5ive Guys FC

82ASK

A A Gill

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

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

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

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

A K Benjamin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A. Igoni Barrett was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 1979 and lives in Lagos. He is a winner of the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition, the recipient of a Chinua Achebe Center Fellowship, a Norman Mailer Center Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency. His short story collection, Love is Power, or Something Like That, was published in 2013. In 2014 he was named on the Africa39 list of sub-Saharan African writers under 40. Blackass is his first novel.

A. Igoni Barrett

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

David Mitchell

This will be the most refreshing, entertaining history of England you'll have ever read. 
 
Certainly, the funniest. 
 
Because David Mitchell will explain how it is not all names, dates or ungraspable historical headwinds, but instead show how it's really just a bunch of random stuff that happened with a few lucky bastards ending up on top. Some of these bastards were quite strange, but they were in charge, so we quite literally lived, and often still live, by their rules. 
 
It's a great story. And it's our story. If you want to know who we are in modern Britain, you need to read this book.

Unruly

A History of England's Kings and Queens

John Finnemore

The complete ninth series of BBC Radio 4's award-winning sketch show 
 
'One of our best sketch writers' Observer 
 
John Finnemore returns with his multi-award-winning sketch show, but this series is very different to the previous eight. There are still sketches and songs, and it's still written and performed by him and his usual fantastic ensemble cast - but with no live studio audience, John has taken the opportunity to try something new. 
 
Each episode in this series of Souvenir Programme consists of scenes from one person's life, played in reverse order. There's no narrative as such - it's still a sketch show - but as we follow the characters back in time, from lockdown Zoom calls to childhood birthdays and funerals, the individual sketches link up to form an overall picture, portraying the sprawling history of an entire multi-generational family. 
 
And, as if that wasn't enough, there are also some terrific tall tales, a paean of praise, and a truly unforgettable earworm... 
 
Clever, complex, hilarious and poignant, these Souvenir Programmes with a twist star Lawry Lewin as Russ, Margaret Cabourn-Smith as Deborah, Simon Kane as Jerry, Carrie Quinlan as Vanessa and John Finnemore as Newt. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written and performed by John Finnemore 
Ensemble cast: Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin, Carrie Quinlan 
Original music composed by Susannah Pearse and Sally Stares, and arranged by Susannah Pearse and Tim Sutton 
Recorded and edited by Rich Evans at Syncbox Post 
Production coordinator: Beverly Tagg 
Producer: Ed Morrish 
A BBC Studios production 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme: Series 9

The BBC Radio 4 comedy sketch show

BBC Radio Comedy

Four laughter-filled editions of the long-running and much-loved BBC Radio 4 panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons 
 
In this selection of episodes, the entertaining players brave enough to employ their wits and ingenuity against both the clock and their competitors are Paul Merton, Julian Clary, Sheila Hancock, Josh Widdicombe, Gyles Brandreth, Fern Britton, Jenny Eclair and Kerry Godliman. 
 
As always, the name of the game is to speak for one minute on a given subject without falling foul of hesitation, repetition or deviation. 
 
Why is Josh known as the Beast of Dartmoor? What is Julian’s morning routine? Does Sheila have a party trick, and when exactly did the last century begin? When should Gyles use the ‘historical present’, and will Fern ever get to tell her story about dinner in Venice? 
 
Fingers on buzzers please, as we play Just a Minute!

Just a Minute: Best of 2019

4 episodes of the much-loved BBC Radio comedy game

Twelve archive editions of the the much-loved BBC Radio 4 panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons 
 
Having matured like a fine wine for over 50 years, Just a Minute continues to improve with age. A full-bodied, cheeky little number, it’s both sparkling and robust, and ideal for almost every occasion. A few bottles of the finest have been brought up from the cellar for this vintage collection. 
 
In these twelve humorous, enlightening and previously unpublished editions — harvested from between 1972 and 2004 — players once again attempt to speak without hesitation, repetition or deviation from the given subject. Challenges fly thick and fast under the unflappable adjudication of Nicholas Parsons. 
 
Seasoned players Kenneth Williams, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo, Clement Freudand Paul Merton compete alongside guests including Tim Rice, Sheila Hancock, Michael Palin, Jenny Eclair, Tony Hawks, Ross Noble, Ray Alan, Rob Buckman, Barry Cryer, Wendy Richard, Jeremy Hardy, Richard Stilgoe, Steve Frost, Graham Norton, Liza Tarbuck, Kit Hesketh-Harvey and Julian Clary. 
 
Which players will be allowed time to breathe uninterrupted, as they demonstrate they have the nose for a corking finish? Find out as we play Just a Minute! 
 
Please note: Contains mild innuendo. The humour in these programmes sometimes reflects the era in which they were first broadcast. 
 
 
Episode Guide 
 
26 September 1972 
Featuring Clement Freud, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo, Kenneth Williams 
10 February 1976 
Featuring Clement Freud, Peter Jones, Michael Palin, Kenneth Williams 
20 February 1979 
Featuring Ray Alan, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo, Kenneth Williams 
22 January 1980 
Featuring Rob Buckman, Clement Freud, Derek Nimmo, Kenneth Williams 
3 April 1985 
Featuring Barry Cryer, Peter Jones, Tim Rice, Kenneth Williams 
23 February 1991 
Featuring Peter Jones, Tim Rice, Wendy Richard, Richard Stilgoe 
11 February 1995 
Featuring Jeremy Hardy, Tony Hawks, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo 
1 February 1999 
Featuring Jenny Eclair, Steve Frost, Peter Jones, Tim Rice 
11 March 2002 
Featuring Clement Freud, Sheila Hancock, Paul Merton, Graham Norton 
7 July 2003 
Featuring Clement Freud, Sheila Hancock, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Paul Merton 
18 August 2003 
Featuring Jenny Eclair, Clement Freud, Tony Hawks, Ross Noble 
16 August 2004 
Featuring Julian Clary, Clement Freud, Paul Merton, Liza Tarbuck

Just a Minute: A Vintage Collection

12 classic episodes of the much-loved BBC Radio comedy game

Four more extended episodes from the awardwinning BBC Radio 4 series, specially compiled by producer Jon Naismith 
 
‘ISIHAC is still unmissable. It remains the most thrillingly anarchic panel show in any media you care to name’ Simon Mayo, Mail on Sunday 
 
‘The funniest comedy quiz show of them all’ Sue Arnold, The Observer 
 
Another collection of episodes from the famous antidote to panel games, now in its eighteenth edition. Jack Dee challenges regular panellists Tim Brooke-Taylor and Barry Cryer with a series of silly games against which to pit their wits. In tribute to Jeremy Hardy, a long-running guest panellist on the show who passed away in 2019, he features in every episode. 
 
Highlights include One Song to the Tune of Another, Swanee Kazoo, Stars in Their Ears, Sexed-Down Song Titles and Ornitholgists’ Film Club. 
 
Enjoy this fine feast of wit and wordplay, accompanied by Colin Sell on thepiano and with the lovely Samantha keeping score.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 18

The award-winning BBC Radio 4 comedy

Victoria Wood

Rebecca Front presents this two-part look back at Victoria Wood’s stand-up and songs using her own archives and tapes – including never-before-heard material 
 
Victoria Wood was a comedian, actress and all-round national treasure. She wrote and starred in countless sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over four decades, winning numerous awards, and her work remains timeless to this day. With her perceptive observational humour, she made the everyday and mundane hilarious – but how did she do it? 
 
In this BBC Radio 4 documentary, Rebecca Front uses Victoria Wood’s personal rehearsal recordings, rare live performances and behind-the-scenes footage to reveal some of her comedy tricks and techniques. We hear about her instinctive sense of rhythm, amazing rhyming ability and unerring knack for finding the perfect word to make a sentence sing, and learn how she honed her unique talent to become one of Britain’s favourite funny women. 
 
With unprecedented access to Victoria’s own boxes of battered cassette tapes, this programme is a shameless chance to hear some wonderful stand-up comedy, characters and songs, mixed with a look back at what made her so funny and so universally loved. 
 
Executive Producer: Geoff Posner 
Produced by David Tyler 
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.

Victoria Wood: From Soup to Nuts

A BBC Radio 4 Retrospective

Lawrie Wyman

A 60th anniversary celebration of the much-loved nautical comedy, featuring seventeen classic episodes plus bonus material 
 On 29 March 1959, The Navy Lark sailed the airwaves for the very first time. Starring Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray, with regular appearances from Ronnie Barker and Heather Chasen, it soon became a radio favourite, and ran for 18 years – one of the longest-running radio sitcoms. 
 
 This 60th anniversary collection comprises seventeen hilarious episodes – one from every series of the show, plus the pilot episode and the special Jubilee edition. We start with Operation Fag End (5 April 1959), The Hank of Heather (17 May 1959), The Lighthouse Lark (29 January 1960), A Deliberate Bashing (19 April 1963), When Sub Lt Phillips Was at Dartmouth (29 October 1967) and The Jubilee Navy Lark (16 July 1977). The other eleven episodes included are: Commodore Goldstein (22 February 1961), The Northampton Hunt Ball (6 October 1961), Chasing the Kepeac (29 November 1963), Let Loose with a Chopper (22 August 1965), Mr Phillips’ Promotion (30 October 1966), The Redundancy Drive (20 October 1968), The Forbodians Hijack Troutbridge (8 March 1970), Impressions For Survival (23 May 1971), Friday the 13th (11 Jun 1972), Povey – An Admiral at Last (9 September 1973) and NANA (16 November 1975). 
 
 Bonus items include a mini-episode from The Light Entertainment Show and two episodes from spin-off series The Embassy Lark: National Grumpshnog Week (Series 1, 12 April 1966) and Sub-Lt Phillips Drops In (Series 3, 16 April 1968). Plus, there’s a discussion from Bob Holness Presents: Farewell to the Paris, which sees Leslie Phillips and Jon Pertwee reminiscing about the making of The Navy Lark. As well as a 'lost' episode from season 2 of The Navy Lark; Return to Potarneyland, first broadcast on 26th February 1960. 
 
 So step aboard HMS Troutbridge for laughs ahoy! 
 
Produced by Alastair Scott-Johnston 
A BBC Studios production

The Navy Lark: 60th Anniversary Special Edition

Four of the funniest recent episodes from the much-loved BBC Radio 4 panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons 
 
Among the talented and humorous players in this sparkling quartet are Paul Merton, Gyles Brandreth, Jo Caulfield, Julian Clary, Stephen Fry, Jan Ravens, Rebecca Front, Marcus Brigstocke, Sheila Hancock, Fern Britton and Graham Norton. 
 
Did Nicholas know Boudicca? What dish was to be served after the Royal Wedding? When did Gyles meet Fanny Cradock, and is he really getting married in the morning? What does Sheila know of George Orwell, and what are her views on ripped jeans? Should Paul be challenged for being out of tune? 
 
Answers to these and many more tantalising questions can be answered, without hesitation, deviation or repetition, after listening to this quartet of instalments! 
 
Duration: 2 hours approx.

Just a Minute: Best of 2018

Humphrey Lyttelton

Graeme Garden

A sparkling collection of specials and spin-offs from the award-winning BBC Radio 4 comedy show, plus two tributes to the legendary Humphrey Lyttelton. 
 
This third and final Clue treasury features a panoply of specials based around the perennial ‘antidote to panel games’. In the mix are I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Christmas Clue, featuring the team’s unique interpretation of A Christmas Carol; Humph in Wonderland, in which they venture down a rabbit hole; and In Search of Mornington Crescent, in which Andrew Marr peers behind the veil of secrecy surrounding that illustrious game. 
 
Also included are two shows commemorating the programme’s inimitable original host, the late, much-missed Humphrey Lyttelton. In Chairman Humph, presented by Stephen Fry, friends and admirers including Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden recall Humph’s numerous Clue highlights, while in Humph Celebration Concert, Stephen Lyttelton introduces an exceptional evening of music and comedy celebrating his father. Finally, arriving just after they’ve had their tea, are all three series of spin-off comedy The Doings of Hamish &amp; Dougal. 
 
Among the performers in this superb collection are Willie Rushton, Sandi Toksvig, Andy Hamilton, Rob Brydon, Linda Smith, Jeremy Hardy, Jack Dee, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Michael Gambon and Alison Steadman.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: A Third Treasury

Specials and spin-offs from the BBC Radio 4 comedy

Ten archive editions of the the much-loved BBC Radio 4 panel game plus two very special programmes, chaired by Nicholas Parsons. 
 
Seasons come and go, and years fly by, but Just a Minute has been a constant ray of sunshine on Radio 4 for over 50 years. 
 
Now, in this new collection of programmes, ten previously unpublished editions — from the 1970s to the 2010s — are presented alongside two very special half hours: Just a Minute: 50 Years in 28 Minutes and 50 Years of Just a Minute: Paul Merton in Conversation with Nicholas Parsons. 
 
Among the many guest performers attempting to speak for 60 seconds without hesitation, repetition or deviation from the subject are Kenneth Williams, Clement Freud, Derek Nimmo, Peter Jones, Paul Merton, Andrée Melly, Patrick Moore, Kenny Everett, Tim Rice, Wendy Richard, Richard Murdoch, Jenny Eclair, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Stephen Frost, Gyles Brandreth, Sue Perkins and Frank Skinner. 
 
Who will win enough points to take a commanding lead, who will find themselves trailing a little, and who will finish in a strong fourth place? Find out as we play Just a Minute! 
 
1. 12 October 1971: Featuring Clement Freud, Peter Jones, Andrée Melly, Kenneth Williams 
2. 18 April 1978: Featuring Clement Freud, Patrick Moore, Derek Nimmo, Kenneth Williams 
3. 5 February 1980: Featuring Kenny Everett, Clement Freud, Peter Jones, Kenneth Williams 
4. 16 June 1984: Featuring Clement Freud, Peter Jones, Tim Rice, Kenneth Williams 
5. 16 June 1988: Featuring Clement Freud, Derek Nimmo, Wendy Richard, Kenneth Williams 
6. 28 April 1990: Featuring Peter Jones, Paul Merton, Richard Murdoch, Wendy Richard 
7. 2 August 1999: Featuring Jenny Eclair, Stephen Frost, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Peter Jones 
8. 19 January 2004: Featuring Clement Freud, Paul Merton, Graham Norton, Linda Smith 
9. 9 January 2006: Featuring Clement Freud, Stephen Fry, Paul Merton, Tim Rice 
10. 18 August 2014: Featuring Gyles Brandreth, Paul Merton, Sue Perkins, Frank Skinner 
11. 25 December 2017: Just a Minute: 50 Years in 28 Minutes. Featuring panellists from across the years 
12. 1 January 2018: 50 Years of Just a Minute - Paul Merton in conversation with Nicholas Parsons 
 
Devised by Ian Messiter 
Chaired by Nicholas Parsons 
Episode selection by Michael Stevens 
Music: The Minute Waltz (Waltz in D Flat Major, Op. 64) by Chopin 
 
Duration: 5 hours 50 mins approx. 
 
Please note: The humour in these programmes sometimes reflects the era in which they were first broadcast. Contains strong language and mild innuendo. Due to the archive nature of some of the episodes, sound quality may vary.

Just a Minute: Through the Years

Bridget Christie

The complete first and second series of Bridget Christie’s award-winning series about modern feminism 
 
Comedian Bridget Christie noticed that misogyny, like shiny leggings, has made an unexpected comeback. But did it ever really go away? 
 
Bridget asks why feminism became a dirty word, and whether the modern British woman needs it. From a smell in a well-known bookshop to a pen designed especially for women, she looks at some of the more ridiculous things associated with being a woman. She ponders women's relationship with their bodies via a lap dance, TOWIE and a fish called Michael, asks who has the best sexism in the world, and discusses why twitter is a sexist's natural habitat. She explains what happens when you wear an 'End FGM' badge on a popular TV show, and tries to find a feminist icon who doesn't want to replace the word 'feminism' with 'bootylicious'. 
 
The series’ token man Fred MacAulay helps her remember some of the key incidents which brought her to an epiphany and a call to arms. 
 
Series 1 of Mind the Gap won the Rose D’Or International Broadcasting Award for Best Radio Comedy 2014 and the Chortle Award for Best Radio Series 2014. Series 2 won the Chortle Award for Best Radio Programme 2015.

Bridget Christie Minds the Gap: The Complete Series 1 and 2

Eddie Braben

Eighteen episodes from Eric and Ernie’s BBC Radio 2 comedy series, collected together for the very first time 
 
Between 1975 and 1978, when they were at the peak of their popularity on television, Morecambe and Wise also starred in their own radio series, with each episode scripted by the one and only Eddie Braben. 
 
This feast of gags, sketches and song and dance numbers — plus of course Ernie’s ‘plays what I wrote’ — features a host of special guests including Ann Hamilton, Anita Harris, Gayle Hunnicutt, Richard Caldicot, Percy Edwards, Nicola Pagett, Brian Wilde, Des O'Connor, Vince Hill, Penelope Keith and The Nolan Sisters. 
 
So pull back the stage curtain and settle down to nine hours of sparkling comedy, in the company of ‘the tall one with glasses’ and ‘the one with the short, fat, hairy legs’. Honestly, you can’t see the join. 
 
 
The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show 
Written and adapted by Eddie Braben 
Produced by John Browell 
 
The Best of British Laughs – Morecambe &amp; Wise 
Presented by Barry Took 
Produced by John Browell 
 
The Entertainers: Morecambe &amp; Wise: Two of a Kind 
Presented by Frank Dixon 
Produced by Herbert Smith 
 
The comedy in this release reflects the attitudes and conventions of the era in which it was first broadcast

Morecambe & Wise: The Complete BBC Radio 2 Series

Eddie Izzard

The stand-up comedian of his generation. Star of stage and screen. Tireless supporter of charity. Runner. Political campaigner. Fashion icon. Human. There is no one quite like Eddie Izzard. 
 
This is the story of how a boy who wanted to become a professional footballer and win the lead in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat found comedy. Affecting, witty and nothing less than rousing, readers will, as Eddie himself says, 'look at my life and say, 'If that idiot transvestite can run a whole bunch of marathons, play the Hollywood Bowl, and travel across France with a French-speaking tour, then what's holding me back?''

Believe Me

A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens

Ray Galton

Alan Simpson

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio &amp; TV material starring Tony Hancock 
 
This second treasury of rare archive material is spearheaded by four newly-restored radio episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour, all from 1956: ‘The New Secretary’, ‘Anna and the King of Siam’, ‘The Stolen Petrol’ and ‘The Expresso Bar’. Starring alongside Tony Hancock are Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams. 
 
A number of fascinating extracts from the long-running 1950s variety show Calling All Forces feature Hancock performing alongside Charlie Chester and others, whilst the famous Budgerigar Sketch - with Hancock as the eponymous bird - is featured here from 1958’s Christmas Night With the Stars on BBC TV. 
 
In What Happened to Hancock? from 1971, Philip Oakes reflects upon the complex personality of his friend, and elicits personal recollections from those who knew him, including Ralph Reader, Beryl Vertue, Sylvia Sims, Sid James, Duncan Wood, Michael Wale, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Heroes for a Time, from 1978, considers Hancock’s legacy ten years after his death, with contributions from Lyn Took, Barry Took, Arthur Askey and Billy Marsh. Freddie Ross Hancock recollects life as Tony’s second wife in a Woman’s Hour interview from 1979. 
 
Barry Cryer introduces Six Characters in Search of an Answer: Tony Hancock from 2003 and examines the man behind the character, with the help of Galton &amp; Simpson, Dennis Main Wilson and Richard Briers. Finally, in two editions of The Essay from 2015, Simon Heffer examines and compares the careers of both Tony Hancock and his stalwart co-star Sid James. 
 
Marking the legacy of one of our greatest comedy entertainers, this collection is a must for fans of Tony Hancock and Hancock's Half Hour. 
 
This release features a bonus PDF booklet alongside the audio, which looks at each item in the context of Hancock’s broadcasting career with insights into how many of these lost or rare items were discovered.

Hancock's Half Hour Collectibles: Volume 2

Four more extended episodes from the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, specially compiled by producer Jon Naismith 
 
'ISIHAC is still unmissable. It remains the most thrillingly anarchic panel show in any media you care to name' Simon Mayo, Mail on Sunday 
 
‘The funniest comedy quiz show of them all’ Sue Arnold, The Observer 
 
The antidote to panel games returns with this sixteenth glorious collection, in which Jack Dee gives regular panelists Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden silly things to do. Joining them in this compilation are special guests Rob Brydon, Victoria Wood, Susan Calman and David Mitchell. 
 
Highlights include Uxbridge English Dictionary, One Song to the Tune of Another, French Monopoly, Swanee Kazoo, Sound Charades, Pensioner’s Film Club, Complete Cats, 84 Chicken Cross Road, Hirsute Film Club, Unromantic Endings, Just a Minim, the delightful Add a Word, Ruin a Film and, of course, Mornington Crescent. 
 
Get ready to chuckle along with the gang as they deploy the finest wit and wordplay, accompanied by Colin Sell on the piano and the lovely Samantha keeping score.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 16

The Award Winning BBC Radio 4 Comedy

Four sparkling episodes of the much-loved BBC Radio 4 panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons 
 
One of the longest-running and most popular radio comedy shows of all time, Just a Minute celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017. 
 
Here are four of the finest episodes from this milestone year, featuring veteran panellist Paul Merton and a host of other regulars including Pam Ayres, Gyles Brandreth, Marcus Brigstocke, Julian Clary, Jenny Eclair, Sheila Hancock, Josie Lawrence and Graham Norton, as well as relative newcomers Tom Allen, Zoe Lyons and Al Murray. 
 
Attempting to talk for sixty seconds without repetition, hesitation or deviation, they are faced with subjects including Anne Boleyn, dust sheets, the tube and pick n’ mix. We hear what Paul Merton considers to be the 8th Wonder of the World, find out what isn’t Gyles Brandreth’s cup of tea, and discover what Jenny Eclair thinks about a dog’s dinner. Plus, there are three uninterrupted minutes: but who scores them, and on what topic? 
 
Presided over by the charming Nicolas Parsons with a stopwatch that takes no prisoners, 
these four shows from Series 77 and 78 are a brilliant collection of the best of 2017. 
 
Duration: 1.5 hours

Just a Minute: Best of 2017

4 episodes of the much-loved BBC Radio 4 comedy game

Four of the funniest recent episodes from the topical comedy show, presented by Miles Jupp 
 
2017 marked the 40th anniversary of The News Quiz, ‘the finest topical comedy panel game known to radio’ and a guaranteed provider of headlines, punchlines and sparkling satirical wit. 
 
These four shows from Series 92 and 93 take a tongue-in-cheek look at current events, with chairman Miles Jupp presiding over a pack of keen newshounds including Jeremy Hardy, Zoe Lyons, Susan Calman, Charlie Higson, Andy Hamilton, Vicki Pepperdine, Helen Lewis, Sarah Kendall, Lucy Porter, Mark Steel, Hugo Rifkind, Rich Hall and Katy Brand. 
 
The panellists find the funny in topics ranging from Donald Trump to Morris dancing, and from by-elections to pie selections, taking in Brexit, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn, urban foxes and an unorthodox lifeguard recruitment drive – not to mention the small matter of a UK General Election. To add to the hilarity, newsreaders Alan Smith, Corrie Corfield and Kathy Clugston read a selection of humorous press cuttings contributed by listeners. 
 
So sit back and enjoy the highlights of a news-packed year in the company of some of the best and brightest commentators. 
 
Duration: 2 hours approx.

The News Quiz: The Best of 2017

The topical BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show

John Lloyd

Dan Schreiber

Richard Turner

The Museum of Curiosity is BBC Radio 4's monumental comedy edifice, and the only one with gargoyles in the foyer. It allows nothing inside that doesn’t make you scratch your head, stroke your chin or, at the very least, go 'Hmm'. Fortunately, helping to fill its vacant plinths is a gathering of the world's most original minds. 
 
Among the guests bearing donations to the museum in these 25 episodes are Neil Gaiman, Sarah Millican, Clive James, Kate Adie, Sir Terry Pratchett, Ronni Ancona, Jon Ronson, Bettany Hughes, Ben Elton, Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Alain de Botton, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, Alistair Fothergill, Ruth Padel, Jonathan Miller, Lucie Green, Marcus du Sautoy, Sara Wheeler, Brian Eno, Shappi Khorsandi, John Hodgman, Chris Addison, Roger Law, Tim Minchin, Philip Pullman, Richard Wiseman, Victoria Finlay, Simon Singh, Jimmy Carr, Graham Linehan, Sarah Bakewell, Robin Ince, David Eagleman, Natalie Haynes, Brian Blessed, Alan Davies, Gareth Edwards, Martha Reeves, Harry Enfield, Helen Scales, Admiral Alan West &amp; many more. 
 
In addition to all the episodes from the first four series, a previously unbroadcast pilot episode, The Professor of Curiosity, is also included. Running time: 12 hours approx.

The Museum of Curiosity: Series 1-4

24 episodes of the popular BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game

Pete Jackson

Sue Johnston, John Hannah and Eddie Marsan are among the stars of this spellbinding, hilarious and uplifting comedy drama. 
 
Set entirely at a series of weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, these 13 episodes also feature Rebecca Front, Paul Kaye, Julia Deakin and Samantha Bond. 
 
Love in Recovery follows the lives of five very different recovering alcoholics. Eddie Marsan is Andy, the sweet but simple group leader. Sue Johnston is Julie, who's been known to have the odd relapse here and there, and everywhere. John Hannah is Simon, a snide journalist with a big secret. Rebecca Front is the snobby and guarded Fiona, who used to be a banker who had it all, and then lost the lot. Paul Kaye is Danno, a dodgy geezer with no front teeth, but a lot of heart. 
 
During the course of two series and a special Christmas episode, we hear them get to know each other, get on each other’s nerves, laugh, argue, fall apart, fall in love and, most importantly, tell their stories. 
 
Written and created by Pete Jackson, Love in Recovery is inspired by his own road to recovery. Duration: 5 hours approx

Love in Recovery: Series 1 & 2

The BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

Bill Bryson

WINNER: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER READER AWARD FOR BEST TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016 
WINNER: BOOKS ARE MY BAG READER AWARD FOR BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY OR BIOGRAPHY 2016 
 
Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to celebrate the green and kindly island that had become his adopted country. The hilarious book that resulted, Notes from a Small Island, was taken to the nation’s heart and became the bestselling travel book ever, and was also voted in a BBC poll the book that best represents Britain.Now, to mark the twentieth anniversary of that modern classic, Bryson makes a brand-new journey round Britain to see what has changed. 
 
Following (but not too closely) a route he dubs the Bryson Line, from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath, by way of places that many people never get to at all, Bryson sets out to rediscover the wondrously beautiful, magnificently eccentric, endearingly unique country that he thought he knew but doesn’t altogether recognize any more. Yet, despite Britain’s occasional failings and more or less eternal bewilderments, Bill Bryson is still pleased to call our rainy island home. And not just because of the cream teas, a noble history, and an extra day off at Christmas. 
 
Once again, with his matchless homing instinct for the funniest and quirkiest, his unerring eye for the idiotic, the endearing, the ridiculous and the scandalous, Bryson gives us an acute and perceptive insight into all that is best and worst about Britain today.

The Road to Little Dribbling

More Notes from a Small Island

Barry Took

Marty Feldman

Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden and Hugh Paddick star in 20 episodes of the anarchic 1960s radio comedy. 
 
Round the Horne arrived on BBC radio in 1965, bringing laughter to Sunday lunchtimes throughout the land. It carved a niche in the history of broadcast comedy, a sketch show which prodded the boundaries of propriety and innuendo. At its heart was the suave and upstanding Kenneth Horne, around which revolved the multiple naughty personas of Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden, Hugh Paddick and Bill Pertwee. 
 
Among the parade of regular characters were Julian and Sandy, the camp couple of resting thespians happy to turn their hands to anything, Rambling Syd Rumbo the musical cordwangler, Fiona and Charles the passionate duo, and J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock the world's dirtiest man. Meanwhile regular film parodies, spoof sagas and musical interludes peppered the mix. 
 
Round the Horne earned its place in the annals of comedy history, and is fondly remembered today as a groundbreaking series that influenced many more to come. 
 
Content warning: the humour in this programme reflects the era in which it was broadcast and may not reflect current attitudes. 
 
©2015 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2015 BBC Worldwide Ltd

Round the Horne: The Complete Series Three

16 episodes of the groundbreaking BBC Radio comedy

David Croft

Jimmy Perry

Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn and Ian Lavender star in a collection of rediscovered Dad's Army gems. Published for the first time, these four instalments of Dad's Army have been brought together from a variety of archive sources, and in each case represent something unique. 'A Stripe for Frazer' is the surviving TV soundtrack from an episode whose film recording has long been missing in action; 'Santa on Patrol' and 'The Cornish Floral Dance' are two mini-episodes produced in 1968 and 1970 for BBC TV's Christmas Night With the Stars; finally, 'The Boy Who Saved England' is a mini-episode written by Jimmy Perry and starring Ian Lavender, recorded as part of BBC Radio 2's Last Night at the Paris programme in 1995. With a supporting cast including Arnold Ridley, John Laurie, James Beck, Bill Pertwee and Frank Williams, this is a fine quartet of episodes you're not likely to have seen or heard before. Don't panic! Duration: 1 hour approx.

Dad's Army: The Lost Tapes

Classic Comedy from the BBC Archives

Harry Venning

The complete tenth series of the Sony Award-winning comedy series - plus a Christmas special 
 
‘The best comedy on radio’ Moira Petty, The Stage 
 
Clare Barker, the social worker with all the politically correct jargon but none of the practical solutions, continues to struggle with her professional and private life in these seven hilarious episodes, which include a special Christmas edition of the show. 
 
In Christmas with Clare Barker, Clare is working through the holidays, and has had enough of the whole seasonal shebang. But will a chance encounter bring back a bit of festive magic? 
 
Series Ten sees Brian going on a fitness kick and joining a men’s group. Clare, meanwhile, gets involved with a TV producer making a documentary about the Sparrowhawk estate; faces some home truths at a family funeral; attempts to co-operate with her estranged sister and intervenes with Nali’s ex-husband. Plus, the Sparrowhawk team work together to overcome a little problem in the office; and hold a leaving do, taking the opportunity to reminisce. 
 
Sally Phillips stars as Clare, with a supporting cast including Alex Lowe as Brian and Nina Conti as Nali/Megan.

Clare in the Community: Series 10

Series 10 & a Christmas special episode of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom

In 1995, before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire to move back to the States for a few years with his family, Bill Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home. His aim was to take stock of the nation's public face and private parts (as it were), and to analyse what precisely it was he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite; a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy; place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowells; people who said 'Mustn't grumble', and ‘Ooh lovely’ at the sight of a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits; and Gardeners' Question Time. Notes from a Small Island was a huge number-one bestseller when it was first published, and has become the nation's most loved book about Britain, going on to sell over two million copies.

Notes From A Small Island

Journey Through Britain

Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden and Hugh Paddick star in 15 episodes of the anarchic 1960s radio comedy. 
 
Round the Horne arrived on BBC radio in 1965, bringing laughter to Sunday lunchtimes throughout the land. Over the course of sixteen weekly episodes it carved a niche in the history of broadcast comedy, a sketch show which prodded the boundaries of propriety and innuendo. At its heart was the suave and upstanding Kenneth Horne, around which revolved the multiple naughty personas of Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden, Hugh Paddick and Bill Pertwee. 
 
Among the parade of regular characters were Julian and Sandy, the camp couple of resting thespians happy to turn their hands to anything; Rambling Syd Rumbo, the musical cordwangler; Fiona and Charles, the passionate duo; and J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock, the world's dirtiest man. Meanwhile regular film parodies, spoof sagas and musical interludes peppered the mix. 
 
Round the Horne earned its place in the annals of comedy history, and is fondly remembered today as a groundbreaking series that influenced many more to come. Here the entire second series can be enjoyed once again, plus the 1966 Christmas episode, 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and a special Transcription Services episode 'The Man With The Golden Thunderball'. 
 
Content warning: the humour in this programme reflects the era in which it was broadcast and may not reflect current attitudes. 
 
©2015 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2015 BBC Worldwide Ltd

Round the Horne: The Complete Series Two

15 episodes of the groundbreaking BBC radio comedy

Nicholas Parsons chairs eight episodes of the long-running panel game, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in Spring 2015. 
 
“Welcome to Just a Minute!” As the Minute Waltz fades away, once again a multitude of players pit their wits against each other as they attempt to talk for sixty seconds on a given subject without hesitation, repetition or deviation from the subject. 
 
So join redoubtable chairman Nicholas Parsons as the panellists - including Paul Merton alongside long-time players and newcomers to the game - use their intellect, imagination, wit and verbal dexterity to beat the clock and win the points in these eight sparklingly funny shows.

Just a Minute: Series 71

All eight episodes of the 71st radio series

Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry invites readers to take a glimpse at his life story in the unputdownable More Fool Me. 
 
It is a heady tale of the late Eighties and early Nineties, in which Stephen - ever more driven to create, perform and entertain - burned bright and partied hard with a host of famous and infamous friends, regardless of the consequences. 
 
This electric and extraordinary book reveals a new side to Mr Fry.

More Fool Me

Nicholas Parsons chairs four episodes of the long-running panel game. 
 
“Welcome to Just a Minute!” As the Minute Waltz fades away, once again a multitude of players pit their wits against each other as they attempt to talk for sixty seconds on a given subject without hesitation, repetition or deviation from the subject. 
 
In these four episodes, long-time players including Paul Merton, Gyles Brandreth, Jenny Eclair, Sheila Hancock, Graham Norton and Julian Clary are joined by newcomers including Kevin Eldon, Vanessa Feltz, Miles Jupp, Shappi Khorsandi, Patrick Kielty, Joe Lycett, Paul Sinha and Holly Walsh. 
 
Among the subjects tackled are Personal Hygiene in the 10th Century, Mobile phone etiquette, Stonehenge, How to prepare sushi, Soap operas, Crystal Palace and Flying a kite. 
 
So join redoubtable chairman Nicholas Parsons as the panellists use their intellect, imagination, wit and verbal dexterity to beat the clock and win the points in these four sparklingly funny shows. 
 
2 CDs. 1 hr 52 mins.

Just a Minute: The Best of 2014

Four episodes of the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game

Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden and Hugh Paddick star in 16 episodes of the anarchic 1960s radio comedy. 
 
Round the Horne arrived on BBC radio in 1965, bringing laughter to Sunday lunchtimes throughout the land. Over the course of sixteen weekly episodes it carved a niche in the history of broadcast comedy, a sketch show which prodded the boundaries of propriety and innuendo. At its heart was the suave and upstanding Kenneth Horne, around which revolved the multiple naughty personas of Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden, Hugh Paddick and Bill Pertwee. 
 
Among the parade of regular characters were Julian and Sandy, the camp couple of resting thespians happy to turn their hands to anything, Rambling Syd Rumbo the musical cordwangler, Fiona and Charles the passionate duo, and J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock the world's dirtiest man. Meanwhile regular film parodies, spoof sagas and musical interludes peppered the mix. 
 
Round the Horne earned its place in the annals of comedy history, and is fondly remembered today as a groundbreaking series that influenced many more to come. Here the entire first series can be enjoyed once again. 
 
Content warning: the humour in this programme reflects the era in which it was broadcast and may not reflect current attitudes. 
 
©2014 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2014 BBC Worldwide Ltd

Round the Horne: The Complete Series One

Cabin Pressure is set in the wing and a prayer world of a tiny, one-plane charter airline; staffed by two pilots, one on his way down, and one who was never up to start with. Whether it's dealing with a stuffed sheep, an angry princess or a rogue fruit tray, no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. 
 
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey, MJN Air's formidable boss, has employed two of the very cheapest pilots money can buy: Captain Martin Crieff, who's always wanted to fly and won't let a little thing like lack of ability stop him, and First Officer Douglas Richardson, smooth-voiced old sky god and eternal schemer. Passenger service is provided by the relentlessly cheery Arthur, proud inventor of both Surprising Rice and his own hat. 
 
Written by John Finnemore (John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, The Now Show), Cabin Pressure stars Stephanie Cole as Carolyn, Benedict Cumberbatch as Martin, Roger Allam as Douglas and John Finnemore as Arthur. 
 
‘The more I listen to John Finnemore's Cabin Pressure, the more I think what a stonking masterpiece it is. Perfect in every department.’ – Philip Pullman 
 
'Unexpectedly brilliant' - Time Out 
 
'An inspired new sitcom' – Observer

Cabin Pressure: The Complete Series 4

A full-cast BBC Radio Comedy

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.

1Q84

365 Days of Art

A BBC Christmas

A Black Book Thriller

A Box Full of Murders

A Cal Leandros Novel

A Christmas Mystery

The intelligent and capable police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice.

A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

A DC Smith / Kings Lake Investigation Series

A Daisy Story

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.

Filters

Category

Publication Date

Format

Series

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter