Audiobooks by A. L. Kennedy

A. L. Kennedy: Three Plays: Three Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas Starring Bill Nighy

"Bill Nighy stars in these three plays by multi-award-winning author A. L. Kennedy A.L. Kennedy is a celebrated novelist, playwright, short story writer and columnist. She has won numerous UK and international book awards, including the Costa Prize, and has twice been featured on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list. A prolific writer for stage, screen and TV, she has also created several works for radio, among them this trio of dramas specially written for Bill Nighy. A Single Act – Lonely Simon (Bill Nighy) longs to bond with his vulnerable grandson Ben (Sebastian Croft), and rekindle his truncated relationship with his neighbour, Joyce (Amelia Bullmore). But although he cares for them both, he can’t seem to connect with either. Could the magic of laughter and the ‘Wilhelm scream’ bring them together? Celebrating 100 years of audio drama, this witty, poignant play pays homage to the inventiveness of radio and the world of sounds. It opens with a short introduction from Bill Nighy, talking about why this special art form is unique and what it means to him personally. Confessions of a Medium – Searching for a higher meaning to life, kindly, naive Mr Parker (Robert Glenister) moves to London, shuns conventional religion and explores the dark arts of séances and spiritualism. He believes he’s met a spiritual guru in the guise of Mr Thomson (Bill Nighy) – but despite being a charming, erudite and mesmerising medium, Thomson is a total fraud... Based on a true story from the 1870s, this gothic, darkly comic drama explores themes of illusion, delusion and desire. Love Love Love Like the Beatles – Oliver has never been able to say those three little words ‘I love you’. Now, at his wits’ end after losing his job and wandering the streets all night, he finds a private residents’ garden and waits for the love of his life to pass by. Knowing he has a tendency to bolt when he’s nervous, he climbs a tree – and refuses to come down until he sees Jo… This romantic comedy about a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown stars Bill Nighy as Oliver and Amelia Bullmore as Jo. A Single Act Simon Pratt – Bill Nighy Joyce Zani – Amelia Bullmore Ben Vane – Sebastian Croft Directed by Sally Avens First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2023 Confessions of a Medium Thomson – Bill Nighy Parker – Robert Glenister Morton/Mr Gordon/Gentleman/Wilson/Waiter – Jonathan Keeble Mills/Butler – Andrew Westfield Miss Foster/Mrs Gordon/Lady No.1 – Fiona Clarke Miss Blackstone/Woman – Daryl Fishwick Produced and directed by Pauline Harris Pianist: Daniel Browell First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 March 2010 Love Love Love Like the Beatles Oliver – Bill Nighy Jo – Amelia Bulmore Mrs Henderson – Brigit Forsyth Mrs McDonald – Maggie Fox Leonard – David Fleeshman Directed by Pauline Harris First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 June 2012 © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

A. L. Kennedy (Author), Amelia Bullmore, Bill Nighy, Full Cast, Robert Glenister, Sebastian Croft (Narrator)

Audiobook

Subterranean Homesick Blues: The Complete Series 4 and 5: A BBC Radio 4 drama

"The final two series of A L Kennedy's wry comic drama about love in later life In their youth, John and Maggie had a tempestuous on/off affair that ended badly. Now in their sixties, they've decided to give their romance another chance - and discovered that love doesn't get any easier when you're older but no wiser. Having survived dating and moving in together, the duo face the next big test for their relationship: tying the knot. They soon find that married life is no picnic either - even their honeymoon turns out to be more endurance test than relaxing spa break. As John worries that Maggie's getting bored with wedded bliss, he's got some work to do to save their marriage. And there are further challenges to come, in the form of lockdown and a mystery 'lurker' who seems to have set his sights on Maggie... Will the couple come through it all unscathed, and finally find their happy-ever-after? Created by award-winning writer A. L. Kennedy, this witty, engaging series stars Bill Nighy as John and Anna Calder-Marshall as Maggie. Production credits Written by A L Kennedy Directed by Sally Avens © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

A. L. Kennedy (Author), Anna Calder-Marshall, Bill Nighy, Full Cast (Narrator)

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Charles Dickens: A BBC Biography

"A BBC radio collection celebrating Charles Dickens' life, work and influence Charles Dickens was a literary giant, second only to Shakespeare in the ranks of England's greatest writers. This extensive biographical collection looks at the man, his novels and his legacy to provide an all-round portrait of the much-loved author. Michael Eaton's five-play cycle Dickens in London, starring Samuel Barnett, Alex Jennings and Antony Sher, explores Dickens' changing relationship with the city that fired his imagination. His numerous achievements are discussed in Great Lives: Charles Dickens (featuring Armando Iannucci and Humphrey Carpenter) and In Our Time: Dickens (featuring Melvyn Bragg and guests). Sam West reads from Dickens' letters in Words and Music: Dickens's World; Simon Watts tells how the author's 1842 visit to the US became a turning point in his career in Witness History: Dickens in America; Ian Gillan takes a tour of Dickens' old home in Pride of Place: 48 Doughty Street; and in Night Waves, Philip Dodd talks to Claire Tomalin about her definitive biography, Charles Dickens: A Life. Literary Pursuits finds Sarah Dillon hunting for the story behind the story of Dickens' classic masterpiece, Great Expectations; and in The Mystery of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Frances Fyfield ponders what happened to the hero of Charles Dickens's final, unfinished novel? In Free Thinking: Dickens, Matthew Sweet and guests examine his oeuvre and the way his work connects with the present day, while Landmarks: Charles Dickens is devoted to the great author's final completed novel, Our Mutual Friend. Finally, Indian writer Ayeesha Menon finds out about her country's love affair with Charles Dickens in The Documentary: Dickens and India - Mutual Friends; and his enduring significance is explored in the five-part Radio 3 series The Writer's Dickens, in which contemporary novelists Tessa Hadley, Romesh Gunesekera, AL Kennedy, Alexander McCall Smith and Justin Cartwright consider the craft of Dickens' prose and reveal how he is both a role model and a shadow looming over their own writing. Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

A. L. Kennedy, Alexander McCall Smith, Armando Iannucci, Claire Tomalin, Melvyn Bragg, Romesh Gunesekera, Sam West, Tess Hadley (Author), A. L. Kennedy, Alexander McCall Smith, Armando Iannucci, Claire Tomalin, Melvyn Bragg, Romesh Gunesekera, Sam West, Tess Hadley (Narrator)

Audiobook

Subterranean Homesick Blues: The Complete Series 1-3: A BBC Radio 4 drama

"Love doesn't get easier when you're older but no wiser. Maggie and John had a passionate but disastrous affair in their younger days, but it didn't last. Now in their late sixties, a surprise encounter gives them another chance to take up where they left off. Will they manage to find the best in each other and finally get together? Or will old wounds and an awareness of their ageing bodies deter them? Will the treadmill created by the high-cost, high-pressure 21st century, and their endless other commitments and interruptions large and small, overwhelm them? Or will they take the final risk? This delightful comic drama stars Bill Nighy as John and Anna Calder-Marshall as Maggie. A.L. Kennedy is an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction, an academic and a stand-up comedian. Directed by Sally Avens."

A. L. Kennedy (Author), Anna Calder-Marshall, Bill Nighy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse: A 4th Doctor novel

"An original novel by A.L. Kennedy featuring the Fourth Doctor, as played by Tom Baker in the BBC TV series. Something distinctly odd is going on in Arbroath. It could be to do with golfers being dragged down into the bunkers at the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel, never to be seen again. It might be related to the strange twin grandchildren of the equally strange Mrs Fetch – owner of the hotel and fascinated with octopuses. It could be the fact that people in the surrounding area suddenly know what others are thinking, without anyone saying a word. Whatever it is, the Doctor is most at home when faced with the distinctly odd. With the help of Fetch Brothers’ Junior Receptionist Bryony, he’ll get to the bottom of things. Just so long as he does so in time to save Bryony from quite literally losing her mind, and the entire world from destruction. Because something huge, ancient and alien lies hidden beneath the ground – and it’s starting to wake up..."

A. L. Kennedy (Author), Clare Corbett (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Blue Book

"Elizabeth Barber is crossing the Atlantic by liner with her perfectly adequate boyfriend, Derek, who might be planning to propose. In fleeing the UK - temporarily - Elizabeth may also be in flight from her past and the charismatic Arthur, once her partner in what she came to see as a series of crimes. Together they acted as fake mediums, perfecting the arcane skills practised by effective frauds. Elizabeth finally rejected what once seemed an intoxicating game. Arthur continued his search for the right way to do wrong. He now subsidises free closure for the traumatised and dispossessed by preying on the super-rich. The pair still meet occasionally, for weekends of sexual oblivion, but their affection lacerates as much as it consoles. She hadn't, though, expected the other man on the boat. As her voyage progresses, Elizabeth's past is revealed, codes slowly form and break as communication deepens. It's time for her to discover who are the true deceivers and who are the truly deceived. What's more, is the book itself - a fiction which may not always be lying - deceiving the reader? Offering illusions and false trails, magical numbers and redemptive humour, this is a novel about what happens when we are misled and when we are true: an extraordinarily intricate and intimate journey into our minds and hearts undertaken by a writer of great gifts - a maker of wonders."

A. L. Kennedy (Author), Juliet Stevenson (Narrator)

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