Ananya Rao-Middleton is an illustrator and disability activist who uses her work as a tool to speak truth to the voices of marginalised communities at the intersections of disability, gender, race and other oppressive systems. She is passionate about illustration as a way to 'do' activism and has created artwork for Twitter, Refinery29, Instagram and the UK Parliament. Ananya lives in Lisbon, Portugal, where the sunshine is good for her Multiple Sclerosis and Post-Concussion Syndrome. Keep in touch with Ananya on social media @AnanyaPaints.

Ananya Rao-Middleton

Ananyo Bhattacharya is a science writer who has worked at the Economist and Nature. Before journalism, he was a medical researcher at the Burnham Institute in San Diego, California. He holds a degree in physics from the University of Oxford and a PhD in protein crystallography from Imperial College London.

Ananyo Bhattacharya

Anastasia Alcock

Dr Anastasia Hronis is a clinical psychologist and founder of the Australian Institute for Human Wellness in Sydney, Australia. Her main areas of clinical work and research is in addictions, with a specific focus on gambling. Anastasia is also a lecturer and researcher at the University of Technology Sydney. She has presented at many conferences around the world and has published research in top rated journals.

Anastasia Hronis

Anastasia Kingsnorth started creating content on YouTube at just 11 years old and has continued for over a decade, building a multi-million following and taking the social media space by storm as an international influencer. She hosts the hit Spotify podcast Sex, Lies and DM Slides with Saffron Barker, which explores all aspects of modern dating, and is currently in its second series. Anastasia is based in Manchester.

Anastasia Kingsnorth

Anastasia Magloire Williams is an illustrator,  writer and graphic designer living in sunny Florida. Forever a student, she continues to grow in her preferred digital medium, combining traditional illustration techniques with the flexibility of computer software. With her rich textures, dynamic lines and vibrant colours, Anastasia uses various styles to bring her client’s stories to life, as well as her own. Above all, her mission is to be a vehicle for diversity and representation in entertainment and children’s media – to tell untold stories that reflect the beautiful world we all share. When she is not tapping away at her tablet, she enjoys gaming with her husband, reading fantasy romance novels, tending to her plants and enjoying ice in all her drinks.

Anastasia Magloire Williams

Founder of the Matriarch Eats brand, journalist and author Anastasia Miari (@anastasia_miari ) has been cooking with and interviewing the world’s grandmothers for a decade. She holds a Guild of Food Writer’s Award for ‘inspired storytelling and great journalistic integrity.’ Mediterranea is her third cookbook in a series of books dedicated to the lives and kitchens of elderly matriarchs. In her work as a food and travel writer, she freelances for Conde Nast Traveller magazine, Monocle magazine, Konfekt Magazine, Lonely Planet and a number of national newspapers in the UK. Anastasia hosts retreats on her home island of Corfu, giving people a real insight into the worlds of her books.

Anastasia Miari

Anastasia Nesvetailova is the Director of the City Political Economy Research Centre and author of numerous academic and media articles on financial crises and stability. She teaches at City University, London.

Anastasia Nesvetailova

Anastasia Tohmé is an HR specialist based in Spain and Martin Worner has worked in banking and technology at UBS and Morgan Stanley, based in Switzerland. The authors met working remotely and have been advising individuals and teams on how to work remotely successfully ever since. They wrote this book together, remotely.

Anastasia Tohmé

Anastasia Zhelezniak is a self-taught embroidery artist and founder of the Whynotstitching Academy, an online stitcher offering workshops, live meet ups, courses, and exclusive designs that inspire creativity and build skills. With no formal art background, she have built a career by making embroidery approachable and exciting for modern crafters. Her designs, often inspired by botanical elements, blend traditional techniques with contemporary aesthetics, appealing to a global audience.

Anastasia Zhelezniak

Anastasia Zolotarev is a Ukrainian recipe developer and food stylist based in Sydney. Passionate about connecting food with community, she hosts intimate supper clubs and workshops where she teaches home cooks how to make piroshky, honey cake and other signature Eastern European recipes. She also runs sell-out fundraisers and initiatives to support Ukrainian organisations and charities. In 2016 she took part in Masterchef Australia and since then has regularly worked with brands such as Harris Farm and Hello Fresh.

Anastasia Zolotarev

Anatol Lieven is a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar and a Fellow of the New America Foundation in Washington DC. He was previously a professor in the War Studies Department of King's College, London. He worked for twelve years as a British foreign correspondent, reporting from South Asia, the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe for The Times and other publications. His books include Chechnya: Tombstone of Russian Power (1998); America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American Nationalism (second edition 2011); Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World (with John Hulsman) (2006) and Pakistan: A Hard Country (2011, published by Penguin).

Anatol Lieven

Anatole France

Anatoly Marienhof (1897–1962) was a poet, novelist, dramatist and memoirist. Marienhof became a leading figure of the avant-garde Imaginist movement, and was the author of the novels The Novel without Lies (1926) and Cynics (1928).

Anatoly Marienhof

Anaïs Nin

Anbara Salam is half-Palestinian and half-Scottish, and grew up in London. She has a PhD in Theology and is now living and working in Oxford. She spent six months living on a small South Pacific island, and her experiences there served as the inspiration for her first novel, Things Bright and Beautiful.

Anbara Salam

Anca Sandu was born in Romania and currently lives in Portland, USA. She studied children's illustration at the prestigious Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. She works as a freelance designer. Her first book for Random House was Churchill's Tale of Tails.

Anca Sandu

Ancient & Brave

Ande Pliego began writing stories when she discovered she could actually wield her overactive imagination for good. A lover of stories with teeth, she writes books involving mind games, dark humour, general murder and mayhem, characters pushed to the edge of themselves, and most importantly, finding the hope in the dark. 
 
 
When not reading or writing, she can usually be found dabbling in art, scheming up her next trip, or making constant expeditions to the library. Born in Florida, raised in France, and having left footprints all over the globe, Ande is settled in the Pacific Northwest, USA, with her little son.

Ande Pliego

Anders Bodelsen (1937-2021) was a writer associated with the 1960s neo-realist wave in Denmark. He was especially well known for his thrillers – works of astonishing psychological veracity – which won him several Danish awards including the Golden Laurels and the Critics’ Award, as well as France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Sweden’s prestigious Martin Beck Award for Best Crime Novel.

Anders Bodelsen

Professor Anders Ericsson is the world’s reigning expert on expertise. His research into what makes ordinary people achieve the extraordinary was the inspiration for the 10,000-hours rule – the popular theory that 10,000 hours of any type of practice will allow an individual to excel in any field. In this book, he describes how a particular type of extended practice leads to exceptional performance. 
 
Anders Ericsson began his research into expertise when he conducted a memory trial on a young man. Despite having no previous aptitude for memory exercises, after several hundred sessions the young man was displaying memory powers over 10 times that of an average person. This was as a result of the system of training Ericsson had put him through – a process Ericsson has named ‘deliberate practice’. 
 
Professor Ericsson has gone on to have his research widely cited in major newspapers and magazines worldwide, and he has worked with major international organisations, as well as Oxford, Stanford and Harvard medical schools, teachers and educational researchers, professional sports teams (Manchester City Football Club, Saracens Rugby Union Club, UK Sport, England and Wales Cricket Board), and military groups.

Anders Ericsson

Anders Larsen

Anders Lustgarten is a playwright and novelist. He won the Catherine Johnson Award for A Day at the Racists and won the Harold Pinter Playwriting Award for If You Don't Let Us Dream, We Won't Let You Sleep. His play Lampedusa has been performed in forty countries. His debut novel, Three Burials, was shortlisted for the ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger 2025. 
Kill Billionaire is his second novel. 
 
Prior to becoming a writer, Anders was an international 400m runner and a teacher of people on death row in California.

Anders Lustgarten

Anders Nilsen (he/him) is the author of ten books including Big Questions, The End and Poetry is Useless. Nilsen's work has received three Ignatz awards and Big Questions was listed as a New York Times Notable Book in 2011. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Poetry Magazine, Pitchfork and elsewhere, and his comics have been translated into several languages.

Anders Nilsen

Anders Roslund is an award-winning journalist and one of the most successful and critically acclaimed Scandinavian crime writers of our time. His books have been read by millions and he is the recipient of the CWA International Dagger and the Glass Key award among many others. His work is published in 36 languages and regularly tops international bestseller lists.

Anders Roslund

Anders Røyneberg

Andre Amstutz studied art and design at Brighton School of Art and worked in animation as well as advertising. He illustrated several children's books including the Fast Fox, Slow Dog series, some of the Happy Families titles and Monkey Do (Walker).

Andre Amstutz

Andre Breton

André Cabannes taught mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and translated the Theoretical Minimum series into French. He lives in France.

Andre Cabannes

Andre Comte-Sponville

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Misha Glenny

More series of Misha Glenny’s BBC Radio 4 show about the borders, the stories and the people of countries worldwide 
 
Former BBC Central European correspondent Misha Glenny investigates the borders, the histories and the people that make different nations what they are today. 
 
Aided by a wealth of expert contributors, he discovers the geographical quirks, Game of Thrones-style battles and history-changing personalities that have defined each nation - busting some persistent myths and stereotypes along the way. 
 
'Every series is a revelation' Daily Telegraph 
'One of the jewels in the BBC radio crown' Radio Times 
 
This collection takes a deep dive into Scandinavia, Bangladesh, Poland, Russia, Turkey, China, Taiwan, Hugary and more.

How to Invent a Country: A Second Collection

Ten More Nations and the Histories that Made Them

Patrick White

Two dramatisations of novels by the Nobel prize winner Patrick White. 
 
Patrick White was an Australian novelist and playwright. He sharply divided Australian critics due to his satirical take on Australian society. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, the only Australian to be awarded this prize and his first published novel, Happy Valley (1939), was awarded the Gold Medal of the Australian Literature Society. 
 
This collection consists of two of his award winning novels dramatised with a full cast. 
 
Voss - Set in nineteenth-century Australia, Voss is the story of the secret passion between an explorer and a naïve young woman. Although they have met only a few times, Voss and Laura are joined by overwhelming, obsessive feelings for each other. Voss sets out to cross the continent, and as hardships, mutiny and betrayal whittle away his power to endure and to lead, his attachment to Laura gradually increases. Laura, waiting in Sydney, moves through the months of separation as if they were a dream and Voss the only reality. 
 
Voss: Robert Menzies 
Laura Trevelyan: Pamela Rabe 
 
Other Cast: with Bob Homery, Julia Blake, Tammy McCarthy, Paul English, Celia De Burgh. Michael Carman, Brian Lipson, John Dicks. Jerome Pride and Stanley McGeagh. 
 
 
 
The Twyborn Affair - As the London Blitz begins, a tangled tale of sexual identity unfolds. Eddie Twyborn is bisexual and beautiful, the son of a Judge and a drunken mother. With his androgynous hero - Eudoxia/Eddie/Eadith Twyborn - and through his search for identity, for self-affirmation and love in its many forms, Patrick White takes us into the ambiguous landscapes, sexual, psychological and spiritual, of the human condition. 
 
 
Dramatised by DJ Britton 
Producer/Director Alison Hindell 
 
Eddie: Julian Rhind-Tutt 
Eadie: Penny Downie 
Joan: Hattie Morahan 
Don: Philip Quast 
Marcia: Leigh Funnelle 
Angelos: John Rowe 
Rod: John Rowe 
Curly: David Henry 
Greg: David Henry 
Peggy: Manon Edwards 
Ada: Manon Edwards 
Driver: Piers Wehner 
Bridie: Emerald O'Hanrahan 
Philip: Joseph Cohen-Cole

Voss & The Twyborn Affair

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Tanith Lee

A selection of Sci-Fi Fantasy stories from a legend in science fiction and fantasy writing. 
Tanith Lee was a British writer of science fiction, horror, and fantasy. She was the author of over 90 novels and 300 short stories, a children's picture book (Animal Castle), and many poems. She also wrote two episodes of the BBC science fiction series Blake's 7. 
 
She was the winner of multiple World Fantasy Society Derleth Awards, the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Horror. She was the first woman to win the British Fantasy Award best novel award. 
 
 
The Silver Sky – Two time travellers from separate worlds are drawn to the same location-- a beach on a strange unknown planet with no way back home and stalked by predators. Scientists have come up with a theory suggesting that an actual time machine might be possible. 
 
Lead researcher Paul is having none of that political nonsense! And so with the same cool intellect that has left his marriage in ruins, he quietly alters the schedule so that the next test flight will also be a manned one. What could possibly go wrong? 
Stars Paul Darrow, Elizabeth Bell, Simon Malloy, Anne Reid, Andy Rashleigh, John Jardine, David Fleeshman, John Talbot, Nina Holloway, and Mary Cunningham. 
Israbel – A beautiful vampire hires an artist to paint her portrait. But then he develops a dangerous obsession...Read by Mark Bonnar and Claire Harry. 
Red Wine – Mysterious man engages a beautiful girl to type the manuscript of his autobiography. As his sinister story unfolds, the girl would appear to be in danger - but perhaps they belong to the same blood group...Red as Blood - In a dark Snow-White fantasy, the Queen sets out to rescue her stepdaughter from her sinister heritage. Read by Stella Gonet. 
Bitter Gate – In her first play for radio, the author, with a new feminist slant, re-tells the classic tale of Odysseus' return to Ithaka to reclaim his wife Penelope from her suitors. Starring Michael Cochrane and Elizabeth Bell

Israbel, The Silver Sky & more

BBC Radio Sci-Fi Drama, Fantasy tales & other plays

Mary Webb

Mary Webb’s award-winning novel adapted for radio with a full cast, plus a dramatised biography of the celebrated authorNovelist and poet Mary Webb is as closely associated with Shropshire as Thomas Hardy with Dorset and the Brontës with Yorkshire. She wrote six books set against the timeless landscape of the county she knew and loved so well, but only achieved literary success after her death when the then Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin praised her work, describing her as a neglected genius. Her final novel, Precious Bane, was awarded the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse, and is featured here alongside a bonus programme exploring Webb’s life.Precious Bane – Born with a cleft lip, Pru Sarn is an outcast in her superstious rural community, who regard her as cursed and suspect her of being a witch. Yet her gentle heart longs for love and honest communication with her neighbours – in contrast with her brother Gideon’s all-consuming desire for wealth. As Pru works side-by-side with him on the family farm, she becomes increasingly disturbed by his single-mindedness – and ever more attracted to the handsome weaver, Kester Woodseaves. But when Gideon’s obsessive ambition results in tragedy, Prue finds herself accused of murder – and only Kester can save her… Miriam Margolyes stars as Pru, with Terry Molloy as Gideon and Peter Davidson as Kester.The Shropshire Lass – Based on Gladys Mary Cole’s biography of Mary Webb, The Flower of Light, this dramatised profile explores how Webb lived ‘betwixt and between’ – half in the world and half out of it. The heroine of a fairy story with a sad ending, she yearned for fame, riches and admiration, but spent her life struggling against illness and disillusion. Narrated by John Darran, with Dillwyn Jones as the reader, Sue Jones-Davies as Mary Webb and Gareth Armstrong as her husband Henry.Cast and creditsPrecious BanePru – Miriam MargolyesGideon – Terry MolloyKester – Peter DavidsonMrs Sarn – Penelope LeeMr Sarn – Haydn JonesMrs Beguildy – Jill MeersWizard Beguildy – Robert VaheyJancis Beguildy – Elspeth CharltokGideon (aged 7) – Henry MilnerTiwy – Cecily HobbsSexton – Roger SnowdonCallard – John RoweDorabella – Patricia GallimoreSquire Camperdine – David VannFelena – Kathryn HurlbuttSukey – Deirdre LeeMoll – Hedli NiklausMrs Sexton – Carol SnapeMrs Grimble/Mrs Callard – Ysanne ChurchmanGrimble/Grandfather Callard – Gordon ReidHuglet – Malcolm GerardMiller’s Tim – Peter O’DwyerApothecary – Stephen HancockSexton’s Sammy – David LandbergDoctor – Denys HawthorneWritten by Mary WebbDramatised by Michelene WandorDirected by Vanessa WhitburnTraditional folk music sung and played by Sue Harris, John Kirkpatrick and Ann WellerFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 April-10 May 1981The Shropshire LassNarrator – John DarranMary Webb/Susan Buchan – Sue Jones-DaviesHenry Webb/Caradoc Evans – Gareth ArmstrongReader – Dillwyn OwenWritten by Herbert WilliamsBased on The Flower of Light by Gladys Mary ColesProduced by Robin C. RollinsonFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 July 1986© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Precious Bane

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation

Jan Carson

Dramatised readings from the award-winning Jan Carson, plus bonus interview with the author herself 
 
 
Northern Irish writer Jan Carson won the EU Prize for Literature 2019 for her novel The Fire Starters, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023. Her work has been translated into over 15 languages and appeared in numerous journals and on BBC Radio 3 and 4. Contained within this collection are a selection of Carson’s captivating monologues, performed by a wealth of accomplished TV and stage actors. 
 
In Moving Mountains, a group of Ballymena locals rally together to try and save Slemish mountain, said to be where Saint Patrick had his first vision of God. Can they prevent it from being sold to a Japanese theme park? Jo Donnelly, Andrew McCracken, Ignacy Rybarczykn, Aoibhéann McCann and Michael McCondron narrate this serialised story, told from five different perspectives. 
 
UnRaveling, read by Liam Neeson, sees a former world-class pianist, now beset by dementia, reaching for the rhythm of Ravel that his fingers have not forgotten. 
 
Disappearance is at the heart of The Last Resort, ten linked tales themed around an uncanny clifftop caravan park plagued by impossible thefts. The narrators include Patrick Buchanan, Roísín Gallagher, Christopher Grant, Jo Donnelly, Ignacy Rybarczyk, Beccy Henderson, Seamus O’Hara, Carol Moore, Ian McElhinney and Dearbháile McKinney. 
 
Specially commissioned for radio and read by Roísín Gallagher, Tara Lynne O’Neill, Lisa Dwyer Hogg and Seamus O’Hara, Egg and Beans revolve around mothers and children; In Loco Parentis features a woman determined to be the World’s Best Aunt; and Shadowing Gordon finds a writer discovering that exorcising ghosts isn’t nearly as easy as it looks. Rounding off our collection, we hear Jan Carson recalling her Presbyterian childhood in Another Northern Ireland: Traybakes, as she reveals what the ladies in the church kitchen taught her about community, creativity – and finding her own voice. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Jan Carson 
 
Moving Mountains 
Read by Jo Donnelly (The Lord Mayor), Andrew McCracken (Darren), Ignacy Rybarczyk (Tomasz), Aoibhéann McCann (Joss) and Michael Condron (Colin) 
Produced by Michael Shannon 
Edited by Andy Martin 
 
UnRaveling 
Bill – Liam Neeson 
 
Produced by Justine Potter 
Assistant Producer: Usman Mullan 
Sound Designer and Editor: John Scott 
Pianist: Lauryna Sableviciute 
 
The Last Resort 
Read by Patrick Buchanan (Pete), Roísín Gallagher (Lois), Christopher Grant (Richard), Jo Donnelly (Anna), Ignacy Rybarczyk (Vidas), Beccy Henderson (Alma), Seamus O’Hara (Malcolm), Carol Moore (Kathleen), Ian McElhinney (John), Dearbháile McKinney (Lynette) 
Produced by Michael Shannon 
 
Egg 
Read by Roísín Gallagher 
Produced by Michael Shannon 
 
Beans 
Read by Tara Lynne O’Neill 
Produced by Michael Shannon 
 
In Loco Parentis 
Read by Lisa Dwyer Hogg 
Produced by Michael Shannon 
Executive Editor: Andy Martin 
 
Shadowing Gordon 
Read by Seamus O’Hara 
Produced by Michael Shannon 
 
VAM: Another Northern Ireland 
With Jan Carson 
Produced by Ophelia Byrne and Conor Garrett 
 
‘A born storyteller’ The Guardian 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Last Resort & more

A BBC Radio Collection

Jan Etherington

Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return in the seventh series of Conversations from a Long Marriage. 
 
Playing a long-married couple who met in the Summer of Love and have stayed together ever since, their conversations are practical, passionate, hilarious - and familiar to every couple. 
 
Written by award-winning comedy writer and journalist Jan Etherington, this gentle comedy will ring a bell with couples of all ages.

Conversations from a Long Marriage: Series 7

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama

Ben Travers

Six classic farces from the renowned comedy writer, with casts including Judi Dench, Michael Williams, Joan Hickson, Alex Jennings and Penelope Wilton 
 
In the 1920s and ’30s, Ben Travers proved himself a master of comic confusion with his hugely successful Aldwych farces. Featuring battle-axe mothers-in-law, beleaguered wives, henpecked husbands and a host of humorous misunderstandings, they wowed West End audiences and were frequently adapted for film and TV. Four of the funniest are included here – A Cuckoo in the Nest, Rookery Nook, Plunder and Turkey Time – along with the award-winning radio productions of The Dippers and Mischief. 
 
The Dippers – How does a meek, middle-aged solicitor end up demonstrating a new dance at a prestigious ball? And what will his wife do when she catches him in the bedroom of a lovely young dancer? Michael Williams and Judi Dench star in this sparkling drama, winner of the 1989 Sony Award for Best Dramatisation. 
 
A Cuckoo in the Nest – Mrs Stokes, landlady of the Stag and Hunt, will brook no hanky-panky with unmarrieds – but with only one room available, she unknowingly forces an innocent couple into a bed of shameful sin. Starring Joan Hickson, Ian Lavender and Phoebe Nicholls. 
 
Rookery Nook – Newlywed Gerald Popkiss motors to Chumpton for his honeymoon – but with his wife called away to nurse her mother, he finds himself alone in Rookery Nook. That is, until a pretty, pyjama-clad girl suddenly turns up in the middle of the night… Ian Lavender, Brett Usher and Anne Jameson star in Travers’ most famous farce. 
 
Mischief – When stodgy middle-aged banker Reggy marries Elly, a bright young thing half his age, the scene is set for mischief, misadventures, mistaken identities and marital mayhem. Starring Freddie Jones, Melinda Walker and Penelope Wilton, this effervescent comedy won the 1987 Sony Award for Best Drama. 
 
Plunder – Gentleman burglar Freddy Malone boasts that he lives by plunder. But blunder is more to the point, as his old schoolfriend D’Arcy Tuck discovers after he collaborates in a jewel theft that goes horribly wrong. Starring Gillian Lewis, Henry McGee, Alan Curtis and Richard Scott. 
 
Turkey Time – It’s Christmas Eve, and the Stoatts have invited family and friends to stay at Cobblers for the holidays. But the festivities turn farcical with the arrival of a stranded showgirl and her furious landlady… Alex Jennings, Elizabeth Spriggs and Teresa Gallagher star in this cheery, Christmassy romp. 
 
NB: Please note that Plunder is a vintage production from 1965, which is reflected in the sound quality. 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ben Travers: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Six Full-Cast Comedy Productions including A Cuckoo in the Nest, Rookery Nook & other farces

Michael Payne

Debbie Cook

Dennis Ashton

Stephen Mulrine

Sarah Maxwell

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

High Fantastical

Five Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Jason Hazeley

Simon Evans

David Tyler

Frank Skinner hosts series 4 of the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling 
 
Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own... and more... So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you! 
 
In episode one, Frank & guests Sunil Patel, Angela Barnes, Anna Thomas & Marcus Brigstocke look at shiny fish, sexy horses and where Sir Walter Raleigh should have put his potato. 
 
In episode two, Frank & guests Rajiv Karia, Scott Bennett, Bella Hull & Laura Smyth learn about fat necks, ice sculptures and the most fun you can have whilst sweating in a boiler suit. Clue - it doesn’t involve lizards! 
 
In the third episode, Frank & guests Ian Smith, Rachel Fairburn, Lucy Porter & Christopher Macarthur-Boyd chat about cats, logs, dinosaur sex and the difference between gravitational mass and inertial mass. Fun abounds! 
 
In episode four, Frank & guests Dee Allum, Pierre Novellie, Zoe Lyons & Hasan Al-Habib discuss the tactics of Genghis Khan, the ethics of mousetraps and the morals of forgetting to wear trousers. Also, trampolining 
 
Episode five, and Frank & guests Simon Evans, Ed Byrne, Jenny Eclair and Reverend Kate Bottley look in depth at ear-nibbling, in shallow at Dan Brown and discover what’s taken the Spanish 144 years to finish 
 
And in the final episode, Frank & guests Jo Caulfield, Lily Phillips, Simon Evans & John Tothill review a wide range of meatballs, perfumes, Presidential spouses and people called Heathcliff 
 
 
Production credits 
Hosted by Frank Skinner 
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simons Evans with the producer David Tyler 
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche 
 
A Pozzitive production for the BBC 
 
(C)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

One Person Found This Helpful: Series 4

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Panel Game

Luigi Pirandello

A selection of plays by the award-winning Italian playwright – Luigi Pirandello 
 
Luigi Pirandello was an Italian playwright, novelist, and short-story writer, winner of the 1934 Nobel Prize for Literature. This collection features a selection of his most renowned plays. 
 
Six Characters in Search of an Author - The 1921 play about the nature of theatre and the problems of theatricality, in which six characters, whose author has abandoned them mid-process, turn up at a rehearsal and demand to be played by the actors present in order to resolve their tragedy and become 'real'. 
 
The Rules of the Game - A town in Italy, 1919: Leone and Silia, man and wife, live apart, and Guido is Silia's lover. There is an uncanny lack of jealousy on Leone's part, for he seems a man without any emotional cares whatever: to him it is all a game. It can still be a dangerous game.... 
 
Henry IV - A madman is shut up in a villa in Italy following an accident at a carnival. Twenty years later his friends come to visit him. Is he still mad, or is he sane? What is madness? What is sanity? 
 
'First Night' - A short storyThe phenomenal casts in these productions include: Juliette Binoche, Maurice Denham, Cherie Lunghi, Charles Grey, Oliver Ford Davies, Ben Daniels, Martin Jarvis and Mary Wimbush.

Six Characters in Search of an Author & other plays

Three Full-Cast BBC Radio Productions

Mike Leigh

Brenda Blethyn, Lesley Manville and Phil Davis star in this special Mike Leigh collection, featuring the iconic hit Abigail’s Party and a banned play from the BBC archives 
 
One of Britain's most prolific and influential writers, Mike Leigh has directed some of the best British films of the last 50 years, including Life is Sweet, Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake. He has written a plethora of plays for the BBC, among them the bleakly comic drama Abigail’s Party and the sharply observed Too Much of a Good Thing. Both plays feature here, along with a fascinating interview with Leigh, in which he explains his creative process and shares stories from his life. 
 
Abigail’s Party – Set in 1977, this dark comedy of manners revolves around Beverley, a suburban housewife attempting to throw a cocktail party. She’s invited all the neighbours, and the drinks are flowing freely – but as her guests loosen up, things start to become somewhat fraught… Brenda Blethyn stars as Beverley in this 1986 World Service adaptation of Mike Leigh’s caustic satire on middle-class respectability. 
 
Too Much of a Good Thing – Initially censored by Radio 3 for its sexual explicitness, this 1979 drama, specially written for radio and recorded on location in London, sees a driving instructor and his pupil tentatively embarking on an affair. Graham woos Pamela with trips to the Berni Inn and the local boating lake, but what will happen when she finally succumb to his advances? Starring Lesley Manville and Phil Davis. 
 
Calling the Shots: Mike Leigh – In this absorbing Radio 5 profile, the filmmaker and sometime dramatist tells us about his main aims: to depict real life and make his audience laugh and cry. We hear about his childhood passion fo rthe pictures, his early TV plays Hard Labour and Nuts in May, how he came to conceive Abigail’s Party, and his breakthrough pieces Grown-Ups and Meantime. 
 
NB: Contains scenes of a sexual nature 
 
Production credits 
Written by Mike Leigh 
All rights reserved 
 
Abigail’s Party 
Beverly Moss – Brenda Blethyn 
Laurence Moss – Tim Stern 
Tony Cooper – John Salthouse 
Angela Cooper – Teresa Streatfield 
Susan Lawson – Thelma Whitely 
 
Directed by David Hitchinson 
Technical presentation: Graham Harper 
First broadcast BBC World Service, 2 March 1986 
 
Too Much of a Good Thing 
Mr Payne – Eric Allan 
Pamela – Lesley Manville 
Graham – Philip Davis 
 
Produced by Liane Aukin 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14 July 1992 
 
Calling the Shots 
With Mike Leigh 
Compiled by Paul Wells 
Produced by Ann Hines 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 23 July 1991 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 2026

Abigail’s Party & Too Much of a Good Thing

Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama Productions

David Beaty

David Beaty’s renowned RAF inspired mystery thrillers dramatised by the BBC 
 
In this collection, we have four captivating mystery thriller radio plays from renowned author - David Beaty. 
 
The Magic Carpet - By 1930, two rival airships, the R100 and the R101, were built to link the British Empire by airship. The R100 was on its voyage to Montreal, while the R101 faced numerous problems before its journey to India. Cast includes Conrad Phillips as the narrator, Esmond Rideout, Phillip Manikum, Hubert Rees, and John Hartoch. 
 
The Temple Tree - A story of East and West, of ruined cities and jet aircraft, civilization, and the jungle. James Hannaker is set a puzzle on the beautiful island of Ceylon. Cast includes Michael Spice, Kate Binchy, Saeed Jaffrey, and Zohra Segal. 
 
The Master of Victor Kilo - The story of a flight from London to Bermuda. Cast includes Duncan Carse as the narrator, Catherine Dolan, Andrew Sachs, and Edward Chapman. 
 
Cone of Silence - This play deals with the early, dangerous days of a new jet airliner. Cast includes Norman Wooland, Beverley Dunn, David Peel, Bruce Stewart, and Marius Goring.

David Beaty: Cone of Silence, The Temple Tree and more

Four Full-Cast BBC Vintage Dramatisations

Rex Rienits

A vintage eight-part radio serial based on the true story of the infamous outlaw and his Kelly gang 
 
Ned Kelly’s name has gone down in history as Australia’s greatest folk hero. A legendary bushranger and bank robber, he is lauded by many as a Robin Hood-style rebel – and reviled by others as a cold-blooded killer. This thrilling 1963 serial by The Flying Doctor writer Rex Rienits charts his chequered career, from his first hold-up to his dramatic last stand. 
 
1870, and on a lonely road near the township of Greta, 16-year-old Ned Kelly is learning the bandit’s trade from a newly released convict. But he soon comes to the attention of the police, and after three stints behind bars, he knows they won’t let him go straight. A fateful decision to go into the horse-stealing business sees him forced to go on the run, and soon, the Kelly gang are at all-out war with the law. 
 
When he kills three policemen, Ned signs four death warrants. Proclaimed outlaws, the gang know they could be shot down like mad dogs at any time – and in June 1880, following a string of daring bank heists, it becomes clear that their days are numbered. Encased in bulletproof armour made from ploughshares, they hunker down in the remote settlement of Glenrowan to await the final, ferocious showdown… Lewis Fiander stars as Ned Kelly, with Alister Smart, Lew Luton and Mark Kelly as the other gang members and Wilfrid Thomas as the narrator. 
 
With thanks to Keith Wickham of the Radio Circle for supplying the audio recordings. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Rex Rienits 
Produced by Vernon Harris 
 
Featuring: Wilfrid Thomas, Lewis Fiander, Harry Towb, John Tate, Duncan McIntyre, David Nettheim, Shirley Cameron, John Cazabon, Ed Devereaux, Robert Hewitt, Brian Dent, Morton Smith, Don Mason, John Parker, Sean Scully, Mark Kelly, David Eadie, Kevin Manser, Trader Faulkner, Jack Cunningham, Alister Smart, Lew Luton, Humphrey Morton, Michael Collins, Margaret Roberts, Maurice Travers, Patricia Dallas, Philip Leaver, Russell Napier, Rosemary Miller, David Futcher, Daphne Rogers, Brian Anderson, J. Mark Roberts, Moya O’Sullivan, Ronald Chudley, Bruce Wightwan, Laurel Mather, Ella Milne 
 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 18 Jun-6 Aug 1963 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Last Outlaw: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Historical Drama

The story of the notorious Ned Kelly

R C Sherriff

A diverse selection of dramas by award-winning writer RC SherriffPlaywright and screenwriter RC Sherriff was best known for his anti-war classic Journey’s End, based on his own experiences of serving on the Western Front. He was a co-writer on several successful screenplays, including The Invisible Man and The Dam Busters, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on Goodbye, Mr Chips. Beginning with Journey’s End, this varied collection features six of his acclaimed plays, ranging from a ghost story to a tale of the last days of Roman Britain.Journey’s End – March, 1918. Fresh from school, 18-year-old officer Raleigh is posted to the besieged company of his old schoolfriend and hero Captain Stanhope. Hunkered down in a dugout on the British front line, he must face the reality of war and the tension and strain of life in the trenches. Journey’s End was first staged in 1928, starring Laurence Olivier, and the 2007 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Martin Jarvis stars in this vintage radio production from 1970.The White Carnation – It’s Christmas Eve, 1951, and stockbroker John Greenwood and his wife are hosting their annual party. But as midnight strikes and he bids farewell to his guests, the door slams, locking him out of the house. Breaking back in, he finds that all the furniture has disappeared, and his wife has gone – and things are about to get even stranger… Starring Philip Voss, this supernatural comedy-drama tells the moving tale of a man given a second chance to do things differently.St Helena – In December 1815, the British imprisoned Napoleon on St Helena. Tracing the long slow decline of the caged tiger until his death in May 1821, Sheriff’s 1936 play, co-written with actress Jeanne de Casalis, is based on the diaries and accounts of those on the island at the time of the exiled Emperor’s captivity. Lee Montague stars as Napoleon in this 1972 historical drama.A Shred of Evidence – Richard Medway drinks a little too much at a rugby club reunion dinner, but still drives home afterwards. The next morning, he hears that a cyclist has been killed by a hit-and-run driver. Could he be responsible for the man’s death? Set in 1950s Surrey, this tense tale of guilt, blackmail and suspense stars Denys Hawthorne.Home at Seven – Bank clerk David Preston returns home at his usual time, only to discover he is actually 24 hours late. With no recollection of his missing day, he is stunned to find himself implicated in robbery and murder... A thrilling mystery starring the legendary Sir Ralph Richardson.The Long Sunset – The Roman Empire is crumbling, the occupation of Britain is at an end, the Legions are leaving – and the surviving Romans are alone and unprotected. This moving drama, starring Stephen Murray and Pauline Letts, follows the fate of one such Roman family, from their attempts to fight off the invading Saxons, to their final conversion to Christianity.Production creditsWritten by RC SheriffContents Journey’s EndThe White CarnationSt HelenaA Shred of EvidenceHome at SevenThe Long Sunset© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Journey’s End, The White Carnation & more

Six Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

Sanjeev Bhaskar

Dave Lamb

Various

Set in a fictional newsroom full of hilarious personalities, this spoof series takes a satirical look at the news. 
 
This topical news spoof show, The Way It Is, ran for five series on BBC Radio 4 between 1998 and 2001. Presented by fictional newsreaders Richard Richard (Simon Evans) and Lolly Swain (Tracy-Ann Oberman/Fiona Allen), listen to a cast of hilarious characters, including the hapless on-the-spot reporter James Gravadlax, who resorts to claiming there are 'scenes of terrible devastation' wherever he happens to be; royal watcher Quentin Rumpleteazer, who is fixated on Prince William; Jackie Trent, who is always posted outside 10 Downing Street no matter where the real story is; Finnish correspondent Pauli Hikillo, who invariably replies to any question about the latest trends in Finland by shivering and saying how cold it is there; mad scientist Dr Benjamin Hardstaff, who solves all problems using his trusty Sinclair ZX81 computer; and many more.

The Way It Is: The Complete BBC Radio 4 Comedy Series

Every episode of the spoof news show

Alexander Armstrong

Ben Miller

David Mitchell

Robert Webb

Two BBC radio series by the hilarious comedy duo Armstrong and Miller 
 
Sketches, songs, spoofs and memorable moments from beloved comedy double act, Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller. Hear the radio shows that inspired the duo’s hit TV sketch shows and introduced characters from the podcast Timeghost. 
 
Armstrong & Miller is packed with sketches and songs from the radio show that launched their careers and turned them into household names. Meet tough-guy cops 'Parsons and Lampkin' (and Lampkin’s mate Steve), there’s an insider’s view of National Trousers Day – ‘because involvement should be as easy as a walk to the wardrobe’ and other highlights including macho rock climbers, and the corrupt world of mountaineering. There’s a track from rock legends Strijka, and you can also hear how Logarythm – the world’s most successful school band – got together. It’s a show that will have you laughing from start to finish. 
 
In Armstrong & Miller: Children’s Hour, pompous critics and culture journalists Martin Bain-Jones (Armstrong) and Craig Children (Miller), present a frightfully clever culture show with a wry look at the fringes of popular music. They’re hip, they’re happening – so they say – and in these four episodes they discuss Boy Bands (Peter Andre would be in a band if he had any mates), Middle of the Road (those bland or unchallenging songs), as well as Brit Pop and Solo Artists. This laugh out loud cultural critique wrapped up in a spoof children’s show aimed squarely at adults and is co-written by David Mitchell and Robert Webb. 
 
 
 
Cast and credits 
 
Armstrong and Miller: The Radio Series 
 
Written and presented by Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller 
 
Also starring Samuel West and Tony Gardener 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4th - 25th Mar 1998 
 
 
Armstrong and Miller: Children’s Hour 
 
Written by Alexander Armstrong, Ben Miller, Robert Webb and David Mitchell 
 
Also starring Luke Goss, Charlie Condou and Melissa Lloyd 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2nd - 30th Dec 1998 
 
©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Armstrong and Miller

The BBC Radio 4 Comedies

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

John Lloyd

The seventeenth series of the much-loved panel show, in which a cast of curious minds and comic voices donate extraordinary exhibits to an ever-expanding imaginary museum. 
 
Join Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and curator Anna Ptaszynski as they open the doors once again to a collection of the strange, the surprising and the delightfully unclassifiable. Across six episodes, a distinguished line-up of guests – including Miriam Margolyes, Chris McCausland, Rosie Holt, Carlo Rovelli, Dame Sarah Storey and Alfie Moore – present their chosen additions, sparking conversations that roam from science and history to culture, philosophy and the outright absurd. 
 
Among the proposed exhibits: a fruit fly that could save your life; a wonder of the ancient world alongside a relic of 1990s nostalgia; the never was, the may be, …and a jar of marmalade. Each donation opens a rich seam of insight and humour, as the panel explore life’s oddities with wit, intelligence and a sense of the unexpected. 
 
As ever, the Museum’s galleries are filled not with objects you can see, but ideas you won’t forget – brought to life by some of the most engaging voices in comedy, science and the arts. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by John Lloyd 
Curated by Anna Ptaszynski 
Exhibits catalogued by Mike Turner, Mandy Fenton and Lydia Mizon of QI 
Executive Producer: James Robinson 
Produced by Sam Holmes and Leying Lee 
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Nicholls 
Sound: David Thomas 
A BBC Studios production 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 February - 27 March 2023 
 
©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Museum of Curiosity: Series 17

The BBC Radio Comedy Panel Show

Sora & Haena!

Sparrow Xia

He marches to freedom - or to bloody war. The epic story of Spartacus, the gladiator slave who took on the might of Rome.

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