Abilio Estévez

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

Abir Mukherjee

Abolqasem Ferdowsi

Abraham Lincoln

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

Abraham Newman

Abraham Verghese

Absolut Vodka

Ad Putter

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

Ada Moncrieff

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

Adam Aleksic

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

Adam Alter

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

Adam Balen

Adam Baron

Adam Bornstein

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

Adam Brookes

Adam Buxton

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

Adam Christopher

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

Adam Foulds

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

Adam Fox

Adam Frost

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

Adam Galinsky

Adam Glasser

Adam Goodfellow

Adam Goodwin

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

Adam Grant

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

Adam Guillain

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

Adam Hamdy

Adam Hart-Davis

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

Adam Haslett

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Ian Serraillier

A BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of Ian Serraillier’s classic wartime story. 
 
When the Germans march into Poland in 1941, the Balickis’ happy family life is shattered. With their parents taken away by Nazis, Ruth, Edek and Bronia are forced to fend for themselves in the dangerous, war-ravaged city of Warsaw. 
 
When Edek is captured too, the girls are desperate. Then they meet orphaned street urchin Jan, who carries with him a talisman of hope: a silver sword paperknife that they recognise as having belonged to their mother. 
 
Realising that their parents may still be alive, Ruth and Bronia set off on an epic journey to Switzerland to search for them. With Jan by their side, they are determined to reunite the family – and their first step is to find Edek. But the road ahead is full of danger and hardship, and they will facemany challenges along the way... 
 
This moving story of friendship, courage and solidarity brings to life the reality of a Europe laid waste by war. 
 
Cast: 
Ruth - Sarah McDonald Hughes 
Edek - Stephen Hoyle 
Bronia - Hester Cox 
Jan - Aqib Khan 
Margaret/Irka/Mrs Wolff - Maggie Fox 
Joseph/German 1/Mr Wolff - Malcolm Raeburn 
Ivan - David Fleeshman 
Soldier/American GI - Andrew Blake 
Doctor - Lloyd Peters 
Cook/Mrs Borowicz - Szilvi Naray Davey 
The Burgomaster/Captain Malinowski - Jonathan Keeble 
 
Adapted by Chris Wallis. 
Produced and directed by Charlotte Riches.

The Silver Sword

A BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation

Jules Verne

Jules Verne's two novels featuring Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island), condensed down to two thrilling hours. 
 
In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Marine scientist Professor Aronnax and his stowaway daughter Connie join whaler Ned Land aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to hunt an aggressive sea monster, believed to be a giant narwhale. When they engage the monster, they find to their astonish&shy;ment it's an electrically-powered submarine, the Nautilus, techno&shy;logically far superior to any vessel known. They are rescued by the ship's enigmatic captain, Nemo... 
 
In The Mysterious Island, military engineer Cyrus Smith, his freed slave Neb, and reporter Grace Spilett - flee the besieged city of Richmond in a balloon. Their vessel is caught in a vast storm and blown thousands of miles until it crashes on a remote Pacific island. But they soon realise that they are not alone on the island... 
 
Cast of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 
Captain Nemo - Sagar Arya 
Professor Pierre Aronnax - Neil McCaul 
Miss Connie Aronnax - Madeline Hatt 
Ned Land - David Seddon 
Captain Farragut - Philip Bretherton 
 
Cast of The Mysterious Island 
Cyrus Harding - Nathan Osgood 
Grace Spilett - Kerry Gooderson 
Neb - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong 
Tom Ayrton - Rupert Holliday Evans 
Captain Nemo - Sagar Arya

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea & The Mysterious Island

Two BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Katie Hims

Shaun McKenna

Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Sarah Daniels

Richard Monks

Lucy Catherine

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

Home Front: The Complete BBC Radio Collection Volume 1

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

Home Front: The Complete BBC Radio Collection Volume 2

Series 11-15 of the major BBC Radio 4 drama charting life on the home front during the First World War – plus special extended episode Home Front: A Fragile Peace 
 
First heard on radio between 4 August 2014 and 9 November 2018, each episode of Home Front is set exactly one hundred years before the broadcast date, and each follows one character’s day. Together they create a mosaic of experience from a wide cross-section of society, mixing historical fact with enthralling fiction to explore how ordinary people coped with daily life in wartime Britain. 
 
Back in Folkestone, the residents are dealing with the after-effects of a devastating air raid. Howard Argent is kept busy at the Bevan, while Ulysses Pilchard experiments with electro-shock therapy. Meanwhile, women’s suffrage, prostitution and unmarried mothers are hot topics, and Kitty Lumley experiences the sharp end of intolerance. 
 
In Tyneside, ripples from the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution lead to a rise in union activity, and the factory faces the threat of strike action from the munitionettes. 
 
And in Devon, women, children and prisoners of war are being put to work on the land. With Britain on the brink of starvation, summer 1918’s harvest is crucial – but conscientious objectors, unwilling or unable to help, arouse fury. 
 
As the Great War moves towards its end, can the wounded communities back home find some sort of peace, however fragile? 
 
Tackling themes including trauma and madness, industrial unrest, morality and sexuality, surrogate labour and the outbreak of peace are some of radio’s foremost dramatists including Katie Hims, Shaun McKenna and Sarah Daniels. Among the extensive cast are Helen Schlesinger, Kathryn Beaumont, Roy Hudd and Billy Kennedy, with guest appearances from Geoffrey Palmer and Mark Heap. Also included is Home Front: A Fragile Peace, a special 75-minute episode which flashes forward to explore the lives of the characters on 10 November 1919.

Home Front: The Complete BBC Radio Collection Volume 3

Jonathan Ruffle

Michael Chaplin

Nick Warburton

Avin Shah

Nandita Ghose

Neil Brand

Patricia Cumper

A major BBC Radio 4 drama series following the lives of those on and behind the battlefront of World War I 
 
Meticulously based on unit war diaries and eye-witness accounts, each of these 42 episodes of Tommies traces one real day at war, exactly 100 years ago. 
 
We follow the fortunes of Mickey Bliss and his fellow signallers from the Lahore Division of the British Indian Army, as they experience life – and death – on the front line. Meanwhile, Dr Celestine de Tullio battles to save soldiers suffering from gas gangrene and trench fever – and experiences the fighting firsthand when she enlists in the Serbian Army and commands a dangerous offensive. 
 
They are all cogs in an immense machine, one which connects situations across the whole theatre of the war, over four long years. Through their voices – and a host of others – we hear untold stories about the conflict in Gaza, Gallipoli, Salonika, Serbia, Mesopotamia, Russia, Macedonia, Italy, Turkmenistan and Tanzania, as well as on the Western Front. 
 
Lee Ross, Pippa Nixon and Indira Varma are among the extensive cast of this gripping series, created by Jonathan Ruffle, who produced the acclaimed real-time radio dramatisation of Len Deighton’s Bomber. Based on actual historical records, it paints a vivid portrait of daily life for soldiers and their families during 1914-1918, and sheds new light on the reality of the Great War.

Tommies: The Complete BBC Radio Collection

Rudyard Kipling

Kipling's chilling adventure about two men who set out to be kings of a remote region of Afghanistan. 
 
Kipling, our narrator, tells this strange story: he was running a newspaper in a big Indian city. In the hot stillness of one night when he was putting the paper to bed, two men come into his office. They are red-bearded giant Daniel Dravot and his friend Peachy Carnehan. These two "gentlemen at large" as they call themselves, lately of the British army, have put together an insane and dangerous plan: they want to be Kings of Kafiristan, a mountainous region of Afghanistan. 
 
Three years later, a crippled man in rags comes into Kipling's office. He is Peachy Carnehan, and he relates the chilling story of their adventure. 
 
A thrilling and haunting story about the folly and glory of imperial ambition, yet at its heart this is also a story of friendship. 
 
Cast 
Rudyard Kipling - Blake Ritson 
Daniel Dravot - Richard Ridings 
Peachey Carnehan - Samuel James 
Timuk - Peter Polycarpou 
Tribesmen - Joseph Ayre, Stephen Hogan, Ryan Early, Ryan Whittle 
Young woman/Bride - Lauren Cornelius 
Wounded man - John Lightbody 
 
Produced by Abigail le Fleming

The Man Who Would Be King

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

An 11th century Viking epic of love, revenge and faith, set in Iceland and starring the original Nordic Noir heroine, Gudrun. 
 
As a young woman growing up in 11th century Iceland, Gudrun must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. The tale begins in her youth, with her childhood friends Kjartan and Bolli – but the love the two boys have for Gudrun causes a deathly enmity between them that leaves her reeling. 
 
Suspicious of how power and ambition are wielded by men, Gudrun is left feeling increasingly isolated. She longs for the freedom to live her life according to her own rules, beholden to no-one. This epic saga takes her on a journey away from her beloved homeland, risking everything to save her daughter. 
 
An avenging angel forged from violence, Gudrun has all the complexity, vulnerability and single-mindedness of her successors, Lisbeth Salander and Saga Noren. In the ruthless world she inhabits, her steely determination and willingness to manipulate others in the manner of Borgen's Birgitte Nyborg is what keeps her alive. 
 
Gudrun is based on the famous Icelanders' saga known as The Laxdoela Saga. Written in the 13th century, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area of Iceland from the late 9th century to the early 11th century. 
 
Starring Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders, War and Peace) as Gudrun. 
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko (Series 1) and Gemma Jenkins (Series 2-4).

Gudrun: Series 1-4

A Viking epic inspired by the Icelandic sagas

Lindsey Davis

Full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the first five Falco novels by Lindsey Davis, starring Anton Lesser as Marcus Didius Falco. 
 
The Silver Pigs: 
One fine day, A.D. 70, Sosia Camillina quite literally runs into Marcus Didius Falco on the steps of the Forum. It seems Sosia is on the run from a couple of street toughs, and after a quick and dirty rescue, P.I. Falco wants to know why. Hoping for future favors from Sosia's powerful uncle, Falco embarks on an intricate case of smuggling, murder, and treason that reaches into the palace itself. 
 
Shadows in Bronze: 
Rome, AD 71. Against his better judgement, Marcus Didius Falco secretly disposes of a decayed corpse for the Emperor Vespasian, then heads for the beautiful Bay of Naples with his friend Petronius. But this will be no holiday: they have been sent to investigate the murderous members of a failed coup, now sunning themselves in luxurious villas and on fancy yachts in Neapolis, Capreae, and Pompeii. 
 
Venus in Copper: 
A small accounting error has left Marcus Didius Falco sharing a cell with a large rat. But the Roman Empire's most hard-done-by investigator is finally bailed out, and promptly accepts a commission to help a family of freed slaves fend off a professional bribe.... 
 
The Iron Hand of Mars: 
Falco is dispatched to one of the most hostile parts of the Empire to deliver a new standard, an iron hand, to one of the legions. Germania is cold, wet, dismal, and full of dark forests inhabited by bloodthirsty barbarians, but Falco has an even bigger problem to worry about: he has forgotten Helena Justina's birthday, and she is being pursued by the Emperor's son Titus Caesar. 
 
Poseidon’s Gold: 
Returning to Rome after his mission to Germania, Falco finds that his mother is being harassed by a centurion named Censorinus, who says he is chasing a debt owed to him by Falco's late brother Festus. When Falco refuses to cough up the money, he and Censorinus end up fighting... and later, the centurion turns up dead. Under suspicion of murder, Falco must confront his past and uncover his brother's secrets before he can clear his name and solve the mystery. 
 
These funny and fast-moving adaptations are a treat for all Falco fans. 
 
Cast: 
Falco… Anton Lesser 
Helena… Fritha Goodey/Anna Madeley 
Petronius…Ben Crowe 
Ma…Frances Jeater 
Pa…Trevor Peacock 
Vespasian …Michael Tudor Barnes 
Titus …Jonathan Keeble 
 
Dramatised by Mary Cutler 
Directed by Peter Leslie Wild 
 
Sound quality varies due to the age of these recordings.

Falco: The Complete BBC Radio collection

Five full-cast dramatisations

Robin of Locksley returns from the Crusades to find his people starving and oppressed by the new Sheriff of Nottingham. Under this tyrannical regime, the slightest crime attracts the heaviest punishment, and dissent is impossible. Robin soon discovers that the only way to reason with the Sheriff is with bow and arrow, even if it means sacrificing his lands and becoming an outlaw. 
 
This exciting adventure is read by Richard Armitage, who plays Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood. It also features Robin and his loyal band of brothers, as seen in the hit BBC TV series. 
 
Crammed with action, humour, wit, and romance, this fantastic adaptation of the classic tale brings the legendary outlaw hero to life for a whole new generation.

Robin Hood: The Complete Series 1

Based on the BBC TV series

Glendan Swarthout

A BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation of this landmark Western, starring Brian Cox and Michelle Fairley. 
 
‘The Shootist’ is John Bernard Books, the last surviving top gunfighter in a vanishing American West. He rides into El Paso in the year 1901, to be told by a doctor that he has a terminal illness. As word spreads that the famous assassin has reached the end, an assortment of vultures gather to feast upon his corpse. Most men would end their days quietly, but Books outwits them all by selecting the where, the when, and the manner of his death. 
 
The Shootist is a classic Western novel written by Glendon Swarthout in 1975. It won the Spur Award for Best Western Novel of 1975, and was chosen in the Western Writers of America’s members’ poll in 2000 as one of the 10 greatest Western novels of the 20th century. It was made into a 1976 film starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall, which was John Wayne’s final film role. 
 
Brian Cox (X-Men 2, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy) stars as John Bernard Books, with Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones, 24: Live Another Day) as the widow Bond Rogers, with whom he finds affection in his final days. 
 
Cast: 
John Bernard Books…Brian Cox 
Bond Rogers…Michelle Fairley 
Gillom Rodgers…Joe Jameson 
Marshal Thibido…Craige Els 
Charles Hostetler…Michael Bertenshaw 
Shoup…Joe Sims 
Norton…Ashley Kumar 
Mrs Woodling…Heather Craney 
Bartender…Clive Hayward 
Adapted by Nick Perry 
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko

The Shootist: A Classic Western

Robert Forrest

A thriller and love story set in 10th-century Japan. 
 
Lady Shonagon is an imperial courtesan, living at the court of the Japanese Emperor in the 10th century. When a series of disturbing thefts within the palace walls throws the court into confusion and unrest, Shonagon is appointed guide and assistant to Lieutenant Yukinari as he investigates. 
 
Together, Shonagon and Yukinari must solve the mysteries and escalating crimes that plague the Japanese court, and their romance blossoms in the tightly enclosed world behind the high palace walls. But soon Shonagon's lover Tadanobu becomes uncomfortable with how closely they are working together... 
 
The Pillow Book is inspired by the writings of Sei Shonagon, a poet and lady-in-waiting to the Empress of the 10th Century Japanese court. The work of the real-life Sei Shonagon consists of essays, lists, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages about her daily life. 
 
This full-cast drama stars Ruth Gemmell as Sei Shonagon, with Yukinari played by Mark Bazeley in Series 1-3 and Cal Macaninch in series 4-11. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Tadanobu is Series 1. 
Directed by Lu Kemp.

The Pillow Book: Series 1-11

A full-cast historical crime drama

R C Sherriff

Journey's End is an unflinching vision of life in the tranches towards the end of the First World War. 
 
The play opens in a dugout in the trenches in France. Raleigh, a new 18-year-old officer fresh out of school, joins the besieged company of his friend and hero Stanhope. But when he arrives in the trenches, he finds Stanhope dramatically changed. 
 
This vintage BBC radio production from 1970 stars Martin Jarvis as Captain Stanhope. 
 
Bonus content: This BBC radio release includes The Man From Esher and his Theatre of War, a 30-minute documentary about R C Sherriff and the story behind Journey’s End. 
 
Journey's End was an instant stage success in 1928 (starring Laurence Olivier) and remains a remarkable anti-war classic, regularly revived in theatres. A film was released in February 2018, starring Sam Claflin (Hunger Games, Me Before You) as Stanhope and Asa Butterfield (Hugo) as Raleigh, along with Paul Bettany, Toby Jones and Tom Sturridge. 
 
Cast: 
Captain Stanhope...Martin Jarvis 
Osborne...Garard Green 
Raleigh...Derek Seaton 
Trotter...Kevin Brennan 
Hibbert/Private...Michael Harbour 
Colonel...Richard Hurndall 
Sergeant Major...John Bentley 
Mason...Malcolm Hayes 
Hardy...John Graham 
German soldier...Patrick Tull 
 
Adapted by Peter Watts. 
Produced by Christopher Venning.

Journey's End

A BBC Radio 4 drama

Simon Armitage

Lily Cole stars as Helen of Troy, ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’, in Simon Armitage’s vivid, visceral adaptation of Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid 
 
For ten years, the Greeks have been laying siege to Troy to win back their abducted queen, Helen. But as the war drags on, and the battlefields run scarlet with blood, the opposing forces are entrenched in a bitter stalemate. As Gods and mortals squabble amongst themselves for the spoils of war, the exhausted warriors go to extreme lengths in a desperate grab for victory… 
 
Dramatised by multi-award-winning poet and playwright Simon Armitage, The Last Days of Troy was first produced as a stage play at the Manchester Royal Exchange and Shakespeare’s Globe, and this radio version features the original cast. Both a tense action adventure and a powerful commentary on the futility of war, it brings Homer’s ancient myth to dynamic life and explores themes that still resonate today, in a world locked in cycles of conflict and revenge, East versus West and with the same dangerous combination of pride, lies and self-deception that fuelled the Trojan War. 
 
‘Armitage was the real star, with his vivid and muscular dialogue and occasional flashes of humour…The Last Days of Troy was a powerful reflection on the folly of men and the cruelty of war.’ – Independent 
 
Cast and credits 
Agamemnon..................................................................David Birrell 
Achilles..................................................................Jake Fairbrother 
Zeus..................................................................Richard Bremmer 
Odysseus..................................................................Colin Tierney 
Hera..................................................................Gillian Bevan 
Andromache/Thetis................................................Claire Calbraith 
Hector..................................................................Simon Harrison 
Helen..................................................................Lily Cole 
Paris..................................................................Tom Stuart 
Athene/Briseis..................................................................Francesca Zoutewelle 
Priam..................................................................Garry Cooper 
Patroclus..................................................................Brendan O’Hea 
Astyanax..................................................................Luca Rawlinson 
 
Original music by Alex Baranowski 
Directed for radio by Susan Roberts 
First directed for The Royal Exchange Theatre by Nick Bagnall

The Last Days of Troy

A thrilling new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Jules Verne's classic novel. 
 
‘Descend, bold traveller into the crater of the Jokul of Snæfell, which the shadow of Scartaris touches before the kalends of July and you will attain the centre of the earth. Which I have done.’ 
 
Renowned professor Otto Lidenbrock discovers a mysterious runic cryptogram in a rare manuscript. His nephew, Axel, accidentally cracks the code, which is by a Sixteenth Century alchemist who claims to have found a pathway to the centre of the Earth! Lidenbrock decides he must see for himself if such a journey is possible, and with the reluctant Axel and their guide, Hans, the three venture into the heart of a dormant Icelandic volcano. 
 
Shock and peril await at every turn, from a raft voyage across a subterranean sea - where they witness a battle between two prehistoric monsters - to a terrifying lightning storm that threatens to capsize them, and an expedition into the magma chamber of an active volcano filled with boiling lava. Will they ever make it back to the surface? 
 
Full of action, surprise and discovery, this suspenseful dramatisation of Verne’s ultimate adventure story stars Joel MacCormack and Stephen Critchlow. 
 
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes approx.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

H. Rider Haggard

Tim McInnerny stars as Allan Quatermaine in this dramatic full-cast BBC Radio 4 adaptation of H Rider Haggard's classic Victorian novel. 
 
A chance meeting with Sir Henry Curtis and his friend John Good leads professional game hunter Allan Quatermaine on a dangerous expedition to the uncharted, hostile heart of Africa. Curtis’s brother disappeared while searching for the legendary diamond mine of King Solomon, and he needs Quatermaine’s expertise to re-trace his brother’s journey. Quatermaine agrees to Curtis’s generous terms, on the condition that the money is paid to his son if he does not survive. 
 
Joined by the imposing, mysterious Zulu Umbopa, the trio set off into the unknown. As they journey from the barren desert to the precipitous mountains, they discover clues from a past adventurer, now dead – and come close to death themselves. 
 
They encounter fierce Kukuana warriors, the beautiful Foulata, the blood-thirsty King Twala and his ancient, evil witch-finder Gagool – but will they find the mine and the treasure that is rumoured to lie within it? And if they do, will they make it out alive? 
 
This vivid dramatisation of Haggard’s popular adventure story is a combination of thrilling treasure hunt, suspenseful mystery and gripping psychological drama. 
 
Among the cast are Sope Dirisu and Adjoa Andoh. 
 
Duration: 2 hours approx.

King Solomon's Mines

Francis Durbridge

Three complete radio dramas featuring writer and amateur detective Paul Temple, plus bonus archive material. 
 
When it comes to classic crime partnerships, Paul Temple and his wife Steve are the crème de la crème. Between 1938 and 1968 their glamorous exploits enthralled generations of radio listeners around the world. Here, presented in chronological order, are some of the amateur detective's earliest adventures. Send for Paul Temple (1940) is an early remake of the now-lost original 1938 BBC production. Paul Temple Intervenes (1942) finds Paul and Steve investigating a series of celebrity murders, whilst Paul Temple and the Vandyke Affair (the original 1950 production, presented here for the very first time) concerns the strange disappearance of the Desmond baby and her sitter. Hugh Morton, Bernard Braden, Carl Bernard and Peter Coke play Paul in these episodes, with Bernadette Hodgson, Peggy Hassard and Marjorie Westbury as Steve. 
 
A bonus track features rare archive material from otherwise lost productions, including the final episodes of Send for Paul Temple (1938) and Paul Temple and the Front Page Men (1938). 
 
Caution: these programmes contain language that may cause offense, and dated attitudes that reflect the age in which they are set.

Paul Temple: The Complete Radio Collection: Volume One

The Early Years (1938-1950)

Jimmy Perry

David Croft

Twenty-six episodes from the third BBC Radio series starring Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier and Clive Dunn, plus the pilot episode of It Sticks Out Half a Mile 
 
In 1973 the BBC adapted its hit wartime TV series for radio, featuring the original television cast and characters. Three series were broadcast between 1974 and 1976, with episodes adapted by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles. 
 
Now you can enjoy once again these unique recordings, with a supporting cast including John Laurie, Arnold Ridley and Ian Lavender. Among the twenty-six episodes are A Man of Action, Keep Young and Beautiful, Absent Friends, The Deadly Attachment, Things That Go Bump in the Night, My British Buddy, Asleep in the Deep, Time On My Hands and Is There Honey Still for Tea? Also included is the 1981 pilot episode of the radio sequel to Dad’s Army, It Sticks Out Half a Mile, starring Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier. 
 
Also in this set is a sixteen-page PDF booklet with comprehensive programme history, synopses for all Series Three episodes, original transmission dates, photographs and cast biographies.

Dad's Army: Complete Radio Series 3

Erich Maria Remarque

A full-cast dramatisation of one of the greatest war novels of all time. 
 
First published as a novel in 1929, All Quiet on the Western Front tells the story of a group of young German soldiers who are enduring, and then coming to terms with, the realities of the First World War. 
 
At the age of 19, following the outbreak of the First World War, Paul Bäumer enlists in the German Army. He is deployed to the Western Front, where the experience of life and death in the trenches has an enormous effect on him. He begins to feel disconnected from his past life: his family, his love of poetry, and his feelings. As the war progresses, Paul becomes increasingly lost in battle. 
 
Haunting yet comic, lyrical yet desperate, the novel became a bestseller on its original publication. It inspired an Oscar-winning film of the same name, and has been adapted for television and stage. This powerful radio dramatisation stars Robert Lonsdale as Paul Bäumer, with a supporting cast including Simon Trinder, Stephen Critchlow, Carolyn Pickles and Malcolm Tierney.

All Quiet on the Western Front

A BBC Radio Drama

Michael Morpurgo

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the powerful novel set in the First World War, from the author of War Horse. 
 
This is the story of Thomas ‘Tommo’ Peaceful, a young soldier who finds himself in Belgium, in the trenches of the First World War, with his brother Charlie. It is also the story of Tommo’s life, growing up in Devon with his brothers, and of his love for Molly, the beautiful girl he met on his first day at school. 
 
As the story unfolds, from past to present, so approaches the hour when Tommo and Charlie will be separated for ever. The horrors of the First World War, and the injustice meted out to the soldiers who fought in it, are movingly described. 
 
Recorded on location Iddesleigh, the Devon village where the book is set, this radio dramatisation features among its cast Paul Chequer, Nicholas Lyndhurst and author Michael Morpurgo himself. 
 
It also features; Ted Allpress, Harvey Allpress, Amy Reade, Daniel Houghton, Paul Chequer, Mark Quartley, Annette Chown, Ben Allen, Alison Reid, Nick Brimble, Christopher Bianchi, Peter Ellis, Jonathan Keeble, Terence Mann, Simon Reade and Susan Roberts.

Private Peaceful

Lewis Grassic Gibbon

Gerda Stevenson

Gerda Stevenson's dramatisation of the 1932 novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, set in north-east Scotland before and during the First World War. Episode 1: Chris Guthrie is torn between her love of the land and her ambition to become a teacher. As Chris' domineering father struggles with the harshness of the land, her mother's fear of childbirth leads her to despair. A full cast dramatisation. Directed by David Ian Neville.Episode 2: After her father's death, Chris is determined to stay and work the farm alone if need be. Joined by Ewan Tavendale in marriage and on the farm, Chris gives birth to a son. But the outbreak of the First World War brings devastating change to her family, the rural landscape and the community. A full cast dramatisation. Directed by David Ian Neville.

Sunset Song

James Joyce

The young poet Stephen has been recalled from Paris to Dublin to be at his mother’s deathbed. But he refuses her dying wishes: to kneel and pray for her. Now, holed up in his Martello tower outside the city walls, he has to suffer the taunts of Buck Mulligan by day and, by night, the vision of ‘her eyes, shaking out of death to shake and bend my soul.’ Timelessly evocative, Ulysses is far more than the story of Stephen Dedalus’ journey through Dublin. It is a huge, rich portrayal of human life. In this magnificent, highly accessible, part reading part dramatisation - which includes the famous Molly Bloom soliloquy - the power and truth of Joyce’s vision is as potent as ever. Ulysses stars Stephen Rea and Sinead Cusack, with an introduction by Seamus Heaney. ‘The best book at bedtime’ - Sunday Telegraph.

Ulysses

Daniel Defoe

Young Robinson Crusoe has a burning ambition to be a sailor. Paying no attention to his parents’ warnings he runs away to sea to embark on a series of thrilling adventures: struggles with Barbary pirates, a shipwreck and the extraordinary meeting with Man Friday... Roy Marsden plays the older Robinson Crusoe looking back on a life of recklessness, daring and adventure – and the survival of twenty-eight years, two months and nineteen days on a desert island. Based on the real-life adventures of Alexander Selkirk, Robinson Crusoe was one of the very first adventure stories to be published in English literature. It remains as gripping today as it did on first publication in 1719, and this enthralling dramatisation perfectly evokes the excitement and adventure of the original book.

Robinson Crusoe

A diverse selection of dramas by award-winning writer RC SherriffPlaywright and screenwriter RC Sherriff was best known for his anti-war classic Journey’s End, based on his own experiences of serving on the Western Front. He was a co-writer on several successful screenplays, including The Invisible Man and The Dam Busters, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on Goodbye, Mr Chips. Beginning with Journey’s End, this varied collection features six of his acclaimed plays, ranging from a ghost story to a tale of the last days of Roman Britain.Journey’s End – March, 1918. Fresh from school, 18-year-old officer Raleigh is posted to the besieged company of his old schoolfriend and hero Captain Stanhope. Hunkered down in a dugout on the British front line, he must face the reality of war and the tension and strain of life in the trenches. Journey’s End was first staged in 1928, starring Laurence Olivier, and the 2007 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Martin Jarvis stars in this vintage radio production from 1970.The White Carnation – It’s Christmas Eve, 1951, and stockbroker John Greenwood and his wife are hosting their annual party. But as midnight strikes and he bids farewell to his guests, the door slams, locking him out of the house. Breaking back in, he finds that all the furniture has disappeared, and his wife has gone – and things are about to get even stranger… Starring Philip Voss, this supernatural comedy-drama tells the moving tale of a man given a second chance to do things differently.St Helena – In December 1815, the British imprisoned Napoleon on St Helena. Tracing the long slow decline of the caged tiger until his death in May 1821, Sheriff’s 1936 play, co-written with actress Jeanne de Casalis, is based on the diaries and accounts of those on the island at the time of the exiled Emperor’s captivity. Lee Montague stars as Napoleon in this 1972 historical drama.A Shred of Evidence – Richard Medway drinks a little too much at a rugby club reunion dinner, but still drives home afterwards. The next morning, he hears that a cyclist has been killed by a hit-and-run driver. Could he be responsible for the man’s death? Set in 1950s Surrey, this tense tale of guilt, blackmail and suspense stars Denys Hawthorne.Home at Seven – Bank clerk David Preston returns home at his usual time, only to discover he is actually 24 hours late. With no recollection of his missing day, he is stunned to find himself implicated in robbery and murder... A thrilling mystery starring the legendary Sir Ralph Richardson.The Long Sunset – The Roman Empire is crumbling, the occupation of Britain is at an end, the Legions are leaving – and the surviving Romans are alone and unprotected. This moving drama, starring Stephen Murray and Pauline Letts, follows the fate of one such Roman family, from their attempts to fight off the invading Saxons, to their final conversion to Christianity.Production creditsWritten by RC SheriffContents Journey’s EndThe White CarnationSt HelenaA Shred of EvidenceHome at SevenThe Long Sunset© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Journey’s End, The White Carnation & more

Six Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Jean Paul Sartre

A selection of the renowned French philosophers Sartre’s plays. 
 
This collection features several dramatisations of Jean-Paul Sartre's works, including The Roads to Freedom, No Way Out (or "Huis Clos"), Assassins and Nekrassov. These productions showcase Sartre's exploration of existentialism, freedom, and political themes. Notable cast members include David Haig, James Fleet, Zoe Wanamaker, Imogen Stubbs, Ciaran Hinds, and Maurice Denham. 
 
Additionally, the collection includes two pieces exploring Sartre's life and work, providing a comprehensive look at his contributions to literature and philosophy.

Jean-Paul Sartre: The Roads to Freedom & more

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Productions

Victor Pemberton

Three semi-autobiographical plays by Victor Pemberton telling the story of one family across the 20th century 
 
Novelist and playwright Victor Pemberton was best known for scripting Doctor Who and working on Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock. His many plays for BBC Radio included The Slide, Kill the Pharaoh. and this three-part family saga, a love story inspired by the lives of his own parents and starring Nerys Hughes, Nigel Anthony, Sheila Grant and Wendy Richard. 
 
The Trains Don’t Stop Here Any More – 1916. When 18-year-old Letty Edginton goes to work in a munitions factory, she meets and falls for Oliver Hobbs, a young man whose leg was severely wounded at the Somme. Despite their different backgrounds and her snobbish mother’s objections, they marry and set up home – but married life proves more challenging than Letty had expected. 
 
Don’t Talk to Me About Kids! – It’s 1939, and, like so many other Londoners, Letty and Ollie find themselves living through the horrors of another world war. As German bombs begin to fall on the city, their kids Eddie and Mick are evacuated to the countryside, and their eldest son Ron is called up to fight in the Royal Navy. But Letty is determined that whatever troubles and tragedies lie ahead, her family should survive and be reunited. 
 
Down by the Sea – 1963. Letty and Ollie have always dreamed of living by the sea and, having reached their sunset years, they’ve retired to a seaside bungalow bought for them by their children. After a long and happy marriage, they celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary in the company of family and friends, but back at home, they must face the problems of old age alone... 
 
Production credits 
Written by Victor Pemberton 
Pianist: Mary Nash 
 
1. The Trains Don’t Stop Here Any More 
Letty Edginton – Nerys Hughes 
Beatrice, her mother – Sheila Grant 
William, her father – Malcolm Hayes 
Oliver Hobbs – Nigel Anthony 
Violet – Wendy Richard 
Tom – Derek Seaton 
Frank O'Malley – Bill Monks 
Nicky/Bugle Boy – Adam Godley 
Bill Brooks – Kenneth Shanley 
Amy Lyall – Eve Karpf 
Mr Cotton – Eric Allan 
Mr Pearson/Gateman – Robert Trotter 
Directed by John Tydeman 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 July 1978 
 
2. Don’t Talk to Me About Kids! 
Letty Hobbs – Nerys Hughes 
Oliver Hobbs – Nigel Anthony 
Beatrice – Sheila Grant 
Sam – Philip Sully 
Violet – Wendy Richard 
Ron/Malcolm/Train Guard – Jonathan Tafler 
Florrie – Eva Stuart 
Colonel Meecham – Laurence Payne 
Bill Brooks/Warden – Michael Tudor Barnes 
Tilly Brooks – Emily Richard 
Mother Superior – Julie Berry 
Mick – Rickey Coombes 
Eddie – Nicholas Delve 
Janey/Doreen – Zelah Clarke 
Directed by David Spenser 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14 January 1989 
 
3. Down by the Sea 
Letty Hobbs – Nerys Hughes 
Oliver Hobbs – Nigel Anthony 
Beatrice – Sheila Grant 
Mick – Spencer Banks 
Eddie – Sean Barrett 
Mary – Karen Archer 
Jonathan – Rory McNicholl 
Bill Brooks – Michael Tudor Barnes 
Tilly Brooks/District Nurse – Emily Richard 
Fred Golding – Norman Bird 
Gladys Golding/Alice – Joan Matheson 
Cypriot man/Newsreader – John Baddeley 
Cypriot woman – Julie Berry 
Reporter/Charlie – Kim Wall 
Doctor/Brian – Steven Harrold 
Guests at the Golden Wedding played by members of the cast 
Dance band: Les Brown Trio 
Directed by David Spenser 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 January 1989 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Our Family: The Edginton’s Wars

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama Trilogy

Homer

The quintessential dramatisations of Homer’s two masterpieces, with exceptional casts including Derek Jacobi, Christopher Eccleston, Tim McInnerny and Benedict Cumberbatch 
 
Attributed to the Greek poet Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey are among the greatest and most influential works of the past 3000 years, often claimed as the cornerstones of Western literature. For as long as these epics have existed, they have been retold, but these unmissable BBC dramas breathe new life into the classic stories, adding an extra dimension with stunning casts and specially composed music. Vivid, visceral and action-packed, they will transport you to the battlefield of Troy, and take you on a fantastic journey with the wandering king of Ithaca... 
 
The Iliad – In pursuit of the beautiful Helen, stolen by the Trojan prince Paris, an Achaean battle fleet has sailed from Greece. For nine years the army of the Achaeans has lain siege to Troy, but still the great city stands – and in the ranks, failure breeds resentment and feuding. When the great warrior Achilles is humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon, he refuses to take any further part in the fight. But when the Trojan hero Hector kills his closest friend, Patroclus, he rampages back into battle to take a terrible revenge… Derek Jacobi narrates Homer's gripping tale of fury, grief, love and war, dramatised by Tom Holland and starring Christopher Eccleston, Iain Glen, Imogen Stubbs and Andrew Sachs. 
 
The Odyssey – The Trojan War is long over, but Odysseus is still struggling to get home. After a decade of fighting and a further ten years battling storms and calamities, the Gods have decided that it is time for him to return to Ithaca. But Poseidon still wants revenge… As Odysseus is freed from the coils of Calypso, who had held him prisoner for seven years, we hear the incredible tale of his seafaring adventures, and his encounters with enchantresses, nymphs, monsters, prophets and ghosts. And we learn of his faithful wife Penelope who waits for him, besieged by suitors, and their son Telemachus who has a quest of his own… This stunning production won Gold at the 2005 Spoken Word Awards and was acclaimed Best Audio Drama at the 2009 Audie Awards. Tim McInnerny stars as Odysseus, with Amanda Redman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bertie Carvel, Adjoa Andoh and Frances Barber. 
 
The Iliad 
Homer – Derek Jacobi 
Achilles – Christopher Eccleston 
Hector – Iain Glen 
Agamemnon – Bill Wallis 
Helen – Imogen Stubbs 
Chryses – Clive Mantle 
Athena/Andromache – Suzanna Hamilton 
Hero/Hecuba – Mia Soteriou 
Odysseus – Michael Elwyn 
Priam – Andrew Sachs 
Paris – Tom Espiner 
Menelaus – John MacKay 
Thetis – Jacqueline Tong 
Zeus – Michael Fenton Stevens 
Patroclus – Jamie Glover 
Apollo – Chris Donnelly 
Dramatised by Tom Holland 
Produced and directed by Viv Beeby and Jeremy Howes 
 
The Odyssey 
Odysseus – Tim McInnerny 
Penelope – Amanda Redman 
Telemachus – Benedict Cumberbatch 
Athena – Janet McTeer 
Zeus – John Wood 
Eurycleia – Mary Wimbush 
Hermes – Bertie Carvel 
King Alcinous – Geoffrey Whitehead 
Queen Arete – Cheryl Campbell 
Princess Nausicaa – Alice Hart 
Calypso – Adjoa Andoh 
The Cyclops – Barrie Rutter 
Antinous – Danny Webb 
Eurymachus – Jonathan Keeble 
Amphinomus – Chris Pavlo 
Eurylochus – Ewan Bailey 
Polites – John Rowe 
Elpenus – Stephen Hogan 
Eurybates – Philip Fox 
Antiphus/Shipmate – Jon Glover 
Eumaeus – Ioan Meredith 
Circe – Frances Barber 
Ghost of Anticleia – Joanna McCallum 
The Sirens: Elena Ferarri, Belinda Sykes, Harriet Williams 
Dramatised by Simon Armitage 
Directed by Janet Whitaker 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Ultimate Iliad & Odyssey

Two Full - Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Robert Barr

Richard Collier

This full-cast dramatisation tells the true story of the French Resistance plot to destroy Nazi Germany's Atlantic Wall in Normandy. 
 
When France fell to the Germans in 1940, a slight, scholarly 28-year-old captain of engineers and professor escaped to England. In collaboration with General Charles De Gaulle and Andre Dewavrin, he organized an intelligence service with one goal: to secure a blueprint for Germany's Atlantic Wall and place it in the hands of the Allies. 
 
What follows is a remarkable story of a clandestine spy network comprised of sailors, farmers, painters, housewives and children all unified in one purpose - the fall of the Third Reich. Richard Collier tells the story of how ordinary men and women from all walks of life risked torture and death in German-occupied Normandy to furnish the Allied forces with details of German coastal defences. 
 
A riveting vintage drama about resistance, spies and plots foiled, accompanied by atmospheric music. 
 
1. The Wall and the Mirror 
2. Operation Marie-Louise 
3. The Wall Has Eyes 
4. The Network in Danger 
5. The Network Betrayed 
6. The Last Map

.......And The Wall Came Tumbling Down

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisation of the incredible D-Day story

Louis MacNeice

A rare collection of vintage radio dramas from the renowned Ulster poet, plus bonus documentaryBorn in Belfast in 1907, Louis MacNeice wrote some of the most beautiful and best-loved poetry of the 20th century. But he was also one of the BBC’s most innovative writers and producers, scripting numerous dramas for radio, including the landmark production The Dark Tower and the epic verse play Christopher Columbus. Those two seminal productions are included here, alongside tales drawn from Irish mythology and Graeco-Roman history, a psychological drama about a distracted painter and a fascinating profile of MacNeice himself.They Met on Good Friday – AD 1014, just north of Dublin, and as Good Friday dawns, Brian Boru and his army of Irishmen face a formidable force of Viking warriors on the battlefield at Clontarf. Who will prevail, and gain control of Ireland? Patrick Magee and Patrick Wymark star in MacNeice’s ‘sceptical historical romance’ dramatising a key event in Irish history.Christopher Columbus – First broadcast on 12 October 1942 to mark the 450th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the New World, this ambitious, theatrical play blends MacNeice’s verse with music by William Walton to tell the story of the famed explorer. Starring Laurence Olivier as Columbus, with Marius Goring, Stephen Murray and Margaret Rawlings.Cupid and Psyche – Jealous of the beautiful Psyche, the goddess Venus orders her son to make the girl fall in love with a hideous creature. But Cupid scratches himself with his own arrow, and becomes enamored with her himself… Alan McClelland and Betty Linton star in this dramatisation of the famous story from Apuleius’ ancient Roman novel The Golden Ass.Trimalchio’s Feast – Dramatised from a section in The Satyricon, a first century AD work by the Roman author Petronius, this satirical story revolves around a lavish, ostentatious banquet hosted by a nouveau riche shipping merchant and former slave. Starring Wilfred Pickles as Trimalchio, with Dylan Thomas as Agamemnon.Persons from Porlock – Louis MacNeice 's last work for radio was broadcast just a few days after his death in 1963. Spanning over 20 years, it tells the story of an artist whose creative process is continually derailed by unforeseen – and unwelcome – interruptions. Jon Rollason stars as the frustrated painter, Hank.The Dark Tower – Initially transmitted in 1946, this iconic parable play in verse was inspired by Robert Browning's poem ‘Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came’. It centres on Roland, the last of a family whose menfolk are all doomed to set out on a quest from which there is no return… Starring Cyril Cusack, with music specially composed by Benjamin Britten.In the Dark Tower: Louis MacNeice at the BBC – Poet Paul Muldoon recalls a fellow Belfast wordsmith, exploring Louis MacNeice’s life and work through broadcasts from the BBC’s archive.Production creditsWritten by Louis MacNeice 
 Contents: 
 They Met on Good FridayChristopher ColumbusCupid and Psyche Trimalchio’s FeastPersons from PorlockThe Dark TowerIn the Dark Tower: Louis MacNeice at the BBC© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Louis MacNeice: The Dark Tower, Christopher Columbus & more

Six Classic Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Athenian

Atlantia

Avalon

BBC Children's Classics

BBC Classics

BBC Earth

BBC Radio’s The Lord of the Rings

BBC TV Soundtracks

BP Animation

Baby Touch

Ballroom Girls

Barnaby Grimes

Be More...

Bear Mountain Rescue Series

Beasts of Prey

The complete boxed collection of Beatrix Potter's beloved Peter Rabbit books

Beatrix Potter Originals

Beautiful Creatures

Bel Dame Apocrypha

Bella Wallis Victorian Mysteries

Belle

Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom

Bergman Brothers

Big Ideas for Little Philosophers

Bill Clinton & James Patterson stand-alone thrillers

Bill Smith / Lydia Chin

Bim Blake

Bindi Babes

Tim and Biscuit, two unlikely friends, always seem to get themselves into difficult situations. From their first meeting in Cliffhanger, where bookish Tim is forced to endure an activities camp, to Buried Alive, where a quiet camping holiday turns out to be full of surprises, there is never a dull moment with these two around.Jaqueline Wilson’s hilarious duo of books catalogues their escapades, triumphs and failures, with a good helping of snacks along the way!

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