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

Adam Henson is perhaps the best-known farmer in the UK, presenting on BBC's Countryfile to millions of viewers each Sunday evening. He's also appeared on Lambing Live, Secret Britain, Coast and Inside Out. Adam also runs the award-winning Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire, which welcomes family visitors all year round and is home to many rare breeds. He has a monthly column in Countryfile magazine, as well as the Cotswold Life magazine. He has written several books including the Sunday Times bestseller Like Farmer, Like Son. This is his first children's book and it is the perfect introduction to the farm.

Adam Henson

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

Adam Higginbotham has written for magazines including The New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, Wired and Smithsonian. He is also the author of Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, which was awarded the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. He lives in New York City.

Adam Higginbotham

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

Adam Hills

Adam Howling

Adam J. Kurtz

Adam Jacot de Boinod

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

Adam Johnson

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

Adam Kay

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

Adam Larkum

Adam Lashinsky

Adam Macqueen

Adam Mars-Jones

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

Adam O'Riordan

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

Adam Phillips

Adam Rackley

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

Adam Richardson

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

Adam Roberts

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

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

Adam Robinson

Adam Ross

Adam Rutherford

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

Adam Smith

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

Adam Smyth

Adam Sweeting

Adam Tandy

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Jenny Stephens

A collection of futuristic sci-fi dramas 
 
From acclaimed director and scriptwriter Jenny Stephens, here are a trio of sensational science fiction serials: supernatural espionage thriller Project Raphael, its sequel Project Archangel, and the dark, dystopian Jefferson 37. All feature a full cast of veteran actors including Dan Hagley, Emily Chennery, Sunny Ormonde, John Flitcroft, Oliver Hembrough and Dharmesh Patel. 
 
Project Raphael - Deep in the heart of Yorkshire, British Intelligence are working with 'revenants' - spies from beyond the grave - in a bid to learn the secrets of the mysterious Nablovski Colony. But recently deceased agent Raphael is proving hard to find. Desperate to contact him, his fellow MI7 agents arrange a meeting with local psychic Malcolm Holmes: but when he brings his friend, would-be ace reporter Polly, along, the duo find themselves in great danger. As uncomfortable truths are revealed, can they reach out to Raphael - and avoid becoming revenants themselves? 
 
Project Archangel - When ghost-hunter Malcolm Holmes receives a visit from a menacing customer at his mother's health food shop, he becomes involved once more in the murky world of paranormal espionage. Tricked into flying to Moscow with Polly, he is embroiled in the dangerous machinations of Nablovski agent Victor Peshkov - and meets the ghost of someone he once knew very well... 
 
Jefferson 37 - In the not-too-distant future, human spare-part surgery has become the norm. State-of-the-art science village Abbotsville specialises in creating clones for organ replacement - for those who can afford it. But what happens behind its barbed-wire fences is shrouded in mystery and controversy. So when marketing expert Eleanor is called in to revamp Abbotsville's image, she is intrigued - but she soon discovers there's more to the clone farm than meets the eye... 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Jenny Stephens 
Directed by Peter Leslie Wild 
 
Project Raphael 
Agent Finch - Deborah McAndrew 
Agent Evans - Aneirin Hughes 
Malcolm Holmes - Dan Hagley 
Polly Williams - Emily Chennery 
Moira Holmes - Sunny Ormonde 
Agent Raphael - John Flitcroft 
PC Ahmed - Saikat Ahamed 
Emily Cross - Sophie Samuda 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio, 14-16 January 2008 
 
Project Archangel 
Malcolm Holmes - Dan Hagley 
Polly Williams - Emily Chennery 
Moira Holmes - Sunny Ormonde 
Agent Winston Cardell - Delroy Brown 
Victor Peshkov - Christian Rodska 
Mike - Richard Derrington 
Agent Raphael - John Flitcroft 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio, 13-16 December 2010 
 
Jefferson 37 
Jefferson 37 - Oliver Hembrough 
Patel 2 - Dharmesh Patel 
Eleanor Riley - Alison Carney 
Dr Abbots - David Birrell 
Dr Martell - Rob Swinton 
Lucy White 44 - Emily Chennery 
Paul Smith - Alex Jones 
Saskia Treby 9 - Helen Monks 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio, 11-14 February 2008 
 
Copyright © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Project Raphael

Three BBC Radio sci-fi thrillers

Sheridan Le Fanu

Dramatisations and readings of Sheridan Le Fanu's best-known Gothic masterpieces 
 
One of the leading ghost story writers of the Victorian era, Sheridan Le Fanu is renowned for his chilling tales of mystery and horror. His pioneering lesbian vampire novella Carmilla was a major influence on Bram Stoker's Dracula, and spawned numerous film adaptations including Hammer Horror's Karnstein Trilogy. 
 
Opening this anthology is a dramatisation of that classic tale, starring Anne-Marie Duff as Laura, the lonely girl living in a solitary Austrian castle, who strikes up a dangerous friendship with the mysterious, bewitching Carmilla. It is followed by Ian MacDiarmid's reading of 'Schalken the Painter', the eerie story of a 17th Century Flemish artist in love with his master's daughter. 
 
Le Fanu's suspenseful Gothic thriller, Uncle Silas, about a young heiress placed under the guardianship of her father's disgraced brother, is dramatised with a full cast including Teresa Gallagher, George Cole, Joan Sims and Dorothy Tutin. Also featured is The Le Fanu Ballads, a supernatural portmanteau drama bridging Le Fanu's era and our world today. Based on the short stories 'The Watcher', 'Madam Crowl's Ghost', 'Schalken the Painter' and 'Mr Justice Harbottle', and set in a basement nightclub in Dublin, it stars Paul Chahidi, Haydn Gwynne and Jonathan Forbes. 
 
One unabridged readings conclude our collection. In 'The Ghost and the Bonesetter', read by Sean Barrett, a terrified house-sitter receives an unusual request from the tyrannical spirit of a local squire. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Sheridan Le Fanu 
First published 1838 ('The Ghost and the Bonesetter'), 1839 ('Schalken the Painter'), 1847 ('The Watcher'), 1864 (Uncle Silas), 1871 ('Madam Crowl's Ghost'), 1872 (Carmilla, 'Mr Justice Harbottle') 
 
Carmilla 
Cast: Anne-Marie Duff, Brana Bajic, David Warner, Celia Imrie, Jacqueline Pearce, Nigel Anthony, Roger May, Kenneth Cranham 
Dramatised by Don McCamphill. Produced by Lawrence Jackson 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 June 2003 
 
Schalken the Painter 
Read by Ian McDiarmid. Produced by Lawrence Jackson 
First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 29-30 May 2006 
 
Uncle Silas 
Cast: Teresa Gallagher, Graham Crowden, Dorothy Tutin, Joan Sims, Kathleen Byron, Tessa Worsley, John Hartley, Jonathan Keeble, Roger May, Geoffrey Whitehead, Stephen Critchlow, George Cole, Jane Whittenshaw, George A Cooper, Becky Hindley, Pauline Letts, David Collings, John Evitts, Linda Regan, Joan Littlewood 
Dramatised by Alan Drury. Directed by Enyd Williams 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-22 October 1995 
 
The Le Fanu Ballads 
Cast: Paul Chahidi, Haydn Gwynne, Jonathan Forbes, Ruth Everett, Matthew Durkan, Alexandra Hannant, Rebecca Crankshaw, Chris Jack, Michael Begley, Neil McCaul. 
Sheridan Le Fanu's ghost stories adapted by Neil Brand 
Directed by Tracey Neale. 
Music composed and played by Neil Brand, with 'Nuala's Ballad' sung by Ruth Everett 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17 April 2022 
 
The Ghost and the Bonesetter 
Read by Sean Barrett. Produced by Gemma Jenkins 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 September 2001 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

J. Sheridan Le Fanu: A BBC Radio Full-Cast Gothic Horror Collection

Carmilla, Uncle Silas, Shalker the Painter & more

Lester Powell

Robert Beatty stars as the hard-nosed Irish-American PI in these two vintage crime serials 
 
Lester Powell's Chandleresque detective Philip Odell was a huge hit on the BBC Light Programme between 1947 and 1961, thrilling audiences with his crime-solving adventures in postwar London. This gripping collection brings together the only two surviving radio serials featuring the tough-guy investigator - one of which, Test Room Eight, is published here for the very first time. 
 
Lady in a Fog - En route from London to Dublin, Philip Odell meets an old friend, Heather McMara, who tells him that her brother has been found drowned and asks him to investigate. Against the backdrop of a thick, pea-soup fog, he probes a case of blackmail and murder, involving a racehorse owner, a newspaper editor and a mysterious lady in mink... 
 
Test Room Eight - Concerned that someone is trying to sabotage the production of his new influenza vaccine, millionaire industrialist Herbert Truscott hires Odell and Heather to go undercover at his state-of-the-art facility at Barton Medworth. They soon discover that all is not well at the plant - and when a staff member dies after inhaling a fatal dose of live virus, their search for a saboteur turns into a hunt for a killer... 
 
Starring Robert Beatty as Philip Odell and Sheila Manahan as Heather, with a supporting cast including June Tobin, Jeffrey Segal, David March, Hilda Schroder, Mary Wimbush, Beryl Calder, Trevor Martin, Hamilton Dyce and Rolf Lefebvre. 
 
NB: Due to the age of the recordings, the sound quality may vary 
 
Lady in a Fog 
Philip Odell - Robert Beatty 
Heather McMara - Sheila Manahan 
Marilyn Peters - June Tobin 
Christopher Hampden/Bookmaker's Clerk - James Thomason 
Parkin - Harold Reese 
Martin Sorrowby - John Bennett 
Barman - Ronald Baddiley 
Mrs Cantaloup - Betty Baskcomb 
Receptionist/Violet Levine - Joan Matheson 
Hector O'Gorman - David March 
Taxi Driver/Foreman - Will Leighton 
Narrator/Constable - Anthony Viccars 
Inspector Rigby - Edward Jewesbury 
Head Waiter/Sergeant Layton - Jeffrey Segal 
Telephone Operator/Rosie - Hilda Schroder 
Jay - Haydn Jones 
1st Driver/Police Doctor/Voice - Hugh Manning 
Postman - Frank Partington 
Dr Alexander Frey - Trevor Martin 
The Lady in Mink/Kitty Stapleton - Mary Wimbush 
Receptionist/Shop Assistant - Beryl Calder 
Police Surgeon - John Graham 
2nd Driver/Bandleader - David Spenser 
Doctor/Hotel Manager/Waiter - Peter Wilde 
Maid - Ann Rye 
Produced by Martyn C. Webster 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 29 April-17 June 1958 
 
Test Room Eight 
Philip Odell - Robert Beatty 
Heather McMara - Sheila Manahan 
Herbert Truscott - Hamilton Dyce 
Hugh Chalk - David Spenser 
David Karswood - Frederick Treves 
Ken Armstrong - Duncan McIntyre 
Barbara Eurich - Stella Textor 
Wynn Craxton - Jeffrey Segal 
Martin Dersen - Rolf Lefebvre 
Colonel Guestling - Richard Williams 
Jill Guestling - Hilda Schroder 
Policeman - Will Leighton 
Coroner - John Cazabon 
Superintendent Manley - Edward Jewesbury 
Mr Twist - Frank Windsor 
Fred Fazackerly - David March 
Mr Russell - James Thomason 
Paula - Beryl Calder 
Dent - John Hollis 
Produced by David H. Godfrey 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 22 December 1958-26 January 1959 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Private Eye Philip Odell: Lady in a Fog & Test Room Eight

Two BBC Radio classic crime dramas

R D Wingfield

Five full-cast BBC Radio thrillers from renowned crime writer R.D. Wingfield 
 
Author and dramatist R.D. Wingfield was best known for creating one of Britain's most beloved fictional policemen, Inspector Jack Frost, who featured in 10 bestselling books and a hit ITV series starring David Jason. This collection includes the radio precursor to the novels and TV show, A Touch of Frost, plus four more gripping dramas. 
 
A Touch of Frost - DI Frost is tough, rough and rude. He does things his way - and gets results. But when Denton CID is faced with a spate of major crimes, including rape, robbery, a missing girl and a hit-and-run incident, he finds himself under pressure... Derek Martin stars as Jack Frost. 
 
Det Con Webster - Haydn Wood 
Det Chief Insp Cull - Stephen Thorne 
Supt Mullett - Alan Dudley 
Sergeant Wells - Ellis Dale 
PC Fletcher - Stanley Page 
WPC Susan Dean - Jill Lidstone 
Det Sgt Ingram - Gordon Reid 
PC Smith - Andrew Byatt 
Paula Grey - Alex Marshall 
Kitty Reynolds - June Brown 
Freddie Bicknall - Richard Gold-Parry 
Directed by Peter King 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 February 1982 
 
Outbreak of Fear - When Sergeant Fowler investigates a brutal death in the sleepy West Country fishing village of Polford, he soon discovers he has a serial killer on his hands. Leslie Sands, Nick Orchard and Nicholas Courtney star in this suspenseful drama. 
 
 Sergeant Fowler .... Leslie Sands 
 PC Beaumont .... Nick Orchard 
 Dave Clark .... Cornelius Garrett 
 The Doctor .... Paul Nicholson 
 Pete Carter .... Derek Graham 
 Mitchell .... Conrad Phillips 
 Rose .... Gillie Graham 
 Fred Dickey .... Fred Bryant 
 Albert .... Douglas Leach 
 Kim .... Deborah Paige 
 Mrs Trevor .... Patricia Gibson 
 Joe Hardy.... John Gabriel 
 Radio DJ..... Jim Reid 
 Vicar .....Ronald Russell 
Miss Reed... Ann Morrish 
 Chadwick .... Nicholas Courtney 
 Eric Farrow... Malcolm Young 
 Mrs Farrow.... Rosemary Sigel 
 Operator .... Brian Gear 
 Jackson... Roger Leach 
 Director: Brian Miller 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 August-26 September 1982 
 
 Deadfall - Retired special agent and demolitions expert Harry Davis was once part of a disastrous attempt to assassinate an African leader. Now, years later, his past catches up with him when he is called back to try again. 
 
 Harry Davis - Bob Peck 
Jenny Brown - Julie Berry 
 Tom Crossland - Aubrey Woods 
 Colonel Travers - Peter Howell 
 Reynolds - Tim Reynolds 
 Joe - Alan Dudley 
 Det Sgt Redway - Stephen Thorne 
Police and Secret Agents- Michael Tudor Barnes 
Agent - Paul Gregory 
 Directed by Ian Cotterell 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17 December 1987 
 
 Daylight Robbery - 'Elderly lady living alone in remote house, willing to take in paying guests.' Miss Pickering's newspaper advert seems innocuous, but she has an ulterior motive - as do the four gentlemen who reply. 
 
Miss Pickering -Monica Grey 
 Colonel Fryatt - Norman Shelley 
 Dr Brown - Jonathan Scott 
 Harris - Peter Woodthorpe 
 Wakeson - Howard Goorney 
 Bank Manager - Lewis Stringer 
 Woman in Telephone Kiosk - Daisy Bell 
 Jones - Brian Gear 
 Woman in Crowd - Elizabeth Havelock 
 Constable - Douglas Leach 
 Car Driver - David Ponting 
 Other parts played by the cast. 
 Directed at BBC Bristol by John Cardy 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 June 1977 
 
 The Cellar 
 In mourning for their little boy, the Bakers move into a secluded cottage - only to find that horror lurks below stairs... John Pullen and Rosalind Ayres star in this spine-tingling supernatural tale. 
 
Paul Baker - John Pullen 
Susan Baker - Rosalind Ayres 
Mr Crawford - Leonard Fenton 
Bill - Fred Bryant 
Alf - Gordon Dulieu 
Little Boy - Elizabeth Lindsay 
Directed by Gerry Jones 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7 April 1979 
 
 ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

R.D. Wingfield: A Touch of Frost and other thrillers

A BBC Radio 4 Drama Collection

Simon Brett

Jeremy Front

Bill Nighy stars as the suave thespian sleuth in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation 
 
Life is good for Charles Paris. He's moved back in with his estranged wife, and has landed a plum stage role as Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. But it can't last. First his attempts to woo Frances fall flat, then the play's director is taken ill with gastric trouble. His replacement, Romanian wunderkind Alex Radelescu, is determined to take the play in a radical new direction - with or without Charles. 
 
When a second member of the company falls sick, Charles begins to suspect a poisoner is on the loose - and the next victim could be him. Can he unmask the culprit before this comedy turns into a tragedy? 
 
Adapted by Jeremy Front, this engaging dramatisation stars Bill Nighy as Charles Paris, with Suzanne Burden as Frances, Jon Glover as Maurice and Julian Rhind-Tutt as Alex Radelescu. 
 
'Always a treat' Gillian Reynolds, Sunday Times 
 
Production credits 
Written by Simon Brett 
Adapted by Jeremy Front 
Produced and directed by Sally Avens 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 30 August-20 September 2006 
 
Cast 
Charles Paris - Bill Nighy 
Frances - Suzanne Burden 
Maurice - Jon Glover 
Ken Carter - Peter Wight 
Alex Radelescu - Julian Rhind-Tutt 
Vivienne Marlin - Elizabeth Bell 
Gavin Scholes - Thomas Wheatley 
Jack Bradley - John Cummins 
Sally Luther - Tracy Wiles 
Ben Ritson - Tom Lawrence 
Vasile Bogdan/Scott - Ryan McCluskey 
Talya Northcott - Alex Tregear 
Inspector Dewar - Kim Wall 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. ? 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Charles Paris: Sicken and So Die

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Jeffrey Archer

Two full-cast dramatisations of Jeffrey Archer's thrillers with narration by Jeffrey Archer himself 
 
Jeffery Archer is a New York Times bestselling author, published in over 37 languages across 97 countries. Jeffrey Archer's debut novel Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less from 1976 is dramatised here in seven parts by Betty Davis; as well as his later work A Matter of Honour, which was recently rediscovered in the collection of an amateur archivist after the recording was lost on delivery to the BBC archives. The sound quality of A Matter of Honour may be affected as a result. 
 
Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less 
 
The conned: an Oxford don, a revered society physician, a chic French art dealer, and a charming English lord. They have one thing in common. Overnight, each novice investor lost his life's fortune to one man. 
 
The con: Harvey Metcalfe. A brilliant, self-made guru of deceit. A very dangerous individual. And now, a hunted man. With nothing left to lose, four strangers are about to come together - each experts in their own field. 
 
Their plan: find Harvey, shadow him, trap him, and destroy him - penny-for-penny. From the luxurious casinos of Monte Carlo to the high-stakes windows at Ascot; from the bustle of Wall Street to fashionable London galleries, their own ingenious game has begun. 
 
It's called revenge - and they were taught by a master. 
 
Narrated by Jeffrey Archer 
 
Harvey Metcalfe - Stratford Johns 
Stephen Bradley - Paul Darrow 
Adrian Tryner - Francis Matthews 
Jean Pierre Lamanns - Edward de Souza 
Lord James Brigsley - Jeremy Clyde 
Anne Summerton - Lesley-Anne Down 
David Stein - Leonard Fenton 
Jorg Birrer - Sion Probert 
Miss Melkie - Sonia Fraser 
Giovanni - Sean Arnold 
 
Adapted by Betty Davies 
Directed by Glyn Dearman 
First Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 October and November 1980 
 
 
A Matter of Honour 
 
10th May 1966: The Tsar's Icon is a fake. It is imperative that the original be found - and by 20th June. Finding it will change the course of human history. 
 
It seems innocent enough. A disgraced British colonel bequeaths a mysterious letter to his only son. But the moment Adam Scott opens the yellowing envelope, he sets into motion a deadly chain of events that threatens to shake the very foundations of the free world. 
 
When at last he comes to understand what he is in possession of, he's even more determined to protect it, for it's more than a matter of life and death - it's a matter of honour. 
 
Narrated by Jeffrey Archer 
 
Adam Scott - Michael York 
Alexander Romanov - Simon Ward 
Lawrence Pemberton - Tom Chadbon 
Brezhnev - Czeslaw Grocholski 
Zaborski - John Church 
Petrova - Jill Lidstone 
Heidi - Helena Breck 
Konstantinov - George Roubicek 
Goering - Garard Green 
Gerard Scott - Manning Wilson 
Mrs Scott - Pauline Letts 
Wainwright - Eric Stovell 
Other parts played by Sheila Grant, Ronald Herdman, Gordon Reid and Jill Simcox 
 
Dramatised by Brian Sibley 
Directed by Glyn Dearman 
 
First Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 November and December 1986 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Jeffrey Archer: Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less & A Matter of Honour

2 BBC Radio 4 full-cast thrillers

Val McDermid

A BBC Radio collection of full-cast dramatisations, radio plays and short stories by the bestselling crime writer 
 
Award-winning 'Queen of Crime' Val McDermid has sold over 17 million books worldwide, and been translated into over 40 languages. Her 'Wire in the Blood' series was adapted for TV, starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris, and ran for six seasons. Included here are full-cast adaptations of several of her acclaimed novels, as well as four tales specially written for BBC Radio. 
 
Clean Break - When a Monet is stolen from a stately home where she'd arranged the security, Manchester-based PI Kate Brannigan sets off on a chase across Europe that brings her face-to-face with organised crime. Starring Charlotte Coleman. 
 
The Right Chemistry - Jane Hazelgrove stars in this follow-up to Clean Break, which sees Kate embroiled in a deadly case of industrial sabotage, blackmail, counterfeiting and murder. 
 
The Distant Echo - Late one night in the snow, four students stumble upon the body of a dead girl. 25 years later, the police launch a cold-case review of the unsolved murder - but is the killing over? A thrilling dramatisation of the first 'Karen Pirie' novel, starring Jimmy Chisholm, John-Paul Hurley and Claire Knight. 
 
Village SOS - Investigating a murder in the sleepy Northumbrian village of Shilwick, DCI Marion Bettany and DS John Hodgson find the residents curiously reluctant to help. Helen Baxendale and David Seddon star as the detective duo. 
 
Resistance - Midsummer, and 150,000 revellers are partying at the Solstice music festival. But then people start to get sick with a mystery illness: one that's highly contagious and seemingly resistant to antibiotics... Gina McKee stars in this chilling, apocalyptic drama. 
 
I Remember Yesterday - A young woman haunts Edinburgh's alleyways, seeking revenge to the '70s strains of Donna Summer. Hannah Donaldson reads this spine-chilling ghost story. 
 
Same Crime, Next Year - Set in Harrogate, this gripping tale imagines the fallout from the torrid affair of two crime writers. Read by Siobhan Redmond. 
 
Text copyright © Val McDermid 1995 (Clean Break), 2003 (The Distant Echo), 2011 (Village SOS), 2013 (I Remember Yesterday), 2016 (Same Crime, Next Year), 2017 (Resistance) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Val McDermid: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Five full-cast BBC Radio productions

Roy Clarke

Two vintage thrillers, written by award-winning writer Roy Clarke and directed by Alan Ayckbourn 
 
Acclaimed radio and TV dramatist Roy Clarke is well known for his hit sitcoms Last of the Summer Wine, Open All Hours and Keeping Up Appearances. But before he came to fame, he penned two hugely entertaining six-part thriller serials - both directed by a struggling radio producer who would become one of the most renowned playwrights in the world: Alan Ayckbourn... 
 
The Events at Black Tor - When young policeman Jamie is posted to a small village in the Yorkshire Moors, he and his wife Pam are anticipating a nice, quiet life. But the arrival of a curious letter sparks a terrifying chain of events. Aided by Fr Probert, a Dominican friar, the duo come face-to face with the forces of darkness, as they investigate a sinister cult of murderous devil-worshippers... Brian Peck, Juliet Cooke and On the Buses star Bob Grant are among the cast of this spine-chilling thriller with supernatural undercurrents. 
 
The 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb - History teacher Johnny Shields is hoping for a romantic evening, but when his date is scuppered by a mysterious man in a raincoat, he finds himself unexpectedly recruited for a dangerous Continental mission. Tasked with infiltrating a highly-organised smuggling gang, will he survive long enough to expose them? This diverting comedy-thriller was Roy Clarke's first radio play, and features Paul Temple star Peter Coke, Bob Grant, Robert Powell and Ben Kingsley. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Roy Clarke 
Theme music composed and played by Trevor Holroyd 
Produced and directed by Alan Ayckbourn 
 
The language and attitudes in these programmes reflect the era in which they were first broadcast and may not reflect current attitudes 
 
The Events at Black Tor 
Pam - Juliet Cooke 
Jamie - Brian Peck 
Sergeant - James Beck 
Probert - Bob Grant 
Radio Voice - Heather Stoney 
Vicar - Robert Wallace 
Maggie - Ella Atkinson 
Coroner - Laurence Bould 
Brown - Colin Edwynn 
Man - Chris Canavan 
Woman - Mavis Rogerson 
Tramp - Harry Markham 
Superintendent - David Mahlowe 
Chief Inspector - Ronald Harvi 
Spider One - Douglas Fielding 
Spider Two/Palmer - John Nettles 
Spider Three - Colin Bell 
Dog handler - Robert Powell 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 18 April-6 May 1968 
 
The 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb 
Shields - Peter Coke 
Major/Leppi/Vittorio - Bob Grant 
Greta - Veronica Doran 
Doreen - Sylvia Brayshay 
Tadpole - Derrick Gilbert 
Muff/Daniels/Marco - Robert Powell 
Jean Hogg - Heather Stoney 
Alfie - Peter Stephens 
Vera - Elizabeth Ashton 
Mrs Beckett - Barbara Greenhalgh 
Julie - Anne Stallybrass 
Bruno - David Mahlowe 
Karl/Walter/Sergeant/Pete - Ben Kingsley 
Karen - Cynthia Grenville 
Gino - Ronald Harvi 
Foster - Michael Stirrup 
Slip - Colin Edwynn 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 18 January-5 February 1968 
 
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Roy Clarke Classic BBC Radio Thrillers

The Events at Black Tor & The 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb

G.K. Chesterton

Three BBC Radio performances of works by the great G. K. Chesterton 
 
Best known as the creator of clerical detective Father Brown, G. K. Chesterton was a prolific and talented writer in virtually every area of literature: from novels, poetry and short stories to plays, biographies and essays. A noted thinker, controversialist, raconteur and wit, he has influenced authors from Neil Gaiman to Jorge Luis Borges. This collection comprises his two most famous novels, The Man Who Was Thursday and The Napoleon of Notting Hill, as well as half a dozen tales from his short story collection, The Club of Queer Trades. 
 
The Man Who Was Thursday - Poet turned Scotland Yard detective Gabriel Syme goes undercover in Edwardian London to investigate a secret society of anarchists - all of whom are named after days of the week... Read by Geoffrey Palmer. 
 
The Club of Queer Trades - In these six full-cast comedy crime dramas, retired KC Basil Grant, his brother Rupert and friend Charlie Swinburne explore the extraordinary stories of people who earn their living by some novel and unusual means. Starring David Warner as Basil, Martin Freeman as Rupert and Geoffrey McGivern as Charlie. 
 
The Napoleon of Notting Hill- Written in 1904, Chesterton's comic political satire is set in London 80 years on. The city is still full of horse-buses and hansom cabs, but democracy is dead, and the King is chosen by lottery. No one cares, because none of it matters - until the choice falls on Auberon Quin... This full-cast drama stars Roger Hammond as G. K. Chesterton and David Collings as Auberon Quin, with Kim Wall, Stuart Organ and Paul McGann. 
 
First published 1904 (The Napoleon of Notting Hill), 1905 (The Club of Queer Trades), 1908 (The Man Who Was Thursday) 
 
The Man Who Was Thursday 
Read by Geoffrey Palmer 
Directed by Lawrence Jackson 
First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 10-28 March 2005 
 
The Club of Queer Trades 
Basil Grant - David Warner 
Rupert Grant - Martin Freeman 
Charlie Swinburne - Geoffrey McGivern 
Major Brown/Lord Beaumont - Geoffrey Whitehead 
Lady - Vicki Pepperdine 
PG Northover/Gardener/Old Man/Constable/Dr Colman - Martin Hyder 
Drummond - Nicholas Farrell 
Wimpole/Burrows - Justin Edwards 
Sir Walter Chumley/Rev Shorter - Richard Griffiths 
Muriel - Alice Lowe 
James - Alexei Sayle 
Mowbray - Nell Edmond 
Brett - Matthew Holness 
Lieutenant Keith - Jeff Harding 
Montmorency - Simon Jones 
Christina - Amelia Bullmore 
Bingham - Chris Douglas 
Adeleide - Felicity Montagu 
Prof Chadd - John Nettleton 
Greenwood - James Rawlings 
Old Lady - Angela Thorne 
Dramatised by Simon Littlefield 
Produced by Simon Nicholls 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 April-9 May 2005 
 
The Napoleon of Notting Hill 
G. K. Chesterton - Roger Hammond 
Auberon Quin - David Collings 
Wilfred Lambert - Kim Wall 
James Barker - Stephen Hattersley 
President del Fuego - Manning Wilson 
Policeman/Mr Wilson - Stuart Organ 
Boy Adam Wayne - Alexander Goodman 
Adam Wayne - Paul McGann 
Mr Buck - Aubrey Woods 
Mr Mead - Paul Gregory 
Mr Bowles - Brian Hewlett 
Mr Turnbull - Gordon Reid 
Dramatised by Peter Buckman 
Produced by Eric Stovell 
Directed by Richard Imison 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 December 1986 
 
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G. K. Chesterton: Three BBC Radio Mysteries

The Man Who Was Thursday, The Club of Queer Trades & The Napoleon of Notting Hill

Bill Murphy

Three detective thrillers set in the Met's Missing Persons Bureau 
 
After shooting a teenage boy in an undercover operation, DS Sue Manson is taken off the front line and transferred to a desk job in Missing Persons. But no sooner has she arrived than she's in the thick of the action once more, tasked with tracking down a trio of twisted criminals... 
 
Fractions of Zero - When a desperate father begs DS Manson to find his daughter, the sole clue is a cryptogram on the back of a missing persons notice. Once unravelled, the code turns out to be a riddle that leads them to the location of a dead girl. More ciphers follow, and more victims - all seemingly selected at random - and Sue realises that she's dealing with a serial killer obsessed with numbers. Can she work out his system before he strikes again? 
 
Final Sacrament - After three people disappear for no apparent reason, DS Manson finds herself on the hunt for another serial killer. Her only leads are the cardboard triangles left at the victims' homes along with traces of a deadly toxin, and a series of macabre snaps sent to a South London priest. Father Raphoe believes the photographs are mimicking a series of religious paintings by Renaissance artist Nicolas Poussin. But who is targeting Raphoe's parishioners, and why? 
 
Fragments of Amy - Back from maternity leave, Sue Manson tackles the case of a missing heiress, Amy Muggeridge, abducted on her way back from a party. When a CD arrives containing a ransom message and a riddle, Manson seeks help from Amy's twin, Angela, who seems to have a psychic connection with her sister. Under hypnosis, she provides a vital clue to the kidnapper's identity - but is it too late to save Amy? 
 
Created by novelist Bill Murphy, one of the writers of Radio 4's Baldi, these gripping detective dramas star Susan Lynch and Annie Farr as Sue Manson. 
 
Fractions of Zero 
Sue Manson - Susan Lynch 
James Ellstrom - Philip Glenister 
Dr Fred Johnson - Clive Merrison 
Insp. Phillips - David Bannerman 
Mags Langan - Alison Pettitt 
Lee Horsley - David Holt 
Supt. - Nigel Anthony 
 
Directed by Tanya Nash 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5-9 August 2002 
 
Final Sacrament 
Sue Manson - Annie Farr 
DS Brian Torrey - Patrick Robinson 
Insp. Phillips - David Thome 
Mags Langan - Alison Pettit 
Raymond/Andrew - Tom George 
Elizabeth/Receptionist - Jennifer Hill 
Fr. Raphoe - Des McAleer 
 
Directed by Tanya Nash 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19-23 April 2004 
 
Fragments of Amy 
Sue Manson - Susan Lynch 
Insp. Phillips - Ron Cook 
Mags Langan - Gillian Kearney 
Plummer - Eddie Marsan 
Leila Muggeridge - Alexander Mathie 
Researcher/Telfor/Priest - Roger May 
DS Brian Torrey - Rhashan Stone 
Amy/Angela - Fuschia Sumner 
Noreen Manson - Frances Tomelty 
Dr Fred Johnson - David Warner 
 
Produced by Lawrence Jackson 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23-27 October 2006 
 
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DS Manson

Three BBC Radio 4 crime thrillers

Mick Collins

A spin-off of the award-winning TV series Silk, following the adventures, mishaps and dilemmas of the clerks at Shoe Lane chambers 
 
Inspired by Peter Moffat's popular BBC One show, Silk, this compelling courtroom drama returns to Shoe Lane Chambers, but from a different perspective. Rather than focussing on the lawyers, it centres on the people who can make or break their careers - their clerks. 
 
As Head Clerk Billy Lamb knows, the clerks' room is the beating heart of a successful chambers. It's the clerks who get the cases, distribute the work, and keep everything running smoothly. But all is not well in Billy's little kingdom. When junior clerk Jake goes behind Billy's back, he finds himself in the firing line, and his colleague, Bethany, also gets in hot water after unknowingly giving a must-win case to an under-performing barrister. And as Billy and Practice Manager Harriet Hammond conspire to oust each other, his deputy John is caught in the crossfire... 
 
With pressure mounting following cuts to Legal Aid, Billy realises that the chambers is on the brink of financial collapse. But his wheeler-dealing creates unease, and before long he's at loggerheads with his star-performing barrister and vying for control of the clerks' room. Running out of options, he turns to an unscrupulous solicitor to secure a guaranteed income - but time is running out to save Shoe Lane... 
 
Written by Mick Collins, who was series consultant for Season 2 of Silk, and award-winning playwright Janice Okoh, these captivating dramas feature the same core characters from the TV show's clerks' room: Billy (Neil Stuke), Jake (Theo Barklem-Biggs), Bethany (Amy Wren), John (John Macmillan) and Amy (Jessica Henwick). 
 
