Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

G. F. Newman

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 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

G.F. Newman’s The Corrupted: Series 5 and 6

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

Alison Joseph

A quartet of crime dramas by Alison Joseph, including a thrilling murder mystery featuring detective-nun Sister AgnesAn acclaimed crime novelist and dramatist, Alison Joseph has scripted over 25 plays for BBC Radio. This collection showcases four of her original crime dramas, all specially written for Radio 4 – beginning with an apparently open-and-shut case for Sister Agnes that turns out to be anything but...Sister Agnes Investigates – Seconded to the order’s library to catalogue their books, Agnes is shocked when her mousy colleague claims to have killed a man. Convinced Catherine is incapable of murder, the sleuthing Sister sets out to find the truth. Anne-Marie Duff stars as Sister Agnes, with Helen Longworth as Catherine.Jane’s Story – Jane Michaels thought that she and her husband had no secrets from each other. But then James dies suddenly, leaving her with an unfinished property redevelopment project and a heap of unanswered questions… Starring Elizabeth Bell, Ella Smith and Noma Dumezweni.The True Story – When the wife of ex-government minister Richard Carey QC goes missing, her family are thrown into disarray. Could secrets from the past hold the clue to her disappearance? David Ryall and Barbara Flynn star in this intriguing mystery serial.One Down – A mystery crossword appearing in the Rainswick Mercury has the staff flummoxed. Is it just a prank – or is there a sinister message behind it? Starring Nicholas Le Prevost and Adjoah Andoh.© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Sister Agnes Investigates & more

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Crime and Mystery Dramas

Gaston Leroux

Full-cast radio adaptations of two classic mysteries by the writer of The Phantom of the Opera 
 
Gaston Leroux was one of the pioneers of the detective story, alongside Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe. Best known for The Phantom of the Opera, he also wrote a series of crime novels featuring journalist and amateur detective Joseph Rouletabille. Included here are dramatisations of the two best-known books in the series, The Mystery of the Yellow Room and its sequel, The Perfume of the Lady in Black, starring Nicholas Boulton as Rouletabille and Charles Simpson as his friend and assistant Sainclair. 
 
The Mystery of the Yellow Room – Described by John Dickson Carr as ‘the finest locked-room tale ever written’, this celebrated mystery finds young reporter Rouletabille investigating an impossible crime. How was Professor Stangerson’s daughter Mathilde knocked unconscious, strangled and left for dead in the Yellow Room, when the door was bolted from the inside and the windows barred? And how did her attacker manage to vanish into thin air? 
 
The Perfume of the Lady in Black – France’s most dangerous man is dead, and few people mourn his passing. Of the scattering of people at his funeral, one in particular stands out: a mysterious, heavily-veiled woman, dressed in swathes of black. Rouletabille recognises her perfume – lavender with a hint of jasmine – and is convinced they’ve met before: but where? To solve the puzzle, he must look to his own past, and a secret he has kept hidden for many years... 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Gaston Leroux 
First published 1907 (The Mystery of the Yellow Room), 1908 (The Perfume of the Lady in Black) 
Directed by David Blount 
 
The Mystery of the Yellow Room 
Joseph Rouletabille – Nicholas Boulton 
Inspector Frédéric Larson – Geoffrey Whitehead 
Mathilde Stangerson – Becky Hindley 
Jean Sainclair – Charles Simpson 
Robert Darzac – Alastair Danson 
Professor Stangerson – Hugh Dickson 
Corbeau/Judge – Stephen Thorne 
Jacques/Innkeeper – Brian Parr 
 
Dramatised by Stephen Sheridan 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 June 1998 
 
The Perfume of the Lady in Black 
Rouletabille – Nicholas Boulton 
Sainclair – Charles Simpson 
Larson – Geoffrey Whitehead 
Mathilde – Suzanna Hamilton 
Rance/Uncle Marius – Stephen Thorne 
Darzac/Steward – Alastair Danson 
Beauvais/Captain – David Timson 
Edith/Postmistress – Alison Pettitt 
 
Dramatised by Stephen Sheridan from a translation by Margaret Costa 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 August 2000 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Adventures of Rouletabille: The Mystery of the Yellow Room & The Perfume of the Lady in Black

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

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

Cath Staincliffe

Seven original radio dramas by award-winning crime writer Cath Staincliffe, featuring heir hunters, a genealogist and an undercover cop who must untangle family mysteries 
 
Cath Staincliffe is best known as the creator of the hit TV series Blue Murder, as well as for her ‘Scott and Bailey’ books and ‘Sal Kilkenny’ crime novels. This full cast drama collection features the five gripping dramas in her ‘Legacy’ series, together with a standalone mystery and a three-part thriller, all specially written for BBC Radio. 
These dramas feature a stellar line-up including Maxine Peake, Tony Mooney, William Ash, Claire Keelan, Jo Hartley, Suranne Jones, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, Esh Alladi and Matthew McNulty. 
 
Legacy – Ex-police officer Dan and his ruthless sister Rachel are probate detectives, tracking down the rightful heirs to unclaimed estates. As they delve into the past, they uncover long-buried secrets… 
 
Legacy: Blood in the Mountains – When Henry Gaunt dies, Dan and Rachel trace his family tree back to the Spanish Civil War, where Henry’s father George died fighting alongside his cousin, Eric. Is Eric still alive, and could he be the heir they’re looking for? 
 
Legacy: Eden – Digging into the records to find Gordon Willshaw’s kin, Jo and Rachel are led to 1950s Kenya and the terrible events of the Mau Mau rebellion. 
 
Legacy: Suspicious Minds – The search for an heir to Petra Oster’s estate takes Dan and Rachel to 1980s East Berlin. It soon becomes clear that she escaped to Britain to erase her past – but what dark truths was she hiding? 
 
Legacy: High Green Walls – Discovering that deceased 73-year-old recluse Susan Peller was once a successful artist with a twin sister, Barbara, Dan and Rachel travel to America to find her fortune and hunt for her heir. 
 
Look Sharp – Genealogist Karen Sharp finds herself in danger – and forced to face her own fears – when she sets about untangling a family mystery. 
 
Undercover: Close to Home – Hoping to find out what happened to Ben Curtis’s wife, who went missing a year ago, policewoman Grace goes undercover as a live-in nanny at the family home... 
 
 
Credits 
Written by Cath Staincliffe 
Directed by Nadia Molinari 
 
Legacy 
Cast: Maxine Peake, Tony Mooney, Thomas Rolinson, Daniel Rogers, Lowri Evans, Eileen O'Brien, Fiona Clarke, Claude Close 
 
Legacy: Blood in the Mountains 
Cast: Claire Keelan, William Ash, Tom Hughes, Steven Hoyle, Russell Dixon, Eithne Browne, Russell Richardson 
 
Legacy: Eden 
Cast: Jo Hartley, William Ash, Alexandra Mathie, Olivia Cooke, Henry Devas, Yusra Warsama, Hugh Simon 
 
Legacy: Suspicious Minds 
Cast: Jo Hartley, William Ash, Conrad Nelson, Lisa Brookes, Fiona Clarke, Sarah McDonald Hughes, Jack Lord 
 
Legacy: High Green Walls 
Cast: Claire Keelan, William Ash, Russell Dixon, Kellie Shirley, Ellie Meigan Rose, Malcolm Raeburn, Jonathan Keeble, Fiona Clarke 
 
Look Sharp 
Cast: Suranne Jones, Jeff Hordley, David Hargreaves, Deborah McAndrew, Danielle Henry, Julie Westwood 
 
Undercover: Close to Home 
Cast: Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, Esh Alladi, Matthew McNulty, Bebe Massey, Tareq Al-Jeddal, Christine Bottomley, Emma Cunniffe, Kymberley Cochrane, Lula Marsh, Jessica Bellamy & Esh Alladi 
 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Legacy

Seven Full-Cast BBC Radio Mysteries

Tracy Aston

Pat Anderson

Stephen Butchard

Jeff Young

A long weekend in Liverpool, one murder and four stunning dramas A fantastic four-part series, this story of interwoven lives is set in Liverpool over a long weekend, created in collaboration by four Liverpudlian writers. In each of the stories the characters gently touch each others lives, bring a richness and depth to the narrative, centred around the mystery of a local murder.In Friday both Edith and Albert are on the run. Edith from the Old Folks' Home and Albert from his family and fast-approaching insanity. Having discovered Albert talking to a dead body in the cathedral gardens, Edith takes him away from the scene and under her wing.The story continues in Saturday as Carol, who works at the barber’s, feels her body clock is ticking - like a time bomb waiting to go off. Her boyfriend's answering machine mocks her, and God deserts her. Carol's life is about to change but will it be for the better?In Sunday we meet Joe, a former a priest and his mother, Mary. Joe has taken work in a local bookies and become the topic of local gossip. Even a murder on the community's doorstep can't shift him from the spotlight.The story concludes in Monday with Eddie, alias ‘Edward the Confessor’. He is a petty thief and seller of chocolates and bin bags. Separated from his wife and daughter, he searches for recognition. There's been a murder in town and, if nicking chocolates hasn't made him ‘someone’, then maybe his next confession will…This listening treat is a love song to Liverpool and a great listen for any fans of beautiful narratives and mysteries featuring the talents of local playwrights Tracy Aston, Pat Anderson, Stephen Buchard and Jeff Young. Cast and creditsDirected by Kate RowlandFriday Written by Tracy AstonEdith - Patricia HayesAlbert - Michael AngelisDawn - Sunetra SarkerEddie - Alan IgbonGeorge - Tom WilliamsonNm - Pauline FlemingDolly - Ina CloughGusker - Jake AbrahamSaturday Written by Pat AndersonCarol - Cathy TysonGraham - Phil Hearne Dawn - Sunetra SarkerEddie - Alan IgbonGood Good - Tom WilliamsonTony - Jake AbrahamAngela - Paula SimsAlan - Michael ChristopherSunday Written by Stephen BuchardMary - Val LilleyJoseph - Michael ChristopherEdith - Patricia HayesTony - Jacob AbrahamAngela - Paula SimsCarol - Cathy TysonAlbert - Michael AngelisGeorge - Tom WilliamsonDawn - Sunetra SarkerMonday Written by Jeff YoungEddie - Alan IgbonGood Good - Tom WilliamsonSusan - Constance BrancheWife - Paula SimsWally - Phil HearneDJ - Neil AnthonyJoseph - Michael ChristopherFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 - 22nd Dec 1993©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Crack

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

David Napthine

Steve Chambers

Seven gripping dramas featuring forensic psychologist and memory expert Dr Joe Aston 
 
Returning to his home town of Middlesborough on a six-month attachment to the Teesside police, criminal psychologist Joe Aston is called in for seven unusual and baffling cases. As a specialist in the controversial field of 'recovered memory', his skills are crucial: only he can uncover the truth by persuading victims, witnesses and suspects to remember what they'd rather forget... 
 
In Doctor Joe Aston Investigates, the 'recall man' tackles the only suspect in a murder case: a scientist suspected of killing her boss. 
 
Making Waves finds a confused diver claiming to have witnessed an old murder: can his memory be trusted? 
 
In Over the Border, Aston probes a taxi driver who may be the sole witness to a gangland killing, but claims to remember nothing. 
 
In Stepping Out, he finds his position under threat when rival psychologist Beth Webster is hired to investigate a spate of attacks on young women. 
 
Taken by Surprise sees Aston resorting to unorthodox methods to secure an identification of the main suspect in a kidnapping case. 
 
In Can't See for Looking, a witness to an arson attack swears she saw a rhinoceros throwing a petrol bomb: can Aston discover what she really saw? 
 
Finally, in Best Forgotten, the forensic psychologist uncovers fresh information about an unsolved robbery from 1952 - but the newfound facts have some unwelcome implications... 
 
Written by David Napthine and Steven Chambers, these gripping dramas star Jeremy Swift as Dr Joe Aston, with Paul Brennen as DC Patten, Janet Dibley as DI Reynolds and Andrew Harrison as DC Hamilton. 
 
 
Credits 
Written by David Napthine and Steven Chambers 
Produced and directed by Toby Swift and Mary Peate 
 
Starring Jeremy Swift as Dr Joe Aston 
 
Doctor Joe Aston Investigates 
Grace Hayle - Rosie Cavaliero 
Dl Karen Dennis - Carolyn Pickles 
Tom Aston - Colin MacLachlan 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DC Talbot - Sue Scott Davison 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 7 December 2001 
 
Making Waves 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
Defence Counsel - Andrew Harrison 
George - James Gaddas 
Jane - Elizabeth Carling 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 31 October 2003 
 
Over the Border 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Tommy - Vincent Friell 
DC Hamilton - Andrew Harrison 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 7 November 2003 
 
Stepping Out 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Beth - Tessa Peake-Jones 
Linda - Sue Scott Davison 
Nicola - Suzanne Heathcote 
DC Hamilton - Andrew Harrison 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 14 November 2003 
 
Taken by Surprise 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Bill - Andrew Dunn 
Tony - Gerard McDermott 
Moira - Susan Jameson 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26 September 2005 
 
Can't See for Looking 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Donna - Sharon Percy 
Billy - Michael Imerson 
Alison - Colleen Prendergast 
Steve - Wayne Foskett 
Asif - Shiv Grewal 
Mickey - Michael Hodgson 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3 October 2005 
 
Best Forgotten 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Tom - Colin MacLachlan 
Frankie - Maurice Roëves 
Sue - Sheila Tait 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 10 October 2005 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Recall Man

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast crime drama

Henry Cecil

Eight thrilling tales from the writer of Brothers in Law, featuring courtroom cases, legal wranglings, conspiracy and blackmail 
 
Barrister and county court judge, Henry Cecil wrote numerous comic stories set in the legal world, most famously Brothers in Law. Collected here are eight vintage dramas based on his works, beginning with an adaptation of his debut novel, The Painswick Line, a tale of a judge and his somewhat unconventional family starring Cecil Parker and Monica Grey. 
 
The Disagreeable Man, starring Norman Shelley and David Spenser, finds a peaceful English village disrupted by the arrival of two newcomers, one of whom is most unpleasant. In Alibi for a Judge, an attractive young woman enlists the co-operation of the elderly judge who had convicted her husband of robbery to prove his innocence. It stars Andrew Cruickshank and Lesley Burford. 
 
Next are two very different family dramas. Daughters in Law, starring Cecil Parker and Naunton Wayne, is a lighthearted story about a lawyer-loathing squire who discovers his sons have fallen in love with a judge’s twin daughters, one a barrister and one a solicitor. Fathers in Law, meanwhile, deals with the thorny issue of adoption, as the rights of a childless couple wishing to adopt a baby boy are set against those of his natural father. Alan Barry, John Westbrook and Joan Matheson star in this heartrending drama leavened by touches of humour. 
 
Inspired by a real-life case, A Matter of Speculation depicts the 1814 trial of aristocratic naval officer Admiral Lord Cochrane, on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the London Stock Exchange. No Fear or Favour, Henry Cecil’s last radio play, concerns an imprudent judge threatened by an unscrupulous blackmailer, and stars Paul Daneman, Sarah Badel and Peter Sallis. Finally, in The Buttercup Spell, the pollen of the humble yellow flower is found to have unusual and beneficial effects, causing everyone to love their fellow man. Peter Williams stars in this delightful 1975 fantasy. 
 
 
With thanks to Keith Wickham and the Radio Circle 
 
NB: These are vintage radio productions and the audio quality reflects the age of the recording 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Henry Cecil 
 
The Painswick Line 
Starring Kenneth Hyde, Cecil Parker, Monica Grey, Frederick Treves, Alan Haines, Gordon Faith, Ralph Truman, Timothy Harley, Denys Blakelock, Stephen Thorne, Michael Goldie, Beatrlce Kane, George Merritt, John Boxer, Hamlyn Benson. 
 
Produced by H. B. Fortuin 
 
The Disagreeable Man 
Starring Norman Shelley, David Spenser, Margaret Wolfit, James Thomason, Humphrey Morton, Ronald Herdman, Alan Dudley, Hilda Kriseman, Noel Hood, Anna North, Duncan McIntyre, Wilfred Babbage, Antony Viccars, Geoffrey Wincott. 
 
Adapted by C.E. Webber from an episode in the book Ways and Means by Henry Cecil 
Produced by Martyn C. Webster 
 
Alibi for a Judge 
Starring Andrew Cruickshank, Amanda Grinling, Aubrey Woods, Jonathan Scott, Trader Faulkner, Peter Howell, Michael Shannon, Clifford Norgate, Hector Ross, Carole Boyd, Michael Burlington, Anthony Smee. 
 
Adapted by Henry Cecil and Felicity Douglas 
Directed by John Tydeman 
 
Daughters in Law 
Starring Cecil Parker, Antony Viccars, John Pullen, Gudrun Ure, Diana Olsson, William Eedle, Will Leighton, Naunton Wayne, Peter Claughton, Malcolm Hayes, Rolf Lefebvre, Philip Leaver, Haydn Jones, Derek Birch. 
 
Produced by H. B. Fortuin 
 
Fathers in Law 
Starring Hector Ross, Alan Barry, John Westbrook, Joan Matheson, George Curzon, Gordon Faith, Patricia Leventon, Michael Gough, Allan McClelland, Nigel Graham, Philip Guard, Monica Grey, Michael McClain, Fraser Kerr, Molly Rankin, Betty Huntley-Wright, Denys Blakelock, Peter Marinker. 
 
Produced by H. B. Fortuin 
 
A Matter of Speculation 
Starring Cecil Parker, Noel Howlett, Garard Green, Basil Jones, John Boxer, William Fox, Alan Haines, Stephen Thorne, Hector Ross, Fraser Kerr, Nigel Graham, Eric Anderson, Mary Wimbush, Norman Shelley. 
 
Produced by Archie Campbell 
 
No Fear or Favour 
Starring Paul Daneman, Sarah Badel, Peter Sallis, Timothy Bateson, Hector Ross, Peter Williams, Manning Wilson, Michael Shannon, Peter Howell, Antony Higginson, Michael Burlington, Michael Cochrane. 
 
Adapted by Henry Cecil 
Produced by Harry Catlin 
 
The Buttercup Spell 
Starring Peter Williams, Gerald Cross, John Ruddock, Leslie Heritage, John Challis, John Samson, Malcolm Hayes, William Fox, Philip Leaver, Geoffrey Beevers, Edward Kelsey, Lewis Stringer, Peter Bartlett, Peter Marinker, Katherine Parr, Sheila Grant. 
 
Produced by Archie Campbell 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Alibi for a Judge & other plays

Eight Full-Cast Vintage BBC Radio Dramatisations

Ayeesha Menon

Matthew Solon

A fast-paced, globe-trotting family saga of wealth, power, revenge and karma - with helicopters, private jets and a tiger reserve 
 
Meet the Majumdars, a family at war - with itself... 
 
Self-made tech mogul Ravi Majumdar fought his way up from nothing to make a billion-dollar fortune. Now he risks losing everything in his single-minded quest to defeat his enemy, Jai Singh: the man he once considered his best friend. Concerned for their inheritance, his children - Ash, the eldest son and would-be heir; Maya the brilliant business student; socialite and ex-Bollywood actress Zara; and sensitive Shaan, who yearns for his father's approval - fight for control of the company. But there are others bidding for the succession: Seraphina, Ravi's 'spiritual advisor', and Amit, their Indian cousin, whose humility belies his ambition... 
 
As Ravi plays 'divide and rule' with his offspring, the multinational corporation he has spent a lifetime building is brought to the brink of collapse. The warring siblings must join forces and work together if they are to see off the competition and save their father's business empire... 
 
Written by Ayeesha Menon and Matthew Solon, this exhilarating drama of high-stake deals and sibling rivalry, set in the world of the super-wealthy, plays out on the grand scale of a Shakespearean tragedy. Recorded in the UK and India, it stars Rajit Kapur as Ravi, with Abhin Galeya as Ash, Amrita Acharia as Maya, Munirih Grace as Zara and Danny Ashok as Shaan. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Ayeesha Menon and Matthew Solon 
Executive produced and directed by John Scott Dryden 
Produced by Emma Hearn and Nadir Khan 
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Mein 
Production Assistant: Anna Calandra 
Original music by Sacha Puttnam 
India Sound Supervisor Ayush Ahuja 
Editing and Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore 
Sound recording by Paul Clark, Ashyar Bulsara and Ayush Ahuja 
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Ravi Majumdar - Rajit Kapur 
Anya - Dolya Gavanski 
Ash - Abhin Galeya 
Maya - Amrita Acharia 
Zara - Munirih Grace 
Shaan - Danny Ashok 
Ian - Finbar Lynch 
Seraphina - Jennifer Armour 
Dr Lincoln - Emma Carter 
Jeet - Ronny Jhutti 
Amit - Tavish Bhattacharyya 
Jai - Vincent Ebrahim 
Karan - Zafar Karachiwala 
Sharma - Neil D'Souza 
Venitia - Laurel Lefkow 
John Myson - Ash Hunter 
Ben - Philip Desmeules 
Beth Mitchell - Natalie Simpson 
All other parts played by Lola Ogunyemi, Matthew Solon, Nadir Khan, Aseem Hattangady and Ayeesha Menon 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 June-1 July 2021 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

TakeOver

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama

Leonardo Padura

Leonardo Padura's award-winning Cuban detective series featuring Lieutenant Mario Conde. 
 
Havana Blue: It's New Year's Day 1989, and Lieutenant Mario Conde wakes up with another terrible hangover and a case which is close to home. His schoolboy rival, now a party grandee, is missing. 
 
Havana Gold: Lieutenant Conde goes on a trip through his childhood Havana haunts when a young female schoolteacher at his old school is murdered. And could it be that he has finally met the woman of his dreams? 
 
Havana Red: Conde's fondly-held prejudices are tested by this case involving a man found strangled in Havana Woods wearing a beautiful red dress. 
 
Havana Black: Conde has been suspended for taking a well-deserved pop at a fellow officer. But then he is called in for a case involving the disappearance of a Cuban with U.S. citizenship who has come home to visit his family. 
 
Starring Zubin Varla as Mario Conde, David Westhead as Rangel, Lanre Malaolu as Manolo and Lorna Gayle as Josefina, Ben Crowe as Skinny, and Adjoa Andoh as Tamara. 
 
Dramatised by Jennifer Howarth and Joy Wilkinson 
Directed by Mary Peate 
 
Leonardo Padura is a novelist and journalist who was born in 1955 in Havana where he still lives. He is best known internationally for the Havana Quartet series, all featuring Inspector Mario Conde. In 1998 Padura won the Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers, and in 2012 he was awarded the National Prize for Literature, Cuba's national literary award.

The Havana Quartet

Four full-cast crime dramatisations

Claire McGowan

They all thought she was dead. But now she’s back. 
 
Golden girl Zoe’s been dead for ten years, her body dragged from the river Black after a night out to celebrate the end of school. But now a woman who says she’s Zoe has turned up in her hometown of Blackwater, on the Irish border, with no memory of the last decade. She claims she woke up in a forest nearby, bruised and bleeding, and doesn’t know where she’s been all this time. What happened to her? Is she really Zoe? And if so, who is in her grave? 
 
Someone is hiding something. Is it Paul, who went to prison for Zoe's murder? Zoe's uncle Phil, a former detective superintendent with an explosive secret? Or Steve, the police office who found 'Zoe's' body in the river? Then there's Zoe's friend Danny, who wasn't where she said she was on that night ten years ago. 
 
As they sift through their conflicting memories of that day ten years ago, they start to discover that not everyone is happy that Zoe's back from the dead. 
 
Cast 
Zoe - Clare Dunne 
Steve - Richard Clements 
Paul - Aston Kelly 
Phil - Sean Kearns 
Danny - Roisin Gallagher 
 
Produced by Celia de Wolff

Blackwater

A BBC Radio crime drama

Katie Hims

Two boys out sledging in their local park find the body of an old woman in the snow. Who is she? How did she come to be there? 
 
Over ten episodes, this compelling series moves backwards and forwards in time to reveal the chain of events that led her to that point.We meet members of her family, her friends and the people she has encountered, all of whom provide clues to help us put the puzzle together. From the police and paramedics to the nurses and residents in an old people's home, each character has their own relationships and circumstances - and on our journey to understanding the old woman's story, we hear theirs too, combining to form a brilliant kaleidoscope of modern life and love. 
 
Christine Bottomley, Marcia Warren, Neil Dudgeon, Amelia Bullmore and John Rowe are among the stars in Katie Hims' funny, poignant drama. 
 
Directed by Mary Peate 
 
Cast 
Ryan - Harry Grasby 
Jackson - Aaron Gelkoff 
Mick - David Reed 
Hayley - Christine Bottomley 
Kadija - Nahel Tzegai 
Pat/Shirley - Heather Craney 
Rose - Jessica Turner 
Frank/Taxi driver - Neil McCaul 
Marion - Marcia Warren 
Zoe - Amanda Wilkin 
Eve - Sinead MacInnes 
Bloke/Phil - Ian Conningham 
Eli/Ben - Greg Jones 
Ozzy - Ikky Elyas 
Ned/Baxter - Will Kirk 
Call Handler/Girl - Scarlett Courtney 
Joe - John Rowe 
Lee - Neil Dudgeon 
Saskia - Amelia Bullmore 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3-14 February 2020

24 Kildare Road

A BBC Radio mystery

Christopher Lee

Christopher Benjamin and Amanda Redman star in two six-part BBC radio crime dramas, created by Christopher Lee 
 
In these two compelling murder mysteries, MI6 officers Henry Colvil and Alex Soames become involved in a pair of complex cases which take them to the very top of the political and religious spheres. 
 
In Series 1, the duo attend the funeral of an elderly Irish priest, and receive a tip-off that his death has controversial links. Probing further, they discover a shocking secret in Father Dominic’s past – and Henry’s faith is dealt a mortal blow. Can it withstand the whole truth? 
 
Series 2 opens with a disturbing murder on a Brighton beach. What seemed like a simple drug-related killing turns out to have unexpected complications – and as Colvil and Soames investigate, they uncover nefarious connections between the victim and a prominent politician, and a case that threatens to send shockwaves through government... 
 
Written by acclaimed historian, broadcaster and author Christopher Lee, these gripping spy thrillers star Christopher Benjamin (Pride and Prejudice, Doctor Who) as Henry Colvil and Amanda Redman (The Good Karma Hospital, New Tricks) as Alex Soames. 
 
 
Written by Christopher Lee 
Produced by Pete Atkin 
Starring Christopher Benjamin as Henry Colvil and Amanda Redman as Alex Soames 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16 October-20 November 1996 (Series 1), 29 October-3 December 1998 (Series 2) 
 
Series 1 cast 
 
Arthur Guscott……………………Dudley Sutton 
Joseph Kutner……………………Stephen Thorne 
Mrs Wedlock……………………Colette O’Neil 
Monsignor……………………Peter Yapp 
Father Dominic Byrne……………………Joseph O’Conor 
Roger Brown……………………Neil McCaul 
Father Williamson……………………Christian Rodska 
Donna Hanley……………………Beth Porter 
Theresa……………………Elaine Claxton 
Porter……………………Denys Hawthorne 
 
Series 2 cast 
 
DCI Guscott……………………Dudley Sutton 
DS Gwen Jenkins……………………Sue Jones Davies 
Miranda Peel……………………Sheila Reid 
DCS Evans……………………John Hartley 
Sidney Carpenter……………………Neil Conrich 
Doctor……………………Stuart Organ 
Tom Margeson……………………Tom Cotcher 
Charlie Lofthouse……………………Alistair McGowan 
Maggie Lindley……………………Alphonsia Emmanuel 
Police Constable/Norman Tate……………………Brian Bowles

Colvil & Soames: The Complete Series 1-2

The BBC Radio 4 Crime Drama

Thirteen dramatised courtroom tales of conflicting evidence, exasperating witnesses and slippery counsel, from the writer of Brothers in Law 
 
What does it feel like to be a Judge? Listen to these self-contained dramas and you can almost feel you are looking at proceedings from the lofty position of the Bench. With a collection of eccentric and amusing characters, Henry Cecil brings to life the trials in a County Court and exposes the complex and often contradictory workings of the English legal system – but which stories are based on fact, and which are pure fiction? 
 
Inspired by his long career as a county court judge, Henry Cecil wrote a string of comic novels about the legal system, including Brothers in Law, which was adapted for TV and radio starring Richard Briers. In these dramas, he draws on his own experience and his powers of invention to tell a series of entertaining stories with a twist in the tale. 
 
Andrew Cruickshank stars as Judge Henry Cecil, presiding over a baker’s dozen of cases ranging from an argument between two motorists over a damaged watch, and an unwise remark from a judge that has unfortunate consequences, to the dispute between two betting partners over their joint winnings, and the rumours and suspicions surrounding the mysterious Mr Partridge. 
 
With guest stars including Tony Britton, Irene Handl, Raymond Huntley, Hattie Jacques and Denys Hawthorne, and a supporting cast featuring the likes of Lockwood West, Haydn Jones and Leonard Fenton, these sparkling vignettes are reminiscent of the Rumpole stories, and will appeal to fans of both courtroom dramas and vintage comedy. 
 
NB: This is a vintage radio production and the audio quality reflects the age of the recording 
 
Written by Henry Cecil 
Starring Andrew Cruickshank as Judge Henry Cecil, Mr Justice Broadbent and Mr Justice Blank 
Produced by HB Fortuin 
With thanks to Keith Wickham and the Radio Circle 
 
Episodes: 
Perjury 
The Truth 
Abuse of Power 
Something for Nothing 
The Limit 
The Hidden Money 
Contempt of Court 
Free for All 
Near Miss 
Chef’s Special 
The Wanted Man 
Made to Measure 
Retrial 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, December 1967- April 1969 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Brief Tales from the Bench

13 Full-Cast Vintage BBC Radio Courtroom Dramas

Gregory Evans

All three series of the thrilling crime drama set in 1890s Whitechapel 
When Welsh farm girl Megan Evans comes to London to visit her brother who is running the family's dairy business, she finds him strangely unwelcoming. She begins to suspect that he is hiding something, and after she makes some unpleasant discoveries, he is forced to reveal a devastating secret. To save herself and the family business, Meg must risk everything and confront the dangerous gangster Moses Lipski... 
But there are more problems ahead for Meg. Her life is further complicated by the unexpected arrival of her troubled sister, Beth, and an unwelcome visitor who claims to be her half-brother. Meanwhile, dark forces are gathering, and Meg’s plans for expansion are threatened by powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin her. 
With her business under threat and her burgeoning relationship with Samuel feeling the strain, the stakes are raised still further when a body is discovered in the Thames mud that threatens to destroy everything she has worked for... 
Written by Gregory Evans, this gripping series about gangsters, gambling and an innocent abroad stars Bettrys Jones as Meg, with co-stars including Trystan Gravelle, David Horovitch and Brian Protheroe.

Blood and Milk

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Crime Drama: Series 1-3

Michael McStay

The collected BBC Radio 4 crime dramas featuring Inspector Coleman and Sergeant Astor 
 
Like his actor namesake, Ronald Coleman is a suave, well-spoken English gentleman. But although he's a movie buff, Coleman is no film star - he's a copper, and a Detective Inspector to boot. Together with his down-to-earth Scottish partner, DS Fred Astor, he sets about solving cases on two very different patches - rural Kirkcaldy and inner-city Southampton. 
 
Death Beach sees Hollywood director Curt Zorack's film shoot interrupted by the death of one of the cast. But is it suicide or murder? In Death of a Mean Cornet, a jazz musician and old friend of Sergeant Astor is found dead of a heroin overdose. It looks like an accident, but Fred's not convinced. In Death Against the Odds, two murders in one night cause Inspector Coleman and Sergeant Astor to lose some sleep - and long for the days when sheep-rustling was the worst crime they had to deal with. 
 
Death of a Hooligan finds the two detectives working together at South Hants Central, and probing the suspicious death of a football fan; while in A Day at the Races, Sergeant Astor falls among thieves, and Inspector Coleman has one of his infamous hunches. In No Harm Done, the duo are faced with a wall of silence when a resident of the notorious Gantry Estate is found badly beaten. And in Fools Rush In, an IRA terrorist is released from Parkhurst prison - and promptly disappears. How is he connected to the mysterious Irishman causing parking problems on a suburban street? 
 
These enthralling crime dramas star Stephen Thorne as Coleman and Joe Dunlop as Astor, with a supporting cast including Diana Bishop, Frances Jeater and Nicholas Boulton. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Michael McStay 
Produced and directed by Jane Morgan and Ned Chaillet. Theme music by Stephen Warbeck 
Starring Stephen Thorne as Inspector Coleman and Joe Dunlop as Sergeant Astor 
 
Death Beach 
Cast: Peter Vaughan, Mary Miller, David King, Nigel Carrington, Vincent Brimble, Jonathan Oliver, James Greene, Michael McStay, Jane Whittenshaw, Sue Broomfield, Ben Onwukwe, Stephen Garlick, Nicholas Gilbrook 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 13 October 1990 
 
Death of a Mean Cornet 
Cast: Kate Binchy, Maria Miles, James Grant, Paul Barber, Tony Armatrading, Michael McStay, Sidney Cole, Peter Gunn, John Forgeham, Terence Edmond, David Learner, John Webb, Matthew Sim, Mark Straker, Nicholas Murchie, Jonathan Tafler 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 18 July 1992 
 
Death Against the Odds 
Cast: Peter Gunn, Phyllis Logan, James Warwick, Morag Hood, Elaine Collins, Diana Bishop, 
John Fleming, Pauline Yates, John Webb, David Holt, Dominic Letts 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 21 August 1993 
 
Death of a Hooligan 
Cast: Diana Bishop, Frances Jeater, Nicholas Boulton, James Kerry, Dominic Curtis, Tom Bevan, Peter Kenny, Paul Panting, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Gareth Armstrong, James Taylor 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 16 May 1994 
 
A Day at the Races 
Cast: Diana Bishop, Frances Jeater, Nicholas Boulton, John Hartley, Larry Dann, McCartney Brown, Breffni McKenna, Gareth Armstrong, David Jarvis, David Sinclair, James Taylor, 
Don McCorkindale. 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 23 May 1994 
 
No Harm Done 
Cast: Diana Bishop, Frances Jeater, Nicholas Boulton, Tony Osoba, Elaine Claxton, Pauline Letts, Dexter Fletcher, Simon Schatzberger, Deborah Berlin, Toby Jones, Sidney Cole, Peter Acre, Matthew Morgan, Gavin Muir, David Jarvis, Danny Schiller, Susannah Corbett 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 30 May 1994 
 
Fools Rush In 
Cast: Diana Bishop, Frances Jeater, Nicholas Boulton, Anthony Jackson, Marianne Morley, Sally Kinghorn, Rachel Atkins, Michael Onslow, Tom Bevan, Paul Panting, Lyndham Gregory. 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 6 June 1994 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Inspector Coleman and Sergeant Astor

Seven BBC Radio Crime Dramas

Mike Walker

Mike Walker’s gripping BBC Radio drama about money, art, religion, politics and power 
 
Florence, 1415. Banker Cosimo Medici is looked down upon as a jumped up money-changer. Then he marries the noble Contessina de Bardi and becomes the richest man in Europe. But his wealth and power threaten the Florentine elite, who are determined to bring him down... 
 
However, the House of Medici cannot be crushed that easily. Sixty years and many violent deaths later, the family are the unquestioned, ruthless rulers of Florence. They control the government, have transformed the city through their patronage of the arts, and one of them has even been crowned Pope. But trouble is coming in the form of the fanatical poet monk Savonarola, and the bank is in decline. Can Lorenzo the Magnificent save anything for his dim-witted successors – and will they even care? 
 
With a cast of extraordinary characters including Piero the Gouty, master negotiator Lucrezia Tornabuoni and Pope Leo X, as well as Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Artemisia Gentileschi, this fast-paced ‘Renaissance Sopranos’ tells the thrilling story of one of the most infamous dynasties of all time. Among the cast are Patrick Baladi, Sirine Saba, Tom Cullen, Saran Morgan and Catrin Aaron. 
 
 
Created by Mike Walker 
Written by Mike Walker, Sian Ejiwunmi Le-Berre and Catherine Johnson 
Sound Design: Nigel Lewis and Catherine Robinson 
Organ: Branwen Munn 
Produced by John Norton 
 
Cast 
Cosimo de' Medici – Patrick Baladi 
Contessina de' Bardi – Sirine Saba 
Rinaldo degli Albizzi – Richard Elfyn 
Niccolo Tinucci – Christopher Elson 
Old Giovanni – Hugh Thomas 
Silvio – Marc Danbury 
Gio Verdi – Marco Fiera 
The Manager – David Hounslow 
Lorenzo de' Medici – Tom Cullen 
Lucrezia Tornabuoni – Saran Morgan 
Clarice Orsini – Abra Thompson 
Gio de' Medici – Gareth Pierce 
Marietta – Saran Morgan 
Cardinal Orsini – Simon Armstrong 
Soderini – Daniel Cerqueira 
Pope Sixtus – John Cording 
Tinucci – Tommy Sim'aan 
Pazzi – Matthew Durkan 
Savonarola – Matthew Gravelle 
King Ferrante – Jonathon Forbes 
Pope Innocent – Roger Ringrose 
Leonardo da Vinci – Tom Kiteley 
Botticelli – Hughie O' Donnell 
Alessandro de Medici - Elliott Barnes-Worrell 
Lorenzino de Medici - Sion Daniel Young 
Ippolito de Medici - Jacob Ifan 
Taddea Malaspina - Kiran Sonia Sawar 
Simonetta da Collevecchio - Marsha Millar 
Giorgio Vasari - Nico Pimparé 
Pope Clement - Arwel Gruffydd 
Emperor Charles V - Michael Bertenshaw 
Margaret - Kitty O'Sullivan 
Scoronconcolo - Tyler Cameron 
Strozzi - John Lightbody 
Young Alessandro - Hardy Yusuf 
Young Ippolito - Huw Huckstep 
Catherine de Medici - Catrin Aaron 
Silvestri - Julian Lewis Jones 
Diane de Poitiers - Juliette Aubrey 
Prince Henri - Arthur Hughes 
King Francis - Aneirin Hughes 
Guise - Joel MacCormack 
Nurse - Heather Craney 
Young Catherine - Grace Nettle 
Isabelle - Nia Gandhi 
Coligny - Ian Dunnett Jnr 
Le Conde - Matthew Bulgo 
Cardinal Guise - Tom Mumford 
Margot - Poppy Almond 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Medici: Bankers, Gangsters, Popes

A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Drama

Dorothy L. Sayers

In a shocking scandal, the like of which has not been seen in the English aristocracy since the eighteenth century, Lord Peter Wimsey's elder brother, the Duke of Denver, stands accused of murder.   Lord Peter is determined to prove his brother's innocence, yet finds him strangely uncooperative. Furthermore, other family members apparently oppose Peter's attempts to get to the truth. His sister, Lady Mary, seems to know more than she is letting on - could the Duke be protecting her? In collaboration with Inspector Parker, Wimsey slowly uncovers a web of lies and deceit within his own family, and finds himself faced with the unhappy alternative of sending either his brother or his sister to the gallows. Until he himself becomes a target...   Patricia Routledge plays the Dowager Duchess in this classic dramatisation, alongside Maria Aitken as Lady Mary and Miriam Margolyes as Mrs Hardraw.

Clouds Of Witness

Honoré De Balzac

Stunning all-star adaptations of Balzac&rsquo;s finest worksThis brilliant collection of France&rsquo;s foremost nineteenth-century novelist and playwright delivers four of his most fascinating works - stories of love, rivalry, horror and adventure - all brought to life by a stellar cast including Stephen Fry and Alex Kingston. A huge influence on many of the most famous writers from Proust to Kerouac to Dickens, Balzac delivers beautifully observed and complex characters with an unsurpassed attention to the details of society at the time, making him an exemplary of realism in European literature.Pere Goriot - Dramatised in four parts, this is the story of Eugene, who has discovered that the mysterious Pere Goriot has two daughters who could provide the key to his entry into Parisian society&hellip; Starring Stephen Fry as the author Balzac and Alex Kingston as Delphine.Ursule Mirouet (The Inheritance) - 74 year old Dr Minoret has returned to live out his final days in his home town. His grasping nephews and nieces eagerly await his demise but the good doctor seems to favour his charming young ward, Ursule. What lengths are his family prepared to go to secure their inheritance? Starring Elizabeth Cassidy in the title role of this three-part production.The Mysterious Mansion - A grisly tale set in La Grande Breteche, the ruins of an abandoned house and neglected garden. Balzac is determined to uncover the story behind its tragic secrets&hellip; David Calder stars as the author.The Black Sheep - Balzac&rsquo;s classic tale of family rivalry set in 19th-century France. Philippe Bridau returns from the battle of Waterloo and steals from his mother to finance his gambling habit. It's left to his brother Joseph to rescue the family from destitution, but at what cost? Can he betray his own sibling? Geoffrey Whitehead leads the cast in the role of narrator.A wonderful collection from a superb author, performed by a stunning cast, this is a must listen for any fan of classic literature.Cast and creditsWritten by Honoré De BalzacPere GoriotFeaturing: Stephen Fry, Douglas Hodge, David Ross, Geoffrey Banks, Alex Kingston, Noreen Kershaw, Ian Mercer, Romy Baskerville, John Griffin, Clare Dow, Barbara Marten, Paul Broughton, Robin PolleyDramatised by David HopkinsDirected by Kate RowlandFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 Sep 1992Ursule Mirouet (The Inheritance) Featuring: Margot Boyd, Ronald Herdman, Alan Devereux, Patricia Gallimore, Haydn Jones, Sean Barrett, Stephen Thorne, Terry Molloy, Edward Kelsey, Patricia Gibson, Denys Hawthorne, Elizabeth Cassidy, Penelope Shaw, Geoffrey Matthews, Alexander JohnDramatised by Joan O&rsquo;ConnorDirected by Roger PineFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 Apr 1980The Mysterious MansionFeaturing: David Calder, Dorien Thomas, Dillwyn Owen, Tessa Gearing, Christopher Grimes, Marilyn Le Conte, Nigel Carrington, Manon Edwards, Alan TownerDramatised by Peter MackieDirected by David HunterFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7 Oct 1993The Black SheepFeaturing: Geoffrey Whitehead, Matthew Pidgeon, Briony McRoberts, Thomas Arnold, Alan Cox, Timothy Bateson, Lucy Paterson, Christian Rodska, Colette O'Neil, Jon Glover, Nyasha Hatendi, Chris PavloDramatised by Chris NolanDirected by Bruce YoungFirst Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17 Aug 2008&copy;2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Honoré De Balzac: Pere Goriot, The Black Sheep & more

Four BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations

Richard Waring

Frank Muir

Denis Norden

All three BBC Radio series of the classic legal comedy starring Richard Briers 
 
Inspired by Henry Cecil's 1955 comic novel of the same name, Brothers in Law first appeared on BBC One in 1962, providing Richard Briers with his first starring role on television as idealistic young barrister Roger Thursby. Adapted by Richard Waring from TV scripts by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, it took to the airwaves in 1970, running for three years until 1972. 
 
As the series opens, the rookie lawyer is in his first year at chambers, and struggling to learn the ropes. He just wants to win a case - any case - but in these 39 episodes, he finds himself unwittingly aiding a habitual fraudster, confronting a fearsome judge, and annoying his girlfriend by defending a wife-beater. Whether he's getting into a jam parking his car, having a spot of bother with toggles and grommets, or facing double trouble in a bigamy case, the bungling barrister all too frequently finds himself courting disaster... 
 
Newly restored and collected together for the first time, these three radio series are the only way to enjoy Roger Thursby's hilarious misadventures, as only one episode of the TV series remains in the BBC archive. With guest stars including John Le Mesurier, Jon Pertwee, Roy Kinnear, David Jason, Barbara Windsor and Joan Sims, this sparkling series is a must for all fans of vintage comedy. 
 
Production credits 
Series 1 adapted from the TV scripts by Richard Waring. Scripts by Frank Muir and Denis Norden 
Series 2 and 3 written by Henry Cecil and Basil Dawson 
Produced by David Hatch (Series 1, Series 2 Episodes 1-10 and 13), Simon Brett (Series 2 Episodes 11 and 12) and Trafford Whitelock (Series 3) 
 
Cast 
Roger Thursby - Richard Briers 
Henry Blagrove - Richard Waring (Series 1)/Terence Alexander (Series 2) 
Sally Mannering - Ann Davies (Series 1)/Julia Lockwood (Series 2) 
Grimes - John Glyn-Jones 
Joy - Bridget Armstrong 
With Kenneth Connor, John Le Mesurier, Malcolm Hayes, Frederick Treves, John Bresslin, Robert Dorning, Richard Caldicot, Clifford Norgate, Jean Anderson, Ann Way, Aimi MacDonald, Richard Watts, John Junkin, Thorley Walters, Denise Coffey, Patricia Gallimore, Alan Barry, John Gabriel, Frances Bennett, Betty Cooper, Patrick Cargill, James Beck, Basil Dignam, Blake Butler, Liz Fraser, Frank Thornton, Peter Jones, Sam Kydd, Jo Kendall, Patsy Rowlands, Robert Dorning, Deryck Guyler, Nicholas Phipps, Sonia Fraser, John Bryning, Leslie Heritage, Jon Pertwee, Dennis Ramsden, James Hayter, Geoffrey Sumner, Ronald Forfar, Carol Marsh, Gerald Cross, Fenella Fielding, Terence Alexander, John Baker, Hector Ross, Andrew Cruickshank, Roy Kinnear, Ronald Adam, Arthur Mullard, Sean Arnold, Douglas Blackwell, Patrick Tull, Michael Kilgarriff, William Fox, David Jason, Bill Wallis, Nigel Pegram, Garard Green, Peter Tuddenham, Brian Oulton, John Barron, John Ruddock, Barbara Windsor, John Bluthal, Norman Bird, Francis de Wolff, Manning Wilson, Martin Friend, Alec Bregonzi, Olwen Griffiths, Nigel Anthony, Felix Felton, Simon Merrick, Joan Sims, Alan Curtis, Edward Kelsey, John Samson, John Rowe, Paul Whitsun-Jones, John Rutland, Noel Howlett, Harold Berens, Alexandra Dane, Eva Stuart, Michael Hordern, Amanda Reiss, Alfie Bass, Henry McGee, Robin Hunter, Arthur Mullard and Eva Haddon 
 
Episode guide: 
 
Series 1 (9 June-1 Sept 1970) 
1 The First Brief 
2 The Expert Witness 
3 Breach of Contract 
4 Judgement Summons 
5 Counsel's Opinion 
6 Special Damages 
7 Separation Order 
8 Reasonable Doubt 
9 With Use of Bath 
10 Without Due Care 
11 Solicitor's Instructions 
12 Special Examiner 
13 Counsel for the Prosecution 
 
Series 2 (15 July-7 Oct 1971) 
14 Look It Up 
15 Tell 'Em the Tale 
16 Statistics 
17 In and Out 
18 Polite Notice 
19 Circling the Square 
20 In Reverse 
21 But... 
22 Disqualified 
23 One Thousand Four Hundred and Seventy One 
24 A Jewel of a Husband 
25 Keeping it Warm 
26 Brief Offer 
 
Series 3 (24 Apr-17 July 1972) 
27 Deaf Aid 
28 One Double or Two Singles 
29 Menaces 
30 Obstruction 
31 Assault 
32 Manipulation 
33 And So On 
34 Good Husband and Father 
35 Faults on Both Sides 
36 What Do You Do? 
37 Crabtree Disease 
38 A Piece of Cake 
39 Alibi 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Brothers in Law: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio Comedy

Paul Sellar

Four gritty thrillers from acclaimed dramatist Paul Sellar 
 
‘The master of deception layered upon deception’ Moira Petty, The Stage 
 
Paul Sellar is an award-winning playwright working in theatre, film and radio. This compulsive collection brings together four of his gritty, modern thrillers, set at the intersection of the murky worlds of corrupt business and criminality. 
 
The Gold Killing – Boxer turned businessman Joe Stein would normally run a mile from the Russian mafia and their dirty money. But a chance to invest in a Ghanaian gold mine with incredible deposits seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When the returns from the mine begin to pay dividends he’d rather be without, he finds himself in the biggest fight of his life – to stay alive… Robert Glenister stars in this gripping tale of fear, greed and fraud. 
 
How to Build a Supertower – When property tycoon Max Silver is persuaded to build an iconic new London skyscraper, he hopes it will secure his family’s future – and his own legacy. But he needs all his deal-making skills to avoid the traps put in his path by big business – and by sheer human folly. Starring Robert Glenister, this four-part drama takes you on a roller-coaster ride through the cut-throat domain of international commerce. 
 
The Moonflask – When a group of jobseekers meet on a back-to-work course they pool their various skills to plot a daring heist. Their plan: to steal a priceless Ming vase from an auction house and return it to its rightful owner. But who is conning whom? Lee Ross, Ken Bones and Sean Murray star in this fast-paced caper with a conscience that’s full of twists and turns. 
 
Takeover – Self-made tycoon Harry has fought his way to the very top of the business ladder. So when his less successful sibling, Adam, asks him for help fending off a hostile takeover bid from his dodgy rival Terry White, Harry agrees. But fortune can be fickle, and it favours the ruthless… Shortlisted for the 2012 Imison Award, this dark drama of duplicity and double-crossing stars Allan Corduner and Adam Levy. 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Gold Killing & more

Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Thrillers

Christopher Reason

A gripping psychological BBC drama series about a probation officer who uncovers an abuse scandal 
 
When the body of 17-year-old Jackie Shaw is found in a shallow grave, it sends shockwaves through her small West Yorkshire community. Rumours of murder and systematic sexual abuse are rife, and the town's MP, Samuel Stokes, is adding fuel to the fire with his campaign against a so-called 'Asian grooming gang'. 
 
Probation officer Rachel Collier deals with paedophiles on a daily basis: so when she hears that her teenage daughter, Chloe, has become friendly with 24-year-old Tariq, she's concerned where it might lead. But that's not her only worry: she's also struggling to deal with her husband's adultery, her feelings for her Catholic priest, Father Fitzgerald, and her new client, Peter, a sex offender whose victim was Jackie's best friend. 
 
Then three local men, the Jamali brothers, are arrested for murder. The police are confident that the gang's ringleaders are behind bars - but Peter insists that the trio are innocent, and the real perpetrators are being protected. As Rachel investigates what seems to be an establishment cover-up, she places herself and her family in danger - and discovers that nothing, and no-one, is what they seem... 
 
Written by award-winning dramatist Christopher Reason, this intriguing thriller stars Rosie Cavaliero as Rachel, with a star cast including Shaun Dooley, Shannon Flynn and Sacha Dhawan. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Christopher Reason 
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko 
 
Cast 
Rachel - Rosie Cavaliero 
Paul - Shaun Dooley 
Chloe - Shannon Flynn 
Peter - Nicholas Murchie 
Father Fitzgerald - Finlay Robertson 
Leo - Martin Savage 
Stokes - John Dougall 
Mrs Monroe/Samantha - Karen Bartke 
DJ - Catriona McFarlane 
Reporters - John Bowler &amp; Alison Belbin 
Tariq - Sacha Dhawan 
Lydia - Elizabeth Berrington 
Bishop - John Bowler 
Moz - Jayson Benovichi-Dicken 
Nikki - Katherine Rose Morley 
Newsreaders - Alison Belbin, Catriona McFarlane, John Bowler &amp; Karen Bartke 
Waiter - Gavi Singh Chera 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 23 February-23 March 2017 
 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Inappropriate Relationships

A BBC Radio 4 Crime Drama

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

Roy Williams

Kenneth Cranham and Alex Lanipekun star in these fifteen hard-hitting crime dramas 
 
Chalk and cheese coppers Max Matthews and Sean Armitage are from different generations and different worlds, but together they make a remarkable team. In this powerful, unconventional police procedural, we join the detective duo in the interview room, as they practise their unique style of interrogation in a bid to extract a confession. 
 
These fifteen dramas all focus on a different suspect, each with their own story and version of events. Among the varied characters we hear from are Rod, a Premier League footballer accused of rape; Jermaine, a ruthless gang leader; Marc, an ex-policeman suspected of domestic violence; and Beverley, who has come into the station to report her elderly father as missing. As the details of their crimes are revealed, we get under their skin, and come to understand what motivated them to do what they did. 
 
Compelling and compassionate, these dramas probe some of today’s most troubling moral issues, inviting us to face hard truths, but holding out the possibility of redemption. With razor-sharp dialogue and characters that feel entirely authentic, they’ll linger in your mind long after you’ve finished listening. 
 
Series 1 
1. Rod 
2. Jermaine 
3. Sarah 
 
Series 2 
1. Marc 
2. Grace 
3. Simon 
 
Series 3 
1. Colin 
2. Jonny 
3. Kellie 
 
Series 4 
1. Tom 
2. Riz 
3. PC Joanne Laverty 
 
Series 5 
1. Beverley 
2. Micky 
3. Neil 
 
Cast and credits 
DS/DI/DCI Max Matthews…Kenneth Cranham 
DC/DS Sean Armitage…Alex Lanipekun 
Rod Tyler…Joe Sims 
Helen Cottol…Katie Angelou 
Mother…Tracy Wiles 
Jermaine…Anthony Welsh 
Sarah…Claire Louise Cordwell 
Danny…Carl Prekopp 
Marc Johnson…Ben Crowe 
Lisa Johnson…Philippa Stanton 
Operator…Hannah Wood 
Grace Buffong…Noma Dumezweni 
Stephen Buffong…Jerome Holder 
Simone Parker…Amaka Okafor 
Simon Barnes…Sam Swann 
Jason…Michael Shelford 
Damien…Will Howard 
Wendy Harris…Joanna Brookes 
Mr Renshaw/Football fan…Nicholas Murchie 
Colin Hamilton…Michael Bertenshaw 
Gemma…Amy Metcalf 
Jonny Foster…Gawn Grainger 
Nancy…Dinah Stabb 
Kellie…Cush Jumbo 
Alan Parke…Clive Hayward 
Tom…Luke Norris 
Debbie Ross…Susan Brown 
Riz….Nabil Elouahabi 
Tara…Joanna Horton 
Derek…Chris Pavlo 
Reporter…Stephen Critchlow 
Jordan…Gershwyn Eustache Jr 
Joanne…Sally Orrock 
Beverley…Adjoa Andoh 
Marcel…Jason Maza 
Micky…Danny Webb 
Neil…Joseph Millson 
Sally…Catriona McFarlane 
Sarge…Karen Bartke 
Football fan…Finlay Robertson 
 
Written by Roy Williams 
Produced and directed by Jessica Dromgoole (Series 1 and 2) and Mary Peate (Series 3-5) 
Music composed by David Pickvance

The Interrogation: The Complete Series 1-5

David Ashton

The first six series of the Victorian detective drama starring Brian Cox and Siobhan Redmond 
 
Based on the real-life memoirs of the 19th Century investigator who inspired Sherlock Holmes, Inspector James McLevy, this atmospheric mystery series features the fictional casebook of Edinburgh's finest thief-taker. Accompanied by his loyal partner, Constable Mulholland, McLevy prowls the murky streets of 1840s Leith bringing criminals to justice - assisted by the madam of Edinburgh's finest bawdy-house, the deliciously immoral Jean Brash. 
 
In this collection of thrilling episodes, he goes on the trail of an ingenious cat burglar; contemplates a game of golf with desperate stakes; and joins Her Majesty's protection squad to hunt down a deadly assassin. He also faces trouble in the shape of a runaway bridegroom and a blackmailer; probes a judge's murder as his allegedly cheating wife claims her innocence; and looks into the curious case of the Italian aristocrat found dead at Waverley station. Meanwhile, Jean Brash plans revenge on a sadistic client - but her deadly battle with the malign Caleb Grant has heartbreaking consequences... 
 
Also included is the original pilot show, introducing us to the dour detective; and a Christmas Special, in which McLevy forswears Yuletide revelry to hunt for a supernatural thief... 
 
Brian Cox stars as McLevy, with Siobhan Redmond as Jean Brash, Michael Perceval-Maxwell as Constable Mulholland, David Ashton as Lieutenant Roach and Colette O'Neill as Hannah. 
 
'Evokes Auld Reekie so vividly that you can feel the cold in your bones and the menace of the Old Town's dark corners' Financial Times 
 
Produced and directed by Patrick Rayner 
Image credit: © Pete Hambling/BBC 
 
Cast 
Inspector McLevy - Brian Cox 
Jean Brash - Siobhan Redmond 
Constable Mulholland - Michael Perceval-Maxwell 
Lieutenant Roach - David Ashton 
Maguire - Stuart McQuarrie 
 
With Irene Allan, Steven Atholl, David Bannerman, Maureen Beattie, John Bett, Paul Blair, Kenny Blyth, Mark Bonnar, Carolyn Bonnyman, Ewen Bremner, Liam Brennan, Tam Dean Burn, James Bryce, Jimmy Chisholm, Andrew Clark, Sandra Clark, Tom Cotcher, Alan Cox, Susan Coyle, Carol Ann Crawford, Graham Crowden, Emma Currie, Ron Donachie, Sheila Donald, Simon Donaldson, Tom Fleming, Monica Gibb, Tom Goodman-Hill, Stella Gonet, Sandy Grierson, Shirley Henderson, Lewis Howden, Jenny Hulse, John-Paul Hurley, Molly Innes, John Kielty, Kananu Kirimi, Claire Knight, Robin Laing, Eliza Langland, Vicki Liddelle, Phyllis Logan, Bryan Lowe, Angus MacInnes, Patrick Malahide, Forbes Masson, Helen McAlpine, Clare McCarron, Mark McDonnell, John McGlynn, Robert McIntosh, David McKall, Jayne McKenna, Steven McNicoll, Anna McPhail, Andrew Neil, Jamie Newall, Colette O'Neil, James Anthony Pearson, Matthew Pidgeon, Gabriel Quigley, Malcolm Rennie, Ralph Riach, David Robb, Struan Rodger, Dominic Di Rollo, Wendy Seager, Sean Scanlan, Laura Smales, Tom Smith, John Stahl, Simon Tait, Robin Thomson, Frances Thorburn, Joanna Tope, Jim Webster-Stewart, Finlay Welsh, Tracy Wiles, Jordan Young, Paul Young, Jimmy Yuill 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 26 July 1999 (Pilot), 21 December 2000-11 January 2001 (Series 1), 19 June-10 July 2002 (Series 2), 1-22 December 2003 (Series 3), 3-24 April 2006 (Series 4), 25 December 2006 (Christmas Special), 27 January-17 February 2009 (Series 5), 21 December 2009-11 January 2010 (Series 6) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

McLevy: The Collected Series 1-6

Stephen Mulrine

Series 1 &amp; 2 of the mystery drama featuring the crime-solving exploits of a Scottish pathologist and his daughter. 
 
1920s Stirling, and Chief Pathologist Dr Wallace is the town's acknowledged expert on all matters forensic. But he's not the only detective in the family - his daughter Barbara, a medical student, also has quite a talent for investigating. In these six one-off dramas, the two amateur sleuths join forces to tackle a string of tricky cases, each involving a suspicious death. 
 
A Good Shaking - When a woman is accused of killing her three-month-old daughter, Dr Wallace and Barbara are determined to discover the truth. 
 
Fast and Loose - Two mysterious deaths, in Glasgow and Stirling, intrigue the duo. Sleeping pills seem like the simplest solution for one, but could the other be linked to dry cleaning fluid? 
 
Rights and Wrongs - Dr Wallace finds himself in court as a witness in a malpractice case. Meanwhile, Barbara ponders some moral questions of her own... 
 
Testing Times - A grim discovery in Braeburn Quarry draws Dr Wallace into a double murder case. And at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, with exam season approaching, Barbara suddenly finds herself in demand. 
 
Win Some, Lose Some - A Lake District holiday beckons for Dr Wallace, but there's a crucial piece of evidence to be delivered afterwards. In her father's absence, Barbara looks into an alleged poisoning case - and receives a surprise proposal. 
 
Not Proven- A doubtful suicide presents Dr Wallace and DC Curran with a perplexing puzzle - and Barbara is faced with a difficult career decision... 
 
Scripted by acclaimed poet and playwright Stephen Mulrine, these six absorbing dramas star Martyn James as Dr Wallace and Meg Fraser as Barbara, with Liam Brennan as DC Curran. 
 
Please note: this audio contains language and attitudes that reflect the era in which it was written. 
 
A Good Shaking 
Wallace - Martyn James 
Barbara - Meg Fraser 
DC Curran - Liam Brennan 
Mrs Dwyer - Alyxis Daly 
Mr Dwyer - Owen Kavanagh 
Mrs Wallace - Jan Moffatt 
Mrs Hamilton - Grace Glover 
Dr Ibbotson - Louise Beattie 
Crissie - Sybil Wintrope 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 October 1996 
 
Fast and Loose 
Wallace - Martyn James 
Barbara - Meg Fraser 
Mrs Wallace - Jan Moffatt 
Lady Archer - Eliza Langland 
Kennedy - Kern Falconer 
DC Curran - Liam Brennan 
Mrs Hamilton - Grace Glover 
Davidson - Billy Boyd 
Dr Ibbotson - Louise Beattie 
Celine - Maria Miller 
Beth - Elaine Ellis 
DC Norton - Barry Hunter 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 October 1996 
 
Rights and Wrongs 
Wallace - Martyn James 
Barbara - Meg Fraser 
Lorrimer - Paul Young 
Mrs Wallace - Jan Moffatt 
Mrs Hamilton - Grace Glover 
Sheriff - Andrew Conlan 
Dr Randolph - Alec Heggie 
Considine - Michael Perceval Maxwell 
McDaid - Alex Harvey 
O'Donnell - Raymond Short 
Martin - Bob Docherty 
Dr Ibbotson - Louise Beattie 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 November 1996 
 
Testing Times 
Wallace - Martyn James 
Barbara - Meg Fraser 
Mrs Wallace - Jan Moffatt 
Mrs Hamilton - Grace Glover 
DC Curran/McPhee - Liam Brennan 
Dr Randolph - Alec Heggie 
Pritchard - Michael Perceval-Maxwell 
O'Donnell - Billy Boyd 
McDaid - Frank Gallagher 
Miss Strachan - Fiona Danskin 
Mrs Ross - Andrea McKenna 
Examiner - Peter Lincoln 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 December 1997 
 
Win Some, Lose Some 
Wallace - Martyn James 
Barbara - Meg Fraser 
Mrs Wallace - Jan Moffatt 
DC Curran - Liam Brennan 
Pritchard - Michael Perceval-Maxwell 
Mrs Hendry - Elizabeth Bechman-Murray 
Pritchard - Michael Perceval-Maxwell 
Davey - Finlay Welsh 
Signalman - Martin Docherty 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 December 1997 
 
Not Proven 
Wallace - Martyn James 
Barbara - Meg Fraser 
Pritchard - Michael Perceval-Maxwell 
O'Donnell/Startley - Billy Boyd 
Mrs Hamilton - Grace Glover 
DC Curran - Liam Brennan 
Mrs Wallace - Jan Moffatt 
Dr Ibbotson - Louise Beattie 
McDaid - Frank Gallagher 
Dr Randolph - Alec Heggie 
Atkinson - Robin Thomson 
Helen - Jane Hemsey 
 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 December 1997 
 
 
Written by Stephen Mulrine 
Directed by Hamish Wilson 
Technical presentation by Jim Ross, Gillian Charles and Paul Sumerling 
Production assistant: Wilma Gardiner 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Hand in Glove – The Casebook of Dr Wallace

Six BBC Radio 4 Crime Dramas

Agatha Christie

Elinor Carlisle and Roddy Welman are the model English couple, perfect companions set for a life of ease when they inherit Aunt Laura's considerable fortune. But a poison pen letter begins a chain of events which is to end in tragedy.   Convinced that Mary Gerrard, a childhood playmate of Elinor's, is attempting to ingratiate herself with her aunt for financial gain, the pair travel to the family home to investigate. They find no evidence but Roddy falls desperately in love with the beautiful Mary, little realising that beneath Elinor's restrained and unemotional exterior lies an almost obsessive passion for him.   Elinor obeys her aunt's deathbed wish despite her heartbreak, and gives Mary a large bequest from the estate. But when Mary is found poisoned, the evidence against Elinor is damning. It's up to Hercule Poirot to find out if the case is as simple as it seems...

Sad Cypress

Eoin McNamee

A collection of suspenseful dramas from award-winning Northern Irish writer Eoin McNameeEoin McNamee is the author of 19 novels, two trilogies for young adults and three thrillers written under the pseudonym John Creed, one of which won him the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award. He has also written several screenplays and TV scripts, as well as numerous plays for Radio 4. Included here are eight of his acclaimed thrillers, exploring hard-hitting issues such as human trafficking, racism and nationalism through compelling stories of murder, revenge and intrigue. Among the star casts are Adrian Dunbar, Niamh McGrady, Denise Gough, Frances Tomelty, Bronagh Gallagher, Amybeth McNulty, David Caves and Claire Dunne.The Haunted Road sees police camera operator Leslie Burden assisting in the hunt for a young Polish woman – but his interest in this missing persons case soon spirals into obsession. In the Imison Award-winning The Road Wife, a truck driver gives a lift to a female Asian hitchhiker, but gets more than he bargained for when his truck is stopped by immigration officers. Intends to Take Action, co-written by Jimmie Potter and Eoin McNamee, revolves around a Belfast man who is forced to uproot his family for their protection, following a police warning that he has been targeted by a paramilitary organisation. Belfast is also the setting for No Trampy Immigrants, a shocking tale of rioting and racist violence inspired by events which took place in the city in the summer of 2009.North of Riga is a contemporary fairytale of magic and myth set in a Northern Irish fishing port, where a lonely 13-year-old girl befriends a mysterious hairdresser whom the locals believe to be a Latvian witch. In The Comets, 11-year-old Kirstie goes missing shortly after her mother’s death – but what does a story about an old and fragile pair of wings have to do with her disappearance? The Lights centres on a retired policewoman diagnosed with MS, who finds herself in the midst of a migrant trafficking ring – and the gangmaster is someone a little too close to home. And in Swans, it’s a race against time to locate a young child being smuggled through Dublin airport. But is it an inside job?Cast and creditsWritten by Eoin McNameeContentsThe Haunted RoadThe Road WifeIntends to Take ActionNo Trampy ImmigrantsNorth of RigaThe CometsThe LightsSwans© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Haunted Road & more

Eight Full-Cast BBC Crime & Mystery Dramas

Patrick Carroll

A six-part BBC Radio 4 crime drama set in nineteenth-century London 
 
It is 1830, a year after Sir Robert Peel’s creation of the Metropolitan Police, known as the 'Peelers'. As the brand new bobbies patrol the beat in their smart blue uniforms, armed only with truncheons and rattles, they form the first line of defence against crime. 
 
But as this thrilling series opens, the fledgling detective force is proving unpopular, sparking deep political unrest and public protests. Rioters take to the streets of London, and the police struggle to contain the violence. 
 
The threat posed by the mob is not the only problem for young Martin Quin, onetime hero of Waterloo and now a police constable. First his fiancée, Maria Staples, breaks off their engagement due to her tyrannical father’s disapproval. Then Quin is involved in an altercation with Lord Trowle’s coachman, and the arrogant aristocrat insists he is charged with assault. Forced to defend himself in court, Martin finds himself facing imprisonment and ruin. 
 
Meanwhile, Bow Street runner Jeremiah Morley investigates shady printer Peter the Screever, and uncovers a heinous blackmail plot... 
 
Written by Patrick Carroll, this atmospheric series stars Richard E Grant as Lord Trowle, Norman Jones as Sir Robert Peel, Mick Ford as PC Martin Quin and James Booth as Jeremiah Morley. 
 
Written by Patrick Carroll 
Directed by Janet Whitaker 
Singer: Martin Carthy 
 
Cast 
 
PC Martin Quin……………………Mick Ford 
Jeremiah Morley……………………James Booth 
Sir Robert Peel……………………Norman Jones 
Lord Trowle……………………Richard E Grant 
Colonel Rowan……………………Peter Jeffrey 
Richard Mayne……………………Killian McKenna 
Maria Staples……………………Joanna Myers 
Sergeant Dutton……………………Ronald Herdman 
Inspector Beale/Frederick Roe……………………Timothy Bateson 
PC Atkinson/Sergeant Cazalet/Mr Evans……………………Alan Barker 
PC Smythe/Francis Place/Turnkey/Mr Luke……………………Mark Straker 
Lord Laverton/PC Rourke……………………James Greene 
Mr Yardley……………………Richard Pearce 
Arthur Jenkins/John Staples……………………Ian Lindsay 
Rev Charles Lyton……………………Timothy Carlton 
Mrs Gascoygne……………………Elizabeth Bell 
Peter the Screever……………………Fraser Kerr 
Beth/Florrie……………………Susan Sheridan 
Lucy/Mrs Gregory……………………Elizabeth Kelly 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 July-22 August 1991

Peeler

The BBC Radio 4 crime series

biblio.categories.code

biblio.publicationStatus

biblio.brand

biblio.workEditions.format

biblio.ageRange

biblio.series.seriesName

biblio.imprint.description

biblio.type

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

Search Results

The Fall of the West

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight (Book 21)

The Mortons

Little Black Classics Box Set

Watch a trailer for The Spook's Blood

A photograph of Ben Barnes in character for Shadow and Bone Netflix series.

Interviews

Shadow and Bone’s Ben Barnes on tear-jerking books and what he’s reading

An image showing a selection of adventure stories for 9-12 year olds on a bright yellow background with orange doodles that include a hashtag, flag, danger sign and speech bubble

Children's reading lists

16 books for 9 to 12-year-olds that love adventures

An image of a selection of books for 9-12s on a blue background with a large splodge and striped print

24 must-read books for 9-12-year-olds

A picture of several different children's books on a pink to blue ombre background; each book has a bright yellow shadow

Showing results for: ‘joseph delaney’

Filters

Category

Publication Date

Format

Series

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter