Audiobooks narrated by Philip Pope

Shakespeare’s Book: The Intertwined Lives Behind the First Folio

"‘A lively picture of multiple operators scrambling to steal a march on the competition . . . Lavishly detailed’ FINANCIAL TIMES ‘This is Shakespearean scholarship at its best, brilliantly researched yet compulsively readable. It's a book for our times, enduringly fascinating and appealing to both enthusiasts and the general reader. Highly recommended!’ ALISON WEIR FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE SUMMER A BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 A BBC RADIO 4 FRONT ROW NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 AN AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 The year 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, known today simply as the First Folio. It is difficult to imagine a world without The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale and Macbeth, but these are just some of the plays that were only preserved thanks to the astounding labour of love that went into creating the first collection. Shakespeare’s Book: The Intertwined Lives Behind the First Folio charts, for the first time, the manufacture of the First Folio against a turbulent backdrop of seismic political events and international tensions that intersected with the lives of its creators. Shakespeare scholar Dr Chris Laoutaris uncovers the friendships, bonds, social ties and professional networks that facilitated the production of Shakespeare ’ s book, as well as the personal challenges, tragedies and dangers that threatened its completion. And he considers how Shakespeare himself, before his death, may have influenced the ways in which his own public identity would come to be enshrined in the First Folio, shaping the transmission of his legacy to future generations and determining how the world would remember him ‘not of an age, but for all time’. ‘Beautifully written and utterly compelling… comprises all the drama, intrigue and surprises of a Shakespeare play' Tracy Borman"

Chris Laoutaris (Author), Philip Pope (Narrator)

Audiobook

Lucy Montgomery's Variety Pack: A BBC Radio 4 comedy

"A multi-paced, one-woman Fast Show showcasing the exceptional talents of Lucy Montgomery 'Full of surprises' The Telegraph Fresh from her success in Tittybangbang, Down the Line and Bellamy's People, human chameleon Lucy Montgomery stars in her very own radio sketch show, packed with comic characters galore. Meet Maisie and Daisy, the posh private school girls with a unique way of explaining popular culture; jilted bride Wendy, who's determined to give her wedding speech despite her groom's absence; and 'Can-do Candi' Karmel, the 80-year-old diva who won't let old age stop her performing. There's also the acupuncturist who's determined to ensure her clients are relaxed, the humble Cockney charlady who knows her place, and the police officer who can't find the right words. Find out why the Mona Lisa's been dumped by the Laughing Cavalier (and why Peter Andre is the most dangerous man in the world), hear an alternative take on Gardeners' Question Time; learn how to talk to teenagers in a language they'll understand - and discover the many perks of being Tim Vincent's mum... Written and performed by Lucy Montgomery, this witty, wonderfully-observed sketch show also features Philip Pope, Sally Grace, Waen Shepherd, Natalie Walter and Iris Walker. Production credits Written by Lucy Montgomery, with additional material by Barunka O'Shaughnessy, Steven Burge, Jon Hunter, Holly Walsh, Dan Tetsell, Joe Wilkinson, Fay Rusling, Abigail Burdess, Suk Pannu, Andy Wolton and Joseph Morpurgo Script Editor: Dan Tetsell Music by Philip Pope Produced and directed by Katie Tyrrell With Philip Pope, Sally Grace, Waen Shepherd, Natalie Walter and Iris Walker First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 November-15 December 2010 (Series 1), 26 July-16 August 2011 (Series 2) © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Lucy Montgomery (Author), Full Cast, Iris Walker, Lucy Montgomery, Natalie Walker, Philip Pope, Sally Grace, Waen Shepherd (Narrator)

Audiobook

Leviathan: Or The Whale

"The story of a man’s obsession with whales, which takes him on a personal, historical and biographical journey – from his childhood to his fascination with Moby-Dick and his excursions whale-watching. All his life, Philip Hoare has been obsessed by whales, from the gigantic skeletons in London’s Natural History Museum to adult encounters with the wild animals themselves. Whales have a mythical quality – they seem to elide with dark fantasies of sea-serpents and antediluvian monsters that swim in our collective unconscious. In ‘Leviathan’, Philip Hoare seeks to locate and identify this obsession. What impelled Melville to write ‘Moby-Dick’? After his book in 1851, no one saw whales in quite the same way again. This book is an investigation into what we know little about – dark, shadowy creatures who swim below the depths, only to surface in a spray of spume. More than the story of the whale, it is also the story of our own obsessions."

Philip Hoare (Author), Philip Pope (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sea Inside

"A startling book, his most personal to date, from Philip Hoare, co-curator of the Moby-Dick Big Read and winner of the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize for ‘Leviathan’. The sea surrounds us. It gives us life, provides us with the air we breathe and the food we eat. It is ceaseless change and constant presence. It covers two-thirds of our planet. Yet caught up in our everyday lives, we barely notice it. In ‘The Sea Inside’, Philip Hoare sets out to rediscover the sea, its islands, birds and beasts. He begins on the south coast where he grew up, a place of almost monastic escape. From there he travels to the other side of the world – the Azores, Sri Lanka, New Zealand – in search of encounters with animals and people. Navigating between human and natural history, he asks what these stories mean for us now. Along the way we meet an amazing cast; from scientists to tattooed warriors; from ravens to whales and bizarre creatures that may, or may not, be extinct. Part memoir, part fantastical travelogue, ‘The Sea Inside’ takes us on an astounding journey of discovery."

Philip Hoare (Author), Philip Pope (Narrator)

Audiobook

Merlin: The Power Behind the Spitfire, Mosquito and Lancaster: The Story of the Engine That Won the

"The most iconic planes of WWII, the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, DeHavilland Mosquito and the Avro Lancaster, were all powered by one engine, the Rolls-Royce Merlin. The story of the Merlin is one of British ingenuity at its height, of artistry and problem-solving that resulted in a war-winning design. Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day and the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain, Merlin is the extraordinary story of the development of the Rolls-Royce engine that would stop Hitler from invading Britain and carry the war to the very heart of Germany. The story of the Merlin engine encompasses the history of powered flight, from the ingenuity of the Wright Brothers to the horrors of World War I, and from the first crossing of the Atlantic to the heady days of flying in the 1920s. There is also the extraordinary story of the Schneider Trophy – an international contest wherein nations poised on the precipice of war competed for engineering excellence in the name of progress. And at the heart of this story are the glamourous lives of the pilots, many of whom died in their pursuit of speed; the engineers, like Henry Royce of Rolls-Royce, who sketched the engine that would win WWII in the sand of his local beach; and perhaps most importantly the Lady Lucy Houston who after the Wall Street Crash singlehandedly funded the development of the engine and the iconic Spitfire. Never was so much owed by so many to so few – and without the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, the few would have been powerless."

Graham Hoyland (Author), Philip Pope (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Philip Pope

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