Audiobooks narrated by John Heffernan

Battle Boy 005 is hurtling through Time. Destination: 1587 It's his very first mission for Operation Battle Book. He's supposed to land on Sir Francis Drakes ship. But the Geo-Chron Locator isn't working properly. So BB005 makes a big splash and skis onto a wave - into a fierce battle between English and Spanish warships. The Professor orders him to exit ASAP. But this Battle Boy has other plans.

Charlie Carter (Author), John Heffernan (Narrator)

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Raiko's Run

He was unbeatable. Out in front and unbeatable. It was the most wonderful feeling, and all he wanted to do was keep going. Raiko is a runner, and he's come a long way since he arrived with his mother from their war-torn homeland. The memory of his father spurs him on. He runs for his father, and in his mind he even runs with him. He runs for Jay, his best friend and personal trainer. He runs for his mother, and for the small town that has made them both feel so welcome. And he dreams that one day he will run for the country that has become his new home. A young refugee's tale that will touch your heart. A compelling story of friendship, family, courage and determination.

John Heffernan (Author), John Heffernan (Narrator)

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The Cyclist

Introducing your new crime thriller fix: Bristol detective DS George Cross, champion of the outsider, the voiceless and the dispossessed. DS George Cross can be rude, difficult, and awkward with people. But his unfailing logic and relentless pursuit of justice means his conviction rate is the best on the force. So when a ravaged body is found in a local demolition site, it's up to Cross to piece together the truth from whatever fragments he can find. The demolition began at dawn. Walls knocked over. Twisted pipes uprooted. Window frames smashed. A dead body unearthed... DS Cross has little to go on, but from the faint tan lines on the body, and strange scars on his forearms, an identity gradually emerges: a young man; an amateur cyclist; a supply of performance enhancing drugs. But what led this man to his death? Soon, Cross has mounted an investigation that will uncover jealousy, ambition and a family tearing itself apart... An investigation that could cost him his career.

Tim Sullivan (Author), John Heffernan (Narrator)

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The Dentist: DS Cross, Book 1

Introducing your new crime thriller fix: Bristol detective DS George Cross, champion of the outsider, the voiceless and the dispossessed. DS George Cross can be rude, difficult, and awkward with people. But his unfailing logic and dogged pursuit of the truth means his conviction rate is the best on the force. So when his police colleagues dismiss the death of a man as a squabble among Bristol's homeless community, Detective Sergeant George Cross is not convinced. Who was the unknown man whose weather-beaten body is discovered on Clifton Downs? Did the tragedy that led to a life on the streets also lead to his death? As he delves into the dead man's past, Cross becomes convinced that to catch this killer, he needs to solve a cold case murder from years before. A murder that someone has got away with for fifteen years...

Tim Sullivan (Author), John Heffernan (Narrator)

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Elsinore: The Complete Series 1 and 2: Hamlet. Claudius. The Beginning. The Truth.

Hamlet. Claudius. The Beginning. The Truth. How did Claudius become the man he is in Shakespeare's Hamlet? What were the real reasons behind the murder of his brother? How does he really feel about his nephew? These questions will be answered in this drama spiced with ghosts, pirates, magic and political skulduggery. Set in an alternative Europe in the 1930-50s, Elsinore is a prequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. This compelling drama imagines the turbulence of the Danish court in a world where Denmark is a powerful, militarised country with a small empire around the Baltic that it is fighting hard to maintain. There is more than a hint of totalitarianism in the air. In this uneasy setting, Elsinore delves into the troubled, not to say murderous relationship between King Hamlet and his brother, Claudius: one of the most interesting characters in the Shakespearean canon. Realism meets with moments of otherworldliness as the story unravels, taking in pirates and magic, rebellion and betrayal. A dark, exciting drama that touches on the events and people in Shakespeare's play and brings us to the moment where Hamlet begins. From the extraordinary imagination of Sebastian Baczkiewicz, writer of the successful Pilgrim series. Directed by Marc Beeby and Sasha Yevtushenko. Cast: Claudius - John Light Hamlet - John Heffernan Dauphin - Ed Gaughan Captain True - Chetna Pandya Polonius - Clive Hayward Gertrude - Lyndsey Marshal Anders/Dr Swiss/Schroeder - Neil McCaul Olsson - Rupert Holliday-Evans Yorick/Guard/Defence/Captain - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong Katya - Isabella Inchbald Beatrix - Abbie Andrews Archimedes/Prosecutor - David Reakes Horatio/ Schroeder/Judge - Philip Bretherton Laszlo/Voice/Ulrik Krabbe - Adam Fitzgerald Uncle - Ben Crowe Helena - Clare Corbett Helgeland - Sudha Bhuchar Catalina - Laura Christy Kabanova - Jessica Turner Lindstrom - Pip Torrens Fortinbras/Marcellus - Will Kirk Martin - Ikky Elyas Lieutenant/Horatio - Greg Jones

Sebastian Baczkiewicz (Author), Full Cast, John Heffernan, John Light (Narrator)

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Born to be Wilde: Plays, stories and the making of a modern celebrity

A BBC radio celebration of the works of Oscar Wilde, including energetic adaptations of his best-known plays, short stories, and original dramas about the man himself Long before he'd produced any of his great works, Oscar Wilde was already famous for being famous. Armed only with some witty epigrams, a carefully crafted persona and his genius for self-promotion, he had conquered America and transformed himself from nobody to star. This radio collection opens with four plays from Radio 4's Born to be Wilde season, offering a 21st Century perspective on the making of one of the first true celebrities. First up are two sparkling and surprising productions of his two most popular comedies, marking the peak of his theatrical career. The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband feature stellar casts including Mathew Baynton, Jeany Spark, John Heffernan and Miranda Raison, with the latter also featuring music by Steppenwolf, Taylor Swift and Amy Winehouse. Next, two plays by Marcy Kahan and Lavinia Murray explore aspects of Wilde's life. The Warhol Years charts his astonishing rise, as he embarks on his US tour determined to be famous for 15 minutes - and then some. Oscar and Constancy portrays a celebrity marriage in crisis, as Wilde's domestic and creative lives vie for supremacy. Both dramas star Max Bennett as the young Wilde, with Dervla Kirwan as his mother, Speranza. Also included in this collection are nine of Wilde's classic short stories. The deliciously satirical 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime' is dramatised with a full cast including Rupert Penry-Jones and Gillian Kearney. His humorous supernatural story 'The Canterville Ghost' is read by Alistair McGowan, and Joseph Ayre narrates two delightful stories with a twist: 'The Sphinx Without a Secret' and 'The Model Millionaire'. Wilde's dazzling fairytales - 'The Happy Prince', 'The Nightingale and the Rose', 'The Selfish Giant', 'The Remarkable Rocket' and 'The Birthday of the Infanta' - are read by Joseph Fiennes, Joseph Ayre, Sam Dale, John Moffatt and Paul McGann. Track listing: An Ideal Husband The Importance of Being Earnest The Warhol Years Oscar and Constancy Lord Arthur Savile's Crime 'The Canterville Ghost' 'The Sphinx Without a Secret' 'The Model Millionaire' 'The Happy Prince' 'The Nightingale and the Rose' 'The Selfish Giant' 'The Remarkable Rocket' 'The Birthday of the Infanta'

Oscar Wilde (Author), Alistair Mcgowan, Dervla Kirwan, John Heffernan, John Moffatt, Joseph Ayre, Joseph Fiennes, Mathew Baynton, Max Bennett, Miranda Raison, Paul Mcgann, Rupert Penry-Jones (Narrator)

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The Riverside Villas Murder

Brought to you by Penguin. A mummy is stolen from a small town museum along with some Roman coins and a soaking wet man collapses in fourteen year old Peter Furneaux's living room bleeding from the head. What was a suspected student prank is followed by murder. At first it is impossible to see the connection, but the eccentric Colonel Manton does. With Peter's help the Colonel unravels a mystery that strikes fear into the heart of a genteel suburban neighbourhood and gives Peter rather more excitement than he bargained for at the tennis club social. This meticulously paced thriller shows Amis at his most subtle and daring © Kingsley Amis 1973 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Kingsley Amis (Author), John Heffernan (Narrator)

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A Horse Called Elvis

When an orphan stumbles into Matt's life, the trouble really begins. This is the tale of one boy's determination, a family's struggle to stay together, and a foal that touches all their lives. 'Right from the start, Elvis refused to be ignored. He pushed his way into our lives and made himself part of our family. Sometimes I think he was even more important than the rest of us.'

John Heffernan (Author), John Heffernan (Narrator)

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Ordinary Thunderstorms

Brought to you by Penguin. One May evening in London, as a result of a chance encounter and a split-second decision, the young climatologist Adam Kindred loses everything - home, job, reputation, passport, credit cards, money - never to get them back. With the police and a hit man in merciless pursuit, Adam has no choice but to go underground, joining the ranks of the disappeared, struggling to understand how his life has unravelled so spectacularly. His journey of discovery will take him along the Thames from Chelsea to the sink estates of the East End. On the way he encounters aristocrats, priests, prostitutes and a policewoman - but will he ever find himself again? © William Boyd 2009 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

William Boyd (Author), John Heffernan (Narrator)

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SPUD

John Heffernan (Author), John Heffernan (Narrator)

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The Shadow Friend

Brought to you by Penguin. If it had happened to you, you would have run away too. Twenty-five years ago, Paul's friend Charlie Crabtree brutally killed their classmate - and then vanished without a trace. Paul's never forgiven himself for his part in what happened. He's never gone back home. Until his elderly mother has a fall. It's finally time to stop running. It's not long before things start to go wrong. His mother claims there's someone in the house. Paul realises someone is following him. And, in a town many miles away, a copycat killer has struck. Which makes him wonder - what really happened to Charlie the day of the murder? And can anyone stop it happening again? Praise for Alex North The best crime novel of the decade - Steve Cavanagh, bestselling author of Thirteen First it's spooky. Then it's scary. Then it's terrifying. And then... well, dear reader, proceed at your own risk. An ambitious, deeply satisfying thriller - a seamless blend of Harlan Coben, Stephen King, and Thomas Harris. My flesh is still crawling - A. J. Finn, no.1 bestselling author of The Woman in the Window Alex North has achieved the seemingly impossible. The Whisper Man is a thriller that is both terrifying and utterly heartbreaking. Mesmerising and masterful - Mark Billingham A dark, creepy, thriller with a huge amount of heart. Damn, but Alex North can write! - Stuart MacBride © Alex North 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Alex North (Author), Hannah Arterton, John Heffernan (Narrator)

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Middlemarch: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

George Eliot's beloved story of life, love and politics in an English town A jewel in the classic literature crown, Middlemarch was selected as one of the BBC’s ‘100 Novels That Shaped Our World’. Its epic arc takes in politics, tragedy, romance and comedy, interweaving multiple narratives to make up a thrilling ensemble tale. Set in the 1830s, this ‘study of provincial life’ introduces us to young, idealistic Dorothea Brooke, who accepts a proposal from scholarly Edward Casaubon, hoping to forge a loving partnership of intellectual equals. But on honeymoon in Rome, she swiftly becomes disillusioned. Trapped in an unhappy marriage, she finds solace in her friendship with Casaubon’s cousin, Will Ladislaw – only for her controlling husband to suspect her of betrayal, and set out to test her loyalty. Meanwhile, mayor’s son Fred Vincy embarks on a steep economic learning curve, risking his burgeoning relationship with Mary Garth. When he contracts typhoid, he is treated by the town’s new medical man, Tertius Lydgate, who becomes drawn to Fred’s sister, Rosamond. Eager to win her hand, the doctor seeks help from the wealthy Mr Bulstrode – a decision he will come to regret... As their stories shift, viewpoints twist together and lives collide and realign in a compelling ‘convergence of human lots’ that shows us an entire world in microcosm. Juliet Aubrey stars as the Narrator, George Eliot, with Olivia Vinall as Dorothea, Charles Edwards as Casaubon and John Heffernan as Dr Lydgate. Also featured is a bonus edition of In Our Time, in which Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss George Eliot’s classic novel, described by Virginia Woolf as ‘one of the few English novels written for grown-up people'. Cast and credits The Narrator, George Eliot – Juliet Aubrey Dorothea – Olivia Vinall Edward Casaubon – Charles Edwards Dr Lydgate – John Heffernan Will Ladislaw – Joseph Quinn Arthur Brooke/Caleb Garth/Mr Trumball – Neil McCaul Sir James Chettam – Hugh Skinner Rev Farebrother – Miles Jupp Nicholas Bulstrode – Adrian Scarborough Celia – Lucy Reynolds Peter Featherstone/Standish/John Raffles – Clive Hayward Fred Vincy/Auction bidder – Will Kirk Rosamond – Laura Christy Mr Vincy/Mr Bambridge – Rick Warden Mrs Cadwallader/Mrs Plymdale – Jessica Turner Adolf Naumann/Barman – Adam Courting Dr Hawley/Clerk – Greg Jones Servant/Mrs Abel – Sinead MacInnes Tantripp/Mary Garth – Scarlett Courtney Mrs Garth – Alison Belbin Letty Garth – Grace Doherty Farmer/Mr Hopkins – Ikky Elyas Tertius Lydgate – John Heffernan Harriet Bulstrode – Rosie Cavaliero Mrs Vincy/Farebrother’s aunt – Heather Craney Written by George Eliot Adapted by Katie Hims Directed by Jessica Dromgoole and Tracey Neale First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 November-7 December 2019

George Eliot (Author), Charles Edwards, John Heffernan, Juliet Aubrey, Olivia Vinall (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by John Heffernan