Abir Mukherjee is the bestselling author of the award-winning Wyndham &amp; Banerjee series of crime novels set in 1920s India and the British Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year 2025 Hunted. His books have been translated into sixteen languages and won various awards including the CWA Dagger for best Historical Novel, the Prix du Polar Européen, and the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing. 
 
 
He also co-hosts the popular Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast which takes a wry look at the world of books, writing, and the creative arts, tackling everything from bestsellers to pop culture. Abir grew up in Scotland and now lives in Surrey with his wife and two sons. 
 
 
Website: abirmukherjee.com Twitter, Threads &amp; Instagram: @radiomukhers Facebook: AuthorAbir

Abir Mukherjee

Abolqasem Ferdowsi

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham L. Newman is a professor at the School of Foreign Service and Government Department at Georgetown University. He is a 2022-2023 Berlin Prize winner and his work has been published in leading outlets like The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, Nature, Science, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Harvard Business Review, and Politico.

Abraham Newman

Abraham Verghese

Absolut Vodka

Ad Putter

Ada Moncrieff is the author of Murder Most Festive, Murder at the Theatre Royale and Murder at Maybridge Castle. She lives and works in London.

Ada Moncrieff

Adam Aleksic is a linguist and content creator posting educational videos as the “Etymology Nerd” to an audience of over two million. As a linguistics student at Harvard College, he founded and served as president of the Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society. He’s discussed online language on NPR, repeatedly contributed to The Washington Post, and his work has been mentioned in The New York Times, The Economist, and The Guardian. He’s lectured on language and social media at Stanford, Yale, Georgetown, and other top universities, including a TEDx talk at the University of Pennsylvania. Adam is based in New York City, where he spends a lot of time scrolling TikTok for “research.”

Adam Aleksic

Adam Alter is an Associate Professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, and holds an affiliated appointment within the Psychology Department. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel and Behave and has written for The New York Times, New Yorker, Atlantic, Wired, Popular Science and numerous other publications.

Adam Alter

Professor Adam Balen is lead clinician at one of the UK's largest and most successful IVF units at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. In recognition of his research on fertility and related conditions, he holds a DSc (the highest academic degree in medicine) from the University of Leeds. Adam is internationally renowned, holding roles with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Federation of Gyneacology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gyneacologists (RCOG). He runs both NHS and private fertility clinics so he understands the issues that arise from both sides and he works closely with fertility patient support organisations across the UK. Adam regularly features in the media on all aspects of reproductive health and lectures widely throughout the world.

Adam Balen

Adam Baron

Adam Bornstein

Adam Brookes grew up in the UK and was a journalist with BBC News for many years. As a foreign correspondent he was based in Indonesia, China and the United States. Along the way he reported from many other countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea. He lives in Washington DC.

Adam Brookes

Adam Buxton

Adam Christopher is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith and Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town. He has also written official tie-in novels for the hit CBS television show Elementary and the award-winning Dishonored video game franchise. Co-creator of the twenty-first-century incarnation of Archie Comics superhero The Shield, Adam has also written for the universes of Doctor Who and World of Warcraft, and is a contributor to the internationally bestselling Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View anniversary anthology series and the all-ages Star Wars Adventures comic. Adam’s original novels include Made to Kill and The Burning Dark, among many others, and his debut novel Empire State was both a SciFi Now and Financial Times book of the year.

Adam Christopher

Adam Foulds's most recent books are In the Wolf’s Mouth, The Quickening Maze, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the Encore Award and the European Union Prize for Literature, and The Broken Word, which won the Costa Poetry Award and the Somerset Maugham Award. He has recently been awarded the E.M. Forster Award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and named as one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young British Novelists’.

Adam Foulds

Dr Adam Fox is a highly qualified and respected allergy specialist and consultant paediatric allergist and clinical lead for Allergy at Guy's &amp; St Thomas' Hospitals. The Times recently named him as one of Britain's top 100 children’s doctors. 
 
www.allergyfreebabyandtoddler.com

Adam Fox

Adam Frost

Adam Galinsky is currently the Morris and Alice Kaplan Professor of Ethics and Decision in Management at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He received his PhD from Princeton University in Social Psychology and his B.A. from Harvard University.

Adam Galinsky

Adam Glasser

Adam Goodfellow

Adam Goodwin

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. His books have sold millions of copies, his TED talks have been viewed more than 30 million times, and he hosts the hit podcast Re:Thinking. His pioneering research on motivation and meaning has enabled people to reach their aspirations and exceed others' expectations. His viral piece on languishing was the most-read New York Times article of 2021 and the most-saved article across platforms. He has been recognized as one of the world's ten most influential management thinkers and Fortune's 40 Under 40, and has received distinguished scientific achievement awards from the American Psychological Association and the National Science Foundation. Grant received his B.A. from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and he is a former Junior Olympic springboard diver. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and their three children.

Adam Grant

Adam and Charlotte met in Zanzibar while working with Voluntary Services Overseas. Upon their return to the UK, Charlotte completed an MA at Oxford Brookes and started her career in publishing. Adam in the meantime became writer-in-residence at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre before co-founding Storytelling Schools, an international organisation dedicated to training teachers in oracy, literacy and creativity. Adam and Charlotte's first book together was the best-selling and award-winning Spaghetti with the Yeti. Since then, Adam and Charlotte have continued to follow their passion for creating engaging books that inspire interaction and creativity in young readers.

Adam Guillain

ADAM HAMDY is a bestselling author and screenwriter. His most recent novel, The Other Side of Night, was an NPR best book of 2022 and a New York Times best thriller of the year, and has been described as ingenious and deeply moving. He is the author of the Scott Pearce series of modern spy thrillers, Black 13, Red Wolves and White Fire, and the Pendulum trilogy. Keep up to date with his latest books and news at www.adamhamdy.com.

Adam Hamdy

Adam Hart-Davis

Adam Haslett is the author of the story collection You Are Not a Stranger Here and the novels Imagine Me Gone and Union Atlantic. He has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and his books have been translated into over thirty languages. His journalism on culture and politics has appeared in The Financial Times, Esquire, The New Yorker, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, The Nation, and The Atlantic, among others. He lives in New York City.

Adam Haslett

Adam Henson is perhaps the best-known farmer in the UK, presenting on BBC's Countryfile to millions of viewers each Sunday evening. He's also appeared on Lambing Live, Secret Britain, Coast and Inside Out. Adam also runs the award-winning Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire, which welcomes family visitors all year round and is home to many rare breeds. He has a monthly column in Countryfile magazine, as well as the Cotswold Life magazine. He has written several books including the Sunday Times bestseller Like Farmer, Like Son. This is his first children's book and it is the perfect introduction to the farm.

Adam Henson

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Alex Shearer

All four series of the Eastern bloc embassy sitcom starring Dinsdale Landen 
 
Set in a British embassy somewhere in Russia, as the Cold War draws to a close, this entertaining sitcom follows Her Majesty's Ambassador Mr Mackenzie as he navigates the idiosyncrasies of life behind the Iron Curtain. Together with his First Secretary, William Frost, and personal assistant Helen Waterson, he manages matters ranging from dissidents to diplomatic dinners, all while maintaining his urbane, unflappable demeanour. 
 
Engaging with Communism is challenging enough, but the era of glasnost and perestroika brings new problems - including tourism, press freedom and an outbreak of political sickness in the People's Republic. However, Mackenzie battles on bravely, striving to dispense his own unique blend of British foreign policy and maintain the upper hand. Whether he's dealing with drug barons, hijackers, a Briton being held hostage or a container ship full of toxic waste, it's all in a day's overwork for the Ambassador. Not even an imminent revolution can faze him: but all distinguished careers must come to an end, and eventually it's time for Mackenzie to pack his diplomatic bags. 
 
But as he contemplates a bleak future in Britain, with no servants - and no knighthood - he finds himself facing one final crisis. Can he salvage some personal profit from someone else's disaster? 
 
Written by Alex Shearer, this wry observation of East-West diplomacy stars Dinsdale Landen as Ambassador Mackenzie, with Peter Acre as William, Moir Leslie as Helen, Christopher Benjamin as Colonel Surikov and Stephen Greif as US Ambassador Spiro Weinberg. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Alex Shearer 
Produced by Pete Atkin and Neil Cargill 
 
Cast 
HM Ambassador Mr Mackenzie - Dinsdale Landen 
William Frost - Peter Acre 
Helen Waterson - Moir Leslie 
Brown - Milton Johns 
Bryant - Stuart Organ 
Colonel Surikov - Christopher Benjamin 
Yakov Korovin - Michael Bilton 
Mikael Korovin - Jonathan Kydd 
US Ambassador Spiro Wineberg - Stephen Greif 
Eugenia - Sue Broomfield 
Brown - Milton Johns 
Mrs Poonskey - Margaret Ward 
Mrs Newton - Susie Brann 
George Sommers - Peter Howell 
Harris - Stephen Rashbrook 
Olav/Captain Warner - David Goodland 
Morris - John Baddeley 
Keith Branley - Richard Pearce 
Nesterov - Peter Craze 
Brodsky - Paul Gregory 
Frank Burton - Alan Dudley 
Gerald Calder-Browne MP - Richard Tate 
Henry Treebling - John Grieve 
Dr Hutchings - Norman Bird 
Grub - Julian Dutton 
Duncan Bridges - Peter Whitman 
Princess Sharon Eckersley - Elaine Lordan 
Dave - Simon Schatzberger 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 21 April-26 May 1987 (Series 1), 10 March-28 April 1988 (Series 2), 20 November-25 December 1990 (Series 3), 16 June-4 August 1992 (Series 4) 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Flying the Flag: The Complete Series 1-4

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

Mary Cooper

Jonathan Tafler

Anna Linstrum

Alistair McGowan

Elizabeth Lewis

Robin Brooks

Lucy Caldwell

Sarah Wooley

Stephen Wakelam

Frances Bingham

David Pownall

Katie Hims

Ian Billings

Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre

Judith Adam

18 biographical dramas based on the lives and loves of celebrated writers 
 
These surprising, revealing dramas take a behind-the-scenes look at some of our best-loved authors, mingling fact and fantasy to explore their extraordinary hidden lives. From love affairs, friendships and family relationships to traumas, tragedies and journeys of self-discovery, we glimpse the unwritten worlds that shaped their unforgettable fiction. Among the star casts are Andrew Scott, Toby Jones, Richard Dormer, Glenda Jackson, Bella Ramsey, Julia Davis, Ian McDiarmid, Haydn Gwynne, David Threlfall, Alistair McGowan, Tom Goodman-Hill, Hattie Morahan, Rosie Cavaliero, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Paul Ritter and Lia Williams 
 
Jane and Tom - Writing to her sister, Jane Austen describes her love for Tom Lefroy - a love that would lead to Pride and Prejudice. 
 
When Fanny Met Germaine - A delightful romp through the passionate, scandalous friendship between two 18th Century writers: Fanny Burney and Mme de Stael. 
 
Comrade Ackland - Dorset, 1936. Newly returned from an illicit trip to Civil War Spain, Sylvia Townsend Warner and her lover Valentine Ackland have an unexpected visitor.... 
 
Tongues of Fire - 1913. When a Nobel laureate visits Dublin's Abbey Theatre, fireworks erupt between WB Yeats and Sean O'Casey. 
 
A Year at the Races - Approaching the end of his career, Groucho Marx meets a wisecracking fan determined to teach him new comedy tricks. 
 
Spike and the Elfin Oak- A comic fantasy inspired by Spike Milligan's madcap attempts in the mid-1960s to preserve a curious sculpture in Kensington Gardens. 
 
Everybody's Got Conditions - Casting Bette Davis in his play The Night of the Iguana proves the biggest mistake in Tennessee Williams' career... 
 
I Believe I Have Genius- Humble and obscure, young Charlotte Brontë travels to Brussels to study at a girls' school. 
 
Marian and George - Marian Evans (aka George Eliot) must choose between her adored brother and the love of her life... 
 
Lying Low - An intriguing drama imagining what happened to Samuel Beckett during his mysterious three weeks in Folkestone in 1961. 
 
A Terrible Beauty - WB Yeats travels to France to propose to beautiful Maud Gonne, soon after her husband's execution in the 1916 Easter Rising. 
 
The Watcher on the Wall - Dramatised from his letters, this is the story of Louis MacNeice's transatlantic love affair and the poetry it inspired. 
 
Edith Sitwell in Scarborough - Returning to her birthplace, Edith Sitwell sets out to wreak revenge. 
 
Mrs Tolstoy - A five-part drama charting the tempestuous marriage between Leo and Sofya Tolstoy. 
 
The 'B' Word - The opening night of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion causes a scandal and sparks a passionate love/hate triangle... 
 
The Rules of Palship - The young Noël Coward demanded fierce loyalty from his friends - but did he live up to his own high standards? 
 
The Lost Road - A playful tribute to the long friendship between CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien and how it influenced their respective masterpieces. 
 
Luxembourg Gardens - Re-imagined from Katherine Mansfield's stories, letters and journals, this Mansfieldesque play explores her last day in Paris, where she is dying of consumption aged 34. 
 
Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Behind the Author's Desk: Dramas of Famous Writers' Real Lives

A BBC Radio 4 drama collection

Steve Waters

A compelling 10-part drama about the founding of Israel, told through the parallel voices of a Jewish immigrant and an exiled Palestinian 
 
1917. As the British enter Palestine with the aim of facilitating a Jewish homeland, young Arab Youssef Bannourah befriends Harry Lister, an English civil servant who has come to live in his village of Deir Yassin. Impressed by Youssef's intelligence, Harry finds him a job working for the British administration. Meanwhile, fleeing Jewish persecution in Russia, Miriam Cohen and her mother Sara set sail for the promised land. On arrival, they move to a newly constructed kibbutz near Jerusalem, where - divided by faith and a fence - Miriam meets Youssef for the first time. 
 
Both dream of a nation where Jews and Arabs can live together in harmony. But their youthful idealism soon turns to disillusionment, and as tensions rise and violence erupts in the holy city, they become embroiled in political upheaval and terrorism. And for naive, well-meaning Harry Lister, Britain's inability to keep the peace - and her promises - will have fateful consequences... 
 
Spanning 31 years from the closing days of the First World War to 1948, this epic, multi-perspectival drama is narrated by an older Miriam and Youssef, who recount the story to their children. Moving seamlessly between past and present, it takes in key figures and pivotal moments in Israel's history, including the Balfour Declaration, the 1930s Arab Revolt, the bombing of the King David Hotel and the UN vote to partition Palestine. 
 
Written by acclaimed playwright Steve Waters, Miriam and Youssef takes a nuanced look at the turbulent chain of events that led to the birth of the State of Israel, shedding fascinating light on the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Among the diverse cast are a host of top Middle Eastern and British actors, including native Israeli Shani Erez as Miriam, Egyptian-born Amir El-Masry as Youssef and Londoner Blake Ritson as Harry Lister. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Steve Waters 
Produced by Radio Drama London for BBC World Service 
Music written and performed by Glenn Sharp 
Sound design: Caleb Knightley 
 
Cast 
Miriam - Shani Erez 
Youssef - Amir El-Masry 
Young Miriam - Ava Merson-O'Brien 
Young Youssef - Rafi Essex/Jo Ben Ayed 
Young Zahra - Nikhita Essex 
Harry Lister - Blake Ritson 
Sara - Jessica Turner 
Abu Khalid - Rami Nasr 
Umm Khalid - Sirine Saba 
Mahmoud/Menachim Begin - Daniel Rabin 
Yehoshua - Philip Arditti 
Ben-Gurion/Rabbi - Elliot Levey 
Mufti - Dana Haqjoo 
Major Dennis/Haganath Major - Clive Hayward 
Zahra - Lara Sawalha 
Judah Magnes/McMasters - Neil McCaul 
Musa Alami - Sargon Yelda 
Mohammed - Ramzi Dehani 
Palestinian woman - Nathalie Armin 
With Heather Craney, Hasan Dixon and Steve Waters 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 April-1 July 2020 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Miriam and Youssef

A BBC Radio Full cast dramatisation

Jane Austen

Charlotte Brontë

Elizabeth Gaskell

Unabridged readings of three of the greatest novels of all time 
 
This timeless collection brings together three of the finest works in the literary canon, read in full by some of the very best audiobook narrators. With over 38 hours of unmissable storytelling, tracked by chapter so you can easily find your place, this is the ideal way to enjoy these classic masterpieces. 
 
Pride and Prejudice 
Jane Austen's universally acknowledged romance charts the love story between pretty, witty Elizabeth Bennett and handsome, arrogant Fitzwilliam Darcy. Read by Clare Corbett. 
 
Jane Eyre 
Orphan Jane falls head over heels in love with the brooding, mysterious Mr Rochester in Charlotte Brontë's coming-of-age classic about secrets and lies. Read by Katherine Press. 
 
Cranford 
Elizabeth Gaskell's much-loved portrait of life in a Cheshire town and its female inhabitants, as they cope with the impact of change on their small world. Read by Carolyn Pickles. 
 
 
Credits: 
 
Pride and Prejudice 
Read by Clare Corbett 
Produced by Justine Willett 
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 24 August 2019 
 
Jane Eyre 
Read by Katherine Press 
Produced by Anne Bunting 
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 24 August 2019 
 
Cranford 
Read by Carolyn Pickles 
Produced by Julian Wilkinson 
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 1 November 2019 
 
 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

BBC Classics

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre & Cranford

Emily Brontë

George Eliot

Edith Wharton

Virginia Woolf

Unabridged readings of four fictional masterpieces 
 
Contained in this collection are four more enduring classics, read in full by some of the very best audiobook narrators. With over 32 hours of irresistible storytelling, tracked by chapter for ease of navigation, this is the perfect way to immerse yourself in these iconic works. 
 
Wuthering Heights 
Emily Brontë's tempestuous tale of passions, betrayal and retribution on the wild Yorkshire moors. Read by Susan Jameson. 
 
Silas Marner 
George Eliot's heart-warming tour de force about a lonely weaver's search for redemption and hope. Read by Sean Baker. 
 
Ethan Frome 
Edith Wharton's powerful, affecting novella about a poverty-stricken young man attempting to escape a loveless marriage. Read by Joseph Ayre. 
 
Orlando 
Virginia Woolf's comic biography of a time-travelling hero whose adventures through the centuries include transforming into a heroine... Read by Clare Corbett. 
 
 
Credits: 
 
Wuthering Heights 
Read by Susan Jameson 
Produced by Ross Burman 
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 24 August 2019 
 
Silas Marner 
Read by Sean Baker 
Produced by Martha Littlehailes 
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 22 August 2019 
 
Ethan Frome 
Read by Joseph Ayre 
Produced by Julian Wilkinson 
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 1 November 2019 
 
Orlando 
Read by Clare Corbett 
Produced by Simon Richardson 
First broadcast on BBC Sounds, 1 November 2019 
 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

More BBC Classics

Wuthering Heights, Silas Marner, Ethan Frome & Orlando

Jon Canter

Miles Jupp stars as James Boswell, Dr Johnson's time-travelling biographer, with a host of top actors and comedians as his celebrity interviewees 
 
'Blisteringly funny... essential listening' Radio Times 
 
Before James Boswell penned a biography of his friend, Dr Johnson, they were both nobodies. But his Life of Samuel Johnson made them famous - so now Boswell's out to work his magic on other celebrities. Travelling through the centuries, he gives 12 legendary figures the Boswell treatment, hoping to do for them what he did for Johnson... 
 
Series 1 sees him attempting to write a biography of Sigmund Freud (Henry Goodman) - but it's Freud asking all the searching questions. Talking to Maria Callas (Arabella Weir), he gets up close and personal with her poodle; encountering Harold Pinter (Harry Enfield) he receives his very own 'Pinter pause' and, trying to beat Boris Johnson (Alistair McGowan) at whiff-whaff, he finds he's facing a fiendish opponent. 
 
In Series 2, Boswell tries to help Muhammad Ali (Lenny Henry), who's been banned from boxing and is in the wilderness. Interviewing Karl Marx (Julian Rhind-Tutt), he finds himself collaborating on Das Kapital, but on meeting Madonna (Debra Stephenson), he struggles to get into the groove. And will he succeed in immortalising Alan Bennett (Alistair McGowan), or will they simply be talking heads? 
 
Series 3 finds Boswell buttonholing Lord Byron (Freddie Fox) to find out if he's really mad, bad and dangerous to know; receiving some lessons in equality from Simone de Beauvoir (Amelia Bullmore); becoming involved in a murder mystery with Agatha Christie (Vicki Pepperdine) and attempting to become a better man under the guidance of Gandhi (Phaldut Sharma). But abstinence drives him to distraction - and worse... 
 
Created by scriptwriter and novelist Jon Canter, this engaging, entertaining series won the 2015 Best European Radio Fiction Series or Serial of the Year at the prestigious Prix Europa. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Jon Canter 
Directed by Sally Avens 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 February-17 May 2015 (Series 1), 21 March-11 April 2016 (Series 2), 7-28 March 2018 (Series 3) 
 
Cast 
James Boswell - Miles Jupp 
Sigmund Freud - Henry Goodman 
Maria Callas - Arabella Weir 
Harold Pinter - Harry Enfield 
Boris Johnson/Alan Bennett - Alistair McGowan 
Muhammad Ali - Lenny Henry 
Boxing commentator - Ewan Bailey 
Karl Marx - Julian Rhind-Tutt 
Madonna - Debra Stephenson 
Lord Byron - Freddie Fox 
Simone de Beauvoir - Amelia Bullmore 
Agatha Christie - Vicki Pepperdine 
Rose - Abbie Andrews 
Gandhi - Phaldut Sharma 
Mr Fortescue/The Prince of Wales - Clive Hayward 
 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Boswell’s Lives: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio 4 comedy

CJ Sansom

A breathtaking BBC Radio 4 full-cast adaptation of the sixth novel in C. J. Sansom's best-selling Tudor crime series, featuring lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake 
 
1546, and the great heretic hunt is underway across England. The radical Protestant preacher Anne Askew has been arrested and condemned to death, and Shardlake is ordered to attend the burning. It's a grisly, cruel spectacle that leaves him feeling disturbed. Rumours are circulating that Anne had connections to his protector, Queen Catherine Parr - and if she falls, he could be next... 
 
His unease deepens when a messenger arrives from Whitehall Palace: the Queen is in trouble, and asking for his help. Unwilling to put himself in danger again, he almost declines - but his loyalty to her permits no refusal. 
 
The palace is in turmoil - King Henry VIII is dying, and his Protestant and Catholic councillors are engaged in a desperate power struggle to control his eight-year-old heir, Prince Edward. In this climate of fear and uncertainty, the Queen has committed a dangerous indiscretion. She has written a compromising confessional tract, so incendiary it could see her accused of treason - and someone has stolen it from her private chamber. Only one page has resurfaced, clenched in the fist of a murdered printer. 
 
Shardlake's search for the missing manuscript takes him from London's seedy backstreets to the heart of the Tudor court, where he becomes enmeshed in a web of intrigue, deception and dark political machinations - and finds himself facing a fateful audience with King Henry himself... 
 
Justin Salinger stars as Shardlake in this stunning sixth instalment of the 'Shardlake' series. 
 
'From the exquisite embroidery on a sliver of silk to the metallic stench of fresh blood, this portrait of Tudor England is full-on sensory immersion... CJ Sansom's novel is brought to life by dramatist Colin MacDonald, director Bruce Young and an outstanding cast.' - Jane Anderson, Radio Times 
 
Written by C. J. Sansom 
Dramatised by Colin MacDonald 
Produced and directed by Bruce Young 
 
Cast 
Shardlake - Justin Salinger 
Barak - Bryan Dick 
Queen Catherine - Jessica Hardwick 
Lord Parr - Robbie Jack 
Henry VIII - Michael Mackenzie 
Richard Rich - Simon Donaldson 
William Paget - Gavin Mitchell 
Charles Stice - Matthew Barker 
William Cecil - James Rottger 
Myldmore - Kenny Blyth 
Okedene - Mark McDonnell 
Cranmer - Crawford Logan 
Mary Odell - Francesca Dymond 
Barwic - Mark Jeary 
Elias - Caleb Hughes 
Garet - Harri Pitches 
Other parts played by the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18-29 January 2021

Shardlake: Lamentation

A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation

In this BBC radio full-cast dramatisation, Jane Austen introduces us to the handsome, clever and very flawed Emma Wodehouse. 
 
While she is perfectly content with her life and has no interest in love or marriage for herself, she enjoys nothing more than matchmaking those around her. Mr Knightly tries to talk Emma Woodhouse out of this but when she pushes on anyway, her life, and the lives of the friends around her, are irreversibly changed... 
 
Published over 200 years ago, Emma remains one of the British nation's favourite novels. Among the star cast in this radio production are Eve Best, Norman Rodway, Robert Bathurst, and Marcia Warren. 
 
This title is part of the BBC's Jane Austen collection. 
 
© 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Emma

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Oscar Wilde

A BBC radio celebration of the works of Oscar Wilde, including energetic adaptations of his best-known plays, short stories, and original dramas about the man himself 
 
Long before he'd produced any of his great works, Oscar Wilde was already famous for being famous. Armed only with some witty epigrams, a carefully crafted persona and his genius for self-promotion, he had conquered America and transformed himself from nobody to star. 
 
This radio collection opens with four plays from Radio 4's Born to be Wilde season, offering a 21st Century perspective on the making of one of the first true celebrities. First up are two sparkling and surprising productions of his two most popular comedies, marking the peak of his theatrical career. The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband feature stellar casts including Mathew Baynton, Jeany Spark, John Heffernan and Miranda Raison, with the latter also featuring music by Steppenwolf, Taylor Swift and Amy Winehouse. 
 
Next, two plays by Marcy Kahan and Lavinia Murray explore aspects of Wilde's life. The Warhol Years charts his astonishing rise, as he embarks on his US tour determined to be famous for 15 minutes - and then some. Oscar and Constancy portrays a celebrity marriage in crisis, as Wilde's domestic and creative lives vie for supremacy. Both dramas star Max Bennett as the young Wilde, with Dervla Kirwan as his mother, Speranza. 
 
Also included in this collection are nine of Wilde's classic short stories. The deliciously satirical 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime' is dramatised with a full cast including Rupert Penry-Jones and Gillian Kearney. His humorous supernatural story 'The Canterville Ghost' is read by Alistair McGowan, and Joseph Ayre narrates two delightful stories with a twist: 'The Sphinx Without a Secret' and 'The Model Millionaire'. Wilde's dazzling fairytales - 'The Happy Prince', 'The Nightingale and the Rose', 'The Selfish Giant', 'The Remarkable Rocket' and 'The Birthday of the Infanta' - are read by Joseph Fiennes, Joseph Ayre, Sam Dale, John Moffatt and Paul McGann. 
 
 
Track listing: 
An Ideal Husband 
The Importance of Being Earnest 
The Warhol Years 
Oscar and Constancy 
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime 
'The Canterville Ghost' 
'The Sphinx Without a Secret' 
'The Model Millionaire' 
'The Happy Prince' 
'The Nightingale and the Rose' 
'The Selfish Giant' 
'The Remarkable Rocket' 
'The Birthday of the Infanta'

Born to be Wilde

Plays, stories and the making of a modern celebrity

Judith Kerr

The BBC radio adaptations of Judith Kerr's internationally acclaimed trilogy - plus bonus documentary 
Based on her own childhood experiences, Judith Kerr's When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a timeless classic loved by children and adults alike. By turns heart-rending and heart-lifting, it is even more resonant today than when it was first published in 1971. This story of a Jewish family who escape Germany just as the Nazis come to power is seen through the eyes of their young daughter Anna, and traces their perilous journey - splintered by conflict, driven by fear and eventually rewarded with reunion. The two sequels, Bombs on Aunt Dainty and A Small Person Far Away, follow Anna as she grows up, settles in London - and, many years later, returns to Berlin to confront the past. 
 
These three radio plays are the very first dramatisations of Kerr's trilogy, and feature a stunning cast including Anna Madeley, Paul Moriarty and Adjoa Andoh. Also featured is a bonus edition of World Book Club, in which Harriett Gilbert talks to Judith Kerr about her life and work. 
 
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit 
1933. Leaving her beloved Pink Rabbit behind, nine-year-old Anna leaves her Berlin home to flee with her family across the Swiss border. As they cross Europe in search of sanctuary, she quickly adapts to being a refugee - but will she ever feel she belongs anywhere? 
Bombs on Aunt Dainty 
 
1940. Teenage Anna is enjoying her new life in London, and looking forward to embarking on a secretarial course. But then her brother Max is interned as an enemy alien - and as the Blitz begins in earnest, she fears for the future of her family. 
A Small Person Far Away 
 
1956. Happily married and living in West London, Anna gets a worrying telegram. Her mother, who has been living back in Berlin for seven years, has pneumonia, and Anna must go to her at once. With the Cold War heating up, can Anna bear to return to the city of her birth? 
World Book Club: Judith Kerr - When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit 
The German-born author talks to Harriet Gilbert about her much-loved novel, answering questions from the audience about writing from a child's perspective, assimilating into British society, and staying happy despite the hardships she endured. 
 
Production credits 
 
Written by Judith Kerr 
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit text copyright © Kerr-Kneale Productions Ltd 1971 
Bombs on Aunt Dainty first published in Great Britain as The Other Way Round by William Collins Sons &amp; Co. Ltd in 1975. Text copyright © Kerr-Kneale Productions Ltd 1975 
A Small Person Far Away text copyright © Kerr-Kneale Productions Ltd 1978, 1989 
Dramatised by Beaty Rubens 
Directed by David Hunter 
 
Cast 
 
Young Anna - Lauren Mote 
Older Anna - Anna Madeley 
Young Max - Hugo Docking 
Older Max - Adam Billington 
Mama - Adjoa Andoh 
Omama - Eleanor Bron 
Papa - Paul Moriarty 
Elsbeth - Xenia Mainelli 
Julius/Ken - James Lailey 
Aunt Sarah - Sheila Steafel 
Fraulein Lambeck/Barbara - Tracy Wiles 
Herr Rosenfeld/Cotmore - Gerard McDermott 
Other cast: Alex Rivers, Christopher Webster, Thelma Ruby, Susan Engel, Joanna Monro, Ann Beach, Harry Livingstone, Jack Holden, Malcolm Tierney, Simon Treves, Carl Prekopp, Sara Kestelman, Emerald O'Hanrahan, Peter Hamilton Dyer 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11-25 March 2012 
 
World Book Club: Judith Kerr - When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit 
Presented by Harriett Gilbert 
With Judith Kerr 
Produced by Karen Holden 
 
First broadcast BBC World Service, 6 March 2016

Out of the Hitler Time: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Bombs on Aunt Dainty, A Small Person Far Away

BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the complete trilogy

Dramatised by Julia Stoneham

Samantha Bond stars in two captivating stories set around a hostel for Land Girls during World War Two 
 
Based in Devon in the 1940s, these two dramas follow the lives and loves of a group of young women, all from different backgrounds, but all determined to do their bit for King and country in the Land Army. Billeted in a hastily-converted farmhouse, they face cramped conditions and gruelling work - but there's always dances at the village hop and the chance of romance with a GI... 
 
The Cinderella Service 
It's 1943, and Alice Todd has just separated from her husband. With a ten-year-old son to care for, she accepts the position of Warden at a hostel for Land Girls: but is she up to the job? Looking after ten lively, independent women is hard, and when Alice's competence is questioned, she doubts her ability to cope. Will the loyalty and friendship of her girls persuade her to stick it out? 
 
Cinderella D-Day 
1944. Alice is still busy running the Women's Land Army hostel, as well as taking tentative steps in her new career and a fledgling relationship. But the girls in her care are finding that life in wartime does not run smoothly. As the hostilities rumble on, there is happiness and heartbreak in store, and the hostel residents face danger and some stark personal choices... 
 
Created by Julia Stoneham - a regular writer on hit TV show The House of Elliott - these evocative wartime dramas star Samantha Bond as Alice, with a cast including June Barrie, Tilly Vosburgh, Becky Hindley and Deborah McAndrew. 
 
 
Directed by Tracey Neale 
Theme tune: 'This Time the Dream's On Me' by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc 
 
The Cinderella Service 
Alice - Samantha Bond 
Edward-John - James Cohen 
Rose - June Barrie 
Annie - Tilly Vosburgh 
Mabel - Cathy Murphy 
Marian - Becky Hindley 
Winnie - Deborah McAndrew 
Martha - Rachel Lewis 
Taffy - Elaine Claxton 
Georgina - Annabel Mullion 
Chrissie - Teresa Gallagher 
Margery Brewster - Tessa Worsley 
Roger Bayliss - Peter Yapp 
Christopher Bayliss - Andrew Wlncott 
Ferdie - Bill Wallis 
Oliver Maynard/Fred - Ian Masters 
Ron Chapman - David Collings 
Mrs Bowden - Jilly Bond 
Nora - Abigail Docherty 
Andreas - Walter Van Dyke 
Ruben - David Antrobus 
Alec/John Boyce - Matthew Morgan 
James Todd - David Jarvis 
Mary Brewer - Eva Stuart 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5-19 April 1995 
 
Cinderella D-Day 
Alice - Samantha Bond 
Rose - June Barrie 
Georgina - Louise Lombard 
Christopher - Adrian Lukis 
Annie - Tilly Vosburgh 
Marian - Becky Hindley 
Winnie - Deborah McAndrew 
Taffy - Elaine Claxton 
Martha - Rachel Lewis 
Mabel - Cathy Murphy 
Edward-John - Sam Collings 
Roger Bayliss - Ioan Meredith 
Margery Brewster - Tessa Worsley 
Ferdie - Bill Wallis 
Lionel Brewer - Alex Lowe 
Mary Brewer - Ann Beach 
Ruben - David Antrobus 
Marvin - Robert Harper 
Joan - Elaine Pyke 
Kiwi - Joanna Monro 
James - David Jarvis 
Dave - Dominic Taylor 
Eleanor - Abigail Docherty 
Beryl/Mrs Tucker/Fran - Janet Maw 
Lionel - Alex Lowe 
Fred - Denys Hawthorne 
Italian POW - Chris Pavlo 
Arthur - William Howard 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 September-2 October 1996

The Cinderella Service & Cinderella D-Day

Two BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas

Adrian Bean

A gripping series about one family's journey into the unknown aboard the Mayflower, starring Louise Brealey 
 
What do you do when your beliefs are condemned by the rest of society? 
 
Sarah Hargreaves doesn't share her husband Matthew's desire to join the Puritan exiles, but when their son Benjamin is arrested on a trumped-up charge, they have little choice but to go. Things go rapidly from bad to worse, and they decide to leave everything behind. Hoping to find peace and like-minded souls in a new religious community in America, they spend everything they have left on a ticket to sail on the Mayflower. 
 
Safely aboard ship their adventure really begins. But conditions are cramped, storms blast the ship, and their daughter Elizabeth is very sick. Halfway across the vast Atlantic, there is no turning back… 
 
Also included in this release is a bonus programme, ‘The Mayflower – 400 years’, in which Emily Buchanan explores the Pilgrims’ journey, their relationship with Native Americans, and how their political and religious beliefs helped shape modern America. 
 
Cast: 
Sarah Hargreaves - Louise Brealey 
 Matthew Hargreaves - Trystan Gravelle 
 Ben - Joel MacCormack 
 Elizabeth - Megan McInerney 
Saul Tregarron - Matthew Gravelle 
 Captain Jones - John Cording 
Reverend Kerswell/Ghost Sailor/Minister - Marc Danbury 
Woman/Blackbird – Ashleigh Haddad 
Samoset – Daniel Taylor 
 
Directed by John Norton 
 A BBC Cymru Wales Production 
 
'The Mayflower - 400 years' was produced by David Cook and Dan Tierney

Exile: Journey on the Mayflower

A gripping BBC Radio full-cast drama

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

Sue Limb

Autumn, 1646. The English Civil War is raging, and there’s trouble ahead for Sir John and Lady Anne Firebasket. There’s a Roundhead platoon camping out in the barn, a perplexed priest hiding behind the panelling and, unbeknown to the Firebaskets, their scullery maid Mercy is actually a disguised aristocrat (and Royalist spy) named Melissa Fortescue-Bottomley. 
 
While Mercy steels herself to carry out a deadly mission, pious steward Tobias Thynne rails against the Devil’s vegetables and Father Francis takes to the rooftops in a borrowed nightgown for a rendition of ‘Ave Maria’. With the whole household suffering from severe domestic derangement, it’s a bad time for General Cromwell to show up – and then news arrives that the fugitive King Charles has also decided to pay a visit... 
 
As confusion reigns, Sir John takes to drink, Lady Anne takes to her bed and the New Model Army take up their muskets. Will Firebasket Hall survive the hostilities? 
 
Scripted by Sue Limb (Gloomsbury, The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere), The Sit Crom features a wealth of comedy acting talent including Joss Ackland as Sir John Firebasket, Miriam Margolyes as Mercy and Alun Armstrong as Captain Arise Higgs. 
 
Produced by Jonathan James-Moore 
Music by Colin Sell 
 
Cast 
Sir John Firebasket – Joss Ackland 
Lady Anne Firebasket – Denise Coffey 
Tobias Thynne – Clive Merrison 
Mercy, alias Melissa – Miriam Margoyles 
Father Francis/Old Thomas – Nickolas Grace 
Slow Ned/King Charles – Chris Emmett 
Gazebo Fogg – Jack Klaff 
Captain Arise Higgs – Alun Armstrong 
Posthumous – Nicky Henson 
Lettice – Jane Whittenshaw 
Counter Tenor – Peter Hayward 
General Cromwell – Bert Parnaby 
Colonel Thundery – Peter Howell 
The New Model Army – The cast 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 6 October-10 November 1990

The Sit Crom

The complete BBC Radio 4 comedy series

Andy Hamilton

Jay Tarses

All four series of the hilarious historical sitcom set just before and during the American Revolution 
 
Baltimore, 1770, and shopkeeper Samuel Oliphant has much to worry about. Storm clouds are gathering, business is bad, and to make matters worse, he’s been forced to play host to two British soldiers. Hapless officer Captain Brimshaw is decent enough, but his fellow redcoat – the one-eyed, one-eared, one-armed and one-legged Sergeant McGurk – is a shameless rascal obsessed with money and sex. 
 
Adding to Samuel’s troubles are his family – his wife Elizabeth has become a lesbian, his son Joshua is a dimwitted giant, his eldest daughter Cora is in love with the pro-British Ezekiel Spriggs and her sister Mary is an ardent revolutionary… 
 
In these four series, Mary tries to starts a mutiny at her sister’s wedding; Cora falls pregnant – but the marriage isn’t consummated; McGurk turns spy and Ezekiel discovers the truth about his ginger baby (and sets out to find the ginger father). With war fast approaching, Samuel turns his shop into a bar called Sam’s Place and helps an old flame called Ingrid, Cora discovers a gift for penning pornography, and Mary discovers there’s no place like home. And as the revolution hits Baltimore, Ezekiel is kidnapped by rebel militia, Captain Brimshaw attempts to broker peace with George Washington and Samuel and company flee to London. Can they persuade King George III to end the war? 
 
Written by Andy Hamilton and Jay Tarses, who also star as Sergeant McGurk and Samuel Oliphant, this riotously funny comedy boasts a stellar cast including Sophie Thompson, Jan Ravens, Felicity Montagu, James Fleet, Hugh Dennis and Rebecca Front. 
 
Written by and starring Andy Hamilton and Jay Tarses 
Produced and directed by Paul Mayhew-Archer 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 18 January-22 February 2000, (Series 1), 24 April-29 May 2001 (Series 2), 27 May-1 July 2004 (Series 3), 2 May-6 June 2006 (Series 4)

Revolting People: The Complete Series 1-4

The BBC Radio comedy

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

Paul Merton

Josie Lawrence

Caroline Quentin

Jim Sweeney

Phelim McDermott

All three series of the improvised family saga starring Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, Caroline Quentin and others – plus two special Christmas episodes 
 
Based entirely on audience suggestions, this hysterically funny historical drama tells the thrilling extended story of an aristocratic family at war with itself. From Ancient Rome to 1920s Hollywood, we follow the Mastersons’ turbulent history across the centuries, as their fortunes wax and wane, and their fates hang on objects as diverse and unlikely as a tumble dryer, a rabbit’s foot and a pair of Siamese twins. 
 
In these three series, their adventures include setting sail across the Atlantic (with a cargo of dangerous sheep), mucking out at the court of King Arthur, becoming embroiled in murder and intrigue aboard a luxury cruiser and running away to join a Victorian travelling circus. There’s family revenge in the Wild West over dodgy dental work; the medieval Mastersons face land struggles and an overcrowded castle; and in the Edwardian era, suffragettes split the family, sparking drama at the races. Plus, in two Christmas specials, the Mastersons face repercussions from a child’s innocent gift, and the family’s ancient culture reveals some curious customs… 
 
Starring in this comic chronicle of pride, passion, iniquity and inbreeding are celebrated comedians and improv veterans Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, Caroline Quentin, Jim Sweeney, Lee Simpson and Phelim McDermott. 
 
Production credits 
Starring Josie Lawrence, Phelim McDermott, Paul Merton, Lee Simpson, Jim Sweeney and Caroline Quentin 
Produced by Phil Clarke 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 22 April-27 May 1993, (Series 1), 25 December 1993 (The Stuffing of the Mastersons), 11 June-16 July 1994 (Series 2), 8 July-12 August 1995 (Series 3), 25 December 1995 (The Mastersons’ Christmas Cracker)

The Masterson Inheritance: Series 1-3 plus specials

A BBC Radio Sketch Comedy

David Wade

A thrilling six-part serial on the life of Alexander the Great 
 
Alexander of Macedon was one of history's greatest ever military commanders. By the time of his death, aged just 32, he had conquered the entire Persian Empire, and was ruler of a vast territory stretching from Greece to the borders of India. These six episodes tell his extraordinary life story, as reimagined by acclaimed dramatist David Wade. 
 
The King's Son - 356 BC. Outside the city of Pella in Macedonia, the spirits of Achilles and Patroclus are eagerly awaiting a royal birth. But Alexander's arrival creates friction between King Philip and his Queen, Olympias. 
 
I Am Also Alexander - The young Prince is used as a pawn in the war between his parents, and becomes a student of the great philosopher Aristotle. 
 
Preparation of the Sacrifice - Alexander goes into battle to prove his manhood. Meanwhile, King Philip's remarriage plans cause tension. 
 
The Road to Gordium - Warrior Alexander becomes King of Macedonia and sets out to conquer the world... 
 
The Hunt of the God King - Alexander pursues Darius, King of Persia, conquers Egypt - and falls in love with the beautiful Barsine. 
 
Great Son of Ammon - The King confronts treachery, invades India and faces the end of the span of years allotted by the Fates... 
 
This compelling serial stars Michael Maloney as Alexander, with an incredible cast including Brian Cox, Geraldine James, Alex Jennings and Julian Rhind-Tutt. 
 
Also included is a bonus episode of In Our Time, in which Melvyn Bragg and guests explore Alexander's life, legend and legacy. 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Alexander: The Story of A Legendary Leader

Vasily Grossman

A two-part radio dramatisation of Vasily Grossman's dark, honest account of the battle of Stalingrad; a prequel to Life and Fate – plus Stalingrad: Destiny of a Novel 
 
Epic BBC serial Life and Fate stunned radio audiences in 2011, garnering rave reviews for its powerful depiction of a family torn apart by war in Soviet Russia. Now, with this astonishing prequel published in its first ever English translation by Richard and Elizabeth Chandler, we are transported back to the very beginning of Vasily Grossman’s panoramic tale, as the ‘harsh whirlwind’ of war approaches the city of Stalingrad. 
 
As Stalingrad opens, we are introduced to the many lives of the Shaposhnikov family and their partners. Atomic scientist Viktor Shtrum struggles with his work for the State and with his own conscience, while his family live, love and work (despite swirling rumours) to run the city’s power stations, factories and hospitals. 
 
Meanwhile, at the Front, we meet old-school Bolshevik Commissar Nikolai Krymov in the thick of the Russian army’s pell-mell retreat before Operation Barbarossa, and follow the 'unknown' soldiers giving their lives to hold the line at the Volga. 
 
This vivid, gripping drama features many of the same acclaimed cast as Life and Fate, including Kenneth Branagh as Viktor Shtrum and Greta Scacchi as Lyuda Shaposhnikova. 
 
Accompanying this stellar dramatisation is Stalingrad: Destiny Of A Novel; featuring extracts from Grossman's private journal, translated here for the first time, and chronicling Stalingrad’s tortuous gestation and long, tormented passage to print. Written and presented by author and historian Catherine Merridale, with readings by Anton Lesser, this five-part series reveals the dramatic backstory behind the classic novel and explores the beginnings of Grossman’s own journey towards Soviet heresy. 
 
Written by Vasily Grossman 
Translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler 
Dramatised by Mike Walker (Part One) and Jonathan Myerson (Part Two) 
 
Part One produced and directed by Jonquil Panting 
Part Two produced by James Robinson and directed by Jonathan Myerson 
Series Producer: Alison Hindell 
 
Original music composed by John Hardy, with Rob Whitehead, and performed by Oliver Wilson-Dixon, Tom Jackson, Stacey Blythe and Max Pownall 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 November-1 December 2019

Stalingrad

AJ Cronin

An epic BBC radio drama series set in the Welsh valleys, about medical life before the NHS 
 
Based on AJ Cronin’s award-winning 1937 novel of the same name, which partly inspired Nye Bevan to create the NHS, this gripping dramatisation centres on Andrew Manson, a newly trained GP in 1920s Wales. 
 
Young and idealistic, he is full of enthusiasm when he first arrives in the small mining village of Drineffy, where he is to work as assistant to the elderly Dr Page. But he soon encounters corruption, apathy and appalling medical practices, and becomes determined to storm the citadel of the medical establishment and make a difference. 
 
In these six series, he befriends the cynical Dr Denny and helps him to deal with a typhoid epidemic; meets the love of his life, Christine; performs a remarkable doctoring feat in a crisis; takes a new job in a larger town; becomes caught up in the 1926 miners’ strike – and makes a desperate attempt to save the life of someone close to him… 
 
Adapted by well-known scriptwriter Christopher Reason, this compelling drama about a dedicated doctor developing his career and family life against the backdrop of a country undergoing significant change stars Richard Fleeshman (Coronation Street, Call the Midwife) and George Blagden (Versailles, Vikings). 
 
 
Written by AJ Cronin 
Dramatised by Christopher Reason 
Produced by Gary Brown and Pauline Harris 
Directed by Gary Brown 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 October-3 November 2017 (Series 1) 5-9 March 2018 (Series 2), 9-13 July 2018 (Series 3), 17-21 September 2018 (Series 4), 15-19 April 2019 (Series 5), 7-11 October 2019 (Series 6)

The Citadel: Series 1-6

A BBC Radio full-cast 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!

In the early hours of 5 June 1944, Captain Rob Collins, who is languishing in hospital, receives a call that will take him on a journey through England that will change his life. 
 
Mike Walker's play is an epic journey across England poised on the edge of a historical moment: D-Day. It is set on June 5th, the day before the invasion that will change the course of history - but an invasion only a very few know is about happen... 
 
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliet Stevenson, and Claudia Harrison. 
 
Credits 
Narrator...Juliet Stevenson 
Capt Collins...Benedict Cumberbatch 
Cpl Cunningham...Claudia Harrison 
Jack Harris...Danny Webb 
Gloria Harris...Kaye Wragge 
Ray Harris...Joseph Tremain 
Tim...Ben Tibber 
Gen Eisenhower...Colin Stinton 
Flt Lt Paul Parker...Bertie Carvel 
Lilly...Emily Chennery 
Eddie...Ricci Harnett 
Lancaster Skipper...Jamie Glover 
Lancaster Crew...Carl Prekopp/Simon Nehan 
Warders...Chris MacDonnell/John Rowe 
Rosie...Alice Hart 
Sea Captain...David Leonard 
1st Lieutenant RN...Andrew Mackintosh 
G.I....John Guerrasio 
Monty...Philip Fox 
Nursing Sister...Joanna McCallum 
 
Directed by Jeremy Howe 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 June 2004

The Biggest Secret

A BBC Radio 4 Drama

Arnold Bennett

Neil Dudgeon and Tim McInnerny star in this epic tale of money, passion and defiance, inspired by the 'Five Towns' novels of Arnold Bennett 
 
In this radical reinterpretation of Arnold Bennett's classic novels set in the Staffordshire potteries, it's the 19th Century and the Industrial Revolution is at full throttle. Only the ruthless thrive in this uncompromising world - and Ephraim Tellwright and Darius Clayhanger are both determined to succeed. 
 
From humble beginnings, these two self-made men have risen to become wealthy and powerful. Now, they hold the fate of the Five Towns in their hands, passing judgement on those who put the prosperity and reputation of their community at risk... 
 
Over 10 hours and almost 40 years, we follow them, their descendants, and the inhabitants of Bursley and the Five Towns, as individuals rise, fall, flourish, age, and see the world around them become unrecognisable, transformed by new technology. Fortunes are lost, hearts broken, empires built and compromises made. 
 
These tales of aspiration and passion, damage and danger are told with Bennett's forensic eye for human psychology and a surprising degree of witty comedy, and feature a star cast including Emma Cunniffe, Kate O'Flynn, Don Gilet and Rebekah Staton.

China Towns: Based on the Five Towns Novels

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Simon Armitage

Jeff Young

A combination of verse from Simon Armitage and prose from Jeff Young lends a voice to the chain of events depicted on the famous Bayeux Tapestry. This production chronicles the history surrounding the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the ascension of Duke William of Normandy to the English throne. 
 
Harold, Duke of Wessex, takes the English throne, despite Edward the Confessor's wish that William Duke of Normandy should be his heir. Seeking retribution, William sails to England and heads his troops towards Hastings, where the battle eventually concludes with Harold's death by an arrow shot to the eye. Poetry and prose are interspersed with war correspondent-style reports on the action. As the royal dukes ponder their lot, assorted commoners of the day discuss fear, heroism and grief.

The Bayeux Tapestry

Eleven BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas telling the stories of Mary Queen of Scots and the Stuart royals 
 
Under the Stuarts, Britain entered the modern world. But with great change came turmoil, and for 111 years, the Stuart monarchs faced dynastic struggles, religious conflict, the rise of parliamentary democracy – and civil war. These dramas chart that turbulent epoch through its royal family, from Mary, Queen of Scots to the ‘last Stuart’, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s daughter Charlotte. 
 
It Came In with a Lass – 1561. Arriving in mist-shrouded Scotland, Queen Mary must quickly distinguish her friends from her enemies. Starring Jeany Spark as Mary. 
 
To Make the Plough Go Before the Horse – James I’s life and reign told through his relationships, from his first love, Esme to his last favourite, George Villiers. Starring Bill Paterson as James I and VI. 
 
A World of Fools and Knaves – Henrietta Maria, Charles I's Catholic queen, watches her husband fail to keep hold of the reins of government. Starring Julian Rhind-Tutt as Charles I. 
 
This War Without an Enemy – Only on the morning of his execution can Charles I begin to understand the events that brought him to to the scaffold. Starring Julian Rhind-Tutt as Charles I. 
 
Charles II, Part One: Through the World in Various Fortune – When news of Oliver Cromwell's death reaches Brussels, the exiled Charles II plots his return. Starring Jamie Parker as Charles II. 
 
Charles II, Part Two: The Long Lease of Pleasant Days– Charles II plots to confound parliamentary reformers and secure the throne for his brother. Starring Pip Torrens as Charles II. 
 
James II: The Storms of this Deceitful World– 1688. After just four years as King, James II flees England in the Glorious Revolution. How did it all go so wrong? Starring James Fleet as James II. 
 
William III and Mary II: To Have and To Hold– Dutch William marries his Stuart cousin for reasons of politics, not passion – but their partnership proves crucial when it comes to ruling England. Starring Mark Edel-Hunt as William III and Elaine Cassidy as Mary. 
 
Queen Anne: Myself Alone– Queen Anne must abandon long-held allegiances to command parliament’s loyalty and rule with authority. Starring Fenella Woolgar as Queen Anne. 
 
Bonnie Prince Charlie: Who Dares to Be Free– Charles Edward Stuart, the ‘Young Pretender’, risks everything for the Stuart name. Starring Blake Ritson as Charles. 
 
Charlotte Stuart: The Last Stuart – Is Charlotte Stuart as driven as her predecessors, or the last victim of the Stuart curse? Starring Kate O’Flynn as Charlotte. 
 
Produced and directed by Jessica Dromgoole, Sasha Yevtushenko, Marc Beeby and Gemma Jenkins.

The Stuarts

The epic BBC Radio 4 Drama

Patrick Barlow

Can a young country girl lead an army? 
 
Joan has no plans on saving France from the English but when the brutes turn up and put her beloved crows to death by fire she knows she has to do something. And if she saves France at the same time, well that is just a wonderful side-effect. Guided by her guardian angels, St Catherine and St Margaret, Joan decides to take a stand and fight for what she knows is right. 
 
Dawn French plays Joan in this funny and poignant take on the story of Joan of Arc. The cast also includes Anne Reid, Maggie Steed, Kevin Eldon and Jim Broadbent. 
Written and directed by Patrick Barlow, an actor, comedian and playwright. He is one half (along with Jim Broadbent) of the British comedy double act, The National Theatre of Brent.

Joan of Arc, and How She Became a Saint

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama

Daniel Defoe

Philip Palmer

Three lively retellings of Daniel Defoe’s classic novels, plus two bonus programmes about his extraordinary life and far-reaching influence. 
 
Robinson Crusoe and his Farther Adventures 
An imaginative blend of the famous castaway tale and its lesser-known sequel, this thrilling drama sees Crusoe setting sail for the far north. Facing danger in the Siberian wastes, he keeps terror at bay by telling his companions campfire tales of his many adventures on his beloved island. Starring Tim McInnerney as Crusoe. 
 
Moll Flanders 
When Daniel Defoe meets Elizabeth Atkins in Newgate jail, she recounts her stranger-than-fiction story of a rags-to-riches life that took her from prostitution to prosperity – but culminated in destitution. Inspired, Defoe mixes fact and fiction to re-invent her as one of his most engaging characters: Moll Flanders. Starring Ben Miles as Defoe and Jessica Hynes as Elizabeth Atkins. 
 
A Journal of the Plague Year 
Writing a fictional journal of the Great Plague of 1665, Defoe soon comes to be haunted by the characters he is conjuring. Starring Ben Miles as Defoe. 
 
This exciting new collection of reinvented tales will also include two bonus programmes about Daniel Defoe himself: 
 
Defoe: Merchant, Writer, Convict, Spy by Philip Palmer - A biographical drama about Defoe’s life, starring Ben Miles as Defoe and Niamh Cusack as his wife Mary. 
 
Defoe: The Facts and Fictions - A documentary by Mark Lawson, exploring the far-reaching influence of the pioneering author.

The Daniel Defoe BBC Radio Drama Collection

Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders & A Journal of the Plague Year

Paul Scott

An epic full-cast dramatisation of Paul Scott’s classic series of novels charting the last days ofthe British Raj. 
 
Spanning the years from 1942 to 1947, this landmark saga explores the relationships between an array of soldiers and civilians stationedin India, as the sun sets on British colonial rule. 
 
As The Jewel in the Crown opens, World War II is at its height and Gandhi is calling for the British to leave. When Daphne Manners arrives in Mayapore, she meets two men who will change her life: Hari Kumar and Ronald Merrick. She begins to fall for Hari, but Ronald Merrick - the local police superintendent – becomes infatuated with her and seethes with hatred for Hari. 
 
The Day of the Scorpion finds Merrick worming his way into the Layton family, and his treatment of Hari Kumar is revealed. In The Towers of Silence, it is summer 1945, and as the war ends Mabel Layton’s companion Barbie Batchelor is forced to leave her home in Pankot. In A Division of the Spoils, Sergeant Guy Perron arrives to witness India’s independence, while the Laytons plan for their future – but the division of the country will spark tragic consequences for many. 
 
The extensive, star-studded cast includes Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House, Motherland), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster), Geraldine James (who also starred in the film of The Jewel in the Crown), Mark Bazeley (Broadchurch), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Kulvinder Ghir (Goodness Gracious Me) and Nina Wadia (Eastenders). 
 
Dramtised by John Harvey (The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence) and Shelley Silas (A Division of the Spoils). 
Produced and directed by Sally Avens (The Jewel in the Crown, A Division of the Spoils) and Jeremy Mortimer (The Day of theScorpion, The Towers of Silence). 
Music by Raiomond Mirza.

The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence & A Division of the Spoils

Shaun McKenna

Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Sarah Daniels

Richard Monks

Lucy Catherine

Series 1-5 of the groundbreaking BBC Radio 4 drama charting life on the home front during World War One 
 
First heard on radio between 4 August 2014 and 9 November 2018, each episode of Home Front is set exactly one hundred years before the broadcast date, and each follows one character’s day. Together they create a mosaic of experience from a wide cross-section of society, mixing historical fact with enthralling fiction to explore how ordinary people coped with daily life in wartime Britain. 
 
The story begins in Folkestone, as the first troops march off to the front lines. Soon, families such as the Grahams and the Wilsons begins to feel the impact of war, as the wounded return and first Belgian refugees, then Canadian troops, arrive in the seaside resort. In addition, the White Feather and suffragette movements grow in popularity, and a tide of grief increasingly leads people to thoughts of the hereafter. 
 
Industrial Tynemouth, meanwhile, is experiencing a quite different war. The factories and shipyards are at peak production, and more women are joining the workforce. At the munitions factory, owner Geoffrey Marshall and his family must adapt to the changing times – as must workers like Fraser and Edie Chadwick. 
 
Tackling themes including the outbreak of war, recruitment, industry, profiteering and spiritualism are some of radio’s foremost dramatists including Katie Hims, Sebastian Baczkiewicz and Shaun McKenna. Among the extensive cast are Michael Bertenshaw, Keely Beresford, Freddie Fox, Ami Metcalf, Edmund Wiseman, Barbara Flynn, Mark Stobbart and Toby Jones, with Dame Harriet Walter making a cameo appearance as Emmeline Pankhurst.

Home Front: The Complete BBC Radio Collection Volume 1

Series 6-10 of the epic BBC Radio 4 drama charting life on the home front during the First World War – plus special episode Home Front: A Lightening 
 
First heard on radio between 4 August 2014 and 9 November 2018, each episode of Home Front is set exactly one hundred years before the broadcast date, and each follows one character’s day. Together they create a mosaic of experience from a wide cross-section of society, mixing historical fact with enthralling fiction to explore how ordinary people coped with daily life in wartime Britain. 
 
We resume the story in Folkestone, where hospital staff face pressure to return wounded men to duty as conscription is introduced. Zeppelin bombs leave residents jumpy, and ‘spy fever’ is at a pitch as the Secret Service comes to town. Food shortages begin to bite – and the town is rocked by Britain’s first ever air raid, causing the greatest number of civilian casualties of the war to date. 
 
We also meet the residents of Ashburton, Devon, where the future of Isaac Cox's family hangs in the balance as old feuds are reignited at Halecot Farm. 
 
In Tynemouth, paranoia is rife and emotions run high for those at Marshall’s factory. The repercussions of a devastating explosion ripple through people's lives, but they face the future with fortitude, taking small but courageous steps forward. 
 
Tackling themes including nursing and casualties, conscription and objection, espionage and propaganda, xenophobia and suspicion and the church and class are some of radio’s foremost dramatists including Richard Monks, Mike Walker and Sarah Daniels. Among the extensive cast are Martine McCutcheon, Anton Lesser, Maggie Steed and Gunnar Cauthery. Also included is Home Front: A Lightening, a special 45-minute episode marking the centenary of Britain’s first Gotha Air Raid, which devastated Folkestone on 25 May 1917.

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