Aeschylus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aidan Mathews

Aidan Potts

Aidan Smith

Aidan Storey

Aidan Trimble is the Chief Instructor to the Federation of Shotokan Karate and a former British, European and World Karate Champion, winning the world title in Tokyo - the home of Karate. Aidan has trained with some of the world's leading teachers of 'traditional' and 'sport' karate and is now an award-winning instructor and teacher who is in demand throughout the world. He can be contacted via www.fsk-karate.com.

Aidan Trimble

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Gladys Mitchell

Mary Wimbush stars as unconventional psychoanalyst sleuth Mrs Bradley in these two full-cast dramatisations of stories by Gladys Mitchell. Colourful, cynical, intimidating and extremely intelligent, Mrs Bradley is one of the most unorthodox detectives in the history of Golden Age crime fiction. The heroine of 66 novels by Gladys Mitchell, she has also appeared in several radio adaptations and a BBC TV series starring Diana Rigg. 
 
In these two dramas, she puts her extraordinary mind to work investigating cases of disguise, dismemberment, mayhem and murder. In Speedy Death, a country house in the 1920s is rocked by a murder which takes place in a room which is first locked, then later unlocked. A startling secret is uncovered, and as fingers point and the suspects begin to turn on each other, another death occurs… The Mystery of a Butcher’s Shop sees Mrs Bradley probing some alarming events in the village of Wandles Parva, as Rupert Sethleigh goes missing and a headless body is found jointed in the butcher’s shop. 
 
These entertaining dramatisations, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1990 and 1991, star Mary Wimbush as Mrs Bradley, with Leslie Phillips as Carstairs. 
 
Classic Radio Crime: presenting vintage detectives for your investigation!

The Mrs Bradley Mysteries

Classic Radio Crime

CJ Sansom

Shardlake returns in this atmospheric BBC Radio 4 full-cast adaptation of the fourth novel in C. J. Sansom’s bestselling Tudor crime series. 
 
Spring, 1543. London’s streets are filled with preachers; strange signs and portents are seen everywhere; and young men, maddened by differing interpretations of the Bible, are drawn into dangerous fundamentalism. 
 
The family of one such man, Adam Kite, has sought help from lawyer Matthew Shardlake. Adam is suffering from religious mania, and is being held in Bedlam for his own safety. But Shardlake is distracted from the case when his friend Roger Elliard is found brutally murdered – the victim of a serial killer inspired by the Book of Revelation. 
 
Archbishop Cranmer asks Shardlake to conduct a secret investigation: no word of the bloodshed must reach the King as one of the dead men was close to Catherine Parr, Henry’s latest romantic obsession and (like Cranmer) a supporter of religious reform. 
 
With the help of trusty sidekick Barack, Shardlake embarks on his most dangerous investigation yet, as he tries to protect Adam and prevent the killer from fulfilling his unholy mission... 
 
This thrilling fourth instalment of the 'Shardlake' series stars Justin Salinger as Shardlake, with Bryan Dick as Barak. Duration: 2 hours 10 mins approx.

Shardlake: Revelation

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Arthur Conan Doyle

Clive Merrison and Michael Williams star as Holmes and Watson in this collection of stories from the unique fully dramatised BBC Radio 4 canon, based on Arthur Conan Doyle's original short stories. 
 
The twelve dramatisations are A Scandal in Bohemia; The Red-Headed League; A Case of Identity; The Boscombe Valley Mystery; The Five Orange Pips; The Man with the Twisted Lip; The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle; The Adventure of the Speckled Band; The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb; The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor; The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet; The Adventure of the Copper Beeches. 
 
In these twelve stories, Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson investigate a compromising photograph, a murder case with Australian connections, a disreputable opium den, a Christmas goose, a ruined ancestral estate, a disastrous wedding day, a house with frightening secrets, and several other baffling circumstances. 
 
Among the large supporting cast are Sarah Badel, Andrew Sachs, James Grout, James Wilby, Sam West, Stephen Tompkinson and Imogen Stubbs.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Clive Merrison stars as Holmes with Michael Williams as Watson in these twelve adventures from the unique, fully dramatised BBC canon of Conan Doyle's short stories and novels. 
 
The twelve dramatisations are The Illustrious Client; The Blanched Soldier; The Mazarin Stone; The Three Gables; The Sussex Vampire; The Three Garridebs; The Problem of Thor Bridge; The Creeping Man; The Lion's Mane; The Veiled Lodger; Shoscombe Old Place; The Retired Colourman. 
 
These short stories are the very last ones written by Arthur Conan Doyle about his much-loved fictional detective. Holmes and Watson are faced with cases that range from the suspicious to the seemingly supernatural, and encounter characters as diverse as an evil Austrian adventurer, a formidable female criminal, a distinguished professor who is acting oddly and a mysterious tenant who refuses to show her face. 
 
Gripping, suspenseful and hugely entertaining, these acclaimed dramatisations were adapted by Bert Coules from the original short stories. Among the guest cast are Hannah Gordon, Robert Glenister, Michael Troughton, Alexandra Bastedo, Harriet Walter, Douglas Henshall and George Cole.

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes

Per Wahlöö

Maj Sjöwall

The Martin Beck books are widely acknowledged as some of the most influential detective novels ever written. Written by Swedish husband and wife team Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö between 1965-1975, the ten-book series set a gold standard for all subsequent Scandanavian crime fiction. Long before Kurt Wallander or Harry Hole, Beck was the original flawed policeman, working with a motley collection of colleagues to uncover the cruelty and injustice lurking beneath the surface of Sweden's seemingly liberal, democratic society. 
 
This complete collection includes: 
 
Roseanna (1965) - translated by Lois Roth and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth 
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (1966) - translated by Joan Tate and dramatised by Katie Hims 
The Man on the Balcony (1967) - translated by Alan Blair and dramatised by Katie Hims 
The Laughing Policeman (1968) - translated by Alan Blair and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth 
The Fire Engine That Disappeared (1969) - translated by Joan Tate and dramatised by Katie Hims 
Murder at the Savoy (1970) - translated by Amy and Ken Knoespel and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth 
The Abominable Man (1971) - translated by Thomas Teal and dramatised by Katie Hims 
The Locked Room (1972) - translated by Alan Blair and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth 
Cop Killer (1974) - translated by Thomas Teal and dramatised by Jennifer Howarth 
The Terrorists (1975) - translated by Joan Tate and dramatised by Katie Hims

The Martin Beck Stories

10 BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Bert Coules

Clive Merrison stars as the enduringly popular sleuth with Michael Williams as Watson in this collection of stories from the unique, fully dramatised BBC Radio 4 canon. In these eight intriguing tales, Holmes and Watson solve cases that range from the suspicious to the downright strange. They encounter mysteries as diverse as vanishing staff, secret plans and eccentric lodgers as Holmes is struck down by a rare tropical disease and, later, lured away from retirement to help his country on the eve of war. The dramatised stories are "Wisteria Lodge", "The Cardboard Box", "The Red Circle", "The Bruce Partington Plans", "The Dying Detective", "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax", "The Devil's Foot" and "His Last Bow". Gripping, suspenseful and hugely entertaining, these acclaimed dramatisations bring the world of Holmes and Watson to life, and are guaranteed to appeal to any fan of the great detective. Duration: 6 hours approx.

Sherlock Holmes: His Last Bow

G K Chesterton

Five full-cast BBC Radio dramatisations of short stories by GK Chesterton, starring Leslie French as Father Brown and Willie Rushton as Chesterton. 
 
Short, shabby and unassuming, Roman Catholic priest Father Brown is an unlikely investigator. But his keen mind and understanding of human nature enable him to solve cases featuring a master criminal and a precious silver relic; a theft at an exclusive hotel; a strange tower and an even stranger story; black magic – and white magic; and a murdered judge. 
 
Created in 1910, Father Brown inhabited the pages of over fifty short stories before appearing in adaptations for film, radio, theatre and television, including his recent incarnation in the hit BBC TV series starring Mark Williams in the title role. 
 
The stories in this collection are The Blue Cross (08/05/1974); The Queer Feet (05/06/1974); The Perishing of the Pendragons (26/06/1974); The Dagger with Wings (10/07/1974) and The Mirror of the Magistrate (31/07/1974). Leslie French stars as Father Brown, with Willie Rushton as GK Chesterton and Francis de Wolff as Flambeau. 
 
Classic Radio Crime: presenting vintage detectives for your investigation! 
 
Duration: 3 hours 45 mins approx.

Father Brown: Collected Cases

Simon Brett

Jeremy Front

Charles Paris returns in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Simon Brett’s humorous theatrical mystery, starring Bill Nighy. 
 
A job in pantomime seems the perfect way to spend the Christmas season for Charles, but the cast of Cinderella are a motley crew from reality TV and Charles finds himself having to explain the traditions of panto to their baffled American star whose career is on a downward trajectory. 
 
When the star is shot dead, and Charles finds the body, he finds himself under suspicion. As the slapstick makes way for a murder investigation, he decides to clear his name by doing some sleuthing of his own. With a host of suspects and the body count rising, the line 'they're behind you' soon begins to take on a very sinister meaning indeed... 
 
Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Skylight, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) stars as Charles Paris, with Suzanne Burden as his wife Frances, in this funny and fast-paced dramatisation by Jeremy Front. 
 
Written by Jeremy Front, based on the novel by Simon Brett.

Charles Paris: The Cinderella Killer

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

R D Wingfield

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama starring Derek Martin, the precursor to the popular TV series and novels. 
 
Jack Frost is disheveled, disorganised and disrespectful. His superiors don't like him. He has a habit of doing things his way – and getting results. But when Denton CID is faced with a spate of major crimes, Frost finds himself under pressure. 
 
A young woman becomes the sixth victim of a multiple rapist, a teenage girl goes missing, there's a robbery at the Purple Parrot nightclub, and an old man is injured in a hit-and-run. With all this on his plate, Frost has little time and less patience for paperwork – but if he doesn't submit the overtime reports, there will be hell to pay. Has Frost bitten off more than he can chew? 
 
A Touch of Frost gave rise to a hugely successful TV series that ran between 1992 and 2010. This gritty drama, first broadcast on Radio 4 in 1982, features Derek Martin as Jack Frost, with a supporting cast including Haydn Wood, Stephen Thorne and Alan Dudley. 
 
Classic Radio Crime: presenting vintage detectives for your investigation! Duration: 1 hour 25 mins approx.

Frost: A Touch of Frost

Francis Durbridge

Paul Temple swings into the Sixties in these five complete radio dramas starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury – plus bonus archive material 
 
Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case (1960): A dead girl's father is sure the police have placed the wrong man in the gallows. This 1960s remake version is published for the first time. 
 
Paul Temple and the Margo Mystery (1961): The suave sleuth tries to connect his wife's kidnapping with a body dressed in an expensive designer coat. 
 
Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery (1963): After meeting an American couple on a flight, Paul Temple is soon investigating another murder in this 1963 remake. 
 
Paul Temple and Geneva Mystery (1965): A woman thinks her late husband is still alive – and someone would prefer Paul Temple dead... 
 
Paul Temple and the Alex Affair (1968): The debonair detective investigates three murders, all linked to the mysterious and elusive 'Alex'. 
 
This volume also includes the bonus 2005 radio feature Peter Coke and the Paul Temple Affair, introducing the man behind radio's smoothest and most sophisticated sleuth. Actor Peter Coke talks to Michaela Saunders about how he got the part, what he thinks of his famous catchphrase and more. 
 
Caution: these programmes contain language that may cause offense, and dated attitudes that reflect the age in which they are set.

Paul Temple: The Complete Radio Collection: Volume Three

The Sixties (1960-1968)

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

Shardlake: Sovereign

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas

Five complete radio dramas featuring writer and amateur detective Paul Temple, plus bonus archive material. 
 
When it comes to classic crime partnerships, Paul Temple (Peter Coke) and his wife Steve (Marjorie Westbury) are the crème de la crème. Between 1938 and 1968 their glamorous exploits enthralled generations of radio listeners around the world. Here, presented in chronological order, are some of the amateur detective's adventures from the 1950s: The Gilbert Case (1954); The Lawrence Affair (1956); The Spencer Affair (1957); The Vandyke Affair (the 1959 remake) and The Conrad Case (1959). This collection also includes a number of bonus items. 
 
Caution: these programmes contain language that may cause offense, and dated attitudes that reflect the age in which they are set.

Paul Temple: The Complete Radio Collection: Volume Two

The Fifties

Raymond Chandler

The complete collection of landmark BBC Radio dramas of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe mysteries. 
 
Philip Marlowe is the archetypal noir detective: wisecracking and world-weary, hardboiled yet honourable. This volume includes all eight dramatisations of Raymond Chandler's groundbreaking crime novels featuring his iconic hero. 
 
The Big Sleep Marlowe is consulted by a wealthy family man with two big problems: his children. 
 
Farewell My Lovely Marlowe's search for an ex-con's ex-girlfriend leads him into danger. 
 
The High Window When rare gold coin is stolen from her collection, Mrs Murdoch hires Philip Marlowe to find it. 
 
The Lady in the Lake Businessman Derace Kingsley hires Marlowe to find his estranged wife Crystal. 
 
The Little Sister Commissioned to find Orfamay Quest's missing brother, Marlowe is drawn into the glamorous film world of Hollywood. 
 
The Long Goodbye Marlowe befriends a drunk named Terry Lennox, but comes to regret doing him a favour. 
 
Playback Hired to follow the mysterious Betty Mayfield, Marlowe soon finds that he is being tailed too... 
 
Poodle Springs Newly-married Marlowe puts his bride aside to look for a gambler on the run. 
 
Starring Toby Stephens as Philip Marlowe, these stylish, suspenseful dramatisations – full of witty, ironic dialogue and colourful characters – bring the beautiful, corrupt world of California in the '40s and '50s to luminous life. Duration: 11 hours approx.

Raymond Chandler: The BBC Radio Drama Collection

8 BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

A gripping BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation based on the second novel in C. J. Sansom's bestselling Tudor crime series. 
 
Summer, 1540. It has been three years since the terrible events at Scarnsea monastery, and lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake is living a quiet life in London – until a summons from Cromwell sees him embarking on another dangerous secret assignment. 
 
Someone has stolen the last barrel of 'Greek Fire': a legendary, highly potent incendiary weapon thought lost since the fall of Constantinople. Shardlake is tasked with tracking it down – and he must move quickly, for Cromwell is out of favour with the King and is relying on the precious substance to save his skin. 
 
But Shardlake has another, equally urgent case to deal with – defending an orphan girl, Elizabeth Wentworth, who is accused of murdering her young cousin. Aided by Cromwell's man, Barak, Shardlake must race against time to solve both cases, for the fates of both Cromwell and Elizabeth depend on him… 
 
Winner of the 2005 CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award, Dark Fire is the second thrilling instalment in the 'Shardlake' series. This atmospheric crime drama, starring Justin Salinger as Shardlake, Bryan Dick as Barak and Robert Glenister as Thomas Cromwell, features deception, dark secrets, captivating characters and a vibrant historical setting. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Shardlake: Dark Fire

Charles Dickens

Thrilling full-cast radio dramatisations of three of Charles Dickens' classic novels. Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned novelists of all time, and this second volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes the gripping historical novel Barnaby Rudge, picaresque comedy Martin Chuzzlewit and bittersweet tale of family relationships Dombey and Son. 
 
Barnaby Rudge Against the background of the anti-Catholic riots of the 1780s, young Barnaby Rudge becomes entangled with the fanatical George Gordon and his campaign for 'No Popery'. But mob violence, the burning of Newgate Prison and the shadow of murder put his life in danger... 
 
Martin Chuzzlewit Disinherited by his wealthy grandfather because of his love for the beautiful Mary, Martin Chuzzlewit sets sail for America to seek his fortune. 
 
Dombey and Son Wealthy Paul Dombey is desperate for a male heir to continue the family business, and neglects his six-year-old daughter Florence. Then, at last, the longed-for son is born – but Dombey's hopes for him go unfulfilled... 
 
With a star cast including Simon Cadell, Bill Nighy, Alex Jennings, Robert Glenister, Geraldine James and Pam Ferris, these BBC radio adaptations bring out all the suspense, adventure, satire and social realism of Dickens' three classic masterpieces. Duration: 19 hours approx.

Charles Dickens: The BBC Radio Drama Collection: Volume Two

Barnaby Rudge, Martin Chuzzlewit & Dombey and Son

Ray Galton

Alan Simpson

The complete final series of the groundbreaking BBC Radio comedy starring Tony Hancock – plus five bonus episodes. 
 
Created by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson in 1954, Hancock’s Half Hour was the radio vehicle that made Tony Hancock a household name. Each week listeners would be admitted to the sometimes fantastical, sometimes mundane life of 'the lad ‘imself'. Aided and abetted by Sid James, Bill Kerr Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques, Hancock would enter into the spirit of each episode with characteristic dolefulness. 
 
This volume contains all 14 shows from the sixth radio series, collected together for the first time, including previously unpublished restored versions of The Waxwork, The Fête and The Poetry Society. Also included is the 1958 Christmas Special episode and four re-recordings made for the BBC Transcription Service. Among these hilarious Half Hours, Hancock enters an eating competition; sets out to save a local landmark; becomes the director of Sid's guided tours company and enjoys an evening of abstract verse with his avant-garde friends. 
 
The episodes are: Bill and Father Christmas (1958 Christmas Special); The 13th of the Month (Transcription Services Episode One); The New Secretary (Transcription Services Episode Two); The Ballet Visit (Transcription Services Episode Three); The Election Candidate (Transcription Services Episode Four); The Smugglers; The Childhood Sweetheart; The Last Bus Home; The Picnic; The Gourmet; The Elopement; Fred's Pie Stall; The Waxwork; Sid's Mystery Tours; The Fête; The Poetry Society; Hancock in Hospital; The Christmas Club and The Impersonator. Duration: 9 hours 30 mins approx.

Hancock's Half Hour: Series 6

19 episodes of the classic BBC Radio comedy series

A thrilling BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation based on CJ Sansom's bestselling Tudor crime novel. 
 
Winter, 1537. Henry VIII has declared himself Supreme Head of the Church, and instructed his chief minister Thomas Cromwell to dissolve England's religious houses and seize their wealth. But Cromwell's plot to bring down the abbeys has hit a snag – one of the King's Commissioners has been found brutally murdered in Scarnsea monastery, on the south coast of Kent. If news of the killing were to get out, the consequences could be disastrous. 
 
Desiring a quick, discreet result, he sends his trusted lawyer-detective, Matthew Shardlake, to investigate. However, as Shardlake interviews the prime suspects and delves deeper into the mysteries of Scarnsea, it soon becomes clear that the case will not be as simple to solve as he had hoped. Which of the terrified monks is the murderer? And can Shardlake catch him before he strikes again? 
 
CJ Sansom's 'Shardlake' series has sold over two million copies, and this atmospheric dramatisation starring BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries) brings his début novel to electrifying life. Fast-paced and suspenseful, it is both an engrossing murder mystery and a brilliantly realised portrayal of Tudor England. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Shardlake: Dissolution

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Simon Brett's entertaining crime novel, starring Bill Nighy. 
 
Charles Paris has been 'resting' for quite a while, so he's relieved when he is cast as the Ghost of Hamlet’s Father and First Gravedigger in a touring production of Hamlet. But rehearsals are a little tense – the lead roles of Hamlet and Ophelia are played by a reality TV contestant and TV talent show winner respectively, and their opinions on celebrity and the theatre differ somewhat from those of the more experienced members of the cast. 
 
The show is barely on the road before tragedy strikes – just before opening night, part of the set collapses, seriously injuring one of the actors. Then anothermember of the cast is found dead. It's up to Charles Paris to turn detective and investigate the mystery: but with almost everyone having a motive for murder, will he ever track down the real killer? 
 
Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris, with Suzanne Burden as Frances, in this dramatisation by Jeremy Front. 
 
Written by Jeremy Front, based on the novel by Simon Brett.

Charles Paris: A Decent Interval

Three complete radio dramas featuring writer and amateur detective Paul Temple, plus bonus archive material. 
 
When it comes to classic crime partnerships, Paul Temple and his wife Steve are the crème de la crème. Between 1938 and 1968 their glamorous exploits enthralled generations of radio listeners around the world. Here, presented in chronological order, are some of the amateur detective's earliest adventures. Send for Paul Temple (1940) is an early remake of the now-lost original 1938 BBC production. Paul Temple Intervenes (1942) finds Paul and Steve investigating a series of celebrity murders, whilst Paul Temple and the Vandyke Affair (the original 1950 production, presented here for the very first time) concerns the strange disappearance of the Desmond baby and her sitter. Hugh Morton, Bernard Braden, Carl Bernard and Peter Coke play Paul in these episodes, with Bernadette Hodgson, Peggy Hassard and Marjorie Westbury as Steve. 
 
A bonus track features rare archive material from otherwise lost productions, including the final episodes of Send for Paul Temple (1938) and Paul Temple and the Front Page Men (1938). 
 
Caution: these programmes contain language that may cause offense, and dated attitudes that reflect the age in which they are set.

Paul Temple: The Complete Radio Collection: Volume One

The Early Years (1938-1950)

Twelve classic Christie short stories are given a modern spin in these BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations. 
 
Agatha Christie is the acknowledged 'Queen of Crime', and these twelve short stories showcase her skilful plotting and talent for producing compelling mysteries. First broadcast in the early 2000s, the stories were adapted and brought up-to-date for a contemporary audience. 
 
Among the star cast are Tom Hollander, Emilia Fox, Patricia Routledge, Julia McKenzie, Neil Dudgeon, Richard Griffiths, Rebecca Front and Andrew Sachs. 
 
Unconventional detective Parker Pyne features in two of the stories, all twelve of which are infused with Agatha Christie's trademark tension and suspense. These tantalising tales of revenge, jealousy, love and death will thrill her many fans. 
 
The stories are: 
 
Philomel Cottage 
Swan Song 
Magnolia Blossom 
Witness for the Prosecution 
The Gates of Baghdad 
The Hound of Death 
In a Glass Darkly 
The Dressmaker's Doll 
The Case of the Perfect Carer 
The £199 Adventure 
The Gypsy 
The Last Séance 
 
Duration: approx 5 hours 30 minutes

Agatha Christie: Twelve Radio Mysteries

Twelve BBC Radio 4 dramatisations

Ted Willis

Sue Rodwell

David Calder, David Tennant and Hamish Clark star in these BBC Radio 4 dramas based on the original TV series. 
 
George Dixon became one of the best-known and most-loved fictional policemen during the course of three decades of BBC TV's Dixon of Dock Green, in which he was played by Jack Warner. In these 12 radio adaptations he once again upholds the law on the streets of 1950s Dock Green. 
David Calder stars as PC George Dixon, with David Tennant and Hamish Clark as PC Andy Dixon. Running time: 6 hours approx.

Dixon of Dock Green

12 episodes of the BBC Radio 4 drama

Clive Merrison stars as Holmes with Michael Williams as Watson in this collection from the unique, fully dramatised BBC Radio 4 canon. These twelve stories range from Holmes' very first case to the epic struggle between Holmes and Moriarty high above the Reichenbach Falls. The stories are "Silver Blaze"; "The Yellow Face"; "The Stockbroker's Clerk"; "The 'Gloria Scott"; "The Musgrave Ritual"; "The Reigate Squires"; "The Crooked Man"; "The Resident Patient"; "The Greek Interpreter"; "The Naval Treaty"; "The Second Stain"; and "The Final Problem". Gripping, suspenseful and hugely entertaining, these acclaimed dramatisations bring the world of Holmes and Watson to life, and are guaranteed to appeal to any fan of the great detective. Duration: 9 hours approx.

Sherlock Holmes: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Classic Drama from the BBC Archives

June Whitfield returns as the deceptively mild spinster sleuth in three full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations. 
 
Specially broadcast to mark the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s birth, these brand new dramas are based on three of her best short stories. 
 
Tape-Measure Murder: When Mrs Spenlow is murdered in St Mary Mead, the village gossips all agree that her husband must have killed her – until Miss Marple is called as an alibi… 
 
The Case of the Perfect Maid: Miss Marple investigates the problem of a lady’s maid who has been mysteriously sacked – while also helping her crime writer nephew Raymond West to cure his writer’s block. 
 
Sanctuary: Miss Marple and her god-daughter Bunch are horrified when they discover a dying man in the local church. Can Miss Marple deduce his identity – and his killer – from his last words? 
 
First published in the collection Miss Marple’s Final Cases, these three delightfully clever tales will keep you guessing till the end. Starring June Whitfield – reprising her role as Miss Marple for the first time since 2001 – they are dramatised for BBC Radio 4 by Joy Wilkinson. 
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins approx.

Miss Marple's Final Cases

Three new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas

Powerful full-cast radio dramatisations of four of Charles Dickens' most famous novels 
 
Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned novelists of all time, and this first volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes four of his best-loved stories. 
 
The Pickwick Papers 
Mr Samuel Pickwick, founder of the Pickwick Club, forms a Corresponding Society for members to report back about their travels. So begins the chronicle of their hilariously comic journeys. 
 
Oliver Twist 
Born and brought up in the workhouse, orphan Oliver escapes to London - only to fall into the hands of the notorious Fagin and his gang of child pickpockets. 
 
Nicholas Nickleby 
Left penniless after his father's death, nineteen-year-old Nicholas Nickleby takes a teaching position at Dotheboys Hall, where the brutal Wackford Squeers presides. 
 
The Old Curiosity Shop 
Pretty, innocent Little Nell's childhood is shattered when evil moneylender Quilp discovers her grandfather is in debt. The duo are forced to leave their curiosity shop and go on the run... 
 
With an all-star cast including Pam Ferris, Tim McInnerny, Alex Jennings, Anna Massey, Ken Campbell, Tom Baker, Julia McKenzie and Sandi Toksvig, these BBC radio adaptations bring out all the humour, romance, pathos and tragedy of Dickens' four classic masterpieces.

Charles Dickens: The BBC Radio Drama Collection: Volume One

Classic Drama from the BBC Radio Archive

A triple bill of archive BBC radio dramas, believed lost for over half a century and only recently rediscovered. Butter in a Lordly Dish, written specially for radio in 1948, features Richard Williams as Sir Luke Enderby KC, whose infidelities lead him into trouble when he goes to meet his latest flame. Williams also stars as Hercule Poirot in Murder in the Mews, a 1955 adaptation of a short story. A young woman is found dead in her flat, the day after Guy Fawkes night. Did she die by her own hand, or someone else's? In Personal Call, also written specially for radio by Agatha Christie, a disturbing telephone call from a woman named Fay has consequences for both Richard Brent and his wife Pam. This 1960 production stars Ivan Brandt and Barbara Lott.

Agatha Christie: The Lost Plays

Three BBC radio full-cast dramas: Butter in a Lordly Dish, Murder in the Mews & Personal Call

Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Simon Brett's novel. Charles Paris is understudying in a West End production, whose star Michael Banks seems unable to master the script. Has Charles time to solve a murder, win Frances' heart and make it on stage by the time the curtain goes up? 
 
Also featuring; Suzanne Burden, Danny Webb, Jon Glover, Jemima Rooper, Liza Sadovy, Rachel Bavidge, Nitin Gonatra, Tilly Gaunt, Thomas Arnold, Jot Davies, Leslie Philips, Simon Treves, Jasmin Callan and Miranda Colchester. 
 
Written by Jeremy Front, based on the novel by Simon Brett.

Charles Paris: Murder Unprompted

**Ian McKellen was the WINNER of the BBC Audio Drama Award 2015 for Best Actor in an Audio Drama (for Eugenie Grandet)** 
 
Sir Ian McKellen reads The Valley of Fear, the last of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's four Sherlock Holmes novels. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded English country home. A trail of bewildering clues leads to sleuthing in the finest Holmesian tradition and the gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West. First broadcast as Book at Bedtime on BBC Radio 4.

Sherlock Holmes: Valley of Fear

Book at Bedtime

Bernard Braden stars in an original 1940 full-cast production of the very first Paul Temple adventure 
 
Between 1938 and 1968 the exploits of amateur detective Paul Temple and his wife, Steve, enthralled generations of BBC radio listeners. Theirs was an exciting world of violence and glamour - car bombs and cocktail parties. 
 
In Paul and Steve’s very first adventure, starring Bernard Braden as Paul with Peggy Hassard as Steve, a spate of jewel robberies in the Midlands has left the police baffled. They are the work of a shadowy criminal mastermind known only as The Knave of Diamonds. But who is the Knave? And can he be stopped? 
 
All but one episode of the original 1938 BBC production of Send for Paul Temple are lost from the archives. However, this complete recording of a 1940 production - made for Canadian radio and based on the original BBC radio scripts - was recently rediscovered in the national Library and Archives of Canada. Digitally restored, all six episodes are now available for the very first time. 
 
Two bonus features are also included: the sole surviving sixth episode of the original 1938 production, starring the original Paul Temple, Hugh Morton, and an unbroadcast interview with the longest-running Paul Temple actor, Peter Coke. 
 
Caution: this programme contains language that may cause offense, and dated attitudes that reflect the age in which it is set.

Send for Paul Temple

A 1940 full-cast production of Paul's very first adventure

John Moffatt stars as the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. 
 
The ABC Murders: A chilling letter sets the sleuth on the trail of an enigmatic killer. 
After the Funeral: A wealthy businessman is dead, and his sister thinks it was murder. 
Death on the Nile: Poirot is in Egypt when a chilling murder takes place. 
Peril at End House: Whilst on holiday, the sleuth encounters a young woman, a hat and a bullet. 
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Mrs Farrars is found dead, one year after the death of her husband. 
Murder on the Orient Express: Poirot is aboard a snowbound train when a passenger is found murdered. 
Three Act Tragedy: Poirot is one of the guests at a party when a clergyman dies whilst sipping a cocktail. 
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Poirot and Captain Hastings become re-acquainted in a quiet English village in 1916. 
 
These BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations showcase eight of the finest cases in Hercule Poirot's career. Based on the original novels by Agatha Christie, they feature a cast of outstanding actors playing an array of likely suspects... 
 
Starring: John Moffat, Simon Williams, Nichola McAuliffe, Jill Balcon, Hugh Dickson, Sean Arnold, Susan Jameson, Nichols Boulton, Philip Jackson, Annabelle Dowler, Hilda Schroder, George Cole, Gemma Saunders, Andrew Wincott, Terence Edmond, Bryan Pringle, David Thorpe, Elizabeth Conboy, Rosemary Leach, Donald Sinden, Stratford Johns, Tom George, Sylvia Syms, Sian Phillips, Francesca Annia, Frank Windsor, Peter Polycarpu, Desmond Llewelyn, Andre Maranne, Siriol Jenkins, Kate Binchy, Joss Ackland 
 
 
 ©2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Poirot’s Finest Cases

Eight full-cast BBC radio dramatisations

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the atmospheric murder mystery novel by Agatha Christie, first published in 1961. 
 
A dying woman confesses a terrible secret to her priest along with a cryptic list of nine names. Before he is able to uncover anything more, the priest is struck dead in the fog and the police discover the list in his shoe. 
 
Our hero Mark Easterbrook, a historian, learns of a secretive organisation known as The Pale Horse and of their supernatural connections in the village of Much Deeping. The list of names seems to foretell the deaths of several people and Mark must piece together the clues and unearth the connections between them all. 
 
Who is behind the strange powers of The Pale Horse? 
 
Dramatised by Joy Wilkinson 
Directed by Mary Peate

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