Audiobooks narrated by Robert Beatty

Destination – Fire!: 14 Full-Cast Vintage BBC Radio Crime Dramas

"Robert Beatty stars as Quentin Barnaby: Fire Investigator in Philip Levene’s gripping 1960s crime series A prolific writer for radio and TV, Philip Levene scripted numerous crime dramas and serials for the BBC in the 1960s. One of the most popular was Destination – Fire!, inspired by his fascination with the varied motivations of those who commit arson. Intrigued by ‘the puzzle of the charred remains of a burnt out building’, he came up with the idea of an investigator who would work out how a fire was started, by whom, and why. Starring Robert Beatty, who was well known for playing Irish detective Philip Odell on BBC radio, Destination – Fire! ran for three series on the Light Programme between 1962 and 1966. Of the original 33 episodes, 19 have sadly been lost, but the remaining 14 are all included here. Among the cases tackled by the tenacious ‘Q’ Barnaby are a blaze in a cinema, a fire aboard ship, the destruction of a theatre, an incident in a recording studio involving a pop singer, and a double arson insurance fraud which sparks murder… These thrilling standalone dramas feature a full cast of established actors, including Gudrun Ure as Valerie Chrane, Duncan McIntyre as Inspector Hackett and Anthony Hall as Alec Groves. Produced by Martyn C. Webster © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Philip Levene (Author), Anthony Hall, Duncan McIntyre, Full Cast, Gudrun Ure, Robert Beatty (Narrator)

Audiobook

Occupation: Spy: Eight Full-Cast BBC Radio Spy Thrillers

"A collection of full-cast dramatisations and original radio plays from master storyteller Ted Allbeury – plus bonus programmes Described by Len Deighton as ‘a classic writer of espionage fiction’, Ted Allbeury based his many acclaimed spy novels on his own real-life experiences. In World War II, he served as an intelligence officer with Special Operations Executive, and subsequently ran agents across the border between East and West Germany during the Cold War. He began writing in his fifties, and went on to pen over 40 bestselling books, five of which are dramatised here alongside three plays specially written for BBC Radio and two bonus documentaries. The Lonely Margins tells the story of James Harmer, parachuted into France in 1944 on a secret mission. Christian Rodska and Kim Thomson star in this tense tale of danger and deceit. Inspired by actual events, The Other Side of Silence sees MI6 agent John Powell tasked with finding out why notorious traitor Kim Philby wants to return to England from Russia. James Bolam stars as Powell, with Nigel Hawthorne as Philby. In Long Ago and Far Away, starring David McAlister and Kate Binchy, two ex-SOE operatives find the past returning to haunt them when a voice on the radio brings back memories best left dormant. In Pay Any Price, a Presidential assassination sparks trouble for the CIA and SIS, as they deal with the consequences of a sinister programme known as MKUltra… Starring Barry Foster, Robert Beatty, Susannah Fellows and Michael J. Shannon. The Way We Live finds Andrew Collins discovering the unexpected repercussions of being ‘positively vetted’ by the Security Service, starring John Forbes-Robertson. Time Spent in Reconnaissance sees Peter Harvey finding out how an old military adage applies to his professional and private lives. This thrilling radio play stars Michael Cochrane. No Place to Hide centres around John Rennie (James Kerry), a secret agent whose loyalty is tested when he is ordered to do something he considers abhorrent. Meanwhile, in Deep Purple, starring Michael Melia, Louise Germain and Steve Hodson, the fates of a Secret Intelligence Service officer, a Russian defector and a prostitute are inextricably linked. We conclude with the fascinating two-parter Occupation: Spy, in which Ted Allbeury gives us his unique perspective on the shadowy world of spies and spying. NB: The language in these programmes reflects the era in which they were first broadcast Due to the age of these archive recordings, the sound quality may vary Text copyright © Ted Allbeury 1981 (The Lonely Margins, The Other Side of Silence), 1982 (Long Ago and Far Away), 1983 (Pay Any Price, The Way We Live, Time Spent in Reconnaissance), 1984 (No Place to Hide), 1989 (Deep Purple) 'If you like spy stories rooted in the Second World War madness and Cold War paranoia, and appreciate quality radio drama, then ‘Occupation: Spy' will continue to delight for almost eighteen hours' - Greg Jameson © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Ted Allbeury (Author), Barry Foster, Christian Rodska, David Mcalister, Full Cast, James Bolam, James Kerry, John Forbes-Robertson, Kate Binchy, Kim Thomson, Louise Germain, Margaret Robertson, Michael Cochrane, Michael J. Shannon, Michael Melia, Nigel Hawthorne, Robert Beatty, Steve Hodson, Susannah Fellows (Narrator)

Audiobook

Eugene O’Neill: A BBC Radio Drama Collection: 9 Full-Cast Productions including Long Day’s Journey i

"Nine classic plays from the award-winning American dramatist, plus a selection of his poetry Eugene O'Neill’s revolutionary 20th century dramas changed the direction of American theatre, introducing European realism and experimental techniques to the US stage. He wrote more than 50 plays, portraying characters on the margins of society and tackling controversial issues, winning a Nobel Prize, and four Pulitzer Prizes. We open our collection with his magnificent autobiographical magnum opus, Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Described by the playwright as having been ‘written in tears and blood’, it recounts one tragic day in the lives of the Tyrone family, as they struggle with addiction, disease and despair. Next is The Hairy Ape, based on O’Neill’s experiences as a labourer on a transatlantic liner. A Moon for the Misbegotten, the sequel to Long Day’s Journey Into Night, follows grief-stricken alcoholic Jamie Tyrone as he grasps at love under the Connecticut moonlight. Meanwhile, Desire Under the Elms plays out the themes of Greek tragedy in 1850s New England. Widely considered as O’Neill’s finest work, The Iceman Cometh is an epic tale chronicling the pipe dreams and shattered illusions of a group of no-hopers in a seedy New York bar. It is followed by another Manhattan-based drama, Hughie. Divided into three parts Mourning Becomes Electra retells the story of The Oresteia, Aeschylus’ tragedy of passion, murder, suicide, revenge and a family destroyed by Fate. In contrast, the comedy Ah, Wilderness! is a sentimental portrait of young love and small-town domesticity. And in Anna Christie, a prostitute finds a chance for redemption when she is reunited with her estranged sea-captain father and falls in love with a sailor. Also included is a bonus programme, The Quest for the Golden Girl, featuring some of O’Neill’s comic and romantic poems, read by John Fellows and Denis Lawson. NB: Some of these pieces contain language and attitudes that reflect the age in which they are set. First published 1920 (Anna Christie), 1922 (The Hairy Ape), 1925 (Desire Under the Elms), 1931 (Mourning Becomes Electra), 1933 (Ah, Wilderness!), 1940 (The Iceman Cometh), 1941 (Hughie), 1941-43 (A Moon for the Misbegotten), 1956 (Long Day’s Journey Into Night) Content List - Long Day’s Journey Into Night - The Hairy Ape - A Moon for the Misbegotten - Desire Under the Elms - The Iceman Cometh - Hughie - Mourning Becomes Electra - Ah, Wilderness! - Anna Christie - The Quest of the Golden Girl 'If you like the plays of Eugene O'Neill, then there's a lot to enjoy in this comprehensive collection, which provides listeners with almost nineteen hours' worth of material ... His ear for dialogue, brought to life by different generations of excellent actors, ensures that his words are a pleasure to listen to' - Greg Jameson. © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Eugene O'Neill (Author), Anthony Jackson, Brian Hewlett, Dominic West, Full Cast, Nigel Stock, Ray Mcanally, Robert Beatty, Sarah Badel, Shaun Dingwall (Narrator)

Audiobook

Private Eye Philip Odell: Lady in a Fog & Test Room Eight: Two BBC Radio classic crime dramas

"Robert Beatty stars as the hard-nosed Irish-American PI in these two vintage crime serials Lester Powell's Chandleresque detective Philip Odell was a huge hit on the BBC Light Programme between 1947 and 1961, thrilling audiences with his crime-solving adventures in postwar London. This gripping collection brings together the only two surviving radio serials featuring the tough-guy investigator - one of which, Test Room Eight, is published here for the very first time. Lady in a Fog - En route from London to Dublin, Philip Odell meets an old friend, Heather McMara, who tells him that her brother has been found drowned and asks him to investigate. Against the backdrop of a thick, pea-soup fog, he probes a case of blackmail and murder, involving a racehorse owner, a newspaper editor and a mysterious lady in mink... Test Room Eight - Concerned that someone is trying to sabotage the production of his new influenza vaccine, millionaire industrialist Herbert Truscott hires Odell and Heather to go undercover at his state-of-the-art facility at Barton Medworth. They soon discover that all is not well at the plant - and when a staff member dies after inhaling a fatal dose of live virus, their search for a saboteur turns into a hunt for a killer... Starring Robert Beatty as Philip Odell and Sheila Manahan as Heather, with a supporting cast including June Tobin, Jeffrey Segal, David March, Hilda Schroder, Mary Wimbush, Beryl Calder, Trevor Martin, Hamilton Dyce and Rolf Lefebvre. NB: Due to the age of the recordings, the sound quality may vary Lady in a Fog Philip Odell - Robert Beatty Heather McMara - Sheila Manahan Marilyn Peters - June Tobin Christopher Hampden/Bookmaker's Clerk - James Thomason Parkin - Harold Reese Martin Sorrowby - John Bennett Barman - Ronald Baddiley Mrs Cantaloup - Betty Baskcomb Receptionist/Violet Levine - Joan Matheson Hector O'Gorman - David March Taxi Driver/Foreman - Will Leighton Narrator/Constable - Anthony Viccars Inspector Rigby - Edward Jewesbury Head Waiter/Sergeant Layton - Jeffrey Segal Telephone Operator/Rosie - Hilda Schroder Jay - Haydn Jones 1st Driver/Police Doctor/Voice - Hugh Manning Postman - Frank Partington Dr Alexander Frey - Trevor Martin The Lady in Mink/Kitty Stapleton - Mary Wimbush Receptionist/Shop Assistant - Beryl Calder Police Surgeon - John Graham 2nd Driver/Bandleader - David Spenser Doctor/Hotel Manager/Waiter - Peter Wilde Maid - Ann Rye Produced by Martyn C. Webster First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 29 April-17 June 1958 Test Room Eight Philip Odell - Robert Beatty Heather McMara - Sheila Manahan Herbert Truscott - Hamilton Dyce Hugh Chalk - David Spenser David Karswood - Frederick Treves Ken Armstrong - Duncan McIntyre Barbara Eurich - Stella Textor Wynn Craxton - Jeffrey Segal Martin Dersen - Rolf Lefebvre Colonel Guestling - Richard Williams Jill Guestling - Hilda Schroder Policeman - Will Leighton Coroner - John Cazabon Superintendent Manley - Edward Jewesbury Mr Twist - Frank Windsor Fred Fazackerly - David March Mr Russell - James Thomason Paula - Beryl Calder Dent - John Hollis Produced by David H. Godfrey First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 22 December 1958-26 January 1959 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Lester Powell (Author), Full Cast, Robert Beatty, Sheila Manahan (Narrator)

Audiobook

Raymond Chandler: A BBC Radio Collection: Starring Ed Bishop as Philip Marlowe

"They never came tougher than Marlowe, a cynical, world-weary, wise-cracking shamus whose honesty in a dishonest world sent him down the mean streets again and again in search of some kind of justice. Ed Bishop stars as Philip Marlowe in these powerfully atmospheric BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Raymond Chandler's novels. The Big Sleep General Sternwood's daughters came in both the colours of trouble - blonde and brunette - and they had all the usual vices. With four million dollars behind them, blackmail was only a matter of time. And blackmail can be murder. The High Window Linda Conquest was very tough, very kissable and very missing, along with one very valuable old coin. But soon Marlowe finds that everyone who handles the coin suffers a run of very bad luck: they always end up dead. The Lady in the Lake Blonde, beautiful and wild, Crystal Kingsley had never been the faithful little wife. But when she goes missing for a month, and then a woman’s body surfaces in an isolated mountain lake, murder-a-day Marlowe is back in business. The Little Sister Marlowe is on the case of a missing brother from a two-bit Kansas town, who had the embarrassing habit of knowing guys who finished up on the wrong end of an ice-pick. Until, that is, he did too. The Long Goodbye Terry Lennox seemed like a nice guy. Okay, he was a drunk but maybe that could happen to anyone with too much money, too much time and a wife who played the field in a big way. Trouble was, when she ended up dead, it wasn't money that got Lennox to Mexico. It was Marlowe. Farewell My Lovely At six feet five, Moose Malloy is a big man who looks about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food – and about as dangerous. His girl Velma disappeared eight years ago, and now he wants to find her. Also included in a BBC Radio archive discussion, in which Raymond Chandler and Ian Fleming discuss thrillers and talk about their respective heroes: Philip Marlowe and James Bond. Originally broadcast between 1977 and 1988, these dramatisations also star Don Fellows and Robert Beatty. They were adapted by Bill Morrison and produced by John Tydeman. These are archive dramatisations of the original novels published between 1939 and 1953, and the language used reflects some of the attitudes of those times."

Raymond Chandler (Author), Don Fellows, Ed Bishop, Full Cast, Robert Beatty (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Robert Beatty