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

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Neil Gaiman

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

Neil Gaiman's How the Marquis Got His Coat Back

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

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

Anansi Boys

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Phil Whelans

The complete series 1 and 2 of My First Planet - a sitcom set on a shiny new planet, starring Nicholas Lyndhurst, Vicki Pepperdine (Jo Brand's Getting On) &amp; Tom Goodman-Hill (Another Case of Milton Jones) 
 
The story so far: Unfortunately, Burrows the leader of the colony has died on the voyage, so his Number 2, Brian (Nicholas Lyndhurst), is now in charge. He's a nice enough chap, but no alpha male, and his desire to sort things out with a nice friendly meeting infuriates the colony's Chief Physician, Lillian (Vicki Pepperdine), who'd really rather everyone was walking round in tight colour-coded tunics and saluting each other. She's also in charge of Project Adam, the plan to conceive and give birth to the first colony-born baby. 
 
Unfortunately, the two people hand-picked for this purpose - Carol and Richard - were rather fibbing about being a couple, just to get on the trip. Add in an entirely unscrupulous Chief Scientist, Mason, and also Archer, an idiot maintenance man who believes he's an "empath" rather than a plumber, and you’re all set to answer the question: If humankind were to colonize space, is it destined to succumb to self-interest, prejudice, and infighting? (By the way, the answer’s "yes". Sorry.)

My First Planet

The Complete Series 1 and 2

Annamaria Murphy

Alan Harris

Meic Povey

All eleven series of the mystical drama set in the wild Welsh coastal village of Glan Don 
 
When Gareth finds his wife Diane in bed with another man, the couple attempt to save their marriage by uprooting from London to the West Wales village where Gareth grew up, and buying the local pub. It's a bit of a dive - the wallpaper's peeling, there are squirrels in the saloon bar and something's growing out of the pool table. But it's got potential, and they're determined to make a go of it. 
 
Soon, the locals are flocking to The Druid's Rest - and as Diane discovers, her husband's old friends are an eccentric bunch. There's ex-soldier Gwyn, who carries a machine gun everywhere; garrulous waitress Megan; cook Matty, whose dishes cast a spell over everyone who eats them; and enigmatic potman (and narrator) Emlyn, who seems built into the fabric of Glan Don. And then there's Bethan - beautiful, bewitching Bethan, Gareth's teenage sweetheart, who may still have a hold on his heart... 
 
If the villagers are strange, Glan Don itself is even stranger. Steeped in ancient folklore, it is both eerie and enchanting. The sea is an all-pervading presence, magical and menacing in turn, home to mermaids and submerged forests. On land are haunted caves, dark woods, ruined castles, old lead mines - and legendary beings including ghosts, dragons, witches and the King under the Hill. 
 
As Gareth and Diane struggle to cope with the dual challenges of running a pub and dealing with the supernatural, will Glan Don bring them closer together - or tear them apart? 
 
Starring Elis James (Tourist Trap), Louise Ford (Chickens), Amy Hoggart (Almost Royal), Emma Sidi (W1A), Ifan Huw Dafydd (Gavin &amp; Stacey) and Amy Ffion Edwards (Detectorists), Curious Under the Stars takes us deep into a Welsh landscape of myth, magic and mayhem. 
Gareth - Elis James/Sion Pritchard/Richard Elis 
Diane - Louise Ford/Amy Hoggart/Emma Sidi 
Emlyn - Ifan Huw Dafydd 
Bethan - Eiry Hughes/Hannah Daniel 
Gwyn - Matthew Gravelle 
Matty - Siw Hughes 
Megan - Aimee-Ffion Edwards/Gwyneth Keyworth 
Pierre - Lee Mengo 
Gwyneth/Customer - Kath Weare 
Charlie - Donal Gallery 
Magda - Wanda Opalinska 
Gregor - Marc Danbury 
Guto - John Weldon 
Referee/Doctor - Mike Bubbins 
Gertrude - Joanna Scanlan 
Fluffy - Sion Pritchard 
Hadrian - Paul Rhys 
Geraint - John Pierce-Jones 
Fleur - Catrin Stewart 
The Ghost - Owain Gwynn 
 
Anwen - Juno Robinson 
 
 
Created by Meic Povey 
Written by Meic Povey, Annamaria Murphy and Alan Harris 
Directed by James Robinson and Nigel Lewis 
A BBC Cymru Wales Production 
Music: Knee-Deep in the North Sea by Portico Quartet 
 
 
 
 
? 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Curious Under the Stars

The complete BBC Radio 4 magical comedy drama

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

Lucy Catherine

Beyond the forests, beyond the valleys, beyond the mountains... there's another world. 
 
From the Red Book of Hergest, these are the tales of the Mabinogi. Tales of of romance, tragedy, comedy and fantasy, of a mythical pre-Saxon era of Medieval Wales: a land of magic, of dragons, fairies and giants. 
 
Pryderi, Prince of Dyfed, heads to Harlech in North Wales to impress King Bran the Blessed of Gwynedd and win the hand of Princess Branwen. But what starts out as a straightforward journey with his companion, Brigid, quickly becomes upturned by strange magic and the threat of war with the Irish. Can they survive? And what mysteries yearn to be unravelled in the Otherworld? 
 
The world we see, the world of the mountains and the valleys, the villages and the farms, is nothing more than a veneer. Our world is no more than a painted shroud, masking what lies beneath. For most of the living, the barrier between the worlds is impossible to breach. For very few, it is as easy to pierce as the still black waters of a mountain lake. Step into the Otherworld. 
 
Starring Darragh Mortell (The Bill) and Aimee Ffion Edwards (Peaky Blinders, The Detectorists). 
 
 Award-winning writer Lucy Catherine (The Master and Margherita, Being Human, Vanity Fair) gives these stories a modern flavour while remaining true to the vivid magic of Celtic mythology. 
 
