Audiobooks narrated by Frances Barber

Stardust: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Matthew Beard and Sophie Rundle star in a brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the bestselling novel by Neil Gaiman, narrated by Eleanor Bron. Challenged to retrieve a fallen star, Tristran Thorn leaves the sleepy English village of Wall and crosses into the land of Faerie and the realm of Stormhold. Locating the star, he discovers it is no meteorite, but a young woman, Yvaine. When Yvaine evades him and escapes, Tristran discovers he is not the only one in pursuit of the star: there are dark forces in this magical land, and he must find Yvaine before she falls into their clutches. As he does so, Tristran will uncover the secret to his own identity and a fate beyond his wildest dreams. Directed by Dirk Maggs and Heather Larmour, and featuring over 20 minutes of unbroadcast material, this stunning new dramatisation boasts an extensive cast including Frances Barber, Maggie Steed, Nicholas Boulton, Blake Ritson, Bryan Dick, Charlotte Riley, Aisling Loftus, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Alex Macqueen. There are also cameo appearances by Tori Amos and Neil Gaiman. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Neil Gaiman (Author), , Aisling Loftus, Alex Macqueen, Blake Ritson, Bryan Dick, Charlotte Riley, Frances Barber, Full Cast, Maggie Steed, Matthew Beard, Neil Gaiman, Nicholas Boulton, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sophie Rundle, Tori Amos (Narrator)

Audiobook

An Inspector Calls (Classic Radio Theatre)

The Birling family are spending a happy evening celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft - a marriage that will result in the merging of two successful local businesses. Yet just when everything seems to be going so well, they receive a surprise visit from an Inspector Goole who is investigating the suicide of a young girl. As the Inspector reveals more about the circumstances that led to the death of Eva Smith, each member of the family comes under the spotlight, and questions of guilt and responsibility are raised... Toby Jones, David Calder, Frances Barber and Morven Christie are amongst the cast in this BBC Radio 4 production from 2010. The Classic Radio Theatre range presents notable radio productions of much-loved plays by some of the most renowned playwrights, and starring some of our finest actors.

J.B. Priestley (Author), , Frances Barber, Full Cast, Toby Jones (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Taming of the Shrew

Love and wit conquer all in Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy of self-delusion and disguise. Padua holds many suitors for the hand of fair Bianca, but Bianca may not be married until her spinster sister, Kate, is wed. Could any man be rash enough to take on Kate? The witty adventurer Petruchio undertakes the task. While he sets about transforming Kate from foul-tempered termagant to loving wife, young Lucentio and his clever servant, Tranio, plot to win Bianca. Frances Barber and Roger Allam are Kate and Petruchio. Lucentio is played by Alan Cox. “[Shakespeare is] challenging an audience’s expectations of how a woman is supposed to behave. What if, as a human being, she doesn’t want to roll over, as was expected in Shakespeare’s day? I actually think he’s championing the woman's rights.”—Edward Hall, English theater director

E.A. Copen, Pierre Arthur Laure, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Tom Wheelwright, William Shakespeare (Author), A Full Cast, Frances Barber, Roger Allam (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Voyages of the Princess Matilda

'Tim and I both understood we had done something really stupid. We had underestimated the danger involved in going out to sea. We had no radio, compass, life raft or flares. In other words, we were a couple of idiots.' This is the story of Shane and Timothy Spall and their Dutch barge The Princess Matilda. After a summer on the Thames they head out to sea with only a road atlas and a vast amount of ignorance - and it is absolutely terrifying! On their travels, memories are triggered of childhood trips to the seaside, but also of more recent times. A decade before, Tim had been diagnosed with acute leukaemia and was given only days to live. Shocked at how life can pass you by they decided that when, and if, Tim got better, they would buy a boat. As Tim and Shane explore the coast from the Medway to Cornwall, eventually they start to wonder, could they make it out of England altogether? Could Matilda make it to ... Wales?! Taking over five years, The Voyages of The Princess Matilda is a minor epic,charting a very personal, moving and uplifting story of an everyday couple's adventure around their much loved homeland.

Shane Spall (Author), Frances Barber (Narrator)

Audiobook

Fanny Hill

Fanny Hill by John Cleland. In the world of erotica the story of Fanny Hill is well known and much admired. It was written whilst Cleland was in debtor's prison and was to become one of the most prosecuted and banned books in history. Our audio version is read for you by the acclaimed actress Frances Barber.

John Cleeland (Author), Frances Barber (Narrator)

Audiobook

Working Girls

Fifteen years old…brutalised… dumped in a park… throat slashed…. Schoolgirl prostitute Michelle Lucas died in agony and terror, utterly alone. The sight breaks the heart of Sergeant Bev Morriss of West Midlands Police. She thought she was hardened, but gazing at Michelle’s pale, broken body she is consumed by a cold fury. She knows this case is different – this is the one that will push her to the edge. Plunging herself into the seedy heart of Birmingham’s vice-land she struggles to infiltrate the deadly jungle of hookers, evil pimps and violent johns. But no one will co-operate, no one will break the wall of silence. Is it fear or guilt? When a second victim dies, Bev knows time is running out. If she is to win the trust of the working girls - she has to take the biggest, most dangerous, gamble of her life … out on the streets.

Maureen Carter (Author), Frances Barber (Narrator)

Audiobook

The James Joyce BBC Radio Collection: Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man & Dubliners

Three BBC radio productions of major works by James Joyce - plus Gordon Bowker's fascinating biographical account of his life Ulysses In this full-cast dramatisation of Joyce's epic modernist novel, the stories of Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom combine as they meander through Dublin in the course of one day, 16 June 1904. Andrew Scott stars as Stephen, with Henry Goodman as Bloom, Niamh Cusack as Molly Bloom and Stephen Rea as the Narrator. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man An abridged reading of James Joyce's autobiographical masterpiece portraying the adolescence of Stephen Dedalus, who must question the culture and religion of his native land before he can break free to become an artist. Read by Andrew Scott. Dubliners This abridged collection of fifteen naturalistic tales depicts an array of characters from childhood, through adolescence, to maturity. Stories of love, loss, friendship, marriage, politics and family combine to create a unified world and a celebration of a city. Read by Stephen Rea. James Joyce - A Biography Gordon Bowker's comprehensive study explores Joyce's years spent in exile in Europe, and examines how his life shaped his genius. Read by Jim Norton, with Andrew Scott as the voice of Joyce.

Gordon Bowker, James Joyce (Author), , Andrew Scott, Frances Barber, Henry Goodman, Jim Norton, Niamh Cusack, Stephen Rea (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Secret Grief

A BBC Radio 3 production from the 'Drama on 3' series exploring the idea of a fascism of the mind.Nigel is bored. But then he meets the glamorous Liv and Tony and becomes part of their beautiful world; a beauty that hides a disturbing secretDavid Eldridge's 'The Secret Grief' stars Paul Chequer as Nigel, Frances Barber as Liv, and David Schofield as Tony. Also featured amongst the cast are Struan Rodger, Alex Tregear, Stuart McLoughlin and Nyasha Hatendi.

David Eldridge (Author), David Schofield, Frances Barber, Paul Chequer (Narrator)

Audiobook

BBC Radio Shakespeare: A Collection of Three Roman Plays

Three full-cast BBC Radio productions of Shakespeare's most famous Roman plays Featuring all-star casts and introduced by Sir Richard Eyre, these three iconic productions of Shakespeare's dynamic Roman histories are full of political intrigue, passion and tragedy. Julius Caesar This updated version of Shakespeare's classic play is set in Italy in 1925. Julius Caesar, a new Roman dictator, has swept to power, and his way is clear to assume total control - unless a coup by Cassius and Brutus can alter the tide of history. Nicholas Farrell stars as Brutus and Gerard Murphy as Julius Caesar. Coriolanus When Rome's greatest hero, the warrior Coriolanus, divides the people and the patricians through his arrogance, he is driven into exile. Samuel West stars as Coriolanus, with Susannah York as Volumnia. Antony and Cleopatra Shakespeare's last great tragedy is an action epic set against the political backdrop of the Roman Empire and the centre of Egyptian culture, Alexandria. But at the heart of the play is the story of what happens when two people fall in love. Starring Frances Barber as Cleopatra and David Harewood as Mark Antony.

William Shakespeare (Author), David Harewood, Frances Barber, Full Cast, Gerard Murphy, Nicholas Farrell, Samuel West, Stella Gonet, Susannah York (Narrator)

Audiobook

Season's Greetings

Christmas is the season of good cheer and harmony among men, but things are not working out quite that way in the Bunker household. As a motley collection of friends and relatives fill the house with their own wishes, dreams and attitudes, the stage is set for seasonal disharmony and romantic intrigue. It's Christmas Eve and while Belinda is rushing around decorating the tree and seeing to all the guests and their needs, Eddie and Pattie are having a serious bust-up. Added to all of this, Bernard is conducting a chaotic rehearsal of his annual gift for the children - a puppet show of The Three Little Pigs - as his wife, Phyllis gets quietly sloshed in the kitchen on the cooking wine. Then something disastrous occurs...

Alan Ayckbourn (Author), , Bill Nighy, Frances Barber, Geoffrey Palmer, John L. Sessions, John Sessions, Phil Daniels (Narrator)

Audiobook

Paradise Lost: A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Sir Ian McKellen stars as Milton in this dramatised retelling of John Milton’s epic poem about the fall of Man "devilishly good... I urge you to give it a listen" The Telegraph Milton’s biblical masterpiece, first published in 1667, is one of English literature’s most seminal works. Straddling three worlds – Heaven, Hell and Earth – it tells the gripping story of fallen angel Satan’s rebellion against God, his temptation of Adam and Eve and their subsequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Written to ‘justify the ways of God to men’, it aimed to show what caused Mankind's fall and the consequences for the world, both bad and good. By reaching back to the beginning of time, Milton hoped to discover the events that had led to the political and societal upheaval of his own era – as well as using allegory to ask powerful questions about authority, government, tyranny and disobedience. In this brand new dramatisation, Milton himself (Sir Ian McKellen) is the blind narrator grieving the loss of his wife, played by Frances Barber. Also starring Simon Russell Beale as Satan, and adapted by award-winning poet and broadcaster Michael Symmons Roberts, this enthralling drama is a vital piece of storytelling with striking parallels to contemporary events.

John Milton (Author), Ashley Margolis, Conrad Nelson, David Seddon, Emily Pithon, Frances Barber, Ian Mckellen, Jonathan Keeble, Russell Dixon, Simon Russell Beale, Sir Ian McKellen, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

How to Be Good

The abridged, downloadable audiobook edition of How to Be Good, Nick Hornby's No.1 bestseller in the UK and Ireland. Read by the actress Frances Barber. According to her own complex moral calculations, Katie Carr has earned her affair. She's a doctor, after all, and doctors are decent people, and on top of that, her husband David is the self-styled Angriest Man in Holloway. But when David suddenly becomes good - properly, maddeningly, give-away-all-his-money good - Katie's sums no longer add up, and she is forced to ask herself some very hard questions. How to Be Good offers a painfully funny account of modern marriage and parenthood, and asks that most difficult of questions: what does it mean to be good?

Nick Hornby (Author), Frances Barber (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Frances Barber