Audiobooks narrated by Adrian Scarborough

She Stoops to Conquer & The Vicar of Wakefield: Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Productions

"Full-cast BBC adaptations of Oliver Goldsmith’s two most famous works Anglo-Irish author Oliver Goldsmith was one of the most accomplished writers of the 18th century. A novelist, playwright, poet and essayist, he came to fame with his novel The Vicar of Wakefield and comic play She Stoops to Conquer. Both those classics are included here, with star casts including Julia McKenzie, Amanda Root, Peter Jeffrey and Sunny Ormonde. She Stoops to Conquer – Misunderstandings and mistaken identity are at the heart of this funny, farcical comedy of manners, in which a London gentleman looking for love finds himself the butt of a mischievous prank. Shy young Marlow comes to court Kate Hardcastle at her father’s house in the Yorkshire Dales, but is fooled into believing that Liberty Hall is an inn and his prospective bride a barmaid. Luckily for both, while Marlow is tongue-tied in the presence of a lady, he can be his charming, confident self with a commoner – and the sassy, independent Kate is happy to pretend, if it means she can win his heart... The Vicar of Wakefield – Part morality tale, part satire of the sentimental novel, Goldsmith’s 1766 masterpiece recounts the humorous adventures of the naive, ever-optimistic Rev Charles Primrose, who lives contentedly in the countryside with his wife and six children. When he loses his fortune to a swindler, he sets off with his despairing family through storms and floods to embrace a life of poverty in a rural Pennine parish. But as disaster piles upon calamity, the vicar finds his faith severely tested – can he face up to adversity and come through unscathed? She Stoops to Conquer Mrs Hardcastle – Julia McKenzie Mr Hardcastle – Clive Francis Kate Hardcastle – Amanda Root Tony Lumpkin – Adrian Scarborough Sir Charles Marlow – Norman Rodway Young Marlow – Martin Ball Hastings – Jonathan Cake Constance Neville – Cathy Sara Landlord/Jeremy – Terry Molloy Diggory/Master Muggins – Ian Brooker Pimple/Barmaid – Naomi Harris Roger/Master Slang – Richard Neale Adapted and directed by Sue Wilson Music composed and performed by Anthea Gomez (piano) with Martha Ann Brooks (trombone) and Katherine Gittings (violin) First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 18 June 2000 The Vicar of Wakefield Rev Charies Primrose – Peter Jeffrey Deborah Primrose – Sunny Ormonde Squire Thornhill – Michael Cochrane Burchell – Anthony Pedley Lady Blarney – Tina Gray Miss Skeggs – Sara Coward Ephraim Jenkinson – Christopher Scott Olivia Primrose – Susan Jeffrey George Primrose – Iwan Thomas Arabella Wilmot – Lisa Kay Sophia Primrose – Laura Strachan Moses Primrose – James Richard Farmer Flamborough – Terry Molloy Actor/Innkeeper – John Webb Actress/Landlady – Gillian Goodman Gaoler – Kim Durham Adapted by Christopher Denys Directed by Sue Wilson First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3-17 October 1999 © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Oliver Goldsmith (Author), Adrian Scarborough, Amanda Root, Clive Francis, Full Cast, Julia Mckenzie, Michael Cochrane, Peter Jeffrey, Sunny Ormonde (Narrator)

Audiobook

Herman Melville: A BBC Radio Drama Collection: Three Full-Cast Dramatisations including Moby-Dick

"BBC adaptations of three works by Herman Melville, plus bonus biographical programmes about his life and work Born in 1819, Herman Melville spent his early twenties at sea. He wrote four successful novels based on his experiences, but his subsequent fiction failed to sell, and he spent the rest of his life in literary obscurity. It was not until 100 years after his birth that his works were rediscovered, and Moby-Dick is now recognised as one of the great American novels. Adapted for BBC radio, it is included here, alongside dramatisations of Bartleby the Scrivener; Billy Budd, Sailor and two bonus documentaries. Moby Dick – Now in middle age, Ishmael looks back on his younger self and recalls the voyage that has haunted him for half his life. Setting sail aboard the Pequod, he is caught up in Captain Ahab’s obsessive pursuit of the great white whale – a chase that will end in tragedy. Trevor White and Garrick Hagon star in this compelling dramatisation of Melville’s masterpiece, adapted by award-winning author Stef Penney. Bartleby the Scrivener – Hired as a copyist in a firm of lawyers, Bartleby is a model employee – until the day he announces that he would ‘prefer not to’ undertake a certain job. Then the list of tasks he’d rather avoid doing becomes longer and more sinister…This famous tale of resistance and alienation stars Ian Holm and Adrian Scarborough. Billy Budd, Sailor – Press-ganged into service on a Royal Navy warship, handsome young Billy Budd is falsely accused of mutiny by the cruel master-at-arms John Claggart. Outraged by this unfair allegation, Billy lashes out and kills Claggart – only to find himself charged with treason… Paul Scofield, Charles Simpson and Matthew Morgan star in this adaptation of Melville’s final prose work, left unfinished on his death in 1891, published posthumously in 1924 and later adapted into an opera by Benjamin Britten. The Strange Journey of Herman Melville – With contributions from Melville scholars and critics, this fascinating profile explores the forgotten author of Moby-Dick, who fell out of favour during his lifetime and whose reputation was only re-established after his death. There She Blows!: The Legacy of Moby Dick – Fraser Harrison traces the origins of Melville’s magnum opus and looks at the contemporary image of the whale as described by poets, musicians and artists. First published 1851 (Moby-Dick; or, The Whale), 1853 (Bartleby, the Scrivener), 1924 (Billy Budd, Sailor) © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Herman Melville (Author), Adrian Scarborough, Charles Simpson, Full Cast, Garrick Hagon, Ian Holm, P J Brennan, Paul Scofield, Trevor White (Narrator)

Audiobook

Big Town, All Stars: A BBC Radio 4 comedy

"A hilarious BBC Radio sitcom of big dreams, small towns, and rock'n'roll! When Kenny (Stephen Tompkinson) gives up his life in the geography classroom to join a struggling a capella group with a beautician, a dentist and a boxer, he doesn't realise he'll soon be in the best band on the wedding circuit - and fronting the potential future of rock 'n' roll... Between trying to manage the band's failing love lives and their battling ambitions, Kenny finds that chaos greets them wherever they go. Arguments about who gets to sing the lead? Check. Rowing about recording contracts? Check. Selling out for a TV talent show? Check. Even if their only gigs are the engagement parties of their exes and a 'cruise ship' that's really a reconditioned destroyer, it doesn't mean they can't all dream of the big time: wealthy widows, international rock star glamour, private jets. It's just a pity that it looks more like old school reunions and the same old small time rows... A rib-tickling mixture of music and comedy from the writers of Peep Show, Dead Ringers, and The Now Show, and starring Stephen Tompkinson (Wild at Heart, Drop the Dead Donkey, Brassed Off), Nicola Walker (Last Tango in Halifax, Doctor Who: The Audio Adventures, Unforgotten), Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, Crashing, Miranda) and Clive Rowe (The Story of Tracy Beaker, Harry Hill). Also featuring Meera Syal, Henrietta Garden, Dan Strauss, Darren Boyd and Matthew Little. Written and devised by Bill Dare Written by Giles New, Jessie Armstrong and Sam Baine Producer Gareth Edwards Cast Stephen Tompkinson Clive Rowe Adrian Scarborough Doon Mackichan Nicola Walker Meera Syal Brian Bovell Rachel Preece Debra Stephenson Dave Lamb Giles New Matthew Little Tony Gardner Robert Webb Bill Dare Darren Boyd Dan Strauss Henrietta Garden Stephen Powell Raquel Cassidy ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Bill Dare (Author), Adrian Scarborough, Brian Bovell, Clive Rowe, Doon Mackichan, Full Cast, Meera Syal, Nicola Walker, Stephen Tompkinson, Tony Gardner (Narrator)

Audiobook

His Dark Materials: The Complete BBC Radio Collection: Full-cast dramatisations of Northern Lights,

"All three BBC radio dramatisations of the bestselling fantasy trilogy - plus bonus material A breathtaking epic spanning multiple worlds, His Dark Materials follows the adventures of Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, two children catapulted into a life-or-death struggle to save the future of the Cosmos. In Northern Lights, 11-year-old Lyra discovers dark forces at work involving kidnapped children and a mysterious substance called 'Dust'. With her shape-shifting daemon, Pantalaimon, she leaves her Oxford college home and embarks on a dangerous journey to the frozen North, aided by armoured bears, Gyptians and a witch-queen... The Subtle Knife sees 12-year-old Will finding an opening into the haunted world of Cittàgazze, where daemon-destroying Spectres roam. There he meets Lyra, and together they acquire the most powerful weapon in all the universes - an object many would kill to possess. In The Amber Spyglass, a colossal war is brewing in Heaven, and Lyra and Will have been separated. They must find each other and journey onward - even into the World of the Dead... These thrilling dramatisations feature an all-star cast, including Lulu Popplewell, Terence Stamp, Bill Paterson, Kenneth Cranham and Adrian Scarborough. Also included is a bonus documentary, World Book Club, in which Philip Pullman answers readers' questions about Northern Lights."

Philip Pullman (Author), Adrian Scarborough, Bill Paterson, Full Cast, Kenneth Cranham, Terence Stamp (Narrator)

Audiobook

Les Misérables: Penguin Classics

"Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by an ensemble cast which includes the BAFTA award-winning actor Adeel Akhtar (Killing Eve; The Night Manager; Les Miserables), Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey; The King's Speech), Natalie Simpson (Outlander; Les Miserables), Emma Fielding (Unforgotten; Les Miserables) and John Owen-Jones, who was the youngest actor ever to play the part of Jean Valjean in the stage show of Les Miserables, and who has appeared as Jean Valjean on Broadway and in the West End. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Robert Tombs. Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, and by the relentless investigations of the dogged policeman Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty. (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

Victor Hugo (Author), Adeel Akhtar, Adrian Scarborough, Emma Fielding, John Owen-Jones, Natalie Simpson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Amsterdam

"Brought to you by Penguin. On a chilly February day two old friends meet in the throng outside a crematorium to pay their last respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers in the days before they reached their current eminence, Clive as Britain's most successful modern composer, Vernon as editor of the quality broadsheet, The Judge.Gorgeous, feisty Molly had had other lovers too, notably Julian Garmony, Foreign Secretary, a notorious right-winger tipped to be the next prime minister. In the days that follow Molly's funeral Clive and Vernon will make a pact that will have consequences neither has foreseen. Each will make a disastrous moral decision, their friendship will be tested to its limits and Julian Garmony will be fighting for his political life. WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE"

Ian McEwan (Author), Adrian Scarborough (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tristram Shandy: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

"A full-cast dramatisation of this comic tale about an eighteenth-century gentleman who tries to tell his life story, but continually finds that he must digress... Featuring some of the best-known and well-loved characters in English literature, including Uncle Toby, Corporal Trim, Dr Slop and the Widow Wadman. Beginning (or attempting to begin) at the moment of his own conception, Tristram Shandy recounts his progress through the world and utterly fails to stick to the point. Sterne's comic masterpiece is an extravagantly inventive work which was hugely popular when first published in 1759, and is now considered a landmark in the history of the novel. Its often bawdy humour and numerous digressions are combined with bold literary experiments, and 260 years after its publication it remains one of the most influential and widely-admired books of the 18th century. A joyful celebration of the endless possibilities of the art of fiction, Tristram Shandy is also a wry demonstration of its limitations. Also included in this release is a bonus programme - In Our Time: Tristram Shandy - in which Melvyn Bragg discusses the comic masterpiece with Professor Judith Hawley (University of London), Professor John Mullan (UCL) and Dr Mary Newbould (University of Cambridge). Cast: Tristram...Neil Dudgeon Mother...Julia Ford Father...David Troughton Uncle Toby...Adrian Scarborough Corporal Trim...Paul Ritter Dr Slop...Tony Rohr Obadiah...Stephen Hogan Susannah...Helen Longworth Great-Grandmother/Bridget...Ndidi Del Fatti Great-Grandfather/Pontificating Man/Death...Stuart Mcloughlin Bishop Hall/Le Fever...Hugh Dickson Widow Wadman...Deborah Findlay Dramatised by Graham White Directed and produced by Mary Peate A BBC Studios production"

Laurence Sterne (Author), Adrian Scarborough, David Troughton, Full Cast, Julia Ford, Neil Dudgeon, Paul Ritter (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Wind in the Willows

"One Spring morning, Mole abandons his spring cleaning and surfaces into the sunlight and warm grass of a great meadow. Rambling busily along the hedgerows he comes all at once to the edge of a river. Mole is entranced. Here on the river bank he meets the Water Rat. Mole stays with the Water Rat in his snug waterside home where the river laps at the sill of the window and here he meets Ratty's friends: Badger who lives in the Wild Wood and the incorrigible Toad of Toad Hall.A timeless tale of waterside Britain that has been loved by generations of children and acclaimed as a classic. The story of Mole, Ratty, Badger, and Toad and their escapades, whether messing about on the river or puttering about in Toad's shiny new car, cannot fail to enchant every listener.Many of the original cast from Alan Bennett's acclaimed National Theatre production appear in this dramatization for BBC Radio 4, including Richard Briers as Rat, Adrian Scarborough as Mole, and Terence Rigby as Albert, with Alan Bennett as the narrator."

Kenneth Grahame (Author), Adrian Scarborough, Alan Bennett, Richard Briers, Terence Rigby, a full cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

Madness

"Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Madness by Roald Dahl, read by Juliet Stevenson, Cilllian Murphy, Adrian Scarborough, Tamsin Greig, Stephanie Beacham and Andrew Scott. 'There is a pleasure sure in being mad, which none but madmen know' Our greatest fear is of losing control - of our lives, but, most of all, of ourselves. In these ten unsettling tales of unexpected madness, master storyteller Roald Dahl explores what happens when we let go our sanity. Collected together for the first time, stories include Edward the Conqueror, Katina, The Sound Machine, An African Story, The Landlady, Pig, The Boy Who Talked with Animals, Dip in the Pool, William and Mary and The Way Up to Heaven."

Roald Dahl (Author), Adrian Scarborough, Andrew Scott, Cillian Murphy, Juliet Stevenson, Stephanie Beacham, Tamsin Greig (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cruelty

"Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Cruelty by Roald Dahl, read by Will Self, Adrian Scarborough, Stephanie Beacham, Andrew Scott, Richard E Grant, Tamsin Greig, Mark Heap, Juliet Stevenson and Jessica Hynes. 'Cruelty has a human heart . . .' Even when we mean to be kind we can sometimes be cruel. We each have a streak of nastiness inside us. In these ten tales of cruelty master storyteller Roald Dahl explores how and why it is we make others suffer. Collected together for the first time, stories include The Great Automatic Grammatizator, Royal jelly, Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat,The Swan, Poison, Skin, The Princess and the Poacher, Genesis and Catastrophe and Mr Feasey."

Roald Dahl (Author), Adrian Scarborough, Andrew Scott, Jessica Hynes, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Heap, Richard E. Grant, Stephanie Beacham, Tamsin Greig, Will Self (Narrator)

Audiobook

Dip in the Pool (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

"Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Dip in the Pool by Roald Dahl, read by Adrian Scarborough. In Dip in the Pool, Roald Dahl tells an unsettling story of human folly. Here, a man acts rashly and life-threateningly to ensure he wins a prize . . . Dip in the Pool is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes seventeen other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who serves a dish that baffles the police; a curious machine that reveals the horrifying truth about plants; the man waiting to be bitten by the venomous snake asleep on his stomach; and others."

Roald Dahl (Author), Adrian Scarborough (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sound Machine (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

"Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Sound Machine by Roald Dahl, read by Adrian Scarborough. In The Sound Machine, Roald Dahl tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a curious invention reveals a horrifying truth about plants . . . The Sound Machine is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes seventeen other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who serves a dish that baffles the police; a sculpture comes between a scheming wife and her put-upon husband; the man waiting to be bitten by the venomous snake asleep on his stomach; and others."

Roald Dahl (Author), Adrian Scarborough (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Adrian Scarborough