Audiobooks Narrated by Rosalind Shanks

Empty World & more: A BBC Radio Sci-Fi Collection: Four Post-Apocalyptic Adventures

"Four speculative stories of disasters, dystopias and destroyed civilisations John Christopher is probably best known for his seminal science ficion novel The Death of Grass and his ‘Tripods’ trilogy for young adults, which was adapted for BBC TV and became a cult classic. Alongside John Wyndham, he was one of the foremost exponents of ‘disaster fiction’, and these four fantastic productions all centre around post-apocalyptic themes – from deadly diseases and parasitic aliens to environmental catastrophe and ruined earths... Empty World – When teenager Neil is orphaned in a car crash, he is left reeling. But worse is to come, for shortly after, humanity is devastated by a worlwide pandemic. Initially, the ‘Calcutta Plague’ kills only the elderly, but as a more virulent strain emerges, it starts to claim younger victims – including children. Soon, Neil finds himself navigating a deserted, dangerous world, where the few remaining survivors will do anything to stay alive. John Hollis is the narrator, with Richard Drabble as Neil, in this gripping tale set in 1970s England. The Possessors – Following an avalanche, the inhabitants of a Swiss chalet find themselves cut off from the nearby village. They have no electricity and no phone – but they have oil lamps, a solid fuel cooker and plenty of provisions, so the situation doesn’t seem too dire. Yet deep beneath the snow, an alien spore is stirring. Hywel Bennett reads this chilling story of extraterrestrial possession. The World in Winter – A dramatic fall in the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's atmosphere leads to a new Ice Age. Joining a flood of European refugees, journalist Jack Leedon seeks sanctuary in Nigeria: but is soon desperate to return to the frozen wasteland of his former home... Starring Jack Watling, Dennis Alaba Peters, Glyn Houston, Rosalind Shanks and Margaret Robertson. The New Wine – Autumn 2029, and lovers Ellen and Harl are meeting for the last time. Harl is about to embark on an interstellar voyage that to him will last eight years, but which will span a century back on Earth. Ellen, meanwhile, is poised to launch ‘Project X’, which will transform the next generation of humans into telepaths. One hundred years later, Harl’s crew step out of the ship to find a world irrevocably changed… Christopher Bidmead reads John Christopher’s unsettling short story exploring the perils of scientific hubris. Cast and credits Empty World Cast: John Hollis, Richard Drabble, Philip Davis, Tanya Ronder, Elizabeth Lindsay, Sandra Clark, Lee Galpin, Denys Hawthorne, Vicky Ireland, John Talbot and Henry Stamper Adapted by Kara May Produced by Peter Fozzard First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 Jan-6 Feb 1986 The Possessors Read by Hywel Bennett Adapted by Brian Gear Produced by Pamela Howe First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 Apr-20 Jun 1987 The World in Winter Cast: Haydn Jones, Jack Watling, Dennis Alaba Peters, Glyn Houston, Margaret Robertson, Rosalind Shanks, Ian Thompson, Christopher Bidmead, Lionel Ngkane, Lockwood West, Peter Williams, Jumoke Debayo, Alexander John and Frank Cousins Adapted by Jon Rollason from the novel by John Christopher Produced by Keith Williams First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 Mar 1968 The New Wine Read by Christopher Bidmead Abridged by Ronald Russell First broadcast BBC Home Service, 19 May 1967 (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

John Christopher (Author), Christopher Bidmead, Darrell Brockis, David Mitchell, Dennis Alara Peters, Glyn Houston, Gus Brown, Hywel Bennett, Jack Watling, John Hollis, Margaret Robertson, Rebecca Egan, Richard Drabble, Rosalind Shanks (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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The Playboy of the Western World & The Well of Saints: Two Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama Productions

"Two of J M Synge’s remarkable plays and an exploration of the man, his work and his life on the Aran Islands J M Synge was one of the giants of Irish theatre, and a leading dramatist of the Irish Literary Renaissance. Together with W B Yeats and others, he co-founded Dublin’s famous Abbey Theatre in 1904, and was a director there until his death in 1909. He is best known for his comic masterpiece The Playboy of the Western World, which appears here alongside his dark comedy The Well of the Saints and the illuminating documentary Synge Song. The Playboy of the Western World – When handsome adventurer Christy Mahon walks into a pub in County Mayo, claiming to have killed his violent father, landlord’s daughter Pegeen is smitten. She’s not the only villager to be beguiled by his bravery and his tall tales, and Christy soon achieves the status of local hero – until another stranger arrives in town… Aisling O’Sullivan and Finbar Lynch star in this classic play, which caused riots during its opening run at the Abbey Theatre in 1907. The Well of the Saints – Set in a lonely, mountainous district of Ireland, this blackly comic play tells the story of Martin and Mary Doul, old, blind beggars who have been tricked by the local villagers into believing they are beautiful. A wandering saint restores their sight with water from a holy well, but this miracle cure brings more problems than it solves, as their eyes are opened to their own ugliness and the harsh realities of life. Starring Cyril Cusack and Marie Kean, this 1971 radio production was broadcast to mark the 100th anniversary of Synge's birth. Synge Song – Before he was a playwright, Synge was a talented composer, and a sense of music informs everything he wrote for the stage. Visiting the Aran Islands, where Synge spent several summers, musician and writer Ann Mann looks at the sights and sounds that inspired him, talking to Aran Islanders and Synge scholars about the source of his unique language – his ‘Synge song.’ Interspersed with their insights are extracts from his compositions for violin and piano, and readings from his work by Kate Binchy and Jim Norton. First published 1905 (The Well of the Saints), 1907 (The Playboy of the Western World) Cast and credits Written by J M Synge The Playboy of the Western World Pegeen Mike – Aisling O’Sullivan Christy Mahon – Finbar Lynch Sean Kheough – Lloyd Hutchinson Widow Quin – Dillie Keane Old Mahon – Michael Elphick Michael James – John Rowe Philly Cullan – David Bannerman Jimmy Farrell – Anthony Ofoegbu Sarah Tansey – Anne-Marie Duff Susan Braidy – Janet Maw Honor Blake – Tracy Ann Oberman Adapted for radio and produced by Peter Kavanagh First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 October 1997 The Well of the Saints Martin Doul – Cyril Cusack Mary Doul – Marie Kean Timmy – Kevin Flood Molly Byrne – Kate Binchy Bride – Rosalind Shanks Mat Simon – Alan Barry The Saint – Martin Dempsey Reader – Denys Hawthorne Produced by John Scotney First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 September 1971 Synge Song Presented by Ann Mann Music performed by Krysia Ostostowicz and Timothy Carey Readings by Kate Binchy and Jim Norton Produced by Piers Plowright First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 January 1994 © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

J. M. Synge (Author), Aisling O'Sullivan, Alan Barry, Cyril Cusack, Dillie Keane, Finbar Lynch, Full Cast, Kate Binchy, Kevin Flood, Marie Kean, Martin Dempsey, Michael Elphick, Rosalind Shanks (Narrator)

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