
 Mackenzie/John - Stephen Hogan 
 Mum/Helicopter pilot/Radio Operator - Janice Acquah 
 Emma/Tannoy - Caroline Guthrie 
 Newsreader/Cookie - Matt Addis 
 
Directed by Vernee Samuel 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 August 2009 
 
Andy McNab: soldier, writer, psychopath was first broadcast on BBC World Service, 22 July 2019 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Last Night, Another Soldier

A full-cast BBC Radio thriller

James Fenimore Cooper

BBC Radio drama adaptations of two action-packed adventures by James Fenimore Cooper 
 
A founding father of American literature, James Fenimore Cooper was one of America's first professional novelists, and a pioneer of both the Western and the historical romance. Included here are his 1826 masterpiece The Last of the Mohicans and his 1821 classic The Spy, widely considered the world's first espionage novel. 
 
The Last of the Mohicans - 1757, and Britain and France are struggling for control of the New World. Caught between them are the tribes of the First Nations... Hawkeye is an American scout who lives with the American Indians and fights for the British. When the daughters of a British army officer are captured by a vengeful Huron chief while travelling to join their father, Hawkeye and his Mohican friends set out on a rescue mission... This gripping dramatisation of James Fenimore Cooper's epic is narrated by Garrick Hagon, stars Michael Feast as Hawkeye and Helen McCrory as Cora. 
 
The Spy - New York State, 1778. Henry Wharton, a young soldier for the British in the American Revolutionary War, sneaks into no-man's land in disguise to spend an evening with his family. But their happy reunion is cut short when American troops surround the house. Can the mysterious peddler Harvey Birch provide Henry with a means of escape? Burn Gorman and Rose Leslie star in this thrilling tale of double agents and divided loyalties. 
 
First published 1821 (The Spy) and 1826 (The Last of the Mohicans) 
 
Production credits 
Written by James Fenimore Cooper 
 
The Last of the Mohicans 
Narrator - Garrick Hagon 
Hawkeye - Michael Feast 
Major Heyward - Philip Franks 
Cora - Helen McCrory 
Alice - Naomi Radcliffe 
General Munro - Russell Dixon 
Chingachgook - Okon Jones 
Uncas - Clarence Smith 
Magua - Alfredo Michelsen 
General Montcalm - John Jardine 
David - Robert Whelan 
Tamenund - Joe Speare 
 
Dramatised by David Calcutt 
Produced and directed by Michael Fox 
Music: Trevor Allan Davies 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5-12 November 1995 
 
 
The Spy 
Harvey Birch - Burn Gorman 
Frances - Rose Leslie 
Henry - Alex Waldmann 
Mr Wharton - James Lailey 
Sarah - Francine Chamberlain 
Mr Harper - Timothy Watson 
Caesar - Richard Pepple 
Peyton Dunwoodie - Simon Bubb 
Captain Lawton - Gerard McDermott 
Colonel Wellmere/Skinner - Adam Billington 
Isabella Singleton - Victoria Inez Hardy 
Colonel Martin - Paul Moriarty 
 
Dramatised by DJ Britton 
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22-29 January 2012 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Last of the Mohicans & The Spy

Two BBC Radio full-cast dramatisations

Edith Nesbit

Rosamund E. Nesbit Bland

Martin Jameson

A BBC Radio collection of dramatisations of E. Nesbit's finest children's books with extra magical readings plus an original drama by Martin Jameson 
 
 E Nesbit is widely regarded as the first modern children's writer. Her ground-breaking novels have influenced authors from Oscar Wilde to Jacqueline Wilson, and over 100 years after their first publication, they remain perennially popular. 
 
 This wide-ranging collection comprises some of her very best children's fiction, commencing with her timeless tale The Railway Children. Starring Victoria Carling, Daniel Eyssen and Kate McEnery, Frances Jeater this enchanting dramatisation tells the story of three suburban children forced to move to the countryside after their father is mysteriously taken away. 
 
