Audiobooks narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch

Last Days of Grace: A BBC Radio 4 drama Audiobook

A cricketing legend faces his final innings in this moving BBC radio drama starring Kenneth Cranham and Benedict Cumberbatch Easter Monday, 1908, and there's snow on the ground as ageing icon W.G. Grace arrives at the Oval to contemplate another day in his lifelong cricketing obsession. He can't face the thought of sitting in the clubhouse and meeting the same old people - so instead, he trudges out in the cold to the groundsman's hut, where he encounters a young stranger. Their talk turns, naturally, to cricket, and the two men recall the highlights of Grace's long career: his debut for the All-England team in 1866, when he made 100 runs on the first day, and his first Test Match at the Oval in 1880 where he scored 152 against Australia, becoming England's first centurion. But those triumphs occurred decades ago, and Grace no longer dominates the world of cricket as he once did. At nearly 60, he knows in his heart that it's time to retire, but he cannot bear the idea of giving up the game he loves. Can the stranger persuade him to bow out with dignity? Written by Nick Warburton, who won the 2007 Peter Tinniswood Award for Best New Play on Radio, this poignant, bittersweet drama stars Kenneth Cranham as Grace, with Benedict Cumberbatch as the young man and Christopher Martin-Jenkins as the Voice of Cricket. Produced by Steven Canny Cast W.G. Grace - Kenneth Cranham GF - Benedict Cumberbatch Voice of Cricket - Christopher Martin-Jenkins First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 24 September 2008

Nick Warburton (Author), Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Kenneth Cranham (Narrator)

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Letters of Note: Art

In Letters of Note: Art, Shaun Usher celebrates extraordinary correspondence about art, from missives on the agony of being overlooked, the ecstasy of producing work that excites, to surprising sources of inspiration and rousing manifestos. A star-studded cast of readers brings the letters to life, with contributions from Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Stephen Mangan, Clarke Peters, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong and Meera Syal. The collection features letters by Michelangelo, Frida Kahlo, Oscar Howe, Martin Scorsese, Henri Matisse, Augusta Savage, Vincent van Gogh and many more. Letters of Note: Art also includes audio exclusive bonus content drawn from recordings made at performances of Letters Live, the live events series produced by Canongate in partnership with SunnyMarch and Shaun Usher. Enjoy Noel Fielding reading Salvador Dali’s letter to Federico García Lorca at London’s Union Chapel and Ian McKellen reading Kurt Vonnegut’s letter to the students of Xavier High School at the Freemasons’ Hall. A donation will be made to The National Literacy Trust – one of the regular partner charities for Letters Live – for each audiobook sold.

Shaun Usher (Author), Benedict Cumberbatch, Clarke Peters, Crystal Clarke, Ferdinand Kingsley, Helen Mccrory, Jude Law, Juliet Stevenson, Louise Brealey, Meera Syal, Neil Gaiman, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, Stephen Mangan, Toby Jones (Narrator)

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Letters of Note: Love

In this moving collection, Shaun Usher gathers together some of the most powerful letters about love ever written. Whether inspired by love’s first blush or the recriminations at its ending, the regrets of unrequited feelings and the joys of passions known, Letters of Note: Love is essential listening for anyone with a heart. A star-studded cast of readers brings the letters to life, with contributions from Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Clarke Peters, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong and Meera Syal. The collection features letters by Simone de Beauvoir, Vladimir Nabokov, Zora Neale Hurston, Nelson Mandela, Maud Gonne, Johnny Cash and many more. Letters of Note: Love also includes audio exclusive bonus content drawn from recordings made at performances of Letters Live, the live events series produced by Canongate in partnership with SunnyMarch and Shaun Usher. Hear Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey read Chris Barker’s letter to Bessie Moore at the Royal Albert Hall, Tom Hiddleston reading Gerald Durrell’s letter to his wife at the Freemasons’ Hall and Nick Cave perform his song, Love Letter, at the Union Chapel. A donation will be made to The National Literacy Trust – one of the regular partner charities for Letters Live – for each audiobook sold.

Shaun Usher (Author), Adrian Edmondson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Clarke Peters, Crystal Clarke, Danny Huston, Jude Law, Juliet Stevenson, Louise Brealey, Mark Strong, Meera Syal, Miriam Margolyes, Natascha Mcelhone, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Simon Callow, Stephen Mangan, Toby Jones (Narrator)

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Letters of Note: War

In Letters of Note: War, Shaun Usher brings together some of the most remarkable letters that encapsulate the human experience of war, from unimaginable feats of courage and compassion, to unthinkable episodes of violence and horror. A star-studded cast of readers brings the letters to life, with contributions from Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Natascha McElhone, Clarke Peters, Juliet Stevenson and Mark Strong. The collection features letters by Mark Twain, June Wandrey, Evelyn Waugh, Lord Horatio Nelson, Alexander Hamilton, Luis Alvarez and many more. Letters of Note: War also includes audio exclusive bonus content drawn from recordings made at performances of Letters Live, the live events series produced by Canongate in partnership with SunnyMarch and Shaun Usher. Listen to Ben Kingsley reading Mohandas Gandhi’s letter to Adolf Hitler and Colin Firth and Taron Egerton read letters exchanged between Rudyard Kipling and his son, John. A donation will be made to The National Literacy Trust – one of the regular partner charities for Letters Live – for each audiobook sold.

Shaun Usher (Author), Adrian Edmondson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Clarke Peters, Danny Huston, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Juliet Stevenson, Louise Brealey, Mark Strong, Miriam Margolyes, Natascha Mcelhone, Neil Gaiman, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones (Narrator)

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Letters of Note: Cats

In Letters of Note: Cats, Shaun Usher collects together the most engaging missives that celebrate, eulogise, rail against and analyse the idiosyncratic ways of our feline companions. A star-studded cast of readers brings the letters to life, with contributions from Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Helen McCrory, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Clarke Peters, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong and Meera Syal. The collection features letters by Nikola Tesla, Elizabeth Taylor, Anne Frank, Raymond Chandler, John Cheever, Rachel Carson, Jack Lemmon and many more. Letters of Note: Cats also includes audio exclusive bonus content drawn from recordings made at performances of Letters Live, the live events series produced by Canongate in partnership with SunnyMarch and Shaun Usher. Listen to Toby Jones reading John Cheever’s letter to Susie Herbst and an ensemble cast reading a flurry of letters to the Guardian on the hotly contested topic of ‘cats vs dogs’. A donation will be made to The National Literacy Trust – one of the regular partner charities for Letters Live – for each audiobook sold.

Shaun Usher (Author), Adrian Edmondson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Clarke Peters, Crystal Clarke, Danny Huston, Ferdinand Kingsley, Helen Mccrory, Louise Brealey, Mark Strong, Meera Syal, Miriam Margolyes, Natascha Mcelhone, Neil Gaiman, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, Stephen Mangan, Toby Jones (Narrator)

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Letters of Note: Music

In Letters of Note: Music, Shaun Usher brings together a riveting collection of letters by and about some of the musicians and music that enrich our lives. Wonderfully wide-ranging and illuminating, it will delight music lovers of all stripes. A star-studded cast of readers brings the letters to life, with contributions from Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Nick Cave, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Clarke Peters, Juliet Stevenson and Mark Strong. The collection features letters by Nick Cave, Helen Keller, Keith Richards, Leonard Cohen, John Coltrane, Kim Gordon and many more. Letters of Note: Music also includes audio exclusive bonus content drawn from recordings made at performances of Letters Live, the live events series produced by Canongate in partnership with SunnyMarch and Shaun Usher. Savour Jarvis Cocker reading Iggy Pop’s letter to a fan named Laurence and Matt Berry reading Robert Crumb’s letter to free jazz saxophonist Mats Gustafsson. A donation will be made to The National Literacy Trust – one of the regular partner charities for Letters Live – for each audiobook sold.

Shaun Usher (Author), Adrian Edmondson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Clarke Peters, Crystal Clarke, Danny Huston, Jude Law, Juliet Stevenson, Louise Brealey, Mark Strong, Miriam Margolyes, Nick Cave, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, Stephen Mangan, Toby Jones (Narrator)

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The Biggest Secret: A BBC Radio 4 Drama

In the early hours of 5 June 1944, Captain Rob Collins played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who is languishing in hospital, receives a call that will take him on a journey through England that will change his life. Mike Walker's play is an epic journey across England poised on the edge of a historical moment. It is set on June 5th the day before the invasion. It is a portrait of England waiting for the invasion that will change the course of history, but an invasion only a very few know that is about happen. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliet Stevenson, and Claudia Harrison.

Mike Walker (Author), Benedict Cumberbatch, Claudia Harrison, Juliet Stevenson (Narrator)

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Tom and Viv: The heart-breaking story of TS Eliot's marriage to Vivienne Haigh-Wood

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the heart-breaking story of TS Eliot's marriage to Viv Haigh-Wood. Michael Hastings' best known play charts the turbulent, doomed marriage of the young TS Eliot and the charismatic Vivienne Haigh-Wood. This moving, highly-charged study has been described as 'one of the most important plays of the 20th century'. Stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Tom, Lia Williams as Viv, David Haig as Maurice and Judy Parfitt as Rose. Adapted and directed by Peter Kavanagh.

Michael Hastings (Author), , Benedict Cumberbatch, Full Cast, Lia Williams (Narrator)

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The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence & A Division

An epic full-cast dramatisation of Paul Scott's classic series of novels charting the last days ofthe British Raj. Spanning the years from 1942 to 1947, this landmark saga explores the relationships between an array of soldiers and civilians stationedin India, as the sun sets on British colonial rule. As The Jewel in the Crown opens, World War II is at its height and Gandhi is calling for the British to leave. When Daphne Manners arrives in Mayapore, she meets two men who will change her life: Hari Kumar and Ronald Merrick. She begins to fall for Hari, but Ronald Merrick - the local police superintendent - becomes infatuated with her and seethes with hatred for Hari. The Day of the Scorpion finds Merrick worming his way into the Layton family, and his treatment of Hari Kumar is revealed. In The Towers of Silence, it is summer 1945, and as the war ends Mabel Layton's companion Barbie Batchelor is forced to leave her home in Pankot. In A Division of the Spoils, Sergeant Guy Perron arrives to witness India's independence, while the Laytons plan for their future - but the division of the country will spark tragic consequences for many. The extensive, star-studded cast includes Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House, Motherland), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster), Geraldine James (who also starred in the film of The Jewel in the Crown), Mark Bazeley (Broadchurch), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Kulvinder Ghir (Goodness Gracious Me) and Nina Wadia (Eastenders). Dramtised by John Harvey (The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence) and Shelley Silas (A Division of the Spoils). Produced and directed by Sally Avens (The Jewel in the Crown, A Division of the Spoils) and Jeremy Mortimer (The Day of theScorpion, The Towers of Silence). Music by Raiomond Mirza.

Paul Scott (Author), , Anna Maxwell Martin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Geraldine James, Kulvinder Ghir, Mark Bazeley, Nina Wadia, Prasanna Puwanarajah (Narrator)

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Rumpole: The Age of Miracles & other stories: Three BBC Radio 4 dramatisations

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Horace Rumpole in this fourth collection of dramatic court cases Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation Erskine-Brown is working on a sordid ABH and affray case which allegedly occurred in a Soho night club. When he and Rumpole visit the disreputable scene of the crime, they meet Maurice Machin, the editor of the Daily Beacon, whose paper is being sued for libel. Rumpole and the Age of Miracles Hilda's distant relation, The Reverend Timothy Donkin, looks set to be defrocked as Canon of Lawnchester Cathedral unless Rumpole can convince an Ecclesiastical Court that adultery did not take place in the nearby Saint Edithna Hotel. Rumpole and the Tap End Tony Timson finds himself in hot water when charged with the attempted drowning of his wife April, while sharing a bath with her. Rumpole not only defends Tony, but also finds he must protect Judge Guthrie Featherstone QC, who upsets women everywhere with sexist pronouncements about their proper place in the tub.

John Clifford Mortimer, John Mortimer (Author), , Benedict Cumberbatch, Jasmine Hyde, Nigel Anthony (Narrator)

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Rumpole: The Sleeping Partners & other stories: Three BBC Radio 4 dramatisations

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this third thrilling collection of court casesRumpole and the Old Boy Net: With the help of his new pupil, Miss Phillida Trant, Rumpole must defend Mr Napier Lee, who is charged with blackmail. But the alleged victim of the blackmail went to public school with the defendant, and Mr Lee won't sneak on his old school chum...Rumpole and the Sleeping Partners: After a legal ball in the Savoy Hotel, Rumpole and Hilda argue about Rumpole's drunken behaviour and Rumpole decides to sleep the night on his sofa in chambers - strictly against the rules. But there he finds his colleague Erskine-Brown with Phillida Trant, 'working late'...Rumpole and the Portia of our Chambers: Rumpole comes close to giving up the law when forced to consider the path his life has taken by a combination of his attraction to his pupil Phillida, an unsettling case involving an Irish terrorist, and a visit from an old flame of Hilda's.

John Clifford Mortimer, John Mortimer (Author), , Benedict Cumberbatch, Jasmine Hyde, Timothy West (Narrator)

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The Pillow Book: Series 1-10: A full-cast historical crime drama

A thriller and love story set in 10th-century Japan. Lady Shonagon is an imperial courtesan, living at the court of the Japanese Emperor in the 10th century. When a series of disturbing thefts within the palace walls throws the court into confusion and unrest, Shonagon is appointed guide and assistant to Lieutenant Yukinari as he investigates. Together, Shonagon and Yukinari must solve the mysteries and escalating crimes that plague the Japanese court, and their romance blossoms in the tightly enclosed world behind the high palace walls. But soon Shonagon's lover Tadanobu becomes uncomfortable with how closely they are working together... The Pillow Book is inspired by the writings of Sei Shonagon, a poet and lady-in-waiting to the Empress of the 10th Century Japanese court. The work of the real-life Sei Shonagon consists of essays, lists, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages about her daily life. This full-cast drama stars Ruth Gemmell as Sei Shonagon, with Yukinari played by Mark Bazeley in Series 1-3 and Cal Macaninch in series 4-11. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Tadanobu is Series 1. Directed by Lu Kemp.

Robert Forrest (Author), , Benedict Cumberbatch, Cal Macaninch, Mark Bazeley, Ruth Gemmell (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch