About Adèle Geras / Adele Geras: ADELE GERAS was born in Jerusalem and travelled widely as a child. She started writing over twenty-five years ago and has published more than 80 titles. Ithaka was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize and the Whitbread Chirldren's Book Award. She lives in Manchester with her husband and has two grown-up daughters and two grandchildren.

Adèle Geras

About Aeham Ahmad: Aeham Ahmad, born in Damascus in 1988, grew up in Yarmouk, a suburb of Damascus. From the age of four onwards his father encouraged his musical talent and at seven he received piano lessons at the Arab Institute in Damascus. He later studied music education in Homs and worked as a music teacher. 
 
In 2015 he was forced to flee to Germany because of the war in Syria. Today he lives with his family in Wiesbaden and gives concerts all over Europe. In December 2015, Ahmad was awarded the International Beethoven Prize for Human Rights. 
 
This is his first book.

Aeham Ahmad

Aemilia Lanyer

Aeneas Gunn

Aerosmith

Aeschylus

About Aesop: Aesop lived in the early sixth century BC on the island of Samos, which lies off the coast of modern Turkey. He originally came from Thrace which was a separate country in those days, though it now forms part of Greece and Bulgaria. Very little is known about his life except that he worked as a slave on Samos for a master called Iadmon, and that he became a very famous storyteller. He was so famous that almost any fable which could have been told by him became attributed to him.

Aesop

Afsaneh Knight

Afsaneh Moqadam

About Afua Hirsch: Afua Hirsch is a writer, filmmaker, and journalist. She is the author of Brit(ish), the Sunday Times bestseller that explores Britishness, identity and belonging, for which she was awarded the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize for Non-Fiction. She co-presented Enslaved, a 6-part series about the transatlantic slave trade with Samuel L Jackson. She is the presenter of the Audible podcast series We Need To Talk About the British Empire, and Africa Rising, an ongoing flagship series about art and culture for the BBC, through her production company Born in Me Productions. She is a longtime columnist for the Guardian and is a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California.

Afua Hirsch

About Agapi Stassinopoulos: AGAPI STASSINOPOULOS is an author, blogger and international speaker who inspires audiences around the world. She has spoken at many corporations and conferences, such as Nike Women, Starbucks,Time Inc., Virgin, Johnson &amp; Johnson and the American Heart Foundation. She was born in Athens and trained in London at RADA before gaining a Master’s in psychology at the University of Santa Monica. She has collaborated with her sister, Arianna Huffington, to develop talks and seminars, and has worked with the Oprah Winfrey network. She is currently hosting a new podcast series in collaboration with The Huffington Post, entitled ‘Sundays with Agapi’, which includes guided meditations and interviews with prominent guests. She lives in Los Angeles.

Agapi Stassinopoulos

Agatha Christie

Aggie MacKenzie

About Aghnia Mardiyah: Aghnia Mardiyah is a London-based Illustrator and Character Designer with a passion for children's books and animation. She is drawn to fun, bright and vibrant colours. When she isn't disappearing under piles of work, she loves to travel! Exploring foreign places, exciting new sights and sensations is what inspires her the most!

Aghnia Mardiyah

About Agnes Callard: Agnes Callard is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago. Her primary areas of specialization are ancient philosophy and ethics. She has written for The New York Times, New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper’s, Boston Review, and penned a monthly column for the Point. From 2019 to 2020, she held a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for the research that contributes to this book.

Agnes Callard

Agnes Jekyll

About Agnes Marshall: Agnes Bertha Marshall (24 August 1855-29 July 1905) was an English culinary entrepreneur who became a leading cookery writer, dubbed the 'Queen of Ices'. Her 1888 cookery book included a recipe for 'cornets with cream', possibly the earliest publication of the edible ice cream cone. Marshall was born in Walthamstow. She wrote four books: Ices Plain and Fancy: The Book of Ices (1885), Mrs A B Marshall's Book of Cookery (1888), Mrs A B Marshall's Larger Cookery Book of Extra Recipes (1891) and Fancy Ices (1894).

Agnes Marshall

Agnes Prus

About Agri Ismaïl: Agri Ismaïl is a Kurdish author based in Sweden who has worked as a corporate lawyer in London, Dubai, and Iraqi Kurdistan. His work has been published in The White Review, The Rumpus, Litro, 3:AM Magazine, and Asymptote amongst other places. His piece 'Haunted Home' won the 2016 Stack award for best non-fiction for The Outpost, runner-up in the Lifted Brow &amp; RMIT non/fictionLab Prize for Experimental Non-Fiction, and he was longlisted for the 2017/2018 Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize. Hyper is his first novel.

Agri Ismaïl

About Aharon Appelfeld: Aharon Appelfeld authored more than 45 acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction and received many international awards including the MLA Commonwealth Award, the Independent Foreign Fiction prize, the prix Médicis étranger, the Israel prize, and the Nelly Sachs prize. Born in Czernowitz, Bukovina (now part of Ukraine) in 1932, he survived the Holocaust and passed away in Israel in 2018.

Aharon Appelfeld

Ahmadou Kourouma

About Ahmed Alnaouq: Ahmed Alnaouq is a Palestinian journalist and human rights activist based in London. He is the co-founder and director of We Are Not Numbers and a journalist with Palestine Deep Dive. Ahmed holds a degree in English Literature from Al-Azhar university in Gaza, and an MA in International Journalism from Leeds University, where he was a Chevening Scholar. 
 
Pam Bailey is a social-justice activist and journalist based in Washington DC. She lived and worked in the Gaza Strip following the 2008/9 Israeli assault, and co-founded We Are Not Numbers. Today, in addition to her ongoing dedication to the Palestinian cause, she dedicates herself to two nonprofits that advocate for people detained in American prisons -- including one she co-founded in 2020, called More Than Our Crimes.

Ahmed Alnaouq

Ahmed Errachidi

Ahmed Rashid

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

About Ahron Bregman: Ahron Bregman is the author of four books about Israel and the Arabs: The Fifty Years War (with Jihan el Tahri), Israel's Wars, A History of Israel and Elusive Peace. He teaches at the Department of War Studies, King's College London.

Ahron Bregman

About Ai Qing: Ai Qing is regarded as one of the finest modern Chinese poets, whose free verse was influential in the development of new poetry in China.

Ai Qing

Ai Weiwei

About Aidan Chambers: Aidan Chambers was born in County Durham in 1934. After national service in the Royal Navy he became a teacher and then, for seven years, a monk. His young adult novels have been widely acclaimed, with POSTCARDS FROM NO-MAN'S LAND winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal and the US Michael L Printz Award. With his wife Nancy he ran Signal magazine and he has served as the president of the School Library Association. His devoted services to children's literature were recognised by his receipt of the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002.

Aidan Chambers

About Aidan Higgins: Aidan Higgins was born in 1927. Langrishe Go Down, his first novel, won the James Tait Black memorial Prize and the Irish Academy of Letters Award, and was later filmed for television with a screenplay by Harold Pinter. His second novel, Balcony of Europe, was shortlisted for the 1972 Booker Prize. The novel Lions of the Grunewald appeared in 1993 and a collection of shorter fiction, Flotsam and jetsam, in 1996. Donkey's Years and Dog Days were the first two volumes of the Higgins Bestiary which concludes with this volume.

Aidan Higgins

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Richard Waring

Henry Cecil

Frank Muir

Denis Norden

All three BBC Radio series of the classic legal comedy starring Richard Briers 
 
Inspired by Henry Cecil's 1955 comic novel of the same name, Brothers in Law first appeared on BBC One in 1962, providing Richard Briers with his first starring role on television as idealistic young barrister Roger Thursby. Adapted by Richard Waring from TV scripts by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, it took to the airwaves in 1970, running for three years until 1972. 
 
As the series opens, the rookie lawyer is in his first year at chambers, and struggling to learn the ropes. He just wants to win a case - any case - but in these 39 episodes, he finds himself unwittingly aiding a habitual fraudster, confronting a fearsome judge, and annoying his girlfriend by defending a wife-beater. Whether he's getting into a jam parking his car, having a spot of bother with toggles and grommets, or facing double trouble in a bigamy case, the bungling barrister all too frequently finds himself courting disaster... 
 
Newly restored and collected together for the first time, these three radio series are the only way to enjoy Roger Thursby's hilarious misadventures, as only one episode of the TV series remains in the BBC archive. With guest stars including John Le Mesurier, Jon Pertwee, Roy Kinnear, David Jason, Barbara Windsor and Joan Sims, this sparkling series is a must for all fans of vintage comedy. 
 
Production credits 
Series 1 adapted from the TV scripts by Richard Waring. Scripts by Frank Muir and Denis Norden 
Series 2 and 3 written by Henry Cecil and Basil Dawson 
Produced by David Hatch (Series 1, Series 2 Episodes 1-10 and 13), Simon Brett (Series 2 Episodes 11 and 12) and Trafford Whitelock (Series 3) 
 
Cast 
Roger Thursby - Richard Briers 
Henry Blagrove - Richard Waring (Series 1)/Terence Alexander (Series 2) 
Sally Mannering - Ann Davies (Series 1)/Julia Lockwood (Series 2) 
Grimes - John Glyn-Jones 
Joy - Bridget Armstrong 
With Kenneth Connor, John Le Mesurier, Malcolm Hayes, Frederick Treves, John Bresslin, Robert Dorning, Richard Caldicot, Clifford Norgate, Jean Anderson, Ann Way, Aimi MacDonald, Richard Watts, John Junkin, Thorley Walters, Denise Coffey, Patricia Gallimore, Alan Barry, John Gabriel, Frances Bennett, Betty Cooper, Patrick Cargill, James Beck, Basil Dignam, Blake Butler, Liz Fraser, Frank Thornton, Peter Jones, Sam Kydd, Jo Kendall, Patsy Rowlands, Robert Dorning, Deryck Guyler, Nicholas Phipps, Sonia Fraser, John Bryning, Leslie Heritage, Jon Pertwee, Dennis Ramsden, James Hayter, Geoffrey Sumner, Ronald Forfar, Carol Marsh, Gerald Cross, Fenella Fielding, Terence Alexander, John Baker, Hector Ross, Andrew Cruickshank, Roy Kinnear, Ronald Adam, Arthur Mullard, Sean Arnold, Douglas Blackwell, Patrick Tull, Michael Kilgarriff, William Fox, David Jason, Bill Wallis, Nigel Pegram, Garard Green, Peter Tuddenham, Brian Oulton, John Barron, John Ruddock, Barbara Windsor, John Bluthal, Norman Bird, Francis de Wolff, Manning Wilson, Martin Friend, Alec Bregonzi, Olwen Griffiths, Nigel Anthony, Felix Felton, Simon Merrick, Joan Sims, Alan Curtis, Edward Kelsey, John Samson, John Rowe, Paul Whitsun-Jones, John Rutland, Noel Howlett, Harold Berens, Alexandra Dane, Eva Stuart, Michael Hordern, Amanda Reiss, Alfie Bass, Henry McGee, Robin Hunter, Arthur Mullard and Eva Haddon 
 
Episode guide: 
 
Series 1 (9 June-1 Sept 1970) 
1 The First Brief 
2 The Expert Witness 
3 Breach of Contract 
4 Judgement Summons 
5 Counsel's Opinion 
6 Special Damages 
7 Separation Order 
8 Reasonable Doubt 
9 With Use of Bath 
10 Without Due Care 
11 Solicitor's Instructions 
12 Special Examiner 
13 Counsel for the Prosecution 
 
Series 2 (15 July-7 Oct 1971) 
14 Look It Up 
15 Tell 'Em the Tale 
16 Statistics 
17 In and Out 
18 Polite Notice 
19 Circling the Square 
20 In Reverse 
21 But... 
22 Disqualified 
23 One Thousand Four Hundred and Seventy One 
24 A Jewel of a Husband 
25 Keeping it Warm 
26 Brief Offer 
 
Series 3 (24 Apr-17 July 1972) 
27 Deaf Aid 
28 One Double or Two Singles 
29 Menaces 
30 Obstruction 
31 Assault 
32 Manipulation 
33 And So On 
34 Good Husband and Father 
35 Faults on Both Sides 
36 What Do You Do? 
37 Crabtree Disease 
38 A Piece of Cake 
39 Alibi 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Brothers in Law: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio Comedy

David Ellis

Noel Johnson, the radio voice of Dick Barton - Special Agent, stars in this 1969 thriller about a second-hand car dealer caught up in fraud and murder 
 
When Andrew Marsh takes a young woman out for dinner while his wife is away, he soon finds himself in big trouble. He falls under police suspicion when cheques from his missing cheque book start turning up in shops, signed with a false name. 
 
Suspected of fraud, Andrew decides to take action. Convinced that the cheque book was stolen by his dinner companion, Sheila Ramsey, he tries desperately to trace her - but she's gone... 
 
Things go from bad to worse, and Andrew is soon suspected of murder after his car is involved in a hit-and-run. Is he being framed? Determined to clear his name, his investigations lead him to the shady Excelsior Club, a mysterious woman named Margaret Everard, and a ruthless criminal gang. But the closer he gets to the truth, the more he puts his own life in jeopardy... 
 
Created by David Ellis, whose scriptwriting credits include Paul Temple, Z-Cars and Dixon of Dock Green, this exciting, fast-paced serial stars Noel Johnson as Andrew Marsh, with Douglas Blackwell, Maddi Hedd and Eva Haddon. 
 
 
 Cast 
Andrew Marsh - Noel Johnson 
Roger Sherwin/The Boss - Douglas Blackwell 
Detective Sergeant Rankin - Henry Stamper 
Joyce Marsh - Madi Hedd 
George - John Baddeley 
Peter Lloyd - Michael Deacon 
Carol Ransome - Jenny McCracken 
Doctor - David Brierley 
Constable - Peter Baldwin 
Harry Yates - Leonard Fenton 
Salesman - Rolf Lefebvre 
Margaret Everard/Judy Randall - Eva Haddon 
Bill Rodney - Wilfred Carter 
Joe - Antony Viccars 
Max Freeman - Francis de Wolff 
Shirley - Kathleen Helme 
Alf Jenkins - Brian Haines 
Sheila Ramsey - Jan Edwards 
Detective Inspector Adams - John Bentley 
Dr Fergus - Malcolm Hayes 
Constable - Nicholas Edmett 
Girl at the Station - Gretta Gouriet 
 
Produced by Betty Davies 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 30 January-20 February 1969

Find the Lady

A BBC Radio thriller

Lucy Catherine

London, 2049. 
 
Full body transplants on sale here: the more you pay, the better the body. But can an expensive upgrade really fulfil the life-changing expectations of demoralised mortician Caroline McAleese? 
 
Caroline is desperate to be promoted to the sales team - but she's overweight and over 40, and in a world where attractiveness is prioritised ahead of intelligence, her prospects are slim. Then she hits the jackpot in the Citizens' Lottery, and gets the chance to trade up to the perfect new body: one that's young, lithe and beautiful. 
 
It's a dream come true for Caroline - until she starts to experience teething problems. Her behaviours begin to change, and she is haunted by violent dreams. She's not alone in her new body, and no longer in control. What shadows have been left by her body's former inhabitant? And whose voice is it she hears in her head? 
 
Developed through the Wellcome Trust Experimental Stories scheme, this dark, futuristic series was written by award-winning dramatist Lucy Catherine, whose credits include Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, Gudrun and The Master and Margarita. It stars Jill Halfpenny as Caroline, with Shelley Conn, Samantha Dakin and Chetna Pandya. 
 
Cast 
Caroline - Jill Halfpenny 
Gloria - Shelley Conn 
Rowan/Benefits Office Computer - Adam Courting 
Anastasia - Samantha Dakin 
Tom/Car Salesman - Ian Conningham 
Waiter/Security Guard - Greg Jones 
Bar Guy/Che - Ikky Elyas 
Virtual James - Will Kirk 
Government Computer/Stan - Neil McCaul 
Work Computer/Library Computer - Sinead MacInnes 
Lift Voice/Young Mum - Lucy Reynolds 
Paulina - Chetna Pandya 
Mel - Liza Sadovy 
Trevor - Clive Hayward 
Karina - Heather Craney 
BodyEx Computer - Scarlett Courtney 
Hotel Computer - Laura Christy 
 
Directed by Toby Swift 
Developed through the Wellcome Trust Experimental Stories scheme 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11-13 March 2020

Body Horror

A BBC Radio dystopian thriller

John Fletcher

A six-part radio spy thriller about an ex-SAS agent framed for murder and on the run 
 
Terry Prince is an ex-SAS professional occasionally hired by the Secret Services to do special 'jobs'. His latest mission seems straightforward enough: find and retrieve a top secret file, belonging to the Department of Internal Security, that has been leaked to a left-wing magazine. 
 
Arriving at the offices of Socialist Attack, he discovers the editor dead - and he himself suspected of murder. Falsely accused, he goes on the run from both the Internal Security Department and gangsters from London's underworld. 
 
But Terry's cover is blown, and he soon finds himself blackmailed by a mysterious organisation who threaten to turn him in unless he works for them. Heading to a remote country mansion in Oxford with his instructions, he prepares to do battle with whatever forces await him... 
 
Created by John Fletcher, whose writing credits include Bergerac, this gripping serial stars Freddie Lees as Terry, with John Abineri, Hubert Rees and Madeleine Cemm. 
 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by John Fletcher 
Directed by Brian Miller 
 
Cast 
Terry - Freddie Lees 
Thompson - John Abineri 
Fortescue - Hubert Rees 
Sturley/Georghiu - John Linstrum 
Sir James Simpson - Conrad Phillips 
Chris - Elwyn Johnson 
Linda Taylor - Madeleine Cemm 
Nick - Brett Usher 
Watson - Ray Handy 
Trader - Colin Starkey 
Keith - Rod Beacham 
Frank - Thomas Heathcote 
Josie - Hilda Schroder 
Hobson - David Sinclair 
Radio voice - Roger Leach 
Manny Silverman - Arnold Diamond 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 May-24 June 1984

Deep Six

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast spy thriller

John Harvey

Five BBC Radio 4 full-cast crime dramas featuring DI Charlie Resnick 
 
'John Harvey is one of the all-time greats and remains one of my favourite writers.' - Ian Rankin 
 
Jazz-loving policeman Charlie Resnick is one of the most popular characters in contemporary crime fiction. This thrilling collection brings together three dramatisations and two original radio stories starring the Nottingham-based detective, all scripted by his creator, award-winning author John Harvey. 
 
Wasted Years 
1992, and two incidents of violent robbery force Detective Inspector Resnick to relive painful memories of ten years earlier, when his marriage collapsed - and he arrested an armed criminal... Starring Tom Wilkinson. 
 
Cutting Edge 
When a young doctor is attacked on a deserted hospital walkway, the clues seem to lead nowhere for DI Charlie Resnick. As he desperately searches for motives, another victim is assaulted... Starring Tom Georgeson. 
 
Slow Burn 
When Jimmy Nolan's Nottingham jazz club burns down, it looks like an insurance job. But for Detective Inspector Charlie Resnick and his team, it is the start of a more sinister and deadly chain of events. Starring Philip Jackson. 
 
Cheryl 
While Detective Inspector Resnick pursues a gang of armed robbers, meals-on-wheels lady Cheryl takes the law into her own hands on behalf of an elderly client. It isn't long before their investigations collide... Starring Keith Barron. 
 
Bird of Paradise 
Jerzy Grabianski is a high-class burglar with a passion for ornithology and British Impressionist paintings. Like DI Charlie Resnick, he has Polish roots, a firm sense of justice and a soft spot for the ladies - especially the energetic Sister Teresa... Starring Keith Barron. 
 
 
Directed by David Hunter 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Inspector Resnick

Five BBC Radio full-cast dramatisations

Nigel Baldwin

Four thrilling detective dramas set in Amiens during the French Revolution 
 
'Stylish detective series' The Independent 
 
September 1791. Newly promoted Lieutenant General Jacques Lacroix is transferred from Paris to Amiens, tasked to solve crimes and arrest criminals. But in these days of revolution, it's increasingly tricky for him to identify the criminals amongst all the agitators, rabble-rousers and counter-revolutionaries. And his job is about to get even harder, as he finds himself investigating a slew of grisly murders... 
 
In Friends in High Places, the body of a murdered girl is dragged out of the Somme. She was last seen at a salon the previous night, in the company of Maximilien Robespierre: could the great man be implicated in her death? 
 
To Be A Pilgrim finds Lacroix probing an alleged conspiracy that sets him off on the wrong track, and calling on the local sorceress, Madeleine Bonniface, to help him solve what appears to be a ritual killing. 
 
In Health of a Nation, a doctor is found dead as the Reign of Terror begins. His son confesses to the murder - but he has an alibi, so why would he lie? 
 
Finally, in Moon Conjunct Uranus, Madeleine Bonniface's astrological chart predicts trouble ahead for Lacroix - and when the death of a young woman is linked to a secret magical sect, the evidence all seems to point to him... 
 
These atmospheric historical crime dramas star David Calder stars as Lacroix, with Brian Hibbard, Kathryn Pogson, Simon Ludders and Frances Tomelty. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Nigel Baldwin, with additional research by Constantia Michael 
Directed by Alison Hindell 
Original music by Paula Gardiner, performed by Mark Edwards, Jeanette Masocchi, Ron Parry and Paula Gardiner 
 
Cast 
Lt Gen Lacroix - David Calder 
Monet - Brian Hibbard 
Charlotte - Kathryn Pogson 
Dupont - Ian Rowlands 
Roland - Christian Rodska 
Robespierre - Brendan Charleson 
Didier/Panchaud/Chalier - Steve Hodson 
Mme Rives/Josephine - Bethan Jones 
Surgeon - Matthew Morgan 
Mme Giradoux - Lesley Rooney 
Duval - Simon Ludders 
Madeleine - Frances Tomelty 
Mme des Chats/Mme Dupre - Sue Roderick 
Ferrier/Michel - Andrew Wincott 
Georges/Jean - Robert Harper 
Simone - Sara Harris-Davies 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 March-3 April 1995

The Tree of Liberty

A BBC Radio 4 crime drama

Joel Morris

Jason Hazeley

Matthew Holness stars in this superbly silly Scandinavian detective yarn 
 
Knut Ångström is a brooding, alcoholic, maverick Swedish detective from the mean streets of Oslo. Following the deaths of his beloved wife Christa, and cheeky duck Elvin, he is posted to the Njalsland peninsula, where he becomes embroiled in a labyrinthine mystery which bears an eerie similarity to the Askeladden killings - a case from his distant past. 
 
Arriving at a secluded valley after an anonymous tip-off, Ångström finds his crime scene is missing a corpse. It seems the attack was so brutal that it's obliterated all trace of the body (or maybe there was no murder?) But Ångström is undeterred, and together with young, blue-haired investigative reporter Mina Oblong, he follows his hunch to the offices of Councillor Birgit Lundstrom. 
 
But when Lundstrom turns up dead, Ångström himself is in the frame for her murder. Determined to clear his name, he seeks the help of Benny from ABBA - but why is Benny from ABBA suddenly Mexican? A clue left by the killer leads Ångström and Mina from a novelty troll factory to the remote Celibate Puffin Island (but it's all one word in Swedish) where they find a possible connection between the Askeladden murders and the sinister Bolax Corporation - and get one step closer to discovering the identity of the mysterious Ash Lad... 
 
This gag-packed, snow-packed, flat-packed Scandi-spoof was created by Joel Morris and Jason Hazeley (The Ladybird Books for Grown Ups, Charlie Brooker's ...Wipe,That Mitchell and Webb Look, A Touch of Cloth) and stars the Perrier Award-winning Matthew Holness (Garth Marenghi's Darkplace) as Knut Ångström. 
 
 
 
Written by Joel Morris and Jason Hazeley 
Cast: Matthew Holness, Nadia Kamil, Simon Kane, Morgana Robinson, David Reed, Freya Parker, Kevin Eldon and Anna Crilly 
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner 
 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10-31 January 2018

Ångström

A BBC Radio comedy

Grant Eustace

It is the 1980s, and Stamford Holmes is still living in the shadow of his famous grandfather. Languidly living on Sherlock's fortune, he reluctantly agrees to do some work as a consulting detective - if only to provide 'Doctor' Watson with material for the Sunday papers. 
 
Watson, on the other hand, brings all the bumbling enthusiam he can muster to their new cases, forever aping and quoting both their grandfathers - and wielding a magnifying glass. 
 
As they dash towards the eerie howls of a new hound of the Baskervilles, their sleuthing is interrupted by a busload of tourists, and shots ring out as they approach Baskerville hall - fired by exercising army commandos. 
 
Such problems never plagued the great Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson... 
 
Peter Egan stars as Stamford Holmes and Jeremy Nicholas as Watson in this loving parody of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's characters. 
 
The six adventures in this collection are: 
 
The Case of the Grandfather's Client 
The Case of the Maltese Pearls 
The Case of the Reading Undertaker 
The Case of the Shadowed Minister 
The Case of the Neglected Farm 
The Case of the Missing Link 
 
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1983.

Second Holmes

Six BBC Radio full-cast adventures

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe's most celebrated stories, as heard on BBC Radio - plus bonus documentaries and two thrilling original dramas 
 
The master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe has inspired generations of horror writers with his chilling Gothic tales, and is also credited with inventing the detective fiction genre in The Murders in the Rue Morgue. 
 
This radio collection features five of his classic tales - The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Oblong Box, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Masque of the Red Death, read by David Horovitch, Brian Gear, James Aubrey, Sean Barrett and Don Gilet. Also included is his renowned poem The Raven, read by Patrick Romer. 
 
Here, too, are adaptations of Poe's suspenseful story of piracy and slavery, The Gold Bug, starring Clarke Peters and Rhashan Stone, and his pioneering mystery story The Murders in the Rue Morgue, starring James Fleet and Andrew Scott. 
 
Radio 3's The Essay: Loving the Raven sees Poe enthusiasts Andrew Taylor, Joanne Harris, Louise Welsh, Mark Lawson and Kim Newman discussing the author's enduring legacy and cult status, while in Adventures in Poetry: The Raven, Peggy Reynolds explores Poe's most iconic work. 
 
Also included are two original dramas featuring Poe himself. Obsessed by a woman's unsolved murder, Edgar Allan Poe is presented with a disturbing revelation on the night before his death in Peter Mackie's The Real Mystery of Marie Roget, starring Ed Bishop. And in Christopher Cook's The Strange Case of Edgar Allan Poe, starring Kerry Shale and John Moffatt, Poe's famous detective C. Auguste Dupin investigates the bizarre death of his creator. 
 
Content warning: The Gold Bug is set in a time when slavery was still prevalent in America, and contains racist language from that era. 
 
Track listing: 
The Pit and the Pendulum 
The Tell-Tale Heart 
The Oblong Box 
The Fall of the House of Usher 
The Masque of the Red Death 
The Raven 
The Gold Bug 
The Murders in the Rue Morgue 
The Essay: Loving the Raven 
Adventures in Poetry: The Raven 
The Real Mystery of Marie Roget 
The Strange Case of Edgar Allan Poe 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Edgar Allan Poe BBC Radio Collection

The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart & other works

Nick Perry

Babelsberg Film Studios, 1929. 
 
A major new movie is in production when its star Krista Wolff suddenly disappears. The head of the studio and the film's writer are desperate to find her. Each have their own reasons. 
 
 Nick Perry's suspenseful drama is set amid the creative ferment of 1920s Berlin, centred around Babelsberg Film Studio, the world's oldest large-scale film studio. Out of the darkness of military defeat, political chaos, poverty and hyperinflation springs the phenomenon of Weimar culture, a defiant celebration of humanity and artistic expression in all its diverse forms. 
 
People flock to Berlin to be a part of the cultural explosion. Writer Jonas Beck, actress Krista Wolff and war veteran Peter X are among them. 
 
 Jonas Beck . . . . . Paul Chahidi 
 Otto Lenz . . . . . Anton Lesser 
 Lottie . . . . . Clare Corbett 
 Peter X . . . . . Carl Prekopp 
Fischer . . . . . Michael Jibson 
 Krista . . . . . Cassie Layton 
 
 The songs are written by Nick Perry, Nathan Perry and Maureen Glackin, and the music is arranged and performed by Peter Ringrose. 
 
 Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko

Babelsberg Babylon

Claire McGowan

They all thought she was dead. But now she’s back. 
 
Golden girl Zoe’s been dead for ten years, her body dragged from the river Black after a night out to celebrate the end of school. But now a woman who says she’s Zoe has turned up in her hometown of Blackwater, on the Irish border, with no memory of the last decade. She claims she woke up in a forest nearby, bruised and bleeding, and doesn’t know where she’s been all this time. What happened to her? Is she really Zoe? And if so, who is in her grave? 
 
Someone is hiding something. Is it Paul, who went to prison for Zoe's murder? Zoe's uncle Phil, a former detective superintendent with an explosive secret? Or Steve, the police office who found 'Zoe's' body in the river? Then there's Zoe's friend Danny, who wasn't where she said she was on that night ten years ago. 
 
As they sift through their conflicting memories of that day ten years ago, they start to discover that not everyone is happy that Zoe's back from the dead. 
 
Cast 
Zoe - Clare Dunne 
Steve - Richard Clements 
Paul - Aston Kelly 
Phil - Sean Kearns 
Danny - Roisin Gallagher 
 
Produced by Celia de Wolff

Blackwater

A BBC Radio crime drama

Alan McDonald

A BBC Radio 4 crime drama about a Merseyside mum-turned-private eye 
 
Single mum Rosie Monaghan is 39 and redundant. Wondering what to do with the rest of her life – and with two kids to support – she decides to start a new career as a private detective. 
 
In Series 1 she begins her first investigation, involving a mystery client and a seemingly innocent death that no one else thinks is murder. But being a private eye proves trickier than she thought. The job itself is fraught with problems (how do you tail someone without them noticing?), and the demands of love, children and her bank manager are all jostling for her attention. Can she solve the case and confront the murderer? And will the guilty be brought to justice? 
 
Series 2 finds Rosie back in business, with a rent-free corner of an office, and an ‘anything investigated’ ad in the paper. Among the cases that come her way are a mysterious briefcase full of cash, a missing wife whose husband is ‘one card short of a full deck’, and a series of racial attacks on a corner shop. 
 
Written by Alan McDonald, this intriguing crime series stars Paula Wilcox (Upstart Crow, Mount Pleasant) as Rosie. 
 
Cast 
Rosie Monagahan – Paula Wilcox 
Margie – Elizabeth Estensen 
Jerry – Christopher Bramwell 
Bob – Dominic Grounsell 
Carol – Helen Roberts 
Mike – Steve Hodson 
Martin Bullivant – Paul Barber 
Andrew Stephenson – Kim Wall 
Bill Jones/Deputy Chief Constable – Dominic Letts 
Elsie/Dorothy – Pauline Yates 
Detective Sergeant Murdoch – Gareth Armstrong 
Hickey – Michael Onslow 
Helen Thackray – Rachel Atkins 
James MacLeish – James Telfer 
Old woman – Diana Payan 
Graham – David Thorpe 
Auntie – Jillie Meers 
Paddy/Daz – Peter Kenny 
Debbie – Barbara Dryhurst 
Barbara Rowan/Jessica – Elaine Claxton 
Joe Geoghegan/Gregson/Derek – Gavin Muir 
Dan McGuinness/Billy – Tom Bevan 
Mr Khadur– Lyndam Gregory 
Mrs Khadur – Nina Wadia 
Gricewell – Don McCorkindale 
Planner – Don Warrington 
Peggy – Margaret John 
Ginny – Tina Gray 
WPC/Chantal – Deborah Berlin 
Miranda – Tara Dominick 
Bren – Siriol Jenkins 
Nat – Paul Panting 
With Federay Holmes, Matthew Morgan, Nicholas Murchie, Teresa Gallagher, Vivienne Rochester, James Taylor, Malcolm Ward, Suzannah Corbett and Dominic Traynor 
 
Written by Alan McDonald 
Directed by Tracey Neale 
Music composed by Peter Howell 
 
Series 1: 
Ep 1: Down These Mean Streets 
Ep 2: Following From In Front 
Ep 3: Back Against the Wall 
Ep 4: If Looks Could Kill 
Ep 5: Count Your Blessings 
Ep 6: In Dreams 
 
Series 2: 
Ep 1: Starting Over 
Ep 2: Softies 
Ep 3: The Front Man 
Ep 4: Massaging the Truth

Unofficial Rosie: The Complete Series 1 and 2

Peter Turnbull

All 18 episodes of the police procedural featuring the Glaswegian cops of P Division 
 
Glasgow's finest are on the case in these thrilling radio adaptations, based on the books by Peter Turnbull. 
 
In the four-part serial Condition Purple, a murdered prostitute is found in the heart of Glasgow's prosperous business quarter. Could a tattoo on her body hold the key to finding her killer? In Two Way Cut, another four-parter, a headless body without a speck of blood on it has the cops puzzled - and who was the strange figure that PC Hamilton saw running along by the canal? 
 
Series 1 of Code Four One sees a skeleton found on a building site in The Bonepit, while in The Ladder, a wealthy couple disappear, believed murdered - but where are the bodies? And in the tense two-parter Long Pig/The Torchman, a brutal crime is linked to other murders, and a psychological profiler is called in to help find the serial killer... 
 
Series 2 of Code Four One opens with McInroy's Point, in which a policewoman is suspected of killing her own mother. A seeming suicide puts the police on the trail of a cult in Suffer the Children, and a young woman is found strangled in Kissogram. In Secret Affair, a murder in a rock band raises old nightmares for DS Sussock; in The Good Thief, a well-known TV personality is killed during a burglary; and in Hooked, when a pillar of the community is found dead in his office, P Division uncover his sordid past. 
 
Dramatised by Stephen Mulrine, this gritty, atmospheric series stars Martin Cochrane and Crawford Logan as DI Fabian Donoghue, Ralph Riach and Jake D'Arcy as DS Ray Sussock, Frank Gallagher as DC Malcolm Montgomery, Andrew Conlan as DC Tony Abernethy, Martin McCardie as PC Phil Hamilton, and Ann Louise Ross and Eliza Langland as WPC Elka Willems. 
 
Written by Peter Turnbull 
Dramatised by Stephen Mulrine 
Produced and directed by Hamish Wilson 
Recorded in a BBC studio and on location in Glasgow 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

P Division

The Complete BBC Radio crime series

Georgette Heyer

BBC Radio adaptations of three of Georgette Heyer's sparkling Regency romances and a classic comedy thriller 
 
The acknowledged 'queen of Regency romance', bestselling author Georgette Heyer, also penned a dozen delightful mystery novels. Included here are dramatisations of four of her finest stories from both genres, full of her characteristic wit, charm and period detail. 
 
Regency Buck 
Pretty but shrewd Judith Taverner gallops in from the provinces and daringly defies the gaming, drinking and brawling world of Regency London to claim her rights, her fortune - and who knows, perhaps her happiness? Starring Elizabeth Proud as Judith Taverner and Simon Shepherd as Peregrine Taverner. 
 
Friday's Child 
'I'm going back to London! And I'm going to marry the first woman I see!' is the cry of young Lord Sheringham when his proposal of marriage is rejected by Isabella, the Incomparable. True to his word, he takes the even younger Hero Wantage as his bride... Starring James Frain as Viscount Anthony Sheringham and Elli Garnett as Hero Wantage, with Simon Russell Beale as Jasper Tarleton. 
 
Faro's Daughter 
Deborah Grantham's position in a gaming house makes her utterly unsuitable as a wife for a nobleman, so Max Ravenscar determines to rescue his cousin from her clutches. But the bribe he offers does not go down well, and a battle of wits commences... Starring Sylvestre Le Touzel as Deborah Grantham and Nathaniel Parker as Max Ravenscar, with Anna Massey as Lady Bellingham. 
 
Envious Casca 
An English country Christmas in the 1930s, a Tudor manor house decked with holly, a family gathered for seasonal cheer - and a murder. Inspector Hemingway is on the case, but can he shake off amateur sleuths Toby and Jane French? Starring Peter Kelly as Inspector Hemingway, James Fleet as Toby and Helen Baxendale as Jane. 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Georgette Heyer BBC Radio Drama Collection

Four full-cast dramatisations

Simon Brett

Jeremy Front

Bill Nighy returns as the loveably louche actor-cum-amateur detective Charles Paris 
 
Charles Paris is in Oxford, appearing in a re-imagining of Hamlet by a high-concept drama company. No fan of immersive theatre, he's unimpressed with the director's vision and less than thrilled to be rehearsing alongside puppeteers and mime artists. 
 
But he soon finds himself back on familiar territory when the actress playing Ophelia goes missing, only to turn up dead. Did she take her own life, or was there foul play? As he amasses a list of suspects who might have wished her harm, Charles takes on the mantle of detective once more to decide if this is to be or not to be a murder case... 
 
Scripted for radio by Jeremy Front from a story by Simon Brett, A Doubtful Death stars Bill Nighy (Emma, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) as Charles Paris, with Suzanne Burden as Frances and Jon Glover as Maurice. 
 
Also included is an exclusive 18-minute afterword in which Jeremy Front discusses his experience of adapting an unproduced screenplay, reveals what it's like to work with recurring characters and actors, and explains the mechanics of recording for radio. 
 
Simon Brett OBE has written 19 Charles Paris novels as well as many other detective novels. Jeremy Front is a dramatist and comedic writer; he has won awards for his adaptation of Sword of Honour and co-writes and stars in the series Incredible Women with his sister, Rebecca. 
 
Credits 
Written by Jeremy Front 
From a story by Simon Brett 
Produced and directed by Sally Avens 
Production Coordinator: Cynthia Fagan 
Studio Managers: Anne Bunting, Keith Graham and Jenni Burnett 
Interview produced by Ania Duggan and Roshni Radia 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 22 May-12 June 2020 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Charles Paris: A Doubtful Death

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Lucia Haynes

Eileen Horne

Anita Vettesse

“They charged you with murder David. Why is that?... David? Why do the police think you murdered your son?” 
 
Jamie was 19. He was an ambitious personal trainer who wanted to be a social media influencer. But now his hopes and dreams will never be realised. Jamie was found killed at the family home, discovered by his dad – who’s now been charged with his own son’s murder. 
 
In this gripping crime drama, revealed through recordings of sessions led by forensic psychiatrist Dr Alex Bridges (Lolita Chakrabarti), we hear from those closest to Jamie and find out more about the family’s secrets. 
 
David, a photographer, describes a picture-perfect life, his “beautiful” son and a happy home. But is he hiding something? 
 
Will the truth about Jamie’s murder finally be revealed? 
 
Also featuring bonus content from real-life forensic psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, who was series consultant for This Thing of Darkness. Her appearance on BBC show The Life Scientific is presented as part of this audio release, where she reveals how she treats the minds of real-life violent offenders. 
 
Cast 
Alex … Lolita Chakrabarti 
 David … Robin Laing 
Laura… Shauna Macdonald 
Hannah … Jessica Hardwick 
Liam/Dougie … Simon Donaldson 
 Kyle/Tyler … Reuben Joseph 
 Frankie … Brian Vernel 
Karen … Victoria Liddelle 
 
Series created by Audrey Gillan, Lucia Haynes, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams. 
 Series consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead 
Written by Lucia Haynes (episodes 1, 2 and 4) and Anita Vettesse (episodes 3, 5, 6 and 7), with monologues by Eileen Horne 
 Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams 
 A BBC Scotland Production directed by Gaynor Macfarlane

This Thing of Darkness

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast thriller

Nick Fisher

All five series of the BBC Radio 4 crime drama featuring Detective Superintendent Julie Enfield, starring Imelda Staunton 
 
Dogged DSI Julie Enfield probes eight gruesome cases in these dark, atmospheric radio dramas. 
 
Terminus finds her investigating the 'Lucky Charm' murders, as she searches for an elusive serial killer who haunts the railway station. In The Smithfield Murders, a grisly killing at London's famous meat market sparks another troubling investigation, while in The Net and the Canal, Enfield and her team look into a series of mysterious murders along Regent's Park Canal. Leaves of the Dead presents her with a trio of inexplicable deaths in the British Library - could they be ritual murders? 
 
Murder West One comprises the stand-alone dramas A Cure for Death, The Art of the Matter, Five Star Killing and Soho Espresso. In these four episodes, the DSI faces a medical mystery behind the discovery of a dumped body, investigates a clever scam and a missing masterpiece, unravels a high-class murder at a glitzy London hotel and heads to a coffee bar where a man lies dead upstairs - but who killed him? 
 
Created by BAFTA-winning scriptwriter Nick Fisher, this thrilling series stars Imelda Staunton as DSI Julie Enfield. 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

DSI Julie Enfield Investigates

Guy Meredith

All four series of the jaunty crime drama featuring two ex-spies who set up a private detective agency 
 
London, 1953. Josephine Daunt and Susan Dervish both worked for the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War, doing top-secret, highly dangerous espionage work. But in peacetime, they find themselves without a job and feeling useless. Determined to put their talents to good use, they decide to set up a detective agency, with the help of former private eye Bill Mackie. 
 
From their Covent Garden office, they handle a steady flow of business. But the ladies' lives really become exciting when they rescue a woman from drowning - only to discover that she's not what she seems. Soon, the daring duo are caught up in all manner of challenging cases, including a sporting assignment involving a priest and an Olympic boxing hopeful; a request to bid on a Monet that takes them on a trail across the Channel; a commission to investigate film actress Belinda Lane; and a theft at a fashion designer's workshop that leads them into a world of Teddy boys, political machinations and murder... 
 
Guy Meredith's light-hearted crime series stars Anna Massey as Josephine Daunt, while Imelda Staunton, Frances Barber and Sylvestra Le Touzel play Susan Dervish. Bill Paterson and Sean Scanlan co-star as Bill Mackie. 
 
Written by Guy Meredith 
Format by Imelda Staunton and Anna Massey 
Series 1 produced by Cherry Cookson and directed by Janet Whitaker 
Series 2-4 produced and directed by Colin Guthrie 
Clarinet played by Julian Stringle (Series 3, Episode 1) 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Daunt & Dervish

Gerard Stembridge

Someone doesn’t want the truth to be uncovered… 
 
Saturday April 26th 2003: Toby Ellis was looking after his four-month-old nephew, Derek Ellis. He nipped into his local newsagents, leaving the pram outside. Toby claimed he left the child for no longer than two minutes – but during this time, little Derek was abducted. Six days later the baby’s body was discovered, buried in a nearby wooded area. Cause of death: a blow to the head. No one was ever charged with the murder and the case has remained ongoing... 
 
As part of their final media degree assessment, three university students – Natalie Driver, Vic Grant and JJ Collins – decide to make a podcast about the cold case which happened in Colecastle 14 years ago. 
 
But the students’ podcast stirs up big trouble for the trio. After the first one goes out, Vic receives a call from a listener, claiming to have new evidence about the day Derek was snatched. He and JJ go to meet the source – only to disappear themselves. The only contact Natalie has received is a text sent from JJ's phone which reads ‘We're watching you. Stop this now.’ Now Natalie is in hiding, claiming she fears for her safety. Her nightly podcasts are attracting more and more interest – #whereisnatalie and #findvicandjj are rife with speculation. But are the three students actually in danger? Or – as their lecturer Dr Lena Bewick believes – is this all an elaborate media hoax? 
 
Written by Gerard Stembridge, who wrote the screenplay for Ordinary Decent Criminal starring Kevin Spacey, this compelling drama will appeal to anyone who loves true-crime podcasts like Serial, In the Dark and Criminal. Sophie Jo Wasson stars as Natalie, with Thomas Finnegan as Vic and Rhys Dunlop as JJ. 
 
Natalie Driver – Sophie Jo Wasson 
Dr Lena Bewick – Sanchia McCormack 
JJ Collins – Rhys Dunlop 
Vic Grant – Thomas Finnegan 
Angela – Gemma Cunningham 
Toby/Andy/Halpin – Michael Patrick 
 
Written by Gerard Stembridge 
Produced and directed by Gemma McMullan

Hiding Out

A BBC Radio full cast crime drama

Marcy Kahan

The Master turns sleuth and spy in this quintet of radio dramas 
 
Actor, playwright, songwriter, director, author and star – as far as we know, Noël Coward never added ‘detective’ or ‘undercover agent’ to his astonishing achievements. But could the intriguing gaps in his memoirs be hiding a thrilling secret life? 
 
Design for Murder 
In this wry backstage whodunit set just before World War II, Coward must put aside the play he’s writing to track down a murderous psychopath in London’s West End. 
 
Blithe Spy 
This Second World War espionage adventure finds Coward in New York, where he turns secret agent and uses his talent to amuse to help Britain battle the Nazis. 
 
A Bullet at Balmain’s 
1948, and the celebrated playwright is in post-liberation Paris to take the lead role in his play Present Laughter. But the murder of a fashion-house mannequin provides a stylish distraction. 
 
Death at the Desert Inn 
1955. When $300,000 is left in a satchel in Noël Coward's Las Vegas suite, it’s the prelude to a baffling murder mystery, complete with Judy Garland, a showgirl, a Broadway agent, an unlikely croupier, and a US Congressman. 
 
Our Man in Jamaica 
1961. Reconciled to being out of fashion, Noël Coward is determined to finish his first novel – until his neighbour Ian Fleming sets him a challenge: become a spy once more to help destabilise Fidel Castro… 
 
Written by Marcy Kahan and starring Malcolm Sinclair as Coward, Eleanor Bron as his devoted secretary Lorn Loraine and Tam Williams as his devoted valet Cole Lesley, these light-hearted thrillers see Noël Coward solving crimes and foiling villains with his favourite weapon: wit. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Marcy Kahan 
Starring Malcolm Sinclair as Noël Coward, Eleanor Bron as Lorn Loraine and Tam Williams as Cole Lesley

The Noël Coward Quintet

Detective. Spy. The entirely fictional adventures of Noël Coward

John Buchan

Five BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of John Buchan's espionage thrillers featuring gentleman spy Richard Hannay 
 
The forerunner to James Bond, secret agent Richard Hannay is a thoroughly British action hero, pursuing ruthless villains, foiling deadly plans and risking life and limb for his country. This gripping collection encompasses all five of Hannay's adventures, adapted for radio with superb casts including Tom Baker, Clive Merrison, Stuart Milligan, Jasmine Hyde and Patrick Malahide. 
 
The 39 Steps 
When a man is murdered in Richard Hannay's London flat, he goes on the run pursued by the police - and a gang of German spies intent on recovering a secret notebook which could destroy the British naval fleet. Starring David Robb as Hannay. 
 
Greenmantle 
1915. Summoned to the War Office, Hannay is told of an impending Holy War in the East. Greenmantle - once a mythical figure, now made flesh - is preparing to lead a great Islamic army against the infidel English. Hannay's mission: to identify Greenmantle and destroy him. Starring David Robb as Hannay. 
 
Mr Standfast 
Recalled from the Western Front, Hannay is ordered to pose as a pacifist and sent to Glasgow. Along the way, he meets a teenage Secret Service agent who will change the course of his life. Starring David Robb as Hannay. 
 
The Three Hostages 
When a gang of international criminals kidnaps a trio of hostages, the Secret Service brings Hannay out of retirement to track them down. But the mission will pit him against an adversary who can control men's minds... Starring David Robb as Hannay. 
 
The Island of Sheep 
A chance meeting in a train and a villainous vendetta shake Richard Hannay out of a complacent middle age, as dangerous men go in pursuit of treasure. Starring Nigel Anthony as Hannay. 
 
'The BBC radio sound effects department is on top form, adding thrills that no printed book can rival' The Times 
 
Please note: the vintage stories in this collection reflect the attitudes of their time.

The 39 Steps and Other Richard Hannay Adventures

A BBC Radio collection of full-cast dramatisations

Brian B Thompson

All 18 episodes of the BBC Radio series featuring bickering detective duo Trueman and Riley 
 
 DI Trueman and DS Riley are reluctant partners in crime-fighting, paired up after high-flyer Trueman suffered a nervous breakdown that left him struggling to get back on his feet. Working with Riley isn’t exactly what the doctor ordered – but the sergeant turns out to be much more of a help than a hindrance when it comes to cracking cases. 
 
 First broadcast as Trueman in 2002, the pilot episode centres around a student found shot dead next to a bag of cocaine. Renamed Trueman and Riley, Series 1 opens with the detectives relocated from Hull to Leeds, where they probe a man’s disappearance en route to a secret new job in Vanished. 
 
 Written by BAFTA-winning dramatist Brian B Thompson, this smart, entertaining crime drama stars Robert Daws as Trueman and Duncan Preston as Riley. 
 
 Written by Brian B Thompson 
 Produced and directed by Toby Swift and Jenny Stevens 
 
 
 Trueman 
 Angel Heights 
 Sir James Huntley – Michael Cochrane 
 Helen Turner – Sammy Dobson 
 Keith Fletcher – Gerard McDermott 
 First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 15 July 2005 
 
 The Road to Hull 
 Frank Stuart – Henry Goodman 
 Terry Stuart – Harry Myers 
 Annabelle – Jo Theaker 
 First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 22 July 2005 
 
 High Windows 
 Jimmy McEwan – Gerard Kelly 
 Kate Saunders – Susan Penhaligon 
 Phoebe Beresford – Naomi Kerbel 
 First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 29 July 2005 
 
 Trueman and Riley 
 Vanished 
 Janie Tully – Amy Robbins 
 Nick Tully – John Dougal 
 Barmaid – Rachel Bavidge 
 First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 8 January 2008 
 
 Story 
 David – Anthony Glennon 
 Harriet – Jasmine Callan 
 Aaron – Paul Richard Biggin 
 First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 9 January 2008 
 
 Bond 
 Karen – Rachel Bavidge 
 Bill – Paul Rider 
 Gerard – Mark Straker 
 Jane – Christine Kavanagh 
 Receptionist – Anthony Glennon 
 First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 10 January 2008 
 
 Speed 
 Frank Butters – Sam Dale 
 Melanie – Christine Kavanagh 
 Eric Simonelli – John Dougal 
 Inez – Miranda Keeling 
 Svetlana – Jasmine Callan 
 First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 11 January 2008 
 
 The Road to Nowhere 
 With Laura Molyneux, Hannah Storey, Malcolm Tierney, Benjamin Askew and Matt Addis 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 16 March 2009 
 
 The Three Degrees 
 With Jonathan Tafler, Caroline Guthrie and Paul Rider 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 17 March 2009 
 
 A Man’s World 
 With Benjamin Askew, Caroline Guthrie, Lizzy Watts, Stephen Critchlow, Janice Acquah and Stephen Hogan 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 18 March 2009 
 
 The Other Chic 
 With Melanie Kilburn and Philip Fox 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 19 March 2009 
 
 Love Bytes 
 With Rebecca Manley, Matt Addis, Malcolm Tierney, Stephen Critchlow, Benjamin Askew, Jonathan Tafler, Lizzy Watts and Paul Rider 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 20 March 2009 
 
 Every Dog Has His Day 
 Sally – Katherine Dow 
 Blyton Brandon – Harry Livingstone 
 Patrick Makin – Gerard McDermott 
 Track Announcer – James Lailey 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 26 March 2012 
 
 Angel Delight 
 Angel – Tracy Wiles 
 David Farr – Peter Hamilton Dyer 
 Martin Beer – Don Gilet 
 Ophelia Nuts – Susie Riddell 
 Cafe Owner – Harry Livingstone 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 27 March 2012 
 
 Family Business 
 Bill – Gerard McDermott 
 Charlie – David Hargreaves 
 Dermot – James Lailey 
 Sandra – Christine Absalom 
 Waitress – Tracy Wiles 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 28 March 2012 
 
 Green Machine 
 Terry – Don Gilet 
 Jenny – Susie Riddell 
 Tyler – Tom Meredith 
 Mr Eagle – James Lailey 
 Woman – Christine Absalom 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 29 March 2012 
 
 Home Truths 
 Sue Stokes – Lorraine Ashbourne 
 Becki – Holly Matthews 
 PC – Harry Livingstone 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 30 March 2012

Trueman and Riley

The complete BBC Radio crime drama

Gregory Evans

All three series of the thrilling crime drama set in 1890s Whitechapel 
When Welsh farm girl Megan Evans comes to London to visit her brother who is running the family's dairy business, she finds him strangely unwelcoming. She begins to suspect that he is hiding something, and after she makes some unpleasant discoveries, he is forced to reveal a devastating secret. To save herself and the family business, Meg must risk everything and confront the dangerous gangster Moses Lipski... 
But there are more problems ahead for Meg. Her life is further complicated by the unexpected arrival of her troubled sister, Beth, and an unwelcome visitor who claims to be her half-brother. Meanwhile, dark forces are gathering, and Meg’s plans for expansion are threatened by powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin her. 
With her business under threat and her burgeoning relationship with Samuel feeling the strain, the stakes are raised still further when a body is discovered in the Thames mud that threatens to destroy everything she has worked for... 
Written by Gregory Evans, this gripping series about gangsters, gambling and an innocent abroad stars Bettrys Jones as Meg, with co-stars including Trystan Gravelle, David Horovitch and Brian Protheroe.

Blood and Milk

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Crime Drama: Series 1-3

Tom Fry

Sharon Kelly

The first six series of the popular radio drama set in a Manchester legal practice, starring David Schofield 
 
Frank Twist and Sarah Gold lead a maverick team of freelance paralegals operating in the mean(ish) streets of Manchester. Their agency operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, dispatching legal representatives to set free burglars, muggers and even some innocent people who find themselves on the wrong side of a cell door. 
 
Frank and Sarah have a history, and a child, but now their relationship is purely business, and in these 30 episodes, they and their colleagues deal with cases ranging from shoplifting to attempted murder. Among their clientele are a suspected rapist, a young teacher accused of having an affair with a sixth-former, a girl arrested for assaulting a police officer and a local councillor who’s been caught selling drugs. In addition, Sarah and Frank themselves become the subjects of police interest when they’re called into Manchester Central for questioning – and that’s just the start of their Kafkaesque journey... 
 
Created by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly, these gripping dramas combine complex crime stories with witty humour. David Schofield stars as Frank Twist, with Gina Bellman, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Kathryn Hunt and Caroline Burns Cooke as Sarah Gold. 
Written by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly, Elizabeth Heery (Series 4 Episode 3, Series 5 Episode 4), Eve Steele and Ed Jones (Series 4 Episode 4), Eve Steele (Series 5 Episode 2), Lizi Patch (Series 6 Episode 2), Nuala O’Sullivan (Series 6 Episode 4) 
Produced and directed by Susan Roberts (Series 1), Gary Brown (Series 2-6) 
Music by Carl Harms

Brief Lives: Series 1-6

The BBC Radio 4 full-cast psychological crime drama

Series 7-11 of the BBC radio drama about Frank Twist and his team of legal eagles, starring David Schofield 
 
Frank Twist and Sarah Gold run The Agency, a paralegal firm based in sunny Manchester. With the help of their team of freelancers, they operate a round-the-clock advice service, going into police stations across the North West to offer help and support to those in custody. 
 
In these 26 episodes, their clients include the good, the bad and the ugly: from a teenager pulled in for texting an indecent photo of his girlfriend to a man detained for suspected arson at a primary school. There’s also the high-powered lawyer and her daughter caught with drugs after a house party, the naked young woman arrested for protesting against the fur trade, the judge accused of rape, the football hero with feet of clay and the local gangster’s son who gets into some serious trouble. 
 
On top of the challenges they face professionally, Frank and Sarah must also navigate their problematic personal lives. Recovering from a stroke, Frank is preparing to make a momentous decision about his future, and his complicated relationship with Sarah comes under further strain when buried truths are brought to light... 
 
Witty, sharp and full of twists, Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly’s thrilling legal drama stars David Schofield as Frank, with Kathryn Hunt and Sally Dexter as Sarah. 
Created by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly 
Written by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly, Nuala O’Sullivan (Series 7 Episode 2), Lizi Patch (Series 7 Episode 4), Philip Meeks (Series 8 Episode 2, Series 10 Episode 4), Michael Livesey (Series 8 Episode 5, Series 11 Episode 3) 
Produced and directed by Gary Brown 
Music by Carl Harms 
Starring David Schofield as Frank Twist

Brief Lives: Series 7-11

Sue Rodwell

All twelve episodes of the BBC radio detective drama, starring Annette Badland as DI Gwen Danbury 
 
Detective Inspector Gwen Danbury comes from a family of investigators. Her father was a policeman, and her mother Joan often discussed cases with him – on one occasion helping him to solve a tricky murder. 
 
Gwen already has a capable, efficient sidekick in the form of DS Henry Jacobs – but nevertheless, her mum insists on helping Gwen with her inquiries. In these three series, her interfering assistance proves invaluable as DI Danbury investigates a skeleton found in the Sussex woods, tracks down the killer of a respectable elderly lady, probes the theft of a valuable painting and encounters more than she bargained for on a murder mystery weekend... 
 
Miss Marple meets Midsomer Murders in this cosy crime series created by Sue Rodwell, whose writing credits include the radio version of Dixon of Dock Green. Annette Badland stars as DI Gwen Danbury, with Gudrun Ure, Stephanie Cole and Margaret Tyzack as Joan and John Duttine as Henry. 
Written by Sue Rodwell 
Directed by Glyn Dearman (Series 1), Rosemary Watts (Series 2 and 3) 
 
First broadcast between 1994 and 2004

DI Gwen Danbury: An Odd Body: Series 1-3

Raymond Chandler

They never came tougher than Marlowe, a cynical, world-weary, wise-cracking shamus whose honesty in a dishonest world sent him down the mean streets again and again in search of some kind of justice. 
 
Ed Bishop stars as Philip Marlowe in these powerfully atmospheric BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Raymond Chandler's novels. 
 
The Big Sleep 
General Sternwood's daughters came in both the colours of trouble - blonde and brunette - and they had all the usual vices. With four million dollars behind them, blackmail was only a matter of time. And blackmail can be murder. 
 
The High Window 
Linda Conquest was very tough, very kissable and very missing, along with one very valuable old coin. But soon Marlowe finds that everyone who handles the coin suffers a run of very bad luck: they always end up dead. 
 
The Lady in the Lake 
Blonde, beautiful and wild, Crystal Kingsley had never been the faithful little wife. But when she goes missing for a month, and then a woman’s body surfaces in an isolated mountain lake, murder-a-day Marlowe is back in business. 
 
The Little Sister 
Marlowe is on the case of a missing brother from a two-bit Kansas town, who had the embarrassing habit of knowing guys who finished up on the wrong end of an ice-pick. Until, that is, he did too. 
 
The Long Goodbye 
Terry Lennox seemed like a nice guy. Okay, he was a drunk but maybe that could happen to anyone with too much money, too much time and a wife who played the field in a big way. Trouble was, when she ended up dead, it wasn't money that got Lennox to Mexico. It was Marlowe. 
 
Farewell My Lovely 
At six feet five, Moose Malloy is a big man who looks about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food – and about as dangerous. His girl Velma disappeared eight years ago, and now he wants to find her. 
 
Also included in a BBC Radio archive discussion, in which Raymond Chandler and Ian Fleming discuss thrillers and talk about their respective heroes: Philip Marlowe and James Bond. 
 
Originally broadcast between 1977 and 1988, these dramatisations also star Don Fellows and Robert Beatty. They were adapted by Bill Morrison and produced by John Tydeman. 
 
These are archive dramatisations of the original novels published between 1939 and 1953, and the language used reflects some of the attitudes of those times.

Raymond Chandler: A BBC Radio Collection

Starring Ed Bishop as Philip Marlowe

Oliver Emanuel

In a world without antibiotics, an everyday scratch turns a family’s world upside down in this dystopian BBC radio drama 
 
It is the near-future, and drug resistance has taken hold. Antibiotics are no longer available, and in the war between humanity and bacteria, one little girl is in the front line... 
 
Ten-year-old Sarah is not allowed to play outside. But one day, she and her brother break the rules and go into the nearby woods, where she scratches her knee. The wound gets infected, and soon becomes life-threatening. 
 
Now Sarah’s in a coma, in an isolated room in hospital. Her family and medical team are hoping this will stop the infection – but they’re running out of time. While Sarah’s imagination drifts to Hawaii, her parents are left to make an unbearable choice for their daughter… 
 
Winner of the 2019 BBC Audio Drama Award for Best Original Series, this potent, playful drama was written by acclaimed dramatist Oliver Emanuel, and stars Jocelyn Brassington, Christine Bottomley, Roderick Gilkison and Robin Laing. 
 
Written by Oliver Emanuel 
Produced and directed by Kirsty Williams 
Consultants: Prof Joanna Coast and Dr Adam Roberts 
The Truth About Hawaii was developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in consultation with Prof Joanna Coast (Professor in the Economics of Health &amp; Care, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol) and Dr Adam Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Resistance at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) 
 
Cast 
Sarah……………………Jocelyn Brassington 
Lizzie……………………Christine Bottomley 
Paul……………………Roderick Gilkison 
David/Woolfson……………………Robin Laing 
GP/Elvis Presley/Leo/Minister for Health ……………………Kevin Mains 
Doctor/Journalist/UN Secretary General/Headmistress……………………Anita Vettesse 
Kylie……………………Dani Heron 
Congolese Ambassador/Matron……………………Adura Onashile 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 22 January-2 February 2018

The Truth About Hawaii

A full-cast BBC radio drama

Mike Walker

Nine BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas by Mike Walker, chronicling Rome’s greatest rulers 
 
Drawing on historical sources including Suetonius’s ‘Lives of the Caesars’, Mike Walker’s compelling drama cycle follows the story of the leaders of Rome, from Julius Caesar’s ascension to power to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West in AD 475. 
 
Meeting at Formiae – Julius Caesar secretly seeks senate leaders Cicero and Cato’s support to shake up the rule of Rome. Stars David Troughton as Caesar, Anton Lesser as Cicero and Stephen Critchlow as Cato. 
 
The Arena – As Julius’s appointed heir, young Octavian uses his legendary political skills to outwit enemies and rule Rome. Starring Adam Levy as Octavian. 
 
Peeling Figs for Julius – His name is now a byword for depravity, but growing up in Tiberius’s court, how evil was Emperor Caligula? Stars David Tennant as Caligula and Neil Dudgeon as Cassius Chaerea. 
 
The Best of Mothers – The murderous tale of Emperor Nero and his interfering mother Agrippina. Jonathan Forbes stars as Nero, with Frances Barber as Agrippina the Younger. 
 
The Glass Ball Game – The story of Emperor Hadrian and his relationship with Antinous, who died in mysterious circumstances. Starring Jonathan Hyde as Hadrian and Andrew Garfield as Antinous. 
 
Citizens in a Great City– Young Commodus buckles under the expectations put upon him by his father, the philosopher/emperor Marcus Aurelius. And Septimus Severus is called on to save the Empire from anarchy. Jim Sturgess stars as Commodus, with Ronald Pickup as Marcus Aurelius and Ray Fearon as Septimus Severus. 
 
Empress in the West– As the Roman Empire begins to fall apart, Victoria Poppea sees an opportunity to wield the power that her gender has always denied her. Stars Barbara Flynn as Victoria and Sam Troughton as Victorinus. 
 
The Maker of All Things– Constantine and Crispus are father and son – but can this indivisible bond survive politics? Sam Dale stars as Constantine the Great, with Joseph Kloska as Crispus. 
 
Empire Without End– With the Empire in the West under attack from Attila the Hun’s forces, an unlikely coalition of kingmakers selects the last Roman emperor. Starring Tom Hiddleston as Romulus Augustus.

Caesar!

Leslie Charteris

Leslie Charteris’ square-jawed, blue-eyed hero loved, fought and stole his way through Europe from the 1930s to the 1970s, endlessly pursuing blondes, baddies and boodle. Adored by women and feared by his foes, he was renowned for both his heroic exploits and his nefarious reputation - and he always left his trademark calling card at the scenes of his crimes: a sketch of a stick figure with a halo. 
 
This collection includes three classic cases: 
 
In The Saint Closes the Case, The Saint is confronted by arch-villain and armaments dealer Dr Rayt Marius as he enters into a deadly struggle to save the world from a dastardly new weapon…. 
 
In Saint Overboard, a villain plans to steal a shipment of sunken treasure. Simon Templar will go to any lengths to stop him - even under the sea. 
 
The Saint Plays with Fire sees our hero investigating a country house fire - and uncovering a Fascist conspiracy to seize power in France. 
 
Starring Paul Rhys as Simon Templar, and also featuring Patsy Kensit and Fiona Fullerton, this thrilling drama has all the verve and excitement of the original story. It is dramatised by Roger Danes and directed by Matthew Walters.

The Saint: Three BBC Radio full-cast dramatisations

DC Super Hero Girls

DCI Daley Thrillers

DI Callanach Thrillers

DI Eve Hunter

DI Fawley

DI Helen Grace Novellas

Crumpled, slapdash and foul-mouthed as ever, Detective Inspector Jack Frost struggles to cope with inadequate back-up and never enough time; the unsolved crimes pile up and the vicious killings go on. Frost must cut corners and take risks as he staggers from crisis to crisis, rapists to murderers, missing bodies to discovered body parts; will he be able to keep Denton safe?

DI Jack Frost

Prepare to be gripped by this prequel series to R.D. Wingfield's A Touch of Frost. 
 
Back in Denton, Detective Sergeant Jack Frost returns to investigating murders, finding missing children, and discovering dead bodies in woodland areas. With Detective Inspector Williams missing, and a new policeman, DS Waters, to mentor, DS Jack Frost has to put the stresses and straings of his personal life on hold in order to keep Denton safe.

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