Audiobooks by BBC Radio

Barbara Pym: A BBC Radio drama collection: Some Tame Gazelle, No Fond Return of Love, Crampton Hodne

"Dramatisations and a reading of selected novels by Barbara Pym - plus bonus material Barbara Pym is one of the 20th Century's wittiest, and most underrated, novelists. Her perceptive comedies of manners, centred around the domestic lives and loves of unassuming middle-class Englishwomen, won her many devoted readers and saw her hailed as a modern-day Jane Austen. Yet she spent 15 years out of print in the 1960s and '70s, until Philip Larkin championed her work in the Times Literary Supplement. Her seventh novel was subsequently shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and writers from Jilly Cooper to Alexander McCall Smith continue to laud her talent today. Included in this collection are the BBC Radio dramatisations of some of her most beloved books, including her debut Some Tame Gazelle; her second novel Crampton Hodnet, published posthumously in 1985; and its sequel Jane and Prudence. Alongside them are her fifth and sixth novels, A Glass of Blessings and No Fond Return of Love; and a comic spy thriller, So Very Secret. Adapted by actress and writer Elizabeth Proud, they feature stellar casts including Miriam Margolyes, Hannah Gordon, Samantha Bond, Rebecca Front, Joanna David, Penny Downie and Amanda Root. Her best-known novel, Excellent Women, about a clergyman's daughter whose life is disturbed by anthropologists and a handsome naval officer, is read by One Foot in the Grave star Annette Crosbie. It is followed by a bonus biographical drama, The Resurrection of Miss Pym, starring Penelope Wilton and Bill Wallis and telling the story of Barbara Pym's warm friendship with Philip Larkin, her years in the publishing wilderness, and her eventual triumphant rediscovery. And in the fascinating radio talk Finding a Voice, we hear from the author in her own words as she analyses her inspiration, influences, literary style and why she kept on writing 'even in the face of discouragement'. Cast and credits Written by Barbara Pym Copyright © Barbara Pym 1950 (Some Tame Gazelle), 1953 (Jane and Prudence), 1958 (A Glass of Blessings), 1961 (No Fond Return of Love), 1987 (So Very Secret) Crampton Hodnet copyright © Barbara Pym, Hilary Walton 1985, Hazel Holt 2004 With thanks to the British Library for the sourcing of Crampton Hodnet Contents Some Tame Gazelle Crampton Hodnet Jane and Prudence A Glass of Blessings No Fond Return of Love So Very Secret Excellent Women The Resurrection of Miss Pym Finding a Voice ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

BBC Radio (Author), Amanda Root, Annette Crosbie, Full Cast, Hannah Gordon, Miriam Margolyes, Penelope Wilton, Penny Downie, Rebecca Front, Samantha Bond (Narrator)

Audiobook

Just a Minute 2021: The Complete Series 86 & 87: The BBC Radio 4 panel game

"Sixteen sparkling episodes of the iconic comedy panel show Radio 4's longest-running panel game returns for the first time since the death of much-missed maestro Nicholas Parsons, who chaired the show for over 50 years. Following in his footsteps for Series 86 are an array of special guest hosts, including Paul Merton, Sue Perkins, Nish Kumar, Jenny Eclair, Gyles Brandreth, Lucy Porter, Stephen Fry, Julian Clary, Tom Allen and Jo Brand, while in Series 87, Sue Perkins takes the chair and endeavours to keep the participants in check. All are primed to rule on cases of hesitation, deviation or repetition, as the panellists attempt to speak for 60 seconds on a given subject without interruption. Among the players bringing their linguistic A-game to the proceedings are Sheila Hancock (who appeared in the very first JAM episode in 1967), Tony Hawks, Pippa Evans, Desiree Burch, Shaparak Khorsandi, Pam Ayres and Mark Watson. The topics include Eating Like a Horse, Walking in New Shoes, The War of the Roses, Artificial Intelligence, A Big Night Out, The Art of Queuing and Oomph! Each episode was produced using remote recording technology, with both panel and audience taking part from their homes all over the world - and now you can join them for a magical mix of quickfire improvisation, inspired ad-libbing and spontaneous hilarity, as these consummate entertainers battle for points, glory and the prize of a perfect, uninterrupted minute. © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

BBC Radio (Author), Gyles Brandreth, Jenny Eclair, Jo Brand, Julian Clary, Lucy Porter, Nish Kumar, Paul Merton, Stephen Fry, Sue Perkins, Tom Allen (Narrator)

Audiobook

The News Quiz 2021: The Complete Series 104, 105 and 106: The Topical BBC Radio 4 Panel Show

"Twenty-four episodes of the popular topical comedy show, chaired by Andy Zaltzman With its brilliant blend of the silly, the serious and the satirical, The News Quiz has been a must-listen for comedy fans since 1977. Recorded in front of a virtual audience, these three series see Andy Zaltzman presiding over a motley crew of comedians and journalists as they trawl through news stories big and small to provide comedy, commentary, irony and irreverence. Among the eager news-wranglers are Zoe Lyons, Nish Kumar, Helen Lewis, Athena Kugenblu, Lucy Porter, Paul Sinha, Daliso Chaponda, Mark Steel, Alice Fraser, Ayesha Hazarika and Kiri Pritchard-McLean. Beginning with a 'Best of 2020' episode, looking back on the 'highlights' of that particular annus horribilis, the panel go on to scrutinise subjects including lockdowns, the US Capitol riots, Joe Biden's inauguration, euphemistic food names, Handforth Parish Council's infamous Zoom meeting, climate change, vaccination, foreign holidays (and traffic lights) and Boris Johnson's stealth wedding. There's also a preview of some 'future news', the debut appearance of the Scapegoater Vx57, the Machine of Ultimate Blame, and the inaugural FALSE or VERY FALSE round - plus, Andy Zaltzman finally becomes the first News Quiz host to present the programme from the BBC Test Match Special commentary box at Lords. © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

BBC Radio (Author), Andy Zaltzman, Helen Lewis, Lucy Porter, Mark Steel, Nish Kumar, Paul Sinha, Various, Zoe Lyons (Narrator)

Audiobook

Last Chance to See: The original BBC Radio series: In search of the world's most endangered species

"Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine travel the world in pursuit of species on the brink of extinction In 1985, The Observer magazine sent Douglas Adams to Madagascar to look for the exotic and potentially extinct aye-aye lemur. There he met zoologist Mark Carwardine, and together they made a radio pilot about their travels, In Search of the Aye-Aye. This led to a hugely popular radio series, Last Chance to See, later adapted as a bestselling book. Douglas Adams died in 2001, but his friend Stephen Fry took his place for a follow-up 20th anniversary television series, broadcast on BBC Two in 2009. This collection includes the initial pilot show and the complete BBC radio series from 1989, in which Adams and Carwardine embark on a quest to track down weird and wonderful threatened species across the globe. Voyaging from New Zealand to Chile, they hope to encounter the flightless Kakapo parrot, the river dolphin revered as the ‘goddess of the Yangtze’ and the secretive, confusing manatee – as well as the randy Rodrigues fruit bat, the terrifying (and smelly) Komodo dragon and the solitary Juan Fernandez fur seal. Funny, thought-provoking and poignant, Last Chance to See combines Adams’ inimitable humour and Carwardine’s expertise to provide a unique snapshot of our vanishing world and the rare creatures that inhabit it. Sadly the Kakapo remains critically endangered, and Yangtze River dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006. Part travelogue, part natural history show, this unforgettable account of a remarkable voyage of discovery serves as a reminder to protect our planet while we still can. Track listing: 1 In Search of the Aye-Aye 2 Ralph, The Fragrant Parrot of Codfish Island (the kakapo) 3 Gone Fishing! (the Yangtze River dolphin) 4 Animal, Vegetable or Mineral? (the Amazonian manatee) 5 The Answer is Blowing in the Wind (the Rodrigues fruit bat) 6 A Man-Eating, Evil-Smelling Dragon (the Komodo dragon) 7 The Sultan of Juan Fernandez (the Juan Fernandez fur seal) Presented by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine Natural Selection: In Search of the Aye-Aye Produced by Tim Grout Smith First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 November 1985 Last Chance to See Narrated by Peter Jones Produced by Chris Muir Series producer: Gaynor Shutte Additional music by Steven Faux First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 October 1989-8 November 1989"

BBC Radio (Author), Douglas Adams, Mark Carwardine, Peter Jones (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Now Show Series 49: The BBC Radio 4 topical comedy panel show

BBC Radio, Herbguister Finklebottom (Author), Steve Punt (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Now Show: Series 48: The BBC Radio 4 topical comedy panel show

BBC Radio (Author), Hugh Dennis, Steve Punt (Narrator)

Audiobook

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue Treasury: Classic BBC radio comedy

"A bumper collection of classic fun and games from one of BBC Radio 4's best-loved and most enduring comedy panel games. ‘The funniest comedy quiz show of them all.’ Sue Arnold, Observer The inimitable Humphrey Lyttelton is in the chair for these 36 hilarious editions, collected together for the first time. He presides over regular players Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Willie Rushton; plus guests including Stephen Fry, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, Paul Merton, Sandi Toksvig and Jeremy Hardy. Hear them having their wicked way with favourite rounds including One Song to the Tune of Another, Limericks, Sound Charades, Cheddar Gorge and Swanee Kazoo. The teams are helped along by lively audiences from a variety of British towns and cities and, as is customary on Clue, Colin Sell is at the piano and the lovely Samantha sits on Humph's right hand. Also included is a special episode, Everyman’s Guide to Mornington Crescent, which reveals the full and unexpurgated history of The Greatest Game on Earth; and Willie Rushton's last show, featuring an introductory tribute from Ned Sherrin. A feast of unrestrained revelry and inspired ad-libs, this is the authentic, award-winning antidote to panel games. Accept no substitutes! Duration: 18 hours approx."

BBC Radio, Herbguister Finklebottom (Author), Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden, Humphrey Lyttelton (Narrator)

Audiobook

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Christmas Clue

"Originally broadcast on Christmas Day 2003, the I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue Players present their unique interpretation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Humphrey Lyttelton as Ebenezer Scrumph, Colin Sell as his downtrodden assistant Crotchet, and Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Barry Cryer as the Ghosts of Christmas Future, Present and P*ssed. This Yuletide extravaganza is not to be missed! Plus, there's a generous stockingful of silly games and pointless revelry from the merry gentlemen of the Clue team, including some memorable moments from the much-missed Willie Rushton. Join them for a feast of festive fun with all the seasonal trimmings."

BBC Radio (Author), Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden, Humphrey Lyttelton, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: Volume 8

"Clued-up listeners will already be familiar with I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, the only authentic antidote to panel games. Ardent fans, and those with less well-indulged ears, are in for a treat with this eighth collection of episodes which, as ever, muddy the line between ad-lib and sheer mayhem. Chairman Humphrey Lyttelton once again takes charge of proceedings as regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden are joined by special guests Sandi Toksvig, Jeremy Hardy, Tony Hawks and Harry Hill. Old favourites such as ‘Mornington Crescent’, ‘Cheddar Gorge’ and ‘One Song to the Tune of Another’ are this time mixed in with rounds including ‘DIY Costume Drama’, ‘Builder's Chat Up Lines’, ‘Ladies' Film Club’ and ‘Ornithologists' Song Book.’ Accept no substitutes!"

BBC Radio (Author), Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden, Humphrey Lyttelton, Tim Brooke Taylor, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

Woman's Hour A Celebration Of Mothers

"Woman's Hour: A Celebration of Mothers is an audiobook that looks at the changing role of mothers over the last fifty years; the relationships that they have enjoyed with their children, how they have juggled the work life balance and how they have challenged the stereotypes and tested the boundaries of what being a mother means. For example the mothers who have worked for peace in Northern Ireland and those who are campaigning against the gun culture or the women who won the right and the facilities to be allowed to be able to stay with their sick children in hospital."

BBC Radio (Author), Jenni Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook