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

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Lenny Henry

William Shakespeare

Three BBC Radio programmes charting Sir Lenny Henry’s transformation from comic actor to tragic hero – including the complete full-cast production of Shakespeare’s OthelloLenny Henry used to hate Shakespeare. For over 35 years he avoided anything to do with the Bard – until, in 2006, he decided to find out just what the rest of the world saw in him. In this enthralling collection, we hear how Lenny’s late-flowering passion for the legendary playwright’s works set him on the path that led to his sell-out stage debut as Othello. Bringing together this behind-the-scenes journey with the final result, this collection culminates in Lenny’s standout performance in a dynamic full-cast radio production of Othello. Lenny and Will sees him going ‘in search of the magic of Shakespeare in performance’, starting at the recreated Globe Theatre. Talking to leading actors and directors including Adrian Lester, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Dominic Dromgoole and Patsy Rodenburg, he wonders why we put Shakespeare on a pedestal, and confesses to a newfound enthusiasm for his classic dramas. And, after reciting Othello’s last speech to Northern Broadside’s Barrie Rutter, he begins to wonder if he could take on the role for real...Lenny Henry Plays Othello takes up the story where Lenny and Will left off, continuing Lenny’s personal odyssey. Having been offered the chance of a lifetime by Barrie Rutter, he sets out on a long road of preparation. Listening to his audio diary, we hear his hopes and fears – and eavesdrop on everything from coaching sessions to boot fittings. From first rehearsals to curtain up, we follow his remarkable metamorphosis into Shakespeare’s betrayed Moorish general.Finally, in Lenny Henry in Othello, we hear Lenny’s acclaimed performance as the noble African commander whose mind is poisoned by the hate-filled Iago: a stunning achievement that won him the Evening Standard’s Outstanding Newcomer Award. Featuring the cast of the acclaimed West End production and with original music from Conrad Nelson, who also plays Iago, this mesmerising tale of love, jealousy, racism and desire will grip you from start to tragic finish. Cast and creditsLenny and WillPresented by Lenny HenryProduced by Simon ElmesWith Adrian Lester, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Barrie Rutter, Dominic Dromgoole and Patsy RodenburgFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 Mar 2006 and 23 Dec 2006Lenny Henry Plays OthelloProduced by Simon ElmesFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 Feb 2009Lenny Henry in OthelloIago – Conrad NelsonRoderigo – Matt ConnorBrabantio – Geoff LeesleyOthello – Lenny HenryCassio – Richard StandingDuke/Gratiano – David BeckfordSenator/Lodovico – Simon Holland RobertsDesdemona – Jessica HarrisMontano – Andy CryerEmilia – Sara PoyzerHerald/Gentleman – Chris PearseBianca – Victoria GeeWritten by William ShakespeareDirected by Barrie RutterProduced by David HunterMusic arranged by Conrad Nelson and performed by the castOriginal stage production created by Northern Broadsides and West Yorkshire Playhouse and staged in London by Sonia Friedman ProductionsFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 Feb 2010© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Sir Lenny Henry’s Journey to Othello

A BBC Radio Collection

Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen explores the strange art of acting, from classic techniques to Method madnessFrom Tony Blair and David Frost to Aziraphale and Hamlet, Michael Sheen has taken on a host of iconic roles, inhabiting each one with complete conviction. But – whether he’s transforming himself into real figures or bringing fictional ones to life – how does he go about immersing himself in his characters? The answer lies in an obscure Russian theatre technique that has evolved to become a central plank of modern-day acting training.In this three-part series, Michael explores Stanislavski’s ‘System’, beginning in 1906, when a bad performance inspired Constantin Stanislavski to develop a revolutionary new process for actors to create authentic, naturalistic characters. He goes on to examine how this formula got lost in translation; how it was interpreted in radically different ways by famed acting teachers Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler; and how it morphed into the famous modus operandi popularised by Hollywood’s elite: ‘The Method’.Speaking to experienced stars including Adrian Lester and Anne-Marie Duff, he analyses their approaches to their craft, and delves into the off-stage drama of drama schools. He also chats to up-and-coming actors Mia McKenna-Bruce and Brandon Grace, discussing their non-traditional routes into the profession and the challenges faced by vulnerable young performers today. And, as he considers the fragile boundaries between actors and the parts they play, he muses on the flip side of getting into character – getting out of character – and reflects on how his many roles have stayed with him, shaping and changing him to make him the actor he is today.Production creditsPresented by Michael SheenProduced by Alice McKee for BBC AudioWith Isaac Butler; Tom McClane, Adrian Lester, Simon McBurney, Patsy Rodenburg, Anne-Marie Duff, Michael Goldfarb, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Brandon Grace, Lou Platt and David ThackerayFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14-28 May 2024

Michael Sheen Gets Into Character

A BBC Radio 4 Series

Nick Hancock

Nick Hancock finds out what people, places and pop songs his celebrity guests would consign to oblivion 
 
Room 101 is the anti-Desert Island Discs. Instead of picking the tracks, books and luxuries they love, guests are invited to banish their least favourite things to Orwell's eponymous chamber of horrors. Twenty-seven episodes of the show were broadcast on Radio 5 between 1992 and 1994, and it went on to run for 18 hit series on BBC TV before relaunching on Radio 4 in 2023. 
 
This specially-curated collection contains 16 of the very best editions of the original radio series. Included are the first ever show, in which Paul Merton reveals his aversion to Northanger Abbey, the city of Edinburgh and Kenneth More's laugh, and the final one from 1994, which sees Andy Hamilton hoping to rid the world of Look Back in Anger, 'Long Haired Lover from Liverpool' and Field of Dreams. 
 
Among the other famous names discussing their bugbears and bête noires are Helen Lederer, Trevor and Simon, Caroline Quentin, Tony Hawks, Kevin Day, Maria McErlane and Mark Lamarr. Weighing up their arguments (and adding a few prejudices of his own) is host Nick Hancock, who has the final say on what stays and what goes. 
 
Will he let Arthur Smith put Barbara Cartland into Room 101? What has Jenny Eclair got against 'My Little Pony' videos? Why does Ian Hislop detest 'We Are The Champions'? And why does Steve Punt think Platform 5 at East Croydon station is the worst place in the world? All will be revealed in these bright and breezy shows, as some of our favourite celebrities share their peeves, pet hates and personal stories. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Nick Hancock 
Produced by Lissa Evans and Phil Clark 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 on the following dates: 
 
Paul Merton 9 January 1992 
Jenny Eclair 16 January 1992 
Arthur Smith 30 January 1992 
Steve Punt 6 February 1992 
Ian Hislop 14 August 1992 
John Walters 4 September 1992 
Helen Lederer 11 September 1992 
Donna McPhail 2 October 1992 
Trevor Neal and Simon Hickson 3 September 1993 
Caroline Quentin 10 September 1993 
Tony Hawks 17 September 1993 
Kevin Day 15 October 1993 
Maria McErlane 22 October 1993 
Mark Lamarr 29 October 1993 
Nick Revell 27 February 1994 
Andy Hamilton 25 March 1994 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Room 101

Highlights from the Classic BBC Radio 5 Comedy Series

John Sergeant

Greg Dyke

Gyles Brandreth

Jennie Bond

Roy Hattersley

Adam Hart-Davis

Antony Worrall-Thompson

Esther Rantzen

Janet Street-Porter

Lorraine Kelly

Edwina Currie

Alan Carr

Sue Perkins

Lucy Porter

Robin Ince

The comedy panel game where all the questions are about the guest host 
 
Welcome to The Personality Test, the panel show in which a brand new host takes the chair for every episode to present a quiz entirely themed around themselves. Each gets to run the show by their own rules, devising topics and queries based on their life, whims, fancies and past glories. Among the showbiz celebrities in the hot seat are Gyles Brandreth, Jennie Bond, Antony Worrall Thompson, Esther Rantzen, Janet Street-Porter and Edwina Currie, while the rounds include Love It Or Hate It, True or False, That Special Day and Life's a Pitch. 
 
Is John Sergeant a fan of Julia Roberts? Would Greg Dyke give Radio 4 just a minute, or leave it on a desert island? And does Claire Rayner have a penchant for jelly babies? Having spent a week swotting up on their host, the contestants must tackle these questions and more, as they do their best to amuse, entertain, charm, flatter - and occasionally, flirt outrageously - in a bid to chalk up the points and win the game. Battling it out are regular panellists and comedy heavyweights Alan Carr, Sue Perkins, Robert Ince, Lucy Porter, Will Smith and Carrie Quinlan. 
 
Intriguing and challenging, riotous and revealing, this unique panel show shines a fascinating spotlight on the interests and enthusiasms of your favourite personalities - and keeps you laughing along the way. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Richard Turner, Simon Littlefield and Kieron Quirke 
Devised and produced by Aled Evans 
 
Series 1 presented by: John Sergeant, Greg Dyke, Gyles Brandreth and Jennie Bond 
With Sue Perkins, Alan Carr, Lucy Porter, Will Smith, Robin Ince and Natalie Haynes 
 
Series 2 presented by: Roy Hattersley, Rick Wakeman, Adam Hart-Davis, Antony Worrall Thompson, Claire Rayner and Esther Rantzen 
With Sue Perkins, Lucy Porter, Robin Ince, Mark Dolan and Will Smith 
 
Series 3 presented by: Janet Street-Porter, Lorraine Kelly, Andrew Neill, Edwina Currie, Toyah Willcox and Eve Pollard 
With Sue Perkins, Will Smith, Nick Doody, Lucy Porter, Robin Ince, Carrie Quinlan and Dan Tetsell 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 July-2 August 2006 (Series 1), 7 December 2006-11 January 2007 (Series 2), 5 July-9 August 2007 (Series 3) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The Personality Test

The complete BBC Radio 4 comedy quiz series

Mark Thomas

Free-thinking funnyman Mark Thomas creates a People's Manifesto, aided by his live studio audience 
 
'Funny, knowing and tongue-in-cheek... sardonic, furious-paced wit' The Guardian 
 
Comedian, activist and 'libertarian anarchist' Mark Thomas believes that, as a nation, we are drifting - economically, politically and socially. Where, he asks, are the big ideas, theories and visions that will help our country in its hour of need? Tired of the status quo, he sets out to change the world by compiling a People's Manifesto, gathering policy suggestions from his studio audience and getting them to vote for the best. 
 
Their blue-sky proposals range from the serious (limit and regulate payday loan companies; force all politicians to use public transport, the NHS, and send their kids to state schools) to the hilarious (mandating that all restaurants should only serve starters; colour-coding society so you can see at a glance who's single and looking). 
 
Other ideas up for the vote include legalising recreational drugs for senior citizens ('Deals on Wheels'); introducing a maximum wage; and reinstating 'Saint Monday' - the ancient tradition of taking Mondays off. Also on the agenda are crushing the cars of anyone illegally parked in a disabled space; declaring any war that lasts more than five years a draw; having a 'none of the above' option on voting cards; and enforcing rustle-free zones in cinemas (policed by 'cinema ninjas'.) 
 
Inspired, Mark decides to pursue one of his favourite propositions - that he should invade Jersey - and heads to Glasgow to consider a kick-starter to buy Scotland out of the Union... But which of the Great British Public's policies will make the final cut? Listen and find out... 
 
Also included is a bonus accompanying PDF of the full People's Manifesto, as voted for by the audience of Mark Thomas: The Manifesto. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Mark Thomas 
Produced by Ed Morrish (Series 1 and 2) and Colin Anderson (Series 3-5) 
Researcher: Susan McNicholas (Series 5) 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 June-2 July 2009 (Series 1), 4 February-25 February 2010 (Series 2), 6 January-27 January 2011 (Series 3), 8 February-29 February 2012 (Series 4), 4 April-9 May 2013 (Series 5) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The People’s Manifesto

The complete BBC Radio 4 comedy series

Martin Young

The buzzworthy 'famous people' quiz about noteworthy and notorious figures from fact and fiction 
 
Who Goes There? is the classic stardom panel quiz chaired by Martin Young. Proving that it's not what you know but who you know, each breezy episode features two celebrity teams battling to answer questions on famous figures from history, fiction, sport, and the gossip pages. Martin Young challenges the teams with hilarious and unusual archive clips, tests them on bizarre stage names and aliases, and reads out surprising CVs to have the panel guess the famous name at the top. 
 