Production credits 
Written by Mick Collins and Janice Okoh 
From an original idea by Mick Collins and Janice Okoh 
Inspired by the BBC One series Silk, created by Peter Moffat 
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko 
Executive producer: Hilary Salmon 
 
Cast 
Jake - Theo Barklem-Biggs 
Billy - Neil Stuke 
Amy - Jessica Henwick 
John - John Macmillan 
Bethany - Amy Wren 
Chris - Anthony Welsh 
Jury Forewoman/Rebecca - Carolyn Pickles 
Tannoy/Lisa - Priyanga Burford 
Mr Lewis - Charles Edwards 
Harriet - Miranda Raison 
Mrs Adjoran - Flaminia Cinque 
Ms Spoons - Tracy Wiles 
Official - Matthew Watson 
Sara - Jeany Spark 
Neville - Sean Murray 
Rose - Alex Tregear 
Anthony - Mark Edel-Hunt 
Ray/Usher - David Hounslow 
Lee - Josef Altin 
Lucy - Amelia Lowdell 
Paul - Chris Pavlo 
Judge/Stephen/Shop Owner - David Acton 
Judges - Michael Bertenshaw, Steve Toussaint, Jessica Turner, Stephen Critchlow 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1-15 April 2014 (Series 1), 3-5 August 2015 (Series 2) 
 
 ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Silk - The Clerks’ Room: Series 1 and 2

A BBC Radio 4 drama based on the BBC TV series

Christopher Lee

All six series of Christopher Lee's enthralling parliamentary drama - plus Christmas Special 
 
Suave, unflappable and ambitious, veteran politician Charles Bannister knows his way around the corridors of power. As Chief Whip, he's adept at keeping MPs in line and squashing potential scandals - aided by his brother-in-law, MI6 agent Henry Colvil, who whispers useful titbits of information in his ear. His position seems invincible - but nothing is forever, and when the tides of politics turn, Charles finds himself under threat... 
 
In these six series, we follow his fortunes and those of his close friend, Home Secretary Dougal Baxter. Together, the duo rise, fall and rise again, as they fight off plots, counter-plots and conspiracies while struggling to secure their political futures. Promoted to Party Chairman, Charles finds himself beset by domestic dramas, dogged by rumours of an affair with glamorous Opposition MP Juliet Cameron, and under increasing pressure at Westminster. Will he stick it out and run for the top job - or decide to spend more time with his family? Meanwhile, Dougal makes no secret of his desire to become PM - but will his potentially explosive relationship with his mistress, Kay, put an end to his dreams of advancement? 
 
Written by award-winning author and historian Christopher Lee, this captivating tale of ministerial manoeuvring and machinations was adapted as a bestselling novel and spawned the spin-off mystery series Colvil &amp; Soames. Julian Glover stars as Charles Bannister, with Timothy West as Dougal Baxter and Christopher Benjamin as Henry Colvil. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Christopher Lee 
Produced by Pete Atkin and Neil Cargill 
 
Cast 
Charles Bannister - Julian Glover 
Dougal Baxter - Timothy West/Peter Kelly 
Mary Bannister - Sarah Badel/Isla Blair 
Henry Colvil - Christopher Benjamin 
Denis Wigton - David Ryall/Trevor Peacock 
Juliet Cameron - Siobhan Redmond 
Rose - Sheila Reid 
Arthur - James Garbutt 
Polly Bannister - Ruth Gemmell 
Gerald Mossman - David Neville 
Merffyn Edwards - Ray Smith/Douglas Blackwell 
Kay Bennett - Jane Booker 
Nick - Julian Dutton 
Eamon - Shaun Prendergast 
Alex - Caroline Bliss 
Sharp - Norman Bird 
 
With Brian Redhead, Laurie Macmillan, Stuart Organ, Graham Blockey, Rupert Baker, Joan Matheson, Ken Cumberlidge, Danny Schiller, John Fortune, Iain Cuthbertson, Dennis Ramsden, Charles Simpson, Christopher Scott, Michael Kilgarriff, Ian Targett, David Goudge, John Bull, David King, Brian Miller, David McAlister, Terence Edmonds, Brett Usher, John Grieve, Richard Caldicot, Bill Wallis, Stephen Greif 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 August-7 October 1989 (Series 1), 25 December 1989 (Christmas Special), 17 September-5 November 1991 (Series 2), 16 March-20 April 1992 (Series 3), 28 October-2 December 1992 (Series 4), 17 June-22 July 1993 (Series 5), 9 June-14 July 1994 (Series 6) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The House

A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Political Drama

Steve Punt

Hugh Dennis

The complete series 1-3 of the spoof true crime series, written by and starring Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis 
 
Michael Feydeau, alias TV's much-loved Inspector Niblett, and crime expert David Pershore (the bestselling author of A Nice Sit Down with Some Horrific Murders) go on a thrilling journey through the gruesome history of crime, digging deep into the vaults of villainy to exhume dastardly cases of theft, intrigue, deception, fraud, murder, murder and a touch more murder. 
 
Using a daring mixture of reconstructions, interviews, music and specially made noises, they serve up the twisted tales of spying skulduggery, wartime treason, the mysterious curse of an Egyptian mummy, and a fallen medieval monk. Also on the menu are a mélange of multi-murderers, a strange death by cutlery, a vanishing lord and a fiendish case of felony afloat... 
 
Starring Hugh Dennis as Feydeau and Steve Punt as Pershore, this sensational send-up of the true crime genre also features guest stars Emma Kennedy, Simon Greenall, Chris Pavlo, Olivia Colman, Ewan Bailey and Steven Kynman. 
 
Production credits 
Written by and starring Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis 
Produced and directed by Adam Bromley 
With Emma Kennedy, Simon Greenall, Chris Pavlo, Olivia Colman, Ewan Bailey, Steven Kynman 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 September-24 October 2001 (Series 1), 15 May-5 June 2002 (Series 2), 2-23 April 2003 (Series 3) 
 
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Crème de la Crime

A BBC Radio spoof documentary series

John Creasey

Three vintage crime serials, adapted from John Creasey's hugely popular thrillers 
 
Roger West is a home-loving, hard-hitting and very human policeman. Nicknamed 'Handsome' West, he's more than just a pretty face - he's also Scotland Yard's youngest, smartest detective and a crime-solving supremo. Six of his adventures were dramatised for radio between 1967 and 1971, but only three survived, all of which are included in this box set. 
 
Battle for Inspector West - Idle curiosity takes the Chief Inspector to a high-society wedding - and leads him into a case involving a notorious blackmailer and a missing bride. Drawn into a web of terror, West comes face-to-face with an old adversary - a dangerous criminal mastermind named Carosian... 
 
Inspector West at Home - When Roger West finds the dead body of a small-time crook, he faces opposition from the formidable Superintendent Abbott, his superior at the Yard. Suspended from duty, he sets out on a trail of conspiracy, corruption and murder... 
 
Inspector West at Bay - First West is targeted by a vicious attacker, then his wife Janet receives an anonymous, threatening message. Caught up in a deadly game of blind man's buff, can he save himself and his family from an enemy who seems determined to destroy them? 
 
Starring real-life husband and wife Patrick Allen and Sarah Lawson as Roger and Janet West, these three full-cast dramas are full of excitement and suspense. Also featured is a 30-minute episode from The Radio Detectives, 'Stand by for West', in which Professor Jeffrey Richards investigates the 'master craftsman of mystery' John Creasey and his greatest creation, Inspector West. 
 
 
Written by John Creasey 
Adapted by Maurice Travers 
 
Starring Patrick Allen as Chief Inspector Roger West and Sarah Lawson as Janet West 
 
Battle for Inspector West 
Michael Grant - Philip Bond 
Christine Grant - Denise Buckley 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Hamilton Dyce 
Prendergast - John Cazabon 
Vic - Charles Haggith 
Carosian - Francis de Wolff 
Arthur Morley - Preston Lockwood 
Julieta - Eva Stuart 
Sir Mortimer Grant - Humphrey Morton 
Detective Sergeant Hubert Gill - Trevor Bannister 
Pearly Willis - Henry Stamper 
Superintendent Mulloon - Harry Webster 
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 4 May-15 June 1967 
 
Inspector West at Home 
Detective Inspector Bob Cornish - Frederick Treves 
Mark Lessing - Edward de Souza 
Superintendent Abbott - Grant Taylor 
Pep Morgan - Harry Landis 
Pickerell - Robert James 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Maurice Hedley 
Mrs Fleming - Margaret Robertson 
Lois Randall - Carol Marsh 
Bill Tennant - Anthony Jackson 
'Whistler' Malone - Rio Fanning 
Raymond Fleming - Frederick Jaeger 
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson 
Pianist: Max Harris 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2, 25 March-15 April 1968 
 
Inspector West at Bay 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Maurice Hedley 
Detective Inspector Bill Sloan - Derek Newark 
Mark Lessing - James Kerry 
Eve Wedlake - Anna Gilchrist 
With Leonard Fenton, John Baddely, Elizabeth Proud, Judy Bennett, Margaret Wolfit, Peter Williams, John Pullen, Ian Frost and Peter Thompson 
Produced by John Browell 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2, 27 May-19 June 1969 
 
The Radio Detectives, Series 3 Episode 5: Stand by for West 
Presented by Professor Jeffrey Richards 
With Richard Creasey, Patrick Allen and Sarah Lawson 
Produced by Liz Anstee 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 28th March 2000

Inspector West: A Classic BBC Radio Crime Collection

Three action-packed vintage adventures

Terence Alexander stars in these two classic crime dramas, adapted from the novels of John Creasey 
 
Meet The Honourable Richard Rollison - a.k.a the Toff. A debonair aristocrat and ace amateur sleuth, he's the scourge of London's criminal underworld: sometimes working alone, sometimes hand-in-glove with the police. But wherever he goes, he leaves his distinctive calling card: a jaunty caricature featuring a top hat, a monocle, a bow tie and a cigar. In these two gripping thrillers, he finds himself involved in rural intrigue and a wedding-day mystery... 
 
The Toff on the Farm - When the Toff is offered the opportunity to buy a small farm in Sussex, he politely declines - he's never had any inclination to be a country squire. But when he hears that there's a mystery attached to the place, he agrees to drive down and take a look. On arrival, he discovers that several other potential buyers are keen to get their hands on the property - and the owner's brother has vanished. Can the Toff uncover the secrets surrounding Selby Farm? 
 
The Toff and the Runaway Bride - Barbara Lawn is about to marry the Toff's old chum, Major Guy Lessing, against her father's wishes. But on the morning of the big day, she receives a distressing phone call - and later, at the reception, a letter arrives bearing shocking news. When she flees her husband en route to the honeymoon, the Toff finds himself investigating a heinous case of blackmail and murder... 
 
First published 1958 (The Toff on the Farm), 1959 (The Toff and the Runaway Bride) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by John Creasey 
Dramatised by Roy Lomax 
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson 
 
Starring Terence Alexander as the Toff and Robert Dorning as Jolly 
 
The Toff on the Farm 
Gillian Selby - Heather Stoney 
Mr Lodwyn/Vicar - Jeffrey Segal 
Monty Morne - Terrence Hardiman 
Bert - Frank Jarvis 
Red Brandt/Eddie Forbes - Ed Bishop 
Inspector Bishop - Derek Newark 
Smith - Reg Lye 
Police Sergeant - Paul Meier 
Superintendent Grice - Duncan Lamont 
Lola Bridge - Liz Gebardt 
Alan Selby - Alaric Cotter 
Bert Ebbutt - Douglas Blackwell 
William T Brandt - Alan White 
Other parts played by the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC World Service, March 1977 
 
The Toff and the Runaway Bride 
Barbara - Rosalind Shanks 
Aunt Gloria - Peggy Ann Wood 
Holy Joe/Sergeant/Carruthers - David Graham 
Maggie - Frances Jeater 
Major Guy Lessing - Alan Cuthbertson 
Doctor - Dennis McCarthy 
Kevin Brennan - Robert Lawn 
Superintendent/Inspector Reno - Godfrey James 
Police Officer - Clifford Norgate 
Rose Lessing - Denise Buckley 
Inspector Ellerby - Roger Gartland 
Sergeant - Michael Shannon 
Robert Lawn - Kevin Brennan 
Police Constable - John Bull 
Inspector - Jean Dryant 
Other parts played by the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC World Service, June 1975 
 
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The Toff

Two BBC Radio 4 classic thrillers

Scott Cherry

Meera Syal stars as family liaison officer Jackie Hartwell in this thrilling police procedural 
 
West Midlands copper Jackie Hartwell has one of the toughest jobs in CID: comforting and supporting grieving relatives in the aftermath of a serious crime. But there's much more to what she does than providing tea and sympathy. Part social worker, part savvy investigator, she needs to be able to win the trust of families, while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye on their behaviour and reactions. Because often, the suspect she's searching for isn't far from home... 
 
As an FLO, she's closer to the people involved than any of her colleagues, and can investigate in a way they can't. With her combination of empathy, intuition and razor-sharp observation, she's often the first to get to the truth - but sometimes, the truth can have tragic consequences. In these 14 series, we follow Jackie as she supports those caught up in nightmarish situations, such as murder, fatal accidents, abduction or a missing child. Some are harbouring secrets, others have a guilty conscience - but they're all victims, and they all need her help... 
 
Written by Scott Cherry (Babblewick Hall) and starring Meera Syal as Jackie, with Matthew Marsh as DI Peter Sanders, this captivating crime drama features a host of well-known actors including Barbara Flynn, Lizzy McInnerny, Robert Glenister, Amanda Root, Ben Onwukwe and Ayesha Antoine. 
 
 
Written by Scott Cherry 
Produced and directed by Clive Brill 
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4 (Series 1-6) 
A Brill Production for BBC Radio 4 (Series 7-14) 
 
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A Small Town Murder: The Complete Series 1-14

G. F. Newman

The first two series of the epic saga plotting the course of one family against the backdrop of a revolution in crime 
 
'Magnificently detailed' The Stage 
 
1951. With the Festival of Britain in full swing, the country is looking forward to a brighter, more prosperous future. But young Brian Oldman cannot forget the past. Traumatised by a murder he witnessed when he was just six, he holds a terrible secret; but there is a more devastating secret he has yet to discover. Falling under the spell of his mother, Cath, he is drawn into London's criminal underworld, where territory battles are raging between the old guard and the new. 
 
Brian idolises his uncle, Jack Braden, who dreams of becoming a boxing champion. But when his ambition is thwarted by the army and the Kray twins, Jack's bitterness and anger turns him towards crime. Meanwhile, the head of the family, Joey Oldman - a Russian Jew with a talent for business and a love of money - is building an empire. Growing rich with the help of venal bankers, he and Cath join Macmillan's Conservative Party, and move in increasingly influential circles. 
 
They try in vain to keep their son Brian away from Jack, who has taken the 'firm' from running illicit clubs to armed robbery. Battling to escape the law, the Krays and their rivals the Richardsons, Joey finds himself so steeped in depravity, even his lawyer struggles to help him survive... 
 
Adapted by award-winning writer G. F. Newman (Law and Order, Judge John Deed) from his own bestselling books, this thrilling series spans six decades, following the fortunes of the Oldmans as they are sucked into a web of corruption reaching to the heart of the Establishment. Weaving fiction with real historical characters, it reveals the nexus of crime, business and politics woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed. Toby Jones stars as Joey, with Denise Gough as Cath, Tom Weston-Jones as Jack, Joe Armstrong as Brian and Ross Kemp as the Narrator. 
 
NB: Contains violence, scenes of a sexual nature, prejudicial dialogue and attitudes prevalent in the time in which the events depicted took place 
 
Created by G. F. Newman 
Characters based on G. F. Newman's novels 
Produced and directed by Clive Brill 
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Narrator - Ross Kemp 
Joey Oldman - Toby Jones 
Cath Oldman - Denise Gough 
Young Brian - Rory McMenamin 
Brian - Joe Armstrong 
Jack Braden - Tom Weston-Jones/Luke Allen Gale 
Gracie Braden/Violet Kray - Ruth Gemmell 
Billy Hill/Keffo - Robert Glenister 
Bobby Brown/Eddie Richardson/Selwyn Carruthers/Lambert/John Bindon - Charles Davies 
Watling/Mr Thompson/Tom Driberg - Nigel Cooke 
Win Booker - Lotte Rice 
Frank Cockain/Tiger Braden/Tinkerbell - Michael Eaves 
Spotty/Sammy Cohen/Capt Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler 
DI Drury - Tom Weston-Jones 
Ronnie Kray/Mr Booker/CSM/Basil Jones/Harold Wilson/Alfie - Lewis MacLeod 
Bank Manager/DI Bulmer - Matthew Townshend 
Stephen Ward/Shop Owner/Policeman/Fenwick/John Bloom/Paul Raymond - Theo Fraser Steele 
Alice/Gladys Brown - Catherine Henderson 
Driver/Charlie Richardson/Dealer - Oliver Mawdsley 
DI Drury/Fat Cecil/Rikki the Malt - Matthew Marsh 
Leah Cohen - Jasmine Hyde 
Joshua/Pongo - Chinna Woddu 
Ruth Sutton/Martha Baines/Student - Kellie Shirley 
Arnold Goodman - Edward Max 
Tony Wednesday - Petrice Jones 
Judge Stevenson - David Shaw Parker 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 21 October-1 November 2013 (Series 1), 19-30 January 2015 (Series 2) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 1 and 2

A BBC Radio full-cast crime drama

The third and fourth series of the criminal family saga, based on G. F. Newman's bestselling novels 
 
'Terrific listening' The Independent 
 
1971. As Ted Heath's government presides over the collapse of Rolls Royce, and Britain goes over to decimalisation, Brian Oldman is locked up in Brixton Prison. 
 
Joseph Oldman pulls every corrupt string in a desperate attempt to get him released; yet no sooner is Brian out, than he finds himself back inside. Joseph, however, is on the up: expanding his business through dodgy deals with a Colombian drug cartel, and making friends in high places, including Lord Goodman and Margaret Thatcher. Entering the murky world of politics, he becomes an MP, and reverts to his old surname, Olinska. 
 
But just as he is about to receive a knighthood, putting the final seal on his acceptance into the Establishment, he receives news that could ruin everything. Brian, facing a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit, is launching an appeal. He knows who the real guilty party is - Joseph - and he's determined to prove it... 
 
Blending fact and fiction to gripping effect, The Corrupted charts the story of the Oldman family against a backdrop of a revolution in crime, as the underworld extends its reach into the highest echelons of society. Adapted by award-winning writer G. F. Newman (Law and Order, Judge John Deed) from his own acclaimed books, it stars Toby Jones as Joseph, with Izabella Urbanowicz as Cath, Joe Armstrong as Brian and a full cast including Jasmine Hyde, Richard Wilson and Steve Nallon. 
 
NB: Contains violence, scenes of a sexual nature, prejudicial dialogue and attitudes prevalent in the time in which the events depicted took place 
 
Created by G. F. Newman 
Characters based on G. F. Newman's novels 
Produced and directed by Clive Brill 
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Joseph Oldman/Olinska - Toby Jones 
Brian Oldman - Joe Armstrong 
Cath - Izabella Urbanowicz 
Jack - Jacob Fortune-Lloyd 
Tony Wednesday/Michael O'Dell - Alec Newman 
Margaret Courtney - Flora Montgomery 
Leah Cohen - Jasmine Hyde 
Lord Goodman/Gerald Ronson - Edward Max 
DCI Fenwick - Theo Fraser Steele 
Ken Drury/Sir Donald/Warder DeWitt - Matthew Marsh 
Sir Ralph Courtney - Nick Sampson 
Margaret Thatcher/Denis Thatcher - Steve Nallon 
Bobby Brown/John Bindon/Warder Shenton - Charles Davies 
Charlie Peck/Terry Parrish- Patrick Marlowe 
Terry Lynch/Terry Bishop - Sam Donnelly 
DCS Slipper - Mark Perry 
John Redvers - Joseph Kloska 
Senor Ortega/Jose Picado/Mr Wilkes - Will Harrison-Wallace 
Pongo - David Ajao 
Mo Thompson/Doreen/Sonia - Suzanne Proctor 
Sonia/Doreen - Lotte Rice 
Julian Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler 
Yvonne/Clair Hamil - Susie Emmett 
DCI Robertson/Kevin Wheeler - Lucas Hare 
Sir Robert Mark - Patrick Cremin 
Franco/Simon Hatfield - Joshua Akehurst 
Claude Dobbs/Airey Neave - Jonathan Rigby 
Lionel Smith/Andrew McDowell - Kieron Jecchinis 
Martha - Serena Jennings 
Girls - Matilda &amp; Bethany Suett 
DC Baldwin - Tom Dawze 
Judge Melford Stevenson - Richard Wilson 
George Carman QC/Hank Nolan/AC Roland - Nigel Cooke 
AC Jennings/Brian Perry/Ernest Saunders/Dr Rickard - Nicholas Murchie 
Robert Gallo - William Meredith 
Harding/Commissionaire - Simon Pontin 
Jack Lynn/Bobby Mark - Ben Jacobson 
Paul Newman - David John 
Sir Roger Berry - Jamie Newall 
Donnie James - John Hollingworth 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 9-20 January 2017 (Series 3), 25 June-6 July 2018 (Series 4) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 3 and 4

The fifth and sixth series of the East End family crime saga, starring Toby Jones as Joseph Olinska 
 
1991. Britain and the US are waging war in Iraq, the Soviet Union is breaking up - and Brian Oldman is banged up in Parkhurst, his 30-year sentence restarted. Set on proving his innocence, he studies law from his cell in a bid to win justice at last. But will he ever be released from prison? 
 
Joseph Olinska, meanwhile, seems unstoppable. Now ennobled and on the board of Lehman Brothers, he plans to extend his business interests into Russia - with a little help from Boris Yeltsin and his cronies. He also cultivates the new Prime Minister, John Major: as well as a young centre-left politician named Tony Blair. The only fly in the ointment is his acrimonious divorce from Catherine, who's seeking a multi-million-pound settlement and has engaged top barrister George Carman to get it. And in the meantime, she's airing all Joseph's dirty laundry in court... 
 
With his crimes revealed for all to see, will Joseph finally get his comeuppance? And as a new millennium dawns, whose fortunes will prosper - and who will get their just deserts? 
 
Adapted by double BAFTA-winning writer G. F. Newman (Law and Order, Judge John Deed) from his own hit novels, this compelling tale mingles fact and fiction to shine a light on the corruption woven through the fabric of our society. Toby Jones stars as Joseph, with Joe Armstrong as Brian and Izabella Urbanowicz as Catherine. 
 
NB: Contains violence, scenes of a sexual nature, prejudicial dialogue and attitudes prevalent in the time in which the events depicted took place 
 
Written by G. F. Newman 
Characters based on G. F. Newman's novels 
Produced and directed by Clive Brill 
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Sir Joseph Olinska - Toby Jones 
Brian Oldman - Joe Armstrong 
Catherine - Izabella Urbanowicz 
Leah Cohen - Jasmine Hyde 
Margaret - Flora Montgomery 
Warder Peters/John Major/Douglas Hurd/Menachem Hayek/Judge Kelman/PO Rogers/Paul Linthwaite/David Blunkett/Robin Bleecher - Paul Kemp 
Asst Governor/Lord Miles/Assistant Governor/Warder Thompson/Mr Justice Balardy - Christian Rodska 
Dr Aziz/Pongo/Bob Reed/John Quayle - Damian Lynch 
Dr Eaves - Felicity Duncan 
Lord Goodman - Edward Max 
Kevin Wheeler/Nurse Moriarty/Reggie Kray - Lucas Hare 
George Carman QC/Tony Blair/Dr Jordan - Nigel Cooke 
The Master/Peter Balladur/Lord Carson/Judge - Jamie Newall 
Jack Braden - John Hollingworth/Jacob Fortune-Lloyd 
Third Doctor/Usher/Secretary/Sonia Hope/Angela/Rita/Audrey/Emma - Sarah Lambie 
Tony Wednesday/Boris Yeltsin/Malcolm Rifkind - Alec Newman 
Eddie Richardson/Tim Listfield/Dietrich Heller/Professor King - Charles Davies 
Chuck Haley - Matt Rippy 
Anatoly Popov - Boris Isarov/Matthew Marsh 
Brad Peterson/FBI Agent Pyke - William Meredith 
2nd Warder/Prisoner/Supervisor/Nikolai Lebedev/Alexei Egorkin/Jodi Monserrat/Prison Doctor- Kieron Jecchinis 
Brian Perry/DAC Henderson - Nicholas Murchie 
John Redvers - Tom York/Arty Froushan 
Sir Ralph Courtney/Magistrate - Nick Sampson 
Alex Murray/Inspector Vallins/Gianni/Technician - John Hastings 
Julian Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler 
Detective Albright/Sir Michael O'Dell/EXO Avedlund - Nigel Pivaro 
Clive Bunter/Justice Deed/Brad Thompson - Matthew Marsh 
Jeremy Corbyn - Christopher Harper 
Pongo/John Quayle - David Ajao 
Mrs Jinks/Marcia Hoffman - Suzan Sylvester 
Hamid Afzal/Mr Kumar - Akbar Kurtha 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 20 April-1 May 2020 (Series 5), 10-20 May 2021 (Series 6) 
 
'G. F. Newman's powerful story of ambition and crooks' The Times 
 
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G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 5 and 6

John Peacock

A BBC Radio thriller series about two old-school detectives who solve crimes in Victorian London 
 
1839, and Bow Street Runner Pip Shepherd is out of a job. The Runners have been disbanded, merged with Sir Robert Peel's new Metropolitan Police - and there's no way Pip's signing up with them. But when he befriends 'Peeler' Thomas Tedman, and hears about an upcoming detective division, he has second thoughts: and soon the duo are investigating their first cases together. 
 
The Last of the Bow Street Runners sees Tom and Pip teaming up to solve the mystery of a murdered earl and a missing fiancé. 
 
In A Cuckoo in the Nest, a man lost at sea for 14 years returns to claim his fortune. But is he the Nettlefields' true son and heir, or an imposter? 
 
Out on the Drag finds Pip going undercover to infiltrate a gang of 'draggers' led by the sinister Brock - and finding more than he bargained for. 
 
In The Kitten House, the two policemen probe a sophisticated vice ring operating in the highest echelons of society... 
 
Scripted by award-winning writer John Peacock, these four fantastic historical crime dramas star Todd Carty (Grange Hill, EastEnders) as Pip, with Charles Simpson (London Bridge, Kavanagh QC) as Thomas. 
 
Written by John Peacock 
Directed by David Blount 
Pianist: Harry Myers 
 
Cast 
Pip Shepherd - Todd Carty 
Thomas Tedman - Charles Simpson 
Dolly Jenks - Maggie McCarthy 
With Deborah Berlin, Ioan Meredith, Tessa Worsley, Zulema Dene, Stephen Critchlow, Tracy Wiles, Becky Hindley, Elizabeth Conboy, Harry Myers, Maggie McCarthy 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 June-2 July 1999 
 
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London Particulars

A BBC Radio 4 crime drama

Stephen Barlay

Stephen Barlay's gripping Cold War drama about the threat of nuclear war 
 
Laid up in a CIA hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound, British agent Maxon is about to have his peaceful convalescence shattered. As the radio DJ introduces In the Mood, the swinging sound of Glenn Miller is cut off by a shrill, insistent alarm - one signalling imminent, universal death. America's brand new Global Early Warning System has detected an approaching nuclear missile from outer space... 
 
But the attack never takes place. The weapon, launched from an unmanned Soviet space vehicle, was destroyed seconds later - so how did the public alert come to be broadcast? As a member of the elite team responsible for safeguarding GLEW, Maxon is assigned to investigate. Meanwhile, he takes on a second, parallel mission - helping his ex-lover, Jacqueline, prove her scientist husband Kowalski has not turned traitor and leaked GLEW secrets to the Russians. 
 
Searching for answers, Maxon travels to Toronto, where he is framed for murder and forced to go on the run. And when he finally uncovers the shocking truth, he finds himself mired in deceit and treason - and caught up in a deadly game of nuclear poker. With the doomsday clock pointing to two minutes to midnight, can Maxon and Jacqueline avert disaster? 
 
Written by acclaimed novelist Stephen Barlay, this tense espionage thriller stars Ian Hendry as Maxon and Toby Robins as Jacqueline. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Stephen Barlay 
Directed by Peter King 
Music composed and played by Ed Welch (piano) with Ron Aspery (saxophone) 
 
Cast 
Maxon - Ian Hendry 
Jacqueline - Toby Robins 
Disc Jockey/Announcer/MP/Gloucester/Wennstrom - Nigel Graham 
Inspector Wells/President/Doomsday Man - Bob Sherman 
Interviewer/Reporter - Madi Hedd 
Captain - Stuart Milligan 
Guard - Ian Tyler 
Nurse/Nadia- Zhivila Roche 
Reporter/MP/Announcer/Stewardess - Alex Marshall 
Beryov - Peter Gale 
Petrushka - Richard Marner 
Ellsberg - George Coulouris 
The Nachalnik - Paul Hardwick 
Locke - Alan Tilvern 
Kowalski - Carl Duering 
Cabbie - Peter Whitman 
Hostess - Gay Baynes 
Papa Mike - Errol MacKinnon 
Minister/Sandy - Peter Tuddenham 
Call Girl/Operator - Carole Boyd 
Chuck - Bruce Boa 
Inspector - Peter Marinker 
Fergus - James Bryce 
Aram Sarian - Vladek Sheybal 
Saul - Blain Fairman 
Girl - Mary Cornford 
Winston - Stuart Organ 
Tucker - Norman Jones 
Sleet/Reporter - Brett Usher 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 24 April-19 June 1983 
 
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The Price of Silence

A BBC Radio 4 Cold War Sci-Fi Thriller

Bill Lyons

Four full-cast dramas featuring the London police duo 
 
Sergeant Jimmy Vogel is an old-school, down-to-earth copper. Dedicated and tenacious, he's happy to work overtime to get results (to the dismay of his long-suffering wife, Mo). But after repeatedly missing out on promotion, he finds himself working under Superintendent Fraser, whose methods are alien to him. For Jimmy, policing's about understanding human nature, while his boss relies more on facts and figures. But to catch criminals, it takes both science and instinct, as the duo discover in these four stories. 
 
Body on the Heath - A young man is found on Putney Heath, his throat cut. Who is he, and how did he come to die such a grisly death? Vogel's having trouble finding any satisfactory answers... 
 
An Ordinary Bloke - When a woman is killed by faulty electrical wiring, it looks like murder. Her husband is the obvious suspect, but he's disappeared - and in tracking him down, Vogel and Fraser uncover unpleasant truths and secrets dating back thirty years. 
 
Sins of the Father - Jimmy Vogel is feeling his age. He's finally managed to make Inspector, but at the expense of his home life; he's feeling out of step with the youngsters at the station; and Superintendent Fraser still criticises his lack of tact. And his current investigation isn't making life any easier... 
 
Background - The old firm of Vogel and Fraser is in danger of breaking up. Fraser's stuck behind a desk and rarely gets out on the job, and Vogel's thinking of packing it in altogether. But neither of them can resist a challenge, and when a child is kidnapped they both get back on the case. 
 
Created by veteran scriptwriter Bill Lyons, these thrilling detective dramas star Douglas Livingstone as Vogel and Nigel Hawthorne as Fraser, with Diana Bishop as Mo. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Starring Douglas Livingstone as Vogel and Nigel Hawthorne as Fraser, with Diana Bishop as Mo 
Produced and directed by Jane Morgan 
 
Body on the Heath 
Sgt Mann - Walter Hall 
PC Jackson - Michael Harbour 
Pathologist/Mr Simon - Bruce Purchase 
Hairdresser/Waiter/Car park attendant - Alan Dudley 
Laura Holland - Colette O'Neil 
Edward Holland - David Graham 
Annie Viccars - Valerie Murray 
Eric Hills - Christopher Bidmead 
David Simon - Steven Pacey 
With Michael Tudor Barnes and Irene Sutcliffe 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 October 1976 
 
An Ordinary Bloke 
Jack Davis - Philip Stone 
Vi Davis - Joan Matheson 
Robert Davis - Gavin Campbell 
Det-Sgt Burridge - Michael Goldie 
Brian - Walter Hall 
PC Jackson - Kenneth Shanley 
Margaret Davis - Frances Jeater 
Spooner - Christopher Saul 
Brenda Parsons - Sheila Reid 
Alan Davis - Brian Hewlett 
Mrs Walters - Margot Boyd 
Sheila Stewart - Nicolette McKenzie 
Technical presentation by David Greenwood 
Assisted by David Hitchinson, Nick Bamford and Allyson Reed 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3 September 1977 
 
Sins of the Father 
Mrs Sutton - Petra Davies 
Charles Sutton - Philip Voss 
Jo Blackitt - Jenny Twigge 
Dave Walker - Brian Carroll 
Mayor - Brian Haines 
Tony Sutton - Merlin Ward 
Eric Roye - Fred Bryant 
Gerry Marshall - Dominic Cox 
Harris - Jeffrey Segal 
Tina - Tina Lyons 
Club Leader - David Sinclair 
Mrs Marshall - Eva Stuart 
Gaffer - John Bott 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 September 1979 
 
Background 
Mrs Ornum - Miranda Forbes 
Mr Ornum - Michael McStay 
Timothy Ornum - Rusty Livingstone 
Andy - Leroi Samuels 
Dave - Alex Jennings 
Insp Peter Gardner - Ronald Baddiley 
Rick - Michael Deeks 
Chas - Simon Hewitt 
Stew - Patrick Field 
DC Young - Steve Hodson 
Sharon Fraser - Alexandra Mathie 
Mrs Fraser - Lillias Walker 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 January 1983 
 
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Vogel & Fraser

Four BBC Radio 4 full-cast crime dramas

Robert Barr

Ex-policeman Galbraith is caught up in mystery and murder in these two gripping, fast-paced detective dramas 
 
After a long career in the Flying Squad, veteran copper Bill Galbraith is hanging up his truncheon and saying goodbye to the police force. He's looking forward to a quiet life on civvy street - but his best friend, private investigator Tommy Evans, has other ideas... 
 
In The King of Diamonds, Galbraith's enjoying a peaceful retirement in the countryside when Tommy calls him up with a job offer. Adamant that he's done with detection, Bill refuses, but Evans persists - and soon, Galbraith is embroiled in murky goings-on involving a beautiful blonde, a missing diamond courier and a criminal mastermind. 
 
The Midas Touch sees Bill accosted once again by his old PI pal, who shows him a mysterious photograph of a party on a lawn, with circles drawn round the heads of three people. The photo was part of a parcel addressed to a retired criminal lawyer, which also contained bearer bonds, a list of jewellery worth £750,000 and a letter threatening the life of a man named Paul Carson. The crime the package tells of has yet to be discovered - can Galbraith root it out? 
 
Created by the award-winning writer of Z Cars and Softly Softly, Robert Barr, these two suspenseful full-cast dramas star Bernard Hepton as the reluctant investigator, with Richard Davies as Tommy Evans. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Robert Barr 
Produced by John Browell 
Starring Bernard Hepton as Galbraith 
 
Cast 
The King of Diamonds 
Tommy Evans/Paul - Richard Davies 
David Cater - Tom Watson 
Gelder - Peter Dyneley 
Anne-Marie - Eva Haddon 
Cornell/Commander - Hector Ross 
Mary Galbraith - Katharine Page 
Milne - Bruce Alexander 
Lindemanns - Cyril Shaps 
Dykers - Trader Faulkner 
Brent - Peter Williams 
Jacobus - Stephen Greif 
Betty van Druten - Frances Jeater 
Lander - Peter Hawkins 
Gunman - Robert Gillespie 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 August-19 September 1975 
 
The Midas Touch 
Tommy Evans - Richard Davies 
Bernie Finch - Garard Green 
Sailor/Andreas - Kevork Malikyan 
Nick Tully - Clive Merrison 
Bavister - Eric Richard 
Mrs Palmer - Margery Withers 
Doc McDowall - Robert Gillespie 
Thorn - David Ryall 
Chief Inspector Collins/Inspector Burridge - Michael Kilgarriff 
Rita - Rosalyn Slater 
Carson - Matthew Francis 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 October-8 November 1977 
 
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Detective Galbraith: The King of Diamonds & The Midas Touch

2 BBC Radio crime dramas

CJ Sansom

The complete collected dramatisations of C. J. Sansom's historical mystery series 
 
Set during the reign of Henry VIII, these six stunning dramas follow the adventures of hunchbacked lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake as he navigates the dangerous world of Tudor England, solving crimes and seeking out murderers. 
 
Dissolution - Winter, 1537. When a King's Commissioner is brutally murdered at Scarnsea monastery, Thomas Cromwell sends Shardlake to investigate. Can he catch the killer before he strikes again? 
 
Dark Fire - Summer, 1540, and Shardlake is embroiled in two urgent cases: tracking down a batch of Greek Fire, an ancient weapon of mass destruction, and defending an orphan girl accused of murder. Accompanied by Cromwell's man, Barak, he must race against time to save Elizabeth's life - and Cromwell's skin. 
 
Sovereign - Autumn, 1541. As the King embarks on a Royal Progress to York, Shardlake and Barak arrive in the city on a secret mission for Archbishop Cranmer. But soon they are caught up in a murder investigation - and a daring plot to bring down the royal family... 
 
Revelation - Spring, 1543. With London rocked by religious turmoil, Shardlake must complete two vital assignments: help a teenage boy imprisoned in Bedlam for his heretical ravings, and prevent a serial killer from completing his unholy mission. 
 
Heartstone - Summer, 1545, and Shardlake and Barak are drawn into two murky mysteries: one involving 'monstrous wrongs' committed against a ward of the court, the other involving the troubled past of Bedlam inmate Ellen Fettiplace. Meanwhile, across the Channel, the French fleet is preparing to attack... 
 
Lamentation - 1546. Henry VIII lies dying, and his Protestant and Catholic factions are vying for power. As heretics are burned at the stake, the Queen rashly decides to write a compromising confessional book - and when it is stolen, she turns to Shardlake. His investigations lead him from London's backstreet print shops to the heart of the royal court... 
 
Jason Watkins and Justin Salinger star as Shardlake, with Bryan Dick as Barak, Mark Bonnar and Robert Glenister as Cromwell, Sam Dale and Sean Baker as Cranmer, and Emily Wachter and Jessica Hardwick as Queen Catherine Parr. 
 
 
Written by C. J. Sansom 
Dramatised by Colin MacDonald 
Produced and directed by Kirsteen Cameron, David Jackson Young and Bruce Young 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
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Shardlake: The Complete BBC Radio Collection

Six BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Joseph Conrad

Dramatisations of six of Conrad's finest novels, plus bonus material 
 
 Polish-born author and mariner Joseph Conrad is widely regarded as one of the greatest English novelists. His 16 years in the merchant navy profoundly shaped his fiction, giving him transformative experiences of adventure and exotic places, and a unique insight into the human psyche. Included here are adaptations of six of his best works, brought together for the first time and collected in chronological order, plus one fascinating bonus programmes exploring his life and art. 
 
 Heart of Darkness - Ordered to sail up the Congo River in search of enigmatic ivory trader Mr Kurtz, Marlowe's journey takes him deep into an unknown continent... David Calder, Bill Wallis and Kris Marshall star in this radio production of Conrad's controversial masterpiece. 
 
Lord Jim - Faced with disaster, young first mate Jim abandons the sinking SS Patna. Wracked with guilt, he tries to start a new life - but can he ever escape his past? Starring Simon Treves and David March. 
 
 The Secret Agent - A terrorist bomb explodes in London, killing the bomber and threatening the authorities and anarchists alike... Ron Cook and Robert Glenister star in a 2-part dramatisation of Conrad's prescient black comedy. 
 
 Il Conde - An elderly aristocrat is traumatised by a terrifying encounter in Naples in this adaptation of Conrad's haunting short story, starring John Moffatt and John Woodvine. 
 
 The Secret Sharer - An inexperienced skipper gives sanctuary to a fugitive murderer who seems like his doppelganger: and faces his own subconscious fears. Michael Feast, Christopher Scott and Stephen Tompkinson, star in this dramatisation of one of Joseph Conrad's most popular short tales. 
 
 Victory - Set in the Far East, this 1915 novel tells of one man's struggle towards self-realisation and redemption in a hostile world. Starring David March and Patrick Barr. 
 
 Meridian: Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness - Onyekachi Wambu explores Conrad's most famous novel, inspired by the brutal imperialist exploitation of the Congo during the 1880s. 
 
 First published 1899 (Heart of Darkness), 1900 (Lord Jim), 1907 (The Secret Agent), 1908 ('Il Conde'), 1910 ('The Secret Sharer'), 1915 (Victory) 
 
 Cast and credits 
 Written by Joseph Conrad 
 With thanks to Keith Wickham and the British Library 
 
 Heart of Darkness 
 Adapted by Jeremy Howe. Produced by Jeremy Howe and Iain Hunter. Music by David Lord 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 13 July 2003 
 
Lord Jim 
Dramatised by Keith Darvill. Directed by Martin Jenkins and Graham Gauld 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 July-1 September 1985 
 
 The Secret Agent 
 Dramatised by David Napthine. Directed by Jessica Dromgoole 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1-8 October 2006 
 
 Il Conde 
 Dramatised by Alun Owen. Directed by Enyd Williams 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 March 1994 
 
 The Secret Sharer 
 Dramatised by Robert Forrest. Directed by Patrick Rayner 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7 June 1989 
 
 Victory 
 Other parts played by members of the BBC Drama Repertory Company 
 Adapted by Helena Wood. Produced by Joe Burroughs 
 First broadcast BBC Home Service Basic, 22 November 1965 
 
 Meridian: Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness 
 Presented by Onyekachi Wambu 
 With Adam Hochschild, Professor Allan H. Simmons, Michela Wrong 
 First broadcast BBC World Service, 20 February 2002 
 
 ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Joseph Conrad: The Secret Agent, Heart of Darkness & More

A BBC Radio 4 drama collection

Al Smith

All five series of the tense, fast-paced drama set in an ambulance control room 
 
'Ambulance service - is the patient breathing and conscious?' It's a simple question, but call handler Carrie never knows where it might lead. Some calls are life-or-death, others hoaxes - and it's not always easy to tell the difference. The truth is often in the words her callers aren't saying - and it's only by listening hard and reaching out that Carrie can discover what's really going on. 
 
Working gruelling 12-hour shifts, the pace is furious, the pressure never lets up, and she finds herself juggling precious resources to try and help everyone in need. Whether it's a man intent on suicide, an acid attack victim, a baby in a bin, or a refugee trapped in a refrigerated lorry, the heart-stopping emergencies keep on coming: and Carrie always keeps her cool. But the relentless stress is taking its toll - and when her judgement is called into question over a patient who later died, she finds her work and her personal life colliding dangerously... 
 
Created by prize-winning playwright Al Smith and starring Sarah Ridgeway as Carrie, Life Lines has won numerous awards, including the Gold Award for Best Fictional Storytelling at the 2017 Radio Academy Awards and Best Original Series at the 2020 BBC Audio Drama Awards. This collection brings all five series of this gripping drama together for the first time. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Al Smith 
Produced and directed by Sally Avens 
Production Coordinators: Ben Hollands and Mike Etherden 
Studio Managers: Caleb Knightley, Jenni Burnett and Mike Etherden 
Starring Sarah Ridgeway as Carrie, Michael Jibson as Ian and Nick Underwood, Don Gilet and Rick Warden as Will 
 
Cast 
Series 1 
Destiny/Nurse - Clare Perkins 
Dave/Will - Nick Underwood 
Margaret - Elizabeth Bennett 
Chris - Tom Forrister 
Connor - Lloyd Hutchinson 
Dr Farnsworth/Paramedic - James Lailey 
Ben - Joe Sims 
Penny/Operator - Adie Allen 
Greg - Jason Barnett 
Jess - Nicola Ferguson 
Jenny - Kirsty Oswald 
Andrew - Brian Protheroe 
Caller - Sam Rix 
Owen - Charlie Brand 
 
Series 2 
Danny - Joe Sims 
Will - Don Gilet 
Brenda - Emma Handy 
James - Lewis Bray 
Robert - Sean Murray 
Anna - Saffron Comber 
Ali - Lizzie Stables 
Jess/Ash - Alex Constantinidi 
Policeman - Cameron Percival 
Geraldine/Receptionist - Elizabeth Counsell 
Fiona - Lucy Doyle 
Robin - Tony Turner 
Tanzir - Phaldut Sharma 
Karen - Jeannette Percival 
Joe - Liam Lau Fernandez 
Missy - Susie Riddell 
 
Series 3 
Peter - Jonjo O'Neill 
Martin/Policeman - Shaun Mason 
Darren - Michael Ajao 
Monica - Amelia Lowdell 
Gracie/Flo - Laura Christy 
Luke/Craig - Will Kirk 
Ailsa - Lucy Reynolds 
Police Officer/Bill - Clive Hayward 
Man/Paramedic - Ikky Elyas 
Chris - Jonny Holden 
Mike - Greg Jones 
Arthur - Neil McCaul 
Jenny - Sinead MacInnes 
Paramedic - Scarlett Courtney 
Frances - Rebecca Root 
 
Series 4 
Naomi/Martina - Clare Corbett 
Robin - Samuel James 
Ange - Jane Whittenshaw 
Iris - Cecilia Appiah 
George - Michael Bertenshaw 
Hugh - Carl Prekopp 
Theo - Aaron Gelkoff 
Phoebe - Charlotte East 
Karl - Luke Nunn 
Polly - Scarlett Brookes 
Connor - Lloyd Hutchinson 
Fergus - Ian Dunnett Jr 
 
Series 5 
Abbas - Sharif Dorani 
Joyce - Helen Norton 
Angelica - Saffron Coomber 
Devin - Justice Ritchie 
Andy/Paramedic - Shaun Mason 
Tom - Sam Dale 
Jo/Emma - Grace Cooper Milton 
Gwen/Train Driver - Christine Kavanagh 
Paul - Luke Nunn 
Chris/Justin - Joseph Ayre 
Mark - Tim McMullan 
Craig - Justice Ritchie 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Life Lines: The Complete Series 1-5

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama

Wally K. Daly

Wally K. Daly's sparkling trilogy of comic crime capers featuring the prison inmates of B Block 
 
When Bullet Head, Fingers and the other B Block cons meet Prisoners' Aid society members Charles Forbes and George Evans, trouble ensues. Soon, they are embroiled in daring escapades involving an upmarket department store, the Tower of London and the Bank of England... 
 
Burglar's Bargains - For 16 years, Charles and George have helped former prisoners to make a new start. But with forced retirement imminent, they decide to cross the line into criminality. With the assistance of B Block's finest, they mastermind the heist of the century - but events don't go entirely to plan, as they get tangled up with rival gangs, the Mafia and naked shop assistants... 
 
A Right Royal Rip-Off - Now happily ensconced behind bars, Charles and George are keeping themselves busy organising a full curriculum of artistic and cultural activities for their fellow inmates. But their cushy life is threatened when they learn that they're up for parole. The only way to stay inside is to commit another crime: so, aided by their jailbird friends, they plan their most audacious job yet - stealing the Crown Jewels. 
 
The Bigger They Are - Out of prison and holidaying in Sicily, Charles and George spot an old enemy from A Block, 'Machine Gun' Calloni. Determined to find out what this notorious Mafiosi is up to, they eavesdrop on a meeting of his 'Family' - and discover a plot to defraud the Bank of England. Enlisting the help of their criminal cronies once more, they set out to thwart Cosa Nostra... 
 
Written by veteran dramatist Wally K. Daly, these funny, light-hearted dramas perfectly evoke the glory days of the British crime caper movie. Peter Jones (The Rag Trade) and Lockwood West (Please Sir!, Doctor at Large) star as Charles and George, while the ensemble cast includes 'Carry On' regulars Charles Hawtrey and Bernard Bresslaw, and It Ain't Half Hot Mum's Donald Hewlett. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Wally K. Daly 
Produced and directed by Martin Jenkins 
Audio provided by the author 
 
NB: Due to the off-air nature of the recordings, the sound quality may vary 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
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The Burglar’s Bargains Trilogy

Three BBC Radio 4 full-cast comedy crime capers

Lynne Truss

All four series of Lynne Truss's comedy thrillers set in 1950s Brighton - plus Christmas special 
 
'Delicious fun' Sunday Times 
 
Brighton, 1957: a sunny seaside resort with a sinister underbelly. This den of villainy is policed by the touchingly innocent Inspector Steine, who naively believes he wiped out all the hoodlums in the Middle Street Massacre six years earlier. Can long-suffering Sergeant Brunswick and keen Constable Twitten persuade him that a criminal mastermind is at large - and that the station's charlady, Mrs Groynes, might bear investigation? 
 
Inspector Steine - A headless corpse on the ghost train, a murdered theatre critic, a bank robbery and a beautiful fish-and-chip-shop owner spell trouble for the hapless Inspector. Meanwhile, a deranged criminal escapes from Broadmoor seeking revenge... 
 
The Casebook of Inspector Steine - A matinee at the Hippodrome gives Mrs Groynes an idea, a day out in a vintage car proves eventful, Brunswick organises a police open day and goes undercover in a girls' school, and Steine meets a shady aristocrat - and finds his life in danger. 
 
The Adventures of Inspector Steine - When his chance to shine is scuppered by Steine, Brunswick wants to kill him. But is he behind the attempts on Steine's life - or could it be the Unknown Villain, or old adversary Mrs Vine? Events are further complicated by a criminal convention and the reappearance of Brunswick's old flame, Doris... 
 
The Return of Inspector Steine - Second World War bomb disposal hero Captain Hoagland limps into the station, with an award for Sergeant Brunswick and a head in a box. The latter is a warning that Adelaide Vine is back - and sadistic criminal Terence Chambers is heading for Brighton too, hell bent on havoc. 
 
Christmas for Inspector Steine - It is December 1957, the year of the Queen's inaugural Christmas broadcast and Mrs Groynes' first seasonal celebrations with new husband Captain Hoagland. But only Twitten has the festive spirit... 
 
Michael Fenton Stevens stars as Inspector Steine, with John Ramm as Sergeant Brunswick, Matt Green as Constable Twitten and Jan Ravens and Samantha Spiro as Mrs Groynes. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Lynne Truss 
Produced and directed by Karen Rose and Marilyn Imrie 
Original music by Anthony May 
Sound design: David Thomas 
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Starring Michael Fenton Stevens as Inspector Steine, John Ramm as Sergeant Brunswick, Matt Green as Constable Twitten and Jan Ravens and Samantha Spiro as Mrs Groynes 
 
Cast 
Maisie - Carla Mendonça/Rachel Atkins 
Georgie/BBC announcer/Chaplain/Albert/Bobby/Cecil/Pierre/Diamond Tony - David Holt 
Boy - Cameron Cleaver 
Stanley/Bouncer - Michael Roberts 
Cook - Allan Corduner 
Johnnie - Jason Hughes 
Ruby - Carolyn Backhouse 
Ventriloquist Vince/Warder - Kim Wall 
Adelaide Vine/Gloria's mother - Janet Ellis 
Brian the Brain/Mystery guest/Terence Chambers - Ewan Bailey 
Rudi - Ethan Brook 
Doris - Rachel Atkins 
Roy - Will Keen 
Hinge - Nicholas Le Prevost 
Phyllis - Michelle Tate 
Female panellist - Sophie Dearlove 
Lord Melamine - Mark Heap 
Jupiter - Philip Jackson 
Unknown Villain - Adrian Bower 
Roy - Douglas Hodge 
Captain Hoagland - Robert Bathhurst 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 January-2 March 2007 (Inspector Steine), 4 April-9 May 2008 (The Casebook of Inspector Steine), 2 September-30 October 2009 (The Adventures of Inspector Steine), 17 October-21 November 2011 (The Return of Inspector Steine), 23 December 2013 (The Christmas of Inspector Steine) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Inspector Steine

The complete BBC Radio 4 comedy crime drama

Nicholas Freeling

The collected BBC adaptations of Nicolas Freeling's bestselling thrillers - plus bonus documentary 
 
Acclaimed as 'the most thoroughly European of British crime writers' (The Guardian), Nicolas Freeling was well known for his novels featuring Dutch sleuth Van der Valk and French policeman Henri Castang. Included in this collection are six stories showcasing both detectives, as well as a bonus programme exploring Van der Valk and his creator. 
 
Love in Amsterdam - Martin's former lover has been murdered. He's the prime suspect, his alibi is thin, and he's lying - but is he the killer? It's up to Van der Valk to find out... David Troughton reads the first novel in the Van der Valk series. 
 
Gun Before Butter - The Dutch detective finds himself dealing with a body, an abandoned Mercedes and the beautiful daughter of a dead conductor. Ian Hogg and Sophie Thompson star in this dramatisation of Freeling's 1963 novel, the winner of France's Grand Prix de Roman Policier. 
 
King of the Rainy Country - A handsome, middle-aged millionaire and a naked girl disappear. Can Van der Valk find them? Martin Jarvis stars in this adaptation of the sixth Van der Valk novel, which received a 1967 Edgar Award for Best Novel. 
 
Arlette - When her husband is shot in the street, Arlette Van der Valk takes the law into her own hands. Starring Stella Gonet as Arlette and Nigel Anthony as Piet Van der Valk. 
 
The Nightlords - A dead man in the boot of a Rolls-Royce in Normandy threatens to disrupt Anglo-French relations. Keith Barron stars in this dramatisation of Freeling's first book featuring Henri Castang. 
 
Not as Far as Velma- Newly-promoted Commissaire Henri Castang probes the case of a missing hotel owner, the bombing of a convent and an elusive British journalist... Starring Keith Barron as Castang. 
 
Foreign Bodies: Netherlands - Commissaris Van Der Valk - As part of a series looking at European history through crime fiction, Mark Lawson takes a trip to Amsterdam in search of Van der Valk, and asks how Freeling's fiction reflected changes in postwar Dutch society. 
 
 
Text copyright © Nicolas Freeling 1962 (Love in Amsterdam), 1963 (Guns Before Butter), 1966 (The King of the Rainy Country), 1978 (The Night Lords), 1979 (The Widow), 1989 (Not as Far as Velma) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Nicholas Freeling: Van der Valk & Castang

Six BBC Radio thrillers featuring Piet Van der Valk & Inspector Henri Castang

D.M. Thomas

Dennis Potter

Dennis Potter's unproduced screenplay of D. M. Thomas's award-winning novel, plus bonus documentary 
 
'Incendiary' Radio Times 
 
The annals of movie history are full of lost treasures - spectacular scripts from world-renowned writers that could have been classics, had they only been made. Now, for the first time, some of these forgotten gems have been brought to life, fully realised as vivid, cinematic radio productions. Scripted by major 20th Century writers, including Harold Pinter, Arthur Miller, Alfred Hitchcock and Dennis Potter, they star a host of A-list actors and feature richly evocative, atmospheric soundtracks. 
 
The White Hotel, one of seven 'unmade movies' available on audio, centres around circus performer Lisa, who visits famous Berlin psychoanalyst Dr Probst to discover the cause of her mysterious breast and pelvic pains. Reading her sexually-charged journal, Probst concludes that the answer lies in her past. But then Lisa reveals her unsettling premonitions - 'I see what is going to happen. And what is going to happen cannot be endured.' Is her trauma really the result of childhood memories, or a dark vision of the future? 
 
Lauded for his groundbreaking TV dramas, Dennis Potter also wrote several acclaimed screenplays, including Gorky Park. The White Hotel was taken up by numerous directors, from Bertolucci to David Lynch, with actors including Barbra Streisand and Meryl Streep slated to star - but the project defeated them all. Now, directed by Jon Amiel, who worked with Potter on The Singing Detective, this haunting, hallucinatory drama has finally found an audience. Anne-Marie Duff (His Dark Materials) stars as Lisa, with Bill Paterson (Fleabag) as Probst and Simon McBurney (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as the narrator. It is preceded by a 15-minute documentary, The Long Road to the White Hotel, telling the story of the many failed attempts to film Thomas's novel and the making of the radio production. 
 
NB: Contains strong language and sexual scenes 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by D. M. Thomas 
Original screenplay by Denis Potter under licence from Briarpatch Limited L.P 
Directed by Jon Amiel 
Produced by Laurence Bowen and Peter Ettedgui 
Sound design: Wilfredo Acosta 
A Dancing Ledge production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Lisa - Anne-Marie Duff 
Probst - Bill Paterson 
Narrator - Simon McBurney 
The Lover - David Gyasi 
Victor - Nigel Lindsay 
Aunt Magda - Morwenna Banks 
Vera/Old Woman/Wife - Jasmine Jones 
Various - Wayne Forester 
Officer/Captain/Maitre d'/Old Man - Nick Underwood 
Koyla - Felix Jamieson 
Little Lisa - Tillie Murray 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 September 2018 
 
The Long Road to the White Hotel 
With DM Thomas, Amanda Bale and Jon Amiel 
Produced by Philippa Geering and Geoff Bird 
An Overtone Production for BBC Radio 4 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 September 2018 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Unmade Movies: Dennis Potter's The White Hotel

A BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the unproduced screenplay

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