Audiobooks narrated by Patricia Hodge

E. Nesbit: A BBC Radio Collection: The Railway Children, Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the C

A BBC Radio collection of dramatisations of E. Nesbit's finest children's books with extra magical readings plus an original drama by Martin Jameson E Nesbit is widely regarded as the first modern children's writer. Her ground-breaking novels have influenced authors from Oscar Wilde to Jacqueline Wilson, and over 100 years after their first publication, they remain perennially popular. This wide-ranging collection comprises some of her very best children's fiction, commencing with her timeless tale The Railway Children. Starring Victoria Carling, Daniel Eyssen and Kate McEnery, Frances Jeater this enchanting dramatisation tells the story of three suburban children forced to move to the countryside after their father is mysteriously taken away. Martin Jameson's sequel Roberta, Peter and Phyllis revisits them 13 years later, in 1919, to reveal how their lives have changed. Fiona Clarke, James Alper and Emma Hughes-Jones star as the titular siblings. Also included is Nesbit's classic 'Psammead' trilogy. In Five Children and It, Five children are granted a series of wishes by a sand fairy - but inevitably, things do not go to plan... Cast includes Julia McKenzie, Simon Carter, James Richard, Justyn Towler. Patricia Hodge reads the second book in the series, The Phoenix and the Carpet, in which the discovery of a mysterious egg in an old carpet heralds the start of a magical adventure. And in The Story of the Amulet, a full-cast dramatisation the children voyage through history on a quest for an ancient lucky charm. Featuring the same cast as Five Children and It Penelope Keith stars as E Nesbit in The House of Arden, a time-travelling fantasy tale about the hunt for a lost family treasure; Other cast includes Timothy Spall and Kelly Bright. Prunella Scales reads five stories from Nesbit's delightful compendium The Book of Dragons: 'Last of the Dragons', 'Kind Little Edmond', 'The Deliverers of their Country', 'The Book of Beasts' and 'The Dragon Tamers'. Concluding this anthology are two fantastic feline fables from Cat Tales, co-written by Nesbit and her adopted daughter Rosamund E Bland: 'The White Cat', read by Jenny Agutter, and 'Too Clever by Half', read by Helen Clapp. Cast and credits Written by E Nesbit Cat Tales written by E Nesbit and Rosamund E Bland Roberta, Peter and Phyllis written by Martin Jameson First published 1901 (The Book of Dragons), 1902 (Five Children and It), 1904 (The Phoenix and the Carpet, Cat Tales), 1906 (The Story of the Amulet, The Railway Children), 1908 (The House of Arden) The Railway Children Dramatised by Marcy Kahan. Produced by John Taylor First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 3-24 January 1991 Roberta, Peter and Phyllis Produced and directed by Gary Brown First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 January 2005 Five Children and It Dramatised by Malcolm McKee. Directed by Rosemary Watts First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 August 1998 The Phoenix and the Carpet Abridged by Penny Leicester. Produced by Marion Nancarrow First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 March-1 April 1994 The Story of the Amulet Dramatised by Malcolm McKee. Directed by Rosemary Watts First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 August 1999 The House of Arden Dramatised by Chris Curry. Produced by Mary Kalemkarian First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 April-25 June 1989 The Book of Dragons First broadcast BBC Radio 5, 7-11 December 1992 Cat Tales The White Cat First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 3 January 2000 Too Clever by Half First broadcast BBC Sounds, 23 July 2019 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Edith Nesbit, Martin Jameson, Rosamund E. Nesbit Bland (Author), Frances Jeater, Full Cast, Jenny Agutter, Julia Mckenzie, Patricia Hodge, Paul Copley, Penelope Keith, Prunella Scales, Timothy Spall, Victoria Carling (Narrator)

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The Archers: Ambridge At War

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the beloved radio show, Ambridge at War takes readers back to before it all began . . . 'Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar' Katie Fforde It's 1940 and war has broken out. It is midnight at the turn of the year, and Walter Gabriel speaks the same line that opened the very first radio episode - 'And a Happy New Year to you all!' For Ambridge, a village in the heart of the English countryside, this year will bring change in ways no one was expecting. From the Pargetters at Lower Loxley to the loving, hard-working Archer family at Brookfield Farm, the war will be hard for all of them. And the New Year brings the arrival of evacuees to Ambridge, shaking things up in the close-knit rural community. As the villagers embrace wartime spirit, the families that listeners have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep their secrets hidden. Especially as someone is intent on revealing those secrets to the whole village . . .

Catherine Miller (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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Miranda Hart's Joke Shop: The Complete BBC Radio Comedy Series

The complete BBC Radio 4 collection by the BAFTA nominated and NTA award winning Miranda Hart. Miranda is an unconventional woman. She's six feet tall, self-conscious and posh. And is frequently mistaken for a man. She's also invested her inheritance in a joke shop that she runs with her friend Stevie while trying to deal with her outrageously embarrassing mother. Though surrounded by chocolate willies, Miranda is determined to suss out what it takes to be a girly girl and to not look a complete idiot every time she meets the gorgeous Gary. Starring Miranda Hart, Sarah Hadland, Patricia Hodge and Tom Ellis. This collection also includes the previously unavailable pilot episode where Alison Steadman played Miranda's mother Penny, and Morwenna Banks was Stevie. Miranda Hart's Joke Shop - first broadcast on BBC Radio 2 - is written by Miranda Hart (Hyperdrive, Absolutely Fabulous, Lead Balloon), with James Carey (My Family, Think the Unthinkable) and Simon Dean (Not Going Out). It was the inspiration behind the hit TV show.

James Cary, Miranda Hart, Simon Day (Author), Alison Steadman, Miranda Hart, Morwenna Banks, Patricia Hodge, Sarah Hadland, Tom Ellis (Narrator)

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Recipe for Life: The Autobiography

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Mary Berry's autobiography, Recipe for Life, read by the actress Patricia Hodge. From Queen of Tarts to the nation's heart, Mary Berry shares her Recipe for Life. 'In the words of my father, my birth caused no end of trouble...' From the moment she came into the world - two weeks early, throwing her parents' lives into disarray - Mary has gracefully but firmly done things her own way. Born in 1935, in the city of Bath, Mary's childhood was a curious mix of idyllic picnics and ramblings, and alarming air raids; of a spirited and outdoorsy home life and a dreaded school existence. All nearly cut horribly short by an almost fatal bout of polio when she was thirteen, which isolated Mary in hospital, away from beloved family and friends for months. Recovery saw her turn to her one true passion - cookery. And so began a love affair that has - so far - spanned six remarkable decades; from demonstrating ovens in the early 1950s to producing glossy food magazines in the 60s and 70s, gradually becoming the country's most prolific and - many would say - best loved cookery writer. Until her emergence in the 21st century as a TV sensation and style icon on the Great British Bake Off. As a working mother, at the heart of a busy household, Mary became an expert at the art of juggling, even bringing her working life into her home with her Aga school. And there have been challenges, one terrible tragedy and many joys along the way. In this touching, evocative and fascinating memoir, we accompany Mary on her journey of nearly eighty years; a life lived to the full, with a wicked sense of fun and an eye for the absurd, it is the life of a delightfully traditional but thoroughly modern woman. Fans of The Great British Bake Off can't wait to get their hands on Mary Berry's Recipe for Life. Born in 1935, Mary has been teaching Britain how to cook for over half a century. Her far-reaching culinary career has taken her from recipe tester, cookery editor, author and entrepreneur to TV personality. Mary lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband Paul.

Mary Berry (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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Affliction

A novel about the perfect pair - or are they?Annette and Spicer make a perfect pair: he thirty-nine, wide-shouldered, square-jawed, and often likened to Harrison Ford; she slight, fair, delicately featured, and sometimes likened to Meryl Streep. He with a son (Jason, eleven) from a previous marriage, she with a daughter (Susan, thirteen) from a ditto. He and she, after ten years, expecting their own baby. But on this, the first day of the rest of their blissful lives, Spicer fails to kiss Annette goodbye as he leaves for the office.

Fay Weldon (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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Splitting

How many women can you fit into one body? A novel of split personalities.A marriage, its breakdown, and a perforated heroine: one woman, many faces, many personalities, and more emerging: a crumbling house, and the rooms of that house (which in our dreams are aspects of the self). Any more trauma and it's all over!Sir Edwin Rice has decided to divorce Lady Angelica, ex-rock star. She has behaved intolerably. He petitions the Court to set him free. Angelica fights back. She is not what he thinks - but then what woman ever is? Angelica takes a job as secretary to her husband's divorce solicitor - only to find one false personality leading to another. How is she to find herself: amongst good wife Angelica, Angel the tart, Jelly the secretary, all-male Ajax, Angela the hopeless - and only one body, albeit a beautiful one, to go round between the lot of them?

Fay Weldon (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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The Life and Loves of a She-Devil

The fantasy of the wronged woman made real: wild funny and true. 'The fun grows steadily blacker and wilder.' The GuardianWhen Ruth Pratchett discovers her husband is having a passionate affair with the lovely romantic novelist Mary Fisher, she is so seized by envy she becomes truly diabolic, embarking on a course of destruction which brings those around her their just deserts and herself an amazing reward. This is the fantasy of the wronged woman made real: wild, funny, true.

Fay Weldon (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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The Cloning of Joanna May

An astonishing audiobook that probes into the strange world of genetic engineering.Joanna May thought herself unique, indivisible - until one day, to her hideous shock, she discovered herself to be five: though childless she was a mother; though an only child she was surrounded by sisters young enough to be her daughers - Jane, Julie, Gina and Alice, the clones of Joanna May.How will they withstand the shock of first meeting? And what of the avenging Carl, Joanna's former husband and the clones' creator: will he take revenge for his wife's infidelity and destroy her sisters one by one?In this astonishing novel, Fay Weldon weaves a web of paradox quite awesome in its cunning. Probing into the strange world of genetic engineering, The Cloning of Joanna May raises frightening questions about our identity as individuals - and provides some startling answers. Funny, serious, revolutionary, this is the work of a master storyteller at the height of her powers.

Fay Weldon (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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Patricia Hodge is Mattie, A Liberated Woman

Patricia Hodge stars as Mattie in Juliet Ace’s four linked dramas, written especially for Patricia’s voice, in which Mattie reflects on her life as a naval wife, an actress and as a mother and daughter. In these funny and beautifully observed performances we come to meet Mattie as she shares her hard-earned understanding of her life, in all its intimacy.Episodes are: 'The Captain’s Wife', broadcast 8 May 1998; 'Small Parts', first broadcast 21 August 2000; 'Skin', 15 March 2004 and the not previously broadcast episode: 'Upside Down in the Roasting Tin', in which memories of Christmas dinners past and present give the listener a poignant and entertaining sweep through Mattie’s mixed experiences of the festive season.

Juliet Ace (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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Human Croquet

Once it had been the great forest of Lythe - a vast and impenetrable thicket of green.And here, in the beginning, lived the Fairfaxes, grandly, at Fairfax Manor, visited once by the great Gloriana herself. But over the centuries the forest had been destroyed, replaced by Streets of Trees.The Fairfaxes have dwindled too; now they live in 'Arden' at the end of Hawthorne Close and are hardly a family at all. But Isobel Fairfax, who drops into pockets of time and out again, knows about the past. She is sixteen and waiting for the return of her mother - the thin, dangerous Eliza with her scent of nicotine, Arpège and sex, whose disappearance is part of the mystery that still remains at the heart of the forest.

Kate Atkinson (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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The Homecoming & Other Stories

Maeve Binchy is one of Britain's most popular storytellers, and these four tales demonstrate the warmth and compassion that have made her many novels bestsellers. In Homecoming, read by Sean Campion, the Brennans run Quentin's restaurant in Dublin for the owner, who lives abroad. But what will happen when he suddenly pays a visit? Telling Stories, read by Joanna Myers, sees Irene's fiancé turning up the night before the wedding with a face as white as the dress that is to be worn the next day. Then trouble starts... In Needy, read by Patricia Hodge, Heather is painfully aware that Valentine's Day declarations of love should be viewed with suspicion, even if the sender is the one she loves. And in The Interview, read by Kate Binchy, Bessie is deaf and needs a place in a special school. But will she pass the interview? Finely crafted and full of wit and charm, these are stories that no fan of Maeve Binchy will want to be without.

Maeve Binchy (Author), Joanna Myers, Kate Binchy, Patricia Hodge, Sean Campion (Narrator)

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Elizabeth

A brilliant and compelling account of the apprentice years of Elizabeth I.An abused child, yet confident of her destiny to reign, a woman in a man's world, passionately sexual yet - she said - a virgin, Elizabeth I was to be famed as England's most successful ruler. This absorbing new book, by concentrating on the early years from her birth in 1533 to her accession in 1558, shows how her experiences of danger and adventure formed her remarkable character and shaped her opinions and beliefs.For in her youth she had experienced every vicissitude of fortune and every extreme of condition. She had been Princess and inheritrix of England - then bastardized and disinherited. At sixteen she was the head of a great princely household. Not much later she was an accused traitor on the verge of execution in the Tower. Among all this, she had been taught the most advanced curriculum of the day. But it was her lessons in the school of life that mattered more - and that taught her humanity.Dr David Starkey recreates a host of extravagant characters, mad-cap schemes and tragic plots, while using original documents to point up the importance of the rituals of power and life at court. He writes with admirable clarity about religion and constitutional history. This brilliant book contrasts the daughters of Henry VIII: the pious Catholic Mary and her clever sister. The key to understanding Elizabeth is her determination not to make the same mistakes as Mary.

David Starkey (Author), Patricia Hodge (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Patricia Hodge