Enjoying scandalous quotations, unconventional career highlights, and even a 'fleeting fame' round (in which panellists are challenged to remember when a certain person was all everyone talked about), Who Goes There? welcomes in anyone from Julius Caesar to Juliet Capulet to Julia Roberts. If you've made a name for yourself, you could be a question! 
 
A lively, fun show featuring sparkling and sharp-witted guest panellists, including Claire Rayner, Joan Bakewell, Francis Wheen, Carmen Callil, Gyles Brandreth, Annabel Giles, Sheridan Morley, Jonathan Meades, David Aaronovitch, Lynne Truss, and many, many more. Perfect for testing exactly which names to drop... 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
27 November 2005 - 8 January 2006 (Series 1) 
9 June - 24 July 1998 (Series 2) 
5 January - 9 February 2000 (Series 3) 
25 October - 29 November 2000 (Series 4) 
20 February - 27 March 2002 (Series 5) 
9 October - 13 November 2002 (Series 6) 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Martin Young 
Written and compiled by Nick Hildred and Hugh Rycroft 
Produced by Aled Evans and Elizabeth Freestone 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Who Goes There?

Selected episodes from the classic BBC Radio 4 quiz show

Various

The tag-team interview show where the celebrity guest becomes the interviewer 
 
A complete collection of the talk show with a twist - the guest each week becomes the interviewer in the following episode. Focusing on the career and passions of a figure in the entertainment world whose work they admire, each interviewer gets to delve into the life of their hero as well as revealing hidden aspects of themselves. 
 
Featuring great British comedians, award-winning actors, and iconic musicians and writers, Chain Reaction serves you double helpings of amazing individuals like Johnny Vegas, Barry Cryer, Lenny Henry, David Tennant, Eddie Izzard, Lee Mack, Ruby Wax, Stephen Merchant, Caitlin Moran, Frankie Boyle, Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves, Olivia Colman, Katherine Ryan, Ian Hislop, Victoria Coren-Mitchell, Joe Lycett, Sara Pascoe, Tim Vine, and many, many more. 
 
Production credits 
Produced by Tilusha Ghelani, Sam Bryant, Lianne Coop, Ed Morrish, Carl Cooper, Charlie Perkins, Richard Morris and Adnan Ahmed 
 
With: Jenny Eclair, Jimmy Carr, Matt Lucas, Johnny Vegas, Stewart Lee, Alan Moore, Brian Eno, Jo Brand, Barry Cryer, Mark Thomas, Alexei Sayle, Lenny Henry, Bill Bailey, Simon Pegg, Marcus Brigstocke, Clive Anderson, John Lloyd, Phill Jupitus, John Hegley, Jack Dee, Jeremy Hardy, Catherine Tate, David Tennant, Richard Wilson, Arabella Weir, Paul Whitehouse, Robert Llewellyn, Dave Gorman, Frank Skinner, Eddie Izzard, Alastair Campbell, Alistair McGowan, Simon Callow, Ronni Ancona, Lee Mack, Ade Edmondson, Ruby Wax, Harry Shearer, Stephen Merchant, Jarvis Cocker, Rhys Thomas, Simon Day, Peter Hook, John Cooper Clarke, Kevin Eldon, Mark Steel, Barry Davies, Jeremy Front, Rebecca Front, Chris Addison, Derren Brown, Tim Minchin, Caitlin Moran, Jennifer Saunders, Terry Christian, Kevin Bridges, Frankie Boyle, Grant Morrison, Neil Innes, Graham Linehan, Adam Buxton, Reece Shearsmith, Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves, Olivia Colman, Sharon Horgan, Dennis Kelly, Ed Byrne, Al Murray, Ian Hislop, Victoria Coren-Mitchell, Sandi Toksvig, Roy Hudd, Alison Steadman, Sara Cox, Joe Lycett, Katherine Ryan, Sara Pascoe, Harry Hill, Tim Vine, Ken Dodd 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 30 December 2004 - 27 March 2017 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Chain Reaction

The Complete BBC Radio 4 Hostless Chat Show

Anthony Hinds

Dracula travels to 1930s India in this celebrated unproduced Hammer Horror script, directed by Mark Gatiss 
 
The annals of movie history are full of lost treasures - spectacular scripts from world-renowned writers that could have been classics, had they only been made. Now, for the first time, some of these forgotten gems have been brought to life, fully realised as vivid, cinematic radio productions. Scripted by major 20th Century writers, including Harold Pinter, Arthur Miller, Alfred Hitchcock and Dennis Potter, they star a host of A-list actors and feature richly evocative, atmospheric soundtracks. 
 
In The Unquenchable Thirst of Dracula, one of seven 'unmade movies' available on audio, it is 1934, and young Englishwoman Penny is travelling by train across India in search of her missing sister. En route, she meets sibling artistes Prem and Lakshmi, who have been hired by a Maharajah and his wife, the Rani, to entertain their aristocratic European guest. But evil lurks in the hidden caverns beneath the ancient palace, where the acolytes of a fiendish blood cult await their next human sacrifice... 
 