 Martin Jameson's sequel Roberta, Peter and Phyllis revisits them 13 years later, in 1919, to reveal how their lives have changed. Fiona Clarke, James Alper and Emma Hughes-Jones star as the titular siblings. 
 
 Also included is Nesbit's classic 'Psammead' trilogy. In Five Children and It, Five children are granted a series of wishes by a sand fairy - but inevitably, things do not go to plan... 
 Cast includes Julia McKenzie, Simon Carter, James Richard, Justyn Towler. 
 
 Patricia Hodge reads the second book in the series, The Phoenix and the Carpet, in which the discovery of a mysterious egg in an old carpet heralds the start of a magical adventure. And in The Story of the Amulet, a full-cast dramatisation the children voyage through history on a quest for an ancient lucky charm. Featuring the same cast as Five Children and It 
 
 Penelope Keith stars as E Nesbit in The House of Arden, a time-travelling fantasy tale about the hunt for a lost family treasure; Other cast includes Timothy Spall and Kelly Bright. 
 
 Prunella Scales reads five stories from Nesbit's delightful compendium The Book of Dragons: 'Last of the Dragons', 'Kind Little Edmond', 'The Deliverers of their Country', 'The Book of Beasts' and 'The Dragon Tamers'. Concluding this anthology are two fantastic feline fables from Cat Tales, co-written by Nesbit and her adopted daughter Rosamund E Bland: 'The White Cat', read by Jenny Agutter, and 'Too Clever by Half', read by Helen Clapp. 
 
 Cast and credits 
 Written by E Nesbit 
 Cat Tales written by E Nesbit and Rosamund E Bland 
 Roberta, Peter and Phyllis written by Martin Jameson 
 First published 1901 (The Book of Dragons), 1902 (Five Children and It), 1904 (The Phoenix and the Carpet, Cat Tales), 1906 (The Story of the Amulet, The Railway Children), 1908 (The House of Arden) 
 
 The Railway Children 
 Dramatised by Marcy Kahan. Produced by John Taylor 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 3-24 January 1991 
 
 Roberta, Peter and Phyllis 
 Produced and directed by Gary Brown 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 January 2005 
 
 Five Children and It 
 Dramatised by Malcolm McKee. Directed by Rosemary Watts 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 August 1998 
 
 The Phoenix and the Carpet 
 Abridged by Penny Leicester. Produced by Marion Nancarrow 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 March-1 April 1994 
 
 The Story of the Amulet 
 Dramatised by Malcolm McKee. Directed by Rosemary Watts 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 August 1999 
 
 The House of Arden 
 Dramatised by Chris Curry. Produced by Mary Kalemkarian 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 April-25 June 1989 
 
 The Book of Dragons 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 7-11 December 1992 
 
 Cat Tales 
 The White Cat 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 3 January 2000 
 
 Too Clever by Half 
 First broadcast BBC Sounds, 23 July 2019 
 
 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

E. Nesbit: A BBC Radio Collection

The Railway Children, Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet & more

Anthony Hope

BBC Radio adaptations of Anthony Hope's famous swashbuckling adventure novel and its sequel 
 
Anthony Hope's swashbuckling historical novel The Prisoner of Zenda was first published in 1894 and was an instant hit, spawning an 1898 sequel, Rupert of Hentzau, and launching the Ruritanian romance genre. Included here are the radio dramatisations of both thrilling novels, starring Julian Glover as Rudolf Rassendyll and King Rudolf, Martin Jarvis as Rupert of Hentzau and Hannah Gordon as Flavia. 
 
The Prisoner of Zenda - On holiday in the East European province of Ruritania, English gentleman Rudolf Rassendyll is caught up in a web of subterfuge. When his distant cousin, King Rudolf, is drugged on the eve of his coronation, Rassendyll is persuaded to impersonate him at the ceremony, thereby thwarting Rudolf's half-brother's attempts to seize the throne. But as the doppelganger is crowned, the real King is kidnapped and imprisoned. To save him, Rassendyll is forced to continue the deception: and finds himself falling in love with the King's intended bride, Princess Flavia... 
 
