Audiobooks narrated by Al Murray

The Visionaries: The Making of the Post World War II Order in the West

"Brought to you by Penguin. Although the Second World War was still a long way from being won, even by early 1941, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was already planning for peace. America’s entry of the war may still have been almost a year away, but he could already see the new world order that needed to emerge from the smouldering ashes of Europe. The business of war was very quickly going to have to become the business of peace. Three years later, under the guidance of his successor, President Harry S. Truman, the Marshall Plan would emerge, a forward-thinking combination of global philanthropy and canny self-interest, rooted in a profound sense of Christian and moral duty, and which kickstarted unprecedented European growth and a chance for the world as a whole to rebuild after the ruinous catastrophe of war. From the world on the eve of war in 1914 through to the Versailles Treaty and the global financial catastrophe of the late 1920s and early thirties, and the political earthquakes that followed, The Visionaries takes a broad sweep of history with important lessons for today. It’s a reminder that while history does not repeat itself, patterns of human behaviour certainly do. James Holland’s knowledge of the Second World War and its aftermath gives him unique insight into the far-reaching consequences of the financial policies of Roosevelt and Truman. The sustained period of economic stability they initiated delivered peace to the western democracies for over eighty years and stand in stark contrast to our transactional approach to the world today. 'A gripping, behind-the-curtain story of the men and women who rebuilt the world after the carnage of World War II—and, in the process, engineered an age of unprecedented peace and prosperity. A must-read for anyone trying to understand how stability is built, how prosperity scales, and how we can protect what those architects created. Essential reading for anyone who cares about leadership and the future.' Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director © James Holland 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Victory '45: A new history of World War II from the bestselling historians

"Brought to you by Penguin. From the Italian Alps to northern Germany, to London, New York, Washington and Tokyo, Victory ’45 tells the story of the extraordinary summer when the greatest conflagration the world had ever known finally came to an end after six surrenders that heralded the Allied victory. Comprised of eight chapters based around each of those surrenders and the victory celebrations which followed, it will be rich in character and human drama with revealing stories and perspectives behind the end of the war not yet told before. Each chapter will follow the viewpoints of a number of key characters as they traverse these world-changing events – from ordinary servicemen and women and civilians to generals and political leaders. What took place during the negotiations of those surrenders and the terms that were agreed there would determine the directions the participating countries would take in the years that followed and ultimately the shape of our current world. 'Murray breaks the story into its constituent parts and, demonstrating a deep understanding of events... an original and insightful account' Telegraph 'Reinforces Holland’s reputation as certainly the busiest and probably the most popular military historian of the second world war working today’ Spectator 'A gripping, eye-opening and satisfying new account.' Daily Express © Al Murray and James Holland 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Al Murray, James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cassino '44: The Bloodiest Battle of the Italian Campaign

"Brought to you by Penguin. There are no such thing as an easy victory in war but after triumph in Tunisia, the sweeping success of the Sicilian invasion, and with the Italian surrender, the Allies were confident that they would be in Rome before Christmas 1943. And yet it didn't happen. Hitler ordered his forces to dig in and fight for every yard, thus setting the stage for one of the grimmest and most attritional campaigns of the Second World War. By the start of 1944, the Allies found themselves coming up against the Gustav Line: a formidable barrier of wire, minefields, bunkers and booby traps, woven into a giant chain of mountains and river valleys that stretched the width of Italy where at its strongest point perched the Abbey of Monte Cassino. It would take five long bitter winter months and the onset of summer before the Allies could finally bludgeon their way north and capture Rome. By then, more than 75,000 troops and civilians had been killed and the historic abbey and entire towns and villages had been laid waste. Following a rich cast of characters from both sides - from frontline infantry to aircrew, from clerks to battlefield commanders, and from politicians and civilians caught up in the middle of the maelstrom - James Holland has drawn widely on diaries, letters and contemporary sources to write the definitive account of this brutal battle. The result is a compelling and often heart-breaking narrative, told in the moment, as the events played out, and from the perspective of those who lived, fought and died there. ‘Astonishingly thorough and meticulously researched; it should become a standard work on this campaign…A formidable achievement’ Telegraph 'James Holland is now our foremost authority on the Italian campaign. He knows the ground intimately and expertly. In this gripping, beautifully written book, Holland breathes fresh life into the grim story of Cassino. Told from the perspectives of all the participants, packed with new insights and quality scholarship, Cassino 1944 makes a major contribution to our understanding of the fighting in Italy. Highest recommendation!' John C. McManus 'James Holland has given us another gripping historical narrative. This one unfolds from the grandeur of a palace turned wartime headquarters to a soon-to-be infamous Italian abbey that came to symbolize the complexities of the often-overshadowed Italian campaign. Holland writes with eloquence and power about the harsh realities of a brutal battle that grabbed the world’s attention and helped to decide the future of Italy' Professor Michael S. Neiberg ©2024 James Holland (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Arnhem: Black Tuesday: The Classic World War II Battle Told As Never Before

"Brought to you by Penguin. The Battle of Arnhem is one of the best-known stories in British military history: a daring but thwarted attempt to secure a vital bridgehead across the Rhine in order to end the war before Christmas. It is always written about, with the benefit of unerring 20/20 hindsight, as being doomed to fail, but the men who fought there, men of military legend, didn't know that that was to be their fate. By focusing on the events of one day as they happened through the eyes of the British participants and without bringing any knowledge of what would happen tomorrow to bear, Al Murray offers a very different perspective to a familiar narrative. Some things went right and a great many more went wrong, but recounting them in this way allows the reader to understand for the first time how certain decisions were taken in the moment and how opportunities were squandered. Tuesday 19 September 1944 was that terrible day which became known as Black Tuesday. From just after 12:00 hours while plans were being made to seize the initiative and optimism reigned, to the following midnight, when Arnhem was burning and the Allied fortunes looked very different, a mere twenty-four hours changed the course of the war. Al Murray has always been obsessed with Arnhem, and in Arnhem: Black Tuesday, brings all of his knowledge, interpretation and enthusiasm to bear to tell the story of one of history’s great heroic failures differently for the first time. © Al Murray 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024"

Al Murray (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Jenny and Julie’s BBC Radio Dramas: On Baby Street, TwilightBaby.com and more

"A collection of comedies and dramas about modern women’s lives and loves, starring Jenny Eclair Jenny Eclair is one of Britain’s most-loved stand-up comedians, and the first woman to win the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. She has written several acclaimed books, including the Sunday Times bestseller Older and Wider: A Survivor's Guide to the Menopause, and appeared on numerous TV and radio shows including Grumpy Old Women and Just a Minute. Collected here are some of her finest radio comedies and dramas, centred around women who are at a turning point in their lives. On Baby Street introduces us to three neighbours discovering the delights of parenthood. Series 1 sees them preparing for their new arrivals; in Series 2, the babies are born and the fun begins; and in Series 3, the children are toddlers, and their parents’ lives are changing. TwilightBaby.com takes a similar comic look at motherhood, as Cass, a 46-year-old with grown-up kids, finds to her shock that she is pregnant again. Over two series, we follow her as she blogs about being an ‘older’ mum, whilst endeavouring to keep the rest of her family in work and out of trouble. Just Juliette sees talk show host Juliette Johnson trying to balance marriage, motherhood and the media. As the two series unfold, she is on the verge of losing her job, her husband and her mind… And in the four-part comedy Dear Jenny, Dear Julie, two long-time pen pals – a Blackpudlian and an Australian – meet for the first time in London, and paint the town red. The pitfalls of fame are explored in two standalone dramas: Jason’s Mum, about a single mother with a chart-topping son, and The Andy Warhol Syndrome, in which housewife Carol becomes a reality TV celebrity, but has to deal with the aftermath when the cameras stop rolling. And in two dramatic monologues, In Convenience and He’s Leaving His Wife, Jenny Eclair takes us into the worlds of an unhappy wife preparing to host a dinner party on the worst of all possible days, and a mistress waiting on tenterhooks for her lover to tell his wife that their marriage is over. Written by Jenny Eclair and Julie Balloo, these witty, intimate comedy dramas boast stellar casts, including All Murray, Frances Barber, Kathy Burke, Kevin Eldon, Claire Skinner, Linda Robson, Emerald O’Hanrahan, Peter Sallis, Helen Lederer, Paul Merton, Nicholas Parsons and Ronni Ancona. Cast and credits Written by Jenny Eclair and Julie Balloo On Baby Street With Jenny Eclair, Tilly Vosburgh, Keith Allen,Lee Cornes, Caroline Hook, Claire Skinner, Matilda Ziegler, Graham Fellows, Hugh Ross, Frances Barber, Kathy Burke/Linda Robson, Kevin Eldon, Sue Elliot-Nicholls, Eva Stuart, James Sutton, Julie Balloo, Ronni Ancona and Al Murray Produced by Jane Berthoud and Helen Williams TwilightBaby.com With Jenny Eclair, Kevin Eldon, Joseph Cohen-Cole, Emerald O'Hanrahan, Felicity Montagu, Philip Fox, Stephen Hogan, Kate Layden, Sean Baker, Christine Kavanagh, Sally Orrock Directed by Sally Avens Just Juliette With Jenny Eclair, Jeff Rawle, James Fleet, Annabel Giles, Jan Goodman, Peter Sallis, Sylvia Syms, Robert Duncan, Jane Whittenshaw, Simon Upson, Jon Culshaw, Julie Balloo, Anthony Best, Martin Hyder and Deborah Stevenson Produced by Helen Williams and Claire Jones Dear Jenny, Dear Julie With Jenny Eclair, Julie Balloo, Helen Lederer, Nicholas Parsons and Paul Merton Produced by Sioned Wiliam Jason’s Mum Starring Linda Robson and Jenny Eclair Produced by Jane Berthoud In Convenience Performed by Jenny Eclair Directed by Sally Avens The Andy Warhol Syndrome With Jenny Eclair, Ewan Bailey, Jan Goodman, Gerard McDermott, Harry Myers and Ronni Ancona Produced by Liz Webb He’s Leaving His Wife Performed by Jenny Eclair Directed by Mary Peate © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Jenny Eclair, Julie Balloo (Author), Al Murray, Claire Skinner, Frances Barber, Full Cast, Graham Fellows, Jenny Eclair, Julie Balloo, Kathy Burke, Kevin Eldon, Linda Robson, Nicholas Parsons, Paul Merton, Ronni Ancona (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Savage Storm: The Heroic True Story of One of the Least told Campaigns of WW2

"Brought to you by Penguin. This is World War 2 in microcosm told through the brutal story of the most pivotal campaign the Allies were to fight by one of the UK's most acclaimed and bestselling historians From the bestselling author of Brothers in Arms comes the story of the most pivotal Allies campaign of World War II. With the invasion of France the following year taking shape, and hot on the heels of victory in Sicily, the Allies crossed into Southern Italy in September 1943. They expected to drive the Axis forces north and be in Rome by Christmas. And although Italy surrendered, the German forces resisted fiercely and the swift hoped-for victory descended into one of the most brutal battles of the war. Even though shipping and materiel were already being safeguarded for the D-Day landings, there were still huge expectations on the progress of the invading armies, but those shortages were to slow the advance with tragic consequences. As the weather closed in, the critical months leading up to Monte Cassino would inflict a heavy price for every bloody, hard fought mile the Allied troops covered. Chronicling those dark, dramatic months in unflinching and insightful detail, The Savage Storm is unlike any campaign history yet written. James Holland has always recounted the Second World War at ground level, but this version telling brings the story vividly to life like never before. Weaving together a wealth of letters, diaries, and other incredible documents, Holland traces the battles as they were fought - across plains, over mountains, through shattered villages and cities, in intense heat and, towards the end, frigid cold and relentless rain - putting readers at the heart of the action to create an entirely fresh and revealing telling of this most pivotal phase of the war. 'Impeccably researched and superbly written' Observer 'Holland has something new to say.... Filled with insight and detail' Neil Oliver 'James Holland is the best of the new generation of WW2 historians' Sebastian Faulks ©2023 Griffon Merlin Ltd, (P)2023 Penguin Audio"

James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Chindit: The inside story of one of World War Two's most dramatic behind-the-lines operations

"Brought to you by Penguin. 1943. Major-General Orde Wingate startles the military world by commanding a daring raid in the heart of Japanese-occupied Burma. But this was just the beginning. In the following year, Wingate spearheaded an even more ambitious operation, flying 10,000 men and 1,000 animals behind Japanese lines to disrupt communications and harass the Japanese forces. With close tactical support from Colonel Philip Cochran, Chindit was the name given to these operations and the men who made them happen. This is their story, told by one man who was at the heart of it all. Cipher officer Richard Rhodes James tells the story of the preparations in central India, the flights deep into enemy territory and the campaign of guerrilla operations that followed. Taking the reader through the remote wilds of the jungle, showing the parching heat and the relentless rain that these men experienced, Rhodes James paints a detailed portrait of a band of brothers fighting for survival. © Richard Rhodes James 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022"

Richard Rhodes James (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Brothers in Arms: One Legendary Tank Regiment's Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day

"Brought to you by Penguin. ** READ BY AL MURRAY ** 'War as it should be described. The book is an assault on the senses...Painful to read but impossible to put down' Gerard de Groot, The Times From the bestselling author of Normandy '44 and Sicily '43 comes an extraordinary account of the last year of the Second World War It took a certain type of courage to serve in a tank in World War Two. Encased in steel, surrounded by highly explosive shells, a big and slow-moving target, every crew member was utterly vulnerable to enemy attack from all sides. Living - and dying - in a tank was a brutal way to fight a war. The Sherwood Rangers were one of the great tank regiments. They had learned their trade the hard way, under the burning sun of North Africa, on the battlefields of El Alamein and Alam el Halfa. By the time they landed on Gold Beach on D-Day, they were toughened by experience and ready for combat. From that moment on, the Sherwood Rangers were in the thick of the action til the war's end. They and their Sherman tanks covered thousands of miles and endured some of the fiercest fighting in Western Europe. The first British unit to cross into Germany, their engagements stretch from the Normandy beaches, to the bridges at Eindhoven, and the grinding crossing of the Siegfried Line and on into the Nazi heartland. Through compelling eye-witness testimony and James Holland's expert analysis of the war in the West, Brothers In Arms brings to vivid life the final bloody scramble across Europe and gives the most powerful account to date of what it was really like to fight in the dying days of World War Two. © James Holland 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021"

James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sicily '43: A Times Book of the Year

"Brought to you by Penguin. From the bestselling author of Normandy ‘44 comes a major new history of one of World War II’s most crucial campaigns. Codenamed Operation HUSKY, the Allied assault on Sicily on 10 July 1943 remains the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted in world history, landing more men in a single day than at any other time. That day, over 160,000 British, American and Canadian troops were dropped from the sky or came ashore, more than on D-Day just under a year later. It was also preceded by an air campaign that marked a new direction and dominance of the skies by Allies. The subsequent thirty-eight-day Battle for Sicily was one of the most dramatic of the entire Second World War, involving daring raids by special forces, deals with the Mafia, attacks across mosquito-infested plains and perilous assaults up almost sheer faces of rock and scree. It was a brutal campaign - the violence was extreme, the heat unbearable, the stench of rotting corpses intense and all-pervasive, the problems of malaria, dysentery and other diseases a constant plague. And all while trying to fight a way across an island of limited infrastructure and unforgiving landscape, and against a German foe who would not give up. It also signalled the beginning of the end of the War in the West. From here on, Italy ceased to participate in the war, the noose began to close around the neck of Nazi Germany, and the coalition between the United States and Britain came of age. Most crucially, it would be a critical learning exercise before Operation OVERLORD, the Allied invasion of Normandy, in June 1944. Based on his own battlefield studies in Sicily and on much new research over the past thirty years, James Holland’s SICILY ’43 offers a vital new perspective on a major turning point in World War II. It is a timely, powerful and dramatic account by a master military historian and will fill a major gap in the narrative history of the Second World War. © James Holland 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Battle of Britain

"Brought to you by Penguin. This audio edition includes an exclusive Q&A between James Holland and Al Murray. 'If Hitler fails to invade or destroy Britain, he has lost the war,' Churchill said in the summer of 1940.He was right.The Battle of Britain was a crucial turning point in the history of the Second World War. Had Britain's defences collapsed, Hitler would have dominated all of Europe and been able to turn his full attention east to the Soviet Union. The German invasion of France and the Low Countries in May 1940 was unlike any the world had ever seen. It hit with a force and aggression that no-one could counter and in just a few short weeks, all in their way crumbled under the force of the Nazi hammer blow. With France facing defeat and with British forces pressed back to the Channel, there were few who believed Britain could possibly survive.Soon, it seemed, Hitler would have all of Europe at his feet. Yet Hitler's forces were not quite the Goliath they at first seemed, while her leadership lacked the single-minded purpose, vision and direction that had led to such success on land.Nor was Britain any David.Thanks to a sophisticated defensive system and the combined efforts of the RAF, Royal Navy as well as the mounting sense of collective defiance led by a new Prime Minister, Britain was not ready to roll over just yet. From clashes between coastal convoys and Schnellboote in the Channel to astonishing last stands in Flanders, and from the slaughter by the U-boats in the icy Atlantic to the dramatic aerial battles over England, The Battle of Britain tells this most epic of stories from all sides, drawing on extensive new research from around the world. In so doing, it paints a complete picture of that extraordinary summer - a time in which the fate of the world truly hung by a thread. © James Holland 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Burma '44: The Battle That Turned Britain's War in the East

"Brought to you by Penguin. This audio edition includes an exclusive Q&A between James Holland and Al Murray. 'A thrilling blow-by-blow account' The Times In February 1944, a rag-tag collection of clerks, drivers, doctors, muleteers, and other base troops, stiffened by a few dogged Yorkshiremen and a handful of tank crews managed to hold out against some of the finest infantry in the Japanese Army, and then defeat them in what was one of the most astonishing battles of the Second World War. What became know as The Defence of the Admin Box, fought amongst the paddy fields and jungle of Northern Arakan over a fifteen-day period, turned the battle for Burma. Not only was it the first decisive victory for British troops against the Japanese, more significantly, it demonstrated how the Japanese could be defeated. The lessons learned in this tiny and otherwise insignificant corner of the Far East, set up the campaign in Burma that would follow, as General Slim’s Fourteenth Army finally turned defeat into victory. Burma '44 is a tale of incredible drama. As gripping as the story of Rorke's drift, as momentous as the battle for the Ardennes, the Admin Box was a triumph of human grit and heroism and remains one of the most significant yet undervalued conflicts of World War Two. © James Holland 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Vanity Fair: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

"Al Murray stars in this anarchic BBC radio reboot of Thackeray’s groundbreaking satirical novel Comedian Al Murray plays his great-great-great grandfather William Makepeace Thackeray as the unreliable narrator in this radical makeover of his ancestor’s celebrated satire on class, sex, money, hypocrisy and snobbery in nineteenth-century England. As the curtain rises on our ‘story without a hero’, moneyless Becky Sharp leaves school with her upper-class best friend Amelia Sedley. Clever, cunning and ambitious, Becky is determined to make her way in Regency society – and she’ll trample on anyone who gets in her way. When her plan to marry Amelia’s brother Jos falls through, she snares the aristocratic Rawdon Crawley – but her hopes of riches are dashed when the couple are disinherited by his wealthy aunt. Meanwhile, Amelia marries the dashing George Osborne, breaking the heart of her devoted admirer, William Dobbin. But war is fast approaching, and as Napoleon advances towards Waterloo, where will the winds of destiny blow our players? And will the ever-resourceful Becky succeed in achieving her desires? Pacey, contemporary, fresh and funny, this sparkling dramatisation features Ellie White as Becky, Helen O’Hara as Amelia, Blake Ritson as Rawdon, Rupert Hill as George, Thom Tuck as Jos and Graeme Hawley as Dobbin. Cast and credits Thackeray (narrator)……………………Al Murray Becky Sharp……………………Ellie White Amelia Sedley……………………Helen O’Hara Rawdon Crawley……………………Blake Ritson Jos Sedley……………………Thom Tuck George Osborne……………………Rupert Hill Dobbin……………………Graeme Hawley Mrs Sedley/Mrs Bute/Aunty Crawley/Jane/Rawdon Junior……………………Emma Gregory Mr Sedley/Sir Pitt/Lord Steyne……………………Jonathan Keeble Mr Osborne/Bute/General Tufto……………………Malcolm Raeburn Pitt……………………Lloyd Peters Lady Bareacres/Miss Briggs/George Junior……………………Fiona Clarke Written by William Makepeace Thackeray Dramatised by Jim Poyser, with additional material by Al Murray A BBC Radio Drama North production Produced and directed by Gary Brown First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 May-9 June 2019"

William Thackeray (Author), Al Murray, Full Cast (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Al Murray

Join Our Community