Audiobooks Narrated by Mark McDonnell

Flashman & more: Three Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

"Full-cast adaptations of two Flashman novels, plus a standalone historical romp, a humorous short story and an interview with George MacDonald Fraser Scottish author George MacDonald Fraser took the loutish bully from Thomas Hughes’ Tom Brown's Schooldays and gave him a new lease of life. Over the course of 12 novels, caddish anti-hero Flashman swashbuckled his way around the British Empire, playing a key role in some of the 19th century’s most significant events. Adapted for BBC Radio, and featuring a stellar cast, this collection includes: Flash for Freedom! – It is 1848 and Flashman is considering a political career. But a disastrous card game with Disraeli plunges him into hair-raising involvement with a murderous sea captain, the transatlantic slave trade, the Underground Railroad and Abraham Lincoln. Flashman at the Charge – Renowned bounder, blackguard, liar, lecher, and self-confessed coward Sir Harry Flashman suffers the ill fortune of being caught up in the Charge of the Light Brigade – and rides with the descendants of Genghis Khan against the might of Imperial Russia, as he attempts to save British India… Good Queen Bess and the Dastardly Don – England, 1599, and at the Spanish Embassy, a devilish plot is brewing. New envoy Don Diego claims to possess a compromising letter written by Queen Elizabeth 50 years ago: and unless it is retrieved, her reputation as the Virgin Queen will be in tatters. Time to call in Mistress Phoebe Fosdyke, Secret Agent… ‘Monsoon Selection Board’ – Corporal David MacNeill recalls his challenging time in 1940s Burma, when he was part of a battalion trying to stop the Japanese army escaping. Hoping to become an officer, he is sent to face the Selection Board – but can he prove his mettle? Bookclub: George MacDonald Fraser – James Naughtie talks to George MacDonald Fraser about his inspiration for the Flashman books, writing a Bond screenplay, and why we can’t resist a rogue. Text copyright © George MacDonald Fraser 1970 (‘Monsoon Selection Board’), 1971 (Flash for Freedom!), 1973 (Flashman at the Charge), 2000 (Good Queen Bess and the Dastardly Don) Cast and credits Written by George MacDonald Fraser Flash for Freedom Featuring Joss Ackland, Rhys Meredith, Nigel Anthony, Christian Rodska, William Hope, Ndidi Del Fatti, Emily Wachter, Jamie Newall, Robert Hastie, Damian Lynch, Stuart Milligan Dramatised by George MacDonald Fraser Directed by Patrick Rayner First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 Mar-3 Apr 2005 Flashman at the Charge Featuring Joss Ackland, Angus Wright, Jayne McKenna, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Nigel Anthony, David Holt, David Bannerman, Peter Kenny Dramatised by George MacDonald Fraser Directed by Patrick Rayner First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13-20 Oct 2002 Good Queen Bess and the Dastardly Don Featuring Vivienne Dixon, Crawford Logan, Katherine Igoe, Mark McDonnell, James Bryce, Julie Austin Written by George MacDonald Fraser Directed by Patrick Rayner First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 May 2000 ‘Monsoon Selection Board’ Read by Tom Fleming Produced by Bruce Young First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 Oct 1990 Bookclub: George MacDonald Fraser Presented by James Naughtie With George MacDonald Fraser Produced by Dymphna Flynn First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 Jan 2006 © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

George MacDonald Fraser (Author), Angus Wright, Christian Rodska, Crawford Logan, Full Cast, Jayne McKenna, Joss Ackland, Katherine Igoe, Mark McDonnell, Nigel Anthony, Rhys Meredith, Tom Fleming, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Vivienne Dixon, William Hope (Narrator)

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Cyberman 1.1: Scorpius

"The human race is about to become extinct. Mankind is fighting a long and costly war with its android creations in the Orion System. The deadlock must be broken at all costs. The president of Earth must think the unthinkable... 'There is nothing to fear'."

Big Finish Productions (Author), Full Cast, Mark McDonnell, Sarah Mowat (Narrator)

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Cyberman 1.2: Fear

"There is a conspiracy at the heart of Earth's government. The Orion War situation is worsening by the day. The human race is sleepwalking towards extinction. Now, the time is right for the next phase of the Cyber plan to begin."

Big Finish Productions (Author), Full Cast, Mark McDonnell, Sarah Mowat (Narrator)

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Cyberman 1.3: Conversion

"Fear is humanity's greatest enemy. The Cybermen can free us from it. The Cybermen... The great civilisation we could have been... if we'd taken another path. A purer path. The Scorpius strategy is now in full operation. There will be victory in Orion…"

Big Finish Productions (Author), Full Cast, Mark McDonnell, Sarah Mowat (Narrator)

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Cyberman 1.4: Telos

"Now there is a common enemy. The Earth's government is under Cyber control. The only hope for civilisation is that androids and humans can work together. But the Cybermen intend to activate their Master Hibernation Vault on Telos, releasing billions of Cybermen..."

Big Finish Productions (Author), Full Cast, Mark McDonnell, Sarah Mowat (Narrator)

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Cyberman 2.1: Outsiders

"Earth has fallen to the Cybermen; but the war has only just begun... Across the planet, the silver legions stand impassive in every city; mankind has sacrificed its freedoms for the sake of a distant conflict against its android creations, and now the price must be paid. On the streets, in the depths of space, a web of lies and deceit draws ever tighter, and the lines between human and android, between enemy and ally, are blurred. Only one choice remains – resist or surrender..."

Big Finish Productions (Author), Barnaby Edwards, Full Cast, Hannah Smith, Mark McDonnell (Narrator)

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Cyberman 2.2: Terror

"A secret war is raging; a war with no soldiers – only casualties... Two species – one organic, one synthetic – face the greatest challenge to their existence; the cold logic and ancient power of the Cybermen. Earth lies trapped between oppression and destruction, and the future is shrouded in darkness. Plans are drawn and choices are made; but the hidden truth that lurks in the shadows may be more terrible than anyone could imagine..."

Big Finish Productions (Author), Hannah Smith, Mark McDonnell (Narrator)

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Cyberman 2.3: Machines

"All war is deception. As the conspiracy of hate and distrust brings death in its wake, the sinister plans of the Cybermen are revealed, and events move on a collision course as the invaders prepare for the final phase of their rebirth. Only a handful of rebels, human and android, stand ready to confront their common enemy; but if they cannot trust themselves, then the battle is already lost..."

Big Finish Productions (Author), Barnaby Edwards, Full Cast, Hannah Smith, Mark McDonnell (Narrator)

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Cyberman 2.4: Extinction

"In the war for the future, fear is the only weapon. The Cybermen are triumphant; nothing can stand in their way. First they will absorb mankind, and obliterate their android spawn; then they will stride the stars once more, to transform the galaxy into an empire of icy, flawless logic. The battle must end; only one race will emerge victorious."

Big Finish Productions (Author), Barnaby Edwards, Hannah Smith, Mark McDonnell (Narrator)

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Dalek Empire 1.1: Invasion of the Daleks

"The Milky Way is at peace. After centuries of struggle, the Earth Alliance has been created and all is well. Then, without warning, the Daleks launch their invasion. An invasion which threatens to tear apart the fabric of our entire galaxy..."

Big Finish Productions (Author), Full Cast, Mark McDonnell, Sarah Mowat (Narrator)

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Dalek Empire 1.2: The Human Factor

"Alby Brook and Gordon Pellan are following the best information they have to locate Suz in Dalek-infested space. But what is it the Daleks want with her? On the slave planet Guria, Alby discovers Suz is already gaining a reputation as something of an angel of mercy. Could it be that she is now working for the Daleks? But as Suz and Kalendorf travel from planet to planet, a murmur of defiance is growing… 'Death to the Daleks… death to the Daleks…'"

Big Finish Productions (Author), Full Cast, Mark McDonnell, Sarah Mowat (Narrator)

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Dalek Empire 1.3: Death to the Daleks

"Suz decides it is time to take control of events. But when she is summoned to an audience with the Dalek Emperor, she begins to fear that all her efforts have been in vain. Meanwhile, Earth Alliance Security commander-in-chief Tanlee is intent on locating Alby. The Dalek advance across the galaxy seems unstoppable and the only possibility of salvation for the human race lies in the Lopra System. But how can Alby help, when no one will tell him the purpose of 'Project Infinity'?"

Big Finish Productions (Author), Mark McDonnell, Sarah Mowat (Narrator)

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