About 	 Lucy Rycroft: Lucy is the founder of The Hope-Filled Family, a ministry encouraging Christian parents, carers and all those investing in the younger generation. She is the author of several books for adults and children, including Busy Family Devotional and the Mighty Girl, Mighty God series. She is mum to four children ages 11 to 16, who arrived by birth and adoption, and is married to Al, a church leader in York, England.

	 Lucy Rycroft

5ive Guys FC

82ASK

A A Gill

About A D Swanston: Andrew Swanston read law at Cambridge, but was inspired to write by his lifelong interest in early modern history. His Thomas Hill novels – The King’s Spy, The King’s Exile and The King’s Return – are set against the backdrops of the English Civil War, Cromwell’s Commonwealth and the early Restoration respectively. He is also the author of Waterloo: The Bravest Man and Beautiful Star and Other Stories. His first historical thriller set during the reign of Elizabeth I – Incendium (published in paperback as The Incendium Plot) – introduced readers to the academic, lawyer and intelligencer Dr Christopher Radcliff, whose adventures continue in Chaos. Andrew Swanston lives in Surrey.

A D Swanston

A E Langsford

A G Hopkins

About A J Baime: A. J. BAIME is the New York Times best-selling author of The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War and Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans. Both books are in development for major motion pictures. Baime is a longtime regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Popular Science, and Men’s Journal. He lives in Granite Bay, California. Visit him at facebook.com/ajbaime and trumanbook.com.

A J Baime

A J Jacobs

A J P Taylor

About A J Pollard: Anthony James Pollard is a British medieval historian, specialising in the fifteenth century and in particular the Wars of the Roses. A leading authority in the field, he is profesor emeritus of Teesside University. His books include North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses, Richard III and the Princes in theTower, Imagining Robin Hood: the Late Medieval Stories in Historical Context and Warwick the kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame.

A J Pollard

A J Rochester

About A K Benjamin: A K Benjamin is a clinical neuropsychologist and the author of Let Me Not Be Mad: A Story of Unravelling Minds.

A K Benjamin

About A L Berridge: A. L. Berridge read English at Oxford, and taught for ten years before moving into television, where her production credits range from period drama and thrillers to long-running soaps. She has written two previous novels, Top Ten besteller Honour and the Sword and In the Name of the King. Into the Valley of Death is her third novel.

A L Berridge

About A L Gaylin: Alison Gaylin's first job was as a reporter for a celebrity tabloid, which sparked a lifelong interest in writing about people committing despicable acts. More than a decade later, she wrote and published her Edgar-nominated first novel, HIDE YOUR EYES. 
 
She's since published nine more books, including the USA Today and international bestselling Brenna Spector suspense series, which has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Thriller awards and won the Shamus award. 
 
She lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, cat and dog.

A L Gaylin

A Maxwell-Hyslop

A McArthur

A P Wavell

About A S Webb: A.S. Webb is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Daughter of Chaos, the first instalment of The Dark Pantheon Trilogy. She is inspired by stories rooted in history and mythology, that push the boundaries of imagination and urge us to reflect on what it means to be human.

A S Webb

About A. A. Dhand / A. A. Dhand: A. A. Dhand is the author of six previous novels, and has been shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Award. His DI Harry Virdee novels are currently being adapted for TV by the BBC. He was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired all his novels. For more information about A. A. Dhand and his books, follow him on X @aadhand, and on Instagram @aa_dhand.

A. A. Dhand

A. A. Gill

A. A. Milne

A. Anatoli

About A. B. Poranek / A. B. Poranek: A. B. Poranek grew up sharing her time between Ontario, Canada and rural Poland, and eventually completed a veterinary degree at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. A lover of mythology and history, she enjoys exploring both in her writing. Her debut novel, Where the Dark Stands Still, an instant New York Times bestseller, is an ode to Poland's folktales, while A Treachery of Swans transports readers to a world inspired by 17th century France.

A. B. Poranek

A. Bradley

About A. C. Grayling / A. C. Grayling: Professor A. C. Grayling is Principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy, history, science and current affairs. For several years he wrote columns for the Guardian newspaper and The Times and was the chairman of the 2014 Man Booker Prize.

A. C. Grayling

About A. D. Miller / A. D. Miller: A.D. Miller is the author of Snowdrops, The Earl of Petticoat Lane and The Faithful Couple. Snowdrops was a bestseller and was shortlisted for many prizes including the Man Booker and the CWA Gold Dagger. It was translated into 25 languages. As Moscow Correspondent of The Economist A.D. Miller has travelled across the former Soviet Union and covered the Orange Revolution in Ukraine; he is now the magazine’s Culture Editor based in London. 
 
admillerbooks.com

A. D. Miller

A. E. Ellis

A. E. W. Mason

A. Humphreys

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Seneca

Full-cast productions of Seneca’s most famous tragedies, plus letters from the Roman philosopher read by Paul Scofield 
 
Stoic philosopher and playwright Lucius Annaeus Seneca lived through the reigns of Caligula and Claudius, and was tutor and adviser to Nero, before his untimely suicide in AD65. His gory, outrageous tragedy Thyestes inspired Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, and is widely considered his masterpiece. It opens this collection, which also includes his classic Oedipus, a selection of his correspondence and two special documentary programmes exploring the man and his life. 
 
Thyestes – Brothers Atreus and Thyestes have fought a long and bitter civil war. After seducing Atreus’ wife and stealing the golden ram of kingship, Thyestes is defeated and banished. A pretend offer of friendship sees him returning home with his three sons, ostensibly to share the throne of Argos – but in reality, Atreus Is plotting a horrifying act of revenge. Denis Quilley and Richard Pasco star as Thyestes and Atreus, wih Anton Lesser as the Messenger. 
 
Oedipus – Cursed by the gods, Oedipus flees his native city of Corinth for Thebes. There, he solves the riddle of the Sphinx, is proclaimed King and marries Queen Jocasta. But when the city is struck by drought and a deadly plague, he is faced with a new riddle: and the answer spells his own doom… Seneca’s reworking of the Ancient Greek legend is adapted by onetime Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, and stars Martin Jarvis and Siân Phillips. 
 
Seneca’s Letters – Paul Scofield reads a selection of Seneca’s lively, humorous philosophical letters to his young friend Lucilius, in which he discurses on topics including the evils of crowds, the pleasures of old age, the perils of drunkenness, the folly of wanderlust and the part played by philosophy in advancing civilization. 
 
Is Seneca Possible? – In a personal reflection on the celebrated playwright, poet James Fenton attempts to put him into historical context. T S Eliot asserted that Seneca ‘created his own genre’, but with so few examples of Roman tragedy remaining, has our view been distorted by the drama we’ve lost? 
 
In Our Time: Seneca the Younger – Melvyn Bragg and guests Mary Beard, Catharine Edwards and Alessandro Schiesaro discuss Seneca, reflecting on his status as one of the first great writers born in the new Roman empire after the fall of the Republic. 
 
NB: Contains strong language 
 
Thyestes 
Thyestes – Denis Quilley 
Atreus – Richard Pasco 
The Messenger – Anton Lesser 
Fury – Hugh Dickson 
Ghost of Tantalus – David March 
Courtier – Anthony Newlands 
Tantalus, Thyestes’ son – Crawford Logan 
His brothers – Stuart Organ & Simon Hewitt 
Seneca – Peter Tuddenham 
Chorus – Hugh Dickson, David Gooderson, Simon Hewitt, Anton Lesser, Crawford Logan, Stuart Organ, Richard Pasco, Denis Quilley, Peter Tuddenham 
 
Oedipus 
Oedipus – Martin Jarvis 
Jocasta – Siân Phillips 
Creon – John Rowe 
Tiresias – Hugh Dickson 
Manto – Frances Jeater 
Corinthian Messenger – Nigel Graham 
Phorbas – Timothy Bateson 
Theban Slave – David Gooderson 
Chorus Leader – Stephen Thorne 
Chorus – James Bryce, Jill Lidstone, David Peart, Jean Trend, David Gooderson, Nigel Graham, Timothy Bateson 
 
Seneca’s Letters 
1: Avoid the Crowds; Befriend Your Slaves 
2: The Pleasures of Old Age 
3: Worldly Noise and the Tranquil Mind 
4: Thoughts in a Dark Tunnel 
5: Philosophy v Daily Trivialities 
 
Is Seneca Possible? 
Presented by James Fenton 
 
In Our Time: Seneca the Younger 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
With Mary Beard, Catharine Edwards and Alessandro Schiesaro 
Produced by Simon Tillotson 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Seneca’s Tragedies: Thyestes & Oedipus

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations & Seneca’s Letters

James Fritz

*Winner: Best Original Series at the 2026 BBC Audio Drama Awards* 
*Winner: Connor Finch: The Marc Beeby Award for Best Debut Performance at the 2026 BBC Audio Drama Awards* 
 
What is life really like behind prison walls? 
 
In six interlinked full-cast plays, acclaimed playwright James Fritz take us into that world, exploring the experiences of both prisoners and jailors. From prisoner scandals to the pressures on officers and the high-stakes decisions faced by the parole board, Life and Time shines a light on the hidden workings of England’s flawed penal system.Series 1, The Prisoners: Two inmates are on ‘Imprisonment for Public Protection’ sentences – open-ended, indeterminate sentences that leave them trapped inside with no fixed release date. First-time offender Martin is tormented by the feeling that time is spinning out of control, falling through his fingers day by day. Will there ever be an end to this Kafkaesque nightmare? Meanwhile, elderly John falls seriously ill while his cellmate is on work duty. Alone and incapacitated, he can’t even call for help – will anyone come and save him?Series 2, The Officers: Veteran Prison Officer, Michael, is becoming increasingly disillusioned by the prison crisis. Assigned to show new recruit Rihanna Campbell the ropes, he fears that for all her polished boots and shining ideals, she hasn’t a clue what lies ahead… Soon, Rihanna finds herself under pressure as she struggles to cope with her role as key worker to a particularly challenging prisoner. Can a young, poorly trained officer perform miracles, or will she be broken by the system?Series 3, Parole: Martin becomes eligible for release. As the day of his hearing arrives, he must convince the two members of the parole board that he deserves his freedom. But his record outside implies he might be dangerous, while his record inside implies he is potentially unstable. It’s up to the parole board to decide his fate – and it’s not going to be easy...Featuring hyper-realistic sound design, naturalistic dialogue and compelling characters, this powerful, gritty drama won Bronze at the 2025 ARIAS (Audio and Radio Industry Awards). It stars Kenneth Cranham as John, Connor Finch as Martin, Robert Glenister as Michael and Rebekah Murrell as Rihanna.Production creditsWritten by James FritzProduced and directed by Tracey NealeSound Design/Technical Producer: Keith GrahamProduction Coordinators: Ben Hollands and Mike Etherden© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Life and Time

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Prison Drama

Samuel Beckett

Broadcaster Matthew Sweet presents a sequence of radio plays by Samuel Beckett, with star casts including Stephen Rea and Ian McKellenSamuel Beckett captured the pathos and irony of modern life like no other dramatist. In the decade following the success of Waiting for Godot (1952), he wrote some of his most absorbing work for radio, among them this sequence of short pieces. Suffused with the same musicality as his stage plays, they are increasingly different in tone and conception, giving us insight into the development of Beckett’s style and his approach to sound. With the exception of From an Abandoned Work, they can be heard in binaural surround sound through headphones or earbuds, creating an intimate, immersive audio experience. Matthew Sweet introduces the plays, providing context to the productions.From an Abandoned Work – Developed from the fragments of an unfinished novel, this radio monologue stars Stephen Rea as the unnamed elderly protagonist, who looks back on three days of his youth spent wandering the rural roads in all weather. As he recalls his mother waving him goodbye, the sight of a white horse and a murderous tribe of stoats, he ponders questions of life and death…Rough for Radio 1 – Monica Dolan and Ron Cook star in this debut BBC production of Beckett’s two-hander centred on a taciturn man, his curious female visitor who has ‘come to listen’ and his subsequent frantic phone calls… Abstract and experimental, Rough for Radio 1 utilises music and voices, silence and pauses, to explore themes of isolation, the impossibility of communication and the disconcerting nature of audio technology.Rough for Radio 2 – In this companion piece to Rough for Radio 1, starring Stephen Dillane, Louise Brealey, Brian Protheroe and Nick Underwood, we find ourselves in an interrogation room, where an animator is trying to force his victim, Fox to speak. With them are the stenographer, whose transcription shows that something is fundamentally amiss, and Dick, who has nothing to say…Words and Music – Commanded by the irascible Croak, unwilling collaborators Words and Music (aka Joe and Bob).are forced to improvise on the themes of ‘Love’, ‘Age’ and ‘The Face’ in an attempt to create art. Ian McKellen and Carl Prekopp star in Beckett’s absurdist meditation on the limitations of language. featuring a specially-written score by Roger Goula.Cascando – Story and sound work together once more in Cascando, controlled and conducted by the Opener who turns them on and off like a radio. In tandem, they try to tell the tale of Woburn, struggling to perfect it so they can finish and sleep… Starring Stanley Townsend and David Seddon, with music by Roger Goula, Beckett’s 1961 drama delineates the challenges of composition and the writer’s desperate search for inspiration.Production creditsWritten by Samuel BeckettFrom an Abandoned WorkPerformed by Stephen ReaRough for Radio 1He – Ron CookShe – Monica DolanRough for Radio 2Animator – Stephen DillaneStenographer – Louise BrealeyFox – Brian ProtheroeDick – Nick UnderwoodWords and MusicCroak – Ian McKellenWords – Carl PrekoppCascandoVoice – Stanley TownsendOpener – David SeddonDirected by Gaynor MacfarlaneMusic composed and directed by Roger GoulaComposer's assistant: Jessica JonesMusic performed by Kit Downes (piano), Georgia Hannant (violin), Oli Langford (viola), Nicola Baigent (bass clarinet), Michael Liu (flute), Raphael Lang (cello), Jessica Jones (synth)First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 2 October 2016© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Radio Beckett

Five Full Cast BBC Audio Plays by Nobel Prize winning writer Samuel Beckett

Ovid

Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Hattie Naylor

Nick Warburton

Colin Teevan

Lucy Catherine

Ten contemporary reimaginings of Ovid’s iconic tales, with star-studded casts including Toby Jones, Shaun Dooley and Robert Glenister 
 
The Roman love poet Ovid has influenced writers past and present, with his witty, sexy tales inspiring authors from Shakespeare to Ezra Pound. Included here are ten scintillating retellings that take a fresh look at his classic works, viewing these ancient stories from a modern perspective. 
 
New Metamorphoses, themed around the topics of desire, seduction and transformation: 
In Zeus and Semele, by Sebastian Baczkiewicz, paparazzo Harry gets in over his head when he is welcomed into the glamorous world he feeds on. 
And in Hattie Naylor’s Echo and Narcissus, Mat joins a gym, while Debbie becomes mesmerised by the boy across the road. 
Myrrah by Colin Teevan sees a teenage girl gripped by a terrible passion, 
and in Callisto by Nick Warburton, a photographer faces a dilemma when he captures a photo he never intended to take. 
Meanwhile, Phaethon by Katie Hims revolves around a family reunion and a promise that cannot be broken… 
 
Transformations continues with the leitmotifs of fluidity, change and the different aspects of love: 
Ceyx and Alcyone centres on the King of Trachis, who is determined to travel by ship to visit the Oracle. But the winds at sea are capricious and cruel, and a storm is coming… 
Pygmalion tells of a sculptor who, alone and broken, becomes enamoured of one of his own statues. Will the goddess of love be kind, and bring her to life? 
In Orpheus and Eurydice, when his beloved wife is killed by a snake, Orpheus travels to the realm of the dead in a desperate bid to bring her back. 
Byblis and Cannus sees a young girl falling hopelessly in love with her own brother… 
And in Baucis and Philemon, an elderly couple find their lives changed when they receive two unexpected guests. 
 
And two bonus programmes: In Our Time: Ovid and Ovid: Changing Times. 
 
 
Cast and Credits 
 
Zeus and Semele 
Starring Toby Jones, Daniel Cerqueira, Robert Glenister, Lyndsey Marshal, Peter Mann 
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz 
Produced and directed by Jessica Drumgoole 
 
Echo and Narcissus 
Starring Toby Jones, Carl Prekopp, Laura Molyneux, Burn Gorman, Harry Myers, Deborah Findlay, Gbemisola Ikumelo 
Written by Hattie Naylor 
Produced and directed by Sasha Yevtushenko 
 
Myrrha 
Starring Toby Jones, Gerard McSorley, Marcella Plunkett, Niall Buggy, Derbhle Crotty, Jonathan Forbes, Ben Crowe, Chris Pavlo, Liz Sutherland, Peter Marinker, Kate Binchy 
Written by Colin Teevan 
Produced and directed by Jeremy Mortimer 
 
Callisto 
Starring Shaun Dooley, Joannah Tincey, Rachel Atkins, John Rowe, Anna Bengo, Ben Onwukwe 
Written by Nick Warburton 
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale 
 
Phaethon 
Starring Toby Jones, Rosie Cavaliero, Vincenzo Nicoli, Paul Hilton, Steven Webb, Robert Madge, Liza Sadovy 
Written by Katie Hims 
Produced and directed by Marc Beeby 
 
Transformations 
Written by Lucy Catherine 
Directed by Marc Beeby 
Starring Jim Norton 
Ceyx and Alcyone 
Featuring Clare Corbett, Philip Bretherton, Neil McCaul, Isabella Inchbald, Tayla Kovacevi-Ebong, Abby Andrews 
 
Pygmalion 
Featuring Rupert Holliday Evans, Gary Duncan, Abbie Andrews, Isabella Inchbald 
 
Orpheus and Eurydice 
Featuring Tom Forrister, Madeline Hatt, Neil McCaul, Philip Bretherton, Isabella Inchbald, Clive Hayward 
 
Byblis and Cannus 
Featuring Abbie Andrews, Adam Fitzgerald, Isabella Inchbald, Ellie Darvill, Kath Weare 
 
Baucis and Philemon 
Featuring Sheila Reid, John Rowe, Clive Hayward, Tayla Kovacevi-Ebong 
 
In Our Time: Ovid 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
With Maria Wyke, Gail Trimble and Dunstan Lowe 
Produced by Simon Tillotson 
 
Ovid: Changing Times 
Presented by Tom Holland 
Produced by Mark Rickards 
 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ovid’s Modern Metamorphoses

10 Full-Cast Contemporary BBC Radio Dramatisations including Orpheus, Euridice, Phaethon, Echo & Narcissus

Peter Child

Peter Matthews

The classic 1970s sitcom about a lively gang of labourers working on the motorways 
 
In 1971, Radio 2’s Comedy Parade – a showcase for new comedy – aired two pilots that would go on to become the highly popular series Parsley Sidings and The Motorway Men. Though the latter ran for just one series in early 1972, it succeeded in gaining up to five million listeners. 
 
Featuring the comic escapades of unruly road crew Number 9 Gang, it starred Dad’s Army stalwarts Bill Pertwee and James Beck as flustered foreman Ponsonby and naive Cockney lad Steve, alongside bolshy shop steward Irish (Milo O’Shea), wily Welshman Randy (Richard Davies), bungling bosses Hanson (Anthony Sagar) and Fairfax (Richard Caldicot) and camp surveyor Peter Stephens. Titillating their palates and keeping them all well provisioned is posh canteen manager Gladys (Amanda Murray). 
 
In these nine entertaining episodes, the hapless highway operatives go on the fiddle to sell off some surplus coal and cement; run into a spot of bother with a bulldozer; get their link roads and their flyovers in a muddle (and accidentally bury Steve in the process); and uncover an ancient Roman hypocaust, only to find themselves participating in an archaeological dig. 
 
They also get into a bit of argy-bargy with Farmer Barrett (and his bull); attempt to impress an observer from a Chinese trade delegation; are sent to extend the runway at London Airport (and end up winging it) and have a bit of trouble with technology in the shape of a new-fangled American steamroller and a specially customized boat... 
 
Content warning: the humour in this programme reflects the era in which it was broadcast and may not reflect current attitudes 
 
Cast and credits 
 
Written by Peter Child and Peter Matthews 
Produced by Alastair Scott Johnston 
 
Ponsonby – Bill Pertwee 
Steve – James Beck 
Irish – Milo O'Shea 
Randy – Richard Davies 
Mr Fanshaw/Mr Fairfax – Richard Caldicot 
Hanson – Anthony Sagar 
The Surveyor – Peter Stephens 
Gladys/Air Traffic Controller – Amanda Murray 
The Minister – Nigel Graham 
Victoria – Gretta Gouriet 
Farmer Barrett – Alan Thompson 
 
With thanks to Keith Wickham and The Radio Circle 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 21 March 1971 (pilot episode), 2 February-22 March 1972 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Motorway Men

The Classic BBC Radio Comedy

Lawrie Wyman

Jimmy Edwards stars in this spin-off from The Navy Lark, chronicling life in and around the higher echelons of British United Plastics Ltd 
 
Following in the footsteps of The Navy Lark, The TV Lark and The Embassy Lark, The Big Business Lark aired for 13 episodes over the summer of 1969. Blending satire with farce, it charted the business machinations at a fictional plastics company. 
 
Ruling the roost at this chaotic commercial enterprise is managing director and chairman Sir Charles Bonniface, a crafty, cricket-loving tycoon who likes to keep one hand firmly on the tiller and the other on his secretary’s posterior. Waiting in the wings is his son Frank, stoically enduring his father’s bluff and bluster as he bides his time to take over the top job. Ensuring that all runs smoothly is Edith, Sir Charles’ put-upon personal assistant, who bears her boss’s lecherous attentions with equanimity. 
 
Together, they endeavour to promote British United Plastics’ sole product – Polystumer, a seemingly indestructible synthetic material with a surprising number of uses, from bathroom fixtures to breakfast cereal toys. In these entertaining episodes, they swing a contract with a camping company to make speedboat shells, land an order to supply the Red Army with tents, attempt to create camel-proof plastic to seal a deal with a Sultan, and make a TV commercial to try and impress a Hollywood film mogul... 
 
Starring Jimmy Edwards as Sir Charles, with Frank Thornton as Frank and Gwen Cherrell as Edith, The Big Business Lark also benefits from the considerable talents of Alexander John, Elizabeth Morgan and Nigel Graham, who between them play over 50 larger-than life characters. So mix business with pleasure, and enjoy this lively, laughter-filled Lark! 
 
Content warning: the humour in this programme reflects the era in which it was broadcast and may not reflect current attitudes 
 
Production credits 
Scripted by Lawrie Wyman 
Produced by Alastair Scott Johnston 
Starring: Jimmy Edwards, Frank Thornton and Gwen Cherrell 
With Elizabeth Morgan, Alexander John and Nigel Graham 
Announcer: Michael de Morgan 
 
With thanks to Keith Wickham and The Radio Circle 
 
Note: none of the episodes were originally given titles. The ones here are taken from the closing announcements of the episode. 
 
Episode guide 
 
1. Leading You Through 
2. Cruising on the River 
3. Taking You Through 
4. Disposing of a Relative 
5. Playing Ducks 
6. Taking Orders 
7. Strike Breaking 
8. Dining Out 
9. Initiating You Through 
10. Searching For Liberty 
11. Contracting Out 
12. Destructing 
13. Advertising 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2, 6 July – 28 September 1969 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Big Business Lark

Nick Revell

The award-winning 1990s sitcom, written by and starring Nick Revell 
 
Nick Revell plays a slightly stranger version of himself in this surreal comedy – a struggling writer in his mid-thirties who shares his untidy flat with Vince and Alan, a pair of talking geraniums. They, meanwhile, watch on and take stock of his many mishaps and misadventures. 
 
For the beleaguered Nick, even simple tasks like alphabetising his vinyl collection, buying brie and getting rid of Jehovah’s Witnesses are fraught with difficulties – and when it comes to dealing with his imperious agent, Cressida, and his disapproving girlfriend, Caroline, he’s way out of his depth. Fortunately, he can always retreat to the local café run by his friends Shona and Craig – or drown his sorrows at the pub... 
 
In these two series, Nick tries his hand at DIY, quits smoking, heads off on holiday – and acquires a talking Venus flytrap that doesn’t get on with his geraniums. He also finds himself playing surrogate parent when his teenage niece and his oldest rock’n’roll friend come to stay; preparing for the wedding of an old flame (and seething over the way she dumped him); and getting a lucky break with a Hollywood studio. But with his fortunes finally changing for the better, he can’t help asking himself if it’s all going just a little too well... 
 
First broadcast in 1992-3, this offbeat comedy mixes sitcom with a sprinkling of nineties satire – and more than a dollop of the downright odd. Co-starring alongside Nick Revell are a wealth of well-known names, including Doon Mackichan, Alistair McGowan, Stephen Tompkinson and Lesley Sharp. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by and starring Nick Revell 
With Alistair McGowan, Caroline Gruber, Kate McKenzie, Brian Bowles, Brian Johnston, Doon Mackichan, Alison Sterling, Charles McKeown, Gabrielle Cowburn, Mickey Hutton, Susannah Doyle, Lesley Sharp, Joanna Brookes, Elizabeth Bennet, Stephen Tomkinson, Alison Sterling, John Guerrasio 
Produced by Ioan Magnusson 
 
Series 1 
1. Holy Water 
2. Decoration 
3. Headache 
4. Holiday 
5. Cash 
6. Moving 
 
Series 2 
1. Homeless 
2. Visitors 
3. The Wedding 
4. Health and Fitness 
5. The Promised Land 
6. All’s Well That Ends Well…Well, Well, Well 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 25 January 1991 – 1 March 1992 (Series 1) and 3 June – 8 July 1993 (Series 2) 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Nick Revell Show

A BBC Radio Comedy

R.D Wingfield

A collection of RD Wingfield’s finest thrillers from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties 
 
Best known for his ‘Inspector Jack Frost’ series of novels, RD Wingfield also penned a string of gripping thrillers for BBC Radio. Initially thought lost, many of the 14 dramas in this collection were recovered and restored by Keith Wickham and the Radio Circle, and thanks to their careful preservation, are now available to enjoy once more. 
 
Credit Risk is a robbery comedy caper about a man with a cunning plan to defraud a credit card company of a quarter of a million pounds. Cleft Stick sees the police investigating an attack on a woman, and the dramatic way she chose to defend herself. In The Last Escape, a mugging ends in murder, and Superintendent Dawson must find the perpetrator – a patient who has escaped from a private nursing home after 35 years. And in The Alternative Plan, a frightened ex-Army captain and a dying ex-Nazi hold the key to preventing a political assassination. 
 
In A Second Class Risk, when a man dies in a car crash the same week he insures his life for £50,000, the widow’s claim must be investigated. A Test for Destruction finds a Security Supervisor at the Department of Scientific Warfare facing an agonising crisis when his son’s safety is at stake. Our West Ladyton Branch centres around a bank manager recovering from a nervous breakdown, whose new assignment in a sleepy Devon town is not at all what he expected. In Letter of the Law, Detective Inspector Nash wants nothing to do with his newly arrved (and newly demoted) Sergeant, but with seven unsolved robberies on his plate, Nash needs all the help he can get…Cover Up features another demoted ex-Inspector, kicked out of the Division but brought back to investigate a bank raid. 
 
Post Mortem Shock concerns a man who appears to have been shot dead by an intruder – but the post mortem reveals he died of a heart attack. Who, or what, really killed him? In Sins of Commission, made redundant after 19 years’ faithful service with a firm?of?diamond merchants, Mr Fletcher is willing to take on almost any job – as long as it’s legal. It’s double or quits when £15,000 goes missing from a safe in Double Entry, and in Adequate Reasons, when a child is abducted, there’s a complex interplay between police, parents and kidnapper. Finally, in Moveable Assets, a crafty crook comes up with an ingenious scheme to rob a supposedly burglar-proof bank – but will it work, and will he get away with it? 
 
With ensemble casts including John Rowe, Diana Olsson, Roger Delgado, Robert Lang, Frederick Treves, Jill Bennett and Patricia Gallimore, these clever, artfully plotted dramas are full of twists, turns and surprises. 
 
With warm thanks to Keith Wickham and the Radio Circle 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by RD Wingfield 
 
Contents 
 
Credit Risk 
Cleft Stick 
The Last Escape 
The Alternative Plan 
A Second-Class Risk 
A Test to Destruction 
Our West Ladyton Branch 
Letter of the Law 
Cover Up 
Post Mortem Shock 
Sins of Commission 
Double Entry 
Adequate Reasons 
Moveable Assets 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

R.D Wingfield: Post-Mortem Shock and other thrillers

14 Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Rex Rienits

A selection of episodes of the iconic radio show about the Australian flying doctor service 
 Listen now to this delight from the archives. A timeless and exciting drama series giving a fictional insight into the work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. Adapted from the TV series, The Flying Doctor was a huge radio success in the 1950s and 60s, influencing the image of Australian in the minds of the British public and becoming a cultural icon.Pilot Tommy O’Donnell, played by the British-Australian actor Bill Kerr best known for his regular appearances in Hancock’s Half Hour and star of the 1955 war movie, Dam Busters, flies Doctor Chris Rogers in and out of the fictitious Wollumboola base. The action follows him and his 'doctor' colleague bringing reprobates to justice in the outback. In these six sensational episodes the duo must rush to a myriad of calamities and help with problems big and small. In The City Orchard, an opal miner is in trouble and time is running out. The team must support a father in SOS for Baldy, who’s son is gravely injured and rescue hunters lost in the Outback in Wally’s Last Shot. In The Dook Comes Through, a pub fight leaves a man unconscious and in need of assistance. Finally, in The Stick Up there are deadly consequences when an armed robbery leaves several men wounded, will Tommy and the Doc be able to get there in time?This is a gem from the archive and not to be missed. A nostalgic listen that celebrates a long-gone era of adventure and action the Australian Outback. If you’re a fan of vintage treasures such as The Harry Worth Collection, Ballylenon or A Life of Bliss, then you will love this collection from The Flying Doctor.Cast and creditsWritten by Rex RienitsProduced by Vernon HarrisThe ComebackDr Chris Rogers - James McKechnie 
Tommy O'Donnell - Bill Kerr 
Mary West - Rosemary Miller 
Sally MacAndrew - Bettina Dickson 
Ulrich Stanislaus - Paul Martin 
Oiaf Stanislaus - Gerik Schjelderup 
Sergeant Fianner - Ken Wayne 
Tom Gosper - David Nettheim 
Joe Gregson - Robert Reardon 
Mrs Gregson - Lesley JacksonFirst Broadcast BBC Light Programme 10th March 1959The City OrchidDr Chris Rogers - James McKechnie 
Tommy O'Donnell - Bill Kerr 
Jane Hudson - June BrunellAnna Granger - Rosemary Miller 
Sally MacAndrew - Bettina DicksonJohn Granger - Leon Peer 
First Broadcast BBC Light Programme 17th March 1959SOS for BaldyDr Chris Rogers - James McKechnie 
Tommy O'Donnell - Bill Kerr 
Jane Hudson - June BrunellSally MacAndrew - Bettina DicksonFrank Watson - Kenneth WarrenAndy Watson - Paddy TurnerBaldy Murdoch - Ed DevereauxPaddy - Harry TowbSteve - John StacyMrs Blackburn - Paula Green 
First Broadcast BBC Light Programme 24th March 1959Wally’s Last ShotDr Chris Rogers - James McKechnie 
Tommy O'Donnell - Bill Kerr 
Jane Hudson - June BrunellSally MacAndrew - Bettina DicksonWally Cooper - John WarwickJoey - Leila BlakeMrs Allison - Lesley JacksonFirst Broadcast BBC Light Programme 24th March 1959The Stick upDr Chris Rogers - James McKechnie 
Tommy O'Donnell - Bill Kerr 
Jane Hudson - June BrunellSally MacAndrew - Bettina DicksonSam - Kenneth J WarrenLarry - Ian MaitlandPete - David RyderCharlie Brown - Robert ReardonSergeant Flannery - J Mark RobertsGosper - David NettheimClarrie Toweens - Leon PeersConstable Miller - Allen PatonFirst Broadcast BBC Light Programme 7th April 1959The Dook Comes Through Dr Chris Rogers - James McKechnie 
Tommy O'Donnell - Bill Kerr 
Jane Hudson - June BrunellSally MacAndrew - Bettina DicksonThe Dook - Geoffrey LewisJim Morgan - Russell NapierConstable Miller - Allen PatonFirst Broadcast BBC Light Programme 14th April 1959©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Flying Doctor - Selected Episodes

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama Series

Euripides

A selection of Euripides’ renowned Greek tragedies, adapted for BBC Radio 
 
Acclaimed by Aristotle as ‘the most tragic of the poets’, Euripides was one of the pre-eminent playwrights of 5th century Athens. Included here are seven of his masterpieces: powerful, shocking tales of passion, suffering and revenge that still resonate with us today. Among the star casts are Maxine Peake, Richard Dormer, Roger Allam, Olympia Dukakis, Christine Bottomley, Timothy West, Siân Phillips, Emma Fielding and Anton Lesser. 
 
The Women of Troy – Troy has fallen. The great city is destroyed, its men slaughtered and its women held captive: among them, Hecuba and her daughters... In Linda Marshall Griffith’s contemporary reimagining of Euripides’ compelling anti-war play, journalist Sappho leads a chorus of women as they record and broadcast their testimonies on social media for the world to witness. 
 
Iph... – Colin Teevan’s forceful, vigorous version of Iphigeneia at Aulis sees the Greek leader Agamemnon facing a horrifying choice. With the Greek fleet becalmed at Aulis, should he sacrifice Iphigeneia to the gods for a fair wind to Troy, or save his beloved daughter at the cost of his honour? 
 
Alcestis – When the gods insist that King Admetos must die, his devoted wife Alcestis offers herself in his place and goes to the grave in his stead. Can the hero Heracles rescue her from Death’s clutches? 
 
Hecuba – Having watched the rape and pillage of Troy, the widowed, enslaved Trojan queen learns that her daughter is to be sacrificed to the spirit of Achilles, and her youngest son has been murdered by the man who was meant to protect him. Grief-stricken, she vows to take vengeance… An elegant, fierce rendering by Timberlake Wertenbaker of Euripides’ controversial classic. 
 
Hippolytus – Angered that Theseus’ illegitimate son refuses to worship her, the goddess Aphrodite swears revenge. Using her divine power, she causes Theseus’ wife Phaedra to fall desperately in love with Hippolytus – and condemns them both to death… 
 
The ‘Ion’ of Euripides – Young temple slave Ion has grown up believing himself an orphan. When he meets Queen Kreousa, who was raped by Apollo and forced to give up the resulting child, he discovers his true parentage – but is he destined to die at the hands of his mother? 
 
The Medea of Euripides – Abandoned by her faithless husband, Jason, the vengeful sorceress Medea determines to punish him. Driven by ruthless, cold-blooded rage, she plots to kill his new bride – and murder her own children... 
 
NB: Contains strong language 
 
The Women of Troy 
 
Iph... 
 
Alcestis 
 
Hecuba 
 
Hippolytus 
 
The ‘Ion’ of Euripides 
 
The Medea of Euripides 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Euripides’ Greek Tragedies: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

The Women of Troy, Medea, Alcestis and more

Linda Marshall Griffiths

When the world drowns and there is no land left to stand on — where do you go? 
 
Welcome to No Place But the Water, a haunting, full-cast drama set in a future flooded world. It begins at a hotel on the edge of the water, and with a messy family of dreamers in the middle of nowhere: their last refuge in a world submerged. But the hotel’s walls watch, its mirrors remember — and the water keeps rising. 
 
Through the eyes of three children — Birdie, Jessie and Cal — the series draws you into a reality where ‘home’ might not be dry land, but the constant shimmer of rising tides. Food is dwindling, the water is relentless, and Birdie is certain they’re being watched. Then: there’s the angel. 
As the story unfolds across three spiralling seasons, what lurks beyond safety is darker and more mesmerising than any storm. Secrets will surface. Trust will crack. And every ripple might be the last chance. 
 
This is survival, reimagined — under water, through whispers, in shadows. With atmospheric sound design and an ensemble cast guiding you through a world that’s lost its shape, No Place But the Water drags you into a drenched, destabilized reality. 
 
When there is no place but the water — hold your breath. 
 
'Drawing on the magic-realism of Gabriel García Márquez and the horror of Stephen King; the hotel itself has a strange hold on the occupants, extolling visions from the past like a climate-conscious version of The Shining’s Overlook. An intelligent drama with heart.' Radio Times 
 
Cast and credits 
Birdie – Poppy O’Brien 
Jessie – Sade Malone 
Cal – Cel Spellman 
Maurice – Pearce Quigley 
Gil – Rupert Hill 
Laurie/Selene – Jenny Platt 
The Angel - Vinette Robinson/Remmie Milner 
Gabe – Gabriella Tuicicia 
Leo - Nico Mirallegro/Hamish Rush 
Alex – William Ash 
 
Written by Linda Marshall Griffiths 
Directed by Nadia Molinari 
Sound Design by Steve Brooke & Sharon Hughes 
Programme Consultants: Dr James M Lea, Dr Ian Dawson, Dr. Andrew F. Field. 
A BBC Audio Drama North Production 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 August 2020 – 25 August 2022 
 
©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

No Place But the Water: The Complete Series 1-3

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama

Adrian Penketh

A gripping full-cast dramatisation of Japan’s 2011 nuclear emergency, narrated by Romola Garai 
 
When a tsunami hit Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011, surging past defences and flood reactors, it triggered the worst nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. This immersive dramatisation tells the extraordinary story of those catastrophic events. 
 
As alarm bells ring, explosions rock the power plant, politicians try to seize control and workers go to extraordinary lengths to avert catastrophe. The young are evacuated and a ‘suicide squad’ of older workers is sent inside… Pressure levels are rising and there is a chance of a second deadly explosion. Public panic reaches terrifying heights and battles rage inside and outside the nuclear plant. In the years after the event, workers and energy company executives alike look back on their role and the chilling legacy of the events that unfolded during those heart-stopping hours, days and weeks. 
 
This tense drama, rich with high production values and a stellar cast, is narrated by Romola Garai (Emma, The Hour, The Crimson Petal and the White), and stars Togo Igawa (Johnny English Reborn, Memoirs of a Geisha), Ami Okumura Jones (My Neighbour Totoro, Midsommer Murders) and Matt McCooey (Agatha Raisin). 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Adrian Penketh 
Produced by Toby Swift and Sasha Yevtushenko 
Sound designed by Peter Ringrose 
Commissioned by Simon Pitts 
Artwork by Yuko Shimizu 
A BBC World Service Production 
 
Suto - Togo Igawa 
Akiko - Ami Okumura Jones 
Yoshida - Eiji Mihara 
Saito/Hosono - Sadao Ueda 
Ito/Kojima - Matt McCooey 
Shimada/Matsui/Mayor - Akira Koieyama 
Narrator - Romola Garai 
Reporter/Prime minister - Kevin Shen 
Reporter/Keiko - Naoko Mori 
Worker/Kaneko/Aide - Nino Furuhata 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31st May - 12th July 2023 
 
©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Fukushima

Maxim Gorky

Full-cast productions of five plays by the celebrated Russian author, plus a reading of one of his most famous short stories 
 
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, known under his pseudonym Maxim Gorky, was one of Russia's greatest Soviet writers and the founder of the ‘socialist realism’ literary movement. Nominated for the Nobel Prize five times, his best-known works include the short story ‘Twenty-Six Men and a Girl’ and his seminal play The Lower Depths. Both are included in this collection, as well as four more acclaimed dramas. 
 
The Lower Depths – The arrival of the vagrant Luka has unexpected consequences for the down and out denizens of a Moscow dosshouse... First performed in 1902, Gorky’s pioneering play was the first to introduce Russian audiences to characters who were on the fringes of society, and was an instant success. This 1997 production, adapted by Alan Plater, stars Glyn Houston, with John Woodvine, Malcolm Storry, Laurence Allan and Joe Caffrey. 
 
Summerfolk – Spending the summer at their forest dachas, a group of middle-class holidaymakers embark on affairs, intrigues and amateur dramatics, but cannot escape the hollowness of their lives. Written as a response to Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Gorky’s 1904 play depicts the Russian bourgeoisie on the brink of tremendous social change. Initially performed at the National Theatre, this adaptation stars Christine Pritchard, Simon Armstrong, Kelly Hunter and Ruth Jones. 
 
Enemies – Summer 1905, and as Russia stands on the edge of revolution, landowner and textile factory owner Zakhar Bardin and his intransigent managing director are at odds over the sacking of a foreman. The situation quickly spins out of control – with tragic consequences… Allan McClelland and Timothy Bateson star in this powerful dramatisation of Gorky’s 1906 play, which was censored by both Russia’s Tsarist regime and by Stalin. 
 
Vassa Zhelyeznova – Iron-willed Vassa has always done whatever it takes to build up the family business. Now, as her husband lies dying, she is engaged in a life-and-death struggle over its future. This 1986 radio production stars Billie Whitelaw, who won a Sony Radio Award for Best Actress for her performance as Vassa. 
 
The Old Man – Set in provincial Russia at the turn of the century, Maxim Gorky’s philosophical drama centres around a successful building contractor whose life is shattered by the intrusion of an old man he knew in the past. This classic radio production from 1974 stars Freddie Jones, Maxine Audley and Alan Webb. 
 
Twenty-Six Men and a Girl – Working day and night making pretzels in an airless basement, a group of bakers have only one solace: Tanya, the young seamstress who visits every day to enjoy their wares. But then the soldier arrives, determined to seduce her… Read by Joe Melia. 
 
First published 1899 (‘Twenty-Six Men and a Girl’), 1902 (The Lower Depths), 1902 (Summerfolk), 1906 (Enemies), 1910, revised 1935 (Vassa Zhelyeznova), 1915, revised 1922 and 1924 (The Old Man). 
All rights reserved 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Maxim Gorky: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Five Full-Cast Productions

Ariana Reines

Fury is very lustful 
A body concealing its heart’s desire 
 
Has a certain texture 
A tang or an edge if you will 
 
That the openhearted cannot match 
& when exactly does the deceitful 
 
Heart open? At climax. 
—from ‘The Hanged Man’ 
 
The force that drives The Rose is volcanic desire – and its self-imposed restriction. Digging deep into the ironies and raptures of true ‘Romance’, award-winning poet Ariana Reines measures the real thing against the love (or should we say sex) that poetry has always depended on. She plunges into feminine archetypes to explore masculine pain: ‘I have always liked helpless / & terrible men because they break my mind.’ In these poems, inherited ideologies of gender performance are replaced with bold vulnerability: paradoxes of power and surrender transmute the speaker’s understanding of suffering, desire, and the soul. 
 
The voice in The Rose is wry and bare, approaching the connection between erotic love and spirituality with humour. Investigating war, maternity, violent sensuality, and the role of language in magical acts, Reines is unafraid to uncover the ‘secret / & terrible shovelings / Of love,’ and the result is a bloody and pulsing, sexy and unabashed bloom.

The Rose

Emlyn Williams

A superb selection of Emlyn Williams’ finest playsEmlyn Williams was one of the brightest stars of Welsh stage and screen. An acclaimed playwright, actor and director, he made over 40 film and TV appearances, re-invented the one-man show with his virtuoso portrayals of Charles Dickens and Dylan Thomas, and wrote numerous plays and screenplays. Featured here are seven of his most popular works, ranging from his classic semi-autobiographical tale The Corn is Green to a psychological thriller, a ghost story and a drama about Tolstoy.The Corn is Green – It is 1895 in a remote mining village in Wales, a place where children are routinely sent down the pit once they turn 12. But iron-willed English teacher Miss Moffat is determined that her prize pupil, Morgan Evans, should realise his potential, and sets out to bully and inspire him to follow the path of learning. Starring Anna Massey, George Winter and Imelda Staunton.The Light of Heart – Once an actor of genius, Maddoc Thomas is now reduced to playing Father Christmas in a London department store. But his daughter Catrin is determined to help him make a comeback. William Squire stars as Maddoc, with Sharon Morgan as Catrin.The Power of Dawn – An old Russian woman, Katya, recalls the winter night in 1910 when she talked to the great writer Leo Tolstoy as he lay dying. Holed up in a small stationmaster’s hut, he tells the young peasant girl of his passions and his past… Starring Michael Redgrave as Tolstoy, with Felicity Hayes-McCoy as the young Katya and Gwen Ffrancon-Davies as Katya aged 82.The Wind of Heaven – 1856, and in the Welsh mountain village of Blestin, rumours abound of a teenage boy who may be the new Messiah. Drawn to the miracle child for very different reasons, Crimean War widow Dilys Parry and circus owner Ambrose Ellis both find new hope as the village rediscovers its lost faith. Siân Phillips and Freddie Jones star in this moving and absorbing play.Night Must Fall – When the elderly, demanding Mrs Bramson takes on a new odd-job man, her niece Olivia becomes infatuated with him – while also becoming convinced that the charming Dan is responsible for a recent murder. Richard Harrington, Anne Jameson and Melanie Walters star in this chilling study of a household under a psychopath's spell.Trespass – Grief-stricken after her husband’s death, former countess Christine summons a medium to her Welsh castle home to bring him back. The consequences spark a night of terror… Starring Glyn Owen, Patricia Mort and Ray Smith.Cuckoo – In 1935, in a small, shabby Thames bungalow, a Welsh emigré family's life revolves around Cuckoo, a middle-aged woman with the mind of an eight-year-old. But when Cuckoo’s devoted mother dies, what will become of them all? Judy Cornwell stars as Cuckoo in this poignant, captivating drama.Text copyright © Emlyn Williams 1935 (Night Must Fall), 1938 (The Corn is Green), 1940 (The Light of Heart), 1945 (The Wind of Heaven), 1947 (Trespass), 1975 (The Power of Dawn), 1986 (Cuckoo)Production creditsWritten by Emlyn WilliamsContentsThe Corn Is Green The Light of HeartThe Power of DawnThe Wind of HeavenNight Must FallTrespassCuckoo© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Emlyn Williams: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Seven Full Cast Productions including The Corn Is Green

Rudyard Kipling

Dramatisations of some of Kipling’s finest fiction for adults, including ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ and The Light That Failed 
 
Well-known for his poems and stories set in India during British Imperial rule, Rudyard Kipling was the first English author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was also offered a knighthood and the Poet Laureateship, but turned down both. His books remain immensely popular today, and this collection showcases a selection of his best adult works. 
 
Set deep in the Hindu Kush mountains, the chilling cautionary tale ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ tells the story of two conmen with an insane and dangerous plan to conquer a remote region of Afghanistan. Blake Ritson, Richard Ridings and Samuel James star in this thrilling drama about friendship and the folly and glory of imperial ambition. 
 
First broadcast in 1994 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rudyard Kipling, Kipling in Love comprises eight half-hour dramas based on his short stories – ‘His Wedded Wife’, ‘Lispeth’, ‘Venus Annodomini’, ‘The Courting of Dinah Shadd’, ‘In the Pride of His Youth’, ‘Love O’Women’, ‘Beyond the Pale’ and ‘On Greenhow Hill’. Among the star casts are Jack Klaff, Mamta Kaash, Alex Jennings, Steve Hodson, Frances Jeater, Terry John, Samuel West, Meera Syal, Michael Troughton and Nina Wadia. 
 
Adapted from Kipling’s debut novel, The Light That Failed revolves around war illustrator Dick Heldar, his struggles to become a successful artist and his unrequited love for his childhood sweetheart, Maisie. It stars Steve Hodson, Stuart Organ and Natasha Pyne. Wrapping up this collection is ‘They’, a haunting supernatural tale of a motorist’s mysterious encounters with a group of elusive children. Narrated by Tony Britton, this 1982 World Service production stars Annette Crosbie and Douglas Blackwell. 
 
First published 1888 (‘The Man Who Would Be King’, ‘His Wedded Wife’, ‘Lispeth’, ‘Venus Annodomini’, ‘In the Pride of His Youth’, ‘Beyond the Pale’), 1891 (‘The Courting of Dinah Shadd’, ‘On Greenhow Hill’, The Light That Failed), 1893 (‘Love-o’-Women’), 1904 (‘They’) 
 
NB: Some of these dramas contain language and attitudes that reflect the age in which they are set. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Rudyard Kipling 
<ul><li>The Man Who Would Be King</li><li>Kipling in Love</li><li>His Wedded Wife</li><li>Lispeth</li><li>Venus Annodomini</li><li>The Courting of Dinah Shadd</li><li>In the Pride of His Youth</li><li>Love O’Women</li><li>Beyond the Pale</li><li>On Greenhow Hill</li><li>The Light That Failed</li><li>They</li></ul> 
 
Copyright © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Selected works of Rudyard Kipling

11 Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Michael Ondaatje

With A Year of Last Things, acclaimed novelist Michael Ondaatje returns to poetry, looking back on a life of displacement and discovery 
 
'My life always stops for a new book by him' JHUMPA LAHIRI 
 
'A generous, moving book' GUARDIAN 
 
Born in Sri Lanka during the Second World War, Ondaatje was sent as a child to school in London, and later moved to Canada. While he has lived there since, these poems reflect the life of a writer, traveller and watcher of the world &ndash; describing himself as a 'mongrel', someone born out of diverse cultures. 
 
Here, rediscovering the influence of every border crossed, he moves back and forth in time, from a childhood in Sri Lanka to Molière&rsquo;s chair during his last stage performance, from icons in Bulgarian churches to the Californian coast and loved Canadian rivers, merging memory with the present, looking back on a life of displacement and discovery, love and loss. As he writes in the opening poem: 
 
Reading the lines he loves 
he slips them into a pocket, 
wishes to die with his clothes 
full of torn-free stanzas 
and the telephone numbers 
of his children in far cities 
 
Poetry &ndash; where language is made to work hardest and burns with a gem-like flame - is what Ondaatje has returned to in this intimate history.

A Year of Last Things

From independence movements in Sri Lanka to train stations in contemporary Ontario, an intimate and witty selection of Michael Ondaatje’s most widely loved poems taken across fifty years 
 
'My life always stops for a new book by Michael Ondaatje' JHUMPA LAHIRI 
 
Through poems that grow out of his profound understanding of the subtle complexities of life and relationships, of how we lose and find ourselves, Michael Ondaatje navigates his own past, beginning with memories of his childhood in Sri Lanka and his eccentric family, to his life in rural southern Ontario with its beloved rivers, celebrations of treasured friends, the close ties of children. 
 
Ondaatje is one of the great poets of love, and here we follow him through the exhilarations of youth into that ‘storm of music’, the passionate, sensuous swerves of longing and desire, until we reach the calm of that moment when ‘only a cloud’s reflection holding you up / You swim into late afternoon’. 
 
The Distance of a Shout offers us a glimpse into the interwoven life and art of one of our most cherished poets and novelists – a reminder itself of the power of great poetry to shine a light on living. 
 
'Each new book of Michael Ondaatje’s is a literary event, but that is particularly true for his books of poetry' TERRANCE HAYES

The Distance of a Shout: Selected Poems

Edward St Aubyn

Shakespeare’s King Lear is reimagined in Edward St Aubyn's gripping story of a media mogul who has lost control. 
 
Henry Dunbar, the once all-powerful head of a global media corporation, is not having a good day. In his dotage he handed over care of the corporation to his two eldest daughters, Abby and Megan. But relations quickly soured, leaving him to doubt the wisdom of past decisions. 
 
Now imprisoned in a care home in the Lake District with only a demented alcoholic comedian as company, Dunbar starts planning his escape. As he flees into the hills, his family is hot on his heels. Who will find him first, his beloved youngest daughter, Florence, or the tigresses Abby and Megan, so keen to divest him of his estate? 
 
‘Malevolently enjoyable… A fable of fatherly neglect and daughterly cruelty’ Financial Times 
 
‘Deeply affecting…and funny’ Observer 
 
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: Time travel. Zombies. Power-hungry media moguls. This is Shakespeare as you’ve never seen him before: nine iconic plays transformed by the best novelists of our time, with covers by Michael Craig-Martin.

Dunbar

King Lear, Retold

Margaret Atwood

Shakespeare’s The Tempest gets the Margaret Atwood treatment in this ingenious, funny, tear-jerking story about a theatre director intent on revenge. 
 
Felix is at the top of his game as Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. His productions have amazed and confounded. Now he’s staging a Tempest like no other. It will boost his reputation. It will heal emotional wounds. Or that was the plan. Instead, after an act of unforeseen treachery, Felix is living in exile in a backwoods hovel, haunted by memories of his beloved lost daughter, Miranda. Also brewing revenge. 
 
After twelve years, revenge finally arrives in the shape of a theatre course at a nearby prison. Here, Felix and his inmate actors will put on his Tempest and snare the traitors who destroyed him. It’s magic! But will it remake Felix as his enemies fall? 
 
'Surpassingly brilliant' The Times 
 
‘Riotous, insanely readable and just the best fun...' Observer 
 
**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2017** 
 
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: Time travel. Zombies. Power-hungry media moguls. This is Shakespeare as you’ve never seen him before. Nine iconic stories transformed by the best novelists of our time, celebrating the Bard’s lasting legacy.

Hag-Seed

The Tempest, Retold

Tracy Chevalier

Shakespeare's Othello is ingeniously transplanted into a high school setting in this taut story about teenage friendship and racial tension. 
 
Arriving at his fourth school in six years, diplomat’s son Osei knows he needs an ally. Luckily he hits it off with Dee, the most popular girl in school. But one student can’t stand to witness this budding relationship: Ian decides to destroy the friendship between the black boy and the golden girl. By the end of the day, the school and its key players – teachers and pupils alike – will never be the same again. 
 
The tragedy of Othello is transposed to a 1970s suburban Washington schoolyard in this powerful drama of alienation, adolescence and friends torn apart. 
 
‘A compact and intense read full of twists, turns and intrigue’ Daily Express 
 
'New Boy, with its angsty teenagers, racial frictions and a magnificently fleshed out antagonist, is a tense and tight read... A heady rollercoaster of emotions' Observer 
 
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: Time travel. Zombies. Power-hungry media moguls. This is Shakespeare as you’ve never seen him before: nine iconic plays transformed by the best novelists of our time, with covers by Michael Craig-Martin.

New Boy

Othello, Retold

Jeanette Winterson

Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale is revolutionised by the iconic Jeanette Winterson in her page-turning, heart-breaking story of a baby girl banished from home. 
 
A baby girl is abandoned, banished from London to the storm-ravaged American city of New Bohemia. Her father has been driven mad by jealousy, her mother to exile by grief. Seventeen years later, Perdita doesn't know a lot about who she is or where she's come from – but she's about to find out. 
 
Jeanette Winterson’s cover version of The Winter’s Tale vibrates with echoes of Shakespeare's original and tells a story of hearts broken and hearts healed, a story of revenge and forgiveness, a story that shows that whatever is lost shall be found. 
 
‘A shining delight of a novel’ 
New York Times 
 
'Clever and beautiful...it soars' 
Financial Times 
 
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: Time travel. Zombies. Power-hungry media moguls. This is Shakespeare as you’ve never seen him before: nine iconic plays transformed by the best novelists of our time, with covers by Michael Craig-Martin.

The Gap of Time

The Winter's Tale, Retold

The Winter’s Tale Retold (Hogarth Shakespeare)

Mark Haddon

Shakespeare’s Pericles is transformed by Mark Haddon into a vivid, breathtaking adventure that zooms between antiquity and the present day. 
 
A motherless girl grows up in isolated luxury, hidden from the world by her wealthy father. She believes their life together is normal – but as time passes, she has a growing sense that something between them is very wrong. 
 
She cannot escape, so she seeks solace in her books. Her favourite tales are those that conjure ancient worlds – of angry gods and heroic mortals, one of whom will some day come to her rescue. 
 
Soon, she will forget where the page ends and her mind begins. 
 
‘Just downright brilliant... a transcendent, transporting experience’ Observer 
 
‘A full-throttle blast of storytelling mastery’ Max Porter 
 
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: Time travel. Zombies. Power-hungry media moguls. This is Shakespeare as you’ve never seen him before: nine iconic plays transformed by the best novelists of our time, with covers by Michael Craig-Martin.

The Porpoise

Jessica Urlichs

Sunday Times bestselling author and Instagram sensation Jessica Urlichs returns with a new collection of beautifully observed poems about the ever-evolving journey of motherhood - the hard, the magic, and the fleeting. 
 
A mother is born the moment her children are, growing and blossoming alongside them. They Bloom Because of You is a celebration of that profound journey - a testament to the significance of mothering, and the quiet, extraordinary beauty of watching our children unfurl into who they are meant to be.Through words that have comforted millions, Jess Urlichs has become that gentle, unwavering friend - the voice that walks beside mothers through shimmering highs and the darkest, sleepless nights. In this new and deeply personal collection, her poetry resonates with fresh meaning as she reflects on the ever-changing joys and challenges of raising her growing family.Whether Jess’s words have already touched your heart or you are discovering them for the very first time, this collection will leave you feeling held, seen, and deeply moved - with an ever-deepening love for your children and the journey of motherhood itself.

They Bloom Because of You

on the infinite love, growth and magic of motherhood

Anne Tyler

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is hilariously reimagined by one of our greatest living novelists, in this very funny, heartbreaking story of one woman, two men and unconventional happy endings. 
 
Kate Battista is stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and infuriating younger sister Bunny? Dr Battista has other problems. His brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. And without Pyotr, his new scientific breakthrough will fall through... 
 
When Dr Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he's relying - as usual - on Kate to help him. Will Kate be able to resist the two men's touchingly ludicrous campaign to win her round? 
 
Anne Tyler's brilliant retelling of The Taming of the Shrew asks whether a thoroughly modern woman like Kate would ever sacrifice herself for a man. The answer is as surprising as Kate herself. 
 
'A thoroughly modern love story' Guardian, Book of the Year 
 
‘The worst wedding in history...vintage Anne Tyler’ The Times 
 
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: Time travel. Zombies. Power-hungry media moguls. This is Shakespeare as you’ve never seen him before: nine iconic plays transformed by the best novelists of our time, with covers by Michael Craig-Martin.

Vinegar Girl

The Taming of the Shrew, Retold

Robert Barr

A double serving of thrilling vintage spy drama featuring the tenacious Captain Jim Nicholson 
 
"These productions are pure ‘Boys Own'-style entertainment...I found them to be thoroughly engrossing, with the actors conveying earnestness throughout." - Entertainment Focus 
 
A treat from the archive: two classic dramas from the writer of Z-Cars, Robert Barr, set during the height of the Cold War. 
 
The Dark Island is a thrilling story of espionage set among the remote, mist-veiled islands of the Outer Hebrides. Two Intelligence Officers discover an escape route for defectors from Britain. The route, ending behind the Iron Curtain, involves the use of Russian trawlers plying outside territorial waters. Edward de Souza (Coronation Street, Doctor Who) stars as Jim Nicholson in this full-cast drama packed with unexpected twists and turns that will keep you gripped until the very end. 
 
In Return to the Islands, the indefatigable Captain Jim Nicholson heads back to the atmospheric islands of the north when a body is discovered near a secret training base. Things take a sinister turn when an elite trainee is taken hostage. An enemy agent is captured and interrogated but can Nicholson and his team solve the mystery in time? When tragedy strikes, the team are pushed to their limit and embark on a deadly endgame… 
 
Former BBC war correspondent Robert Barr is best remembered writing for BBC TV’s police dramas Z-Cars and Softly Softly. He also wrote the long-running radio series Detective. The Dark Island was originally made for TV in 1962 as well as being published as a novel in 1972. This is a gem from the archive, perfect for fans of espionage thrillers and vintage drama performed by a great cast. 
 
Please note: due to the age of these vintage recordings, the sound quality may vary. 
 
Cast and credits 
 
The Dark Island 
Written by Robert Barr 
Produced by Peter Titheridge 
Jim Nicholson - Edward De Souza 
Bill Grant - Geoffrey Frederick 
Ian McLeod - Bryden Murdoch 
Lieutenant Ritchie - Roy Spencer 
Major Williams - Peter Hawkins 
Brigadier - Michael Kilgarriff 
Mary Somers - Rosemary Miller 
Colonel Jamieson/Hotel Manager - Alaric Cotter 
Alec Thompson - John Graham 
Major Williams - Peter Hawkins 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19th September - 24th October 1969 
 
Return to the Islands 
Written by Robert Barr 
Produced by Peter Titheridge 
Jim Nicholson - Edward de Souza 
Ian McLeod - Bryden Murdoch 
Major Miller - John Graham 
Paul O'Donnell - Geoffrey Frederick 
Sergeant Finney - Clive Merrison 
Alan Shaw/Landlord - Andrew Neil 
Katy Evans - Gretta Gouriet 
Alec Rogers - Ian Dewar 
Doctor - Gerald Cross 
Prisoner - David Gooderson 
Miss Dalgliesh - Eva Stuart 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10th October - 14th November 1971 
 
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Captain Jim Nicholson: The Dark Island & Return to the Islands

Two Full-Cast Classic BBC Radio Spy Dramas

Patrick Barlow

Four satirical spoof shows from the multi-award-winning Patrick Barlow 
 
The National Theatre of Brent is a two-man company founded in 1980 and led by Patrick Barlow as his comic alter ego, Artistic Director and Chief Executive Desmond Olivier Dingle. Helping him to realise his enormously ambitious artistic visions is his helpful but hapless assistant, a role that has been performed by a succession of actors including Jim Broadbent (as Wallace) and John Ramm (as Raymond Box) who co-wrote with Martin Duncan (who also directed). Collected together for the first time, here are two of the comic troupe’s epic productions, plus a bonus series from Desmond’s ‘Royal Dingle Company’ and a special bonus historical parody starring Dawn French. 
 
All the World’s a Globe – The chaotic and comedic story of life on Earth is presented with a bang by Desmond and his helpful sidekick Wallace (Jim Broadbent), aided by announcer Peter Barker and guest stars Juliet Stevenson and Sir Ben Kingsley. Winner of the Sony Award for Best Comedy, this majestic eight-part series leads us through the definitive history of mankind – from lemur to cosmonaut. 
 
The Greatest Story Ever Told – Celebrated thespian Desmond Olivier Dingle presents his hilarious and surprisingly moving interpretation of Christ's Passion. With Desmond as Jesus, and Wallace as the Devil, disciples and everybody else. 
 
Desmond Olivier Dingle’s Compleat Life and Works of William Shakespeare – 'The Royal Dingle Company' embarks on a voyage around the Bard, with the help of special guests Richard E Grant, Juliet Stevenson, Dame Harriet Walter, Brian Cox CBE, Louise Lombard, John Barrowman and Lionel Blair. Over six sparkling episodes, Desmond and his troupe tackle Shakespeare’s comedies, verse and tragedies; wreak havoc in Stratford-upon-Avon; search for Shakespeare’s true identity and re-enact great Shakespearean moments from cinematic history. 
 
Joan of Arc, and How She Finally Became a Saint – Joan is a country girl more inclined to stay with her herd of cows than venture forth and rescue France. But she has no choice but to follow her destiny, and when guided by her guardian angels, St Catherine and St Margaret, she stands up to fight for what she knows is right. Dawn French stars as the Maid of Orléans, with a full cast including Jim Broadbent, Anne Reid, Maggie Steed, John Ramm, Mark Wooton, Nell Barlow, Cheryl Campbell, Samuel Barnet, Kevin Eldon and Andrew Dunn. It ends in a literal blaze of glory. 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Desmond Olivier Dingle and The National Theatre of Brent

Four BBC Radio Productions

Nick Makoha

In The New Carthaginians, time – and with it the world – is out of joint. A hijacked plane lands at Entebbe International Airport in 1976, triggering the crisis that leads to Uganda becoming a pariah state and later to the young Makoha’s escape from the country. 
 
Concerned throughout with flight and falling, the sample and the loop, The New Carthaginians is a poetry collection of staggering originality: a work by an author at the height of his powers, in which the familiar Western canons of art, history and philosophy are prised apart and reassembled in a new configuration. Drawing on Basquiat’s technique of the ‘exploded’ collage, Makoha’s triumvirate of characters – the Poet, a Black Icarus and a resurrected Jean-Michel Basquiat – embark on a heroes’ odyssey, gathering the symbols of a new mythos, through which the othering of Black life might be undone and the stage set for some fresh emergence, some transfigured understanding of myth and life. ‘Hold that note,’ writes the poet. ‘In this place you are no longer the chorus . . . In any future, remember you are a New Carthaginian.’

The New Carthaginians

Martin Boyd

The classic tale of an Australian girl who marries into the English aristocracy at a time of great change to the traditional orderNovember 1910, and seventeen-year-old Lucinda is looking forward to being making her debut in Melbourne society. Beautiful and wealthy, she is set to make a brilliant match – and when she meets dashing army officer Hugo Brayford, the younger brother of an English viscount, it seems she has succeeded in landing her prize. Bowled over by his charm and aristocratic lineage, impressionable Lucinda quickly forgets her first love, Tony Duff, and accepts Hugo’s proposal of marriage.Leaving Australia, she prepares to start a new life in England – but all is not as she had anticipated. Hugo is frequently away, runs up debts that Lucinda must settle, and even the birth of his son, Stephen, cannot keep him by his wife’s side. And when he is injured fighting in the Great War, Lucinda finds herself faced with a terrible dilemma. Torn between society’s expectations and her heart’s desires, can she find the happiness she craves?Inspired by his own upper-class ancestors and his experiences during World War I, Martin Boyd’s seminal tale of family, class, marriage and money spans 30 years, from the last days of the Edwardian era to the Second World War. At once a romance and a chronicle of a world in flux, it charts one woman’s life and loves against the backdrop of societal transformation. Juliet Aubrey stars in this captivating adaptation, with a stellar cast including Eleanor Bron, James Laurenson, Penelope Wilton and Paul Rhys.Production creditsWritten by Martin BoydDramatised by Elspeth SandsDirected by Janet WhitakerCastLucinda – Juliet AubreyHugo – Jonathan FirthJulie – Angela PleasenceFred – James LaurensenLydia – Abigail McKernLady Wendale – Eleanor BronMarian – Penelope WiltonTony Duff – Matt DayPaul Brayford – Paul RhysSusannah Brayford – Pamela WiseArthur – Michael CochranePat Lanfranc – Mark StrakerWatteau – Miranda BarberCanon Chapman – David TimsonBill Vane – Nicholas BoultonMrs Greene-James – Joanna McCallumMrs. Galway – Ndidi Del FattiDriver – Jason ChanLord Fitzauncell – Stephen HoganStephen – Robert HastieMuriel – Helen LongworthHeather – Alex TregearBill as a child/Stephen as a child – Pax BaldwinCommanding Officer – Hugh DicksonFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-16 January 2005© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Lucinda Brayford

Robert Browning

BBC Radio dramatisations and readings of Browning’s most famous poems, performed by stars including Anton Lesser, Roger Allam and David Tennant, plus two bonus plays 
 
Victorian poet Robert Browning was renowned for his evocative dramatic monologues peopled with vivid, morally ambiguous characters. In 1846, he eloped with fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett, and they rapidly became Britain’s most famous literary power couple. This collection brings together four of Browning’s poetic masterpieces, juxtaposed with a play inspired by his work and a drama about Robert and Elizabeth’s romance. 
 
The Ring and the Book – In the aftermath of a triple stabbing, Rome is rife with speculation. Accused of murdering his young wife and her parents, Count Guido Franceschini is put on trial, and finds himself desperately fighting for his life. Anton Lesser, Roger Allam and Andrew Sachs star in this thrilling tale of of sex, lies, murder and justice. 
 
The Pied Piper of Hamlin – When a town fails to pay the rat-catcher who has lured all the rats away with his magic pipe, the piper takes a terrible revenge. Playing his music once more, he leads all the children from the town. Only one boy remains behind… David Tennant stars as the Narrator, with Bertie Gilbert as the boy. 
 
My Last Duchess – Based on Browning’s chilling poem about an aristocrat whose wife died young in suspicious circumstances, this intriguing dramatisation attempts to solve the mystery of what happened to the duchess, and who did the deed. Starring Roger Allam, Emily Mortimer and Tim McInnerny. Content Warning: The themes present in this drama could be distressing for some listeners . 
 
Andrea del Sarto – Richard Pasco reads Robert Browning's monologue about the 16th-century Florentine artist known as ‘the faultless painter’, whose marriage was the source of deep unhappiness. 
 
The Contemplative Life – Brother James's loathing of oafish Brother Lawrence has led him to petty acts of destruction. As a punishment, he is forced to share a cell with him… Alan Rickman and Michael Aldridge star in this comedy inspired by Browning’s poem ‘Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister’. 
 
The Barretts of Wimpole Street – Starring Dorothy Tutin and Jeremy Brett, this radio version of Rudolf Besier’s celebrated stage play explores the secret courtship of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, which took place at No 50 Wimpole Street, her father’s forbidding household. 
 
First published 1842 (‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’, ‘My Last Duchess’), 1855 (‘Andrea del Sarto’), 1868 (‘The Ring and the Book’) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Robert Browning 
 
The Ring and the Book 
Cast: Anton Lesser, Roger Allam, Lou Brealey, Dominic Rowan, Andrew Sachs, Frances Jeater, Dan Starkey, Stephen Critchlow, Ben Crowe, Chris Pavlo, Joan Walker, John Rowe, Michael Maloney, Stephen Moore 
 
The Pied Piper of Hamelin 
Cast: David Tennant, Bertie Gilbert 
With music and songs written and performed by John Harle, lyrics by Joyce Harle, sung by Thomas Platts, head chorister at Canterbury Cathedral with the choir of Wingham School, Kent 
 
My Last Duchess 
Cast: Roger Allam, Emily Mortimer, Tim McInnerny, Robert Hands, John Hartley, Jacob Heringman 
 
Andrea del Sarto 
Read by Richard Pasco 
 
The Contemplative Life 
Cast: Alan Rickman, Michael Aldridge, David Garth, Brian Smith, Colin Starkey, David Sinclair, 
Trevor Nichols, John Webb 
 
The Barretts of Wimpole Street 
Cast: Dorothy Tutin, Jeremy Brett, Paul Rogers, William Eedle, John Rowe, John Samson, 
Robin Browne, David Valla, Christopher Good, Kate Binchy, Jane Knowles, Kenneth Fortescue, 
Helen Worth, Michael Kilgarriff, Rolf Lefebvre, John Ruddock, Sheila Grant 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Robert Browning: The Ring and the Book, The Pied Piper of Hamelin & more

BBC Radio dramatic reimaginings of five iconic poems

The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that. But in this world, there are two moons in the sky. Discover the 1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami.

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Chronicling the lives of over three hundred characters, unrivalled for its scope and humour, this is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

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