Cast and credits: 
 
Brigid - Aimee Ffion Edwards 
 Pryderi - Darragh Mortell 
 Arawn - John Cording 
 Roisin - Fiona O'Shaughnessy 
 Bran the Blessed/Pwyll - Robert Pugh 
 Manawydan/Dewi - Matthew Gravelle 
 Branwen - Rhian Blythe 
 Matholwch - Stephen Hogan 
 Efnysien - Richard Elfyn 
 Nysien - Rhodri Meilir 
 Pwca/Wyn - Sion Pritchard 
 Deryn - Saran Morgan 
 Mam/Rhiannon - Eiry Thomas 
 
Adapted by Lucy Catherine. 
 Sound design by Nigel Lewis. 
 Directed by James Robinson and John Norton. 
 A BBC Wales and BBC Radio 3 Commission. 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Mabinogi: Lost Legends and Dark Magic

A BBC Radio full-cast fantasy adventure

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

Chivalry

A BBC Radio full-cast reading

Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Pilgrim walks again between the worlds of magick and of men… 
 
A two-part special from the fantastical drama series set in a world almost, but not quite, like our own. 
 
Each year at Belle Meadow Fayre, the Greyfolk meet to celebrate the burial of John Barleycorn, a ritual to mark autumn's end. But this year there’s a problem: Old Johnny John John has gone missing. Autumn shows no sign of abating and without the sacred ceremony at Belle Meadow, winter will not come. The Greyfolk are angry. It's down to Pilgrim to find Old Johnny John John and face down his kidnapper, the rogue faerie Kara. 
 
Paul Hilton stars Pilgrim, cursed with immortality by the King of the Greyfolk and forever forced to walk between the human world and the world of Faerie in a never-ending quest to preserve the uneasy balance between the two. 
 
Thrilling, dark and contemporary, this award-winning drama weaves together ancient myths, magic and a contemporary realism that is haunted by the folktales of the British Isles. 
 
Cast and credits 
Pilgrim – Paul Hilton 
Vass – Toby Jones 
Kara – Holli Dempsey 
Clemira – Sirine Saba 
Rana – Shreya Lallu 
Keith – David Hounslow 
Mr Summerskill – Carl Prekopp 
Benji – Nuhazet Diaz Cano 
Young Johnny John John – Ian Dunnett Junior 
The Girl – Agnes Dromgoole 
 
Production co-ordinator: Maggie Olgiati 
Foley artist: Alison Craig 
Sound design: Peter Ringrose 
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko 
A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4 
 
©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Pilgrim: Belle Meadow Fayre

The BBC Radio 4 Fantasy Drama Series

Michael Payne

Debbie Cook

Dennis Ashton

Stephen Mulrine

Sarah Maxwell

Five fantastical tales, each with a magical twist 
 
Discover a lady with a taste for immortality, a man who becomes a dragon, a man-eating witch and a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Perfect for fans of fantasy, these epic tales are packed with magical elements, fantastical creatures, and heroic conflicts between good and evil.In Lady Faustus by Michael Payne, the town gossips have only one subject of conversation - the mysterious Lady Faustus. The conjectures about her and her origins are boundless. But a certain handsome young lieutenant finds that the truth about her is far stranger than any fiction. Starring Rula Lenska as Lady Faustus and James Aubrey as Franz.Debbie Cook’s The Beast of Long Mindham stars Jon Glover as John Tillner. John doesn’t believe in dragons – who does, these days? But then he meets a witch who offered to turn him into one. Will John be tempted…?There is a legend that King Arthur will return to save England from great danger. The Peril by Dennis Ashton tells the story of what happens when George, son of George, is made King. The year is 1940, and the Battle of Britain is at its height...Ivan the Fool and Vasilisa the Wise by Stephen Mulrine features a man-eating witch, a talking doll, a dead princess and a live skeleton. Ivan is determined to marry the beautiful Vasilisa, no matter what the obstacles. But, as the saying goes, the course of true love never did run smooth…The Good, the Bad and the Slightly Unprepossessing by Sarah Maxwell is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in America, with multi-millionaire 'Heartless' Harrison Hope. With his six-inch nails and hair and beard to the ground, he is very much the Beast and - well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

High Fantastical

Five Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Clive Coleman

All fourteen episodes of the legal sitcom about a group of barristers who never let justice get in the way of making money 
 
John Fuller-Carp, the Machiavellian head of chambers at Forecourt Buildings, is determined to become a QC and will perform almost any moral contortion to achieve his goal. 
 
When left-wing Ruth Quirke, rumoured to be a High Court judge's daughter, applies to join his chambers, Fuller-Carp's imagination goes into overdrive and promotion seems inevitable. However, his attempts to project a 'New Labour' image cut no ice with Ruth, and the two are soon at each other's throats. Fortunately, his partner Hilary Tripping is much easier to manage (if somewhat ineffectual) and his clerk Vince, though deeply dodgy, is happy to put his criminal contacts and underworld cunning at Fuller-Carp's disposal. 
 
In these three series, he ends up on the wrong side of the law, is embarrassed over animal rights, tries to join the Masons and gets embroiled in a bet with a rival barrister. Meanwhile, Ruth gets a job as a 'Legal Eagle' on breakfast telly, decides to adopt a baby and fakes a family for a client while Fuller-Carp fiddles the books. And when a legal firm invites John, Ruth and Hilary on a team-building outward-bound weekend, disaster ensues... 
 