The intended follow-up to Scars of Dracula, this exotic, blood-drenched tale was nearly filmed on location in India in the early '70s, but financing problems meant it was dropped in favour of Dracula, AD 1972. Rescued from Hammer's vaults, it has been resurrected by Mark Gatiss, and is the first new Hammer Horror Dracula production in 43 years. It stars Anna Madeley (All Creatures Great and Small) as Penny, with Nikesh Patel (Indian Summers) as Prem, Ayesha Dharker (The Indian Doctor) as Lakshmi and Meera Syal (Goodness Gracious Me) as the Rani. Lewis MacLeod (Dead Ringers) channels Christopher Lee as the iconic Count, and Michael Sheen (Staged) narrates. Get ready for a terrifying, edge-of-your-seat encounter as the Prince of Darkness rises from his grave once more... 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Anthony Hinds 
Directed by Mark Gatiss 
Produced by Laurence Bowen and Peter Ettedgui 
Original music by Blair Mowat 
Sound design: Wilfredo Acosta 
A Dancing Ledge production for BBC Radio 4 
 
Cast 
Narrator - Michael Sheen 
Penny - Anna Madeley 
Prem - Nikesh Patel 
Lakshmi - Ayesha Dharker 
Babu - Kulvinder Ghir 
The Rani/Mrs Mukherjee - Meera Syal 
Count Dracula - Lewis MacLeod 
Maharajah/Inspector - Raj Ghatak 
Lucy - Natalie Kimmerling 
Evil Face - Sagar Arya 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 October 2017 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Unmade Movies: Hammer Horror's The Unquenchable Thirst of Dracula

A BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the unproduced screenplay

For over half a century, Alistair Cooke entertained millions of listeners across the globe with his weekly BBC radio programme 'Letter from America'. An outstanding observer of the American scene, he became one of the world's best-loved broadcasters and had the distinction of presenting the longest running one-man show in radio history. 
 
Following the sad death of Alistair Cooke after 58 years in broadcasting, this impressive collection features all three volumes of Letters from America - The Early Years: 1946-1968, The Middle Years: The 1970s and The Final Years: 1982-2003. The political and social landmarks of the last 50 years are reported on and examined in Cooke's uniquely wise style. Also included is Alistair Cooke at the BBC, a selection of archive recordings, including radio and television interviews, in a fascinating in-depth look at the career of the veteran journalist. 
 
Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Letter From America Collection

Joan Bakewell

Humphrey Carpenter

Francine Stock

Matthew Parris

Well-known personalities pick their favourite entertainers for BBC Radio 4's Great Lives 
 
One of the BBC's most acclaimed programmes, Great Lives has been a regular Radio 4 fixture for 20 years, presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and Matthew Parris. Every week, a famous name is invited into the studio to nominate a figure from the past who has inspired them, and discuss their subject with the presenter and a guest expert. 
 
Included in this special collection, marking the programme's 20th anniversary, are the very best episodes featuring the lives of entertainers - artists, comedians, clowns, magicians, sporting heroes and stars of stage and screen. Among them, Julian Clary champions Noël Coward, Anthony Horowitz advocates Alfred Hitchcock, Penelope Keith puts forward Morecambe and Wise and David Bailey plumps for Pablo Picasso. Here, the lives of the celebrity guests are as intriguing as those of the people they pick: as is also the case with Alan Davies on Richard Beckinsale, Mica Paris on Josephine Baker, Ken Dodd on Stan Laurel, Mark Gatiss on Peter Cushing and many, many others. 
 
From Simon Callow on Orson Welles, to Fiona Shaw on Eleonora Duse, these engaging episodes put some of the world's best-known entertainers under the spotlight, examining their achievements and probing their personalities to find out what made them so inspiring, influential and extraordinary. 
 
 
List of episode and date of first broadcast on BBC Radio 4: 
 Umm Kulthum 22.11.02 
 Tommy Cooper 14.11.03 
 Charles M Schulz 15.4.05 
 Mae West 7.10.05 
 Morecambe &amp; Wise 4.4.06 
 Noël Coward 18.4.06 
 Johnny Weissmuller 9.5.06 
 Tamara Karsavina 23.5.06 
 Max Miller 15.8.06 
 Joan Littlewood 5.1.07 
 Richard Beckinsale 9.1.07 
 Lilian Baylis 7.8.07 
 Thora Hird 11.12.07 
 Groucho Marx 15.1.08 
 Peter Cushing 1.4.08 
 Joyce Grenfell 20.5.08 
 Richard Pryor 12.8.08 
 Harry Houdini 22.9.09 
 Gerald Durrell 27.9.11 
 Stan Laurel 4.9.12 
 Pablo Picasso 19.01.10 
 John Ford 08.05.12 
 Karel Reisz 11.09.12 
 Dave Allen 14.01.14 
 Lucille Ball 30.09.14 
 Alfred Hitchcock 05.04.16 
 Joseph Grimwaldi 31.05.16 
 Gracie Fields 02.08.16 
 Orson Welles 08.05.18 
 Josephine Baker 15.05.18 
 Eleonora Duse 10.09.19 
 
Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
Presented by Humphrey Carpenter and Matthew Parris 
Produced by John Byrne, Christine Hall, Beatrice Fenton, Perminder Khatkar, Miles Warde, Toby Field, Mary Ward-Lowery, Lucy Lunt, Jolyon Jenkins, Sarah Langan, Tim Dee, Maggie Ayre, Peter Everett, Mark Smalley, Camellia Sinclair, Beth O'Dea

Great Entertainers' Lives

A BBC biography collection

A collection of BBC radio shows presented by comedian and actor Lenny Henry. 
 
Stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, TV presenter: Lenny Henry is a multi-talented Renaissance man with a wide range of interests. But there are a few things (and people) he just doesn't get, despite their iconic status - and in What's So Great About...?, he explores them to find out what makes them so appealing. He questions the mystique surrounding Method Acting; discusses the benefits of Life Coaches with Phill Jupitus; hears about the joy of Maths from Carol Vorderman and asks Simon McBurney and Fiona Shaw to persuade him of the genius of Samuel Beckett. He also investigates the art of Jackson Pollock, meets stars from the world of Snooker to discover the lure of the cue and chats about Chaucer with Terry Jones. 
 
Lenny was once sceptical about Shakespeare too, but he's now a passionate convert. In Lenny Henry Plays Othello, we follow him as he embarks on his first straight stage role and first Shakespearean role, playing one of theatre's most tragic characters. From voice coaching to first night nerves, we eavesdrop on his journey from comedian to tragedian. 
 
In August Shines, inspired by his theatrical success in August Wilson's Fences, Lenny travels to Pittsburgh to tell the story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning African-American playwright. The city was also home to the bad-boy pop artist whose work Lenny explores in Andy Warhol: Time Regained. Visiting the Warhol Museum, he learns about the 'Time Capsules' - an artwork consisting of 300,000 eclectic objects assembled across the last 13 years of Warhol's life - and joins the audience for the unboxing of the mysterious Capsule 528... 
 
Finally, in the compelling 10-part series Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen, Lenny traces the long, painful road that black Britons have travelled on stage and screen, from the overt racial discrimination of the 19th Century, via the veiled slurs that persisted throughout the 20th, to today's more equal society. Talking to playwrights such as Kwame Kwei-Armah, and actors and directors including Carmen Munroe, Yvonne Brewster and Steve McQueen, he tells the story of black drama and the influential artists who have shaped it over the past century, and looks to the future to examine the prospects for young black British talent. 
 
Published by Penguin Random House Ltd 
Licensed by BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
MCPS 
Presented by Lenny Henry 
 
What's So Great About...? 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Ellen Burstyn, James Lipton, Phill Jupitus, Carol Vorderman, Celia Hoyles, Professor Brian Butterworth, Simon McBurney, Fiona Shaw, John Calder, James Knowlson, Brian Sewell, Julian Joseph, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Dennis Taylor, John Virgo, John Parrott, Terry Griffiths, Ardis Butterfield, Mike Poulton, Terry Jones 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 July 2008-11 June 2011 
 
Lenny Henry Plays Othello 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 February 2009 
 
August Shines 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Chris Rawson, Professor Larry Glasco, Kim Ellis, Jeff Folino, Sala Udin, Nelson Harrison 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 October 2014 
 
Andy Warhol: Time Regained 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Ben Harrison, Rick Armstrong, Tim Marlow, Erin Byrne, Benjamin Liu, Donald Warhola 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 September 2014 
 
Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen 
Presented by Lenny Henry 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
Series Consultant: Dr Michael Pearce 
Featuring: Bola Agbaje, Yvonne Brewster, Michael Buffong, Lolita Chakrabarti, Isaac Julien, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Mustapha Matura, Steve McQueen, Carmen Munroe, Horace Ové, Winsome Pinnock, Paulette Randall, Roy Williams 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9-20 November 2015

Lenny Henry's What's So Great About...?

And 4 other BBC documentaries

Lenny Henry presents this groundbreaking BBC radio series exploring a century of black British theatre, TV and film 
 
In this fascinating ten-part series, Lenny Henry traces the long and painful road that black Britons have travelled on stage and screen, from the overt racial discrimination of the 19th Century, via the thinly veiled slurs that persisted through the first 70 years of the 20th, to today's more equal society. 
 
Interviewing playwrights, actors, directors and filmmakers – including Mustapha Matura, Roy Williams, Lolita Chakrabarti, Michael Buffong, Horace Ové and Steve McQueen – he tells the story of black drama and the influential artists who have shaped it over the past hundred years. 
 
Beginning with the breakthrough arrival of Kwame Kwei-Armah's celebrated tragedy Elmina's Kitchen to the West End, he goes on to examine the evolving depiction of Afro-Caribbeans on TV from Love Thy Neighbour to Desmond’s; explores the complex stage history of Othello; focuses on how Caribbean migration has been reflected on stage and screen; and journeys back to the 1960s and 70s to explore the spirit of protest that welled up with the advent of the Black Power movement. 
 
In addition, he looks at the burgeoning black theatre companies of the 1970s and 80s; charts the breakthrough of a host of powerful new voices in the 90s; scrutinizes attitudes towards homosexuality; investigates the current blossoming of new theatrical voices with roots in Africa and concludes with a look at future prospects and opportunities for black British talent.

Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen

Victor Pemberton

Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen star in this classic audio adventure from 1976. The TARDIS's arrival, on a lonely stretch of beach at night, is closely followed by a slithering sound and a chilling roar. It marks the beginning of a terrifying adventure on present day Earth for the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. 
 
 The deadly Pescatons have arrived! Refugees from their own dying planet, these towering amphibians are led by the mighty Zor, whom the Doctor has encountered before. Soon the creatures have invaded London, wreaking death and destruction. The Doctor and Sarah must draw upon all their reserves of courage and ingenuity. 
 
 Doctor Who and the Pescatons is the original made-for-audio Doctor Who adventure, first released on vinyl LP in 1976. In an exclusive bonus interview, the late Elisabeth Sladen recalls her portrayal of the ever-popular Sarah Jane Smith, and what it was like to be part of the Doctor Who team in the 1970s.

Doctor Who And The Pescatons

4th Doctor Audio Original

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

Moira Buffini

A deliciously black satirical comedy about the dinner party from hell. 
 
The fastidious host, Paige, decides to throw a dinner party in honour of her husband Lars, who is celebrating the success of his pop psychology book, Beyond Belief. She carefully plans a surprise menu that will mark the occasion, and anxiously checks with the waiter she has employed to make sure that everything is perfectly prepared. Her lucky guests include a post-feminist vegetarian artist, a distinguished microbiologist, a TV journalist and an uninvited guest who ends up staying for dinner. But it soon becomes apparent that the meal may contain some rather nasty surprises… 
 
Moira Buffini's outrageous comedy Dinner started life in the National Theatre's Loft in 2002, and became her first West End smash. In this production, adapted by the writer for BBC Drama on 3, Harriet Walter returns to the role she created: Paige, the hostess and architect of an evening which her guests will never forget. Two other original leads, Nicholas Farrell and Penny Downie, and four new cast members join her in this viciously black chamber piece about appetite, which will make you think twice about ever accepting another invitation to dinner. 
 
Moira Buffini was nominated for an Olivier Award for Dinner in 2003, and won the Olivier in 2014 for her play Handbagged. 
 
Cast 
Paige……………………Harriet Walter 
Lars……………………Nicholas Farrell 
Wynne……………………Penny Downie 
Hal……………………Paul Bazely 
Sian……………………Pippa Bennett-Warner 
Mike……………………Peter McDonald 
Waiter……………………David Hounslow 
 
Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting

Dinner

A full-cast production of the acclaimed black comedy

BBC Radio Comedy

Brian Cox and Robin Ince present a witty, irreverent look at the world according to science. 
 
The Infinite Monkey Cage has become one of BBC Radio 4’s most popular science-based programmes. In each episode physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince delve into a particular field of science, with the help of guests from the worlds of science, academia and entertainment. 
 
These 25 episodes feature subjects ranging from music to Frankenstein, from particle physics to the science of sleep, and from astronauts to insects. Also included are the 2016 and 2017 Christmas Special episodes. 
 
Well-known guests featured in this collection include Dave Gorman, Phil Jupitus, Sara Pascoe, Ross Noble, Eric Idle, Noel Fielding, Katy Brand, Mark Gatiss and Dara O'Briain.

The Infinite Monkey Cage: The Complete Series 14-17

Charles Dickens

Captivating radio dramatisations of seven of Charles Dickens' most famous novels. 
 
Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned authors of all time, and this first digital volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes seven of his most popular novels. 
 
This collection includes the episodic adventure Nicholas Nickleby, comic tale The Pickwick Papers, poignant melodrama The Old Curiosity Shop and the much-loved Oliver Twist. Plus, there’s the gripping historical novel Barnaby Rudge, picaresque comedy Martin Chuzzlewit and bittersweet tale of family relationships Dombey and Son. 
 
With their compelling plots, larger-than-life characters and vivid descriptions of Victorian life, Dickens’ stories have captivated generations of readers. These radio adaptations bring out all the hope and happiness, pathos and tragedy, satire and social realism of his seven classic masterpieces. 
 
Among the star cast are Anna Massey, Alex Jennings, Phil Daniels, Julia McKenzie, Tim McInnerny and Robert Glenister. 
 
Track listing: 
1-6: The Pickwick Papers 
7-12: Oliver Twist 
13-42: Nicholas Nickleby 
43-67: The Old Curiosity Shop 
68-70: Barnaby Rudge 
71-80: Martin Chuzzlewit 
81-100: Dombey and Son

The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection: The Early Years

Seven BBC Radio full-cast dramatisations

Jeremy Hardy

Jeremy Hardy returns with a brand new series that not only seconds that emotion but explains it too. Yes, BBC Radio 4's most passionate polemicist returns to the airwaves with a new format which promises to be both personal and profound, and to present sides of Jeremy you won't have heard before. He may even sing. (He won't sing.) 
 
The News Quiz and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue regular, proud progenitor of ten series of Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, and winner of numerous awards and almost certainly the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, Jeremy is famous for lines like: 
 
"Kids should never be fashion slaves, especially in the Far East. My 12-year old daughter asked me for a new pair of trainers. I told her she was old enough to go out and make her own." 
 
and - 
 
"Islam is no weirder than Christianity. Both are just Judaism with the jokes taken out." 
 
His unique world view once lead him to be likened to "an incendiary vicar". Gillian Reynolds called him, "an idealist, a dissenter, a polemicist and moralist - he's a salutary reminder that jokes can, and should, be about big things." 
 
The show is produced by Jeremy's long-standing accomplice, David Tyler, whose radio credits include Cabin Pressure, John Finnemore’s Double Acts, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Marcus Brigstocke's The Brig Society, Kevin Eldon Will See You Now, Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off, The Castle, The 99p Challenge, Deep Trouble, My First Planet, Radio Active and Bigipedia. His TV credits include Paul Merton - The Series, Spitting Image, Absolutely, The Paul Calf Video Diary, Coogan's Run and exec producing Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies. 
 
In the four shows, Jeremy is feeling - in turn - happy, sad, fearful and finally, hopeful!

Jeremy Hardy Feels It

The BBC Radio 4 comedy

Brian Cox and Robin Ince present a witty, irreverent look at the world according to science. 
 
The Infinite Monkey Cage has become one of BBC Radio 4’s most popular science-based programmes. In each episode physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince delve into a particular field of science, with the help of guests from the worlds of science, academia and entertainment. 
 
These 29 episodes feature subjects ranging from the solar system to war, from UFOs to climate change, and from the mathematics of love to artificial intelligence. This collection also includes two special episodes from December 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity, and the 2014 and 2015 Christmas specials. 
 
Well-known guests featured in this collection include Dave Gorman, Sara Pascoe, Dara O Briain, Alexei Sayle, Ross Noble, Eric Idle, Jo Brand, Lee Mack, Josie Long, Katy Brand and Stephen Fry.

The Infinite Monkey Cage: The Complete Series 10-13

Edward J. Mason

All surviving episodes of Dick Barton: Special Agent, plus bonus documentary material 
 
BBC Audio is proud to present this collection containing all surviving Dick Barton pieces: ten exciting full adventures, the 100th episode ever recorded of Dick Barton as well as a 2013 live performance of Dick Barton’s final story. This is accompanied by bonus documentaries and interviews with the stars. 
 
Set in an exciting world of criminal masterminds and espionage, the adventures of special agent Dick Barton and his friends Jock and Snowey were essential listening for an entire generation. Originally running on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951, few of the BBC's original recordings still survive. In this stellar line-up you’ll hear Noel Johnson and Douglas Kelly as Dick Barton, with John Mann as Snowey White, and Alex McCrindle as Jock Anderson. And in a 2013 live performance Tim Bentick and Terry Molloy revisit these iconic roles. 
 
This collection includes:<ul><li>Dick Barton and the Secret Weapon (tracks 2-11)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Paris Adventure (tracks 12-31)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Cabatolin Diamonds (tracks 32-51)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Smash and Grab Raiders (tracks 52-71)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Tibetan Adventure (tracks 72-91)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Affair of the Black Panther (tracks 92-110)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Vulture (tracks 111-130)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Li-Chang Adventure (tracks 131-149)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Case of Conrad Ruda (tracks 150-169)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Firefly Adventure (tracks 170-185)</li><li>Dick Barton and the Smugglers: Episode Twenty – featuring 100th episode of Dick Barton ever recorded, and sadly the only surviving section of this adventure (track 186)</li><li>Dick Barton, Live! The Trail of the Rocket – a live performance of the final Dick Barton storyline, re-recorded in 2013 and accompanied by cast interviews and recording outtakes (tracks 187-190)</li><li>The Making of Dick Barton – a profile of radio's greatest hero (track 191)</li></ul>Please Note: Updated May 2024 to include Dick Barton Live and detailed track listings. Errors in repeated tracks fixed. 
 
©2017 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2017 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Dick Barton: Special Agent

The Complete BBC Radio Collection

Lou Wakefield

Carole Hayman

First broadcast on Woman's Hour, Prunella Scales and Patricia Routledge star in this popular BBC Radio 4 comedy Ladies of Letters. This collection features all 11 series. 
 
When Irene Spencer meets Vera Small at her daughter Lesley's wedding reception they embark upon a correspondence that is quite unlike any other in the history of letter-writing. Both Irene and Vera are happily widowed and endowed with errant offspring. They live in a world of church fetes and amateur dramatics, but love nothing more than dipping their pens in the vitriol pot - while remaining the firmest of pen-pals. Feisty, naughty and endlessly funny, Ladies of Letters provides a hilarious insight into suburban friendships and modern family life as they really are! 
 
The series are: 
 
Ladies of Letters 
Ladies of More Letters 
Ladies of Letters.com 
Ladies of Letters Log On 
Ladies of Letters Make Mincemeat 
Ladies of Letters Spring Clean 
Ladies of Letters Go Global 
Ladies of Letters Say No 
Ladies of Letters Go Green 
Ladies of Letters Crunch Credit 
Ladies of Letters Go Crackers 
 
'A hilarious double act by Prunella Scales and Patricia Routledge' - Northern Echo 
'Beautifully scripted and perfectly acted' - Daily Express

Ladies Of Letters

The complete BBC Radio collection

Ray Galton

Alan Simpson

The complete fifth series of the legendary BBC Radio comedy series starring Tony Hancock. 
 
Created by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson in 1954, Hancock’s Half Hour was the radio vehicle that made Tony Hancock a household name. Each week listeners would be admitted to the sometimes fantastical, sometimes mundane life of 'the lad ‘imself'. Aided and abetted by Sid James, Bill Kerr Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques, Hancock would enter into the spirit of each episode with characteristic dolefulness. 
 
This volume contains all 20 episodes from the fifth radio series, collected together for the first time. In these hilarious Half Hours, Hancock has a makeover; turns his home into a private school; stands in the East Cheam by-election; presents three short plays from the East Cheam Repertory Company; takes in a wrestling match with Miss Pugh and gets more than he bargains for when he wins a TV quiz show. The episodes are: The New Radio Series; The Scandal Magazine; The Male Suffragettes; The Insurance Policy; The Publicity Photograph;The Unexploded Bomb; Hancock's School; Around the World in Eighty Days; The Americans Hit Town; The Election Candidate; Hancock's Car; The East Cheam Drama Festival; The Foreign Legion; Sunday Afternoon at Home; The Grappling Game; The Junk Man; Hancock's War; The Prize Money; The Threatening Letters and The Sleepless Night. 
 
This new set includes improved audio quality and extended edits for five episodes, plus a previously unreleased 'mini-episode' recorded to coincide with the 1958 Commonwealth Games. Duration: 10 hours approx.

Hancock's Half Hour: Series 5

20 episodes of the classic BBC Radio comedy series

Dodie Smith

Toby Jones and Holliday Grainger star in a new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Dodie Smith's enduringly popular coming-of-age novel In the 1930s, seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain lives in a crumbling ruin of a castle in the Suffolk countryside. Her father, an author wrestling with writer's block, spends his time reading detective stories; her bohemian stepmother Topaz is an artist's model, and her beautiful older sister Rose is determined to escape the poverty of their existence – ideally by marriage to a rich man. Intelligent and observant, Cassandra chronicles the eccentricities of her relations in her journal, in a bid to capture her family and their lives at the castle. 
 
 
When two rich American brothers, Simon and Neil Cotton, arrive unexpectedly, the family's isolation is disrupted. Rose accepts a marriage proposal from Simon, and as she is whisked off to a world of wealth in London, Cassandra is left to deal with the increasingly bizarre behaviour of her father – as well as her own feelings for Simon... 
 
 
Dodie Smith's charming, funny and poignant love story is a classic of 20th-Century English literature and this sparkling adaptation, starring Toby Jones and Holliday Grainger, will enchant and delight. Duration: 2 hours

I Capture the Castle

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Barry Took

Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden and Hugh Paddick star in 17 episodes of the anarchic 1960s radio comedy, including the 1967 Christmas special. 
 
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. 
 
In addition to the 16 episodes of Series Four, this edition also includes the 1967 Christmas special episode Cinderfella and The Bona History of Julian and Sandy, in which Maureen Lipman takes a vada at Round the Horne's most flamboyant omipalonies. 
 
Content warning: the humour in this programme reflects the era in which it was broadcast and may not reflect current attitudes. 
 
©2016 BBC Worldwide Limited (P)2016 BBC Worldwide Limited

Round the Horne: The Complete Series Four

17 episodes of the groundbreaking BBC radio comedy

BBC Audio

Highlights from Richard Burton’s finest BBC radio performances from the 1940s to the 1980s. 
 
Richard Burton was one of the most famous British actors of the twentieth century, renowned for his magical, mellifluous voice. Before Hollywood tempted him away, he worked frequently for the BBC and many of his most electrifying performances were recorded there. 
 
This classic compilation features some of the very best of Burton, including his very first radio role in The Corn is Green; the heroic Roland in The Dark Tower; the apocalyptic poem 'Fire and Ice'; Henry V on the eve of Agincourt; the spine-tingling Under Milk Wood and the poignant In Parenthesis. Also included is the complete recording of Emlyn Williams’ suspenseful thriller Night Must Fall. 
 
In addition, there are extracts from interviews in which Burton talks about Dylan Thomas, his love of rugby, his deepest ambition and his own feelings about his incomparable voice. 
 
Whether performing Shakespeare, reading Robert Frost or simply talking about his life and career, Burton is never less than compelling, and this unique anthology is a superb tribute to one of the great icons of stage and screen. 
Duration: 2 hrs 50 mins approx.

Burton at the BBC

Classic Excerpts from the BBC Archive

Jimmy Perry

David Croft

Twenty episodes from the first BBC Radio series plus an hour-long Christmas special, starring Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier and Clive Dunn. 
 
In 1973 the BBC adapted its hit TV series for radio, featuring the original TV cast and characters. Three series were broadcast between 1974 and 1976, with episodes adapted from their TV counterparts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles. 
 
Now you can enjoy once again these unique recordings, with a supporting cast including John Laurie, James Beck, Arnold Ridley and Ian Lavender. Among the twenty-one episodes are The Man and the Hour, The Battle of Godfrey’s Cottage, Sgt Wilson’s Little Secret, Something Nasty in the Vault, The Menace from the Deep and No Spring for Frazer.

Dad’s Army

The Complete Radio Series One

Antony Jay

Jonathan Lynn

For the first time in one audio collection, all sixteen Yes Minister radio episodes plus six further TV episodes, fourteen Yes Prime Minister episodes and two bonus sketches. 
 
Between 1980 and 1988 on BBC television and radio, the exploits of the Rt Hon Jim Hacker MP (Paul Eddington) - later Prime Minister - kept the British nation enthralled. 
 
Helped - and hampered - by his diligent Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) and his Principle Private Secretary Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds), Hacker and his department became synonymous with government bureaucracy and administrative double dealing. 
 
Presented here, for the first time in one collection, are the complete radio series of Yes Minister and the complete BBC television soundtracks of Yes Prime Minister. Also included are six TV soundtracks of Yes Minister and two special bonus mini-episodes: The PM’s Plan, recorded in 1984 with Margaret Thatcher as herself, and a special segment created for The Funny Side of Christmas in 1982. 
 
Also featuring; Moira Stewart, Diana Hoddinot, Bill Nighy, Peter Cellier, Tenniel Evans, Richard Vernon, Richard Davies, Arthur Cox, Gerry Cowper, John Nettleton, Graham Crowden, William Fox, Peter Jeffrey, Norman Bird, Ellen McIntosh, Brenda Blethyn, Freddie Earle, Jerome Williams, Ian Lavender, Judy Parfitt, Selina Scott, Anton Rodgers and Graeme Garden.

Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister: The Complete Audio Collection

The Classic BBC Comedy Series

Naguib Mahfouz

Omar Sharif leads an all-Egyptian cast in this three-part drama, recorded entirely in Egypt's capital. 
 
Adapted from the novels of Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz, this gripping family saga chronicles the life of a downwardly-mobile middle class family as Egypt emerges from colonialism and adjusts to the modern world. 
 
The Cairo Trilogy traces three generations of the family of tyrannical patriarch Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad, who rules his household with a strict hand while living a secret life of self-indulgence. We are introduced to his gentle, oppressed wife, Amina, his cloistered daughters, Aisha and Khadija, and his three sons-the tragic and idealistic Fahmy, the dissolute hedonist Yasin, and the soul-searching intellectual Kamal. As his rebellious children struggle to move beyond his domination, the world around them opens to the currents of modernity and political and domestic turmoil brought by the 1920s. 
 
Throughout the trilogy, the family's trials mirror those of their turbulent country during the years spanning the two World Wars, as change comes to a society that has resisted it for centuries. 
 
Cast: 
Old Kamal...........Omar Sharif 
Young Kamal.......Karim Fouda 
Kamal............Amr Waked 
Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawab.....Ihab Sakkout 
Amina..............Caroline Khalil 
Fahmy..............Mena Reda 
Yasin................Tamer Nasrat 
Miriam..............Ola Roshdy 
Aida...............Shirine El Ansari 
Zanuba...........Maryam El Khoshed 
Zubayda..........Zeinab Moubarak 
Ahmad................Sedky Sakhar 
Munim.................Ahmed Nour 
Sawsan...............Dina Nadim 
Badur..................Radwa Elgabry 
Other cast members: Rena Malak, Yara Goubran, Nairy Avedissian, Ekram Zalat, Sherif Nour, Salah Fahmy, Yeve Youssef, Saymaa Shalan, Mika Thabet, Hany Seef, Hugh Sowden. 
 
Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon 
Directed by John Dryden 
Music by Sacha Puttnam 
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4

The Cairo Trilogy

Complete Series

Emma Thompson

Dame Emma Thompson, DBE, is one of Britain's most acclaimed actresses and scriptwriters. In this collection we hear - in her own words - about her early career as a comic and scriptwriter. She discusses some of her most famous works, including Fortunes of War, Sense and Sensibility, Remains of the Day and Nanny McPhee, and explains how she has managed to remain grounded during her rise to fame as an actress. 
 
She also touches on more personal topics, including the importance of her family and friends in her life, the difficulty of being a woman in the world of Hollywood, her struggle with infertility and her charity work during the HIV and AIDs epidemic in Africa during the 1990s. 
 
The interviews included are taken from: Wogan, BBC One (first broadcast 7 October 1987); Pebble Mill, BBC One (first broadcast 14 February 1996); Hard Talk, BBC News 24 (first broadcast 19 December 2003); Phil Jupitus, BBC Radio 6 Music (first broadcast 12 October 2005), Jonathan Ross, BBC Radio 2 (first broadcast 25 February 2006), Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 28 March 2010). 
 
Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Emma Thompson In Her Own Words

The five shortlisted titles for the BBC National Short Story Award 2013 administered in partnership with Booktrust, containing: 'Mrs Fox' by Sarah Hall (read by Andrea Riseborough), 'Barmouth' by Lisa Blower (read by Rebekah Staton), 'Prepositions' by Lionel Shriver (read by Nancy Crane), 'Notes from the House of Spirits' by Lucy Wood (read by Hattie Morahan) and 'We Are Watching Something Terrible Happening' by Lavinia Greenlaw (read by Claire Skinner).

BBC National Short Story Award 2013

(5 Shortlisted Titles)

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.

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