Al Rodin is a writer and illustrator from London. He studied children's book illustration at Cambridge School of Art and received the 2019 Sebastian Walker Prize. Al enjoys working with a wide variety of materials including acrylic, watercolour and collage. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries around Europe and Asia, and he was selected for lllustrators' Exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in 2019. Little Echo is his first book.

Al Rodin

Al Smith

Alain Gheerbrant

Alain de Botton is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including The School of Life: An Emotional Education, How Proust Can Change Your Life, The Consolations of Philosophy, The Art of Travel and The Course of Love. He is the founder of The School of Life (theschooloflife.com).

Alain de Botton

Alaina Urquhart is the science-loving co-host of the chart-topping show Morbid: A True Crime Podcast. As an autopsy technician by trade, she offers a unique perspective from deep inside the morgue. Alaina hails from Boston, where she lives with her wonderful husband, John, their three amazing daughters, and a ghost Puggle named Bailey. She is about 75 percent coffee, and truly believes she and Agent Clarice Starling could be friends. 
 
Before writing her first psychological horror novel, she received degrees in criminal justice, psychology, and biology. When she isn't hosting Morbid, she hosts the Parcast original show Crime Countdown, and a horror movie podcast called Scream!. Her days are usually spent either recording or eviscerating. The way she sees it, when she hangs up her microphone for the day, it's time to let the dead speak.

Alaina Urquhart

Alaine Hood

Alan Alda

Alan Ayckbourn

Born in London in 1939, Alan Ayckbourn is one of  the world's most popular and prolific playwrights. He has written 74  full length plays and more than 20 other revues and plays for children.  He is also an acclaimed director. Alan Ayckbourn was awarded a CBE in  1987. Ten years later to the day, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II  'for services to the theatre.'

Alan Baker

Alan Barker

Alan Beattie

Alan Bennett is one of Britain's best-loved and most highly acclaimed writers. He has written widely for radio, television and theatre. His latest play, The History Boys, won several awards, including Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Awards for Best Play and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. It also won six Tony Awards, including Best Play, following an extremely successful transfer to Broadway. In 2006 Bennett was named Author of the Year at the British Book Awards for Untold Stories, his collection of memoirs and diaries.

Alan Bennett

Alan Bennett's television series Talking Heads has become a modern-day classic, as have many of his works for the stage, including Forty Years On, The Lady in the Van, The Madness of George III (together with the Oscar-nominated screenplay The Madness of King George) and an adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. The History Boys won the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle awards for Best Play, The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play and the South Bank Award.

Alan Bishop

ALAN BOOTH was born in London in 1946 and travelled to Japan in 1970 to study Noh theatre. He stayed, working as a writer and film critic, until his untimely death in 1993.

Alan Booth

Alan Brazil is a Scottish broadcasting legend and former football player, most notably for Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and internationally for Scotland. He played as a forward before being forced to retire due to a recurring back injury. 
 
After retirement, Alan moved into media presentation, initially on television, before a career in radio where for many years he has presented the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show on TalkSPORT.

Alan Brazil

Alan Bullock

Alan Carr

Alan Carr is one of Britain's most successful and treasured comedians. His unique humour and effortless stage presence have earned him a catalogue of awards including Best Chat Show host at the publicly voted for 2015 National Television Awards, winner of the 2013 BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance and 2013 British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Entertainment Personality. In previous years he has garnered a clutch of awards, from the 2012 National Television Award for Best Talk Show and the 2012 Loaded LAFTA Award for Best Stand-up to the 2010 TV Choice Awards for Best Entertainment Show. There were also nominations for Best New British Comedy &amp; Best Comedy Entertainment Personality at the 2009 British Comedy Awards. 
 
The success of the first series of his own chat show, 'Alan Carr: Chatty Man', in the summer of 2009, led to Channel 4 commissioning 16 further series' as well as numerous Christmas Specials and New Year Specstaculars. In September 2013, the 100th episode aired with A-list guests Justin Timberlake and Rihanna. Guests from past series include: Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz, Vin Diesel, Adele, Grace Jones, Naomi Campbell, Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Robin Williams, David Walliams, Mariah Carey, Russell Brand, Samuel L Jackson, Miley Cyrus, Robbie Williams, Bette Midler, Sharon Osbourne, One Direction, Gok Wan and Miranda Hart. 
 
The DVD of Alan's 2007 debut stand-up show, 'Tooth Fairy Live' topped the HMV charts and was a Christmas 2007 top seller. 
 
His best-selling debut autobiography 'Look Who It Is' was published in September 2008 by HarperCollins. 
 
In 2011, Alan travelled the country with his second live tour. 'Spexy Beast Live' was a 33-date arena tour and culminated in the successful DVD of the same name. 
 
