Audiobooks narrated by Henry Goodman

The Plays of J. B. Priestley: A BBC Radio Collection of 13 Full-Cast Productions

13 plays and dramatisations of the works of the influential playwright, novelist and essayist J. B. Priestley - plus bonus programmes J. B. Priestley was one of Britain's most significant writers. His output was prodigious: in his lifetime, he penned 26 novels, 39 plays and hundreds of essays. He enjoyed great success on stage, notably with Dangerous Corner, Time and the Conways and An Inspector Calls, which experimented with narrative structure and unorthodox theories of time. Included here are some of his most esteemed works, adapted for radio and brought together in one statement collection. We begin with Priestley's most famous play, An Inspector Calls, which sees Inspector Goole arriving unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home. Their celebratory dinner is shattered by his startling revelations about the death of a young woman. Next is Time and The Conways, telling the story of one family in several scenes set over 19 years, and When We Are Married, in which three couples receive a rude shock during their joint silver wedding party. In I Have Been Here Before, a group of strangers who meet at a remote Yorkshire inn discover that they are all interdependent - have they met before? A happy gathering of friends discover that their relationships aren't what they seem in Dangerous Corner and, in Eden End, an elderly Yorkshire GP finds himself coming to the end of an era. The Linden Tree is set in England 1947, where rationing and austerity have fostered opportunism, escapism - and confrontation - within the Linden family. The Good Companions, J. B. Priestley's classic story of a 1929 concert party tour, is followed by The Demon King, in which a Boxing Day panto is set to be a flop - until the Demon King comes on. In Lost Empires, Richard Hemcastle leaves his dead-end job to join his Uncle Nick in the glamour of the music halls, while in Bright Day, a chance encounter prompts a disillusioned scriptwriter to rediscover his past. Extraordinary and magical things happen on one elusive day in The Thirty-First of June, and in The Grey Ones, a patient fears evil is at work in the shape of a sinister conspiracy. Will his psychiatrist be able to help? Among the array of stars in these stunning dramas are Toby Jones, Frances Barber, Harriet Walter, Alan Bennett, Brenda Blethyn, Lesley Nicol, Morvern Christie, Alun Armstrong, Roy Hudd, Tom Baker, Jack Shepherd, Geoffrey Palmer, Amaka Okafor, Martin Jarvis and Joan Plowright. Also included are two fascinating documentaries: Postscripts: J. B. Priestley, a five-part series of wartime observations originally broadcast in 1940 and read by Patrick Stewart, and Great Lives: J. B. Priestley, which sees Barry Cryer discussing his friend and fellow Yorkshireman with Martin Wainwright and Matthew Parris. First published 1929 (The Good Companions), 1932 (Dangerous Corner), 1934 (Eden End), 1937 (Time and the Conways, I Have Been Here Before), 1938 (When We Are Married), 1945 (An Inspector Calls), 1946 (Bright Day), 1947 (The Linden Tree), 1953 (The Grey Ones), 1961 (The Thirty-First of June), 1962 (The Demon King), 1965 (Lost Empires) Production credits Written by J. B. Priestley Contents List An Inspector Calls Time and The Conways When We Are Married I Have Been Here Before Dangerous Corner Eden End The Linden Tree The Good Companions The Demon King Lost Empires Bright Day The Thirty First of June The Grey Ones Postscripts: J. B. Priestley Great Lives: J. B. Priestley © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

J. B. Priestley (Author), Alan Bennett, Brenda Blethyn, Full Cast, Harriet Walters, Henry Goodman, Jack May, Lesley Nicol, Martin Jarvis, Toby Jones, Tony Britton (Narrator)

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Boswell’s Lives: The Complete Series 1-3: A BBC Radio 4 comedy

Miles Jupp stars as James Boswell, Dr Johnson's time-travelling biographer, with a host of top actors and comedians as his celebrity interviewees 'Blisteringly funny... essential listening' Radio Times Before James Boswell penned a biography of his friend, Dr Johnson, they were both nobodies. But his Life of Samuel Johnson made them famous - so now Boswell's out to work his magic on other celebrities. Travelling through the centuries, he gives 12 legendary figures the Boswell treatment, hoping to do for them what he did for Johnson... Series 1 sees him attempting to write a biography of Sigmund Freud (Henry Goodman) - but it's Freud asking all the searching questions. Talking to Maria Callas (Arabella Weir), he gets up close and personal with her poodle; encountering Harold Pinter (Harry Enfield) he receives his very own 'Pinter pause' and, trying to beat Boris Johnson (Alistair McGowan) at whiff-whaff, he finds he's facing a fiendish opponent. In Series 2, Boswell tries to help Muhammad Ali (Lenny Henry), who's been banned from boxing and is in the wilderness. Interviewing Karl Marx (Julian Rhind-Tutt), he finds himself collaborating on Das Kapital, but on meeting Madonna (Debra Stephenson), he struggles to get into the groove. And will he succeed in immortalising Alan Bennett (Alistair McGowan), or will they simply be talking heads? Series 3 finds Boswell buttonholing Lord Byron (Freddie Fox) to find out if he's really mad, bad and dangerous to know; receiving some lessons in equality from Simone de Beauvoir (Amelia Bullmore); becoming involved in a murder mystery with Agatha Christie (Vicki Pepperdine) and attempting to become a better man under the guidance of Gandhi (Phaldut Sharma). But abstinence drives him to distraction - and worse... Created by scriptwriter and novelist Jon Canter, this engaging, entertaining series won the 2015 Best European Radio Fiction Series or Serial of the Year at the prestigious Prix Europa. Production credits Written by Jon Canter Directed by Sally Avens First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 February-17 May 2015 (Series 1), 21 March-11 April 2016 (Series 2), 7-28 March 2018 (Series 3) Cast James Boswell - Miles Jupp Sigmund Freud - Henry Goodman Maria Callas - Arabella Weir Harold Pinter - Harry Enfield Boris Johnson/Alan Bennett - Alistair McGowan Muhammad Ali - Lenny Henry Boxing commentator - Ewan Bailey Karl Marx - Julian Rhind-Tutt Madonna - Debra Stephenson Lord Byron - Freddie Fox Simone de Beauvoir - Amelia Bullmore Agatha Christie - Vicki Pepperdine Rose - Abbie Andrews Gandhi - Phaldut Sharma Mr Fortescue/The Prince of Wales - Clive Hayward (p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Jon Canter (Author), Alistair Mcgowan, Amelia Bullmore, Arabella Weir, Freddie Fox, Full Cast, Harry Enfield, Henry Goodman, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Lenny Henry, Miles Jupp (Narrator)

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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)

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The Henry James BBC Radio Drama Collection: 10 full-cast dramatisations

The definitive collection of full-cast BBC radio dramatisations of Henry James' classic novels - plus a bonus documentary about his life and work One of the greatest and most influential American novelists, Henry James is loved for his compelling storytelling, vividly realised characters and perceptive exploration of the shifting relationships between Europeans and Americans. But he also possessed extraordinary insights into the secrets of the human heart, as shown in the ten dramas in this collection. Roderick Hudson explores how love and obsession intermingle as old and new worlds collide; The American mixes humour and heartache in a tale of a self-made millionaire and an aristocratic young Frenchwoman; and desire and propriety clash in Daisy Miller when Frederick Winterbourne meets the beautiful, free-spirited Daisy. Pursued by two suitors, Isabel Archer longs for freedom in The Portrait of a Lady; while a literary editor insinuates himself into the lives of an elderly spinster and her niece in The Aspern Papers. What Maisie Knew is James' classic tale of divorce seen through a child's eyes; while Gothic ghost story The Turn of the Screw tells the terrifying tale of a governess who tries to protect two young children from the forces of evil. The Wings of the Dove is a heartbreaking story of a doomed love triangle; dark comedy The Ambassadors features yearning and betrayal in aristocratic Paris; and The Golden Bowl explores two marriages and the secret that threatens to tear them apart. The casts of these sweeping radio dramas include Kate Hudson, Kate Phillips, Emma Cunniffe, Jodie Comer, Henry Goodman and Toby Jones, with John Lynch as Henry James. Also featured is a bonus programme, The Master, in which Sarah Churchwell discusses James' life and novels with author Colm Tóibin and biographer Hermione Lee.

Henry James (Author), Henry Goodman, Jodie Comer, John Lynch, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Lee Ingleby, Siân Phillips, Toby Jones (Narrator)

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Dunbar

A reimagining of one of Shakespeare's most well-read tragedies, by the contemporary, critcally acclaimed master of domestic drama Henry Dunbar, the once all-powerful head of a global media corporation, is not having a good day. In his dotage he hands over care of the corporation to his two eldest daughters, Abby and Megan, but as relations sour he starts to doubt the wisdom of past decisions. Now imprisoned in Meadowmeade, an upscale sanatorium in rural England, with only a demented alcoholic comedian as company, Dunbar starts planning his escape. As he flees into the hills, his family is hot on his heels. But who will find him first, his beloved youngest daughter, Florence, or the tigresses Abby and Megan, so keen to divest him of his estate? Edward St Aubyn is renowned for his masterwork, the five Melrose novels, which dissect with savage and beautiful precision the agonies of family life. His take on King Lear, Shakespeare's most devastating family story, is an excoriating novel for and of our times - an examination of power, money and the value of forgiveness.

Edward St. Aubyn (Author), Henry Goodman (Narrator)

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Dunbar: King Lear Retold (Hogarth Shakespeare)

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Dunbar by Edward St Aubyn, read by Henry Goodman. 'I really did have an empire, you know,' said Dunbar. 'Have I ever told you the story of how it was stolen from me?' Henry Dunbar, the once all-powerful head of a global corporation, is not having a good day. In his dotage he handed over care of the family firm to his two eldest daughters, Abby and Megan. But relations quickly soured, leaving him doubting the wisdom of past decisions... Now imprisoned in a care home in the Lake District with only a demented alcoholic comedian as company, Dunbar starts planning his escape. As he flees into the hills, his family is hot on his heels. But who will find him first, his beloved youngest daughter, Florence, or the tigresses Abby and Megan, so keen to divest him of his estate? Edward St Aubyn is renowned for his masterwork, the five Melrose novels, which dissect with savage and beautiful precision the agonies of family life. Dunbar is a devastating family story and an excoriating novel for and of our times - an examination of power, money and the value of forgiveness.

Edward St Aubyn (Author), Henry Goodman (Narrator)

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The Ambassadors (Classic Serial)

Adapted by Graham White from the Henry James novel which centres on the predicament of Lambert Strether, a fifty-something New Englander lately arrived in Paris. Henry Goodman stars as the hapless protagonist in a novel many critics find James' finest. Episode 1: Strether has been sent to the city to persuade the fun-living son of his wealthy fiancee back home in Woolett to return home. But now Strether too falls under the spell of Paris.Episode 2: Strether had hoped to persuade the fun-living son of his wealthy fiancee to return home to New England. But now Strether has fallen under the spell of the beautiful Mme de Vionnet. More ambassadors are sent by the angry fiancee to bring both men home. With a full cast. Directed by Peter Kavanagh.

Henry James (Author), Henry Goodman (Narrator)

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The Last Free Hours of Charlie Radcliffe: A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

To the outside world Charlie Radcliffe was an esteemed businessman and philanthropist. But Charlie knew that he had swindled billions over decades from his wealthy clients and he knew that one day the game would be up. Now in prison, Charlie tells the story of his last hours of freedom to new inmate Sam. Drew Pautz's drama inspired by the crisis in the financial world examines the gaps between facts, finance, conscience and confidence. Starring Henry Goodman, Ashley Kumar, Conrad Nelson, Graeme Hawley, Kevin Harvey and Chris Jack. Produced by Nadia Molinari.

Drew Pautz (Author), Ashley Kumar, Chris Jack, Conrad Nelson, Graeme Hawley, Henry Goodman, Kevin Harvey (Narrator)

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Payback (BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play)

It is 6th October 1973. Golda Meir has become Prime Minister of Israel in her seventies. Syrian and Egyptian troops are massing on Israel's borders, but despite eleven warnings of impending war in the past month, the Israeli cabinet has not called up the reserve. In Florida, Richard Nixon awaits the final verdict of the Washington Appeal court on his objections to surrendering the Watergate Tapes. In New York, Henry Kissinger is about to be woken at his room in the Waldorf Astoria, with news of a new Middle East War. Stars Henry Goodman as Henry Kissinger, Peter Marinker as Richard Nixon and Sara Kestelman as Golda Meir. Also included in the cast are Kerry Shale, Ewan Bailey, Sam Dale, Sean Baker and Christine Kavanagh. Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting. 'Payback' was originally broadcast on 22 January 2011.

Jonathan Myerson (Author), Full Cast, Henry Goodman, Peter Marinker, Sara Kestelman (Narrator)

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Five Days In May

Written by Matthew Solon. This BBC Radio 4 'Saturday Play' tells the story of the tense negotiation that followed the 2010 general election, which led to the country's first post-war coalition. Based on interviews with those who were at the meetings, political journalists and on published material - and using actors to play all the key characters - this is a compelling account of those five momentous days in May. Under extreme pressure and suffering from lack of sleep, the politicians argued and negotiated. There was nothing inevitable about a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. Revealing key moments of the negotiations, the drama unpicks what went on behind closed doors and shows how an alliance between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats gradually formed, and how it withstood the resignation of Gordon Brown. Based on painstaking research, this is a must-listen 60-minute play. It's a compelling and entertaining account by award-winning writer Matthew Solon of the most extraordinary British election outcome in 70 years. Starring Samuel West as David Cameron, Nicholas Boulton as Nick Clegg and Gerard Kelly as Gordon Brown. Also included in the cast are Henry Goodman (Peter Mandelson), John Sessions (Ed Balls), Philip Jackson (William Hague), Emun Elliot (Danny Alexander), Anthony Calf (David Laws), Rupert Frazer (Chris Huhne), Ian Hughes (George Osborne), Charlotte Longfield and Wilf Gilmour. Produced and directed by John Dryden. A Goldhawk Essential Production for BBC Radio 4.

Matthew Solon (Author), Gerard Kelly, Henry Goodman, Nicholas Boulton, Samuel West (Narrator)

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The Autograph Man

Zadie Smith's deeply funny, subversive and splendidly entertaining The Autograph Man is a whirlwind tour of celebrity and our fame-obsessed times. Following one Alex-Li Tandem - a twenty-something, Chinese-Jewish autograph dealer turned on by sex, drugs and organised religion - it takes in London and New York, love and death, fathers and sons, as Alex tries to discover how a piece of paper can bring him closer to his heart's desire. Exposing our misconceptions about our idols - about ourselves - Zadie Smith delivers in The Autograph Man a brilliant, unforgettable tale about who we are and what we really want to be. 'A glorious concoction written by our most beguiling and original prose-wizard' Independent on Sunday 'A brilliant comedy with a tantalising throb of mystic philosophy underneath' Philip Hensher, Books of the Year, Spectator 'A pleasure from the first page to the last' Evening Standard 'Intellectually agile ... ecstatic inventiveness' Time 'A classic' Spectator 'Genuinely funny and entertaining' Guardian 'Vibrant, highly imaginative' Jewish Chronicle 'Full of irony, humour, the search for love and the fear of death ... a touching, thoughtful, deeply felt rite-of-passage novel' Sunday Telegraph Zadie Smith was born in north-west London in 1975. Her debut novel, White Teeth, won the Whitbread First Novel Award, the Guardian First Book Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction, and the Commonwealth Writers' First Book Prize, and was included in TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005. Her second novel, On Beauty, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction. She has written two further novels, The Autograph Man and NW, a collection of essays Changing My Mind, and also edited short story anthology The Book of Other People. Zadie Smith was chosen by Granta as one of its twenty best young British novelists in 2003, and as well as to Granta has contributed writing to the New Yorker and the Guardian. Zadie Smith's new novel, NW, is available from September 2012.

Zadie Smith (Author), Henry Goodman (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Henry Goodman