Audiobooks narrated by Helen Mccrory

Thornton Wilder: Our Town, The Bridge of San Luis Rey & More: A BBC Radio full-cast drama collection

"Four of Thornton Wilder's most acclaimed works, adapted for BBC Radio - plus bonus material exploring his life and career Thornton Wilder is one of America's most important literary figures. He won the Pulitzer Prize three times - for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and the plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth - and is the only person to be awarded the Pulitzer for both fiction and drama. Included here are four of his key works, set in different times and places, but sharing the same fundamental motifs - the universality of human experience and our search for life's meaning. Our Town, his timeless tale of love, marriage, birth and death in a small American community, stars Ed Bishop, William Roberts and Liza Ross. It is preceded by a 10-minute introductory extract from Free Thinking, in which presenter Anne McElvoy and actor/director David Cromer discuss the play's themes and techniques. Wilder's masterpiece, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, tells the story of the five victims of a bridge collapse, and the eyewitness who sets out to understand why they were fated to die. A poignant philosophical fable, it features a stellar cast including Annette Badland, Robert Glenister, Tom Goodman-Hill and Helen McCrory. Adapted from the play by Jerome Kilty, The Ides of March is based on Wilder's epistolary novel centred around the last days of the Roman republic, and stars Robert Hardy as Julius Caesar. Next, Ed Bishop reads from Heaven's My Destination, the comic tale of an amateur philosopher who leaves a trail of chaos wherever he goes. Finally, in a fascinating episode of Front Row, Mark Lawson, theatre director David Lan and New York Times theatre critic Mel Gussow discuss how Wilder became a literary icon, and launched a quiet revolution in American theatre. Cast and credits Written by Thornton Wilder Copyright © by The Wilder Family LLC 1927 (The Bridge of San Luis Rey), 1935 (Heaven's My Destination), 1938 (Our Town), 1948 (The Ides of March) Free Thinking Presented by Anne McElvoy With David Cromer Produced by Zahid Warley First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 16 October 2014 Our Town Stage Manager - Ed Bishop Dr Gibbs - William Roberts Mrs Gibbs - Liza Ross George Gibbs - Ben Fairman Rebecca Gibbs - Teresa Gallagher Mr Webb - Garrick Hagon Mrs Webb/Dead Woman - Shelley Thompson Emily Webb - Barbara Barnes Joe Crowell/Si Crowell - Tom Bevan With Vincent Marzello, Peter Whitman, John Evitts and Frances Jeater Directed by David Hitchinson First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 July 1995 The Bridge of San Luis Rey Madre Maria del Pilar - Annette Badland Uncle Pio - Michael Feast Jaime/Boy - Frederick Forge Brother Juniper/Captain Alvarado - Robert Glenister Esteban/Manuel - Tom Goodman-Hill Pepita/Dona Clara - Jasmine Hyde Camila, la Perichole - Helen McCrory Marquesa de Montemayor - Sian Phillips Dramatised by Judith Adams Directed by Gaynor MacFarlane First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 May 2002 The Ides of March Narrator - Patrick Tull Caesar - Robert Hardy Brutus - Sean Barrett Clodia - Margaret Robertson Cleopatra - Elizabeth Proud Pompeia, Caesar's wife - Patricia Gallimore Julia, Caesar's aunt - Betty Hardy Clodius - Nigel Lambert Catullus - David Spenser Adapted for radio by Nesta Pain from the play by Jerome Kilty Produced by Nesta Pain First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17 August 1970 Heaven's My Destination Read by Ed Bishop First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 17 April 1997 Front Row Presented by Mark Lawson With David Lan and Mel Gussow Produced by Nicki Paxman First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 March 2004 Copyright © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd."

Thornton Wilder (Author), Annette Badland, Barbara Barnes, Elizabeth Proud, Full Cast, Helen Mccrory, Robert Glenister, Robert Hardy, Sean Barrett, Tom Goodman-Hill (Narrator)

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Jane Austen: A Portrait: A BBC Radio Collection

"You've finished all her novels, so where do you go after Pride and Prejudice? Perfect for Janeites everywhere, this enticing collection brings together for the first time six special recordings that offer a glimpse behind the scenes at the life of the celebrated author. Taking us on a journey from her earliest teenage writings, to her love affair aged 20, to the scandalous arrest of her aunt which shook her family, these fascinating programmes offer a closer look at Jane Austen and those around her, as seen through her letters, writings and final home. Juvenile Jane - Jane Austen's delightfully precocious and revealing early works are celebrated by Austen expert Janet Todd and writer and illustrator Posy Simmonds. Anna Maxwell Martin reads extracts from three stories: 'Frederick and Elfrida', 'Henry and Eliza' and 'Love and Freindship'[sic]. Minuet - The story of Jane Austen's real-life romance with an impassioned but impoverished young Irishman, which fueled her desire to become a writer. Helen McCrory stars as Jane Austen and John Light as Tom Lefroy in this original drama by Harriet O'Carroll. A City Full of Swindlers - 1799, Bath. Accused of shoplifting a piece of lace, Jane Austen's aunt is arrested and imprisoned... Narrated by Cassandra Austen (Lucy Black), this shocking tale reveals Georgian Bath to be a much less decorous place than it appears in her sister Jane's novels. Based on a true story, Jenny Howarth's entertaining drama also stars Tim Pigott-Smith and Pamela Miles. Portrait of Elizabeth - Inspired by the Portrait of Elizabeth Bridges Austen at the Jane Austen's House Museum, Chawton, Sophia Hillan's short story is told from the point of view of Jane's elder brother Edward's wife. It is 1808, and Elizabeth has just given birth to her 11th child. Suffering from fever and unaware that she is dying, she rails at the thought of having Jane attend her. But why is she so angry with her sister-in-law? Read by Laura Carmichael. No Ice in Weymouth - This 5-part series is a portrait of the family, social and professional world of Jane Austen, as seen through her letters and novels. Beginning in 1813, when Pride and Prejudice is about to be published, it concludes in 1815 in the months leading up to the publication of Emma. Starring Susannah Harker as Jane and Oona Beeson as Cassandra. A Quire of Paper: A Poem for Jane Austen and Her House - In 2016, Maura Dooley was poet-in-residence at the Jane Austen's House Museum, where Austen lived for the last eight years of her life. This atmospheric programme interweaves the sounds of the house, garden and village with specially composed poetry set against the rich history of this iconic place. © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Harriet O'carroll, Jenny Howarth, Maura Dooley, Sophia Hillan, Vanessa Rosenthal (Author), Anna Maxwell Martin, Full Cast, Helen Mccrory, Janet Todd, John Light, Laura Carmichael, Lucy Black, Maura Dooley, Oona Beeson, Pamela Miles, Posy Simmons, Susannah Harker, Tim Pigott-Smith (Narrator)

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The Last of the Mohicans & The Spy: Two BBC Radio full-cast dramatisations

"BBC Radio drama adaptations of two action-packed adventures by James Fenimore Cooper A founding father of American literature, James Fenimore Cooper was one of America's first professional novelists, and a pioneer of both the Western and the historical romance. Included here are his 1826 masterpiece The Last of the Mohicans and his 1821 classic The Spy, widely considered the world's first espionage novel. The Last of the Mohicans - 1757, and Britain and France are struggling for control of the New World. Caught between them are the tribes of the First Nations... Hawkeye is an American scout who lives with the American Indians and fights for the British. When the daughters of a British army officer are captured by a vengeful Huron chief while travelling to join their father, Hawkeye and his Mohican friends set out on a rescue mission... This gripping dramatisation of James Fenimore Cooper's epic is narrated by Garrick Hagon, stars Michael Feast as Hawkeye and Helen McCrory as Cora. The Spy - New York State, 1778. Henry Wharton, a young soldier for the British in the American Revolutionary War, sneaks into no-man's land in disguise to spend an evening with his family. But their happy reunion is cut short when American troops surround the house. Can the mysterious peddler Harvey Birch provide Henry with a means of escape? Burn Gorman and Rose Leslie star in this thrilling tale of double agents and divided loyalties. First published 1821 (The Spy) and 1826 (The Last of the Mohicans) Production credits Written by James Fenimore Cooper The Last of the Mohicans Narrator - Garrick Hagon Hawkeye - Michael Feast Major Heyward - Philip Franks Cora - Helen McCrory Alice - Naomi Radcliffe General Munro - Russell Dixon Chingachgook - Okon Jones Uncas - Clarence Smith Magua - Alfredo Michelsen General Montcalm - John Jardine David - Robert Whelan Tamenund - Joe Speare Dramatised by David Calcutt Produced and directed by Michael Fox Music: Trevor Allan Davies First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5-12 November 1995 The Spy Harvey Birch - Burn Gorman Frances - Rose Leslie Henry - Alex Waldmann Mr Wharton - James Lailey Sarah - Francine Chamberlain Mr Harper - Timothy Watson Caesar - Richard Pepple Peyton Dunwoodie - Simon Bubb Captain Lawton - Gerard McDermott Colonel Wellmere/Skinner - Adam Billington Isabella Singleton - Victoria Inez Hardy Colonel Martin - Paul Moriarty Dramatised by DJ Britton Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22-29 January 2012 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

James Fenimore Cooper (Author), Alex Waldmann, Alfredo Michelsen, Burn Gorman, Clarence Smith, Full Cast, Garrick Hogan, Helen Mccrory, Okon Jones, Rose Leslie (Narrator)

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Peter Pan: Brought to life by magical storytellers

"When Peter Pan flies through the Darling Children's nursery window one night, he is nearly captured and makes a hasty escape, leaving behind his shadow. Returning with the fairy Tinker Bell to reclaim it, he wakes up Wendy, John and Michael, and whisks them away to the magical shores of Neverland. There they meet the Lost Boys, befriend Tiger Lily and her Braves, swim with the mermaids in the lagoon and have a host of wonderful adventures. But danger awaits too, for the terrible Captain Hook and his pirate gang are determined to make them walk the plank... Abridged by Martin Jarvis, JM Barrie's timeless masterpiece is introduced by Michael Morpurgo and read by ten star actors: Kit Harrington, Martin Jarvis, Alex Jennings, Alex Kingston, Joanna Lumley, Helen McCrory, Jennifer Saunders, Juliet Stevenson, David Walliams and Zoe Wanamaker. All publisher's profits from the sale of this recording will be shared equally between The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust (Registered Scottish Charity Number SC041382 and Company Number SC363695) and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (Registered Charity Number 1160024 and Company number 09338724)."

J. M. Barrie (Author), Alex Jennings, Alex Kingston, David Walliams, Helen Mccrory, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Juliet Stevenson, Kit Harrington, Martin Jarvis, Michael Morpurgo, Zoe Wanamaker (Narrator)

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Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year

"From Allie Esiri, editor of the bestselling A Poem for Every Day of the Year and A Poem for Every Night of the Year, comes this beautiful audio anthology of William Shakespeare's works. Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year is a collection of 365 plays, sonnets and poems, and Esiri's entertaining and insightful thoughts on each entry will fill your year with wonder, laughter, wisdom and wit. Each track of this unique collection contains an extract, which might be a famous poem, quote or scene, matched to the date, performed by leading actors such as Sir Simon Russell Beale, Helen McCrory, and Damian Lewis. Allie Esiri's introductions give her readers a new window into the work, time and life of the greatest writer in the English language. Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year is perfect for listening together or on your own and brings you Shakespeare's best-known and best-loved classics alongside lesser known extracts read by a range of award-winning Shakespearean actors. The complete cast of performers are: Sir Simon Russell Beale, Helen McCrory, Damian Lewis, Hattie Morahan, Paapa Essiedu, Jade Anouka, Ben Allen and Jot Davies."

Allie Esiri (Author), Allie Esiri, Ben Allen, Damian Lewis, Hattie Morahan, Helen Mccrory, Jade Anouka, Jot Davies, Paapa Essiedu, Simon Russell Beale (Narrator)

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The World’s Worst Teachers

"Millions of young readers have loved the World’s Worst Children tales – now they will revel in this delightfully dreadful collection of the most gruesome grown-ups ever: The World’s Worst Teachers. Think your teachers are bad? Wait till you meet this lot. These ten tales of the world’s most splendidly sinister teachers will have you running for the school gates. Dr Dread teaches science and is half man, half monster… Watch out for the ghastly Miss Seethe. She is ALWAYS furious – and she’s on a detention rampage. And as for Phobe, he’s a teacher with a real difference. He is bone-shakingly terrified of… children! Millions of children have loved the World’s Worst Children – now they will revel in this delightfully dreadful collection of the most gruesome grown-ups ever, The World’s Worst Teachers. Brought to you by number one bestselling author, David Walliams, with every story illustrated in glorious colour by artistic genius, Tony Ross."

David Walliams (Author), Adjoa Andoh, Emma Fryer, Helen Mccrory, James Goode, Jan Ravens, Jon Culshaw, Paul Panting (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Helen Mccrory