Audiobooks narrated by Geoffrey Palmer

G. K. Chesterton: Three BBC Radio Mysteries: The Man Who Was Thursday, The Club of Queer Trades & Th

Three BBC Radio performances of works by the great G. K. Chesterton Best known as the creator of clerical detective Father Brown, G. K. Chesterton was a prolific and talented writer in virtually every area of literature: from novels, poetry and short stories to plays, biographies and essays. A noted thinker, controversialist, raconteur and wit, he has influenced authors from Neil Gaiman to Jorge Luis Borges. This collection comprises his two most famous novels, The Man Who Was Thursday and The Napoleon of Notting Hill, as well as half a dozen tales from his short story collection, The Club of Queer Trades. The Man Who Was Thursday - Poet turned Scotland Yard detective Gabriel Syme goes undercover in Edwardian London to investigate a secret society of anarchists - all of whom are named after days of the week... Read by Geoffrey Palmer. The Club of Queer Trades - In these six full-cast comedy crime dramas, retired KC Basil Grant, his brother Rupert and friend Charlie Swinburne explore the extraordinary stories of people who earn their living by some novel and unusual means. Starring David Warner as Basil, Martin Freeman as Rupert and Geoffrey McGivern as Charlie. The Napoleon of Notting Hill- Written in 1904, Chesterton's comic political satire is set in London 80 years on. The city is still full of horse-buses and hansom cabs, but democracy is dead, and the King is chosen by lottery. No one cares, because none of it matters - until the choice falls on Auberon Quin... This full-cast drama stars Roger Hammond as G. K. Chesterton and David Collings as Auberon Quin, with Kim Wall, Stuart Organ and Paul McGann. First published 1904 (The Napoleon of Notting Hill), 1905 (The Club of Queer Trades), 1908 (The Man Who Was Thursday) The Man Who Was Thursday Read by Geoffrey Palmer Directed by Lawrence Jackson First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 10-28 March 2005 The Club of Queer Trades Basil Grant - David Warner Rupert Grant - Martin Freeman Charlie Swinburne - Geoffrey McGivern Major Brown/Lord Beaumont - Geoffrey Whitehead Lady - Vicki Pepperdine PG Northover/Gardener/Old Man/Constable/Dr Colman - Martin Hyder Drummond - Nicholas Farrell Wimpole/Burrows - Justin Edwards Sir Walter Chumley/Rev Shorter - Richard Griffiths Muriel - Alice Lowe James - Alexei Sayle Mowbray - Nell Edmond Brett - Matthew Holness Lieutenant Keith - Jeff Harding Montmorency - Simon Jones Christina - Amelia Bullmore Bingham - Chris Douglas Adeleide - Felicity Montagu Prof Chadd - John Nettleton Greenwood - James Rawlings Old Lady - Angela Thorne Dramatised by Simon Littlefield Produced by Simon Nicholls First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 April-9 May 2005 The Napoleon of Notting Hill G. K. Chesterton - Roger Hammond Auberon Quin - David Collings Wilfred Lambert - Kim Wall James Barker - Stephen Hattersley President del Fuego - Manning Wilson Policeman/Mr Wilson - Stuart Organ Boy Adam Wayne - Alexander Goodman Adam Wayne - Paul McGann Mr Buck - Aubrey Woods Mr Mead - Paul Gregory Mr Bowles - Brian Hewlett Mr Turnbull - Gordon Reid Dramatised by Peter Buckman Produced by Eric Stovell Directed by Richard Imison First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 December 1986 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

G.K. Chesterton (Author), David Collings, David Warner, Full Cast, Geoffrey Mcgivern, Geoffrey Palmer, Kim Wall, Martin Freeman, Paul Mcgann, Roger Hammond, Stuart Organ (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sporting Gazette BOX SET: A rousing gallop through the British sporting calendar of the last nin

A rousing gallop through the British sporting calendar of the last nine hundred years, as we eavesdrop on some of the most memorable events in the history of British sport, told entirely in the words of those who were there, in TWO volumes. Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Davenport, Alex Jennings, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Michael Maloney, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Prunella Scales CBE, Samuel West & John Wood CBE & full supporting cast. SPORTS Gazette: From sword fights to boxing, jousting to motor racing, football to cricket, we journey in the company of such diverse characters as A.A. Milne, Dick Francis, Queen Victoria, Kenneth Wolstenholme, Tony Jacklin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and many more. Sporting PASTIMES Gazette: Discover the colourful story of the British at play, eavesdrop on Pitt the younger playing a game of marbles, join Lord Mountbatten at a cock fight in India, take a dip in the channel with Captain Webb, or simply enjoy the very British sport of… hopping. Also available as part of The Gazettes Box Set, a six-volume edition (Military, Sport & Travel) creating a vivid portrait of British life through the centuries. “It is a highly enjoyable collection. Some pieces are just dazzling.” Independent on Sunday “An extraordinary series... deserves a medal. The readers are all excellent and many of them distinguished.” The Spectator “From the same stable that produced The Chronicle, my favourite audio this year, I've just listened equally spellbound to a compilation of travellers' tales at home.” The Guardian © & ℗ 2022 Mr Punch Audiobooks Ltd

Mr Punch (Author), Alex Jennings, Eileen Atkins, Geoffrey Palmer, Hugh Laurie, Michael Maloney, Michael Pennington, Nigel Davenport, Prunella Scales, Richard Johnson, Samuel West (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sports Gazette: A rousing gallop through the British Sporting Calendar. A full-cast audio.

A rousing gallop through the British Sporting Calendar of the last nine hundred years, as we eavesdrop on some of the most memorable and fascinating events in the colourful history of British sport. From sword fights to boxing, jousting to motor racing, football to cricket, told entirely in the words of those who were there Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Davenport, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Michael Maloney, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Prunella Scales CBE, Samuel West, John Wood CBE & full supporting cast. Also available as part of The Gazettes Box Set, a six-volume edition (Military, Sport & Travel) creating a vivid portrait of British life through the centuries. “It is a highly enjoyable collection. Some pieces are just dazzling.” Independent on Sunday “An extraordinary series... deserves a medal. The readers are all excellent and many of them distinguished.” The Spectator “From the same stable that produced The Chronicle, my favourite audio this year, I've just listened equally spellbound to a compilation of travellers' tales at home.” The Guardian © & ℗ 2022 Mr Punch Audiobooks Ltd

Mr Punch (Author), Alex Jennings, Eileen Atkins, Geoffrey Palmer, Hugh Laurie, Michael Maloney, Michael Pennington, Nigel Davenport, Prunella Scales, Richard Johnson, Samuel West (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sporting Pastimes Gazette: A lively jog through the history of the British at Play. A full-cast

A lively jog through the British Sporting Calendar as we eavesdrop on some of the most memorable and fascinating events of the British at play. From marble games to water speed records, from fox hunting to ballooning and from cock fighting to the very British sport of… hopping, told entirely in the words of those who were there. Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Alex Jennings, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Michael Maloney, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Samuel West, John Wood CBE & full supporting cast. Also available as part of The Gazettes Box Set, a six-volume edition (Military, Sport & Travel) creating a vivid portrait of British life through the centuries. “It is a highly enjoyable collection. Some pieces are just dazzling.” Independent on Sunday “An extraordinary series... deserves a medal. The readers are all excellent and many of them distinguished.” The Spectator “From the same stable that produced The Chronicle, my favourite audio this year, I've just listened equally spellbound to a compilation of travellers' tales at home.” The Guardian © & ℗ 2022 Mr Punch Audiobooks Ltd

Mr Punch (Author), Alex Jennings, Eileen Atkins, Geoffrey Palmer, Hugh Laurie, Michael Maloney, Michael Pennington, Nigel Davenport, Prunella Scales, Richard Johnson, Samuel West (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Navy Gazette: A turbulent voyage into the history of the British Navy. A full-cast audio.

Experience first-hand the reality of life in the British Navy as we sail from the Viking invasion of Anglo Saxon England to a young sailor’s grief at the death of Lord Nelson, from the Spanish Armada to the Battle of Jutland and from organised press gangs to murderous mutinies. Told entirely in the words of those who were there. Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Davenport, Alex Jennings, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Michael Maloney, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Prunella Scales CBE, Samuel West, John Wood CBE & full supporting cast. Also available as part of The Gazettes Box Set, a six-volume edition (Military, Sport & Travel) creating a vivid portrait of British life through the centuries. “It is a highly enjoyable collection. Some pieces are just dazzling.” Independent on Sunday “An extraordinary series... deserves a medal. The readers are all excellent and many of them distinguished.” The Spectator “From the same stable that produced The Chronicle, my favourite audio this year, I've just listened equally spellbound to a compilation of travellers' tales at home.” The Guardian © & ℗ 2022 Mr Punch Audiobooks Ltd

Mr Punch (Author), Alex Jennings, Eileen Atkins, Geoffrey Palmer, Hugh Laurie, Michael Maloney, Michael Pennington, Nigel Davenport, Prunella Scales, Richard Johnson, Samuel West (Narrator)

Audiobook

Travel At Home Gazette: A ramble through the history of the British Traveller at Home. A full-cast a

Join us on a fascinating ramble through the towns and villages of the British Isles during the last four hundred years in the company of some of its most illustrious chroniclers, including Jane Austen, William Cobbett, Daniel Defoe, Sir Walter Scott, Virginia Woolf, Francis Kilvert, Celia Fiennes, Chips Channon, Fanny Burney and many others. Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Davenport, Alex Jennings, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Michael Maloney, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Prunella Scales CBE, Samuel West, John Wood CBE & full supporting cast. Also available as part of The Gazettes Box Set, a six-volume edition (Military, Sport & Travel) creating a vivid portrait of British life through the centuries. “It is a highly enjoyable collection. Some pieces are just dazzling.” Independent on Sunday “An extraordinary series... deserves a medal. The readers are all excellent and many of them distinguished.” The Spectator “From the same stable that produced The Chronicle, my favourite audio this year, I've just listened equally spellbound to a compilation of travellers' tales at home.” The Guardian “Time travel as well as the geographical kind is offered in this anthology, which takes extracts from books, journals, letters and newspapers to form a collage of impressions and details of the British Isles over the past 400 years, with a cast of big-name readers.” Sunday Times © & ℗ 2022 Mr Punch Audiobooks Ltd

Mr Punch (Author), Alex Jennings, Eileen Atkins, Geoffrey Palmer, Hugh Laurie, Michael Maloney, Michael Pennington, Nigel Davenport, Prunella Scales, Richard Johnson, Samuel West (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Travellers Gazette BOX SET: A journey alongside the British Traveller at Home & Abroad in two vo

We follow in the footsteps of the intrepid British traveller as they explore the world both At Home and Abroad, told entirely in the words of those who were there. In TWO volumes. TRAVEL at HOME Gazette: A fascinating ramble through the towns and villages of the British Isles during the last 400 years in the company of Jane Austen, William Cobbett, Daniel Defoe, James Lees Milne, Sir Walter Scott, Virginia Woolf and many more. TRAVEL ABROAD Gazette: An entertaining collection of traveller's tales as we explore the far-flung shores of the world alongside some of Britain’s finest Chroniclers. Join Charles Darwin, Kenneth Williams, Fanny Trollope, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Mungo Park, Horace Walpole, Wilfred Thesiger, James Boswell, Nancy Mitford and many others on your journey. Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Davenport, Alex Jennings, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Michael Maloney, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Prunella Scales CBE, Samuel West & John Wood CBE with a full supporting cast. Also available as part of The Gazettes Box Set, a six-volume edition (Military, Sport & Travel) creating a vivid portrait of British life through the centuries. “It is a highly enjoyable collection. Some pieces are just dazzling.” Independent on Sunday “An extraordinary series... deserves a medal. The readers are all excellent and many of them distinguished.” The Spectator “From the same stable that produced The Chronicle, my favourite audio this year, I've just listened equally spellbound to a compilation of travellers' tales at home.” The Guardian “Time travel as well as the geographical kind is offered in this anthology, which takes extracts from books, journals, letters and newspapers to form a collage of impressions and details of the British Isles over the past 400 years, with a cast of big-name readers.” Sunday Times © & ℗ 2022 Mr Punch Audiobooks Ltd

Mr Punch (Author), Alex Jennings, Eileen Atkins, Geoffrey Palmer, Hugh Laurie, Michael Maloney, Michael Pennington, Nigel Davenport, Prunella Scales, Richard Johnson, Samuel West (Narrator)

Audiobook

Travel Abroad Gazette: A journey into the history of the British Traveller Abroad. A full-cast audio

We follow in the footsteps of the intrepid British traveller as they explore the far-flung shores of the world. In the company of some of the world’s finest Chroniclers, we join Charles Darwin, Kenneth Williams, James Boswell, Freya Stark, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Fanny Trollope, Mungo Park, Nancy Mitford, Wilfred Thesiger, Horace Walpole, Evelyn Waugh and many others, in this entertaining collection of travellers’ tales. Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Davenport, Alex Jennings, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Prunella Scales CBE, Samuel West, John Wood CBE & full supporting cast. Also available as part of The Gazettes Box Set, a six-volume edition (Military, Sport & Travel) creating a vivid portrait of British life through the centuries. “It is a highly enjoyable collection. Some pieces are just dazzling.” Independent on Sunday “An extraordinary series... deserves a medal. The readers are all excellent and many of them distinguished.” The Spectator “From the same stable that produced The Chronicle, my favourite audio this year, I've just listened equally spellbound to a compilation of travellers' tales at home.” The Guardian “Time travel as well as the geographical kind is offered in this anthology, which takes extracts from books, journals, letters and newspapers to form a collage of impressions and details of the British Isles over the past 400 years, with a cast of big-name readers.” Sunday Times © & ℗ 2022 Mr Punch Audiobooks Ltd

Mr Punch (Author), Alex Jennings, Eileen Atkins, Geoffrey Palmer, Hugh Laurie, Michael Maloney, Michael Pennington, Nigel Davenport, Prunella Scales, Richard Johnson, Samuel West (Narrator)

Audiobook

David Hare: A BBC Radio Drama Collection: 8 full-cast productions including Plenty, Skylight, Amy’s

Eight incisive dramas by the internationally-renowned playwright - plus bonus interview Writer and director David Hare is one of England's leading political dramatists, celebrated for his many award-winning plays analysing the morality of contemporary Britain. This collection comprises some of his most acclaimed pieces, as well as a fascinating radio interview with Hare himself. It opens with his two acknowledged masterpieces: Plenty and Amy's View. These mesmerising dramas, both spanning several decades, present vivid portraits of strong women diminished by circumstance, metaphorically evoking the changing values and collapsing ideals of the postwar period. These are followed by Knuckle, a fast-paced parody of the American hardboiled thriller set in the Home Counties; and Pravda, co-written with Howard Brenton, a satirical comedy about a monstrous media tycoon. Also included are The Bay at Nice, set in 1950s Russia and exploring the nature of art and freedom; Skylight, about the reunion between a Thatcherite entrepreneur and his onetime mistress; Racing Demon, the first in a trilogy of plays about British institutions, focusing on the Church of England in crisis; and the play in which Hare made his acting debut: the powerful monologue Via Dolorosa, a meditation on his extraordinary 1997 trip to Israel and Palestine. Among the stellar cast: Jane Lapotalre, Zoë Wanamaker, Judi Dench, Samantha Bond, Anthony Hopkins, Bill Nighy, Robert Glenister, Stephen Tompkinson, Ronald Pickup, Geoffrey Palmer, Stella Gonet & Paul McGann. In an interview for the World Service arts programme Meridian, David Hare talks about why he enjoys writing good parts for women, what he believes plays can achieve that other media cannot, and the capacity of art to change society. Production credits Written by David Hare. Pravda written by David Hare and Howard Brenton. Text copyright © David Hare 1974 (Knuckle), 1978 (Plenty), 1986 (The Bay at Nice), 1990 (Racing Demon), 1995 (Skylight), 1997 (Amy's View), 1998 (Via Dolorosa). Pravda text copyright © David Hare and Howard Brenton 1985. All rights reserved. Special thanks to The British Library and Keith Wickham for sourcing audio files. Content list 1. Plenty 2. Amy's View 3. Knuckle 4. Pravda 5. The Bay at Nice 6. Skylight 7. Racing Demon 8. Via Dolorosa Bonus interview Meridian: David Hare First broadcast BBC World Service, 21 October 1991 ©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

David Hare (Author), Anthony Hopkins, Bill Nighy, Geoffrey Palmer, Judi Dench, Ronald Pickup, Samantha Bond, Stephen Tompkinson, Zoë Wanamaker (Narrator)

Audiobook

North by Northamptonshire: The Complete BBC Radio comedy

All three series of the BBC radio bittersweet comedy narrated by Sheila Hancock following the adventures of the residents of a small town in Northamptonshire - plus special episode 'Full Stop'. Relationships have come and gone but life continues in Wadenbrook, where Sheila Hancock takes us behind closed doors to reveal the inhabitants' heartbreak and happiness. We meet Rod the local supermarket manager (Mackenzie Crook), who shares rather more than is usual about his private life over the store's tannoy system, and recently divorced Jan (Felicity Montagu) who's been trying unsuccessfully to 'find herself'. Forthright self-defence teacher Esther (Katherine Jakeways, also the writer of this series) and her gentle and put-upon husband Jonathan (Kevin Eldon) are trying to start a family, and Ken and Keith, possibly the happiest couple in town are determined to teach their pet whippets to dance for the town talent night. Throughout this funny and touching comedy show, love blossoms in the most unexpected places, birthdays are celebrated, and visitors are both expected and unexpected. In the final ever episode, 'Full Stop' the residents of Wadenbrook travel to see a starry production at the Birmingham Hippodrome but heavy snow threatens to thwart everyone's plans.... Narrated by Sheila Hancock, North by Northamptonshire also stars Kevin Eldon, Geoffrey Palmer, Penelope Wilton, Mackenzie Crook and Felicity Montagu, and was written by Katherine Jakeways.

Katherine Jakeways (Author), Felicity Montagu, Full Cast, Geoffrey Palmer, Kevin Eldon, Mackenzie Crook, Penelope Wilton, Sheila Hancock (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Maltby Collection: The Complete Series 1-3

All three series of David Nobbs’ museum-based sitcom, starring Julian Rhind-Tutt Rod Millet has always dreamed of working at the Maltby Collection, but on being appointed Deputy Curator of Painting and Sculpture, it quickly becomes clear that the son of a self-made biscuit mogul isn't going to fit into the musty, insular world of London antiquities. But when, on his first day, Rod learns that the museum has been earmarked for closure, he starts a campaign to save it (threatening his boss Walter Brindle’s plans for a cushy early retirement). With the collection’s future secured, the staff turn their energies towards romance. Rod competes with colleague Julian for the affections of the lovely Prunella, Walter makes a move on Susie Maltby, and there are wedding bells for several members of the team – but heartbreak for another. It’s time for the museum to get sexy too, as Rod drags it out of the past and towards a more modern future, with innovations such as Sunday opening (which does not run smoothly) and a children’s day (where the dog-counting competition gets a little out of hand). Director Walter also has his hands full, with warring curators, cleaners causing controversy, a dodgy alarm system and the prospect of making cuts – who will be for the chop? Created by comic genius David Nobbs, of Reginald Perrin fame, this warm, good-natured comedy stars Julian Rhind-Tutt as Rod, with Geoffrey Palmer as Walter, Ben Willbond as Julian, Rachel Atkins as Prunella and Margaret Cabourn-Smith as Susie. Guest stars include Hugh Dennis, Barry Cryer and Stephen K Amos.

David Nobbs (Author), Geoffrey Palmer, Julian Rhind-Tutt (Narrator)

Audiobook

High Table, Lower Orders: The Complete Series 1 and 2: The BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

The complete first and second series of Mark Tavener's BBC Radio 4 comedy thriller set in a crisis-ridden Cambridge college When prominent don and celebrity TV historian Peter Devanti dies after dining at High Table, his colleague Gilbert suspects foul play and invites his former student Simon Harrison, a disillusioned health and safety officer, to investigate. Meanwhile, Simon's former girlfriend Zoe, a freelance journalist, arrives to write an article about Devanti's death: reopening old wounds for Simon. After another college member dies, more skullduggery is uncovered, and Simon must find out which of the many suspects is a murderer - while also trying to get back with Zoe and keep his day job... A year later, the college is recovering from the Devanti affair, but struggling for cash and riven by arguments between traditionalists and modernisers. Simon, now bereft of a job, jumps at the chance to become a don - but soon finds himself embarking on another murder investigation after a student is caught cheating and his accuser is found hanged. Can Simon unmask the killer before they strike again? Written by Mark Tavener (In the Red, Absolute Power), this brilliant black comedy stars Geoffrey Palmer as Gilbert, Samuel West as Simon and Sharon Small as Zoe, with Rebecca Front as Patricia, Michelle Fairley as Roisin, Michael Maloney as the Dean and Jonathan Coy as Bernard.

Mark Tavener (Author), Geoffrey Palmer, Jonathan Coy, Michael Maloney, Michelle Fairley, Samuel West, Sharon Small (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Geoffrey Palmer