An image of the author Terry Pratchett, on a red and purple background, holding out his hand as though he is casting a spell and there are a couple of illustrations from his books riding the wave

Why-we-love-Terry-Pratchett-Hero-Desktop_Penguin.jpg

Features

‘At his best, Terry was a teacher’: Why we love Terry Pratchett

Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown

Darkness Never Prevails. 
 
 While staying home was a vital safety measure in 2020, the freedom of the TARDIS remained a dream that drew many - allowing them to roam the cosmos in search of distraction, reassurance and adventure. Now some of the finest TV Doctor Who writers come together with gifted illustrators in this very special short story collection in support of BBC Children in Need. 
 
 Current and former showrunners - Chris Chibnall Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat - present exciting adventures for the Doctor conceived in confinement, alongside brand new fiction from Neil Gaiman, Mark Gatiss and Vinay Patel. Also featuring work from Chris Riddell, Joy Wilkinson, Paul Cornell, Sonia Leong, Sophie Cowdrey, Mike Collins and many more, Adventures in Lockdown is a book for any Doctor Who fan in your life, stories that will send your heart spinning wildly through time and space... 
 
 £2.25 from every copy sold in the UK of Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown will benefit Children in Need (registered charity number 802052 in England &amp; Wales and SC039557 in Scotland)

A BBC Radio full-cast reading

Chivalry

Neil Gaiman’s delightfully quirky story, in which Mrs Whitaker discovers the Holy Grail in a charity shop.

Neil Gaiman’s delightfully quirky story, in which Mrs Whitaker discovers the Holy Grail in a charity shop. 
 
Mrs Whitaker just wants to have a chat with her dear friend Mrs Greenberg over home-made macaroons. But her charity shop find soon makes her the focal point of a most important quest when a handsome young man - who says he’s called Galaad - comes asking for the Grail. 
 
This sound designed, multi-voiced reading is an extended cut, including material not heard in the radio broadcast, and is introduced by an exclusive interview with Neil Gaiman. 
 
Starring Glenda Jackson as the Narrator and Mrs Whitaker, and Kit Harington as Sir Galaad. 
 
Written by Neil Gaiman 
Produced and Directed by Allegra McIlroy 
 
Cast: 
Narrator/ Mrs Whitaker ….. Glenda Jackson 
Sir Galaad ….. Kit Harington 
Mrs Greenberg and the new lady on the till….. Jessica Turner 
Marie ….. Lucy Reynolds 
 
Sound design ….. David Chilton 
Neil Gaiman’s Chivalry is a BBC Northern Ireland Production

Good Omens

The classic, bestselling dark and hilarious take on mankind's final judgement by two genre giants, now an Amazon Prime Original / BBC TV production - written by Neil Gaiman and with a brilliant all-star cast!

Marvellously benign, ridiculously inventive and gloriously funny

A superbly funny book. Pratchett and Gaiman are the most hilariously sinister team since Jekyll and Hyde. If this is Armageddon, count me in

Heaven to read, and you'll laugh like hell

Not quite as sinister as the authors' photo

Hilarious Pratchett magic tempered by Neil Gaiman's dark steely style; who could ask for a better combination?

Frequently hilarious, littered with funny footnotes and eccentric characters. It's also humane, intelligent, suspenseful, and fully equipped with a chorus of "Tibetans, Aliens, Americans, Atlanteans and other rare and strange creatures of the Last Days." If the end is near, Pratchett and Gaiman will take us there in style

GOOD OMENS SEASON 3 COMING MAY 2026 ON AMAZON PRIME. 
 
The book behind the Amazon Prime / BBC Series starring David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm and Benedict Cumberbatch. 
 
'Ridiculously inventive and gloriously funny' Guardian 
 
What if, for once, the predictions are right, and the Apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea? 
 
It's a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, now find themselves in. They've been living amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse. 
 
And then there's the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist . . . 
_____________________ 
 
What readers are saying about Good Omens: 
 
***** 'A superb recipe for disaster. I didn't stop grinning from beginning to end.' 
***** 'Both Gaiman and Pratchett are great authors and they complement each other brilliantly.' 
***** 'Superbly enjoyable read. Seamlessly co-written.'

Doctor Who: Thirteen Doctors 13 Stories

A new version of this much-loved anthology, with a brand-new story featuring the brand-new Thirteenth Doctor from literary sensation Naomi Alderman! 
 
Twelve wonderful tales of adventure, science, magic, monsters and time travel - featuring all twelve Doctors - are waiting for you in this very special Doctor Who book. 
 
And now they're joined by a very exciting, and very exclusive, new tale - written by Naomi Alderman, author of The Power - that will star the Thirteenth Doctor, as she battles to save the universe with her three close and trusted friends. 
 
Other authors featured are: Eoin Colfer, Michael Scott, Marcus Sedgwick, Philip Reeve, Patrick Ness, Richelle Mead, Malorie Blackman, Alex Scarrow, Charlie Higson, Derek Landy, Neil Gaiman, and Holly Black.

Naomi Alderman (Author) Naomi Alderman has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and another one in Classical Studies. Also an MA in Creative Writing and another MA in Classics. She's an award-winning novelist, broadcaster, TV producer and videogames creator. She has worked in technology startups for more than 20 years, since the time when people in tech still felt utopian about "making the world a better place". Which now makes her feel slightly embarrassed about her naivety. She is the author of the bestselling, multi-award-winning The Power, which was chosen as a book of the year by both Bill Gates and Barack Obama and became a TV series for Amazon Prime. Her other books include The Future, The Liars’ Gospel, The Lessons and Disobedience She is the co-creator of the fitness game and audio adventure Zombies, Run! which has more than ten million players. Naomi writes and presents Human Intelligence, a history of thinking on BBC Radio 4. Malorie Blackman (Author) Malorie Blackman has written over seventy books for children and young adults, including the Noughts &amp; Crosses series, Thief and a science-fiction thriller, Chasing the Stars. Many of her books have also been adapted for stage and television, including a BAFTA-award-winning BBC production of Pig-Heart Boy and a Pilot Theatre stage adaptation by Sabrina Mahfouz of Noughts &amp; Crosses. There is also a major BBC production of Noughts &amp; Crosses, with Roc Nation (Jay-Z's entertainment company) curating the soundtrack as executive music producer. In 2005 Malorie was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the world of children's books. In 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children's literature, and between 2013 and 2015 she was the Children's Laureate. Most recently Malorie wrote for the Doctor Who series on BBC One, and the fifth novel in her Noughts &amp; Crosses series, Crossfire, was published by Penguin Random House Children's in summer 2019. Neil Gaiman (Author) Neil Gaiman is the bestselling author of Coraline and Stardust, both of which are major motion films. Neil also co-wrote the script for Beowulf starring Anthony Hopkins and Angeline Jolie. He is the creator/writer of the award-winning Sandman comic series and has written several books for children. Charlie Higson (Author) Charlie Higson started writing when he was ten years old. After university he was a singer and painter and decorator before he started writing for television. He went on to create and star in the hugely successful comedy series The Fast Show. He is the author of the bestselling Young Bond books and the incredibly successful horror series, The Enemy. 
 
Charlie doesn't do Facebook, but you can tweet him @monstroso. Alex Scarrow (Author) Alex Scarrow used to be a rock guitarist, then he became a graphic artist, then he decided to be a computer games designer. Finally, he grew up and became an author. He has written a number of successful thrillers and several screenplays, but it's YA fiction that has allowed him to really have fun with the ideas and concepts he was playing around with designing games. Alex lives in Norwich. Richelle Mead (Author) Richelle Mead is the author of the international bestselling Vampire Academy series and Bloodlines series. A lifelong reader, Richelle has always had a particular fascination with mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, travelling, trying interesting cocktails and shopping for dresses to wear on tour. She is a self-professed coffee addict, works in her pajamas, and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington. Eoin Colfer (Author) Eoin Colfer is the megaselling author of the Artemis Fowl series, Half Moon Investigations, The Supernaturalist, Airman, The Legend of . . . books and, most recently, the WARP series. He lives with his family in Ireland. www.eoincolfer.com

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Norse Mythology

The great Norse myths, dazzlingly retold by Neil Gaiman in this full cast dramatisation

Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere (1995), Stardust (1999), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning American Gods (2001), Anansi Boys (2005), and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett, 1990), as well as the short story collections Smoke and Mirrors (1998) and Fragile Things (2006). His screenwriting credits include the original BBC TV series of Neverwhere (1996), Dave McKean’s first feature film, Mirrormask (2005), and the Doctor Who episode 'The Doctor's Wife' (2011).

A full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's magical retellings of the Norse myths, inviting us into a world of gods and monsters, tricks and trust, fiery endings and new beginnings 
 
Winner of The London Book Fair CAMEO Award 2020 for Book to Audio adaptation. 
 
'And the game begins anew…' 
 
Meet the trickster god Loki and his astonishing children – the giant wolf Fenrir, Jormungundr the snake that encircles the world, and Hel, the little girl who grows up to be Queen of the dead. Here, too, is Odin the all-father, who sacrificed his eye to see the future; Thor the thunderer, who defends Asgard with his fearsome strength and mighty hammer; and Freya the understandably angry, most beautiful of the gods and always being gambled for by unwanted suitors. 
 
From the beginning of the universe in fire and ice, to the very end of the world, Ragnarok, these enthralling tales of gods, goddesses, dwarves and giants bring the ancient myths to vigorous life. 
 
Diana Rigg, Derek Jacobi, Colin Morgan, Natalie Dormer and Neil Gaiman himself are among the stellar cast in these spellbinding stories of old betrayals – and new hope.

Anansi Boys

A gripping BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's bestselling and much-loved novel

A gripping BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's bestselling and much-loved novel 
 
When his father dies, Fat Charlie Nancy discovers that not only was the late Mr Nancy actually the god Anansi, but that he also has a long-lost brother, Spider, who is everything Fat Charlie is not. When Spider begins to take over Fat Charlie's life, flat and even his fiancée Rosie, Fat Charlie is forced to make a pact that lands him in trouble with the gods themselves... 
 
Anansi Boys is a story of love, laughter, music and murder, old gods and new tricks that takes Fat Charlie from his home in South London to Florida, the Caribbean, and the very Beginning of the World itself. Or the End of the World. Depending on which direction you’re coming from. 
 
Jacob Anderson stars as Charlie, and he has written and performed a specially commissioned song – ‘Charlie's Song’ – which forms part of the magical fabric of Anansi Boys. 
 
Dramatised for Radio 4 by the award-winning Dirk Maggs (Neverwhere, Good Omens, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), the stellar cast of this series also includes Joseph Marcell, Lenny Henry, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Adjoa Andoh,Julie Hesmondhalgh and Julian Rhind-Tutt, as well as a cameo appearance from Neil Gaiman himself.

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Stardust

A brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the bestselling novel by Neil Gaiman.

Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels ‘Neverwhere’ (1995), ‘Stardust’ (1999), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning ‘American Gods’ (2001), ‘Anansi Boys’ (2005), and ‘Good Omens’ (with Terry Pratchett, 1990), as well as the short story collections ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ (1998) and ‘Fragile Things’ (2006). His screenwriting credits include the original BBC TV series of ‘Neverwhere’ (1996), Dave McKean’s first feature film, ‘Mirrormask’ (2005), and the Doctor Who episode 'The Doctor's Wife' (2011). In 2013, The Ocean at the End of the Lane was voted Book of the Year in the British National Book Awards. A radio adaptation of Neverwhere was broadcast in March 2013, adapted by Dirk Maggs for BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra. In September 2014, Gaiman and Terry Pratchett joined forces with BBC Radio 4 to make the first ever dramatisation of their co-penned novel Good Omens.

Matthew Beard and Sophie Rundle star in a brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the bestselling novel by Neil Gaiman, narrated by Eleanor Bron. 
 
Challenged to retrieve a fallen star, Tristran Thorn leaves the sleepy English village of Wall and crosses into the land of Faerie and the realm of Stormhold. Locating the star, he discovers it is no meteorite, but a young woman, Yvaine. 
 
When Yvaine evades him and escapes, Tristran discovers he is not the only one in pursuit of the star: there are dark forces in this magical land, and he must find Yvaine before she falls into their clutches. As he does so, Tristran will uncover the secret to his own identity and a fate beyond his wildest dreams. 
 
Directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, and featuring over 35 minutes of unbroadcast material, this stunning new dramatisation boasts an extensive cast including Frances Barber, Maggie Steed, Nicholas Boulton, Blake Ritson, Bryan Dick, Charlotte Riley, Aisling Loftus, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Alex Macqueen. There are also cameo appearances by Tori Amos and Neil Gaiman. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Neil Gaiman's How the Marquis Got His Coat Back

A brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's short story.

Paterson Joseph stars as the Marquis de Carabas in this brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Neil Gaiman's spin-off short story, set in the magical world of Neverwhere. 
 
Returning us to London Below, this enchanting tale continues the story of one of the most colourful characters from Neverwhere – the cool, charming, resourceful Marquis de Carabas, who trades in favours and always has a plan... 
 
The Marquis' coat is a thing of wonder and beauty. Sleek, stylish and 'the colour of a wet street at midnight', it has numerous pockets, sumptuous sleeves and the power to transform a young sneak thief into a nobleman. 
 
And now it is missing, sold by the Sewer Folk. To reclaim it, the Marquis must venture into one of the most terrifying parts of the subterranean city, encounter an old enemy, face dreadful dangers and – worst of all – accept help from someone very close to home. 
 
Expanded and dramatised for Radio 4 by the award-winning Dirk Maggs (Neverwhere, Good Omens, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and co-directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, this spine-tingling production features a star cast including James McAvoy, Adrian Lester, Don Warrington and Bernard Cribbins, with a cameo appearance by Neil Gaiman himself. 
 
Contains 15 minutes of additional unbroadcast material. Duration: 60 mins approx.

Doctor Who: 12 Doctors 12 Stories

Twelve bestselling authors, twelve Doctors, twelve brilliant adventures in time and space for all Doctor Who fans! 
 
This collection features all twelve original Doctor Who eshort stories, covering each of the twelve Doctors and written by a selection of wonderful children's authors.

Charlie Higson (Author) Charlie Higson started writing when he was ten years old. After university he was a singer and painter and decorator before he started writing for television. He went on to create and star in the hugely successful comedy series The Fast Show. 
He is the author of the bestselling Young Bond books, and The End is the final book in his current horror series, The Enemy. 
Charlie doesn't do Facebook, but you can tweet him @monstroso. Alex Scarrow (Author) Alex Scarrow used to be a rock guitarist, then he became a graphic artist, then he decided to be a computer games designer. Finally, he grew up and became an author. He has written a number of successful thrillers and several screenplays, but it's YA fiction that has allowed him to really have fun with the ideas and concepts he was playing around with designing games. 
 
He lives in Norwich with his son, Jacob, his wife, Frances, and his Jack Russell, Max. Eoin Colfer (Author) Eoin Colfer is the megaselling author of the Artemis Fowl series, Half Moon Investigations, The Supernaturalist, Airman and The Legend of . . . books. His brilliant new series WARP is out now. Eoin lives with his family in Ireland. www.eoincolfer.com

Following on from the success of the 50th anniversary anthology, 11 Doctors 11 Stories, this highly-acclaimed collection of short Doctor Who stories contains all of the original eleven adventures plus an exciting new Twelfth Doctor story. 
 
Authors featured in this incredible collection are Eoin Colfer, Michael Scott, Marcus Sedgwick, Philip Reeve, Patrick Ness, Richelle Mead, Malorie Blackman, Alex Scarrow, Charlie Higson, Derek Landy, Neil Gaiman and Holly Black.

The BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

A full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Terry Pratchett &amp; Neil Gaiman’s celebrated apocalyptic comic novel, with bonus length episodes and outtakes.

A full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Terry Pratchett &amp; Neil Gaiman’s celebrated apocalyptic comic novel. 
 
According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday in fact. Just after Any Answers on Radio 4…. 
 
Events have been set in motion to bring about the End of Days. The armies of Good and Evil are gathering and making their way towards the sleepy English village of Lower Tadfield. The Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse - War, Famine, Pollution and Death - are assembling. 
 
Witchfinder Shadwell and his assistant Newton Pulsifier are also en route to Tadfield to investigate unusual phenomena in the area, while Anathema Device, descendent of prophetess Agnes Nutter, tries to decipher her ancestor’s cryptic predictions. 
 
Atlantis is rising; fish are falling from the sky; everything seems to be going to the Divine Plan. 
 
Everything, that is, but for an unlikely angel and demon duo, who have been living on Earth for several millennia and have become rather fond of the place. If they are to prevent Armageddon they’ve got to find and kill the one who will bring it about: the Antichrist himself. There’s just one small problem: someone seems to have mislaid him… 
 
Adapted, sound designed and co-directed by Dirk Maggs (Neverwhere, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) this first ever dramatisation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s novel features a large cast including Peter Serafinowicz, Mark Heap, Josie Lawrence and Paterson Joseph.

Those who don’t know Good Omens will be in for a treat with this audio version. Recommended.

Neil Gaiman (Author) Date: 2013-08-06 
Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere (1995), Stardust (1999), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning American Gods (2001), Anansi Boys (2005), and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett, 1990), as well as the short story collections Smoke and Mirrors (1998) and Fragile Things (2006). His screenwriting credits include the original BBC TV series of Neverwhere (1996), Dave McKean’s first feature film, Mirrormask (2005), the Doctor Who episode 'The Doctor's Wife' (2011) and, of course, the forthcoming 'Good Omens' TV series. 
 
Neil Gaiman is the creator of The Sandman comic book series and the bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere (1995), Stardust (1999), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning American Gods (2001), Coraline (2002), Anansi Boys (2005), The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013), Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett, 1990) and a retelling of the Norse myths: Norse Mythology (2017). His short story collections include Smoke and Mirrors (1998) and Fragile Things (2006). His screenwriting credits include the original BBC TV series of Neverwhere (1996), Dave McKean’s first feature film, Mirrormask (2005), two Doctor Who episodes, and Good Omens (2019). Terry Pratchett (Author) Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any. 
 
 www.terrypratchettbooks.com

**Neil Gaiman was the WINNER of the BBC Audio Drama Award 2015 for Outstanding Contribution to Radio Drama** 
 
A full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Terry Pratchett &amp; Neil Gaiman’s celebrated apocalyptic comic novel, with bonus length episodes and outtakes. 
 
According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday in fact. Just after Any Answers on Radio 4…. 
 
Events have been set in motion to bring about the End of Days. The armies of Good and Evil are gathering and making their way towards the sleepy English village of Lower Tadfield. The Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse - War, Famine, Pollution and Death - are assembling. 
 
Witchfinder Shadwell and his assistant Newton Pulsifier are also en route to Tadfield to investigate unusual phenomena in the area, while Anathema Device, descendent of prophetess Agnes Nutter, tries to decipher her ancestor’s cryptic predictions. 
 
Atlantis is rising; fish are falling from the sky; everything seems to be going to the Divine Plan. 
Everything, that is, but for an unlikely angel and demon duo, who have been living on Earth for several millennia and have become rather fond of the place. If they are to prevent Armageddon they’ve got to find and kill the one who will bring it about: the Antichrist himself. There’s just one small problem: someone seems to have mislaid him… 
 
Adapted, sound designed and co-directed by Dirk Maggs (Neverwhere, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) this first ever dramatisation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s novel features a large cast including Peter Serafinowicz, Mark Heap, Josie Lawrence and Paterson Joseph.

Eleventh Doctor

Doctor Who: Nothing O'Clock

Eleven Doctors, eleven months, eleven stories: a year-long celebration of Doctor Who! The most exciting names in children's fiction each create their own unique adventure about the time-travelling Time Lord. 
 
Thousands of years ago, Time Lords built a Prison for the Kin. They made it utterly impregnable and unreachable. As long as Time Lords existed, the Kin would be trapped forever and the universe would be safe. They had planned for everything . . . everything, that is, other than the Time War and the fall of Gallifrey. Now the Kin are free again and there's only one Time Lord left in the universe who can stop them! 
 
Author Neil Gaiman puts his own unique spin on the Doctor's amazing adventures through time and space in the eleventh and final story in the bestselling 50th anniversary series!

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisation

Neverwhere

A BBC Radio six-part adaptation of Neil Gaiman's bestselling novel, starring James McAvoy as Richard and Natalie Dormer as Door.

Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere... An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into the strange world of London Below. There he meets the Earl of Earl's Court, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with the Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington. Accompanied by the mysterious Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family - all the while trying to get back to his old life in London Above. Adapted for radio by the award-winning Dirk Maggs, this captivating dramatisation features a stellar cast including David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head and David Schofield. Contains over 25 minutes of additional unbroadcast material, including extended scenes, bloopers and outtakes. 
 
 
©2013 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2013 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Nobody anticipated the impact the BBC’s 2013 adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s cult novel by the same name would have… the production was a smash hit with Gaiman fans and non-fans alike, propelling the audio play into the public eye and showing just how exciting the form can be.

Maggs... does soundscapes after the manner of Turner painting sea storms. In Neverwhere when Benedict Cumberbatch flew you heard, saw and felt his angel’s wings rise.

funny but haunting... black humour and deft characterisations

Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere (1995), Stardust (1999), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning American Gods (2001), Anansi Boys (2005), and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett, 1990), as well as the short story collections Smoke and Mirrors (1998) and Fragile Things (2006). His screenwriting credits include the original BBC TV series of Neverwhere (1996), Dave McKean’s first feature film, Mirrormask (2005), and the Doctor Who episode 'The Doctor's Wife' (2011).

Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere... An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into the strange world of London Below. There he meets the Earl of Earl's Court, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with the Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington. Accompanied by the mysterious Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family - all the while trying to get back to his old life in London Above. Adapted for radio by the award-winning Dirk Maggs, this captivating dramatisation features a stellar cast including David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head and David Schofield. Contains over 25 minutes of additional unbroadcast material, including extended scenes, bloopers and outtakes. 
 
 
 ©2013 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2013 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Neil Gaiman

Gwendoline Christie

Ralph Ineson

Penelope Wilton

Full Cast

A brand new BBC Radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's award-winning fairytale, merging Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to enchanting effect 
 
In a mountain kingdom far away, a young queen prepares for her wedding, believing her future is sealed. But when three dwarves bring news of a sleeping sickness sweeping across her realm, she knows she cannot stand by and do nothing. As a girl, she survived her own long, magical sleep, so she must try to turn back this new plague and save her people. 
 
Abandoning her bridal finery, she dons her armour instead, and rides out to a castle at the very heart of the sleeping lands. There, she finds a beautiful princess, sound asleep, and a very old woman, forever awake. With no handsome prince in sight, the queen wakes the princess in the traditional way - but things are not as they seem, and it will take more than a kiss to ensure everyone lives happily ever after... 
 
Penelope Wilton, Gwendoline Christie, Ralph Ineson and Neil Gaiman himself are among the star cast in this captivating fable of love, loss, hope and destiny. 
 
This release is an extended cut of the story broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and features an exclusive introduction from Neil Gaiman. 
 
 
Credits 
Written by Neil Gaiman 
Adapted by Katie Hims 
Directed and produced by Allegra McIlroy 
 
Recorded remotely by Sharon Hughes and John Benton 
Sound design by Sharon Hughes 
 
A BBC Audio North Production 
 
Cast 
The Narrator/The Old Woman - Dame Penelope Wilton 
The Queen - Gwendoline Christie 
The Home Secretary - Neil Gaiman 
The First Dwarf - Ralph Ineson 
The Second Dwarf - Stefan Adegbola 
The Third Dwarf/The Prince/The Tinker/The Woodcutter - Ian Dunnett Jnr 
The Pot Girl/The Young Girl/The Mother - Cecilia Appiah 
The Maid/The Other Woman/The Stepmother - Emma Handy 
The Father/The Inn Keeper/The Bandit - Roger Ringrose 
The Child - Milton Dighton 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2020

Neil Gaiman

Books by Neil Gaiman

Series by Neil Gaiman

Doctor Who46 Books

Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Short Stories11 Books

Neil Gaiman Full-Cast Radio Adaptations7 Books

Articles featuring Neil Gaiman

‘At his best, Terry was a teacher’: Why we love Terry Pratchett

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter