Audiobooks narrated by Lydia Leonard

A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing

A Memoir of My Former Self reveals the shape of Hilary Mantel's life in her own dazzling words, narrated by a prestigious cast of actors and notable literary figures connected to Hilary's work. From her unique childhood to her all-consuming fascination with Thomas Cromwell that grew into the Wolf Hall Trilogy, Hilary Mantel had a celebrated career as a novelist. Alongside this, she long contributed to newspapers and journals, unspooling stories from her own life and illuminating the world as she found it. This strand of Hilary's writing was an integral part of how she thought of herself. 'Ink is a generative fluid,' she explains. 'If you don't mean your words to breed consequences, don't write at all.' A Memoir of My Former Self collects the finest of this writing over four decades. Mantel's subjects are wide-ranging. She discusses nationalism and her own sense of belonging; our dream life flopping into our conscious life; the mythic legacy of Princess Diana; the many themes that feed into her novels - revolutionary France, psychics, Tudor England - and other novelists, from Jane Austen to V. S. Naipaul. She writes about her father and the man who replaced him; she writes fiercely and heartbreakingly about the battles with her health she endured as a young woman, and the stifling years she found herself living in Saudi Arabia. Here, too, is a selection of her film reviews - from When Harry Met Sally to RoboCop - and, published for the first time, her stunning Reith Lectures, which explore the process of art bringing history and the dead back to life. Compelling, often very funny, always luminous, it is essential listening from one of our greatest writers. Voiced by Ben Miles, Lydia Leonard and Aurora Dawson-Hunte; all of whom have featured in stage adaptions of Hilary's work. With contributions from actress Jane Wymark, narrator of Hilary's memoir Giving up the Ghost. Readings from authors Anne Enright; the first Laureate for Irish Fiction and winner of the 2007 Booker Prize, and Sarah Waters; British Book Award Author of the Year and two-time Booker Prize nominee. Joining the cast are Hilary's long-time literary agent Bill Hamilton and her publisher for nearly twenty years, Nicholas Pearson. 'A smart, deft, meticulous, thoughtful writer, with such a grasp of the dark and spidery corners of human nature' - Margaret Atwood

Hilary Mantel (Author), Anne Enright, Aurora Dawson Hunte, Ben Miles, Bill Hamilton, Jane Wymark, Lydia Leonard, Nicholas Pearson, Sarah Waters (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Sting in the Tale: Five Eerie Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

Five full-cast BBC Radio Dramas to send a chill up the spine Thrilling, creepy, and utterly unforgettable, these five stories of strange voices, haunting passions, and terrifying nightmares will stay with you forever... In No Conferring, four students from Bracewell College, Cambridge, attempt a Christmas bonding week in order to prepare for their upcoming University Challenge appearance. But the isolated moorland cottage stay soon goes very, very wrong. Written by Jonathan Holloway. Myrtle, Mahonia and Rue finds a young landscape gardener who loves her work, but will do anything to escape the terrible nightmares she suffers from. Her only hope is a drastic course of action... Written by Bryony Glassco. Voices from Another Room sees an artist troubled by the voices he thinks he's hearing - voices discussing his murder. And what is worse: the voices are in the future, and the murder is due to happen at any moment. Written by Philip Martin. In Sally Go Round the Moon, Sally is working hard at her job - perhaps too hard. Is it stress that's making her hear the voice of a child no one else can? Or is she really being haunted? Written by Natalia Power. Ghosting is the tale of a young novelist, who agrees to some ghostwriting work on the memoir of supermodel Vita. Soon he discovers exactly how seductive Vita is - but how much will he risk for his work, and for Vita herself? Written by Gregory Evans. Featuring a star-studded cast including Neil Dudgeon (Midsomer Murders, Life of Riley, Common as Muck), Claire Cage (Casualty, Submarine), Damian Lynch (EastEnders, Tommies, Little Britain), Jaimi Barbakoff (The Archers, Black Mirror, The Power), Lydia Leonard (The Crown, Gentleman Jack, Ten Percent), Rachel Atkins (Absolute Power, Ed Reardon's Week, Mrs Sidhu Investigates), Jimi Mistry (Coronation Street, East is East, The Syndicate), and Honeysuckle Weeks (Foyle's War, Lewis), this is just the collection for those who love the chilling, spine-tingling dramas of The Man in Black, The Price of Fear, and Fear on 4. ©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Briony Glassco, Gregory Evans, Jonathan Holloway, Natalia Power, Philip Martin (Author), Chris Moran, Chérie Taylor Battiste, Claire Cage, Damian Lynch, Frances Jeater, Full Cast, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Honeysuckle Weeks, Ioan Meredith, Jaimi Barbakoff, Jimi Mistry, Kenny Blyth, Lydia Leonard, Neil Dudgeon, Rachel Atkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Unmade Movies: Harold Pinter's The Dreaming Child: A BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the unproduced screen

Harold Pinter's unproduced screenplay of Karen Blixen's intriguing short story of love and loss 'An important addition to the Pinter canon' The Stage The annals of movie history are full of lost treasures - spectacular scripts from world-renowned writers that could have been classics, had they only been made. Now, for the first time, some of these forgotten gems have been brought to life, fully realised as vivid, cinematic radio productions. Scripted by major 20th Century writers, including Harold Pinter, Arthur Miller, Alfred Hitchcock and Dennis Potter, they star a host of A-list actors and feature richly evocative, atmospheric soundtracks. The Dreaming Child, one of seven 'unmade movies' available on audio, is an eerie, enigmatic drama set in Bristol in 1868. Emily Carter, married to a wealthy man, is haunted by her first love, who died at sea. Unable to have children, she and her husband Tom adopt a young slum child - but Jack is no ordinary boy, and seems to have an uncanny knowledge of his new home and family... Renowned for his critically-acclaimed plays, Harold Pinter also wrote many outstanding film scripts, including Accident, Betrayal and The Pumpkin Eater. The Dreaming Child was commissioned in 1997 by actress Julia Ormond, who wanted to produce and direct, but the project never got the green light - until now. Lydia Leonard (Last Christmas) stars as Emily, with Bertie Carvel (The Sister) as Tom, Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) as Peggy and Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax) as the narrator, who provides the 'establishing shots' - the stage directions and descriptions from the screenplay. Moving, mesmerising and mysterious, this remarkable production is a triumphant fulfilment of Pinter's great artistic vision. Production credits Written by Harold Pinter Based on 'The Dreaming Child' by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) Adapted by Joanna Hogg and Laurence Bowen Directed by Joanna Hogg Produced by Laurence Bowen Sound design: Wilfredo Acosta A Feelgood Fiction production for BBC Radio 4 Cast Narrator - Anne Reid Emily - Lydia Leonard Tom - Bertie Carvel Charlie - Joshua Silver Mrs Jones - Joanna Scanlan Miss Scott - Susan Woolridge Jack - Jack Hollington Peggy - Rose Leslie Bess - Bryony Hannah Mr Rudd - Karl Johnson Mr Carter - Malcolm Sinclair Children - Flynn Allen, Esme Allen-Quarmby, Isabella Blake-Thomas & Joey Price First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7 March 2015 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Harold Pinter, Karen Blixen (Author), Anne Reid, Bertie Carvel, Full Cast, Lydia Leonard, Rose Leslie (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ditched: A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Doug Lucie's satirical sequel to 'Hitched' revisits the bride and groom, Emma and Richard, two years after their big day. The honeymoon is well and truly over and wedded bliss hasn't turned out to be, well, blissful. With their relationship at crisis point, Emma returns from America with her young daughter to discover her life isn't the only one that has changed. But just what has happened between Emma and Richard, and why has she returned home without him? When Richard in turn flies back to the UK, the stage is set for another unforgettable family encounter. With sparks sure to fly at a family reunion no one wants to attend, Emma and Richard must finally decide what the future holds for their marriage. Will it be Hitched or Ditched? Starring Harry Lloyd and Lydia Leonard as Richard and Emma, with Stephen Moore, Frances Barber, David Schofield, Cheryl Campbell, Adrian Lukis, Brendan Patricks, Alison Pettit and Lynn Farleigh.

Doug Lucie (Author), Adrian Lukis, Alison Pettitt, Brendan Patricks, Cheryl Campbell, David Schofield, Frances Barber, Harry Lloyd, Lydia Leonard, Lynn Farleigh, Stephen Moore (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Lydia Leonard