Audiobooks narrated by Patrick Barlow

The Desmond Olivier Dingle and The National Theatre of Brent: Four BBC Radio Productions

"Four satirical spoof shows from the multi-award-winning Patrick Barlow The National Theatre of Brent is a two-man company founded in 1980 and led by Patrick Barlow as his comic alter ego, Artistic Director and Chief Executive Desmond Olivier Dingle. Helping him to realise his enormously ambitious artistic visions is his helpful but hapless assistant, a role that has been performed by a succession of actors including Jim Broadbent (as Wallace) and John Ramm (as Raymond Box) who co-wrote with Martin Duncan (who also directed). Collected together for the first time, here are two of the comic troupe’s epic productions, plus a bonus series from Desmond’s ‘Royal Dingle Company’ and a special bonus historical parody starring Dawn French. All the World’s a Globe – The chaotic and comedic story of life on Earth is presented with a bang by Desmond and his helpful sidekick Wallace (Jim Broadbent), aided by announcer Peter Barker and guest stars Juliet Stevenson and Sir Ben Kingsley. Winner of the Sony Award for Best Comedy, this majestic eight-part series leads us through the definitive history of mankind – from lemur to cosmonaut. The Greatest Story Ever Told – Celebrated thespian Desmond Olivier Dingle presents his hilarious and surprisingly moving interpretation of Christ's Passion. With Desmond as Jesus, and Wallace as the Devil, disciples and everybody else. Desmond Olivier Dingle’s Compleat Life and Works of William Shakespeare – 'The Royal Dingle Company' embarks on a voyage around the Bard, with the help of special guests Richard E Grant, Juliet Stevenson, Dame Harriet Walter, Brian Cox CBE, Louise Lombard, John Barrowman and Lionel Blair. Over six sparkling episodes, Desmond and his troupe tackle Shakespeare’s comedies, verse and tragedies; wreak havoc in Stratford-upon-Avon; search for Shakespeare’s true identity and re-enact great Shakespearean moments from cinematic history. Joan of Arc, and How She Finally Became a Saint – Joan is a country girl more inclined to stay with her herd of cows than venture forth and rescue France. But she has no choice but to follow her destiny, and when guided by her guardian angels, St Catherine and St Margaret, she stands up to fight for what she knows is right. Dawn French stars as the Maid of Orléans, with a full cast including Jim Broadbent, Anne Reid, Maggie Steed, John Ramm, Mark Wooton, Nell Barlow, Cheryl Campbell, Samuel Barnet, Kevin Eldon and Andrew Dunn. It ends in a literal blaze of glory. © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Patrick Barlow (Author), Anne Reid, Dawn French, Full Cast, Jim Broadbent, Kevin Eldon, Maggie Steed, Patrick Barlow, Robert Austin (Narrator)

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Nikolai Gogol: A BBC Radio Collection: Nine Full-Cast Dramatisations

"A definitive collection of Gogol’s best-known works, adapted for BBC Radio with star casts including Toby Jones, Michael Palin, Mark Heap, Frances Barber and Russell Tovey Ukrainian-born humorist, dramatist and novelist Nikolai Gogol is widely believed to have led the realist revolution in Russian literature. His surreal, absurdist satires liberated comedy from its sentimental traditions and influenced writers both within Russia and worldwide, among them Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka and Flannery O’Connor. Generally acknowledged as Gogol’s masterpiece, The Government Inspector caused such uproar when first performed in 1836 that he was driven into exile. With its satirical swipes at political self-serving, sleaze and vice, it remains relevant today, as this dazzling dramatisation, starring Toby Jones, shows. A comic tour de force about human folly and one of the jewels of Russian literature, Dead Souls sees the charming Chichikov (Mark Heap) arriving in a Russian provincial town with the Narrator (Michael Palin) on a mission to buy up dead serfs – but his quest soon arouses suspicion. Three Ivans, Two Aunts and an Overcoat comprises six comic plays based on some of Gogol’s greatest short fiction and set in 19th-century Russia: ‘The Two Ivans’, ‘The Overcoat,’ ‘Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt’, ‘The Nose’, ‘The Mysterious Portrait’ and ‘The Diary of a Madman’. Griff Rhys Jones and Stephen Moore star in these colourful, inventive tales. Also adapted from a short story, Christmas Eve tells of the magic and mayhem that ensues when the Devil (Nickolas Grace) steals the moon on the night before Christmas. Rounding off this anthology is a bonus documentary, Tim Key and Gogol's Overcoat, in which the acclaimed poet and comedian explores Nikolai Gogol’s classic ‘The Overcoat’, described by Nabokov as ‘the greatest Russian short story ever written’. As he looks into this fantastical fable about a clerk whose desire for a new coat changes his life – and ultimately destroys him – Key spins his own surprising and anarchic tale, with contributions from Russian experts, an East End tailor, Alexei Sayle and John Motson. First published 1831 (Christmas Eve), 1832 (‘Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt’), 1835 (‘The Two Ivans’, ‘The Mysterious Portrait’, ‘The Diary of a Madman’), 1835-1836 (‘The Nose’), 1836 (The Government Inspector), 1842 (Dead Souls, ‘The Overcoat’) © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Nikolai Gogol (Author), Frances Barber, Full Cast, Griff Rhys Jones, Mark Heap, Michael Palin, Patrick Barlow, Russell Tovey, Stephen Moore, Tim Key, Toby Jones (Narrator)

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Stories Exploring the Fear of Death

"That moment in time will come. It will be the end of this life and one of three things will happen. Nothing, Heaven or Hell. Somehow, for most people, the odds don’t look so good on laying back in Paradise for eternity. And we may be there alone or with people we never really liked or―or most probably, we don’t really have any coherent idea at all. Just the fear that the end is nigh.Our literary friends including Edgar Allan Poe, Leo Tolstoy, Mary Shelley and others probably mean well but their job here is to tackle fear head on and we may well end up not getting the answer we first thought of. 1 - Stories Exploring the Fear of Death - An Introduction2 - The Premature Burial by Edgar Allan Poe3 - The Coffin Maker by Alexander Pushkin4 - The Cobweb by Saki5 - Diary of a Lunatic by Leo Tolstoy6 - Cool Air by H P Lovecraft7 - The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley8 - The Sphinx by Edgar Allan Poe9 - The Dream by O Henry10 - The Looking Glass by Anton Chekhov11 - The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe"

Alexander Pushkin, Anton Chekhov, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Leo Tolstoy, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, O Henry, Saki (Author), Bill Wallis, Patrick Barlow, William Dufris (Narrator)

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The Top 10 Short Stories - English Gothic

"Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted 'Top Tens' across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions - Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature. Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something. In this volume our authors present tales of dark, macabre, and disturbing deeds. From the pens of Rudyard Kipling, M R James, Marjorie Bowen, Algernon Blackwood and others many others come carefully crafted literary journeys designed to disrupt reality, jangle nerves and feed upon our souls. 1 - The Top 10 Short Stories - English Gothic - An Introduction 2 - The Signalman by Charles Dickens 3 - The Phantom Rickshaw by Rudyard Kipling 4 - The Music on the Hill by Saki 5 - In the Dark by Edith Nesbit 6 - The Monkey's Paw by W W Jacobs 7 - The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood 8 - Count Magnus by M R James 9 - Mrs Amworth by E F Benson 10 - Thurnley Abbey by Perceval Landon 11 - The Bishop of Hell by Marjorie Bowen"

Algernon Blackwood, Charles Dickens, E F Benson, Edith Nesbit, M.R. James, Marjorie Bowen, Perceval Landon, Rudyard Kipling, Saki, W W Jacobs (Author), Ian Holm, Mark Rice-Oxley, Patrick Barlow (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Top 10 Short Stories - English Murder

"Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted 'Top Tens' across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions - Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature. Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something. In this volume the pens of our English authors examine murder. This dark and evil deed is carried out with many motives. Our authors, including G K Chesterton, A M Burrage, Amelia Edwards, Algernon Blackwood and many others are those charged with revealing each and every crime scene. 1 - The Top 10 Short Stories - The English Murder - An Introduction 2 - Father Brown - The Blue Cross by G K Chesterton 3 - In The Dark by Edith Nesbit 4 - The Hounds of Fate by Saki 5 - Cheating The Gallows by Israel Zangwill 6 - The Acquittal by A M Burrage 7 - The Kit Bag by Algernon Blackwood 8 - The Three Sisters by W W Jacobs 9 - August Heat by W F Harvey 10 - The Green Light by Barry Pain 11 - No 5 Branch Line. The Engineer by Amelia Edwards"

A.M. Burrage, Algernon Blackwood, Amelia B. Edwards, Barry Pain, Edith Nesbit, G K Chesterton, Israel Zangwill, Saki, W F Harvey, W W Jacobs (Author), Bill Wallis, Mark Rice-Oxley, Patrick Barlow (Narrator)

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Rent: The complete series 1-4: A BBC Radio comedy drama

"All four series of the award-winning house-share comedy starring Barbara Flynn and Patrick Barlow Maria and Richard Reynolds are happily married, but broke. With debts piling up and their house falling down, there’s only one thing for it: they have to start taking in lodgers. Their new housemates are two equally cash-strapped students – Ruby, who’s conscientious and dedicated, and Paul, who finds academic pursuits more of a challenge. Over the course of 24 episodes, the foursome go from being complete strangers to close friends. Richard and Maria discover they’re not as young and groovy as they’d thought, Paul gets his heart set on Ruby, and Maria hears her biological clock ticking very loudly. The arrival of baby Piglet leads to havoc chez Reynolds, as the preparations for her naming ceremony reach a climax, and Paul and Ruby consider their future. And as both couples find themselves saddled with unwanted guests, can they send them packing and get their lives back? Written by Lucy Flannery, Rent won the Writers' Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy. It stars Barbara Flynn as Maria and Patrick Barlow as Richard, with Diane Louise-Jordan and Vivienne Rochester as Ruby and Toby Longworth and Dave Lamb as Paul. Cast Maria – Barbara Flynn Richard – Patrick Barlow Amy – Linda Polan Ruby – Diane Louise-Jordan (Series 1)/Vivienne Rochester (Series 2-4) Paul – Toby Longworth (Series 1 & 2)/Dave Lamb (Series 3 & 4) Ellen – Helen Atkinson Wood With Chris Emmett, Sally Grace, Sarah Parkinson, Joanna Brookes, Matthew Bell, Brian Bowles and Amanda Davies Produced by Liz Anstee First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 May-10 June 1993 (Series 1), 25 January-1 March 1995 (Series 2), 29 January-5 March 1997 (Series 3), 28 May-2 July 1998 (Series 4)"

Lucy Flannery (Author), Barbara Flynn, Full Cast, Patrick Barlow (Narrator)

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Animal Terror - A Short Story Volume. Volume 1

"The human race prides itself on being the most organised of animals. We manage the fate of all other species. All other animals bow to our control or suffer. In diminishing numbers we allow some to live in the wild but in increasing numbers we domesticate them and whether they become part of the family, a best friend or wonderfully decorative accessory we take their compliance for granted. Such a shame then when these creatures take umbrage and prepare their revenge on us they do so in ways designed to show that when the tables turn 'mercy' is just a word that we humans plead for, expect, but, of course, is always denied."

Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecraft, Saki (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Patrick Barlow, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Saki: 'Music on the Hill', 'The Cobweb', 'The Interlopers', and 'The Hounds of Fate'

"Saki was the pen-name of Hector Hugh Munro. One of the wittiest of all short-story writers, he was born in 1870 in Burma where his father, a Scots army officer, was stationed. He was one when the family returned to England to live in North Devon. When his mother died his father, returning to serve in India, put Hector and his brothers and sisters into the care of his own mother and two sisters. The children's childhood with their aunts was miserable. The aunts hated each other, quarrelled fiercely, and bullied the children mentally. They saw little of other children, and Hector's main enjoyment was drawing. After some tuition with a governess he went to school in Exmouth, and later to Bedford Grammar School. In 1886 his father retired . A kindly man, he took the children to Normandy, to Dresden, to Prague , and to Davos, where they rode, climbed and played tennis, and Hector took lessons in pastel from a painter of birds of prey. As a young man, Hector went as a Police Official to Burma, but returned after two years, made ill by the climate. Recovering, he became a political correspondent for the 'Morning Post', living in the Balkans, in Warsaw, in Petersburg, and in Paris. He also began publishing the entertaining short stories that made him famous. In 1908 he settled in London, writing stories, playing bridge, and enjoying theatre and ballet. When the Great War broke out he enlisted in the ranks. On 14th November 1916, crouching with others in a shallow muddy shell-crater before an attack on Beaumont Hamel, he was heard to shout 'Put that bloody cigarette out' A moment later he was shot through the head. This volume includes four of his best loved stories; The Man On The Hill, The Cobweb, The Interlopers and The Hounds Of Fate and are read by Patrick Barlow. Patrick has appeared on stage nationwide in such productions as Loot and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, and his many television appearances include The Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole and Victoria Wood - As Seen On TV, but he is probably best known for creating the character of Desmond Oliver Dingle, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of The National Theatre Of Brent, that amazing two-man company which has presented on stage and television such productions as Charge Of The Light Brigade, Zulu, The Messiah and The Greatest Story Ever Told"

Saki (Author), Patrick Barlow (Narrator)

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The Wizard Of Oz

"Maureen Lipman and Patrick Barlow star in a full-cast dramatisation of the classic children's tale. When Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are whisked away from Kansas by a cyclone, they arrive in the strange land of the Munchkins. Setting off on a magical journey, they are befriended by the Tinman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, all of whom join Dorothy's quest to find the wonderful Wizard of Oz. Barbara Barnes, Philip Franks, Patrick Barlow, Bradley Lavelle and Kerry Shale also star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation. The wonder and excitement of L Frank Baum's unforgettable story live on in this full-cast dramatisation, complete with evocative music and sound effects."

L. Frank Baum (Author), Full Cast, Maureen Lipman, Patrick Barlow (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Patrick Barlow

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