Audiobooks Narrated by Will Kirk

The Shell Seekers: A Full-Cast BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation

"Rosamunde Pilcher's beloved saga of one family's passions and heartbreaks – plus an interview with the author ‘A deeply satisfying story written with love and confidence’ Maeve Binchy Recovering from a heart attack, Penelope Keeling discharges herself from hospital and returns to her cosy Cotswolds cottage. Fiercely self-sufficient, she values her independence above everything – but fears that others wish to take it from her… Penelope has one treasured possession – ‘The Shell Seekers’, painted by her artist father Lawrence Stern. A comforting reminder of a precious bygone time, it sparks memories of her bohemian Cornish childhood and her wartime romance with the love of her life. But when her self-centred adult children, Noel and Nancy, find out that Stern’s work is now worth a fortune, they urge Penelope to sell up and give the money to them. Only her daughter Olivia – who has also known love and loss – respects her mother’s freedom to make her own decisions. As Penelope searches her heart, and recalls the passions, tragedies and secrets of her past, she knows what she must do… but will it rip her family apart? One of the best-selling and most famous sagas of the last four decades, The Shell Seekers is an enduring classic which has touched the hearts of millions worldwide. Set in Gloucestershire, London, Cornwall and Ibiza, and shifting between 1939 and 1985, this poignant drama explores themes of memory, fate, trauma and connection. Also featured is a fascinating episode of Bookshelf, in which Nigel Forde talks to Rosamunde Pilcher about her life and novels. Production credits Written by Rosamunde Pilcher Dramatised by Lin Coghlan Directed by Tracey Neale Cast The Narrator, Rosamunde Pilcher – Jessica Turner Penelope – Emma Fielding Olivia – Emily Berrington Nancy – Jasmine Hyde Young Penelope – Kitty O'Sullivan Richard – Carl Prekopp Noel/Ambrose – Will Kirk Cosmo/Mr Brookner/Soldier – John Lightbody Antonia – Imogen Front Danus – Ian Dunnett Jnr Lawrence – Michael Bertenshaw Doris – Debra Baker Miss Pawson – Anna Spearpoint Mrs Enderby – Juliana Lisk First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14-21 April 2024 The Shell Seekers copyright © 1987 Rosamunde Pilcher © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Rosamunde Pilcher (Author), Carl Prekopp, Emily Berrington, Emma Fielding, Full Cast, Jasmine Hyde, Jessica Turner, Kitty O'sullivan, Will Kirk (Narrator)

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The Fable of the Bees

"The Fable of the Bees – a satirical poem, prose discussion, three essays and six dialogues completed in 1729 – exposes human vices but defends them as a necessity within a wealthy society. Mandeville’s bees thrive until they start living by honesty and virtue… then they are impoverished. Mandeville did not play by the rules: he satirised the sins of society but also ridiculed the widespread hypocrisy of deploring these sins whilst reaping their benefits. He and his work were attacked for the rest of the century. The wicked bees’ comeuppance is not for their vices – society’s accepted moral code – but, instead, for the folly of denying them. There is no judgement on whether a rich society is superior to a poor one; Mandeville simply analyses, with incorrigible playfulness, the status quo as he sees it. The fascination of his arguments and the ensuing controversy have caught and influenced philosophers and thinkers ever since. Includes Mandeville’s complete text (both Parts 1 and 2), in a multi-voice recording headed by the outstanding David Timson."

Bernard Mandeville (Author), David Timson, Justin Avoth, Stephanie Racine, Will Kirk (Narrator)

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