Clive Coleman's sitcom set in perhaps the country's least spectacular law chambers stars John Bird as John Fuller-Carp, with James Fleet as Hilary Tripping and Lesley Sharp and Sarah Lancashire as Ruth Quirke. Among the guest stars are Peter Serafinowcz, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Rebecca Front. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Clive Coleman 
Produced by Paul Schlesinger 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17 April -15 May1996 (Series 1), 11 May-8 June 1998 (Series 2), 9-30 March 1999 (Series 3) 
 
Starring John Bird and Sarah Lancashire 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Chambers: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio 4 legal comedy drama

Edith Nesbit

Rosamund E. Nesbit Bland

Martin Jameson

A BBC Radio collection of dramatisations of E. Nesbit's finest children's books with extra magical readings plus an original drama by Martin Jameson 
 
 E Nesbit is widely regarded as the first modern children's writer. Her ground-breaking novels have influenced authors from Oscar Wilde to Jacqueline Wilson, and over 100 years after their first publication, they remain perennially popular. 
 
 This wide-ranging collection comprises some of her very best children's fiction, commencing with her timeless tale The Railway Children. Starring Victoria Carling, Daniel Eyssen and Kate McEnery, Frances Jeater this enchanting dramatisation tells the story of three suburban children forced to move to the countryside after their father is mysteriously taken away. 
 
 Martin Jameson's sequel Roberta, Peter and Phyllis revisits them 13 years later, in 1919, to reveal how their lives have changed. Fiona Clarke, James Alper and Emma Hughes-Jones star as the titular siblings. 
 
 Also included is Nesbit's classic 'Psammead' trilogy. In Five Children and It, Five children are granted a series of wishes by a sand fairy - but inevitably, things do not go to plan... 
 Cast includes Julia McKenzie, Simon Carter, James Richard, Justyn Towler. 
 
 Patricia Hodge reads the second book in the series, The Phoenix and the Carpet, in which the discovery of a mysterious egg in an old carpet heralds the start of a magical adventure. And in The Story of the Amulet, a full-cast dramatisation the children voyage through history on a quest for an ancient lucky charm. Featuring the same cast as Five Children and It 
 
 Penelope Keith stars as E Nesbit in The House of Arden, a time-travelling fantasy tale about the hunt for a lost family treasure; Other cast includes Timothy Spall and Kelly Bright. 
 
 Prunella Scales reads five stories from Nesbit's delightful compendium The Book of Dragons: 'Last of the Dragons', 'Kind Little Edmond', 'The Deliverers of their Country', 'The Book of Beasts' and 'The Dragon Tamers'. Concluding this anthology are two fantastic feline fables from Cat Tales, co-written by Nesbit and her adopted daughter Rosamund E Bland: 'The White Cat', read by Jenny Agutter, and 'Too Clever by Half', read by Helen Clapp. 
 
 Cast and credits 
 Written by E Nesbit 
 Cat Tales written by E Nesbit and Rosamund E Bland 
 Roberta, Peter and Phyllis written by Martin Jameson 
 First published 1901 (The Book of Dragons), 1902 (Five Children and It), 1904 (The Phoenix and the Carpet, Cat Tales), 1906 (The Story of the Amulet, The Railway Children), 1908 (The House of Arden) 
 
 The Railway Children 
 Dramatised by Marcy Kahan. Produced by John Taylor 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 3-24 January 1991 
 
 Roberta, Peter and Phyllis 
 Produced and directed by Gary Brown 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 January 2005 
 
 Five Children and It 
 Dramatised by Malcolm McKee. Directed by Rosemary Watts 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 August 1998 
 
 The Phoenix and the Carpet 
 Abridged by Penny Leicester. Produced by Marion Nancarrow 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 March-1 April 1994 
 
 The Story of the Amulet 
 Dramatised by Malcolm McKee. Directed by Rosemary Watts 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 August 1999 
 
 The House of Arden 
 Dramatised by Chris Curry. Produced by Mary Kalemkarian 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 April-25 June 1989 
 
 The Book of Dragons 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 7-11 December 1992 
 
 Cat Tales 
 The White Cat 
 First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 3 January 2000 
 
 Too Clever by Half 
 First broadcast BBC Sounds, 23 July 2019 
 
 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

E. Nesbit: A BBC Radio Collection

The Railway Children, Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet & more

Joe Turner

The comic adventures of a checkout girl turned trainee vampire. 
 
Sulky Goth Eloise hates her life, Monday mornings and her dreary job as a Co-op sales assistant. She&rsquo;s always felt like an outsider, but as her 21st birthday approaches, she starts to wonder if she&rsquo;s going mad. She can&rsquo;t sleep, the sun hurts her skin, she&rsquo;s plagued by nightmares and she has an insatiable craving for blood &ndash; and worst of all, she seems to be allergic to garlic bread. 
 
Then her Transylvanian Aunt Lucretia reveals that she&rsquo;s a vampire, and suddenly it all makes sense. She&rsquo;s happier than she&rsquo;s ever been: but there are still a few hurdles to overcome. Before she can fulfil her destiny, she must study for a GCSE in vampirism &ndash; and teacher Lucretia is tough. She also needs to keep her secret from her boyfriend Wayne, best mate Debbie and manager Mr Jenkins; survive the staff outing to the blood donation centre; and find a way to sample her boss&rsquo;s extremely rare, extremely tasty &lsquo;Bombay blood&rsquo;. And when she turns Lucretia&rsquo;s castle into a love shack while her aunt&rsquo;s away, she finds herself facing danger... 
 
Starring Louise Lombard as Eloise and Joanna Kanska as Lucretia, this light-hearted comedy drama will delight fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and What We Do In the Shadows. It&rsquo;s a sitcom you can really get your teeth into... 
 
Production credits 
Written by Joe Turner 
Produced by Liz Anstee 
 
Cast 
Eloise &ndash; Louise Lombard 
Lucretia &ndash; Joanna Kanska 
Wayne &ndash; William Ivory 
Debbie &ndash; Jane Hazlegrove 
Mr Jenkins &ndash; Fine Time Fontayne 
With Linda Polan and Steve Hodson 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 29 October-3 December 1993 
 
&copy; 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

20th Century Vampire

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama

Peter Thomson

Jamie Thomson

The BBC Radio full-cast fantasy adventures of a young wizard in The Fabled Lands 
 
When the Great Wizard sends young student sorcerer Arcos on a mission, neither of them realises quite how perilous a journey it will prove to be... 
 
Around him, Arcos has only a small band of friends and allies, including Kadar, a one-time friend of Arcos's father. Between their rag-tag group and their goal are demons, Deadlands, and diabolical sorcerers, all of which are determined to keep Arcos from completing his task. 
 
As he begins to examine the real cost of his journey - as well as the paths which have led him to such a deadly position - Arcos must ask: Can he harness the power of the Grimoire? Will he face the truth of his story? And who can he trust to escape the terrible danger they will eventually face? 
 
Set in the legendary world of Jamie Thomson's fantasy fighting game books, The Fabled Lands, and written by Jamie and his brother Peter Thomson, The Heart of Hark'un stars Francis Thomson as Arcos, with Trevor Peacock (The Vicar of Dibley, Midsomer Murders), Liz Whiting (Peak Practice, The Two Ronnies) and Emma Fielding (Silk, EastEnders), and is perfect for adventure-seeking fans of Elvenquest and Tales from the Perilous Realm. 
 
Cast and credits 
 
Arcos - Francis Thomson 
Kaddah - Trevor Peacock 
Vanna - Liz Whiting 
Shazir - Crawford Logan 
Bereneth - Edward Kelsey 
Va - Melanie Hudson 
Alviza - Emma Fielding 
Zander - Robert Portal 
Kishah - John Church 
Rashiq - Theresa Streatfeild 
The General - Clarence Smith 
 
Written by Peter Thomson & Jamie Thomson 
Produced by Peter Hutchings 
 
Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 5, 16 September - 21 October 1991 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Heart of Hark’un

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Fantasy Adventure

John Osborne

David Tennant stars in this BBC Radio adaptation of John Osborne's provocative 1956 play about the original 'angry young man', Jimmy Porter. 
 
John Osborne's 'kitchen sink' drama Look Back in Anger sparked a generation of 'angry young men' and led to the resurgence of realism in theatre. Reprising his stage role from 2005, David Tennant stars in this radio adaptation, which was produced to commemorate the play's 60th anniversary. 
 
Look Back in Anger focuses on the relationship between an educated but disaffected working-class young man, Jimmy Porter, and his equally intelligent but dispassionate wife, Alison, who comes from an upper-middle class military family. Having pushed back against her family so they could be together, Jimmy is now disillusioned by the class divide between them and constantly belittles her. 
 
Keeping the peace is their friendly Welsh lodger, Cliff. However, the arrival of Alison's friend Helena pushes the couple to breaking point. Can Alison and Jimmy ever reconcile? And should they even try? 
 
Also starring Ian McKellen as Alison's father, the Colonel, alongside Nancy Carroll as Alison, Daniel Evans as Cliff and Claire Price as Helena, this magnificent production encapsulates the play's original bite and still disturbs and questions in equal measure. 
 
Director: Richard Wilson 
Producer: Clive Brill 
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 
First broadcast in April 2016 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Look Back in Anger

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast production

Pilgrim walks again between the worlds of magick and of men in this eerie supernatural adventure 
 
Fated to eternally walk the line between the worlds of faerie and men, reluctant hero Pilgrim finds himself facing an old adversary in this superbly uncanny two-parter. 
 
When he donates a priceless portrait to the struggling Timbermoor Museum to ensure it stays open, there's one particular shabby exhibit Pilgrim hopes to keep safe. So he's disconcerted to hear that the item in question, Cochrane's Boot, has got lost in transit. 
 
But someone has found it - and unleashed the spirit within it. Troubled teen Rabbit Owen has been shunned by the townsfolk since he unwittingly caused the death of his friend, but now, with the help of his 'auntie', it's payback time... 
 
Meanwhile, guilt-ridden museum curator John Wayne pays a visit to the exclusive, elusive Grey Lodge Chalets, situated in an ancient grove deep in the heart of the woods. He needs to speak to one of the residents, but first he must deliver a tithe to the sinister supervisor, Mr Buttoner. John is willing to pay - but he has no idea how high the price will be. 
 
With the Timbermoor Imp, Sally Mop, liberated from her prison, Rabbit is riding high - and as Hallowe'en arrives and the locals prepare to gather around the Sun Stone for their annual celebrations, the stage is set for a much darker ritual. Can Pilgrim save John from a dance with death, turn Rabbit away from revenge, and prevent a terrible sacrifice? 
 
Cast: 
William Palmer ..... Paul Hilton 
 John ..... Stefan Adegbola 
 Rabbit ..... Louis Jay Jordan 
 Amy ..... Charlotte East 
 Piper ..... Katie Redford 
 Vaughan ..... Luke Nunn 
 Eddie/Mr Buttoner ..... Roger Ringrose 
 Sally ..... Jane Whittenshaw 
 Janice ..... Ellie Piercy 
 Ginger ..... Emma Handy 
Produced by Marc Beeby and directed by Jessica Dromgoole 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23-30 October 2020

Pilgrim: The Timbermoor Imp

The BBC Radio 4 fantasy drama series

Lee Hall

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

I Luv You Jimmy Spud

Alan Bennett

A unique collection of eight Alan Bennett stories, read by the author. Alan Bennett is one of Britain's best-loved authors and an acclaimed storyteller. This exclusive compilation includes eight of his best tales, collected together for the first time. 
 
Here is his celebrated, iconic memoir The Lady in the Van; as well as two fascinating autobiographical accounts of his family and childhood. Uncle Clarence sees Bennett visiting the grave of a relative who died in Flanders in 1917; while in Hymn he joins forces with composer George Fenton and the Medici String Quartet to explore his musical memories. 
 
Bennett's incisive, acute observations shine through in his fiction too, with wry, moving and darkly humorous meditations on death (Father! Father! Burning Bright and The Laying On of Hands), sex (The Shielding of Mrs Forbes) and middle-age ennui (The Clothes They Stood Up In). His gift for affectionate satire reaches its pinnacle in The Uncommon Reader, a delightful tale in which the Queen discovers the pleasures of literature. 
 
Poignant, compassionate, wise and witty, the stories included are The Lady in the Van, Uncle Clarence, The Clothes They Stood Up In, Father! Father! Burning Bright, Hymn, The Laying On of Hands, The Uncommon Reader and The Shielding of Mrs Forbes. Duration: 13 hours approx.

Alan Bennett: Stories

Read by Alan Bennett

Mark Burton

John O’Farrell

Mike Coleman

All five series of the political satirical soap opera set in the strangely familiar village of Little Blighty- plus Christmas Specials 
 
'A comic microcosm of a country not a million miles away' Radio Times 
 
Little Blighty is an idyllic part of the world, with a church, a market, a small school and a pub, The Cock and Bull. Village life is pretty uneventful, though the humdrum happenings include social turmoil, economic upheaval and vicious political squabbles - all presided over by the redoubtable head of the Parish Council and Secretary of the Rotarians, Mrs Roberts. 
 
This formidable lady has been running things for nine years: despite the best efforts of the leader of the opposition, Working Men's Club chairman Mr Blandish. He's desperate for his members to present a united front against Mrs Roberts, but unfortunately they're too busy fighting amongst themselves. 
 
The doctor's surgery is overcrowded, the river's polluted, the school is fiddling the exam results and the local market's under threat from cheap imports, but nothing seems to dent Mrs Roberts' popularity - until she introduces a conveyance charge across the village bridge. Could the 'Toll Tax' finally be her downfall? 
 
Also included are three festive Specials, The Blighty Chronicles, It's A Wonderful Blight and Dead of Blight, in which the village's rich history is staged; a guardian angel visits Little Blighty; and we attend Lord and Lady Spenney's Christmas party, where we hear some bloodcurdling supernatural tales... 
 
Scripted by Spitting Image writers John O'Farrell, Mark Burton and Mike Coleman, and first broadcast in 1988, this 'everyday story of a country folk' is a pitch-perfect parody of the British political landscape in the late '80s and early '90s - and remains surprisingly topical today. It is performed by a star cast including Jo Kendall, Andrew Sachs, Nick Hancock, Michael Troughton and Alistair McGowan. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Mark Burton, John O'Farrell and Mike Coleman 
Produced by David Tyler and Lissa Evans 
Performed by Jo Kendall, John Bluthal, Andrew Sachs, Nick Hancock, Bernadine Corrigan, Daniel Strauss, Michael Troughton, John Baddeley, Jonathan Kydd and Alistair McGowan 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 2-16 September 1988 (Series 1), 21 July-18 August 1989 (Series 2), 29 December 1989 (The Blighty Chronicles), 6 July-3 August 1990 (Series 3), 5 July-2 August 1991 (Series 4), 26 December 1991 (It's A Wonderful Blight), 10 July-7 August 1992 (Series 5), 31 December 1992 (Dead of Blight) 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Little Blighty on the Down: Series 1-5

A BBC Radio 4 political comedy satire

Matt Berry

All ten episodes of the dark, surreal comedy featuring Matt Berry's twisted regression therapist 
 
 
Unorthodox, unpredictable, and verging on the unprofessional, Dr Berry is a deeply disturbing hypnotherapist. His experimental regressive technique is both strange and terrifying, and involves taking unsuspecting clients on unsettling journeys through their subconscious. 
 
Each episode sees him dealing with a patient who needs treatment for a particular problem. There's Karen House-Water, who's aquaphobic (and therefore afraid of half her own name); Ray Highknock, a smoking addict who wants to kick the habit; a pair of East End twins with unexpected past lives and a man who's scared of everything about cats (including the musical). 
 
As the doctor puts them into a trance, we take a trip into the deepest recesses of their minds, experiencing alongside them the dreamlike - or nightmare-like - situations that their brains (and Dr Berry) have created. But as they're faced with talking dolphins, an interplanetary voyage, the inside of a whale and the God of Thunder, they soon realise that the cure could be worse than the disease... 
 
Brilliantly bizarre and an ideal late-night listen, this dark, Lynch-meets Kaufman-style series won the 2012 Writers' Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy. It stars Matt Berry (Toast of London, The IT Crowd) as Dr Berry, with a stellar cast including Katherine Parkinson, Simon Greenall, Morgana Robinson, Bob Mortimer, Steve Pemberton and Daisy Haggard. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written and performed by Matt Berry 
With Katherine Parkinson, Tara Flynn, Alex Rivers, Paul Moriarty, Simon Greenall, Jack Klaff, Morgana Robinson, Derek Griffiths, Alex Lowe, Deeivya Meir, Nick Lucas, Simon Bubb, Alan Ford, Lewis MacLeod, Tracy-Ann Obeman, Bob Mortimer, Amaka Okafor, Steve Pemberton, Daisy Haggard, Steve Furst, Isabel Fay, Daisy Beaumont, Julia Deakin, Michael Shelford 
Produced by Sam Bryant 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3 January-7 February 2012 (Series 1), 3-24 April 2013 (Series 2) 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

I, Regress: The Complete Series 1-2

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

Virgil

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Virgil's sweeping epic, starring Ralph Fiennes as Aeneas and Derek Jacobi as the Narrator. One of the classics of all time, The Aeneid was Virgil's last and greatest work. In it, he recounts in vivid imagery the legendary origin of the Roman Empire. The story begins after the Greeks have destroyed the city of Troy. The Trojan Prince Aeneas, defeated and depressed, leads his remaining citizens to a new land and a new destiny foretold by the Gods. The journey to the west coast of Italy is full of adventure, love, betrayal and suffering. On the island of Carthage, Aeneas meets Queen Dido who shelters his people. The two fall in love, but their happiness comes to a tragic end. Once in Italy, all seems hopeful, but soon rivalries develop between Aeneas and local powers and war breaks out... Translated by C. Day Lewis and with a star cast including Anna Massey, Gina McKee, Diana Quick and Eleanor Bron.

The Aeneid

J.R.R. Tolkien

The second instalment of Tolkien's epic tale, adapted from the original BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Having fled the Shire in their escape from Sauron's Dark Riders, Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring have journeyed to Rivendell and beyond. Their mission is to reach the Mountain of Fire in Mordor, where the Ruling Ring can be destroyed, but already their campaign is in jeopardy. Gandalf has fallen into an abyss, and Boromir has fatally succumbed to the power of the Ring. The others are besieged by an army of orcs - save for Frodo and Sam, whose journey down the River Anduin is being watched by a dark and shadowy figure... Widely regarded as a broadcasting classic, the BBC Radio dramatisation of 'The Lord of the Rings' stars Ian Holm, Michael Hordern, Robert Stephens, John Le Mesurier and Peter Woodthorpe. 
 
 
 ©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation

Douglas Hill

Embark on a perilous quest into a magical realm where a young boy must do battle with monsters and demons in order to survive. 
 
Immerse yourself in an epic fantasy adventure, based on the book by the hugely popular science fiction writer Douglas Hill, and brought to life in this full-cast performance. 
 
When his village is destroyed by the evil Prince Mephtik, young Jarral Gullen must search for answers. With the help of his three friends Archer, Scythe and the Lady Mandragorina - a band of magically talented adventurers - Jarral must make a terrifying journey into the unknown. Only then will he be able to answer the questions that haunt him. Will he be able to discover what strange talents he possesses? And why does the spectre known as the Poisoner want to hunt him down? Marked with the tainted sword of Prince Mephtik, Jarral is doomed to die a terrible death unless both the blade and the prince are destroyed by the next full moon. The band of friends must complete their treacherous quest to Mephtik's demon-guarded fortress - but can Jarral connect with his power in time, and will he live long enough to use it? 
 
This exclusive edition includes a bonus fantastical story of magic and mayhem - Penelope's Pendant. When eleven-year-old Penny finds a pendant on the beach she discovers that it gives her the power to move herself and other objects through space. But when the pendant's maker comes to claim it, Penny doesn't want to let it go. 
 
Starring Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh alongside James Holland, Eric Allen, Elizabeth Bell, Ben Onwukuwe, Susan Sheridan and Hugh Dixon, these adventures will delight fans of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea novels and J.R.R. Tolkien's Tales from the Perilous Realm. 
 
 
Blade of the Poisoner 
Written by Douglas Hill 
Dramatised by Wally K Daly 
Produced by Peter Fozzard 
Music by Peter Howells 
Special Effects by Dick Mills 
 
Jarral the Man - Eric Allen 
Jarral the boy - James Holland 
Archer - Elizabeth Bell 
Carver - Ben Onwukwe 
Dorrina - Adjoa Andoh 
Mandra - Susan Sheridan 
Prince Mephtik - Hugh Dixon 
Yorrold - David Bannerman 
Soldiers - Nigel Carrington, Charles Millom and Neil Roberts 
Cryltor Tabatang - James Thomason 
Flammarock - Bret Usher 
Whiney - Richard Pierce 
Innkeeper - Anne Windsor 
Other parts played by Auriol Smith and Charles Millom 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 5, July 1991 
 
Penelope's Pendant 
Written by Douglas Hill 
Adapted by Paul Copley 
 
Penelope - Keeley Forsyth 
Trish - Vicky Fox 
Alan - Jason Lowe 
Ralph - Jonathan Tristram 
Tony - Matthew Raybould 
Errol - Richard Redpath 
Gummy - James Buckley 
Mother - Joanna Myers 
Narrator - Paul Copley 
Glumdole - Barry Kaylor 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 5, 2 April 1991 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Blade of the Poisoner

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Fantasy Adventure plus bonus story Penelope’s Pendant

Terry Pratchett

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

Good Omens

The BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Matthew Broughton

‘Planet B’ is a virtual world with the slogan: "Where you can be whatever you want to be." Users can download themselves into it and play as a life-size avatars in a 3D world. 
 
When Lioba Fielding dies in the real world, her boyfriend John Armstrong downloads himself into Planet B in an attempt to find her avatar. As he travels between various worlds he becomes entangled in an array of strange scenarios, teleporting from each adventure to the next with his companion Medley, a "rogue avatar" who has no human controller. All the while, John and Medley are being watched by a dog-like antivirus programme called Cerberus who, along with the Planet B Corporation, considers the rogues to be a computer virus that need to be wiped out. 
 
But John soon begins to believe that Lioba may still be alive somewhere in Planet B, and that the games he is playing may be more real and deadly than he first thought. 
 
‘Matthew Broughton's tale of a malfunctioning virtual world is engrossing’ – The Stage 
 
Cast: 
Planet B…Adjoah Andoh 
John Armstong…Gunnar Cauthery 
Lioba Fielding…Donnla Hughes/Tessa Nicholson 
Medley…Lizzy Watts/Claire Harry 
Cerberus…Chris Pavlo 
Kip Berenger…Joseph Cohen-Cole/Lloyd Thomas 
 
Lead writer: Matthew Broughton 
Producer: Jessica Dromgoole 
Script Editor: James Robinson

Planet B: The Complete Series 1-3

The BBC Radio sci-fi drama

A collection of the full-cast BBC Radio dramatisations of novels by Terry Pratchett 
 
Somewhere on the frontier between thought and reality exists the Discworld, a parallel time and place which might sound and smell very much like our own, but which looks completely different... 
 
