Audiobooks narrated by Michael Palin

Great-Uncle Harry: A Tale of War and Empire

Brought to you by Penguin. Some years ago a stash of family records was handed down to Michael Palin, among which were photos of an enigmatic young man in army uniform, as well as photos of the same young man as a teenager looking uncomfortable at family gatherings. This, Michael learnt, was his Great-Uncle Harry, born in 1884, died in 1916. He had previously had no idea that he had a Great-Uncle Harry, much less that his life was cut short at the age of 32 when he was killed in the Battle of the Somme. The discovery both shocked him and made him want to know much more about him. The quest that followed involved hundreds of hours of painstaking detective work. Michael dug out every bit of family gossip and correspondence he could. He studied every relevant official document. He tracked down what remained of his great-uncle Harry's diaries and letters, and pored over photographs of First World War battle scenes to see whether Harry appeared in any of them. He walked the route Harry took on that fatal, final day of his life amid the mud of northern France. And as he did so, a life that had previously existed in the shadows was revealed to him. Great-Uncle Harry is an utterly compelling account of an ordinary man who led an extraordinary life. A blend of biography, history, travelogue and personal memoir this is Michael Palin at his very finest. ©2023 Michael Palin (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Michael Palin (Author), Michael Palin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Into Iraq

Brought to you by Penguin. In March 2022, Michael Palin travelled the length of the River Tigris through Iraq to get a sense of what life is like in a region of the world that once formed the cradle of civilisation, but that in recent times has witnessed turmoil and appalling bloodshed. It was a journey of sharp, often brutal contrasts. At one moment he would be exploring the old streets of Baghdad or the ancient ruins of Babylon. At the next he would be visiting the war-torn city of Mosul, or learning about the horrific Speicher massacre in Tikrit. Now he shares the journal he meticulously kept during his trip, in which he describes the very varied places he visited, the people he met and the impressions he formed of a country that few outsiders now venture to see. Illustrated throughout with colour photographs taken on the trip, and permeated with his warmth and humour, this is a vivid and varied portrait of a complex country. © Michael Palin 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Michael Palin (Author), Michael Palin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Just a Minute: A Vintage Collection: 12 classic episodes of the much-loved BBC Radio comedy game

Twelve archive editions of the the much-loved BBC Radio 4 panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons Having matured like a fine wine for over 50 years, Just a Minute continues to improve with age. A full-bodied, cheeky little number, it's both sparkling and robust, and ideal for almost every occasion. A few bottles of the finest have been brought up from the cellar for this vintage collection. In these twelve humorous, enlightening and previously unpublished editions - harvested from between 1972 and 2004 - players once again attempt to speak without hesitation, repetition or deviation from the given subject. Challenges fly thick and fast under the unflappable adjudication of Nicholas Parsons. Seasoned players Kenneth Williams, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo, Clement Freudand Paul Merton compete alongside guests including Tim Rice, Sheila Hancock, Michael Palin, Jenny Eclair, Tony Hawks, Ross Noble, Ray Alan, Rob Buckman, Barry Cryer, Wendy Richard, Jeremy Hardy, Richard Stilgoe, Steve Frost, Graham Norton, Liza Tarbuck, Kit Hesketh-Harvey and Julian Clary. Which players will be allowed time to breathe uninterrupted, as they demonstrate they have the nose for a corking finish? Find out as we play Just a Minute! Please note: Contains mild innuendo. The humour in these programmes sometimes reflects the era in which they were first broadcast. Episode Guide 26 September 1972 Featuring Clement Freud, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo, Kenneth Williams 10 February 1976 Featuring Clement Freud, Peter Jones, Michael Palin, Kenneth Williams 20 February 1979 Featuring Ray Alan, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo, Kenneth Williams 22 January 1980 Featuring Rob Buckman, Clement Freud, Derek Nimmo, Kenneth Williams 3 April 1985 Featuring Barry Cryer, Peter Jones, Tim Rice, Kenneth Williams 23 February 1991 Featuring Peter Jones, Tim Rice, Wendy Richard, Richard Stilgoe 11 February 1995 Featuring Jeremy Hardy, Tony Hawks, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo 1 February 1999 Featuring Jenny Eclair, Steve Frost, Peter Jones, Tim Rice 11 March 2002 Featuring Clement Freud, Sheila Hancock, Paul Merton, Graham Norton 7 July 2003 Featuring Clement Freud, Sheila Hancock, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Paul Merton 18 August 2003 Featuring Jenny Eclair, Clement Freud, Tony Hawks, Ross Noble 16 August 2004 Featuring Julian Clary, Clement Freud, Paul Merton, Liza Tarbuck

BBC Audio, Bbc Audio (Author), Full Cast, Jeremy Hardy, Kenneth Williams, Michael Palin, Nicholas Parsons, Paul Merton, Ross Noble, Sheila Hancock (Narrator)

Audiobook

North Korea Journal

Brought to you by Penguin. THE BOOK BEHIND THE HIT CHANNEL 5 DOCUMENTARY A glimpse of life inside the world's most secretive country, as told by Britain's best-loved travel writer. In May 2018, former Monty Python stalwart and intrepid globetrotter Michael Palin spent two weeks in the notoriously secretive Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a cut-off land without internet or phone signal, where the countryside has barely moved beyond a centuries-old peasant economy but where the cities have gleaming skyscrapers and luxurious underground train stations. His resulting documentary for Channel 5 was widely acclaimed. Now he shares his day-by-day diary of his visit, in which he describes not only what he saw - and his fleeting views of what the authorities didn't want him to see - but recounts the conversations he had with the country's inhabitants, talks candidly about his encounters with officialdom, and records his musings about a land wholly unlike any other he has ever visited - one that inspires fascination and fear in equal measure. Written with Palin's trademark warmth and wit, and illustrated with beautiful colour photographs throughout, the journal offers a rare insight into the North Korea behind the headlines.

Michael Palin (Author), Michael Palin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Erebus

Driven by a passion for travel and history and a love of ships and the sea, former Monty Python stalwart and beloved television globe-trotter Michael Palin explores the world of HMS Erebus, last seen on an ill-fated voyage to chart the Northwest Passage. Michael Palin brings the fascinating story of the Erebus and its occupants to life, from its construction as a bomb vessel in 1826 through the flagship years of James Clark Ross's Antarctic expedition and finally to Sir John Franklin's quest for the holy grail of navigation-a route through the Northwest Passage, where the ship disappeared into the depths of the sea for more than 150 years. It was rediscovered under the arctic waters in 2014. Palin travels across the world-from Tasmania to the Falkland Islands and the Canadian Arctic-to offer a firsthand account of the terrain and conditions that would have confronted the Erebus and her doomed final crew. Delving into the research, he describes the intertwined careers of the two men who shared the ship's journeys: Ross, the organizational genius who mapped much of the Antarctic coastline and oversaw some of the earliest scientific experiments to be conducted there; and Franklin, who, at the age of sixty and after a checkered career, commanded the ship on its last disastrous venture. Expertly researched and illustrated with maps, photographs, paintings, and engravings, Erebus is an evocative account of two journeys: one successful and forgotten, the other tragic yet unforgettable.

Michael Palin (Author), Michael Palin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Clangers: The Story Collection

Penguin presents Clangers: The Story Collection read by Michael Palin Let's go down to the Clangers' planet and see what's going on ... Join Small, Tiny, Mother, Major and Granny Clanger as they explore their tuneful planet under the stars. Includes twenty exciting stories with music and special effects from the Clangers TV series. Stories include: The Golden Planet, Baby Soup Clanger, Dragon Day and Tiny's Lullaby.

Ladybird (Author), Michael Palin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Erebus: The Story of a Ship

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Erebus, written and read by Michael Palin. In September 2014 the wreck of a sailing vessel was discovered at the bottom of the sea in the frozen wastes of the Canadian Arctic. It was broken at the stern and covered in a woolly coat of underwater vegetation. Its whereabouts had been a mystery for over a century and a half. Its name was HMS Erebus. Now Michael Palin - former Monty Python stalwart and much-loved television globetrotter - brings this extraordinary ship back to life, following it from its launch in 1826 to the epic voyages of discovery that led to glory in the Antarctic and to ultimate catastrophe in the Arctic. He explores the intertwined careers of the men who shared its journeys: the dashing James Clark Ross who charted much of the 'Great Southern Barrier' and oversaw some of the earliest scientific experiments to be conducted there; and the troubled John Franklin, who at the age of sixty and after a chequered career, commanded the ship on its final, disastrous expedition. And he vividly recounts the experiences of the men who first stepped ashore on Antarctica's Victoria Land, and those who, just a few years later, froze to death one by one in the Arctic wastes as rescue missions desperately tried to reach them. To help tell the story, he has travelled to various locations across the world - Tasmania, the Falklands, the Canadian Arctic - to search for local information, and to experience at first hand the terrain and the conditions that would have confronted the Erebus and her crew.

Michael Palin (Author), Michael Palin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Biggles Flies North

Michael Palin reads this classic adventure by W. E. Johns, featuring pilot-adventurer James 'Biggles ' Bigglesworth When Biggles receives a letter from an old wartime chum asking for help, he responds at once. With his comrades, Algy, Ginger and Flight Sergeant Smyth, our hero flies to Fort Beaver in Canada, where winter is closing in around the remote airfield. There he discovers that his buddy Wilks is being menaced by a sinister character called 'Brindle ' McBain and his cronies. Wilks has started a small airline business, but McBain wants to take over and he 'll stop at nothing to get Wilks out of the way. With the threats of sabotage, theft, and even murder in play, all their lives are now in danger. Can Biggles save the day and defeat McBain? Or will they perish in the frozen north?

W E Johns (Author), Michael Palin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Do Not Adjust Your Set - Volume 2

Do Not Adjust Your Set is a 60s comedy show comprised mostly of satirical sketches, often presented in a bizarre, surreal and disjointed manner- much like that of Monty Python, a succeeding show which several of the cast became part of. An important Monty Python predecessor and arguably one of the finest children's sketch comedies ever produced, DNAYS is certainly something you do not want to miss... This volume features a compilation of classic sketches from the show, including: -King Lear -Musicians at Work -Family Grocer -Science for Sixth Forms -Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band -Monster Mash -Maternity Ward -On Guard -The Wonder of Words -Stool Pigeon -The Sound of Music -An Extraordinary Sight -Captain Fantastic -The Tartan Thistle Club

David Jason, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Humphrey Barclay, Ian Davidson, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (Author), David Jason, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (Narrator)

Audiobook

Do Not Adjust Your Set - Volume 4

Do Not Adjust Your Set is a 60s comedy show comprised mostly of satirical sketches, often presented in a bizarre, surreal and disjointed manner- much like that of Monty Python, a succeeding show which several of the cast became part of. An important Monty Python predecessor and arguably one of the finest children's sketch comedies ever produced, DNAYS is certainly something you do not want to miss... This volume features a compilation of classic sketches from the show, including: -Traffic Warden -Round Up -Thank You -Burglary Prevention -Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band -Hunting Tigers -Thou Shalt Not -Royal Opera House -Morning Madam Scenes Of Village Life -Captain Fantastic -Miss World

David Jason, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Humphrey Barclay, Ian Davidson, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (Author), David Jason, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (Narrator)

Audiobook

Do Not Adjust Your Set -Volume 6

Do Not Adjust Your Set is a 60s comedy show comprised mostly of satirical sketches, often presented in a bizarre, surreal and disjointed manner- much like that of Monty Python, a succeeding show which several of the cast became part of. An important Monty Python predecessor and arguably one of the finest children's sketch comedies ever produced, DNAYS is certainly something you do not want to miss... This volume features a compilation of classic sketches from the show, including: -Economic Axe -Chancellor of the Exchequer -Espionage -Custard Factory -Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band -Love is a Cylindrical Piano -Miss Pringe -Rehearsal -Cinderella -Captain Fantastic -British Food

David Jason, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Humphrey Barclay, Ian Davidson, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (Author), David Jason, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (Narrator)

Audiobook

Do Not Adjust Your Set - Volume 8

Do Not Adjust Your Set is a 60s comedy show comprised mostly of satirical sketches, often presented in a bizarre, surreal and disjointed manner- much like that of Monty Python, a succeeding show which several of the cast became part of. An important Monty Python predecessor and arguably one of the finest children's sketch comedies ever produced, DNAYS is certainly something you do not want to miss... This volume features a compilation of classic sketches from the show, including: -Instrumental -The Problems of Falling Over -The Wild and Woolly West -Weather -Hamster Allergies -Post Early for Christmas -Its Lucy! -You're Fired! -Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band -Announcement -Tubas in Moonlight -Fancy Dress for Two -Dog Food -Captain Fantastic -Musicians at Work

David Jason, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Humphrey Barclay, Ian Davidson, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (Author), David Jason, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Michael Palin