Rupert of Hentzau - Three years on from his Ruritanian adventures, Rudolf Rassendyll is living in voluntary exile, separated from his beloved Flavia since her marriage to the King. His only consolation is the annual red rose she sends him, as a token of love and remembrance. But now, instead of a flower, she has sent a letter - and this incriminating missive has been intercepted by the dastardly Rupert of Hentzau. The repercussions will bring Rassendyll face-to-face with his old foe, as he is embroiled once more in danger and intrigue. 
 
First published 1894 (The Prisoner of Zenda) and 1898 (Rupert of Hentzau) 
 
The Prisoner of Zenda 
Rudolf Rassendyll/King Rudolf - Julian Glover 
Colonel Sapt - Nigel Stock 
Princess Flavia - Hannah Gordon 
Count Fritz von Tarlenheim - David Timson 
Rupert of Hentzau - Martin Jarvis 
Duke Michael - Michael Spice 
Antoinette de Mauban - Anne Kidd 
Lord Burlesdon - Clive Swift 
Lady Rose Burlesdon/ Innkeeper - Diana Bishop 
Countess Helga - Hilda Schroder 
Rosa - Cherry Gilliam 
Captain Detchard - Terry Scully 
Johann - Sam Dastor 
Josef - Haydn Jones 
Train guard - William Sleigh 
Bersonin - David Gooderson 
Customs officer - Brian Haines 
 
Adapted by Eric Maschwitz and Kay Patrick 
Produced by Martin Jenkins 
Original music (1939) by Robert Chignell and Leslie Woodgate 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 May 1973 
 
Rupert of Hentzau 
Rudolf Rassendyll/King Rudolf - Julian Glover 
Queen Flavia - Hannah Gordon 
Herbert/Bauer - Nigel Anthony 
Hermann/Anton von Strofzing - David Sinclair 
James - Timothy Alcock 
Station-Master/Butler - Wilfrid Carter 
Countess Helga - Hilda Schroder 
Count Fritz von Tarlenheim - David Timson 
Madame Helsing/Mother Holf - Diana Bishop 
Rischenheim - Kerry Francis 
Rupert of Hentzau - Martin Jarvis 
Chancellor Helsing/Farmer - Peter Williams 
Constable/Thug - Vernon Joyner 
Colonel Sapt - Nigel Stock 
Fraulein Helsing - Bonnie Hurren 
Bernenstein - Sean Barrett 
Simon/Thug - Fraser Kerr 
Rosa - Cherry Gilliam 
 
Adapted by Cynthia Pughe and Kay Patrick 
Produced by Martin Jenkins 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 May 1973 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Prisoner of Zenda & Rupert of Hentzau

Two BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

John Creasey

Three vintage crime serials, adapted from John Creasey's hugely popular thrillers 
 
Roger West is a home-loving, hard-hitting and very human policeman. Nicknamed 'Handsome' West, he's more than just a pretty face - he's also Scotland Yard's youngest, smartest detective and a crime-solving supremo. Six of his adventures were dramatised for radio between 1967 and 1971, but only three survived, all of which are included in this box set. 
 
Battle for Inspector West - Idle curiosity takes the Chief Inspector to a high-society wedding - and leads him into a case involving a notorious blackmailer and a missing bride. Drawn into a web of terror, West comes face-to-face with an old adversary - a dangerous criminal mastermind named Carosian... 
 
Inspector West at Home - When Roger West finds the dead body of a small-time crook, he faces opposition from the formidable Superintendent Abbott, his superior at the Yard. Suspended from duty, he sets out on a trail of conspiracy, corruption and murder... 
 
Inspector West at Bay - First West is targeted by a vicious attacker, then his wife Janet receives an anonymous, threatening message. Caught up in a deadly game of blind man's buff, can he save himself and his family from an enemy who seems determined to destroy them? 
 
Starring real-life husband and wife Patrick Allen and Sarah Lawson as Roger and Janet West, these three full-cast dramas are full of excitement and suspense. Also featured is a 30-minute episode from The Radio Detectives, 'Stand by for West', in which Professor Jeffrey Richards investigates the 'master craftsman of mystery' John Creasey and his greatest creation, Inspector West. 
 