Published for the very first time are seven full-cast BBC Radio dramatisations of Terry Pratchett's novels, with star-studded casts including Martin Jarvis, Sheila Hancock, Anton Lesser, Philip Jackson, Alex Jennings and Mark Heap. 
 
Mort 
Hopeless young peasant Mort is hired as an apprentice to Death. He'll have free board, use of the company horse, and being dead isn't even compulsory. In fact, it's a dream job - until he discovers that it can be killer for his love life... 
 
Wyrd Sisters 
Three witches meet on a blasted heath. A king is cruelly murdered. A child heir and the kingdom's crown are both missing. But Granny Weatherwax finds that meddling in royal politics is a lot more complicated than certain playwrights would have you believe... 
 
Guards! Guards! 
In Ankh-Morpork, the Haves and the Have-Nots are about fall out. Again. The Night Watch's Captain Vimes is used to this but when the Have-Nots find the key to a lethal, dormant weapon that even they don't understand, he knows it's time so sober up. 
 
Eric 
When precocious young Eric Thursley summons a demon from the loathsome pit to fulfil his every wish, he wants what everyone wants - immortality, to rule the world, and have the most beautiful woman love him. Instead he gets Rincewind, the Disc's most incompetent wizard. 
 
Small Gods 
On the Discworld, Gods are as numerous as herring roe, all elbowing for space at the top. In such a competitive environment, you need an acolyte, and fast. For the Great God Om, Brutha is the Chosen One, or at least the only One available... 
 
Night Watch 
Living in the past is hard. Dying in the past is incredibly easy, especially when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets coppers. Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch is back in his own rough, tough past, and he has a job to do. 
 
***Bonus Story*** In addition to these Discworld novels, this collection also includes a full-cast dramatisation of Only You Can Save Mankind, from the Johnny Maxwell series. As an alien fleet crosses his computer screen, Johnny prepares to blow the ScreeWee into a million pieces... 
 
'The voice cast is fantastic' - Starburst 
 
 
 ©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Terry Pratchett: The BBC Radio Drama Collection

Seven full-cast dramatisations

Alastair Jessiman

The complete series of off-beat thrillers about psychic detective Thomas Soutar, who uses his skills in police investigations. Set in Glasgow and featuring fantastic full casts, these unique police dramas star Robin Laing as Thomas Soutar. 
 
The Sensitive 
Police call in Thomas Soutar to help find a missing woman. Thomas is adept at solving crimes - but is his extraordinary gift a blessing or a curse? 
 
The Hanged Man 
Thomas Soutar discovers some unsettling connections between his own uncle's past and the murder of a young boy. 
 
A Possession 
When Thomas agrees to help in the search for a missing music student, he becomes obsessed by the missing girl in ways that he had not expected. 
 
A Nobody 
Thomas suffers a crisis of confidence when he is asked to investigate a potential serial killer. An old girlfriend, Kat, persuades him to take a break for a few days, but Thomas soon becomes convinced that they are being followed. 
 
A Casualty of War 
Thomas' mother has been forced to close her guest house due to emergency building work. An old friend offers her the use of his guest house, now lying empty. But Thomas senses a malignant presence in the isolated house, and one night Thomas' mother is sure she sees a face in her bedroom mirror – the face of a woman not seen since 1945... 
 
The Protector 
Thomas is asked to investigate the disappearance of a family friend. It's believed the missing man may have committed suicide, but the voices in Thomas's head suggest a different explanation… 
 
Queen of the Dead 
A grieving daughter finds hundreds of cassette recordings made by a woman obsessed with her late father, a Professor of English. Thomas Soutar is hired to trace the identity of the woman behind the tapes, who styles herself the ‘Queen of the Dead’. 
 
Terma 
Thomas is brought helps investigate when a journalist goes missing after building up a dossier on a powerful crime family. 
 
Black Island 
Thomas and Kat go on holiday to the Western Isles. But Thomas is soon drawn into a dangerous game with a celebrated actor. 
 
Underground Man (2 parts) 
Glasgow's disused underground tunnels are the hunting ground for an injured ex-soldier who threatens to kill three men he holds responsible for cheating him out of an inheritance. When one of the men under threat goes missing, Thomas helps the police in their search - but he soon discovers that there is danger much closer to home. 
 
Heart of Darkness (2 parts) 
A religious retreat in the Scottish Highlands is the venue for the final investigation by the psychic Thomas Soutar. Thomas and Kat discover that the extreme views of their host have alienated many people in the community, and a quiet few days away become unexpectedly life-changing when Thomas has a fateful reckoning with his psychic abilities. 
 
Written by Alastair Jessiman 
Produced and directed by Bruce Young

The Sensitive

Eleven BBC Radio 4 Crime Dramas

John Dryden

Mike Walker

An engrossing, expansive historical fantasy drama, inspired by the Mamluk slave dynasty of Egypt 
 
Tumanbay: the wealthiest city on earth. The beating heart of a vast empire. A city of dreams, where those who once arrived as slaves now hold power, and merchants, artists and warriors live side-by-side in peace. But this magnificent city is under threat. A rebellion in a far-off province, led by 'Queen' Maya, is gathering strength - and a mysterious force is devouring the empire from within. 
 
Gregor, a merciless spymaster and Master of the Palace Guard, is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri to crush the insurgence, as his brother General Qulan is dispatched to quell the provincial insurrection. But as well as rooting out traitors, Gregor must contend with his arch-rival, the cunning Grand Vizier, Cadali. Meanwhile, Heaven, the 14-year-old daughter of slave merchant Ibn, is adrift at sea, captive to an escaped slave on whom she depends for her survival. Madu, the Sultan's spoilt nephew, also has to grow up quickly as he swaps palace life for the army... 
 
As the wheel of fate turns, Tumanbay's fortunes suffer a terrible reversal. Beset by plague, assassins, invasion, occupation and revolution, the once-great city is riven by political intrigue and power struggles. As rulers are toppled and tyrants fall, who will survive and thrive - and who will die? 
 
A Game of Thrones-style epic with the sweep of The Arabian Nights, this compelling story of love, revenge, betrayal and deception won the Best Audio Serial Gold Award at the New York Radio Festival. Among the impressive ensemble cast are Rufus Wright, Olivia Popica, Matthew Marsh, Alexander Siddig, John Sessions, Hiran Abeysekera, Aiysha Hart, Anton Lesser, Tara Fitzgerald, Enzo Cilenti and Rob Jarvis. 
 
 
Production credits 
Created by John Scott Dryden and Mike Walker and inspired by the Mamluk slave rulers of Egypt 
Written by John Scott Dryden, Mike Walker and Mac Rogers 
Directed by John Scott Dryden 
Produced by Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan and John Scott Dryden 
Original music by Sacha Puttnam 
Additional music by Jon Ouin 
Sound Design: Steve Bond, Jon Ouin and Eloise Whitmore 
Sound Recording by Joe Richardson and Laurence Farr 
Sound Edited by James Morgan and Andrea Gomez 
Editors: Ania Przygoda and James Morgan 
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tumanbay: The Complete Series 1-4

The BBC Radio epic full-cast saga

Every year, on the winter solstice, the small town of Melcombe observes an annual custom, the roots and meaning of which are lost in the mists of time. A torch-lit procession to the ancient tomb of Cairndale Knapp, overlooking the town, puts the old sun to bed, and greets the new sun in the morning, restoring balance to the year. 
 
This year, however, Mr Sam Notice has bought the Knapp, and has set about landscaping it. And, with the felling of an ancient yew tree, the roots and meaning of the old custom spring malevolently to life, as the Winter Queen is finally released from her prison, and bent on revenge. 
 
Told over the two days of the winter solstice - Pilgrim walks again between the worlds of magick and of men.

Pilgrim: The Winter Queen

Andrew Palmer

All 13 episodes of the classic role-reversal comedy starring Leslie Phillips and Jill Bennett 
 
It's not easy, being chauffeur to your ex-wife. Especially when she's wealthy and you're broke...' 
 
Leslie Duggan was once a high-flying property tycoon - but then came the 1980s property crash, which wiped out his business and left him broke. Down on his luck and desperate to earn a living, he takes a job chauffeuring his wealthy ex-wife, Caroline, who owns a successful mail order company and is very much on the up. 
 
The Duggans may be divorced, but they're still close friends. Although they no longer live together, they're still involved in each other's affairs - and keep a beady eye on each other's love lives. But when they're out and about, while it's Leslie behind the wheel of the Roller, it's Caroline who's in the driving seat - and what Madam says, goes... 
 
 
Drop Me Here, Darling was first broadcast on BBC Radio 2 between December 1982 and February 1983. Recorded in front of a live audience, this light-hearted vintage comedy stars legendary comic actor Leslie Phillips of Doctor in the House and The Navy Lark fame as Leslie, with Jill Bennett (The Nanny, The Sheltering Sky) as Caroline. The stellar cast also features Norma Ronald (The Men from the Ministry), Kenneth Connor (Carry On...) and Joan Sanderson (Please Sir!, After Henry). 
 
 
 
NB: Contains dated language and attitudes 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Andrew Palmer 
Produced by Edward Taylor 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 2 December 1982-24 February 1983 
 
Cast 
Leslie - Leslie Phillips 
Caroline - Jill Bennett 
Claire/Lisa/Alaria/Moira/Mrs Elliott/Flora/Minicab controller/Kay - Norma Ronald 
Walter/Policeman - James Taylor 
Coats/Mr Crabbe/Herr Kobourg/Kelly - Kenneth Connor 
Betty - Joan Sanderson 
Simon/Alan Archer - John Kane 
Derek/Michael - Edward Judd 
Kramer Hodgkiss - Gordon Clyde 
Dave - Michael Robbins 
Heather - April Walker 
Dr Rogers/Bill Welling - Richard Davies 
Innkeeper/AA Man/Ben - Joe Dunlop 
Emma - Eve Karpf 
With John Graham, Garard Green, Jennifer Croxton and Sandra Clark 
 
Please note: due to the age of this recording the sound quality may vary 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Drop Me Here, Darling

Paul Hilton stars as Pilgrim in the final three series of the award-winning BBC Radio 4 supernatural drama by Sebastian Baczkiewicz. 
 
In 1185, William Palmer was making pilgrimage to Canterbury. Unbeknown to him, his fellow pilgrim was the King of the Greyfolk. When William claimed that the Church would eradicate belief in the Faerie world, he was cursed by the Faerie King and condemned to walk forever between the worlds of magic and of men. 
 
In these three series, Pilgrim continues on his mission to preserve the uneasy balance between the two worlds and protect mankind from an enemy they resist believing in. His quests include searching for the 'Radiant Boy', a sinister harbinger of impending death; acquiring copper, silver and gold to rescue a group of people trapped in a mine by a malevolent spirit; and tracking down and punishing a former friend who has betrayed him. After so many centuries, will his curse be lifted and his wanderings finally come to an end? 
 
Starring Paul Hilton as the immortal, reluctant and unthanked hero, this award-winning series weaves together ancient myths, magic and contemporary realism to create a dark, thrilling and enchanting fantasy epic that will stay with you long after Pilgrim's story ends. Duration: 9 hours approx.

Pilgrim Series 5-7

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas

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