Adam Henson presents Countryfile, often from his 650-hectare farm in the Cotswolds. Having studied Agriculture at college, Adam took over Bemborough Farm from his father, Joe. The farm now grows wheat, spring barley and oilseed rape, runs a flock of 400 commercial ewes and has the UK's leading collection of rare breeds, many of which are in demand for film sets and advertisements. Cotswold Farm Park (www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk) offers a total countryside experience for all the family, welcoming more than 100,000 visitors each year. 
 
Adam presented Lambing Live with Kate Humble, writes for Countryfile magazine and has appeared on Radio 4's On Your Farm and Farming Today. He is the author of three previous books, Adam’s Farm: My Life on the Land, the Sunday Times bestseller, Like Farmer, Like Son and A Farmer and His Dog.

Adam Henson

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 Higginbotham writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, GQ, Businessweek, Smithsonian, Men’s Journal, and The Atavist. He began his career in magazines and newspapers in London, where he was the editor-­in-chief of The Face and a contributing editor at The Sunday Telegraph. The author of Midnight in Chernobyl, he lives in New York City.

Adam Higginbotham

Adam Hills is an internationally recognised comedian and host of award-winning Channel 4 show The Last Leg. His collection of stories from a life in comedy, Best Foot Forward, was a Times bestseller.

Adam Hills

Adam Howling

Adam J. Kurtz

Adam Jacot de Boinod

ADAM JOHNSON won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2013 for his second novel, the New York Times bestseller The Orphan Master’s Son (‘Excavates the very meaning of life’ New York Times). His short story 'Nirvana' won the prestigious Sunday Times/EFG Short Story Award. He is the author of acclaimed story collections, Fortune Smiles and Emporium and the novel Parasites Like Us. He teaches creative writing at Stanford University and lives with his family in San Francisco.

Adam Johnson

Adam Kay is a former doctor who has written five million books and sold seven copies. No, hang on – he’s written seven books and sold five million copies. His debut book, This is Going to Hurt, is a literary sensation: a Sunday Times number one bestseller for over a year, winning a record-breaking four National Book Awards and selling over 3 million copies. Kay adapted This is Going to Hurt as a BAFTA-winning comedy-drama series for the BBC. Adam Kay’s children’s books have been translated into 32 languages and sold over 1 million copies, making him one of the UK’s bestselling children’s authors. Kay’s Anatomy became the fastest-selling children’s general non-fiction hardback of the decade. His first picture book, Amy Gets Eaten, was published in 2023, and his first children’s novel, Dexter Procter the Ten-Year-Old Doctor, was published in September 2024.

Adam Kay

Adam studied illustration and animation, and received a BA followed by an MA from the Edinburgh College of Art. As a student he won a competition to create a short film for MOMI and Channel 4, and once his career producing animated commercials was under way, he became an illustrator as well. He has regular columns in the UK and the US.

Adam Larkum

Adam Lashinsky

Adam Macqueen

Adam Mars-Jones

Adam O'Riordan was born in Manchester in 1982, where he currently lives. In 2008 he became the youngest Poet-in-Residence at The Wordsworth Trust, the Centre for British Romanticism. His first collection In the Flesh (2010) win a Somerset Maugham Award. He is the Academic Director of the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Adam O'Riordan

Adam Phillips, formerly Principal Child Psychotherapist at Charing Cross Hospital, London, is a practising psychoanalyst and a visiting professor in the English department at the University of York. He is the author of numerous works of psychoanalysis and literary criticism, including most recently On Giving Up, On Wanting to Change, Attention Seeking, In Writing, Unforbidden Pleasures and Missing Out. He is General Editor of the Penguin Modern Classics Freud translations, and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature.

Adam Phillips

Adam Rackley

Adam Richardson is the UK's top trending health and fitness coach with a rapidly growing audience across both TikTok and Instagram. Adam is passionate about removing barriers to exercise and movement, a philosophy that is key to his work as a Personal Trainer in which he strives to help his clients feel more confident, as well as more fit and healthy.

Adam Richardson

Adam Roberts is the author of The Amateur Gourmet and Secrets of the Best Chefs, and coauthor of Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway. He started his food blog, The Amateur Gourmet, in 2004 and currently writes The Amateur Gourmet Newsletter on Substack. Roberts has also written for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, and for film and television. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband and their dog, Winston. Food Person is his first novel.

Adam Roberts

Adam Roberts is acknowledged as the senior scholar of international relations in the UK. He was Montague Burton Professor of International Relations at Oxford University 1986-2007, and President of the British Academy 2009-13 - the head of humanities in Britain. He was on the Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London (2002-08), a member of the UK Defence Academy Advisory Board (2003-15) and is now on the Board of Advisers of the Lieber Institute for Law and Land Warfare at the United States Military Academy, West Point.

Adam Robinson is based in the Middle East and is a regular contributor to newspapers in the Arab world and also to the British media. He is the author of numerous books on the region, including Bin Laden: Behind the Mask of the Terrorist.

Adam Robinson

Adam Ross

Adam Rutherford is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and geneticist at University College London. His books include A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, The Book of Humans, and the Sunday Times bestseller How to Argue with a Racist. He has written and presented numerous documentaries for BBC radio and television, including Inside Science and The Cell. Adam has also worked as a science advisor on many films, including the Oscar-winning Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018).

Adam Rutherford

Adam Smith

Adam Smyth runs the 39 Step Press, an experiment in printing, from a cold barn in Oxfordshire. He is also Professor of English Literature and the History of the Book at Balliol College, University of Oxford.

Adam Smyth

Adam Sweeting

Adam Tandy

Adam Thirlwell was born in London in 1978. The author of three previous novels, his work has been translated into thirty languages. His essays appear in the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books, and he is an advisory editor of the Paris Review. His awards include a Somerset Maugham Award and the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; in 2018 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He has twice been selected by Granta as one of their Best of Young British Novelists.

Adam Thirlwell

Adam Thorpe was born in Paris in 1956. His first novel, Ulverton, appeared in 1992 and he has published two books of stories and ten further novels, most recently Missing Fay (2017), and six poetry collections. 
 
 
www.adamthorpe.net

Adam Thorpe

Adam Tooze is the author of the highly praised Crashed, The Deluge and The Wages of Destruction, all published by Allen Lane. He has been the recipient of the Wolfson Prize for History, the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Prize and the Lionel Gelber Prize. Tooze has taught at Cambridge and Yale and is now Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of History at Columbia University.

Adam Tooze

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D.H. Lawrence

Two bold, authentic dramas exploring D.H. Lawrence's extraordinarily modern view of sexuality 
 
Daring, transgressive and controversial, D.H. Lawrence scandalized the literary world with his frank descriptions of sex and desire. He was censored by his own publisher for being too explicit, and several of his most famous works were banned under the Obscene Publications Act. But for Lawrence, a self-described 'priest of love', passion was the stuff of life - and these two dynamic reimaginings celebrate him at his most fearless, pushing the boundaries of sexuality at the dawn of the 20th Century. 
 
The Rainbow is seen through the eyes of Ursula Brangwen, and spans three generations of her family from 1840 to 1905. Unsatisfied with the limited choices open to women, Ursula delves into the histories of her mother, Anna, and grandmother Lydia, in an attempt to find a path to follow as she grapples with the forces of passion and desire. From her first crush to an illicit same-sex love affair, we follow Ursula on her journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery. 
 
In Women in Love, Ursula's younger sister, Gudrun, comes into equal focus, as she and Ursula search for happiness and fulfilment in the Midlands mining town of Beldover. Gudrun, an artist, embarks on an affair with coalmine owner Gerald Crich; while schoolteacher Ursula falls in love with his friend, school inspector Rupert Birkin. But while Ursula and Rupert grow closer, Gudrun and Gerald's relationship is threatened by Gerald's inability to express his emotions - and his tangled feelings for Rupert... 
 
Cassie Bradley stars as Ursula and Katie Redford as Gudrun in these stunning linked dramas about the complexity of human love. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by D.H. Lawrence 
 
The Rainbow 
Ursula - Cassie Bradley 
Tom - Karl Collins 
Lydia - Aneta Piotrowska 
Young Ursula - Florence Hunt 
Anna - Rosalie Craig 
Young Anna - Lauren Tanner 
Will - Lee Ingleby 
Anton - Nico Mirallegro 
Winifred - Tala Gouveia 
Harby - Graeme Hawley 
 
Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths 
Directed by Nadia Molinari 
A BBC Audio Drama North Production 
With thanks to the Estate of Frieda Lawrence Ravagli 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20-27 June 2021 
 
Women in Love 
Ursula - Cassie Bradley 
Gudrun - Katie Redford 
Rupert - Alexander Arnold 
Gerald - James Cooney 
Hermione - Emily Pithon 
Diana/Pussum - Verity Henry 
Julius - Rupert Hill 
Hermione - Emily Pithon 
Loerke - Ashley Margolis 
 
Dramatised by Ian Kershaw 
Directed by Gary Brown 
A BBC Audio Drama North Production 
With thanks to the Estate of Frieda Lawrence Ravagli 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4,4-11 July 2021 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Tainted Love

A full-cast reimagining of The Rainbow & Women in Love

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

Danny Robins

Dan Tetsall

All three series of the literary spoof series 
 
Paperback Hell takes a wry look at well-known genres riding high in the publishing charts, and mercilessly lampoons them to hilarious effect. Featuring choice chapters culled from titles that bear a striking resemblance to something you've read before, it's the book show that seems determined to destroy the good name of literature. 
 
These 16 episodes showcase a selection of inexplicably popular bestsellers by imaginary authors, including Romany Cleff's debut chick-lit novel Shopping for Mr Wrong; Edith Plunger's medieval monastic murder mystery A Posset Full of Death; radical filmaker Chuck Morris's account of his trip to the Hay and Wye literary festival, You Suck Bush; and Jack "Sunglasses" Ramsey's not-entirely-true memoir of life in the 1960s criminal underworld, Stop the Dodgems, I Want to Throw Up. 
 
Plus, the Napoleonic Wars invade the airwaves as suspiciously fictional author Alexander Cromwell narrates his military adventure, Thrust's Eagle; celebrity lifestyle gurus Gilly Haberdasher and Dr Graham Golden share excerpts from their tie-in book to the hit TV programme, How Not To Live; and there's a chance to experience a young woman's erotic awakening as 'Anonymous' reads from a specially adapted version of Forbidden Fire (which contains sex scenes that some listeners may find strangely disappointing). 
 
Written by Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell (The Museum of Everything, Young Dracula), this witty, entertaining send-up stars Michael Fenton Stevens, Rebecca Front, Mel Hudson, Alex Lowe and Dan Tetsell. 
 
Production credits 
 
 
Ghostwritten by Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell 
Produced by Lucy Armitage 
Original music by Ben Walker 
 
Starring Michael Fenton Stevens, Rebecca Front, Mel Hudson, Alex Lowe and Dan Tetsell 
With Michael Brandon (Series 3, Episodes 1 and 2) 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 16 January-6 February 2003 (Series 1), 7 July-11 August 2004 (Series 2), 5 October-9 November 2005 (Series 3) 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Paperback Hell: Series 1-3

A BBC Radio Spoof comedy

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

Oscar Wilde

Arthur Conan Doyle

Virginia Woolf

A treasure chest of timeless short stories by some of the world's greatest authors 
 
Suspense and horror 
1 The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire - Arthur Conan Doyle 
2 The Signalman - Charles Dickens 
3 Lost Hearts - MR James 
4 The Sealed Room - Arthur Conan Doyle. 
5 Mrs Badgery - Wilkie Collins 
6 Wailing Well - MR James 
7 The Open Window - Saki 
8 How it happened - Arthur Conan Doyle 
9 The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe 
10 The Cone - HG Wells 
11 A Haunted House - Virginia Woolf 
12 Rats - MR James 
13 The Oval Portrait - Edgar Allan Poe 
14 Tarquin of Cheapside - F. Scott Fitzgerald 
15 One Crowded Hour - Arthur Conan Doyle 
16 The Mezzotint - MR James 
17 The Masque of the Red Death - Edgar Allan Poe 
 
Love 
18 The Kiss - Kate Chopin 
19 Eleonora - Edgar Allan Poe 
20 About Love - Anton Chekhov 
21 The Lovers - Hans Christian Anderson 
22 Love - Guy De Maupassant 
23 The Sphinx Without a Secret - Oscar Wilde 
24 A Wedding Gift - Guy De Maupassant 
25 Kew Gardens - Virginia Woolf 
26 The District Doctor - Ivan Turgenev 
27 Happiness - Guy De Maupassant 
28 A Blunder - Anton Chekhov 
29 The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky - Stephen Crane 
30 In a Far-Off World - Olive Schreiner 
31 The Cook's Wedding - Anton Chekhov 
32 The Recruit - Honore de Balzac 
33 The Nightingale and the Rose - Oscar Wilde 
34 Pyramus and Thisbe - Ovid 
35 Aunt Hetty on Matrimony - Fanny Fern 
36 A Country Cottage - Anton Chekhov 
37 Marriage a la Mode - Katherine Mansfield 
38 The Statue of Limitations - Ernest Dowson 
39 The Dilettante - Edith Wharton 
 
Humorous 
40 Tobermory - Saki 
41The Mesmeric Mountain - Stephen Crane 
42 The Children's Joke - Louisa May Alcott 
43 At The Siren - Anton Chekhov 
44 The Garden Party - Katherine Mansfield 
45 The Cask of Amontillado - Edgar Allan Poe 
46 The New Dress - Virginia Woolf 
47 How I Built Myself A House - Thomas Hardy 
48 The Model Millionaire - Oscar Wilde 
49 A Pair of Silk Stockings - Kate Chopin 
50 At The Barbers - Anton Chekhov 
51 A Respectable Woman - Kate Chopin 
 
Folk &amp; Fable 
52 The Happy Prince - Oscar Wilde. 
53 The Elves and the Shoemaker - The Brothers Grimm 
54 The Emperor's New Clothes -Hans Christian Andersen 
55 The Tongue Cut Sparrow - Yei Theodora Ozaki 
56 Finn and the Scottish Giant - Harold F. Read 
57 The Postmaster - Rabindranath Tagore 
58 The Toys of Peace - Saki 
59 The Selfish Giant - Oscar Wilde 
60 The Flower Gatherer - Edward Thomas 
61 Araby - James Joyce 
62 The Interlopers - Saki 
63 Tom Thumb - The Brothers Grimm 
64 The Kabuliwalah - Rabindranath Tagore 
65 The Monkey's Paws - WW Jacobs 
 
Christmas 
66 The Little Match Girl - Hans Christian Andersen 
67 Papa Panov's Special Christmas - Leo Tolstoy 
68 Christmas Storms and Sunshine - Elizabeth Gaskell. 
69 The Gift of the Magi - O'Henry 
70 At Christmas Time - Anton Chekhov 
71 A Dill Pickle - Katherine Mansfield 
 
Classic Tales 
72 The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman 
73 The Fall of Lord Barrymore - Arthur Conan Doyle 
74 The Necklace - Guy De Maupassant 
75 Holiday Group - EM Delafield 
76 Three Questions - Leo Tolstoy 
77 The Cop and the Anthem - O'Henry 
78 The Fly - Katherine Mansfield 
79 The Christening - DH Lawrence 
80 After the Race - James Joyce 
81 The String Quartet - Virginia Woolf 
82 Two Friends - Guy De Maupassant 
83 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge - Ambrose Bierce. 
84 A Gentleman Friend - Anthon Chekhov 
85 Ma'ame Pelagie - Kate Chopin 
86 Second Best - DH Lawrence 
87 El Verdugo - Honore de Balzac 
88 The Story of an Hour - Kate Chopin 
89 The Man of No Account - Bret Hart 
90 The Piece of String - Guy De Maupassant 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

BBC Classics: Ultimate Story Collection

90 unmissable tales

Jeremy Front

"Jack &amp; Millie" is the brainchild of Jeremy Front who, with his sister Rebecca Front had been improvising these two characters for years - and now they've been brought to life in a new show... 
 
The second series of this new comedy show is written by Jeremy Front (writer of the Charles Paris mysteries for Radio 4) and stars Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front as Jack &amp; Millie Lemman - an older couple who are fully engaged with contemporary life whilst being at war with the absurdities of the modern world... 
 
The show also features Millie's frenemy Shirley - played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, Jack's all-too-easygoing friend Harry (Nigel Lindsay), their high-pressure son Melvin (Harry Peacock) and their high-maintenance (and Catholic) (and French) daughter-in-law Delphine (Jenny Bede - most recently heard in Tom Neenan's "The Hauntening" and an episode of "John Finnemore's Double Acts" alongside Mathew Baynton). 
 
In the first episode, Jack &amp; Millie are back and ready to deal with Harry's bongos, Delphine's chicken, Shirley's bombshell and a cleaner with flashbacks, while in episode 2, Jack meets an unwanted old friend, Melvin gets hot under the collar, Delphine makes a French joke and Shirley and Millie get an unexpected buzz... 
 
In episode 3, Jack &amp; Millie's TV binge comes to an abrupt end when they have to face a mindfulness pillow, a Tudor sallet and some hot yoga and in episode 4, Millie feels like a natural woman while Jack feels like a man grappling with a keyboard, a saucepan and some shonky decking... 
 
The show comes from Pozzitive, proud producers of Cabin Pressure, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Agendum, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, The Brig Society, The Castle, Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Shush! &amp; Kevin Eldon Will See You Now...

Jack & Millie: Series 2

The BBC Radio 4 Comedy

Emily Brontë

George Eliot

Edith Wharton

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

Jim Eldridge

Karl Howman stars in Jim Eldridge's sitcom about a likeable ex-convict trying to turn over a new leaf 
 
Released from prison early, chirpy Cockney conman Terry King is given a chance to find his feet again. His challenge is to breathe new life into a run-down community centre - with the support of Sandra Gaines, a social worker with a warm heart but an unhappy past. If he succeeds, he'll prove that rehabilitation is possible. But if he fails, he'll be sent back to jail... 
 
Situated in the middle of a rough council estate, Grove Hill Farm needs a lot of work. The windows are broken, the plumbing's out of action and part of the centre was burned down during a riot. But it's not just the buildings that could use some TLC - the community's pride needs restoring too. Can Terry get the locals to come together and make the centre a neighbourhood hub again? He's got big plans - concerts, dances, bingo - but first he must raise the funds, and win over the residents... 
 
As he uses his charm and his con artist skills to start turning the place around, he finds himself growing closer to Sandra, and love slowly blossoms between the two of them. But will Terry be able to stay out of trouble - and out of prison? And as the end of his sentence approaches, will he and Sandra finally get together? 
 
Created by Jim Eldridge, whose numerous radio credits include King Street Junior and Albert &amp; Me, this feel-good comedy drama stars Karl Howman (Brush Strokes, EastEnders) as Terry and Phyllis Logan (Lovejoy, Downton Abbey) as Sandra. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Jim Eldridge 
Directed by Marilyn Imrie and David Hitchinson 
Music: Jacqueline Dankworth and Harvey Brough 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 January-2 March 1999 (Series 1), 26 July-30 August 2000 (Series 2), 12 October-16 November 2001 (Series 3) 
 
Cast 
Terry King - Karl Howman 
Sandra Gaines - Phyllis Logan 
Steve Addison - Ben Crowe 
Mr Wade/Harry Howard/Bert Higgs/Mr Addison - Geoffrey Whitehead 
Mr Preston - David Holt 
George - Chris Pavlo 
Whizzer/Sam Stone/Police officer/Don Gaines - Giles Fagan 
Hobb/Ed Bayliss - Harry Myers 
Ellie Higgs - Priyanga Elan 
Woman on the estate - Frances Jeater 
Supt. Anne Robinson - Rachel Atkins 
Gail Gaines - Victoria O'Donnell/Jennifer Wheelan 
Mrs Watson - Ann Beach 
Mrs Barnes - Jillie Meers 
Mick/Mr Evans - Gavin Muir 
Keith/Jerry - David Thorpe 
Annie - Alison Pettitt 
Mavis - Tilly Vosburgh 
Warren/Scaggs - Clinton Mullings-Dodson 
Mrs Wilson - Maggie McCarthy 
Ernie/Mr Marsden - Roger Walker 
Miss Graham/Mrs Baxter - Richenda Carey 
Marlene - Hetty Baynes 
Andrew - Tom George 
Pianist at concert - Peter Ringrose 
Mrs McKendrick - Sandra Voe 
Drunk man/Barman - Ewan Bailey 
Netball player - Helen Longworth 
Girl at club - Sarah Paul 
Matt - Ray Lonnen 
David - Sean Baker 
Wendy Wilson - Clare Corbett 
Matthew - George Allonby 
Mary - Elaine Claxton 
Mrs Barnes/Pauline - Carolyn Pickles 
Wally - Carl Prekopp 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Coming Alive: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy drama

Jan Etherington

The complete second series of the BBC radio comedy drama about a couple who have been married 'for ever', but are keeping the passion alive 
 
'Sublimely funny, touching series... a work of supreme craftsmanship' Radio Times 
 
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return as the married couple who met in the Summer of Love and are still passionate about music, life - and each other. 
 
Once again, we listen in on their warm, witty 'conversations', which dance around topics big and small: from health scares and jealousy to disagreements about TV viewing and sourdough bread. There's laughter, bickering, banter - and some loving one-upmanship from both parties, as Roger gives Joanna a masterclass in dishwasher stacking, while Joanna instructs him on how to wave goodbye to departing guests. 
 
Approaching the end of a particularly turbulent year, Joanna makes a list of New Year's Resolutions - for Roger - and suggests their marriage needs a re-boot. 'Out the door?' is his response: but there's plenty of life left in this long, loving relationship, and many more discussions, questions and confessions yet to come... 
 
Created by award-winning writer and journalist Jan Etherington, and based on her own long marriage to Gavin Petrie (with whom she wrote the hit radio and TV series Second Thoughts and Faith in the Future), this sparkling comedy two-hander will resonate with anyone who's ever been in a couple. 
 
 
Starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam 
Produced and directed by Claire Jones 
A BBC Studios production 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Conversations from a Long Marriage: Series 2

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

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

In this BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of one of Jane Austen's most beloved works, Catherine Morland's overactive imagination makes her life more complicated than she would have wished... 
 
Catherine is obsessed with Gothic novels, often getting swept up by her taste for the dramatic and tragic. Did Mrs Tilney really die nine years previously, or has she been murdered or imprisoned in her chambers this whole time? 
 
Meanwhile she is torn between two suitors, the handsome and clever Henry Tilney and the arrogant John Thorpe.... 
 
Published over 200 years ago, Northanger Abbey remains one of the British nation's favourite novels. Among the star cast in this radio production are Amanda Root, David Harewood, Julia McKenzie, and Jenny Agutter. 
 
This title is part of the BBC's Jane Austen collection. 
© 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Northanger Abbey

In this BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of Jane Austen's last fully completed novel, Anne Elliot gets a second chance at love... 
 
Anne was persuaded out of an engagement with the not-yet wealthy Captain Wentworth. The Elliot family are now close to financial ruin and are forced to rent out their family home, while Captain Wentworth has returned after making his fortune at sea. How the tables have turned... 
 
Published over 200 years ago, Persuasion remains one of the British nation's favourite novels. Among the star cast in this radio production are Juliet Stevenson, Tim Brierley, Sorcha Cusack, and Roger Hume. 
 
This title is part of the BBC's Jane Austen collection. 
 
© 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Persuasion

In this BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of one of Jane Austen's most beloved works, the devoted Dashwood sisters are forced by tragic circumstances to set about the delicate task of finding suitable husbands... 
 
John Willoughby quickly and seemingly irreversibly captures Marianne's heart. Her sister Elinor finds few suitors, and even fewer reasons to open up in a society fuelled by social status... 
 
Published over 200 years ago, Sense and Sensibility remains one of the British nation's favourite novels. Among the star cast in this radio production are Amanda Hale, Olivia Hallinan, Deborah McAndrew, and Blake Ritson. 
 
This title is part of the BBC's Jane Austen collection. 
 
© 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Sense and Sensibility

Vince Powell

All three series of the BBC radio comedy about the turbulent relationship of an odd couple 
 
Dithering undertaker's assistant Bernard Pringle has finally got engaged to his sweetheart, Iris Bickerdyke - but Iris still has to persuade her fiancé to buy her a ring. And goodness knows when he'll manage to get her down the aisle... 
 
The course of their true love runs rather less than smooth in these 20 episodes, as a trip to the cinema turns into an off-screen disaster, Iris faces competition in the shape of new office secretary Crystabelle, and Bernard is all at sea after he's asked to scatter a client's ashes. There are problems with their parents too, as Iris's mum Daisy is conned out of her inheritance and Bernard's dad Wilf is caught with his guard - and his trousers - down. But as father and son stride to the crease in the annual cricket match, Bernard finds himself just 22 yards from glory - can he save the day? 
 
Written by Vince Powell, who scripted a string of successful TV sitcoms including For the Love of Ada, Bless This House and Here's Harry for Harry Worth, this warm-hearted comedy stars Gorden Kaye ('Allo 'Allo!) as Bernard and Su Pollard (Hi-de-Hi!) as Iris. 
 
Written by Vince Powell 
Produced by Mike Craig 
 
Cast 
Iris - Su Pollard 
Bernard - Gorden Kaye 
Wilf - David Ross 
Daisy - Paula Tilbrook/Marlene Sidaway 
Mr Foley/Police Sergeant - Peter Wheeler 
Mr Matthews - John Jardine 
Miss Parker/Myrtle/Doreen/Crystabelle - Julie Higginson 
Tommy/Mr Cameron - Roger John-Lee 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 11 February-1 April 1993 (Series 1), 3 December 1994-12 January 1995 (Series 2), 18 January-22 February 1996 (Series 3)

For Better Or For Worse: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio comedy drama

Gustave Flaubert

John Hurt stars in this BBC radio dramatisation of Gustave Flaubert’s infamous tale of adultery and tragedy 
 
Beautiful Emma meets and marries Doctor Charles Bovary. He's happy for the first time in his life – but Emma is distraught that her marriage lacks the passion and romance of her fantasies. 
 
Dazzled by the splendour of a Marquis’ ball, she longs for excitement and soon becomes infatuated with a young solicitor, Léon Dupuis. But when Dupuis moves away, her memories of him lead her to despair – and into the arms of wealthy landowner, Rodolphe Boulanger. 
 
As she moves from one illicit liaison to another, Emma’s complicated life begins to unravel. Exhausted from her debts and her affairs, she feels she is left with only one course of action… 
 
A French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness, Flaubert’s notorious novel features Sarah Smart as Emma Bovary, Conrad Nelson as Charles, Jude Akuwudike as Rodolphe and James D’Arcy as Léon. 
 
Cast and credits 
Narrator – John Hurt 
Charles – Conrad Nelson 
Emma – Sarah Smart 
Madame Bovary Snr – Brigit Forsyth 
Monsieur Rouault/Maître Guillaumin – Russell Dixon 
Viscomte/Dr Lariviere – Martin Reeve 
Nastasie/Mère Rollet – Julie McCabe 
Madame Lefrancois – Siobahn Finneran 
Monsieur Homais/Priest – David Fleeshman 
Léon Dupuis – James D’Arcy 
Monsieur Lheureux – Seamus O’Neill 
Félicité – Sarah Jayne Hallworth 
Rodolphe Boulanger – Jude Akuwudike 
Justin – Sam Curtis 
Berthe Bovary – Daisy Jones 
 
Written by Gustave Flaubert 
Dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon 
Pianist: Stephen Reynolds 
Produced by Pauline Harris 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4-15 September 2006

Madame Bovary

A full-cast BBC Radio dramatisation

Isy Suttie

The Sony Award-winning comedian and Peep Show star talks life and love 
 
Isy Suttie is our guide to all things love-related in these five fantastic series. Come with her as she shares her relationship stories, talks about the couples she's tried to bring together, evokes bittersweet memories of her childhood and adolescence, and shares a couple of the weird and wonderful things that give her pleasure. 
 
In her award-winning show Isy Suttie's Love Letters, she recounts love stories affecting people she's known, intertwined with anecdotes and songs about her own disastrous romantic life and eventual happiness. 
 
Isy Suttie's Guide to Love and Romance sees her chatting to friends and partner Elis James, and sourcing extracts from The Listening Project, to paint a picture of love in the 21st Century - from first loves and Valentines to hook-ups and break-ups. 
 
And in Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family, she returns to her teenage home town, Matlock, for a celebration of family life and growing up. Along the way, she reminisces with old friends in The Shoe Box of Memories, and treats us to some classic BBC comedy from Sarah Millican's Support Group, After Henry, Old Dog and Partridge and Not in Front of the Children. 
 
Ever since she was little, Isy has experienced something she calls 'head squeezing' - a euphoric, incredibly relaxing version of goosebumps that starts around her scalp and spreads down her arms. Its official name is ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), and in Brain Tingles, she investigates this mysterious phenomenon, chatting to scientists and fellow 'ASMRians' to explore why it happens and whether it can play a role in creativity. 
 
Finally, in While My Guitar Gently Bleeps, Isy takes a nostalgic look at chiptune: the catchy, evocative videogame music of the 1980s and '90s that she loved as a geeky kid. She meets the musicians using joysticks and old computers to create unique electronic tunes - and even tries her hand at writing her own digital classic... 
 
 
Isy Suttie's Love Letters 
Written and performed by Isy Suttie 
Pilot ('Pearl and Dave') first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 January 2012 
Produced by John Pocock 
Series 1 first broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 1-22 April 2013 
Produced by Lianne Coop 
Series 2 first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 April-21 May 2014 
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner 
 
Isy Suttie's Guide to Love and Romance 
Written and performed by Isy Suttie 
Produced by Stephen Garner 
Featuring 'Valentine's Day' by John Osborne (2013) and extracts from The Listening Project 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 10 February 2018 
 
Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family 
Written and performed by Isy Suttie 
Produced by Stephen Garner 
Featuring The Shoebox of Memories and episodes from Sarah Millican's Support Group, After Henry, Old Dog and Partridge and Not in Front of the Children 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 Extra, 5 December 2015 
 
Brain Tingles 
Presented by Isy Suttie 
Produced by Nicola Swords 
With Joe Lycett, Rhodri Marsden, Zoe Fothergill, Charlotte Luke, Claire Tolan, Dr Nick Davis, Dr Tom Hostler, Dr Giulia Poerio, Theresa Veltri 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 December 2015 
 
While My Guitar Gently Bleeps 
Presented by Isy Suttie 
Produced by Benn Cordrey 
With Aoife Wilson, Steve McNeil, Andrew Schartmann, Graeme Booth, Rob Hubbard, Ben Daglish, Joe Bleeps, Jesper Holm and Søren Trautner Madsen from the band Press Play On Tape, and performers and customers at Manchester's SuperByte Festival 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7 June 2016

Isy Suttie’s Love Letters & Other Matters of the Heart

The complete series 1 and 2 of the award-winning BBC Radio comedy

The first six episodes of the BBC radio comedy drama about a couple who have been married for over 40 years but are still passionate about life, love and each other 
 
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam play a married couple who met in the Summer of Love and have stayed together ever since. Children of the Sixties, they are still free spirits, drawn together by their love for music and one another. 
We follow their conversations from the café to the kitchen table, taking in everyday chores, dealing with problems with long-held friendships and tackling their frustrations with each other. With warmth, wit and honesty, they talk about the indignities of ageing (he has a dodgy knee and is on statins, she resents her new, tri-focal glasses), their desire to still be seen as attractive and their fears and vulnerabilities around growing older. 
 
There's jealousy and talk of affairs, confessions are made and long-held secrets are unearthed - but underlying it all is their enduring love for each other and their desire to keep the passion alive. 
 
Written by award-winning comedy writer and journalist Jan Etherington, and based on her own 35-year marriage, this gentle comedy will ring a bell with couples of all ages. 
 
Starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam 
Produced by Claire Jones 
A BBC Studios Production 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Conversations from a Long Marriage

John Ford

A visceral, revamped BBC radio production of John Ford's classic play about a doomed love between a brother and sister 
 
With its shocking portrayal of incest, intrigue and murder, this powerful Jacobean revenge drama scandalised audiences when it was first performed in the 1620s, and is still controversial today. 
 
When siblings Giovanni and Annabella embark on a passionate affair, Annabella falls pregnant with her brother's child. Knowing she must marry to protect her honour, she chooses one of the many suitors clamouring for her hand - but when her secret is revealed, the lovers are caught up in a bloody chain of events that culminate in a poisoning, a blinding, a stabbing and a brutal massacre... 
 
Reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, but darker and more twisted, John Ford's 17th-century tale of sex and death is restyled for radio in Pauline Harris's compassionate, disturbing adaptation. Intercut with the music of Jimi Hendrix and Nick Cave, it also features an original song, 'In Deep', composed by Jules Maxwell and sung by Jessie Buckley, Indira Varma, and Abby Andrews. The play is introduced by Professor Emma Smith from Hertford College, Oxford. 
 
 
 
Cast 
Annabella - Jessie Buckley 
Giovanni - Damien Molony 
Signor Florio - Niall Buggy 
Putana - Fenella Woolgar 
Friar Bonaventura - Oliver Cotton 
Lord Soranzo - Matthew Pidgeon 
Vasques - Enzo Cilenti 
Hippolita - Indira Varma 
Grimaldi - Gary Duncan 
Cardinal - Neil McCaul 
Officer - Adam Fitzgerald 
Dorando - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong 
 
Adapted and directed by Pauline Harris 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 7 January 2018

'Tis Pity She's a Whore

A BBC Radio full-cast production

Marcy Kahan

Stephen Mangan and Claire Skinner star in all five series of the popular BBC Radio 4 comedy drama. 
 
Bill works as an economist in a right-wing institute giving succour to bankers and businessmen. Bella is a confirmed socialist who teaches yoga and waters the plants in Canary Wharf. Years ago they shared a flat before Bill got married and moved to America. Now he's back and feeling a little off-kilter, so he decides to rekindle his friendship with Bella. 
 
Once a month they get together for lunch, where they talk about everything from politics to Proust, parenting and the perils of online dating. The only thing they never discuss is how much they love each other.... 
 
In Marcy Kahan's delightful "platonic romantic comedy", we join Bill and Bella as they meet, eat and disagree about everything; and over the course of five series, we learn their hopes and dreams and listen in as their lives change direction and come together. 
 
Cast and credits 
Bill..........................Stephen Mangan 
Bella......................Claire Skinner 
 
Written by Marcy Kahan 
Produced and directed by Sally Avens 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15-19 July 2013 (Series 1), 22-26 September 2014 (Series 2), 11-15 May 2015 (Series 3), 18-22 July 2016 (Series 4), 24-28 July 2017 (Series 5) 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Lunch: The Complete Series 1-5

The hit BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama

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

Gavin Petrie

All four series of the BBC radio comedy drama about a couple experiencing love for the second time – plus special festive episode The Fight Before Christmas 
 
Bill and Faith are both divorcees, late in love but new to each other. As they battle to forge a relationship together, they discover that the course of true love doesn’t always run smoothly. 
 
In these 31 episodes, they move in together, plan a wedding and deal with the challenges of married life – all the while trying to balance the demands of Gavin’s ex-wife, Liza, and her teenage children, Hannah and Joe. From bickering about the kids to worrying about money, trying to find time for romance and dealing with feelings of jealousy, the duo’s relationship comes under fire from all sides. Can they make love work the second time around? 
 
Inspired by the real lives of its writers, husband and wife Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie, this funny, bittersweet sitcom was adapted for ITV where it ran for five seasons and was followed by an equally successful sequel, Faith in the Future. It stars Lynda Bellingham as Faith and James Bolam as Bill. 
 
Written by Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie 
Produced by Pete Atkin (Series 1), Sioned Wiliam (Series 2) and Paul Schlesinger (Series 3 and 4 and The Fight Before Christmas) 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 3 November-22 December 1988 (Series 1), 31 October-19 December 1989 (Series 2), 9 April-28 May 1991 (Series 3), 18 June-23 July 1992 (Series 4), 25 December 1992 (The Fight Before Christmas) 
 
Cast 
Faith……………………Lynda Bellingham 
Bill……………………James Bolam 
Hilary……………………Celia Imrie/Geraldine Fitzgerald 
Liza……………………Belinda Lang 
Hannah……………………Kelda Holmes/Emma Gregory/Julia Sawalha 
Joe……………………Mark Denham 
Grace/Jill……………………Moir Leslie 
Alex……………………John Samson/Mark Straker 
Ray……………………Nicholas Courtney/Ian Lindsay 
Ted/Mr Burrows……………………Norman Bird 
Treadwell……………………Richard Tate 
Christian/Gideon/Waiter……………………Ian Targett 
Richard……………………John Moffatt/Christopher Good/Geoffrey Whitehead 
Steve……………………Guy Brougham 
Rachel……………………Rebecca Front 
Police Officer……………………Deborah Rowbottom 
Dennis……………………Brian Bowles 
Mr Roper……………………Danny Schiller 
Marjorie……………………Jo Kendall 
Registrar……………………John Baddeley 
Video Man……………………Richard Tate 
Cabbie……………………Ben Onwukwe 
Gina……………………Danielle Allen 
Kevin……………………Mark Straker/David Learner 
Karel Cerny……………………Nigel Carrington 
Clayton……………………David Learner 
Chris……………………Peter Gunn 
Louise……………………Melanie Hudson 
Course Leader/Duncan……………………Nick Murchie

Second Thoughts

Series 1-4 of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom

Jack Docherty

All three series of the BBC Radio 4 comedy about love, marriage and despair, initially broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as 'Start/Stop'. 
 
Barney and Cathy. Evan and Fiona. David and Alice. Three couples who have beaten the odds and stayed married – but is that simply because they haven’t got around to divorcing yet? They’ve certainly got enough problems to deal with – Barney and his other half have been together for ages (and it shows), Evan finds that sparks are constantly flying with Fiona (and not always in a good way), and David is afraid his sexy, much younger wife will leave him for someone (anyone) else. 
 
In these three series, we follow this group of friends throughout weekends away and tricky date nights, weddings and funerals, Christmas celebrations and counselling sessions – all of which give them plenty of opportunity for flirting, fighting, competitiveness and reprehensible behaviour. We listen in to their innermost thoughts, feelings and motivations as they break the fourth wall: stopping the action, explaining themselves to the audience, then starting it all up again... 
 
Written by award-winning comedian, actor and writer Jack Docherty, who plays Barney, this warm, smart and funny sitcom was a radio hit, and was adapted for TV as part of BBC One’s ‘Comedy Playhouse’ strand. It stars Charlie Higson as David, Jon Thomson as Evan, Kerry Godliman as Cathy, Fiona Allen as Fiona, and Katherine Parkinson, Sally Bretton and Laura Aikman as Alice. Guest stars include Jon Briggs, Sanjeev Bhaskar and John Sparkes. 
 
Cast 
Barney……………………Jack Docherty 
Cathy……………………Kerry Godliman 
Fiona……………………Fiona Allen 
David……………………Charlie Higson 
Evan……………………Jon Thomson 
Alice……………………Katherine Parkinson/Sally Bretton/Laura Aikman 
Voice of Barney’s smartphone……………………Jon Briggs 
Therapist……………………Sanjeev Bhaskar 
Cathy’s Dad……………………John Sparkes 
 
Written by Jack Docherty 
Produced by Steven Canny (Series 1) and Claire Jones (Series 2 and 3) 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 6 September-11 October 2013, (Series 1), 10 November-29 December 2014 (Series 2), 29 July-2 September 2016 (Series 3) 
This programme was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as 'Start/Stop'

It’s Not Us, It’s Them: Series 1-3

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy 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

William Makepeace Thackeray

Al Murray stars in this anarchic BBC radio reboot of Thackeray’s groundbreaking satirical novel 
 
Comedian Al Murray plays his great-great-great grandfather William Makepeace Thackeray as the unreliable narrator in this radical makeover of his ancestor’s celebrated satire on class, sex, money, hypocrisy and snobbery in nineteenth-century England. 
 
As the curtain rises on our ‘story without a hero’, moneyless Becky Sharp leaves school with her upper-class best friend Amelia Sedley. Clever, cunning and ambitious, Becky is determined to make her way in Regency society – and she’ll trample on anyone who gets in her way. 
 
When her plan to marry Amelia’s brother Jos falls through, she snares the aristocratic Rawdon Crawley – but her hopes of riches are dashed when the couple are disinherited by his wealthy aunt. Meanwhile, Amelia marries the dashing George Osborne, breaking the heart of her devoted admirer, William Dobbin. 
 
But war is fast approaching, and as Napoleon advances towards Waterloo, where will the winds of destiny blow our players? And will the ever-resourceful Becky succeed in achieving her desires? 
 
Pacey, contemporary, fresh and funny, this sparkling dramatisation features Ellie White as Becky, Helen O’Hara as Amelia, Blake Ritson as Rawdon, Rupert Hill as George, Thom Tuck as Jos and Graeme Hawley as Dobbin. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Thackeray (narrator)……………………Al Murray 
Becky Sharp……………………Ellie White 
Amelia Sedley……………………Helen O’Hara 
Rawdon Crawley……………………Blake Ritson 
Jos Sedley……………………Thom Tuck 
George Osborne……………………Rupert Hill 
Dobbin……………………Graeme Hawley 
Mrs Sedley/Mrs Bute/Aunty Crawley/Jane/Rawdon Junior……………………Emma Gregory 
Mr Sedley/Sir Pitt/Lord Steyne……………………Jonathan Keeble 
Mr Osborne/Bute/General Tufto……………………Malcolm Raeburn 
Pitt……………………Lloyd Peters 
Lady Bareacres/Miss Briggs/George Junior……………………Fiona Clarke 
 
Written by William Makepeace Thackeray 
Dramatised by Jim Poyser, with additional material by Al Murray 
A BBC Radio Drama North production 
Produced and directed by Gary Brown 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 May-9 June 2019

Vanity Fair

Sue Limb

It’s the beginning of a new school term and Izzy is dreading it... 
 
Tumbling from one love entanglement to another, 30 something teacher Izzy Comyn has a predilection for inappropriate men.Over the three hilarious series of Up the Garden Path, Izzy, played by Imelda Staunton, deals with the complicated ups and downs of her attempts to find true love. 
 
Along with Imelda Stanton as Izzy, Marty Cruickshank plays Maria, Nicholas Le Prevost is Michael and Mike Grady is Dick. 
 
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore 
Adapted by Sue Limb from her 1984 novel

Up the Garden Path: The Complete Series 1-3

The BBC Radio 4 comedy

Jack &amp; Millie is the brainchild of Jeremy Front who, with his sister Rebecca Front had been improvising these two characters for years - and now they’ve been brought to life in a new show... 
 
 
This new comedy show written by Jeremy Front (writer of the Charles Paris mysteries for Radio 4) and starring Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front as Jack &amp; Millie Lemman - an older couple who are fully engaged with contemporary life whilst being at war with the absurdities of the modern world... 
 
 
The show also features Millie’s frenemy Shirley - played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, Jack’s all-too-easygoing friend Harry (Nigel Lindsay), their high-pressure son Melvin (Harry Peacock) and their high-maintenance (and Catholic) (and French) daughter-in-law Delphine (Jenny Bede - most recently heard in an episode of “John Finnemore’s Double Acts” alongside Mathew Baynton). 
 
 
Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front ,Tracy-Ann Oberman, Nigel Lindsay, Sue Kelvin, Adam G Goodwin and Llewella Gideon star in the first episode – “Death And The Maven” -, where Film Club Leo dies suddenly, Jack &amp; Millie have to make a choice between good behaviour and cheesecake... in this new comedy starring Jeremy and Rebecca Front 
 
In Episode 2, entitled “Special Lunch” and starring Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front, Harry Peacock, Jenny Bede and Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Jack &amp; Millie have a son. And Melvin has an app. And Melvin’s wife, Delphine has a dog. And Daniel Craig has both his eyebrows. A Special Lunch turns into a Totteridge tale of decking, Bond, beef tomahawks and a married lifetime’s-worth of verbal sparring... 
 
Show 3, and Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Nigel Lindsay, Rebecca Gethings, Naz Osmanoglu and Luke Sumner star in “Deliver Us From Ebay” - Jack &amp; Millie discover the 11th Commandment - Thou shalt not try and please a son’s scary ex-girlfriend. And what’s really in the mysterious neighbour’s packages...? 
 
Episode 4 stars Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Nigel Lindsay, Harry Peacock, Jenny Bede and Lauren O' Rourke in “The Kids Are Alright” - All grandkids make mistakes. But only Jack &amp; Millie’s do it quite so loudly and on video... 
 
And in the bonus Pilot edition, “Kafka Died At 39”, a phone, a strudel &amp; Franz Kafka combine to make Jack &amp; Millie’s day rather complicated in this new comedy about an older couple getting to grips with a French daughter-in-law, gassy beer, Eye-Closing Leon and a married lifetime’s-worth of verbal sparring... 
 
 
The show comes from Pozzitive, proud producers of Cabin Pressure, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, The Brig Society, The Castle, Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive, Shush! &amp; Kevin Eldon Will See You Now...

Jack & Millie

Jason Hazeley

Joel Morris

Agendum: Series 1

The BBC Radio 4 current affair pardody

A.L. Kennedy

Love doesn't get easier when you're older but no wiser. 
 
Maggie and John had a passionate but disastrous affair in their younger days, but it didn't last. Now in their late sixties, a surprise encounter gives them another chance to take up where they left off. 
 
Will they manage to find the best in each other and finally get together? Or will old wounds and an awareness of their ageing bodies deter them? Will the treadmill created by the high-cost, high-pressure 21st century, and their endless other commitments and interruptions large and small, overwhelm them? Or will they take the final risk? 
 
This delightful comic drama stars Bill Nighy as John and Anna Calder-Marshall as Maggie. 
 
A.L. Kennedy is an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction, an academic and a stand-up comedian. 
 
Directed by Sally Avens.

Subterranean Homesick Blues: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio 4 drama

Anne Tyler

Captivating BBC radio adaptations of three of Anne Tyler’s bestselling novels 
 
Award-winning author Anne Tyler is loved worldwide for her fiction exploring the intricacies of marriage and domesticity. These three acclaimed books, each set in Baltimore, describe the small triumphs and tragedies of everyday American family life, as relationships are made and broken, and families come together, drift apart, hurt and heal each other. 
 
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (Tracks 1 and 2) 
Abandoned by her salesman husband, Pearl Tull attempts to keep her family together – but her anger and fierce maternal energy has damaging effects on her three children. 
 
Ladder of Years (Tracks 3 and 4) 
An unexpected romantic encounter in the grocery aisle is the beginning of a new adventure for homely Delia Grinstead, leading her to make a sudden, impulsive change in her life. 
 
The Amateur Marriage (Tracks 5 and 6) 
We follow the turbulent relationship of Michael and Pauline Anton over sixty years, from their whirlwind romance in 1941, to marriage, parenthood and beyond. 
 
Multi-layered and universal, with details that ring sharply true and characters that are both recognisable and entertaining, these three dramatisations feature a distinguished cast including Barbara Barnes, Lorelei King and Nathan Osgood. 
 
Dramatised by Rebecca Lenkiewicz 
Produced and directed by David Hunter 
 
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant 
Pearl...Barbara Barnes 
Narrator...Lorelei King 
Beck...Nathan Osgood 
Young Cody...Max Baldry 
Young Ezra...Richard Linnell 
Young Jenny/Jane...Eloise Webb 
Cody...Ben Crowe 
Ezra...Simon Lee Phillips 
Jenny...Fenella Woolgar 
Josiah...Matthew Watson 
Harley...David Seddon 
Mrs Payson/Mrs Scarlatti...Joanna Brookes 
Ruth...Amaka Okafor 
Slevin...Will Howard 
Joe/Driver...David Seddon 
Priest/Driver/Dr Vincent...Paul Stonehouse 
Teacher/Driver...Philippa Stanton 
Mr Murphy...Sean Murray 
 
The Ladder of Years 
Delia...Nancy Crane 
Adrian...Ian Conningham 
Sam...Nathan Osgood 
Eliza...Jessica Turner 
Narrator/Woman...Barbara Barnes 
Rosemary/Debbie/Mother/Binky...Rhiannon Neads 
Skipper...David Acton 
Carroll/Clerk...Sam Valentine 
Driscoll/Ramsay/Vernon/Assistant...Mark Edel-Hunt 
Susie...Roslyn Hill 
Mr Maxwell/Nat...David Hounslow 
Linda/Belle...Jane Slavin 
Eliza...Jessica Turner 
Eleanor...Carol MacReady 
Mr Pomfret....Stephen Critchlow 
Noah...Sean McCrystal 
Joel...Sam Dale 
Rick Rack/Telephone Voice...Jude Akuwudike 
 
The Amateur Marriage 
Pauline/Young Pauline...Julianna Jennings 
Michael/George/Pagan...Tom Forrister 
Narrator...Barbara Barnes 
Mrs Anton...Pandora Colin 
Wanda/Lindy/Gina...Sarah Ridgeway 
Mrs Brunek/Mrs Serge/Mrs Barclay/Donna/Marilyn...Sanchia McCormack 
Katie/Karen...Maeve Bluebell Wells 
Mrs Golka/Destiny/Karen...Chetna Pandya 
Mrs Kowalski/Anna/Katie...Georgie Glen 
Officer/Policeman...John Bowler 
John Piazy/Alex/Policeman/Becoming....Finlay Robertson 
Eustace/Dun...David Sterne 
Lindy...Kayla Gal 
George/Pagan...Finn Monteath 
Michael...Ian Porter 
Cabbie...Nicholas Murchie 
Pauline...Sara Stewart 
Pagan...Noel Brooke 
George...David Sturzaker 
Lindy...Jane Slavin 
Pauline...Sara Stewart

Anne Tyler: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Ladder of Years & The Amateur Marriage

Three BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Black Star Series

Blacklist

Set inside Blandings Castle, this comedy series follows Lord Emsworth and his pig Empress as they meet with his dysfunctional family and friends, and the havoc that follows.

Blandings

Blandings Castle

Blood City Rollers

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Blossom Street

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Boudica: the last defender of the Celtic culture; the only woman openly to have led her warriors into battle; the only British warrior to have stood against the might of Imperial Rome - and triumphed. 
 
This is her story.

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