Alexander Pushkin

Alexander Roy

Alexander Shannon

Alexander Sinclair

Alexander Slater is an author and illustrator from London who loves stories with big ideas and bigger heart. He holds a First Class degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from the University of Hertfordshire and has earned several awards in design and cartooning. When he’s not doodling or daydreaming, he can be found cooking, walking his adorable cockapoo, Bailey, or entertaining his millions of followers on his TikTok account @AlexRabbit

Alexander Slater

Alexander Soderberg previously worked as a scriptwriter and story editor for Swedish television, where he worked on adaptations of well-known crime novels as well as drama and sitcoms.

Alexander Soderberg

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Alexander Stille

Alexander Watson is the author of the prize-winning history of the Central Powers in the First World War, Ring of Steel. He is Professor of History at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Alexander Watson

In his lifetime Alexander von Humboldt was a major international celebrity - only Napoleon, it was said, was more well-known. He was born into the Prussian nobility in 1769 and destined for a career in the civil service. In his twenties he combined his position in the Ministry of Mines with his own investigative studies in science, geology and botany. He travelled around Europe, meeting many other adventurers of his age - including Bligh, Banks and Bougainville – and spent many stimulating months with Goethe in Weimar and Jena. He inherited a fortune on the death of his mother and immediately began planning a major expedition. Napoleon's activities thwarted him at every turn, but he succeeded, rather surprisingly, to gain the permission of Carlos IV to visit the Spanish colonies in South America, and set off with the French botanist Aimé Bonpland and many boxes full of scientific instruments, dodging British warships en route. These five extraordinary years of exploration and research gave Humboldt material for a lifetime's writing. But the expenses of publication exhausted his funds and after more than twenty years living in Paris he was obliged to return to Prussia as a chamberlain at the court of Friedrich Wilhelm III. It was hardly to his taste. He did manage one more major expedition across Russia, when he was sixty years old. Tirelessly energetic, he never stopped working and writing. He was mourned worldwide when he died at the age of nearly ninety in 1859.

Alexander von Humboldt

Alexandr Sergeyevitch Pushkin

Alexandra Bell studied Law at university and signed her first book deal at nineteen. Since then, she has written multiple books for both adults and young people. She works at a legal advice charity and lives in Hampshire with her husband, sons, and Sphynx cats.

Alexandra Bell

Allie Brosh has enjoyed writing ever since her mother tricked her into writing a story to distract her from her immediate goal of wrapping the cat in duct-tape.  She started her award-winning blog in 2009.  Brosh lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband Duncan, her two dogs, and six pet rats. Visit HyperboleAndAHalf.blogspot.com.

Alexandra Brosh

Alexandra Bruce

Alexandra Chesterfield is a behavioural scientist with a master's degree in Cognitive and Decision Science. Forever curious about why we do what we do, she currently works in financial services, leading a team of behavioural scientists to help get better outcomes for employees and customers. For four years, she was an elected Councillor in Guildford for the Conservative Party. She has personally experienced the effects of affective polarisation, both in and out of the workplace.

Alexandra Chesterfield

Alexandra Christo is a British author whose characters are always funnier and far more deadly than she is. She studied Creative Writing at university and graduated with the desire to never stop letting her imagination run wild. She currently lives in Hertfordshire with a rapidly growing garden and a never-ending stack of books. Her debut novel To Kill a Kingdom is an international bestseller and her Young Adult fantasy books have been translated into over a dozen languages worldwide.

Alexandra Christo-Cheung

Alexandra Coghlan is a music journalist and critic. She has written for publications including the Spectator, New Statesman, the Independent, Gramophone and Opera magazines, and for ensembles including the BBC Proms, Salzburg Festival, The Academy of Ancient Music and The Sixteen. Alexandra was a choral scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge, and it was during her time there that she first discovered the beauty of King's College Chapel and the unique sound of the King's College Choir.

Alexandra Coghlan

Alexandra Dudley is a food writer and cook living in London. She is the recipe columnist for Sheerluxe, writer of the bestselling Substack newsletter Come For Supper, and host of the Come For Supper podcast. She has been dubbed a serial dinner party host but believes that the best food is usually simple and cooked at home. She prefers home cooking to restaurant food and believes that the cook should always get the first glass of champagne or slice of pudding.

Alexandra Dudley

Alexandra Fuller is the author of four memoirs, including Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight – a New York Times Notable Book for 2002, the 2002 Booksense Best Non-Fiction book, a finalist for the Guardian’s First Book Award and the winner of the 2002 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize – and the New York Times-bestselling Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, two books of non-fiction, and the novel Quiet Until the Thaw. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, National Geographic, Granta, The New York Times, Guardian and Financial Times.

Alexandra Fuller

Alexandra Heminsley is an author, ghostwriter, journalist, broadcaster and speaker. Her bestselling non-fiction work includes Running Like a Girl and Leap In, and her first novel, Under the Same Stars is to be published in 2022. She lives in Hove with her son, and proudly co-parents her LGBT+ family.

Alexandra Heminsley

Alex Hollingsworth co-founded Dig Club and is an experienced and award-winning garden designer, following a successful career in Management Consultancy. Alex trained with the Garden Design Academy of Ireland and also holds an RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture and has had show gardens at Ireland’s ‘Bloom’ and ‘Gardener’s World Live’ in the UK.

Alexandra Hollingsworth

Alexandra Lapierre

Alexandra Massey

Alexandra McCollum grew up in rural northeast Ohio and now lives in Nevada with their husband and dog. Among other jobs, they’ve worked in a bakery in Austria, managed a coffee shop in Ohio, and taught high school in Las Vegas. When not writing, they can be found studying languages and exploring local coffeehouses in search of the perfect americano.

Alexandra McCollum

A graduate of Yale University, Alexandra Oliva grew up in a small town deep in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School University and undertook intensive wilderness survival training while researching The Last One. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their brindled mutt, Codex. The Last One is her first novel.

Alexandra Oliva

John Peel was born the day before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. His 38-year career as a radio DJ is the stuff of legend and the bands he went on to discover too numerous to mention, though David Bowie, Roxy Music, T Rex, Genesis, Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, Radiohead and the White Stripes would do as a start. He lived in Suffolk with his wife Sheila and their children William, Thomas, Alexandra and Florence, plus various dogs and cats, until his death in October 2004.

Alexandra Ravenscroft

Alexandra Shulman

ALEXANDRA SOVERAL founded her award-winning eponymous skin care line in 2005, where she still hand-blends every product. Originally from Portugal, Alexandra moved to London 1987 to study Philosophy of Science, before dedicating her research to Anatomy, Physiology and Chemistry, becoming a respected skin specialist and product formulator for high quality brands.

Alexandra Soveral

Alexandra Wood

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Dave Gorman

Dave Scott

Dave Gorman hosts a one-off, very silly panel show that takes place in a world where the Pub Olympics is far more important than that other Olympics you might have heard about. Contestants Chris Addison, Roisin Conaty, Geoff Lloyd and Seymour Mace compete for gold medals in a series of ridiculous rounds, very loosely based on sports. Usain Bolt can run the 100m in 9.58 seconds. What do the panellists think they could do in 9.58 seconds? Contestants have to fill the Olympub Jukebox with sports themed discs. Tammy Wynette Ball anyone? And what Olympic themed panel show would be complete without Quiz Akabusi? Produced by Carl Cooper.

Dave Gorman's Pub Olympics

Russell Davis

Clive Coleman

A celebration of one hundred years of outstanding comic performers from music hall, radio and television. Researched, compiled and presented by Russell Davies, the collection includes a wide range of personalities, from the Crazy Gang to John Cleese and from Tallulah Bankhead to Victoria Wood.

The Comedy Greats

Kate Clanchy

Finnish teen eco-blogger, Ulli Earthgirl, wins a competition to join a low-carbon expedition to the North Pole by foot, to measure the melting ice. Blogging her way across the Arctic, she has to navigate deadly cracks in the ice, as well as the treacherous currents of environmental controversy in the blogosphere. Soon she's afloat in both worlds, as all her certainties begin to dissolve. Starring Samantha Dakin, Felicity Montagu, Colin Stinton and Adam Billington, with Adjoa Andoh, Victoria Inez Hardy, Gerard McDermott, Carl Prekopp, Alex Rivers, Christopher Webster, and Tracy Wiles. Written by Kate Clanchy. Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting. Guitar played by Carl Prekopp.

Iced

Ronnie Taylor

The second collection of classic sketches from a star of the golden age of radio comedy. With his well-known catchphrases 'Right Monkey' and 'You'll be lucky, I say, you'll be lucky', the immortal Al Read drew on a rich vein of Northern humour to bring us the Johnny know-all, the nagging wife in the kitchen and the horrible little boy in the Doctor's waiting room. A weekly audience of 35 million tuned in to catch the one-time sausage manufacturer from Salford turned household name. Enjoy those moments once again or discover Al's droll observational humour for the first time in this collection of his funniest sketches.

The Al Read Show 2

The third collection of classic sketches from a star of the golden age of radio comedy. With his well-known catchphrases 'Right Monkey' and 'You'll be lucky, I say, you'll be lucky', the immortal Al Read drew on a rich vein of Northern humour to bring us the Johnny know-all, the nagging wife in the kitchen and the horrible little boy in the Doctor's waiting room. A weekly audience of 35 million tuned in to catch the one-time sausage manufacturer from Salford turned household name. Enjoy those moments once again or discover Al's droll observational humour for the first time in this collection of his funniest sketches.

The Al Read Show 3

Jimmy Perry

David Croft

Meet the gang in these four classic BBC TV episodes! Enjoy the exploits of the Royal Artillery Concert Party, a motley troupe of military thespians seconded to India during the Second World War. In 'My Lovely Boy', When RSM Williams realises the love of his life is Parky's mum, he sets about recruiting him for the concert party. In 'The Supremo Show', a VIP visit calls for a very special show - but when Gloria sprains his ankle, the Sergeant Major must take his place. In 'We are Not Amused', Gloria plays Queen Victoria in a jingoistic pageant - but the men don't realise they'll be playing to an Indian VIP. In 'Money Talks', when the men discover that Gunner Graham is due to receive an inheritance, they set about winning his favour. Starring Windsor Davies, Melvyn Hayes, Don Estelle and Michael Bates.

It Ain't Half Hot Mum

Michael Knowles

John Le Mesurier, Ian Lavender and Bill Pertwee star in four episodes of the radio sequel to Dad's Army. Inspecting the Piles: In order to save money, Hodges, Pike and Wilson decide to inspect the foundations of Frambourne Pier in an inflatable rubber dinghy - at night. Pike in Love: Uncle Arthur is called in to give Pike a lesson on the birds and the bees. The Friends of Frambourne Pier: Pike and Hodges decide to launch a campaign asking for volunteers and so The Friends of Frambourne Pier Association (FOFPA) is born. The First Meeting: The first meeting of The Friends of Frambourne Pier Association is convened. Arthur Wilson attends, but has to explain his evening out to a suspicious Mrs Pike. With John Le Mesurier as Arthur Wilson, Ian Lavender as Frank Pike and Bill Pertwee as Bert Hodges.

It Sticks Out Half A Mile

Continued

Myles Rudge

Join Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick and Joan Sims as they go beyond Round the Horne. Taking over the mantle of Round the Horne, Stop Messing About carried on the comedy tradition, which reunited Kenneth Williams with both Hugh Paddick and Kenneth's Carry On co-star, Joan Sims. These four episodes include such favourites as crusty old judge Sir Inigo Parchmutter, Crackerjackanory With Mother, more visits to Tolpurgis Hall, as well as a couple who bear a bona similarity to Julian and Sandy. With much vada-ing and some wonderful film adaptations, such as A Fistful of Denaro and Oliver Stick, Stop Messing About is packed with outrageously funny sketches, parodies, double entendres and saucy songs. Stop Messing About - the first all-nude radio show. Nervous listeners are advised to keep their eyes closed - and it s forbidden to take photographs.

More Kenneth Williams' Stop Messing About

Ronnie Barker

Here's a further cornucopia of clever comedy, featuring sketches, monologues, poems and songs in this 'sequential entertainment for radio'.   The sketches on this recording include: a bizarre slice of Shakespeare, a poem for a man with a plan, and a forgetful actor. There are also people who use lots of words - but say very little. As well as a musing pianist, we also hear a two-headed 'Great Eccentric', a spoof Paul Temple, and wires get crossed on the telephone.   Co-written by Gerald Wiley (the pseudonym used by Ronnie Barker) and many others, this sophisticated cabaret-cum-sketch-show contains plenty of witty wordplay.   Starring Ronnie Barker, with Terence Brady, Pauline Yates, Josephine Gordon and Dick Abell.

Ronnie Barker's More Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead

Dan Patterson

Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Lenny Henry, Griff Rhys Jones and Dawn French and host Clive Anderson  star in the improvisation radio show that spawned the TV phenomenon. Based on comedy suggestions from the studio audience, this is ad-libbed comedy at its best. Regulars Stephen Fry and John Sessions are joined by Lenny Henry, Dawn French, Hugh Laurie, Enn Reitel, Griff Rhys Jones, Kate Robbins, Rory Bremner and Jon Glover as they battle their way through a succession of games and romp through a world of literary styles, TV theme tunes and film genres. Chairman Clive Anderson desperately tries to hold the whole thing together and the guests make it up as they go along in this riot of improvisation  which is often funnier than many scripted shows. This recording contains four episodes from the original radio series, which later gave rise to two popular and successful television series in the UK and the USA.

Whose Line Is It Anyway

Micky Flanagan

The complete BBC radio series of Micky Flanagan's autobiographical comedy show - plus pilot episode 
 
'Excellent, funny and poignant' Miranda Sawyer, The Observer 
 
Based on his Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated show What Chance Change?, Micky Flanagan's debut radio series combines brilliant stand-up with insightful behind-the-scenes interviews to tell the story of his life from the 1970s to the 2000s. 
 
These four episodes chart the Cockney comedian's progression from working-class Herbert to middle-class intellectual giant - and being awkwardly caught between both worlds. Via hilarious jokes and sharply-observed comic routines, Micky takes us from the mean streets of the East End to the leafy lanes of East Dulwich, outlining his rise to fame from Billingsgate fish porter to successful entertainer, from Sunblest to panini, tabloids to broadsheets and the street party to the dinner party. We hear how he left school without qualifications, ran away to New York to be an international lover and player, returned to education to become a teacher, and settled down with his wife and built his stand-up career. 
 
Chatting to family, friends and special guests - including sociology professor Paul Willis, millionaire plumber Charlie Mullins, and fellow comedian Sean Lock - he considers how his upbringing shaped his identity, discusses the thorny issue of class and comedy, and explains how, over four decades, taking chances has changed his life. 
 
Written and performed by Micky Flanagan 
Produced by Tilusha Ghelani 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 25 May-15 June 2010 (Series 1) 
 
 
 ©2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Micky Flanagan: What Chance Change?

The complete BBC Radio series

John Finnemore

Cabin Pressure is set in the wing and a prayer world of a tiny, one-plane charter airline; staffed by two pilots, one on his way down, and one who was never up to start with. Whether hunting for polar bears or a cleverly-hidden lemon, no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. And then there are the otters... 
 
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey, MJN Air's formidable boss, has employed two of the very cheapest pilots money can buy: Captain Martin Crieff, who's always wanted to fly and won't let a little thing like lack of ability stop him, and First Officer Douglas Richardson, smooth-voiced old sky god and eternal schemer. Passenger service is provided by the relentlessly cheery Arthur, proud inventor of both Surprising Rice and his own hat. 
 
Written by John Finnemore (John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, The Now Show), Cabin Pressure stars Stephanie Cole as Carolyn, Benedict Cumberbatch as Martin, Roger Allam as Douglas and John Finnemore as Arthur. 
 
‘The more I listen to John Finnemore's Cabin Pressure, the more I think what a stonking masterpiece it is. Perfect in every department.’ – Philip Pullman 
 
'Unexpectedly brilliant' - Time Out 
 
'An inspired new sitcom' – Observer

Cabin Pressure: The Complete Series 3

A full-cast BBC Radio Comedy

Christopher Green

A comic monologue by Christopher Green, starring Caroline Quentin. 
 
A feisty woman has taken to her bed in the spare room and she is not getting up - ever. She's 39 and has decided that she is not having children. She claims her boyfriend is in denial, though in reality he is in Zurich. 
 
Directed by Claire Grove. 
 
©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Second Best Bed

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Peter Cook

Peter Cook was an exceptional talent - verbally witty, surreally inventive and a true original. The father of modern satire and alternative comedy, he was voted the top comedian of all time in the Channel 4 show The Comedian's Comedian. 
 
In this selection of clips from the BBC archive, Michael Palin trawls Peter Cook's back catalogue for his funniest and silliest moments, including several rare gems that have never been previously broadcast. 
 
Covering Peter Cook's 36-year career, it features all the best interviews, monologues and sketches, including extracts from Beyond the Fringe, monologues from the immortal E. L. Wisty and excerpts from Cook and Moore's taboo-breaking 'Derek and Clive' dialogues. There are also hilarious parodies of Malcolm Muggeridge and Loyd Grossman, radio phone-ins from 'Sven' and various interviews discussing his involvement with Private Eye. 
 
Insightful and irresistible, this is a fascinating exploration of the life and career of a seriously funny man. 
 
Peter Cook In His Own Words features classic comedy extracts which reflect the language and attitudes of their time. 
 
©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Peter Cook In His Own Words

Acclaimed jazz trumpeter, band leader and longtime host of Radio 4’s perennial antidote to panel games I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, Humphrey Lyttelton was a role model, influence and inspiration for several generations of musicians and comedians. Performing at this special tribute concert, organised and introduced by his son Stephen, are an all-star cast of friends and admirers from the world of music, including Elkie Brooks, Stacey Kent, Jools Holland, Charlie Watts, Acker Bilk’s band and of course the Humphrey Lyttelton Band. Joining forces with them are a host of comedians from the Clue team, including Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, Sandi Toksvig, Jeremy Hardy, Rob Brydon and Jack Dee. Packed with unforgettable moments, this extended version of the concert was never broadcast on radio. The perfect commemoration of an extraordinary man, it will delight all fans of the legendary Humph.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: Humph Celebration Concert

Gary Ogin

A BBC Radio 4 comedy exploring the crippling effects of acute social anxiety on work, hopes and relationships, starring Stuart McLoughlin. 'Shy Baby' was originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 17 Mar 2011.  Lionel Stillman has a new job, a girlfriend he thinks he loves, and a secret ambition - to be a stand-up comic. But he also has a problem. People make him nervous.  As Lionel stumbles from bad date with Emma to bad first day at a call centre, he struggles with an inner voice telling him he's boring and useless – 'or just plain weird'. At first, Emma thinks he's attractively shy. Then she decides he's a drinker.  But Lionel does have friends. At a weekly support group his fellow sufferers Simon, Max and Rosie uncover his ambition to be a comic and encourage him to take it further by setting a challenge: to perform in a comedy club. As the night approaches, the idea seems ludicrous. How can a man who can't bring himself to meet his girlfriend's parents stand up and perform in front of a raucous pub crowd? Rosie holds the key.  'Shy Baby' features Stuart McLoughlin as Lionel, Alex Tregear as Rosie, and Polly Barsby as Emma. The play was researched with the help of Social Anxiety support groups in London and Bristol.

Shy Baby

Cabin Pressure is set in the wing and a prayer world of a tiny, one-plane charter airline; staffed by two pilots, one on his way down, and one who was never up to start with. Whether flying actresses to Italy, cricketers to the Sahara, or a cat to Abu Dhabi, no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. 
 
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey, MJN Air's formidable boss, has employed two of the very cheapest pilots money can buy: Captain Martin Crieff, who's always wanted to fly and won't let a little thing like lack of ability stop him, and First Officer Douglas Richardson, smooth-voiced old sky god and eternal schemer. Passenger service is provided by the relentlessly cheery Arthur, proud inventor of both Surprising Rice and his own hat. 
 
Written by John Finnemore (John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, The Now Show), Cabin Pressure stars Stephanie Cole as Carolyn, Benedict Cumberbatch as Martin, Roger Allam as Douglas and John Finnemore as Arthur. 
 
‘The more I listen to John Finnemore's Cabin Pressure, the more I think what a stonking masterpiece it is. Perfect in every department.’ – Philip Pullman 
 
'Unexpectedly brilliant' - Time Out 
 
'An inspired new sitcom' – Observer

Cabin Pressure: The Complete Series 1

James Woods

Tom Hollander stars in the complete award-winning comedy series, as seen on BBC TV.Tom Hollander ('In the Loop', 'Pirates of the Caribbean') stars as the Rev Adam Smallbone. He’s a Church of England vicar, newly promoted from a sleepy rural parish to the inner-city world of St Saviour’s in east London. He has little experience of this world, and it shows.In this series, Adam grapples with an evangelical priest hell-bent on taking over his church, pushy parents fighting for school places and even pole dancers. He succumbs to envy when he hears an old rival on 'Thought for the Day', and then suffers a crisis of faith when he’s humiliated within the Christian online community, leading to a drunken incident at a vicars and tarts party...Co-created by Tom Hollander and James Wood, this divine comedy soundtrack also stars Olivia Colman, Steve Evets, Miles Jupp, Lucy Liemann, Simon McBurney, Ellen Thomas and Jimmy Akingbola. Special guests are Alexander Armstrong, Hugh Bonneville, Darren Boyd and Colin Salmon.Winner of the BAFTA Television Award for Situation Comedy.Winner of the South Bank Show Award for Best Comedy.

Rev. The Complete First Series

Rhod Gilbert

Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert is one of the biggest names in UK stand-up, performing to sell-out audiences in Britain and abroad.  Now he has his own radio series, recorded in front of a live audience and packed with laughs. Joining Rhod on stage are fellow comedians Lloyd Langford and Greg Davies ('We Are Klang'), along with Sarah Millican who takes a look at The Six Stages of Woman.  Live music is provided by Scouting for Girls, Athlete, Kid British, Goldheart Assembly, The Divine Comedy and The Hoosiers, while the guest comedians are Wilson Dixon, Russell Kane, Mark Watson, Milton Jones, Shappi Khorsandi and Jon Richardson.

Rhod Gilbert's Bulging Barrel Of Laughs

Complete Series 1

Stephen Wyatt

Patrick Stewart stars as Raymond Chandler and Adrian Scarborough as Billy Wilder in BBC Radio 4's entertaining glimpse inside the Hollywood film industry.   In 1944 Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder came together to work on a screen adaptation of James M. Cain's novel 'Double Indemnity'. Wilder is an ambitious 36-year-old German Jewish émigré just making his name as a director, and Chandler is a reformed alcoholic with a developing reputation as a novelist but absolutely no experience of writing for movies. The play follows their famously difficult collaboration.  Paramount studios put Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder together because none of the big names would touch James M. Cain's novel. With its adulterous lovers and a crime that could be copied, it was judged too controversial to adapt because of the censorious Production Code guidelines. Chandler and Wilder famously hated each other but in a space of some four months locked in an office together they created an outstanding screenplay for a ground-breaking classic film.   With Patrick Stewart ('Macbeth', 'Star Trek') as Chandler and Adrian Scarborough ('Cranford', 'The King's Speech') as Billy Wilder, 'Double Jeopardy' is directed by Claire Grove.      'Double Jeopardy' was originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 4 February 2011.

Double Jeopardy

Sean Gray

David Soul ('Starsky and Hutch') narrates and Simon Day ('The Fast Show') stars in this fantastical BBC Radio 4 comedy series looking at the most entertaining apocalypses on parallel Earths. Originally broadcast from 15 December 2010 - 19 January 2011.  We all worry about the end of the world, as economists and environmentalists speak in apocalyptic terms everyday. 'iGod' says that trying to predict the end of the world is as pointless as moisturising an elephant's elbow.  In each episode, an unnamed, all-seeing narrator (David Soul) shows us that it is stupid to be worrying, as he looks back at some of the most entertaining apocalypses on parallel Earths. Each week our case study is a normal bloke called Ian (Simon Day) who manages to accidentally initiate the apocalypse of a different parallel world through a seemingly harmless single act (telling a lie, being lazy, cooking some lamb shanks). A succession of comic vignettes ensue that escalate to the end of a parallel world.  With a full-range of sound effects and wonderfully funny and surreal twists, 'iGod' is a highly original aural extravaganza. Written by Sean Gray, one of the head writers of the BAFTA award-winning 'The Thick of It', and produced by Simon Nicholls ('Ed Reardon's Week', 'News at Bedtime'), 'iGod' stars Simon Day, David Soul, Rosie Cavaliero, Alex MacQueen and Dan Tetsell.

iGod

This thirteenth collection of the antidote to panel games finds Jack Dee giving regular panellists Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden silly things to do - along with special guests Jeremy Hardy, Sandi Toksvig, Rob Brydon and David Mitchell.   Highlights include ‘Uxbridge English Dictionary’, ‘One Song to the Tune of Another’, ‘Sound Charades’, ‘Historical Voicemail’, ‘Bankers’ Film Club’, ‘Sound Effects Storytime’, ‘Party Guests’, ‘84 Chicken Cross Road’, ‘Trail of the Lonesome Pun’, ‘Greetings Cards’, ‘Unseen Prequels’ and, of course, ‘Mornington Crescent’.   So get ready to laugh out loud as the gang indulge in more wonderful wordplay, accompanied by Colin Sell on the piano and the lovely Samantha, who’s always ready for a quick score.   ‘Risky, rude, brilliantly written and superbly performed’ - The Judges, Sony Radio Academy Awards.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue

Volume 13

Volume 8

Marcy Kahan

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama written by the award-winning screen and stage dramatist Marcy Kahan, and starring Stephen Mangan as Ed, whose life is about to change forever when he accidentally puts National Treasure Penhaligon Rhinehart into a coma. First broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 14 January 2011.  It's an important day for Ed Hanson. He has to do two things: present a 'vision statement' to keep hold of his job and propose marriage to his girlfriend, Lucinda. What isn't on Ed's list of things to do is put Penhaligon Rhinehart - author, barrister, circus-clown and National Treasure - into a coma. Ed's life will never be quite the same again...  Starring Stephen Mangan ('Green Wing', 'Adrian Mole') as Ed Hanson and Naomi Frederick ('The Trial of Tony Blair') as Lucinda. Also featuring Sean Baker, Joanna Monro, Adeel Akhtar, Naomi Sheldon, Lloyd Thomas and Christine Kavanagh. Directed by Sally Avens.

Incredibly Guilty: A Comic Moral Fable

Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch, Roger Allam and John Finnemore star in the hit sitcom about the tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. 
 
In this festive special, it's Christmas morning on board MJN Air, so get dressed, you merry gentlemen! But when Carolyn decides to schedule an extra stop-off to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, Arthur has just seven minutes to celebrate the big day. How can Douglas and Martin make this the best Christmas Arthur's ever had, when all they have on board are some chocolate raisins and a Russian oligarch? 
 
With special guest Ben Willbond (Horrible Histories). 
 
Written by John Finnemore (The News Quiz, That Mitchell and Webb Sound). 
 
‘The more I listen to John Finnemore's Cabin Pressure, the more I think what a stonking masterpiece it is. Perfect in every department.’ – Philip Pullman

Cabin Pressure: Molokai

The Christmas Special episode of the full-cast BBC Radio Comedy

Michael Butt

A BBC Radio 4 black comedy by Michael Butt, originally broadcast as the ‘Afternoon Play’ on 19 October 2009.  Max is set to inherit a small fortune when he turns 25, but standing between him and the money is his sister Katrin. And then there's the grandmother. It's dog-eat-dog on the mean streets of Weston-super-Mare.  Starring William Beck as Max, Emerald O'Hanrahan as Katrin and Anna Massey as Maria. Also featured amongst the cast are Rachel Spence, Piers Wehner, Rhys Jennings, Isadora Dooley Hunter and Joshua Swinney. Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.

Filthy Rich

BBC Radio Comedy

A facsimile edition of the original 1978 LP of sketches and songs from the cult BBC Radio comedy 
 
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie, this download edition of the 1978 LP brings you right back to the world of I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again. 
 
Who better to introduce this edition than David Hatch? From the 1978 LP case: 
“The programme having ceased recording in 1973, this quite clearly must be the right time to bring out an L.P. Even the cast can’t remember the show. I vaguely remember that John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Jo Kendall were in it, and if memory serves, Dave Lee had something to do with the music. Oh, by the way, it’s supposed to be a funny show. I should imagine most of the jokes will have been cut out by the producer (that’s me) before transmission because they were dirty or libellous or something (they’re in a suitcase at home) or those that crept through are now out of date and incomprehensible. If I were you I should treat this record as a social document of our times, containing in its 40 minutes an insight into how Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden, with their very limited brain, viewed the universe. Who needs Lord Clark on Civilisation when you can pinch this from a record shop? PUT IT BACK!” – David Hatch 
 
Warning: contains strong language and humour that reflects the era in which it was first broadcast. 
 
Sketches include: “Full Frontal Radio”, “Prune Manifesto”, “Buffers”, “Critics”, “Motoring Flash”, “Quickie”, “Honours List”, “News in Welsh”, “Minority Programmes”, “Home This Afternoon A Go Go”, “News Flash”, “Listening to the Flowers”, “Talent Contest”, “Eddie Waring Impersonation”, “Sick Man’s Blues” & “Taming of the Shrew” 
 
Cast and credits 
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie 
Written by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie 
With music and songs by Bill Oddie and Dave Lee, arrangement by Leon Cohen 
Sound by Max Alcock, edited by Bert Fisher 
Radio production by David Hatch and Peter Titheradge, record production by David Hatch 
With special thanks to John Cassels and Bob Oliver Rogers 
 
 
©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again: Highlights

Selected Sketches from the Classic BBC Radio Comedy

Alexis Zegerman

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast comedy by Alexis Zegerman about the hectic life of a single mother, originally broadcast 25 August - 29 September 2010. 
 
'Mum's on the Run' is a modern-day twist on the single-family situation. It follows the hectic life ('What life?') of single mum, Jen. Mother of two, Master of none - Jen seems to spend most of her time as an unpaid chauffeur to a 15-year-old teenage existentialist son, Toby, and a tonally challenged recorder-practising 11-year-old daughter, Felicity, whilst also coping with the jazz musician ex-husband, the fiercely competitive and annoying downstairs neighbour and a huge crush on her son's history teacher. 
 
Episode 1 follows how Jen manages to drop the kids off at school at the beginning of the day but ends up collecting them from a nightclub at the end of it. Volunteering to do the Crocodile Walk into school to get brownie points with the other mothers is not Jen's idea of fun in torrential rain. 
 
In episode 2 a quiet parent's evening becomes a farcical attempt by Jen and ex-husband Keith to recreate the execution of Charles I. 
 
When Jen starts trying to date again in episode 3, things are bound to go awry. She manages to get involved in a complicated online mix up which involves the neighbours and the kids' teacher. 
 
In episode 4 Jen has trouble with mice, cats and the local constabulary. 
 
In episode 5 the desire to impress Mr Rigby and silence nagging children persuades Jen to attempt some charitable work. But a botched attempt to give blood and a disastrous baking error lead only to further humiliation. 
 
Jen has at last secured a semi-date with Mr Rigby in episode 6 but then realises that it's bonfire night and she's promised the kids fireworks in the garden. Their date turns to farce as both Mr Rigby and the ex-husband turn up and neighbour Vivienne is almost hospitalised by a dodgy rocket. 
 
Stars Ronni Ancona as Jen, John Gordon Sinclair as Mr Rigby, Alexis Zegerman as Shelley, Christine Kavanagh as Vivienne and Kevin Eldon as Keith. Also included in the cast are Amy Dabrowa, Alexander Heath, Amaya Rowlands, Pip Woolley, Iain Batchelor, Jude Akuwudike and Sam Dale. 
 
Produced by Alison Vernon-Smith.

Mum's On The Run The complete series

Starring Ronni Ancona

Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry traces the evolution of the mobile phone, from hefty executive bricks that required a separate briefcase to carry the battery, to the smartphones available today. There are more mobile phones in the world than there are people on the planet: Stephen Fry talks to the backroom boys who made it all possible and hears how the technology succeeded in ways that the geeks had not necessarily intended. For example, the engineers who designed the early texting facilities didn’t imagine that anyone might want to reply. (Just in case, they added a short list of possible pre-set answers: yes, no and maybe). They also thought taxifones and fax machines for your car would be winners. In the early nineties, Nokia, then famous for toilet paper and rubber boots, was on the brink of collapse; until the new CEO made a bold decision to focus solely on mobile phonesThanks to Margaret Thatcher opening up the airwaves, Britain became a world leader in mobile phone technology. And today, 85% of the silicon chips inside all mobiles are designed by just one Cambridge-based company.Series produced by Anna Buckley.

Stephen Fry On The Phone The Complete Radio 4 Series

Rowan Atkinson

Richard Curtis

Rowan Atkinson stars as many different characters in four episodes from the classic comedy series, written by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis (&#39;Four Weddings and a Funeral&#39;, &#39;Notting Hill&#39;), which investigates the lives of four great - but imaginary - men. 

We hear about the life and times of master orator, Sir Benjamin Fletcher: writer, statesman, Nobel Prize winner, painter, farmer, diplomat, wit, etc, etc... There’s France’s greatest thinker and philosopher George Dupont; and actor, raconteur and general bore, Sir Corin Basin. Barry Good - the ‘Pope of pop’ - also looks back at his life (before he came a rich tax exile). 

Produced by Griff Rhys Jones, &#39;Atkinson’s People&#39; was one of the first radio series ever to star Rowan Atkinson and was a forerunner to the massively successful &#39;Blackadder&#39; TV series. 

Rowan Atkinson stars in the spoof radio series which looked at the personalities behind the headlines - co-written by Richard Curtis.

Atkinson’s People

A BBC Radio Comedy starring Rowan Atkinson

Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Ian Lavender and Bill Pertwee star in the radio sequel sitcom to ‘Dad’s Army’.   ‘The Pilot’ - In this rare pilot, war is over and former Home Guard Captain Mainwaring plans to renovate Frambourne-on-Sea’s pier. However, to get a loan he approaches local bank manager, Arthur Wilson.   ‘The Business Proposition’ - In the first episode of the series (and after the sad death of Arthur Lowe) Bert Hodges, former ARP warden, is looking for a partner to renovate the pier. Maybe he can get Frank Pike to talk to his ‘uncle’ Arthur...   ‘The Bank Loan’ - How can Hodges and Pike persuade Wilson to loan them the money...?   ‘Who Owned the Pier?’ - Pike and Hodges research the history of Frambourne Pier, and a visit by the electrician brings worrying news.   With Arthur Lowe as George Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Arthur Wilson, Ian Lavender as Frank Pike and Bill Pertwee as Bert Hodges, ‘It Sticks Out Half a Mile’ was written by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles, who also adapted ‘Dad’s Army’ for radio.

King of

King's Maker

Kingdom of Lies

A gripping historical fiction series set amid England's War of the Roses in which the Houses of Lancaster and York faced each other on the field of battle - and the Tudors won.

Kingmaker

Kings of the Realm

Knights Templar

Knights of the Borrowed Dark

Kurt Wallander

Four of James Ellroy's most popular crime novels featuring the infamous Dudley Smith, which include: 'The Black Dahlia', 'The Big Nowhere', 'L.A. Confidential' and 'White Jazz'.

L.A. Quartet

Lacey Flint has never worked a murder case - until a savage murder, 120 years to the day since Jack the Ripper claimed his first victim, crosses her desk. 
This case sets the precedent that Lacey Flint is never far from danger, or the River Thames, but she will stop at nothing to find the answers.

Lacey Flint

Ladybird Audio Adventures

Ladybird Classics

Ladybird Eco Books

Ladybird Grammar

Ladybird Lane

Introduce your little one to first concepts and themes with Ladybird Learners. From ABC to 123, animals to colours, we've got you covered for fun early learning experiences. The engaging illustrations and clear text offer lots of opportunities to extend young learners' vocabulary and get them talking. 
 
A colourful board book series packed with big learning ideas for curious little minds. 
 
Look out for all the titles in the series: 
 
My First Animals: Ladybird Learners 
My First ABC: Ladybird Learners 
My First Numbers: Ladybird Learners 
My First Colours: Ladybird Learners

Ladybird Learners

Ladybird Readers

Ladybird Sing-along Stories

Ladybird Tales

Ladybird Tales of... Treasuries

These delightful books are the latest in the series of Ladybird books which have been specially planned to help grown-ups with the world about them. 
 
The large clear script, the careful choice of words, the frequent repetition and the thoughtful matching of text with pictures all enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope. The subject of the books will greatly appeal to grown-ups. 
 
The eight books in the series feature original Ladybird artwork alongside brilliantly funny, brand new text. The other books in the series are: 
 
- The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness 
 
- The Ladybird Book of Sheds 
 
- The Ladybird Book of The Hipster 
 
- The Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life Crisis 
 
- The Ladybird Book of the Hangover 
 
- The Ladybird Book of Dating 
 
- How it Works: The Husband 
 
- How it Works: The Wife

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