Audiobooks narrated by Penelope Wilton

Lady Caroline Lamb: A Free Spirit Audiobook

"From the outset, Caroline Lamb had a rebellious nature. From childhood she grew increasingly troublesome, experimenting with sedatives like laudanum, and she had a special governess to control her. She also had a merciless wit and talent for mimicry. She spoke French and German fluently, knew Greek and Latin, and sketched impressive portraits. As the niece of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, she was already well connected, and her courtly skills resulted in her marriage to the Hon. William Lamb (later Lord Melbourne) at the age on nineteen. For a few years they enjoyed a happy marriage, despite Lamb's siblings and mother-in-law detesting her and referring to her as 'the little beast'. In 1812 Caroline embarked on a well-publicised affair with the poet Lord Byron - he was 24, she 26. Her phrase 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' became his lasting epitaph. When he broke things off, Caroline made increasingly public attempts to reunite. Her obsession came to define much of her later life, as well as influencing her own writing - most notably the Gothic novel Glenarvon - and Byron's. Antonia Fraser's vividly compelling biography animates the life of 'a free spirit' who was far more than mad, bad and dangerous to know."

Antonia Fraser (Author), Penelope Wilton (Narrator)

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Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North: From the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Ha

"Brought to you by Penguin. Ten years ago, Harold Fry set off on his epic journey on foot to save a friend. But the story doesn't end there. Now his wife, Maureen, has her own pilgrimage to make. Maureen Fry has settled into the quiet life she now shares with her husband Harold after his iconic walk across England. Now, ten years later, an unexpected message from the North disturbs her equilibrium again, and this time it is Maureen's turn to make her own journey. But Maureen is not like Harold. She struggles to bond with strangers, and the landscape she crosses has changed radically. She has little sense of what she'll find at the end of the road. All she knows is that she must get there. Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North is a deeply felt, lyrical and powerful novel, full of warmth and kindness, about love, loss, and how we come to terms with the past in order to understand ourselves and our lives a little better. While it stands in its own right, it is also the exquisitely moving finale to a trilogy that began with the phenomenal bestseller The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and continued with The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy. © Rachel Joyce 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022"

Rachel Joyce (Author), Penelope Wilton (Narrator)

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Sylvia Townsend Warner: A BBC Radio Collection: Including Lolly Willowes & The True Heart

"BBC radio productions of the works of Sylvia Townsend Warner - plus bonus programmes about the author herself Sylvia Townsend Warner was a prolific author of novels, short stories and poetry, who also wrote a biography of T. H. White, translated Proust and was an authority on Tudor church music. A sharp, insightful storyteller, she was one of the 20th Century's most acute observers of English mores, and her work is infused with subversive themes reflecting her feminist and Marxist views. This comprehensive anthology includes dramatisations of her two best-known novels, beginning with her 1926 debut, Lolly Willowes, which was shortlisted for the Prix Femina and launched her literary career. Louise Brealey stars in this joyously comic tale of a respectable, middle-class spinster who finally finds fulfilment in life by taking up witchcraft. Next up is The True Heart, an imaginative retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth. Set in 1873, it tells the story of orphaned maidservant Sukey, who falls in love, but is cruelly parted from her beloved. Believing that only Queen Victoria can help, she sets off on a heroic journey to see her... Tilly Vosburgh stars, with Mick Ford and Theresa Streatfeild. These are followed by three short stories: 'The Proper Circumstances' (read by Joanna McCallum), 'One Thing Leading to Another' (read by Margaret Tyzack) and 'Oxenhope' (read by Edward Petherbridge). Also featured is the Radio 4 series Stories of Sylvia Townsend Warner, comprising five short tales - 'Flora', 'A Scent of Roses', 'English Mosaic', 'Furnivall's Hoopoe' and 'The Listening Woman' - all read by Penelope Wilton. Concluding our collection are two bonus programmes: Comrade Ackland and I, Frances Bingham's original drama based on the true story of Sylvia Townsend Warner and her partner, poet Valentine Ackland; and The Diaries of Sylvia Townsend Warner, in which Irene Sutcliffe reads five extracts from the journal kept by the novelist from 1927 to her death in 1978. Contents Lolly Willowes The True Heart 'The Proper Circumstances' 'One Thing Leading to Another' 'Oxenhope' 'Flora' 'A Scent of Roses' 'English Mosaic' 'Furnivall's Hoopoe' 'The Listening Woman' Comrade Ackland and I The Diaries of Sylvia Townsend Warner First published 1926 (Lolly Willowes), 1929 (The True Heart), 1944 ('The Proper Circumstances'), 1962 ('One Thing Leading to Another'), 1964 ('English Mosaic'), 1966 ('Oxenhope'), 1969 ('Furnivall's Hoopoe), 1972 ('A Scent of Roses', 'The Listening Woman'), 1977 ('Flora') © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Sylvia Townsend Warner (Author), Edward Petherbridge, Full Cast, Helen O'hara, Irene Sutcliffe, Joanna Mccallum, Joanne Mitchell, Louise Brealey, Margaret Tyzack, Mick Ford, Penelope Wilton, Tilly Vosburgh (Narrator)

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Barbara Pym: A BBC Radio drama collection: Some Tame Gazelle, No Fond Return of Love, Crampton Hodne

"Dramatisations and a reading of selected novels by Barbara Pym - plus bonus material Barbara Pym is one of the 20th Century's wittiest, and most underrated, novelists. Her perceptive comedies of manners, centred around the domestic lives and loves of unassuming middle-class Englishwomen, won her many devoted readers and saw her hailed as a modern-day Jane Austen. Yet she spent 15 years out of print in the 1960s and '70s, until Philip Larkin championed her work in the Times Literary Supplement. Her seventh novel was subsequently shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and writers from Jilly Cooper to Alexander McCall Smith continue to laud her talent today. Included in this collection are the BBC Radio dramatisations of some of her most beloved books, including her debut Some Tame Gazelle; her second novel Crampton Hodnet, published posthumously in 1985; and its sequel Jane and Prudence. Alongside them are her fifth and sixth novels, A Glass of Blessings and No Fond Return of Love; and a comic spy thriller, So Very Secret. Adapted by actress and writer Elizabeth Proud, they feature stellar casts including Miriam Margolyes, Hannah Gordon, Samantha Bond, Rebecca Front, Joanna David, Penny Downie and Amanda Root. Her best-known novel, Excellent Women, about a clergyman's daughter whose life is disturbed by anthropologists and a handsome naval officer, is read by One Foot in the Grave star Annette Crosbie. It is followed by a bonus biographical drama, The Resurrection of Miss Pym, starring Penelope Wilton and Bill Wallis and telling the story of Barbara Pym's warm friendship with Philip Larkin, her years in the publishing wilderness, and her eventual triumphant rediscovery. And in the fascinating radio talk Finding a Voice, we hear from the author in her own words as she analyses her inspiration, influences, literary style and why she kept on writing 'even in the face of discouragement'. Cast and credits Written by Barbara Pym Copyright © Barbara Pym 1950 (Some Tame Gazelle), 1953 (Jane and Prudence), 1958 (A Glass of Blessings), 1961 (No Fond Return of Love), 1987 (So Very Secret) Crampton Hodnet copyright © Barbara Pym, Hilary Walton 1985, Hazel Holt 2004 With thanks to the British Library for the sourcing of Crampton Hodnet Contents Some Tame Gazelle Crampton Hodnet Jane and Prudence A Glass of Blessings No Fond Return of Love So Very Secret Excellent Women The Resurrection of Miss Pym Finding a Voice ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

BBC Radio (Author), Amanda Root, Annette Crosbie, Full Cast, Hannah Gordon, Miriam Margolyes, Penelope Wilton, Penny Downie, Rebecca Front, Samantha Bond (Narrator)

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The Frederica Quartet: The Virgin in the Garden, Still Life, Babel Tower & A Whistling Woman: A BBC

"A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of A.S. Byatt's 'Frederica Quartet', plus selected short stories and a fascinating talk by the author Inspired by the novels of D.H. Lawrence, particularly The Rainbow and Women in Love, this ambitious quartet from Booker Prize-winning novelist A.S. Byatt charts the lives of the Potter family between 1953 and 1970. Set against the changing social and political landscape of England in the '50s and '60s, it follows the heroine, Frederica, from precocious teenager to TV talk show host, and from her Yorkshire home to the heart of swinging London. The Virgin in the Garden sees the Potters preparing to celebrate Elizabeth II's coronation, while Frederica auditions for a play about Elizabeth I written by the beautiful Alexander Wedderburn. Will she win the part, and Alexander's heart? In Still Life, Frederica's ambitions - both academic and sexual - come to fruition, as she gains a place at Cambridge University to study English - and men. In Babel Tower, she has given up her carefree, independent lifestyle - but as the Sixties' cultural revolution explodes and the quest for personal and public freedom becomes all-important, will settling down bring her happiness? And in A Whistling Woman, as events build to a tragic climax in Yorkshire, back in London, Frederica is faced with a difficult choice... These acclaimed adaptations star Rosemary Leach, Hannah Watkins and Indira Varma as Frederica. Also included are four fantastic short stories: 'The July Ghost', dramatised with a star cast including Kate Buffery and Clive Owen; and 'Rose-Coloured Teacups', 'Gode's Story' and 'A Stone Woman', read by Anna Massey, Sheila Mitchell and Penelope Wilton respectively. Plus, in Finding A Voice, A.S. Byatt reflects on her approach to her work, explaining where her desire to write came from and how she honed her craft. Track listing 1: Introduction 2-9: The Virgin in the Garden 10-16: Still Life 17-24: Babel Tower 25-31: A Whistling Woman 32: The July Ghost 33: Rose-Coloured Teacups 34: Gode's Story 35-37: A Stone Woman 38: Finding a Voice © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd Text copyright © AS Byatt 1978 (The Virgin in the Garden), 1985 (Still Life), 1987 ('The July Ghost', 'Rose-Coloured Teacups'), 1994 ('Gode's Story'), 1996 (Babel Tower), 2002 (A Whistling Woman)"

A. S. Byatt (Author), Anna Massey, Clive Owen, Full Cast, Hannah Watkins, Indira Varma, Kate Buffery, Penelope Wilton, Rosemary Leach, Sheila Mitchell (Narrator)

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The Case of the Married Woman

"'Before biography was fashionable, Antonia Fraser made the past popular' Guardian 'As a pure storyteller, Antonia Fraser has few equals' Sunday Times CAROLINE NORTON, a nineteenth-century heroine who wanted justice for women. Poet, pamphleteer and artist's muse, Caroline Norton dazzled nineteenth-century society with her vivacity and intelligence. After her marriage in 1828 to the MP George Norton, she continued to attract friends and admirers to her salon in Westminster, which included the young Disraeli. Most prominent among her admirers was the widowed Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. Racked with jealousy, George Norton took the Prime Minister to court, suing him for damages on account of his 'Criminal Conversation' (adultery) with Caroline. A dramatic trial followed. Despite the unexpected and sensational result - acquittal - Norton legally denied Caroline access to her three children under seven. He also claimed her income as an author for himself, since the copyrights of a married woman belonged to her husband. Yet Caroline refused to despair. Beset by the personal cruelties perpetrated by her husband and a society whose rules were set against her, she chose to fight, not surrender. She channelled her energies in an area of much-needed reform: the rights of a married woman and specifically those of a mother. Over the next few years she campaigned tirelessly, achieving her first landmark victory with the Infant Custody Act of 1839. Provisions which are now taken for granted, such as the right of a mother to have access to her own children, owe much to Caroline, who was determined to secure justice for women at all levels of society from the privileged to the dispossessed. Award-winning historian Antonia Fraser brilliantly portrays a woman, at once courageous and compassionate, who refused to be curbed by the personal and political constraints of her time."

Antonia Fraser (Author), Penelope Wilton (Narrator)

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North by Northamptonshire: The Complete BBC Radio comedy

"All three series of the BBC radio bittersweet comedy, narrated by Sheila Hancock, following the adventures of the residents of a small town in Northamptonshire - plus special episode 'Full Stop'. Relationships have come and gone but life continues in Wadenbrook, where Sheila Hancock takes us behind closed doors to reveal the inhabitants' heartbreak and happiness. We meet Rod the local supermarket manager (Mackenzie Crook), who shares rather more than is usual about his private life over the store's tannoy system, and recently divorced Jan (Felicity Montagu) who's been trying unsuccessfully to 'find herself'. Forthright self-defence teacher Esther (Katherine Jakeways, also the writer of this series) and her gentle and put-upon husband Jonathan (Kevin Eldon) are trying to start a family, and Ken and Keith, possibly the happiest couple in town, are determined to teach their pet whippets to dance for the town talent night. Throughout this funny and touching comedy show, love blossoms in the most unexpected places, birthdays are celebrated, and visitors are both expected and unexpected. In the final ever episode, 'Full Stop', the residents of Wadenbrook travel to see a starry production at the Birmingham Hippodrome but heavy snow threatens to thwart everyone's plans... Narrated by Sheila Hancock, North by Northamptonshire also stars Kevin Eldon, Geoffrey Palmer, Penelope Wilton, Mackenzie Crook and Felicity Montagu, and was written by Katherine Jakeways. Audio assets updated as of January 2022 ©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Katherine Jakeways (Author), Felicity Montagu, Full Cast, Geoffrey Palmer, Kevin Eldon, Mackenzie Crook, Penelope Wilton, Sheila Hancock (Narrator)

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The Sleeper and the Spindle: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

"A brand new BBC Radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's award-winning fairytale, merging Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to enchanting effect In a mountain kingdom far away, a young queen prepares for her wedding, believing her future is sealed. But when three dwarves bring news of a sleeping sickness sweeping across her realm, she knows she cannot stand by and do nothing. As a girl, she survived her own long, magical sleep, so she must try to turn back this new plague and save her people. Abandoning her bridal finery, she dons her armour instead, and rides out to a castle at the very heart of the sleeping lands. There, she finds a beautiful princess, sound asleep, and a very old woman, forever awake. With no handsome prince in sight, the queen wakes the princess in the traditional way - but things are not as they seem, and it will take more than a kiss to ensure everyone lives happily ever after... Penelope Wilton, Gwendoline Christie, Ralph Ineson and Neil Gaiman himself are among the star cast in this captivating fable of love, loss, hope and destiny. This release is an extended cut of the story broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and features an exclusive introduction from Neil Gaiman. Credits Written by Neil Gaiman Adapted by Katie Hims Directed and produced by Allegra McIlroy Recorded remotely by Sharon Hughes and John Benton Sound design by Sharon Hughes A BBC Audio North Production Cast The Narrator/The Old Woman - Dame Penelope Wilton The Queen - Gwendoline Christie The Home Secretary - Neil Gaiman The First Dwarf - Ralph Ineson The Second Dwarf - Stefan Adegbola The Third Dwarf/The Prince/The Tinker/The Woodcutter - Ian Dunnett Jnr The Pot Girl/The Young Girl/The Mother - Cecilia Appiah The Maid/The Other Woman/The Stepmother - Emma Handy The Father/The Inn Keeper/The Bandit - Roger Ringrose The Child - Milton Dighton First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2020"

Neil Gaiman (Author), Full Cast, Gwendoline Christie, Neil Gaiman, Penelope Wilton, Ralph Ineson (Narrator)

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The Katherine Mansfield BBC Radio Collection: Dramatisations and readings of selected stories

"A landmark collection of BBC Radio productions of the works of Katherine Mansfield - plus bonus dramas and documentary One of the great Modernist authors, Katherine Mansfield was a short story virtuoso, redefining the genre with her subtle, powerfully perceptive tales. A prolific writer, she penned over 60 stories and several poetry collections before her death from TB in 1923, aged only 34. This outstanding collection opens with Radio 4's 2020 series And Other Stories: Katherine Mansfield. It comprises dramatisations of 'Marriage a la Mode', 'Something Childish But Very Natural', 'Bliss', 'Daughters of the Late Colonel', 'The Garden Party', 'Ma Parker' and 'Her First Ball', all starring Hattie Morahan, as well as readings of 'The Stranger', 'Miss Brill', 'A Cup of Tea', Poison' and 'The Doll's House', narrated by Hugh Bonneville, Barbara Flynn, Hattie Morahan and Blake Ritson. Morven Christie reads Mansfield's newly-discovered early short story 'Little Episodes', and selected stories from her first collection In A German Pension - 'Germans at Meat and Frau Fischer', 'The Sister of the Baroness', 'The Modern Soul', 'The Advanced Lady' and 'Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding' - are dramatised with a cast including Claire Skinner, Eleanor Bron and Emma Cunniffe. Also included are eight of her lesser-known tales: 'A Dill Pickle' (read by Clare Corbett), 'Mr Reginald Peacock's Day' (read by Brian Gear), 'Sun and Moon' (read by Lin Sagovsky), 'Psychology' and 'Pictures' (read by Eileen Atkins), 'The Voyage' (read by Indira Varma), 'Honeymoon' (read by Emilia Fox) and 'The Fly' (read by Sam Dale). In addition, her evocative poem 'Winter Song' is read by Sir Derek Jacobi. Two original dramas explore moments in the life of the great author. Katie Hims' Luxembourg Gardens reimagines Katherine Mansfield's last day in Paris and stars Hattie Morahan, while Cherie Rogers' An Oddly Complete Understanding looks at Mansfield's friendship with Virginia Woolf and stars Rosalind Shanks and Penelope Wilton. The passionate correspondence between Katherine Mansfield and her husband John Middleton Murray is revealed in Darling Mouse, Precious Worm, read by Kerry Fox and Michael Maloney. And in Great Lives: Katherine Mansfield, Jacqueline Wilson assesses the impact of Mansfield's brilliant but tragically short career. Track listing: 1. Bliss 2. Something Childish But Very Natural 3. Marriage a la Mode 4. Daughters of the Late Colonel 5. The Garden Party 6. Life of Ma Parker 7. Her First Ball 8. The Stranger 9. Miss Brill 10. A Cup of Tea 11. The Doll's House 12. Poison 13. Little Episode 14. Germans at Meat and Frau Fischer 15. The Sister of the Baroness 16. The Modern Soul 17. The Advanced Lady 18. Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding 19. Dill Pickle 20. Mr Reginald Peacock's Day 21. Sun and Moon 22. Psychology 23. Pictures 24. The Voyage 25. Honeymoon 26. The Fly 27. Winter Song 28. Luxembourg Gardens by Katie Hims 29. An Oddly Complete Understanding by Cherie Rogers 30-34. Darling Mouse, Precious Worm - letter between Katherine Mansfield and John Middleton Murray 35. Great Lives: Katherine Mansfield - with Jacqueline Wilson ©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Katherine Mansfield (Author), Andrew Sachs, Claire Skinner, Derek Jacobi, Eileen Atkins, Emilia Fox, Full Cast, Hattie Morahan, Hugh Bonneville, Indira Varma, Penelope Wilton (Narrator)

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Margaret Oliphant: Miss Marjoribanks, Phoebe Junior and Hester: A BBC Radio Collection

"Three BBC radio adaptations of famous novels by the prolific 19th-century author Mrs Oliphant – plus an episode of Reading Aloud, with extracts from her autobiography Sometimes called ‘the feminist Trollope’, Margaret Oliphant wrote over 100 works of fiction in a wide variety of genres, ranging from novels of small-town life to historical tales and supernatural stories. Included here are three of her best-loved works, brimming with dry wit, perceptive irony and flawed but fascinating heroines. Miss Marjoribanks Lucilla Marjoribanks, a large and determined girl, returns from school with two resolves – to comfort her recently widowed father and to revolutionise society. She becomes the doyenne of Carlingford’s social circle with her Thursday soirees – but her plans are disrupted by her friends’ romances, a new arrival, the solving of a mystery and a wedding… Starring Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs Oliphant and Teresa Gallagher as Lucilla. Phoebe Junior Phoebe Beecham has met Clarence Copperhead at a Ball in London. His wealthy father disapproves of her, and she fortuitously leaves London to visit her sick Grandmother in Carlingford. But a shock awaits her on arrival... Starring Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs Oliphant and Charlotte Attenborough as Phoebe Junior. Hester In this deliciously sardonic tale of credit and discredit, a young woman in a 19th Century Cheshire town, having been snubbed and discarded in marriage, does something truly radical. When the family bank is in danger, she pledges her private fortune to save it – but insists on running it herself, as a single woman, in defiance of all convention. Starring Penelope Wilton as Margaret Oliphant and Lyndsey Marshal as Hester Vernon. Also included is a bonus episode of Reading Aloud, in which Gudrun Ure reads from Mrs Oliphant’s autobiography, shining a light on the tragic life of the acclaimed Scottish novelist."

Elizabeth Proud, Kate Clanchy, Margaret Oliphant, Zena Foster (Author), Charlotte Attenborough, Elizabeth Spriggs, Full Cast, Lyndsey Marshall, Penelope Wilton, Peter Jeffrey, Teresa Gallagher (Narrator)

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A Life of My Own

"Penguin presents A Life of My Own by Claire Tomalin, read by Dame Penelope Wilton. As one of the best biographers of her generation, Claire Tomalin has written about great novelists and poets to huge success: now, she turns to look at her own life. This enthralling memoir follows her through triumph and tragedy in about equal measure, from the disastrous marriage of her parents and the often difficult wartime childhood that followed, to her own marriage to the brilliant young journalist Nicholas Tomalin. When he was killed on assignment as a war correspondent she was left to bring up their four children - and at the same time make her own career."

Claire Tomalin (Author), Penelope Wilton (Narrator)

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My History

"Antonia Fraser's memoir describes growing up in the 1930s and 1940s but its real concern is with her growing love of history. The fascination began as a child when her evacuation at the beginning of the war to an Elizabethan manor house became an inspiration for historical imaginings - and developed into an enduring passion; as she writes, 'for me, the study of History has always been an essential part of the enjoyment of life'."

Antonia Fraser (Author), Penelope Wilton (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Penelope Wilton

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