Audiobooks narrated by Carolyn Bonnyman

Taking It Up the Octave: A BBC Radio 4 Sitcom

"The hilarious mishaps and adventures of Opera Sunderland, starring Godfrey James Staging opera can be a chaotic business – as this brilliant five-part comedy drama, written by Fintan Coyle and Tom Miles, shows. Opera Sunderland has a tradition of performing a new work every season - celebrating 'its umbilical cord to civilisation'. However, when managing director, Dwight Gaggenheim opts for West Side Story over innovative gay opera St Sebastien, the tempers and egos of a multitude of opera-types bubble hilariously to the surface. Even if the divas can agree on a creative direction, there is trouble ahead when the local cash-strapped council wants to use Opera Sunderland’s funding for a public convenience. Things go from bad to worse when Keyboard Ken, a stalwart member of the troupe, collapses and has to be rushed to hospital. Meanwhile, Natasha, Opera Sunderland's prima donna, tours pubs, clubs and local radio stations trying to drum-up an audience. Tensions mount, voices are raised higher than a soprano’s and sparks fly as the cast battle with nerves as first night approaches… After all, the show must go on! Available to download for the first time, this chaotic and comedic series features music by Tom Miles and Georges Bizet, and stars Godfrey James. Godfrey James is best known for his appearances in classic television series such as The Avengers, Z-Cars and The Sweeney as well as Doctor Who, Emerdale and Coronation Street. Cast and credits Written by Fintan Coyle and Tom Miles Produced by Chris Neill Music by Tom Miles and Georges Bizet Derek - Andrew Branch Keyboard Ken - Tom Miles Cilla - Carolyn Bonnyman Gareth - Godfrey James Natasha - Caz Weller Dwight - Jonathan Kydd James - Simon Butteriss Claire Long - Sally Grace Singers: Alison Porter Susan Jelley Henrik Wager Ian Bloomfield Benjamin Davies Kathryn Jenkin Susan Jelley Jochem van Ast First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12th Jun-10th Jul 1997 ©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Fintan Coyle, Tom Miles (Author), Andrew Branch, Carolyn Bonnyman, Caz Weller, Full Cast, Godfrey James, Jonathan Kydd, Tom Miles (Narrator)

Audiobook

Windswept: Life, Nature and Deep Time in the Scottish Highlands

"‘Windswept is a wonderful work, prose painted in bold, bright strokes like a Scottish Colourist's canvas’ ROBERT MACFARLANE ‘An instant classic of British nature-writing’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH A few years ago, Annie Worsley traded a busy life in academia to take on a small-holding or croft on the west coast of Scotland. It is a land ruled by great elemental forces – light, wind and water – that hold sway over how land forms, where the sea sits and what grows. Windswept explores what it means to live in this rugged, awe-inspiring place of unquenchable spirit and wild weather. Walk with Annie as she lays quartz stones in the river to reflect the moonlight and attract salmon, as she watches otters play tag across the beach, as she is awoken by the feral bellowing of stags. Travel back in time to the epic story of how Scotland’s valleys were carved by glaciers, rivers scythed paths through mountains, how the earliest people found a way of life in the Highlands – and how she then found a home there millennia later. With stunning imagery and lyrical prose, Windswept evokes a place where nature reigns supreme and humans must learn to adapt. It is her paean to a beloved place, one richer with colour, sound and life than perhaps anywhere else in the UK."

Annie Worsley (Author), Carolyn Bonnyman (Narrator)

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A Day Like Any Other

"Anna and her best friend George meet every week to reminisce about their moments of glory over a glass or three of wine. When Anna is asked to look after the boy across the road for a few hours each week, she isn't sure. But she takes the job on and a child's view of her world shows her a different place. George remembers a flat she stayed in when she ran away from home and she'd love to see it again. Anna sets out to see if it still exists and discovers a cookbook full of recipes, intimates notes and drawings from George's life. Does all this mark an ending or the beginning of something new?"

Isla Dewar (Author), Carolyn Bonnyman (Narrator)

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The Crofter's Daughter: A heartwarming rural saga

"A moving and heartwarming World War I saga. For readers of Catherine Cookson and Dilly Court. 'When I'm the farmer,' began Mairi, and then she stopped, for she would never be the farmer. She was a girl. Ever since she was nine years old, Mairi McGloughlin has known she wants to be a farmer, but by the law of the land it's her scholarly brother Ian who will someday inherit. The next best thing might be to marry a farmer, and charming, confident Jack could be the perfect answer. But then there's Robin, her brother's best friend, more a man of books than of the land - and yet there's something about him. . . But with the outbreak of the Great War, their choices change completely and neither Mairi, Ian or Robin can hope to escape unscathed. As the world around them changes, only the land and love remain constant. But can it be enough to see them through? Previously published as Harvest of Courage."

Eileen Ramsay (Author), Carolyn Bonnyman (Narrator)

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A Life Without You

"30-year-old Dee and her husband Luke are blissfully happy. Every day she makes her loyal parents incredibly proud. Jen has been her best friend since their days of teenage crushes, bad 90's make-up and huge hair. They are just like any other group of family and friends - living life and getting by. Until one day everything changes. Dee is gone, killed by a reckless driver, leaving the people she loved to deal with their grief in different ways. A marriage is rocked as a parent seeks justice. A husband struggles to accept the loss of his wife. A friend discovers that there were shocking secrets that went unshared. The only way forward is to let go of the past."

Shari Low (Author), Carolyn Bonnyman, David Monteath, Eilidh Beaton, Peter Kenny (Narrator)

Audiobook

How To Fall In Love Again

"Kitty Montrose is packing up her house, and the memories that go with it. Under this roof, she's seen her children grow up, her grandchildren arrive, and her marriage come and go. Kitty knows better than most that the twists and turns of life can bring joy, despair, and everything in between. But when she was a little girl, she had hoped for more. She dreamed of finding her true soulmate. Someone to laugh with, cry with, and share her twilight years. Then Kitty meets Theo, an old flame. The timing was never right for their lives to intertwine. Can Theo and Kitty find a way to fall in love again? Or is it too late for them both?"

Amanda Prowse (Author), Carolyn Bonnyman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Carolyn Bonnyman