Arne Næss

Arnold Bennett was born in Staffordshire on 27 May 1867, the son of a solicitor. Rather than following his father into the law, Bennett moved to London at the age of twenty-one and began a career in writing . His first novel, The Man from the North, was published in 1898 during a spell as editor of a periodical - throughout his life journalism supplemented his writing career. In 1902 Bennett moved to Paris, married, and published some of his best known novels, most of which were set in The Potteries district where he grew up: Anna of the Five Towns (1902), The Old Wives Tale (1908), and the Clayhanger series (1910-1918). These works, as well as several successful plays, established him both in Europe and America as one of the most popular and acclaimed writers of his era. Bennett returned to England in 1912, and during the First World War worked for Lord Beaverbrook in the Ministry of Information. In 1921, separated from his first wife, he fell in love with an actress, Dorothy Cheston, with whom he had a child. He received the James Tait Black Award for his novel Riceyman Steps in 1923. Arnold Bennett died of typhoid in London on 27 March 1931.

Arnold Bennett

Arnold Evans

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a global icon: a titan of public life, sports, and entertainment. An immigrant with few resources, except those that really mattered: a vision, a fire in the belly, and an undeniable charisma, his story is one of classic inspiration and the power of the American dream. He is known all over the globe for his many accomplishments: world-champion bodybuilder, Hollywood action hero, successful businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, best-selling author, and California's 38th Governor. 
 
 
This world-famous athlete and actor was born in Thal, Austria in 1947, and by the age of 20 was dominating the sport of competitive bodybuilding, becoming the youngest person ever to win the Mr. Universe title. With his sights set on Hollywood, he emigrated to America in 1968, and went on to win five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles before retiring to dedicate himself to acting. His big break came in 1982 when the sword and sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian hit box office gold, and in 1984, Schwarzenegger blew up the screen as the title character in James Cameron's sci-fi thriller, The Terminator. To date his films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide. 
 
 
In 2003, Schwarzenegger became the 38th Governor of the State of California in a historic recall election, and as governor ushered in an era of innovative leadership and extraordinary public service. His legacy includes California's status as a world leader in renewable energy innovation, technological development and deployment, and he has been rewarded for his great leadership and vision many times over in many arenas, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center's "National Leadership Award" and the American Council On Renewable Energy's "Renewable Energy Leader of the Decade." 
 
But it is Schwarzenegger's commitment to giving something back to his state and to his country through public service that gives him the most satisfaction; donating his time, energy, and personal finances to serving others all over the world. Schwarzenegger acts as Chairman of the After School All-Stars, a nationwide after-school program, and serves as coach and international torch bearer for Special Olympics. Since leaving office, also Schwarzenegger co-founded the R20 Regions of Climate Action, a global non-profit dedicated to helping subnational governments develop, implement, and communicate the importance of low-carbon and climate resilient projects as well as their economic benefits.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Thomas Fanning

Arnold Yarrow

Arnon Grunberg was born in Amsterdam in 1971. He was kicked out of school at seventeen and started his own publishing company, specializing in non-Aryan German literature, at the age of nineteen. His first novel, Blue Mondays, written at the age of twenty-three, became a bestseller in Europe, won the Anton Wachter Prize. His second novel, Silent Extras was similarly successful, and Phantom Pain, his third, won the AKO Prize, the Dutch Booker Prize. Writing under the name Marek van der Jagt, Grunberg published The History of My Baldness, which won him the Anton Wachter Prize for the second time, a prize for the best debut novel of the last two years. He is the only novelist in the history of this prize to have won it twice. Arnon Grunberg lives in New York City.

Arnon Grunberg

Arnost Lustig

Arounna Khounnoraj is a Canadian artist and maker based in Toronto. In 2002 she started Bookhou, a multi-disciplinary studio with her husband John Booth, together they explore a variety of printing and embroidery techniques through making utilitarian objects such as bags, home goods and textiles. She has previously published Punch Needle (2019), Visible Mending (2020), Embroidery (2022) and Winter Celebrations (2023) with Quadrille.

Arounna Khounnoraj

Arrian

Art Baltazar is a super-cartoonist machine from the heart of Chicago! He’s all about peace, love, and joy. He defines cartoons and comics not only as an art style but as a way of life. Artie is a creative force behind the Eisner Award–winning Itty Bitty Hellboy and the New York Times bestselling and Eisner and Harvey award-winning DC Comics’ Tiny Titans, and artist of the DC Super-Pets children’s book series.

Art Baltazar

Art Balthazar

Art Friedman

Art Spiegelman has been a staff artist and contributing editor at the New Yorker, as well as the cofounder/coeditor of RAW, the acclaimed magazine of avant-garde comics and graphics. In addition to Maus - which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and twice nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award - he is the author of Breakdowns and In the Shadow of No Towers. In September 2022, the National Book Foundation announced that he would receive the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in New York City with his wife, Françoise Mouly, and a cat named Voodoo.

Art Spiegelman

Artemis Cooper

Arthur B Reeve

Arthur Bloch is an American writer and the author of the Murphy's Law books. Since 1986 he has been the producer and director of the Thinking Allowed PBS television series.

Arthur Bloch

Arthur Brand is one of the world's most prominent art detectives, recovering lost treasures such as Hitler’s horses, and paintings by Dali and Picasso. The total value of the cases solved by Brand is estimated at over 220 million euros.

Arthur Brand

Arthur C. Brooks is a professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on happiness and leadership. He is the creator of the popular ‘How to Build a Life’ column at The Atlantic, an acclaimed public speaker and the author of numerous bestselling books, including Build the Life You Want (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey), From Strength to Strength and Love Your Enemies.

Arthur C Brooks

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was born in Edinburgh where he  qualified as a doctor, but it was his writing which brought him fame,  with the creation of Sherlock Holmes, the first scientific detective. He  was also a convert to spiritualism and a social reformer who used his  investigative skills to prove the innocence of individuals.

Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Cotterall

Arthur Cotterell

Arthur De Vany

Arthur Golden

Arthur Guirdham

***TEST17/12/2019***-***TEST3/10***Arthur Hailey was born in England and began his writing career while an RAF pilot during the Second World War.  After the war he lived and wrote in Canada, becoming a Canadian citizen as well as British; he also lived briefly in the United States.  For the past twenty-six years Arthur Hailey and his wife Sheila have made their home in the Bahamas.  Hailey's novels include the bestselling Hotel, Strong Medicine, Airport, In High Places, The Final Diagnosis and Detective and have been published in thirty-nine languages; an estimated 160 million copies are in print worldwide.  Most of his books have been made into films or TV series.

Arthur Hailey

Arthur Hall

Arthur Herman

Arthur Hughes

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Paul Magrs

In a distant galaxy, the Tsar and Tsarina rule over the Robotov Empire from the safety of their palace, whilst human workers tend the power plants on satellite moons. When the Doctor arrives with Mrs Wibbsey, his identity is immediately mistaken, and the Tsarina believes that her old ally, Father Gregory, has returned. But when the Palace comes under attack, the Tsar suspects him of treachery. Meanwhile, Mrs Wibbsey discovers that dark secrets are lurking in the shadows of one satellite moon. Far more than mere human rebellion is being planned, and Father Gregory is not operating alone. His actions will set off a chain of events with long-lasting consequences for the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey... With Tom Baker as the Doctor, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey, Michael Jayston as the Tsar, Suzy Aitchison as the Tsarina, Simon Shepherd as Boolin, Sam Hoare as Lucius, and Paul Chequer, Grant Gillespie and Gabriel Vick as the Servo Robots and the rebels, Tsar Wars is the first of five linked stories written by Paul Magrs.

Doctor Who Serpent Crest 1: Tsar Wars

Oli Smith

November 9th, 1965. New York City is plunged into darkness, a taxi driver has bad dreams, and an invisible spacecraft hovers ominously above the skyline.   As an extra-terrestrial disease sweeps the populace, Amy and Rory must sabotage the city’s water supply to slow the spread of infection, and a dying Doctor holds another man’s life in his hands.  With the death toll rising, and his companions stalked through the streets by alien businessmen, the Doctor is forced to make a terrible decision. How far must he go to save his friends?  Written specially for audio by Oli Smith, 'Blackout' features the Doctor, Amy and Rory as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the acclaimed hit series from BBC Television. It is read by Stuart Milligan, who played President Nixon in the 2011 TV episodes ‘The Impossible Astronaut’ and ‘Day of the Moon’.

Doctor Who: Blackout

Simon Passmore

A fast-paced psychological thriller from BBC Radio 4's 'Saturday Play' slot, originally broadcast 26 March 2011.  A city banker is found dead in an opulent apartment. At the funeral, his former girlfriend Helen is unexpectedly questioned about when she last saw him. Did he mention computer files, or give her anything as a keepsake? Helen's suspicions mount as she retraces his last movements. Her discoveries put her in the firing line...  A taut, character-driven conspiracy thriller, writhing with twists and heavy on menace, by one of radio's leading writers of thrillers, Simon Passmore. 'Leverage' stars Claire Foy, Blake Ritson, Charlie Cox, Sally Orrock, Joanna Monro, Nyasha Hatendi and Sean Baker.

Leverage (BBC Radio 4 The Saturday Play)

David Eldridge

A BBC Radio 3 production from the 'Drama on 3' series exploring the idea of a fascism of the mind.Nigel is bored. But then he meets the glamorous Liv and Tony and becomes part of their beautiful world; a beauty that hides a disturbing secretDavid Eldridge's 'The Secret Grief' stars Paul Chequer as Nigel, Frances Barber as Liv, and David Schofield as Tony. Also featured amongst the cast are Struan Rodger, Alex Tregear, Stuart McLoughlin and Nyasha Hatendi.

The Secret Grief

Julia Blackburn

A BBC Radio 4 drama of mesmerising delicacy from Julia Blackburn, winner of the Pen Ackerley prize for memoir 2009, and daughter of poet Thomas Blackburn. Originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 29 March 2011.  Thomas Blackburn was an alcoholic before he became a poet, but in spite of his drunken rages, his erratic behaviour and his crazy obsession with death, Julia always knew that he loved her. She learnt the transforming power of words from him, and she clung to them, a life raft in a stormy sea. 'Find the metaphor, darling!' he'd say, 'and when you've got that, you're on the way towards facing whatever it is that needs to be faced!'  Julia is older now than her father ever became, and here is her son Daniel, about to get married. She worries about the impression she has given Daniel of his grandfather. There are no aunts or uncles to give a different twist on Thomas' life so it has all come from her: stories of bad behaviour and drunken excess, told to make Daniel laugh with disbelief but not to bring him closer to the man who was his grandfather. And what has Daniel inherited as well as that lanky body and those bushy eyebrows? Could there be a locked box of trouble somewhere inside him, a smouldering present from the past?  'The Spellbound Horses' stars Diana Quick as Julia, David Troughton as Tommy and Martin Bonger as Daniel. Also featured amongst the cast are Sally Orrock, Jacqueline Tong and Brian Bowles.

The Spellbound Horses

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

James Goss

Rupert Laight

Ryan Scott

Three radio plays featuring Captain Jack, Ianto, Gwen and Rhys. The Devil and Miss Carew sees Gwen and Rhys involved in a nursing home mystery. Why is Miss Carew, an octogenarian with terminal heart disease, suddenly looking so fit and healthy? And what is her connection with the mysterious power cuts that are sweeping the nation? Written by Rupert Laight. Submission finds the Torchwood team heading for the bottom of the sea - the Mariana Trench - after they intercept a distress call. But when the submarine they are on crashes, they find themselves at the mercy of a hungry alien... Written by Ryan Scott. The House of the Dead sees a special séance being held at the most haunted pub in Wales. The House of the Dead is about to close, and many regulars have turned up on the last night in the hope of seeing their deceased loved ones. But then the ghosts start arriving - and all hell breaks loose... Written by James Goss.

Torchwood: The Lost Files Complete Series

Noël Coward

Laura Jesson is a happily married woman until a chance encounter in a train station café draws her to Dr Alec Harvey. Literally bumping into each other brings temptation, danger and guilt into their lives, and a doomed love affair ensues...   A classic love story, 'Brief Encounter' was made into a much-loved and hugely successful film in 1945, starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.   This 2009 adaptation is faithful to Coward's original screenplay and features a distinguished cast including Jenny Seagrove and Nigel Havers.

Brief Encounter

The year is 1861, and the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey find themselves in the right place at the wrong time. At the rectory they encounter the ill-tempered Reverend Dobbs and his young ward Andrew, whose paper faces hide whatever horrors lie beneath. Tutoring him is one Mr Bewley, whom Mrs Wibbsey is startled to recognise. In Hexford Woods, the Doctor uncovers a secret which Andrew and his friends have been keeping. As the truth begins to emerge about the rectory's occupants, it also becomes clear why so many people have disappeared from the village. Unless the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey can help, the whole village will soon be terrorised by a child's imagination... With Tom Baker as the Doctor, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey, Terrence Hardiman as the Reverend Dobbs, Joanna David as Mrs Audley, Guy Harvey as Andrew, Simon Shepherd as Mr Bewley, Charlie Mitchell as Jake, Elinor Coleman as Sally, Geoff Leesley as Harold and Su Douglas as the Cook, The Broken Crown is the second of five linked stories written by Paul Magrs.

Doctor Who Serpent Crest 2: The Broken Crown

Victor Pemberton

In the dark, uncharted depths of the North Sea it has lurked, growing in strength, growing in size, and striking terror into the hearts of mariners down the untold centuries.   Landing near a North Sea gas refinery off the east coast of England, the TARDIS crew are immediately accused of sabotage. Several rig crews have mysteriously vanished, strange pressure build-ups have been detected, and in the refinery’s pipelines the Doctor can hear the steady, rhythmic beat of – what?   Soon the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria will find themselves at the unrelenting mercy of the deadliest and most terrifying foe they have ever encountered...   David Troughton reads Victor Pemberton’s complete and unabridged novelisation, first published by Target Books in 1986.

Doctor Who: Fury From The Deep (Classic Novels)

Jonathan Morris

‘The past is like a foreign country. Nice to visit, but you really wouldn’t want to live there.’ 
 
In 2003, Rebecca Whitaker died in a road accident. Her husband Mark is still grieving. He receives a battered envelope, posted eight years ago, containing a set of instructions with a simple message: ‘You can save her.’ As Mark is given the chance to save Rebecca, it’s up to the Doctor, Amy and Rory to save the whole world. Because this time the Weeping Angels are using history itself as a weapon. 
 
Touched by an Angel features the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television. A complete and unabridged reading by Clare Corbett.

Doctor Who: Touched By An Angel

Alan Ayckbourn

Christmas is the season of good cheer and harmony among men, but things are not working out quite that way in the Bunker household. As a motley collection of friends and relatives fill the house with their own wishes, dreams and attitudes, the stage is set for seasonal disharmony and romantic intrigue. It’s Christmas Eve and while Belinda is rushing around decorating the tree and seeing to all the guests and their needs, Eddie and Pattie are having a serious bust-up. Added to all of this, Bernard is conducting a chaotic rehearsal of his annual gift for the children - a puppet show of The Three Little Pigs - as his wife, Phyllis gets quietly sloshed in the kitchen on the cooking wine. Then something disastrous occurs...

Season's Greetings

John le Carré

In the third year of perestroika, London publisher Barley Blair is sent a manuscript from Moscow. Exposing Russian nuclear threats as a sham, the information - if it’s genuine - could shatter East-West relations. Jazz-loving, hard-drinking Blair is hardly the spymasters’ idea of the perfect agent, yet they are forced to send him to Moscow to make contact. But the Cold War thaws when Barley meets Katya, the beautiful Russian intermediary who is equally sceptical of state ideology. Mere pawns in a deadly game of international espionage, they nevertheless represent the breakdown of hostilities and a future which poses a huge threat to the entrenched professionals on both sides... Both a gripping spy saga and a poignant love story, The Russia House delivers all the excitement and tension expected from the master of espionage fiction. This BBC Radio 4 adaptation was dramatised by René Basilico.

The Russia House

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

Paul Finch

‘There’s no end to the horror in this place - it’s like Hell, and there are devils round every corner.’ On Leisure Platform 9 gamblers and villains mix with socialites and celebrities. It’s a place where you won’t want to win the wrong game. With Rory kidnapped by a brutal crime lord, the Doctor and Amy infiltrate a deadly contest where fugitives become the hunted. But how long before they realise the Doctor isn’t a vicious mercenary and discover what Amy is up to? It’s a game that can only end in death, and time for everyone is running out. Hunter’s Moon features the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television. A complete and unabridged reading by Arthur Darvill.

Doctor Who: Hunter's Moon

Christopher Reason

The second linked drama dealing with the fall out of the case of Debbie Hurst who was vilified as the most repulsive woman in Britain for allowing her ten year old daughter to dance semi-naked on the internet for paedophiles. It is six months since the case exploded on to the red tops and Joanne was the social worker who took the flak. She feels as though she was hung out to dry and wants to know why.



Every Child Matters

‘The Dead are not alone. There is something in the mist and it talks to them.’ In a remote clinic in 18th-century Italy, a lonely girl writes to her mother. She tells of pale English aristocrats and mysterious Russian nobles. She tells of intrigues and secrets, and strange faceless figures that rise from the sea. And she tells about the enigmatic Mrs Pond, who arrives with her husband and her physician. What she doesn’t tell her mother is the truth that everyone knows and no one says - that the only people who come here do so to die... A complete and unabridged reading by Clare Corbett.

Doctor Who: Dead Of Winter

When Lord Woolcroft and his team break open the fabled Tomb of Artemis, sealed for thousands of years, they are astonished by what they find inside... The Doctor and Amy have come to Smyrna in 1929 to investigate a mystery. The Doctor knows that something very bad happened there: something that caused a lot of people to die and an entire, magnificent Temple to be found and then immediately lost again. But he doesn't know what is picking off the archaeologists one by one, or how it is connected to the terrifying howling in the night. And as he and Amy get closer to the terrible truth behind an ancient evil, he begins to wish he'd never found out. Written specially for audio by James Goss, and read by Matt Smith as the Doctor and Clare Corbett as Helen Stapleton, The Hounds of Artemis features the Doctor and Amy Pond as played by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in the acclaimed hit series from BBC Television.

Doctor Who: The Hounds Of Artemis

David Fisher

Susan Engel reads this novelisation of a classic Doctor Who serial featuring the Fourth Doctor, Romana and K9. 
 
When the Doctor, Romana and K9 arrive on Bodcombe Moor, they meet the elderly Professor Rumford and her friend Vivien Fay. From them they learn the chequered history of the stones, and of the inhabitants of the nearby manor house - currently one Leonard de Vries, leader of a druidic sect. But all is not as it seems, and soon the Doctor and his companions are enmeshed in a deadly web of deceit. 
 
Powerful creatures rampage across the moor, and the nature of a long family line is called into question. Romana is trapped by a cunning enemy, and time is running out for the Doctor and K9... 
 
Now published in paperback by BBC Books, David Fisher's novelisation is read by Susan Engel, who played Vivien Fay in the 1978 BBC TV serial, with John Leeson as the voice of K9. 
 
©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Doctor Who: The Stones Of Blood

Ali Taylor

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama starring James Alexandrou (Martin Fowler, 'EastEnders'), originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 7 December 2010.  Giant. Upstairs. Ten quid a look. A touchingly real and comically disingenuous story about the awkwardness of being misshapen, and the misery of not fitting in.  Starring James Alexandrou as Liam, Candassaie Liburd as Ethel and Marcella Riordan as Pat. Also featured in the cast are Julia Deakin, Sophie Pemberton, Manjeet Mann and Inam Mirza. Written by Ali Taylor and directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

Eight Feet High And Rising

Lee Hall

Jimmy Spud is Newcastle's only trainee angel, determined to solve cosmic mysteries and save his father from the grip of lung cancer. By the author of Billy Elliott.Written by Lee Hall. Lee Hall has asserted his moral rights (including the right to be identified as the author) in the Work. All rights reserved. Applications for performance or other use should be made to Judy Daish Associates Limited, 2 St Charles Place, London W10 6EG.

I Luv You Jimmy Spud

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

The listener response to this play when it was first broadcast as part of the 'God’s Country' series was overwhelming and it has gone on to become an audio bestseller.Performed by Becky Simpson, Spoonface is a young autistic Jewish girl who, learning that she is terminally ill, contemplates the meaning of life and death in a dramatic monologue interwoven with operatic extracts from the magical voice of Maria Callas.It was awarded Best Drama and Talkie of the Year at the 1997 Talkie Awards and was described by Gillian Reynolds in the Daily Telegraph as ‘Funny, intense and poetic’. By the author of Billy Elliott.Written by Lee Hall. Lee Hall has asserted his moral rights (including the right to be identified as the author) in the Work. All rights reserved. Applications for performance or other use should be made to Judy Daish Associates Limited, 2 St Charles Place, London W10 6EG.

Spoonface Steinberg

Martin Jameson

A contemporary BBC Radio 3 drama about the events that occur to a man after he snaps one day at work. 'The First Day of the Rest of My Life' stars Jonathan Keeble as the protagonist, and was originally broadcast as part of 'The Wire' collection of dramas on 10 October 2009, and repeated on 2 October 2010.  Toby has a bad day at work on the phones for Careless, the household cover people. When an angry customer pushes him too far, he snaps and tells him to have a heart attack and die. The next morning he wakes up as Dr Richard Jugg. And the next day as a homeless person called Deke. How are these events connected? And where will this nightmarish journey end?  'The Wire' is BBC Radio 3's showcase for works that push the boundaries of drama and narrative. 'The First Day of the Rest of My Life' features Jonathan Keeble as Toby, Richard, Deke and Clive; Andonis James Anthony as Craig and Scott; and Armand Beasley as Tariq and Naz. Also included in the cast are Sue Jenkins, Melissa Jane Sinden and Catherine Kinsella. Directed by Gary Brown.

The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life

Magnus Pym, Counsellor at the British Embassy, is hosting a dinner party at his home in Vienna when he receives an unexpected telephone call that will profoundly affect his life. Once the guests have gone, Pym breaks the news to his wife, Mary: his father, Rick, is dead. In a state of shock, he says something Mary cannot understand - 'After all these years, I'm free.'   Magnus flies back to England to attend the funeral - and doesn't return. As Mary and MI6 spymaster Jack Brotherhood desperately try to find out his whereabouts, it soon becomes clear that Pym has been keeping secrets from both his family and his employers, the British Intelligence Service.   Hiding out in a remote cottage in Devon, where he goes by the name of Mr Canterbury, Magnus begins to write his memoirs - retracing his rise and fall and revealing how Rick led him step by step into a double life of deception, broken promises and betrayal...   This recording, adapted from the John le Carré novel by Rene Basilico, was believed lost from the BBC archive, but was rediscovered after almost twenty years and restored.

A Perfect Spy

Terrance Dicks

Inferno is the name of a top-secret drilling project to penetrate the Earth's crust and release a major new energy source.   A crisis develops when a noxious green liquid leaks out as drilling progresses - the green poison has a grotesquely debilitating effect on human beings.   As the Earth's plight worsens, the Doctor is trapped in a parallel world, unable to rescue the planet and its inhabitants from the destructive force of Inferno...   Caroline John, who played Liz Shaw in the original Doctor Who TV serial, reads Terrance Dicks' complete and unabridged novelisation, first published by Target Books in 1984.  'BBC Audiobooks has chosen well with its books and has taken the right approach with its readers... they benefit from new music and sound effects.' - Doctor Who Magazine.

Doctor Who: Inferno

Gary Mitchell

A BBC Radio 3 play by Gary Mitchell about music, friendship and politics. ‘Echoes of War’ moves between present day Belfast and the last 20 years, and explores the loose ends left by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Originally broadcast as part of the ‘Drama on 3’ series on 18 January 2009.  Hugh, a music teacher, has had an accident and is visited in hospital by his talented pupil Charlie and his wife Sharon. He looks back on how their relationships evolved over the years as working-class Protestants feel increasingly marginalised by political change.  Stars B.J. Hogg as Hugh and Stuart Graham as Charlie. Also features Alexandra Ford, Patrick Jenkins and James Doran in the cast. With the musicians Ivan Gilliland, Rod McVey, David Quinn and Mark Wilson. Directed and produced by Roland Jaquarello.

Echoes Of War

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

J B Priestley

The Birling family are spending a happy evening celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft - a marriage that will result in the merging of two successful local businesses.  Yet just when everything seems to be going so well, they receive a surprise visit from an Inspector Goole who is investigating the suicide of a young girl.   As the Inspector reveals more about the circumstances that led to the death of Eva Smith, each member of the family comes under the spotlight, and questions of guilt and responsibility are raised...   Toby Jones, David Calder, Frances Barber and Morven Christie are amongst the cast in this BBC Radio 4 production from 2010.   The Classic Radio Theatre range presents notable radio productions of much-loved plays by some of the most renowned playwrights, and starring some of our finest actors.

An Inspector Calls (Classic Radio Theatre)

Matthew Solon

Written by Matthew Solon. This BBC Radio 4 'Saturday Play' tells the story of the tense negotiation that followed the 2010 general election, which led to the country's first post-war coalition.  Based on interviews with those who were at the meetings, political journalists and on published material - and using actors to play all the key characters - this is a compelling account of those five momentous days in May.  Under extreme pressure and suffering from lack of sleep, the politicians argued and negotiated. There was nothing inevitable about a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. Revealing key moments of the negotiations, the drama unpicks what went on behind closed doors and shows how an alliance between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats gradually formed, and how it withstood the resignation of Gordon Brown.  Based on painstaking research, this is a must-listen 60-minute play. It’s a compelling and entertaining account by award-winning writer Matthew Solon of the most extraordinary British election outcome in 70 years.  Starring Samuel West as David Cameron, Nicholas Boulton as Nick Clegg and Gerard Kelly as Gordon Brown. Also included in the cast are Henry Goodman (Peter Mandelson), John Sessions (Ed Balls), Philip Jackson (William Hague), Emun Elliot (Danny Alexander), Anthony Calf (David Laws), Rupert Frazer (Chris Huhne), Ian Hughes (George Osborne), Charlotte Longfield and Wilf Gilmour.   Produced and directed by John Dryden.  A Goldhawk Essential Production for BBC Radio 4.

Five Days In May

Raymond Chandler

Fast-talking, trouble-seeking private eye Philip Marlowe is a different kind of detective: a moral man in an amoral world. California in the ’40s and ’50s is as beautiful as a ripe fruit and rotten to the core, and Marlowe must struggle to retain his integrity amidst the corruption he encounters daily. In Playback, Marlowe is awakened early in the morning by a phone call from a lawyer. Clyde Umney instructs him to meet the eight o’clock train from Chicago, and shadow one of the passengers. The lady in question, Eleanor King, is beautiful, classy and clearly unhappy. Obediently, Marlowe follows her – all the way to Esmerelda, where she’s going under the name Betty Mayfield and being leaned on by a cheap blackmailer. Stuck doing a sneaky job for people he doesn’t like, Marlowe feels even grubbier than usual: and he’s soon in more trouble than usual too as he comes up against gangsters, hard men and a hitman... Starring Toby Stephens, this exciting dramatisation retains all the verve of Chandler’s last novel.

Playback

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