 
Written by John Creasey 
Adapted by Maurice Travers 
 
Starring Patrick Allen as Chief Inspector Roger West and Sarah Lawson as Janet West 
 
Battle for Inspector West 
Michael Grant - Philip Bond 
Christine Grant - Denise Buckley 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Hamilton Dyce 
Prendergast - John Cazabon 
Vic - Charles Haggith 
Carosian - Francis de Wolff 
Arthur Morley - Preston Lockwood 
Julieta - Eva Stuart 
Sir Mortimer Grant - Humphrey Morton 
Detective Sergeant Hubert Gill - Trevor Bannister 
Pearly Willis - Henry Stamper 
Superintendent Mulloon - Harry Webster 
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 4 May-15 June 1967 
 
Inspector West at Home 
Detective Inspector Bob Cornish - Frederick Treves 
Mark Lessing - Edward de Souza 
Superintendent Abbott - Grant Taylor 
Pep Morgan - Harry Landis 
Pickerell - Robert James 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Maurice Hedley 
Mrs Fleming - Margaret Robertson 
Lois Randall - Carol Marsh 
Bill Tennant - Anthony Jackson 
'Whistler' Malone - Rio Fanning 
Raymond Fleming - Frederick Jaeger 
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson 
Pianist: Max Harris 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2, 25 March-15 April 1968 
 
Inspector West at Bay 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Maurice Hedley 
Detective Inspector Bill Sloan - Derek Newark 
Mark Lessing - James Kerry 
Eve Wedlake - Anna Gilchrist 
With Leonard Fenton, John Baddely, Elizabeth Proud, Judy Bennett, Margaret Wolfit, Peter Williams, John Pullen, Ian Frost and Peter Thompson 
Produced by John Browell 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2, 27 May-19 June 1969 
 
The Radio Detectives, Series 3 Episode 5: Stand by for West 
Presented by Professor Jeffrey Richards 
With Richard Creasey, Patrick Allen and Sarah Lawson 
Produced by Liz Anstee 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 28th March 2000

Inspector West: A Classic BBC Radio Crime Collection

Three action-packed vintage adventures

Hugh Walpole

A BBC Radio adaptation of Hugh Walpole's historical novel, set in the Lake District during the 18th Century 
 
1730. Driven by a wild romantic impulse, Francis Herries uproots his family from Doncaster to the lakeland valley of Borrowdale. Accompanied by his housekeeper/mistress, Alice, they settle in his tumbledown ancestral home, Herries, in the shadow of the Cumberland fells. 
 
Proud, stubborn and temperamental, Francis cuts himself off from his brother, spurns his long-suffering wife and becomes embroiled in drink and debauchery. When he sells Alice at Keswick Fair, his reputation is ruined, and the locals dub him 'Rogue' Herries. His fate is sealed when he falls for the flame-haired Mirabelle Starr. They are both vagabonds, both outcasts - but she is thirty years his junior, and does not love him. 
 
As Francis struggles with his feelings for Mirabelle, his son David and daughter Deborah have battles of their own to fight. Meanwhile, the Jacobite rising has begun, and Bonnie Prince Charlie's rebel army is at the gates of Carlisle... 
 
Described by John Buchan as 'the greatest English novel since Jude the Obscure', Rogue Herries is a sweeping family saga full of romance and drama. This powerful adaptation stars Gavin Muir as Francis, Mark Bonnar as David, Jane Slavin as Alice, Deborah Berlin as Mirabelle and Jane Whittenshaw as Deborah, with a full cast including Stephen Thorne, Hugh Dickson and Gerard McDermott. 
 
Written by Hugh Walpole 
Dramatised by Eric Pringle 
Technical presentation by Rosamund Mason, Colin Guthrie and Andy Garrett 
Directed by David Blount 
 
Cast 
Francis - Gavin Muir 
David - Mark Bonnar 
Margaret - Janet Maw 
Deborah - Jane Whittenshaw 
Alice Press - Jane Slavin 
Pomfret/Greenship - Stephen Thorne 
Jannice - Shirley Dixon 
Roche/Harcourt/Whitfield - Hugh Dickson 
Statesman Peel/George Endicott/Harness - Gerard McDermott 
Pedlar/Adam Beatty - Ioan Meredith 
Benjamin/Anthony Thorne - Chris Pavlo 
Young Deborah - Katie Clarke 
Young David - George Maguire 
Razeley - Joseph Head/Robert Harper 
Prince - Robert Harper 
Mirabelle - Deborah Berlin 
Cumberlege - Gordon Reid 
Mrs Cumberledge - Carolyn Jones 
Hetty - Alison Pettitt 
Sunwood/Bann/Reverend - Christopher Scott 
Denburn - Keith Drinkel 
Sarah - Becky Hindley 
Mrs Henny - Linda Polan 
Others parts played by Alex Lowe and members of the company 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 April-11 May 1997 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Rogue Herries

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Lucy Catherine

Beyond the forests, beyond the valleys, beyond the mountains... there's another world. 
 
From the Red Book of Hergest, these are the tales of the Mabinogi. Tales of of romance, tragedy, comedy and fantasy, of a mythical pre-Saxon era of Medieval Wales: a land of magic, of dragons, fairies and giants. 
 
Pryderi, Prince of Dyfed, heads to Harlech in North Wales to impress King Bran the Blessed of Gwynedd and win the hand of Princess Branwen. But what starts out as a straightforward journey with his companion, Brigid, quickly becomes upturned by strange magic and the threat of war with the Irish. Can they survive? And what mysteries yearn to be unravelled in the Otherworld? 
 
The world we see, the world of the mountains and the valleys, the villages and the farms, is nothing more than a veneer. Our world is no more than a painted shroud, masking what lies beneath. For most of the living, the barrier between the worlds is impossible to breach. For very few, it is as easy to pierce as the still black waters of a mountain lake. Step into the Otherworld. 
 
Starring Darragh Mortell (The Bill) and Aimee Ffion Edwards (Peaky Blinders, The Detectorists). 
 
 Award-winning writer Lucy Catherine (The Master and Margherita, Being Human, Vanity Fair) gives these stories a modern flavour while remaining true to the vivid magic of Celtic mythology. 
 
Cast and credits: 
 
Brigid - Aimee Ffion Edwards 
 Pryderi - Darragh Mortell 
 Arawn - John Cording 
 Roisin - Fiona O'Shaughnessy 
 Bran the Blessed/Pwyll - Robert Pugh 
 Manawydan/Dewi - Matthew Gravelle 
 Branwen - Rhian Blythe 
 Matholwch - Stephen Hogan 
 Efnysien - Richard Elfyn 
 Nysien - Rhodri Meilir 
 Pwca/Wyn - Sion Pritchard 
 Deryn - Saran Morgan 
 Mam/Rhiannon - Eiry Thomas 
 
Adapted by Lucy Catherine. 
 Sound design by Nigel Lewis. 
 Directed by James Robinson and John Norton. 
 A BBC Wales and BBC Radio 3 Commission. 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Mabinogi: Lost Legends and Dark Magic

A BBC Radio full-cast fantasy adventure

A Private Thriller

A series of children's modern classic novels by renowned 20th century children's writers. All the titles in this series have the A Puffin Book logo, contemporary-style covers, and child-friendly endnotes.

A Puffin Book

A Ripley Novel

A Slice of the Moon

A Victorian Mystery

A Walk in...

A Women’s Murder Club Thriller

A chef Paul Delamare Mystery

Aberrations

Across the Universe

Actiphons

Adelia Aguilar

Adrian Mole

Adventures in Time

Aftermath

Against War

Age of X

Agent 21

Agent Z

Detective Aidan Waits is a troubled junior detective haunted by his past. Facing an uncertain future, and disconnected from his history, DC Waits and his partner, Detective Inspector Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe work on Manchester's streets to uncover the city's worst criminals among the grime of the underworld.

Filters

Category

Age

Publication Date

Format

Series

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter