Audiobooks Narrated by Peter Davidson

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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Rigor Mortis: The Complete Series 1-3: A BBC Radio 4 Black Comedy

"'Wonderfully funny... the wit flashes as brightly as the scalpels' Sunday Times 'The sharpest, blackest and most original sitcom I've heard in years' Observer All 18 episodes of the sitcom set in the fascinating but misunderstood world of the pathology lab Meet Dr Anthony Webster and Dr Ruth Anderson, two pathologists attempting to live normal lives in an atmosphere of death, decay and seriously unpleasant smells. Anthony loves his chosen profession, finding every cadaver exciting and surprising: 'they're like Kinder eggs that have died'. Ruth, however, longs for a juicy murder mystery, instead of one routine autopsy after another. Together, they perform post-mortems under the watchful eye of their enthusiastic head of department, Professor Donaldson, a man who's never short of a new initiative or NHS directive to implement. Also keeping the mortuary alive are hard-drinking lab assistant Gordon, no-nonsense secretary Chloe, and ineffectual police sergeant Simon, who unfortunately gets queasy around corpses. Throughout these three series, the team tackle a 'live' radio autopsy, a dearth of dead bodies, and a health scare in the lab; find themselves forced to work on Christmas Day due to a department store drama, and witness a retirement, a leaving party, an overdue baby - and a death... Scripted by Laurence Howarth, one of the lead writers on Dead Ringers and co-star of Radio 4's Laurence & Gus, this delightfully dark comedy is like Silent Witness, only slightly less ridiculous. It stars Peter Davison as Anthony, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Matilda Ziegler as Ruth and Geoffrey Whitehead as Professor Donaldson, with Tom Price as Gordon, Marianne Levy as Chloe and Gus Brown as Simon. Dr Anthony Webster - Peter Davison Dr Ruth Anderson - Tracy-Ann Oberman/Matilda Ziegler Professor Donaldson - Geoffrey Whitehead Gordon - Tom Price Chloe - Marianne Levy Simon - Gus Brown David/Patient - Stephen Critchlow Elaine/Mrs Fitzherbert/Alison/Mrs Wealands/Mrs Dance - Beth Chalmers Mrs Renfield - Rachel Atkins Daniel Kasper - Laurence Howarth Margaret - Lauren Bird Prof Van den Hoogenband - Chris Pavlo Mr Reeve - Nicholas Boulton Mrs Anderson - Paula Wilcox Norman - Lewis Aaltonen Dr Betzatzoglu - Alex Lowe Matthew - Steven Kynman Mrs Wantage - Felicity Montagu Mr Wantage - Kim Wall Dorothy - Joanna Brookes Interviewer/Mr Dance - Gerard McDermott © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Laurence Howarth (Author), Peter Davidson, Tracy-Ann Oberman (Narrator)

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Welcome to our Village Please Invade Carefully: Series 1 & 2

"The Geonin have invaded. They have encircled the sleepy village of Cresdon Green with an impenetrable heat wave. Nothing comes in and nothing gets out. There are, however, no killings, lasers, or human torture – well, torture comes in myriad forms. The Geonin are, in fact, quite agreeable and led by their commander Uljabaan, are doing their very best to assimilate human culture. Their rather reasonable plan for world takeover is to start small (they’ve noticed that the all-at-once approach usually fails), learn about humankind, and use their knowledge to efficiently spread their dominion, bit by bit. Katrina Lyons, who was only visiting home to borrow some money from her parents, is appalled. Unfortunately almost everyone in the village, the two senior Lyons included, is too cowardly, apathetic, polite or stupid to stand up to this alien menace, so Katrina has no choice but to start the resistance movement herself. In the cricket pavilion. Join Katrina Lyons and co., and Uljabaan as they do battle across innumerable arenas of war; education programs to charity shops, the realms of loyalty cards to the ethereal world of social media. Who will fold first? And will the invasion become catastrophic in scale? Find out in Series 1 and 2 of Welcome to our Village, Please Invade Carefully. This delightful radio drama stars Julian Rhind-Tutt as Uljabaan, Hattie Morahan as Katrina Lyons, Jan Francis as Margaret Lyons, Peter Davison as Richard Lyons, Hannah Murray as Lucy Alexander, and John-Luke Roberts as Computer. Series 1 was broadcast in 2013 and Series 2 in 2014 Written by Eddie Robson Producer Ed Morrish A BBC Studios Production"

Eddie Robson (Author), Full Cast, Hannah Murray, Hattie Morahan, Jan Francis, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Peter Davidson (Narrator)

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