Audiobooks narrated by Penelope Lee

Precious Bane: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation

"Mary Webb’s award-winning novel adapted for radio with a full cast, plus a dramatised biography of the celebrated author Novelist and poet Mary Webb is as closely associated with Shropshire as Thomas Hardy with Dorset and the Brontës with Yorkshire. She wrote six books set against the timeless landscape of the county she knew and loved so well, but only achieved literary success after her death when the then Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin praised her work, describing her as a neglected genius. Her final novel, Precious Bane, was awarded the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse, and is featured here alongside a bonus programme exploring Webb’s life. Precious Bane – Born with a cleft lip, Pru Sarn is an outcast in her superstious rural community, who regard her as cursed and suspect her of being a witch. Yet her gentle heart longs for love and honest communication with her neighbours – in contrast with her brother Gideon’s all-consuming desire for wealth. As Pru works side-by-side with him on the family farm, she becomes increasingly disturbed by his single-mindedness – and ever more attracted to the handsome weaver, Kester Woodseaves. But when Gideon’s obsessive ambition results in tragedy, Prue finds herself accused of murder – and only Kester can save her… Miriam Margolyes stars as Pru, with Terry Molloy as Gideon and Peter Davidson as Kester. The Shropshire Lass – Based on Gladys Mary Cole’s biography of Mary Webb, The Flower of Light, this dramatised profile explores how Webb lived ‘betwixt and between’ – half in the world and half out of it. The heroine of a fairy story with a sad ending, she yearned for fame, riches and admiration, but spent her life struggling against illness and disillusion. Narrated by John Darran, with Dillwyn Jones as the reader, Sue Jones-Davies as Mary Webb and Gareth Armstrong as her husband Henry. Cast and credits Precious Bane Pru – Miriam Margolyes Gideon – Terry Molloy Kester – Peter Davidson Mrs Sarn – Penelope Lee Mr Sarn – Haydn Jones Mrs Beguildy – Jill Meers Wizard Beguildy – Robert Vahey Jancis Beguildy – Elspeth Charltok Gideon (aged 7) – Henry Milner Tiwy – Cecily Hobbs Sexton – Roger Snowdon Callard – John Rowe Dorabella – Patricia Gallimore Squire Camperdine – David Vann Felena – Kathryn Hurlbutt Sukey – Deirdre Lee Moll – Hedli Niklaus Mrs Sexton – Carol Snape Mrs Grimble/Mrs Callard – Ysanne Churchman Grimble/Grandfather Callard – Gordon Reid Huglet – Malcolm Gerard Miller’s Tim – Peter O’Dwyer Apothecary – Stephen Hancock Sexton’s Sammy – David Landberg Doctor – Denys Hawthorne Written by Mary Webb Dramatised by Michelene Wandor Directed by Vanessa Whitburn Traditional folk music sung and played by Sue Harris, John Kirkpatrick and Ann Weller First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 April-10 May 1981 The Shropshire Lass Narrator – John Darran Mary Webb/Susan Buchan – Sue Jones-Davies Henry Webb/Caradoc Evans – Gareth Armstrong Reader – Dillwyn Owen Written by Herbert Williams Based on The Flower of Light by Gladys Mary Coles Produced by Robin C. Rollinson First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 July 1986 © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Mary Webb (Author), Dillwyn Owen, Full Cast, Haydn Jones, John Darran, Michael Finch, Miriam Margolyes, Penelope Lee, Peter Davidson, Rosalind Shankl, Terry Molloy (Narrator)

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The Red House Mystery & more: Three Full-Cast BBC Radio Mysteries & Comedies

"A dramatisation of A. A. Milne’s only detective novel, plus two of his sparkling comedies A.A. Milne achieved lasting fame as the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, but he was much more than just a children’s writer. A prolific novelist, playwright and humorist, he penned numerous works for adults, and this collection showcases three of the best, imbued with his signature wit and charm. The Red House Mystery – When a house party in the quiet English countryside turns into a murder scene, amateur sleuth Antony Gillingham takes on the mantle of Sherlock Holmes, with his friend Bill Beverley as his willing Watson. As they investigate their host’s disappearance and the fatal shooting of his long-lost brother, the duo find themselves uncovering a secret passage, dealing with the resident ghost and diving into the lake to retrieve a vital underwater clue… Alex Jennings and Jonathan Firth star in this adaptation of A. A. Milne’s delightfully droll locked-room mystery. Mr Pim Passes By – Calling round to Marden House with a letter of introduction, the elderly, absent-minded Mr Carraway Pim is graciously received by magistrate George Marden and his charming wife Olivia. But in the course of his visit, he drops a bombshell, leading the couple to believe they may have unintentionally comitted bigamy… Starring James Thomason as Mr Pim, with Penelope Lee as Olivia and Clifford Norgate as George. The Dover Road – Waylaid and unavoidably detained by the mysterious Mr Latimer, two eloping couples discover that reality of co-existing with their prospective spouses does not live up to the romantic fantasy. Ronald Ward, Norman Claridge, Gudrun Ure, Michael Spice and Penelope Lee star in this 1962 production of Milne’s engaging three-act farce. Due to the age of the recordings, the sound quality may vary. Production credits Written by A. A. Milne The Red House Mystery Antony Gillingham – Alex Jennings Bill Beverley – Jonathan Firth Philip Cayley – John Telfer Lady Sarah Redhead – Sarah Lawson Mark/Robert Ablett – Christian Rodska Ruth Norris – Jenny Coverack Inspector Birch – David Lloyd Elsie/Angela Norbury – Nicole Arumugam Mrs Stevens/Mrs Norbury – Angela Newmarch Dramatised by Sue Rodwell Directed by Sara Davies First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 September 2000 Mr Pim Passes By Olivia – Penelope Lee George – Clifford Norgate Mr Pim – James Thomason Dinah – Sandra Freeman Brian Strange – Peter Craze Lady Marden – Judith Fellows Adapted for radio by John Richmond Directed by John Pitman First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 1 November 1961 The Dover Road Mr Latimer – Ronald Ward Leonard – Michael Spice Anne – Gudrun Ure Eustasia – Penelope Lee Nicholas – John Baddeley Dominic – Norman Claridge Adapted for radio by Cynthia Pughe Produced by Norman Wright First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 13 June 1962 With thanks to Keith Wickham and The Radio Circle. © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

A. A. Milne (Author), Alex Jennings, Clifford Norgate, Full Cast, Gudrun Ure, James Thomason, John Telfer, Jonathan Firth, Norman Claridge, Penelope Lee, Ronald Ward, Sarah Lawson (Narrator)

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R.D Wingfield: Post-Mortem Shock and other thrillers: 14 Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramas

"A collection of RD Wingfield’s finest thrillers from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties Best known for his ‘Inspector Jack Frost’ series of novels, RD Wingfield also penned a string of gripping thrillers for BBC Radio. Initially thought lost, many of the 14 dramas in this collection were recovered and restored by Keith Wickham and the Radio Circle, and thanks to their careful preservation, are now available to enjoy once more. Credit Risk is a robbery comedy caper about a man with a cunning plan to defraud a credit card company of a quarter of a million pounds. Cleft Stick sees the police investigating an attack on a woman, and the dramatic way she chose to defend herself. In The Last Escape, a mugging ends in murder, and Superintendent Dawson must find the perpetrator – a patient who has escaped from a private nursing home after 35 years. And in The Alternative Plan, a frightened ex-Army captain and a dying ex-Nazi hold the key to preventing a political assassination. In A Second Class Risk, when a man dies in a car crash the same week he insures his life for £50,000, the widow’s claim must be investigated. A Test for Destruction finds a Security Supervisor at the Department of Scientific Warfare facing an agonising crisis when his son’s safety is at stake. Our West Ladyton Branch centres around a bank manager recovering from a nervous breakdown, whose new assignment in a sleepy Devon town is not at all what he expected. In Letter of the Law, Detective Inspector Nash wants nothing to do with his newly arrved (and newly demoted) Sergeant, but with seven unsolved robberies on his plate, Nash needs all the help he can get…Cover Up features another demoted ex-Inspector, kicked out of the Division but brought back to investigate a bank raid. Post Mortem Shock concerns a man who appears to have been shot dead by an intruder – but the post mortem reveals he died of a heart attack. Who, or what, really killed him? In Sins of Commission, made redundant after 19 years’ faithful service with a firm?of?diamond merchants, Mr Fletcher is willing to take on almost any job – as long as it’s legal. It’s double or quits when £15,000 goes missing from a safe in Double Entry, and in Adequate Reasons, when a child is abducted, there’s a complex interplay between police, parents and kidnapper. Finally, in Moveable Assets, a crafty crook comes up with an ingenious scheme to rob a supposedly burglar-proof bank – but will it work, and will he get away with it? With ensemble casts including John Rowe, Diana Olsson, Roger Delgado, Robert Lang, Frederick Treves, Jill Bennett and Patricia Gallimore, these clever, artfully plotted dramas are full of twists, turns and surprises. With warm thanks to Keith Wickham and the Radio Circle Cast and credits Written by RD Wingfield Contents Credit Risk Cleft Stick The Last Escape The Alternative Plan A Second-Class Risk A Test to Destruction Our West Ladyton Branch Letter of the Law Cover Up Post Mortem Shock Sins of Commission Double Entry Adequate Reasons Moveable Assets © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

R.D Wingfield (Author), Alan Tilvern, Anthony Hall, Antony Viccars, Christopher Scoular, Christopher Venning, Diana Olsson, Douglas Blackwell, Full Cast, Irene Sutcliffe, John Rowe, Lockwood West, Patrick Tull, Penelope Lee, Sam Dastor (Narrator)

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Loving, Doting & Party Going: Three Full - Cast BBC Radio Dramatisations

"A trio of dramas based on Henry Green’s most notable novels Born Henry Yorke, aristocrat and industrialist Henry Green led a double life as a managing director of an engineering firm and one of the finest English modernists of the 20th century. A contemporary and friend of Evelyn Waugh and Anthony Powell, he penned nine novels before giving up writing in 1952 at the age of 47. Three of them are dramatised here, with casts incuding Pauline Quirke, Amanda Root, Mark Straker, Fenella Fielding and Paul Herzberg. Loving – In their employers’ absence, the servants at Castle Tennant have enjoyed free run of the manor house, at liberty to indulge in romance, gossip, squabbles and battles over authority. Then an insurance man arrives, enquiring about Mrs Tennant’s missing diamond ring, and their habitual routine is thrown into disruption. Adapted by Booker Prize-winning author John Banville, this charming dramatisation of Green’s 1945 fairytale depicts life above and below stairs in an Anglo-Irish country house during the Second World War. Doting – Stuck in a humdrum marriage, middle-aged civil servant Arthur Middleton suddenly finds himself besotted with a much younger woman: pretty, 19-year-old Annabel Paynton, whom he has known since she was a child. As he pursues her, his wife Diana embarks on her own romantic adventure with family friend Charles Addinsell – who is in turn courting Annabel’s friend Claire… Set in postwar London, Henry Green’s final novel is a sophisticated social comedy exploring the subtle distinction between doting and loving. Party Going – Travelling by train to the South of France, a party of wealthy ‘Bright Young Things’ are delayed by heavy fog at Victoria Station. As they wait for the weather to lift, they take refuge in a hotel – but over the course of their stay, their lives change imperceptibly. Listed as one of the Guardian’s 100 best novels, this wry, dazzling, tale of self-absorbed socialites on the eve of war is adapted by veteran radio dramatist Neville Teller. First published 1939 (Party Going), 1945 (Loving), 1952 (Doting) Cast and credits Written by Henry Green Loving Charley Raunce – Martin Kemp Edith – Leanne Rowe Miss Welch – Pauline Ouirke Mrs Tennant – Joanna David Violet – Claudia Harrison Miss Burch – Amanda Root Kate – Zoe Tapper Capt Davenport – Mark Straker Bert – Harry Eden Albert – Johnny Brennan Other parts played by members of the cast Doting Mr Arthur Middleton – Frederick Treves Mrs Diana Middleton – Fenella Fielding Master Peter Middleton – Stephen Pacey Mr Charles Addinsell – James Villiers Miss Annabel Paynton – Illona Linthwaite Miss Claire Belaine – Mary-Claire Nash Party Going Angela Crevy – Amanda Murray Robin Adams – Paul Herzberg Miss Fellowes – Renee Asherson Claire Hignam – Rosalind Shanks Robert Hignam – Martin Connor Evelyn Henderson – Penelope Lee The Stranger – Sean Arnold Julia Wray – Selina Cadell Amabel – Frances Jeater Max Adey – David McAlister Edwards – Haydn Wood Alex Alexander – Geoffrey Bateman Thomson – Nick Brimble Station announcer/Porter – Graham Faulkner Driver/Porter – Alexander John Clerk/Driver – John Livesey Mr Roberts – Alan Dudley Mr Wray/Floor waiter – John Forbes-Robertson Cloakroom attendant – Sonia Fraser Mr Ogilvie/Stationmaster/Doctor – David Graham Counter Assistant/Receptionist – Jane Knowles Counter Assistant/Room service – Vanessa Knox-Mawer Embassy Richard/Passer-by – Rupert Everett © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Henry Green (Author), Amanda Root, Claudia Harrison, Frances Jeater, Full Cast, Joanna David, John Forbes-Robertson, Martin Kemp, Pauline Quirke, Penelope Lee, Rosalind Shanks, Rupert Everett, Selina Cadell, Zoe Tapper (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Penelope Lee

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