Throughout 2015, Alan hit the road once again and performed at over 150 sold-out theatre's across the UK and Ireland with his 'Yap, Yap, Yap!' live show. His third stand up DVD 'Alan Carr - Yap Yap Yap! Live' was released by Universal Pictures (UK) in November 2016. 
 
2016 has also seen Alan go global with international performances of his Yap Yap Yap! live show throughout Scandinavia, Montreal (at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival) and can currently be seen on tour this summer in New Zealand and Australia this summer, with two shows at the iconic Sydney Opera House. 
 
Alan also hosts Channel 4's flagship fundraising show 'Stand Up To Cancer' which in 2014 went on to raise an amazing £14 million for Cancer Research. Alan returns once again to host 'Stand Up To Cancer' on Channel 4 this October. 
 
Alanatomy: The Inside Story is Alan's second memoir, and will be published by Penguin in October 2016.

Alan Clark

Alan Clements

Alan Connor is the author of Two Girls, One on Each Knee: The Puzzling, Playful World of the Crossword ("witty, charming, encyclopaedic and highly readable" - Spectator) and The Joy of Quiz ("An absolute delight" - Mail on Sunday). He has made quizzes for various TV shows and newspapers and written comedy including BBC Film's The Rack Pack, A Young Doctor's Notebook (Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe) and Have I Got News For You.

Alan Connor

Alan Connor has been the question editor for BBC2's Only Connect and Richard Osman's House of Games. He is the author of books for Pointless and The Traitors and is the puzzle consultant for the BBC1 drama Ludwig. He writes puzzles for various newspapers and has written for Charlie Brooker series and Have I Got News for You. His favourite quiz question is: What word was intentionally omitted from the screenplay of The Godfather?

Alan Cowell

Alan Curtis

Alan Cutler

Alan Davies

Alan Dean Foster

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

Hugh Costello

A BBC Radio 4 drama by Hugh Costello, about some gripping events at the Vatican.   After the short reign and mysterious death of Pope John Paul I, the election of a new Pope takes place in an atmosphere of high tension between opposing factions.   Including those who want to elect the first non-Italian Pope for over four hundred years!   First broadcast on 25 February 2011. Starring David Calder, Alison Reid, Nicholas Le Prevost, Andrew Hilton, Nigel Anthony, Paul Humpoletz, Paul Nicholson, Christian Rodska, Jonathan Nibbs, Bill Wallis, David Collins, Paul Dodgson, John Sandeman and Kristian Phillips.

Conclave

Jacqueline Rayner

Rose and the Doctor return to present-day Earth, and become intrigued by the latest craze - the video game, Death to Mantodeans. Is it as harmless as it seems? And why are so many local people going on holiday and never returning? Meanwhile, on another world, an alien war is raging. The Quevvils need to find a new means of attacking the ruthless Mantodeans. Searching the galaxy for cunning, warlike but gullible allies, they find the ideal soldiers on Earth. Will Rose be able to save her family and friends from the alien threat? And can the Doctor play the game to the end and win? This is a gripping adventure featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose, as played by Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper in the hit series from BBC Television. It is read by Camille Coduri, who played Rose's mother Jackie Tyler in Doctor Who.

Doctor Who: Winner Takes All

Georges Simenon

Nicholas Le Prevost stars as the French detective in four new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatizations  These new adaptations of classic stories find Maigret recreating four memorable cases for his creator Georges Simenon.  In ‘Maigret: A Man’s Head’, a convicted man is allowed to escape, then followed by police investigating a double murder. Maigret finds himself entering glittering society and a war of nerves with a suspect.   ‘The Bar on the Seine’ sees a condemned man telling Maigret about a riverside drinking hole where a murderer lurks undetected. Pursuing the clue, Maigret witnesses a death and discovers a much older crime...  ‘My Friend Maigret’ finds Maigret investigating the murder of a tramp on the French island of Porquerolles - but he is hampered by the attentions of Inspector Pyke of Scotland Yard.   Finally, in ‘Madame Maigret’s Own Case’, when Madame Maigret makes a friend outside her dentist’s office, she stumbles upon the resolution of one of her husband’s most stubborn investigations.

Maigret A Man's Head & Other Stories

Four full-cast dramatisations starring Maurice Denham as Inspector Maigret and Michael Gough as his creator Georges Simenon.  'Maigret and the Minister', 'Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets', 'Maigret and Monsieur Charles', and 'Maigret and the Madman of Bergerac'.   Georges Simenon and his masterful inspector, Jules Maigret, look back together over four of their greatest cases   Where is the vital report that holds the key to the fate of the French government? What is the secret behind the mysterious suicide in Bremen? Who is responsible for the sudden disappearance of one of Paris’s best known solicitors? And will the demented double murderer strike again?

Maigret And The Minister & Other Stories

Four gripping dramatisations starring Maurice Denham as Maigret and Michael Gough as his creator Georges Simenon; 'Maigret Goes to School', 'Maigret and the Old Lady', 'Maigret Hesitates' and 'The Patience of Maigret'   The world’s best-known French detective, Jules Maigret, talks to his creator Georges Simenon about four intriguing cases in these full-cast dramatisations that have been specially adapted for radio from the original novels.   There are two trips to the seaside for Maigret as he attempts to help a schoolmaster fight off an unfair charge of murder and soothes the fears of an elderly widow who fears she is about to be poisoned. An anonymous letter throws up a baffling problem: someone is about to be murdered, but who? Finally Maigret’s old bête noire, Manuel Palmari, has been found murdered. Will that help Maigret get to the bottom of his criminal empire at last?

Maigret Hesitates & Other Stories

Four gripping dramatisations starring Maurice Denham as Maigret and Michael Gough as his creator Georges Simenon   'Maigret Goes Home', 'Maigret Sets a Trap', Maigret at the Crossroads' and 'Maigret Has Doubts'   The world’s best-known French detective, Jules Maigret, talks to his creator Georges Simenon about four intriguing cases in these full-cast dramatisations that have been specially adapted for radio from the original novels.   Things are never the same when you go back, as Maigret discovers when an anonymous letter draws him to his place of birth. Montmartre is the scene of his next case, but can Maigret’s carefully prepared approach prevent the latest in a line of serial killings? A murder with unusual characteristics finds Maigret at the remote Three Widows Crossroads, and finally he regrets being forced to suppress his instincts about the indecipherable Josset case.

Maigret Sets A Trap & Other Stories

Four full-cast dramatisations starring Nicholas Le Prevost as Inspector Maigret  ‘The Yellow Dog’ sees Maigret upsetting the citizens of Concarneau as he begins his murder investigation. But there is poison in the Pernod, a howling yellow dog and, it seems, a madman on the loose...    In ‘Maigret and the Burglar’s Wife’, "Sad Freddie" is committing a burglary when he discovers the body of a dead woman, holding a telephone in her hand. Can Maigret believe the burglar’s wife in the face of other evidence?   ‘Inspector Cadaver’ sees Maigret dealing with an old enemy - an ex-police officer nicknamed ‘Inspector Cadaver’, who seems to be doing everything in his power to obstruct Maigret in his investigations.   Finally, in ‘Maigret’s Little Joke’, Maigret and his wife take a secret holiday in Paris. When a murder occurs, Maigret must get his information from the press and radio. How can he leave Janvier to solve the crime alone?

Maigret's Little Joke & Other Stories

William Wordsworth

BBC Radio 4 presents William Wordsworth's autobiographical poem ‘The Prelude’, read by Sir Ian McKellen, directed by Susan Roberts and features specially composed music by John Harle.‘The Prelude’ is arguably the most important piece of poetic writing in our language. Accessible, full of emotion and gripping, the poem is recorded in Wordsworth's home in Grasmere, Cumbria and looks back over events in his early life in Grasmere, Cambridge, France, London and the Alps.Wordsworth believed that poetry should be written in the natural language of common speech, and in that way it was revolutionary in its time.Last broadcast on 14 and 15 May 2011, with music performed by John Harle on Saxophone and Neill MacColl on guitar.

Prelude, The Complete Series (BBC Radio 4 Classical Serial)

Peter Cook

Peter Cook was an exceptional talent - verbally witty, surreally inventive and a true original. The father of modern satire and alternative comedy, he was voted the top comedian of all time in the Channel 4 show The Comedian's Comedian. 
 
In this selection of clips from the BBC archive, Michael Palin trawls Peter Cook's back catalogue for his funniest and silliest moments, including several rare gems that have never been previously broadcast. 
 
Covering Peter Cook's 36-year career, it features all the best interviews, monologues and sketches, including extracts from Beyond the Fringe, monologues from the immortal E. L. Wisty and excerpts from Cook and Moore's taboo-breaking 'Derek and Clive' dialogues. There are also hilarious parodies of Malcolm Muggeridge and Loyd Grossman, radio phone-ins from 'Sven' and various interviews discussing his involvement with Private Eye. 
 
Insightful and irresistible, this is a fascinating exploration of the life and career of a seriously funny man. 
 
Peter Cook In His Own Words features classic comedy extracts which reflect the language and attitudes of their time. 
 
©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Peter Cook In His Own Words

Guy Adams

John Telfer reads this exciting Torchwood adventure - a prequel to Torchwood: Miracle Day. 
 
When Oscar Lupe appears 20,000 feet up in the air, his body is frozen solid and free-falling to earth. It shatters on impact. Soon after, a CIA Special Activities Division squad goes rogue with a cargo marked ‘Torchwood’ that they’ve been escorting from somewhere called Cardiff. 
 
The Agency puts Rex Matheson on the case. As the strange deaths pile up, Rex realises there must be experimental tech out there, but someone is obstructing him at every turn. Rex is the CIA’s golden boy - but has he met his match in the evasive Mr Wynter…? 
 
Based on the hit series created by Russell T. Davies, The Men who Sold the World is a prequel to Torchwood: Miracle Day, starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles as Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper, with Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson. 
 
NB: Contain strong language, sexual references and graphic scenes of violence

Torchwood The Men Who Sold The World

Raymond Chandler

Robert B Parker

Fast-talking, trouble-seeking private eye Philip Marlowe is a different kind of detective: a moral man in an amoral world. California in the ’40s and ’50s is as beautiful as a ripe fruit and rotten to the core, and Marlowe must struggle to retain his integrity amidst the corruption he encounters daily. In Poodle Springs, Marlowe is fresh from his honeymoon with heiress Linda Loring, and living a life of idle leisure in the upmarket Californian town of the title. But being a kept man soon loses its charm and, bored and restless, Marlowe sets up shop as an investigator once more. Hired by a local criminal to find a gambler on the run from his debts, he is sucked into a world of bigamy, blackmail and murder... The eighth and final Philip Marlowe novel, Poodle Springs was unfinished at the time of Raymond Chandler’s death in 1959. It remained so for another 30 years, until crime writer Robert B. Parker completed the novel to mark the centenary of Chandler’s birth. Starring Toby Stephens, this entertaining dramatisation by Robin Brooks retains all the pace and intrigue of the original book.

Poodle Springs

Charlotte Jones

A BBC Radio 4 comedy musical drama, ‘The Diva in Me’, written by multi award-winning playwright Charlotte Jones, for the actress and extraordinary mimic Phillippa Stanton, with music woven into the narrative. 
 
Phillipa spends Saturday night eating toast and fantasizing about a boy-man from Southern Electric. She can sing anything from Bjork, to Winehouse, Garland to Gaga, even Shirley Bassey, but why has the world turned it’s back on her? On top of her extraordinary talent, Phillipa discovers the ingredient that will finally make her a truly great diva! 
 
Written by Charlotte Jones. 
Directed by Claire Grove. 
Starring Phillippa Stanton, Stuart McLoughlin as Shadwell, Sally Orrock as Vicki, Daniel Rabin as Gene Kelly, Joanna Monro as Mona and Brian Bowles as Trevor. 
 
Broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 5 May 2011. 
 
 
©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Diva In Me, The (BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play)

Steve Lyons

In the far future, the Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack find a world on which fiction has been outlawed. A world where it’s a crime to tell stories, a crime to lie, a crime to hope, and a crime to dream. But now somebody is challenging the status quo. A pirate TV station urges people to fight back. And the Doctor wants to help until he sees how easily dreams can turn into nightmares. With one of his companions stalked by shadows and the other committed to an asylum, the Doctor is forced to admit that fiction can be dangerous after all. Though perhaps it is not as deadly as the truth. This is a gripping adventure featuring the Ninth Doctor as played by Christopher Eccleston, together with Rose and Captain Jack as played by Billie Piper and John Barrowman in the hit series from BBC Television. It is read by Camille Coduri, who played Rose's mother Jackie Tyler in Doctor Who.

Doctor Who: The Stealers Of Dreams

Glenda Jackson

This fascinating collection of archive interviews with the renowned actress and MP begins with an archive radio interview in 1970 and runs through to a guest appearance on Desert Island Discs in 1997. Along the way Glenda Jackson appears on numerous programmes including Omnibus, Profile, Parkinson, In The Psychiatrist's Chair and Start the Week, during the course of which she discusses her background and early years, women in theatre, and her journey from being a highly successful actress to becoming a Member of Parliament (and Minister of Transport). She also appears on A Chance to Meet Glenda Jackson and In The Hot Seat, where she faces the questions of an invited audience and discusses a wide range of topics. 
 
The included interviews are: radio archive interview (first broadcast 5 August 1970); Omnibus, BBC television (19 September 1971); Profile, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 20 March 1972); A Chance to Meet Glenda Jackson, BBC television (first broadcast 1 October 1972); Parkinson, BBC One (first broadcast 24 November 1973); Parkinson, BBC One (first broadcast 23 October 1976); In The Psychiatrist's Chair, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 31 July 1982); Start the Week, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 9 July 1990); In The Hot Seat, BBC radio (first broadcast 31 August 1990); Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (28 December 1997). 
 
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

Glenda Jackson In Her Own Words

Kenneth Williams

This fascinating collection of archive interviews with the much-loved comedy actor and diarist Kenneth Williams begins in 1961, with an appearance on the BBC's Tonight programme, and culminates in 1987 when Kenneth Williams is a guest on Desert Island Discs. Along the way are several interviews on Parkinson, conversation from The John Dunn Show, and a number of radio items in which Williams recalls his childhood in London's East End and his formative years in the Army. Amongst other things he discusses his acting career, personal relationships, the art of keeping a diary, his views on critics, and his first beginnings in radio comedy. 
 
The full list of interviews included are: Tonight, BBC television (first broadcast 4 April 1961); Home This Afternoon, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 15 April 1968); Parkinson, BBC One (first broadcast 17 February 1973); The Time Of My Life, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 23 December 1973); Friday Call, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 1 February 1974); Going Places, BBC television (first broadcast 5 August 1975; Parkinson, BBC One (first broadcast 8 October 1977); The John Dunn Show, BBC Radio 2 (first broadcast 4 February 1983; Outlook, BBC radio (first broadcast 17 September 1985); Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 26 July 1987). 
 
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

Kenneth Williams In His Own Words

Mike Walker

A BBC Radio 4 science fiction adventure by Mike Walker 
 
When five lost souls, recruited by a company to travel to an abandoned planet, all they know is that they are there to retrieve the only known sample of an ore left over from an old mining operation. However, their task becomes considerably more complicated when one of the five has a close encounter with the indigenous plant life which seems to have some very odd, very powerful properties. Soon they are battling not only to stay alive, but to hang on to the very things which make them all human. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Mike Walker. 
Directed by Marc Beeby. 
With sound design by Pete Ringrose and Colin Guthrie. 
 
Nicola Miles-Wilden as Cally 
Cyril Nri as Intaba 
Clare Perkins as Hudson 
Alex Tregear as JD 
Adeel Akhtar as Hussam 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 19 March 2011 
 
 
©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Landfall (BBC Radio 4 The Saturday Play)

John Mortimer

When Lewis Luby (Jeremy Irons) comes to, late at night in an Italian hospital, he finds himself lying under the monstrous big toe of God. Surely there has been some mistake: Luby, who has never for one moment believed in the immortality of the soul, cannot possibly be in heaven!  John Mortimer had the idea for 'Mr Luby's Fear of Heaven' when he first visited the Santa Maria della Scala hospital in Siena and saw patients lying in beds under ceilings decorated with 15th-Century frescoes depicting Heaven and Hell. The play was first produced for BBC Radio 3 in 1976, with John Gielgud in the title role. Later that year it was presented on stage as part of a double bill 'Heaven and Hell', with Denholm Elliot as Luby.  This BBC Radio 4 'Afternoon Play' production, starring Jeremy Irons as the protagonist, was first broadcast 31 December 2008 and repeated 15 February 2011. Stephen Critchlow, Marsha Fitzalan, Chris Pavlo, Donnla Hughes, Dan Starkey and Flaminia Cinque also feature amongst the cast.

Mr Luby's Fear Of Heaven

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Muhammad Ali

This fascinating collection of archive interviews with Muhammad Ali begins in 1965 with an interview with Harry Carpenter, and culminates with a TV interview with Joanna Lumley in 1989. Along the way Ali makes several famous appearances on Parkinson in the 1970s, and talks to David Frost in The Frost Interview. The 1980s find him answering questions about his impending retirement and rumours that he is suffering from Parkinson's disease. In the course of these appearances he also discusses his fighting career, his frank views on religion and society, his vision of a separate black-only American state, and his lack of formal education. 
 
The interviews included in this collection are I, Cassius, BBC Radio (first broadcast 11 May 1965); Sports View, BBC radio (first broadcast 15 August 1967); The Richest Prize in Sport, BBC television (first broadcast 14 March 1968); Parkinson, BBC One (first broadcast 17 October 1971); The Frost Interview (recorded 1974); Muhammad Ali: Most Boxers Can't Even Talk, BBC television (first broadcast 5 August 1975); archive interview, BBC radio (first broadcast 17 July 1977); Tonight, BBC television (first broadcast 15 January 1979); archive interview, BBC television (first broadcast 19 September 1984) and Wogan, BBC television (first broadcast 1989, hosted by Joanna Lumley). 
 
Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2016 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2016 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Muhammad Ali In His Own Words

Deborah Wain

A full-cast BBC Radio 4 Drama about a family torn apart by Alzheimer's disease reconnecting over music 
 
Based on real experiences ‘Notes to Self’ by Deborah Wain is a drama about Alzheimer’s disease, interwoven with recordings of music sessions carried out in care homes and day centres in the UK. 
 
Doreen has been in a care home for two years. Her son Robert visits but finds it hard to have a meaningful relationship with his mother, unlike his partner Karen. A performance at the home, reveals music to have a powerful effect on Doreen - but can it offer an opportunity for Robert to make a new connection with her? 
 
Directed by Nadia Molinari. 
Starring Lina Basset as Doreen, Jeff Hordley as Robert, Cherylee Houston as Karen, Kellie Shirley as Dor, William Ash as Harry and Ruth Alexander-Rubin as the care-assistant. 
Music performed by David Barnard, James Dinsmore and Rebecca Watson, with participants in the Lost Chord music session at The Linney Centre and residents and carers at the Richmond Care Home. 
 
Broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 20 January 2011 
 
 
©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Notes To Self (BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play)

Terrence Rattigan

This fascinating collection of archive interviews with the acclaimed playwright, whose centenary was celebrated in 2011, begins in 1969 with a radio appearance on Out This Week. It culminates with an interview for Kaleidoscope in 1977, recorded a few months before his death. In between are several major radio features on Rattigan's life and work, in which he discusses the craft of playwriting, the state of commercial theatre, comparisons with Coward and Pinter, his famous 'everywoman' character Aunt Edna, and several of his plays in detail including Flare Path, Cause Celebre, French Without Tears, The Winslow Boy and The Deep Blue Sea. 
 
This collection includes the following interviews: Out of This Week, BBC radio (first broadcast 12 December 1969); Scan, BBC radio (first broadcast 4 January 1973); archive interview, BBC radio (first broadcast 12 February 1974); archive interview, BBC radio (first broadcast 5 September 1975); Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 1 December 1977). 
 
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

Terence Rattigan In His Own Words

Dr David Musgrove

To accompany the August 2011 issue of BBC History Magazine, expert historians discuss the life and reigns of the five Tudor monarchs with BBC History Magazine editor Dr David Musgrove. 
 
Dr Steven Gunn, of Oxford University, discusses Henry VII. Professor George Bernard, of Southampton University, introduces us to Henry VIII. Reading University’s Professor Ralph Houlbrooke talks about Edward VI. Dr Anna Whitelock of Royal Holloway University of London invites us to reconsider Mary I. Oxford University’s Dr Susan Doran reviews the reign of Elizabeth I.

The Tudors (BBC History Magazine)

Simon Brett

Jeremy Front

Kieran Lynn

Nick Warburton

Four comic dramas about boundaries that are both territorial and personal 
 
Territory is the theme that unites these four humorous plays - whether that means fighting over an allotment plot, dealing with the sudden partition of a country, guarding the privacy of a garden or battling with the council over school catchment areas. 
 
In 'Losing the Plot', shy Edward decides to apply for an allotment plot after an encounter with attractive allotment-holder Amanda. But doing so involves an interview with ferocious site-manager Bernie, who runs the allotments with military rigour. Starring James Fleet as Edward, Joanna Monroe as Amanda and Jonathan Coy as Bernie. Written by Nick Warburton and directed by Peter Kavanagh. 
 
In 'An Incident at the Border', Arthur and Olivia are enjoying the sun in their local park on a beautiful summer's day. Olivia is reading a newspaper article on their country's new-found independence. Arthur, who is apolitical, is just enjoying watching the ducks. Suddenly a soldier arrives, dragging a tape across the ground, marking out the new border and barging between the two young people. Now one is on one side of the border, and one on the other! Starring Joseph Kloska as Arthur, Leah Brotherhead as Olivia and Nigel Planer as Reiver. Written by Kieran Lynn and directed by Peter Kavanagh. 
 
In 'How's Your Mother?', Humphrey Partridge is reckoned to be anti-social, indeed stand-offish. But he always has an excuse - namely that he has to look after his ailing elderly mother. No-one has ever met the legendary matriarch. Not even nosy Raj the local postman. But one morning when Humphrey is at work, Raj notices a fire in Humphrey's house, breaks in to put it out and makes an extraordinary discovery. Starring Michael Maloney as Humphrey Partridge, Adeel Akhtar as Raj/Sgt Wallis, Sam Dale as Mr Denton/Trevor, Sally Orrock as Mrs Denton and Christine Kavanagh as Mrs Jones. Written by Simon Brett and directed by Peter Kavanagh. 
 
In 'The Accidental Head', Beth just wants what's best for her 11 year old son: a solid secondary education at the kind of school that recognises his genius, as well as his aptitude for baroque music. A school like Folgate. But when the family is edged out of Folgate's catchment area, a battle begins. Starring Katherine Parkinson as Beth, Darren Boyd as Jake, Emma Fryer as Ruth Willith, Alex Tregear as the journalist, Sally Orrock as Helen and Brian Bowles as Farmer/Hughes. Written by Jeremy Front and directed by James Robinson.

Turf Wars: The Complete Series

Four full-cast BBC Radio comedies

Fast-talking, trouble-seeking private eye Philip Marlowe is a different kind of detective: a moral man in an amoral world. California in the ’40s and ’50s is as beautiful as a ripe fruit and rotten to the core, and Marlowe must struggle to retain his integrity amidst the corruption he encounters daily. In The High Window, Marlowe starts out on the trail of a single stolen coin and ends up knee-deep in bodies. His client, a dried-up husk of a woman, wants him to recover a rare gold coin called a Brasher Doubloon, missing from her late husband’s collection. That’s the simple part. But Marlowe finds that everyone who handles the coin suffers a run of very bad luck: they always end up dead. If Marlowe doesn’t wrap this one up fast, he’s going to end up in jail - or worse, in a box in the ground. Starring Toby Stephens, this thrilling dramatisation by Robin Brooks retains all the wry humour of Chandler’s serpentine suspense novel.

The High Window

Alice Oswald

BBC Radio 4's extraordinary evocation of the experience of moonrise over the Severn Estuary, by award-winning poet Alice Oswald. Originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 10 March 2011.  Set to original music by Roger Goula, the subject of 'A Sleepwalk on the Severn' is moonrise, which happens five times in different forms: new moon, half moon, full moon, no moon and moon reborn. Various characters, some living some dead, all based on real people from the Severn catchment, talk towards the moment of moonrise and are changed by it.  Performed by Ron Cook, Sam Dale, Emma Fielding, Tom Goodman-Hill, James Laurenson and Helen Longworth. Music composed by Roger Goula and performed by the Raven Quartet and Rowland Sutherland.

A Sleepwalk On The Severn

Arnold Bennett

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Arnold Bennett's tale of love, tyranny and rebellion, 'Anna of the Five Towns'.   Brought up in the repressive tradition of Methodism by her miserly father, Anna Tellwright dreams of independence and freedom. On coming of age she learns that she is to inherit a fortune and realises that she is loved by the charismatic Henry Mynors. But with the money comes responsibility, and Anna's growing concern for William, the son of one of her tenants, leads her to a defiant act that threatens everything...   Arnold Bennett's 'Anna of the Five Towns' was dramatised by Helen Edmundson, and stars Charlotte Riley as Anna, David Schofield as Tellwright, Emilia Harker as Young Agnes and Michael Socha as William. Also featured amongst the cast are James Masters, Lee Williams, Rosina Carbone, Olwen May, Andrew Westfield, Jonathan Keeble and Jacqueline Redgwell.   Originally broadcast as the 'Classic Serial' in two parts on 6 and 13 March 2011.

Anna Of The Five Towns

Complete

Clara Glynn

A BBC Radio 4 drama in which a Children's Hearing has to decide if Nicole (13) and Scott (4) should be taken into care or be allowed to return to live with their mother. But is she fit to look after them now? 'Care' was originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 8 March 2011.   Michelle has been in drug rehab for the last few months, Dad has disappeared and the kids have been under a supervision order. But now Michelle is coming out of rehab, clean and determined to make a fresh start. The three members of the Children's Hearing panel have to decide what is best for the children.  The panel - all trained volunteers - hear reports from experts and from the family, and face difficult choices as their perception of what should happen to the children is constantly challenged. Would you know what is best for the children?   Starring Iain Agnew as Edward (the chairman), Carol Ann Crawford as Fiona Henson, Kim Gerard as Mary Branwich, Natasha Watson as Nicole, Lisa Nicoll as Michelle, Anne Downie as the Gran, Colin McCredie as Charlie Fleming and John Kielty as Mr McEwan.

Care

Naomi A. Alderman

Whatever you borrow must be repaid... 
 
 Andrew Brown never has enough time. No time to call his sister, or to prepare for that important presentation at the bank where he works. The train's late, the lift jams. If only he'd had just a little more time. And time is the business of Mr Symington and Mr Blenkinsop. They'll lend him some - at a very reasonable rate of interest. Can the Doctor, Amy and Rory stop them before they cash in their investments? 
 
 Read by Meera Syal, this is a thrilling race against the clock from Naomi A. Alderman, the Baileys Prize winning author of The Power, featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit Doctor Who series from BBC Television. 
 
 ‘Alderman is a fluent and powerful writer’ - Sunday Times

Doctor Who: Borrowed Time

Justin Richards

The Novrosk Peninsula: the Soviet naval base has been abandoned, the nuclear submarines are rusting and rotting. Cold, isolated, forgotten. Until the Russian Special Forces arrive - and discover that the Doctor and his companions are here too. But there is something else in Novrosk. Something that pre-dates even the stone circle on the cliff top. Something that is at last waking, hunting, killing... Can the Doctor and his friends stay alive long enough to learn the truth? With time running out, they must discover who is really responsible for the Deviant Strain... The Deviant Strain features the Doctor as played by Christopher Eccleston, together with Rose and Captain Jack as played by Billie Piper and John Barrowman in the hit series from BBC Television. It is read by Stuart Milligan, who played President Nixon in the 2011 TV episodes ‘The Impossible Astronaut’ and ‘Day of the Moon'.

Doctor Who: The Deviant Strain

Katie Hims

This history of relatives lost and found was originally broadcast on 3, 10 and 17 May 2011 in the 'Afternoon Play' slot.  The first play, 'The Wrong Label', is set in London in 1941. Alice knows that to stop your children from being evacuated is tantamount to siding with Hitler.  In 'The Year My Mother Went Missing', it's 1979, and not the first time that Ruthie's mother Queenie has gone missing - but usually she leaves a note.   The final play, 'A Telegram from the Queen', is set in 2011 and, as Alice's 100th birthday present, Ruthie sets out to put her family back together again.   The 'Lost Property' plays star Rosie Cavaliero as the narrator (and later as Ruthie), Shannon Flynn as the younger Ruthie; Alex Tregear, Jane Whittenshaw and Edna Doré as Alice; and Gary Beadle as Ted.   'The Year My Mother Went Missing' was the winner of the Best Audio Drama at the Radio Drama Awards 2012.

Lost Property: The Complete Series

Trevor Preston

A BBC Radio 4 semi-autobiographical play by BAFTA award-winning writer Trevor Preston, telling the story of Charlie, who suddenly re-discovers the passion and energy of his youth. 'Small Acts of Kindness' was originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 15 March 2011.  In the late 1950s Charlie was a violent and uncontrollable entrant to art school. His teacher changed the course of his life. 'Small Acts of Kindness' catches up with Charlie as his mentor's death shifts everything once more. In his late sixties and with his writing career all but dried up, Charlie starts to paint again. Invigorated, he spends his free time supporting his contemporaries who have found themselves alienated and impoverished by modern life. Soon it is not just his desire to paint that is revived...  Starring Stephen Greif as Charlie, and also featuring Ann Beach, Susan Penhaligon, Joanna Monro, Sean Baker, Gethin Anthony, Sally Orrock and Christine Kavanagh amongst the cast.

Small Acts Of Kindness

Dread Pirate Fleur

Dream Master

Drenai Novels

DropZone

Duggee's Little Library

Dungeon Crawler Carl Series

Duty Calls

A gripping three-part series based on real historical events. Three Roman legions massacred. Three Imperial Eagles lost. One man vies for revenge.

Eagles of Rome

For thirty years, the O’Donnels have ruled the East End, but there’s a price to pay for this power, and it’s usually in blood.

Eastend Trilogy

Easterleigh Hall

Eat Around Italy

Eat Around Spain

Eat Right For Blood Type

Ebb and Flo

Ed Reardon's Week

Elemental Emergence

Elfies Spellbook

Eliot Biographies

Emma Trilogy

Emma and James

Empire of Salt

In the Swedish town of Engelsfors, a mysterious forcedraws seven teenagers together. They are the Chosen Ones, and they have been chosen to drive back the demons that threaten to overwhelm the world

Engelsfors Trilogy

England's Medieval Queens

English Heritage

Erica Martin Thriller

Eternal Ones

Eve of Man Trilogy

Everyman's Library Barbreck

Everyman's Children's Classics has more than 50 titles in print. It offers the finest editions currently available of the world's greatest children's books in handsome, full cloth hardcover bindings. 
 
The library brings back into print major illustrators such as Ivan Bilibin, Kate Greenaway, Arthur Rackham, Nicolas Bentley, Walter Crane, Aubrey Beardsley, Edward Ardizzone, W.Heath Robinson and Mervyn Peake.

Everyman's Library CHILDREN'S CLASSICS

The finest editions available of the world's greatest classics from Homer to Achebe, Tolstoy to Ishiguro, Proust to Pullman, printed on a fine acid-free, cream-wove paper that will not discolour with age, with sewn, full cloth bindings and silk ribbon markers, and at remarkably low prices. All books include substantial introductions by major scholars and contemporary writers, and comparative chronologies of literary and historical context.

Filters

Category

Age

Publication Date

Format

Series

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter