Warm and witty, direct and droll, the sharply funny Pam Ayres has been amusing and entertaining her many fans for more than 30 years since her first television appearance on Opportunity Knocks. Her humorous observations of daily life touch a chord with anybody who's ever been bewildered by the exercise craze or has yearned after the vanished Spotted Dick. In this collection, Pam reads over 50 of her best-known and loved poems, including such favourites as 'Oh I Wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth', 'I'm a Starling...me Darling', 'Will I have to be Sexy at Sixty?', and 'St. Tesco'. Many of the poems include a personal introduction by Pam.2 CDs. 2 hrs 5 mins. Read more

Three BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations starring John Shrapnel as Morse and Robert Glenister as Lewis, plus a bonus reading by Colin Dexter of one of his short stories.In Last Seen Wearing, Inspector Morse is reluctant to take over an old missing person case from a dead colleague. But two years, three months and two days after teenager Valerie Taylor’s disappearance, somebody decides to supply some surprising new evidence. . .In The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn Inspector Morse tackles the murder of an exam invigilator. The newly appointed member of the Oxford foreign exam syndicate was deaf, and he wasn’t from the insular world of the Oxford colleges. Now he is dead.After he’s rushed into hospital, Inspector Morse becomes intrigued by an old crime in The Wench is Dead. Could the wrong men have been hanged for the murder of Joanna Franks?Plus Colin Dexter reads his own short story, The Double Crossing, in which it is a good first day for a certain detective named Lewis.Gripping, suspenseful and entertaining, these BBC dramatisations were adapted by Guy Meredith from the original Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter.Duration: 4 hours 45 mins approx. Read more

A defining collection from Alistair Cooke's legendary BBC Radio broadcasts, guiding us through nearly sixty years of changing life in the United States'No one else succeeded in explaining to the English-speaking world ... the idiosyncrasies of a country at once so familiar, and yet so utterly foreign' IndependentWhen Alistair Cooke retired in February 2004 he was acclaimed as one of the greatest broadcasters of all time. His Letter from America radio series, which began in 1946 and continued every week for fifty-eight years until his retirement, kept the world in touch with what was happening in America. Cooke's wry, humane and liberal style both informed and entertained his audience. The selection here, made largely by Cooke himself and supplemented by his literary executor, gives us the very best of these legendary broadcasts. It covers key moments from the assassination of Kennedy through to the Vietnam War and Watergate to 9/11, the Iraq War and anticipates the 2004 elections. It includes portraits of the great and the good from Charlie Chaplin to Martin Luther King, Jr, and topics as varied as civil rights, golf, jazz and the changing colours of a New England fall. Each Letter contributes to a captivating portrait of a nation - and of a man. Read more

Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden and Hugh Paddick star in 15 episodes of the anarchic 1960s radio comedy.Round the Horne arrived on BBC radio in 1965, bringing laughter to Sunday lunchtimes throughout the land. Over the course of sixteen weekly episodes it carved a niche in the history of broadcast comedy, a sketch show which prodded the boundaries of propriety and innuendo. At its heart was the suave and upstanding Kenneth Horne, around which revolved the multiple naughty personas of Kenneth Williams, Betty Marsden, Hugh Paddick and Bill Pertwee. Among the parade of regular characters were Julian and Sandy, the camp couple of resting thespians happy to turn their hands to anything, Rambling Syd Rumbo the musical cordwangler, Fiona and Charles the passionate duo, and J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock the world’s dirtiest man. Meanwhile regular film parodies, spoof sagas and musical interludes peppered the mix.Round the Horne earned its place in the annals of comedy history, and is fondly remembered today as a groundbreaking series that influenced many more to come. Here the entire second series can be enjoyed once again, plus the 1966 Christmas episode, 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and a special Transcription Services episode 'The Man With The Golden Thunderball'. along with a PDF booklet featuring cast biographies and a full series history. Read more

"What an excellent day for an exorcism..."Originally published in 1971, The Exorcist remains one of the most controversial novels ever written. A literary phenomenon soon after its release, it spent fifty-seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, seventeen consecutively at number one. Inspired by the shockingly true story of a child's demonic possession in the 1940s, William Peter Blatty's iconic novel focuses on Regan, the eleven-year-old daughter of a movie actress residing in Washington, D.C. When sweet Regan's behavior turns sinister, a small group of overwhelmed yet determined individuals take it upon themselves to rescue the poor girl from her unspeakable fate. Timeless and terrifying, The Exorcist is a story that has gripped the public zeitgeist for nearly half a century.Soon after its publication, The Exorcist became a wildly popular motion picture, garnering ten Academy Award nominations. On the opening day of the film, lines of fans stretched around city blocks. In Chicago, frustrated moviegoers used a battering ram to gain entry through the double side doors of a theater. In Kansas City, police used tear gas to disperse an impatient crowd who tried to force their way into a cinema. The three major television networks carried footage of these events, and CBS's Walter Cronkite devoted almost ten minutes to the story. The Exorcist was, and is, more than just a novel and a film: it is a true landmark of American culture. . .and a reflection of our innermost fears.Purposefully raw and profane, The Exorcist continues to engross and disturb readers. Now, fifty years since its publication, it remains an unforgettable reading experience that will continue to shock and frighten a new generation of readers. Read more

Jack Shepherd and Iain Cuthbertson star in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the classic swashbuckling tale. Having outwitted a band of pirates to obtain a map disclosing the whereabouts of Captain Flint's treasure, Young Jim sets sail for Treasure Island. But the crew of the Hispaniola are not what they seem. Revealing themselves as another gang of cut throats, led by the villainous Long John Silver, they are hell-bent on seizing both the ship and the treasure. Will they succeed? The struggle of Young Jim and his friends as they do battle on the high seas is thrillingly played out in this full-bodied production starring Jack Shepherd, Iain Cuthbertson, Buster Merryfield and James McPherson as young Jim Hawkins. Read more

Ireland is neither cursed with snakes, nor blessed with nightingales, and the characters in Maeve Binchy’s fiction occupy the same middle ground. These five stories, specially dramatised for BBC Radio 4, feature modern Irishwomen emerging from a culture where they knew their place into a more hazardous, but more rewarding light. In 'The Night People Came in for Something that was No Trouble', Cara’s envy of another couple’s disingenuous ease at giving dinner parties spurs her to plan the perfect ‘casual’ evening down to the last detail – but things don’t go as she’d intended. 'The Stepson' sees Clare walking on eggshells, taking great care not to try to replace her stepson Simon’s dead mother: until she finally attempts to break through his hostile diffidence. 'Decisions at Sea' finds Tessa, an overlooked but good-tempered secretary, heading out on a cruise, where she faces a big decision. In 'The Answer Machine', Biddy reasons that her family need an answer machine for Christmas, and gives it to them early – but, by Christmas, she is beginning to regret the whole idea. And in 'By The Time We Get to Clifden', Nessa and her husband Harry are planning their annual break to Clifden when neighbour Melly seeks their help, and ends up changing their itinerary and their lives. Featuring a full cast including Niamh Cusack, Sam Dale and Harry Towb, these five Maeve Binchy stories are all typically warm, wry and witty.1 CD. 1 hr 15 mins. Read more

Under Milk Wood is Dylan Thomas’s best-known and best-loved work, his radio play completed in 1953 at the very end of his life. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog is his first collection solely of short stories, published in 1940. These two works show us his remarkable creative brilliance at the start and at the end of a highly productive writing life. Thomas described Under Milk Wood variously as ‘a play, an impression for voices, an entertainment out of the darkness’. It had its most famous incarnation as a radio play, broadcast in 1954, only months after its author’s death. This is the text used for that broadcast. Full of the comedy of human existence, it also strikes notes of poignancy and loss as we travel through twenty-four hours in the company of those who inhabit the ‘multifariously busy little town’. It is an affectionate vision of the ‘drinks and loves and quarrels and dreams and wishes’ of people very much like ourselves. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog is a semi-autobiographical collection of stories set in and around the Swansea of Thomas’s youth. They are narratively engaging, full of a pleasure in ordinary existence, and an even greater pleasure in the power of the imagination. Read more

Maggie Smith stars in this BBC radio adaptation of Alan Bennett's highly acclaimed autobiographical stage playAn eccentric old lady moves into a quiet street in Camden Town. There she remains, installed in her van in glorious self-sufficiency, until the council instructs her to move on. Then a kind homeowner invites her to move her van into his garden – where she stays for the next fifteen years. This is the fascinating story of the genteel vagrant who found a unique place in Alan Bennett's life and writing.But the drama is as much about the author himself as Miss Shepherd. Why did Alan Bennett let her commandeer his driveway? Was he acting out of kindness, weakness, or hidden guilt over not spending enough time with his own mother? Did he always subconsciously plan to exploit Miss Shepherd for literary profit? Thought-provoking and moving, The Lady in the Van tackles profound questions about social responsibility, homelessness and mental illness with a lightness of touch characteristic of Bennett the master storyteller.With a full cast including Adrian Scarborough, Marcia Warren and Alan Bennett, this bitter-sweet comic tale stars Maggie Smith as Miss Shepherd.Now a major BBC feature film, starring Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings. Read more

March 1978 saw the first ever transmission of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4; the beginning of a cult phenomenon. March 2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of that first transmission – 42 being the answer, of course, to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. To mark the occasion, Pan Macmillan are bringing back into print The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts with an introduction from Simon Jones.The collection also includes the previously 'lost' Hitchhiker script from the 25th anniversary edition, 'Sheila's Ear' and the original introductions by producer Geoffrey Perkins and Douglas Adams.This collection, which is a faithful reproduction of the text as it was first published in 1985, features all twelve original radio scripts – Hitchhiker as it was written and exactly as it was broadcast for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings and original notes on the writing and producing of the series by Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. For those who have always loved Douglas Adams, as well as for his new generation of fans, these scripts are essential reading and a must-have piece of Adams memorabilia.This special anniversary edition will accompany reissued eye-catching editions of the five individual Hitchhiker books coming in March 2020: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless. Read more

Twenty episodes from the first BBC Radio series plus an hour-long Christmas special, starring Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier and Clive Dunn.In 1973 the BBC adapted its hit TV series for radio, featuring the original TV cast and characters. Three series were broadcast between 1974 and 1976, with episodes adapted from their TV counterparts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.Now you can enjoy once again these unique recordings, with a supporting cast including John Laurie, James Beck, Arnold Ridley and Ian Lavender. Among the twenty-one episodes are The Man and the Hour, The Battle of Godfrey’s Cottage, Sgt Wilson’s Little Secret, Something Nasty in the Vault, The Menace from the Deep and No Spring for Frazer.Also included is a sixteen-page PDF booklet with comprehensive programme history, synopses for all Series One episodes, original transmission dates, photographs and cast biographies.10 CDs. 10 hrs 10 mins. Read more

The I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue team of Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, in the company of their esteemed chairman Humphrey Lyttelton, have been recording their BBC radio show around the UK for longer than any of them can remember ... that's about a week - or twenty minutes in the case of Barry Cryer. At each venue Humph would present a short history of the location, written by Iain Pattinson, to the mutual delight of the audience, the team and their delightful scorer Samantha (who somehow always found time for a rewarding poke around the area's backstreets).We are privileged to present, in gazetteer form, the very best of Humph's local histories form Radio 4's multi award-winning 'antidote to panel games'. As accurate as Wikipedia and as comprehensive as Reader's Digest, this unique guide tells you everything you never knew you wouldn't ever need to know about the background and inhabitants of Britain's most prominent towns and cities. The intelligent reader will waste no time in adding it to their collection.BristolIt was from Bristol in 1497 that John Cabot set off to find a new route to the Spice Islands by sailing north-west. He instead discovered a strange, hostile world which he named 'Newfoundland', until the natives explained that they actually called it 'Swansea'.NottinghamIt's well documented in official records that the city's original name was 'Snottingham' or 'home of Snotts', but when the Normans came, they couldn't pronounce the initial letter 'S', so decreed the town be called 'Nottingham'or the 'home of Notts'. It's easy to understand why this change was resisted so fiercely by the people of Scunthorpe.BrightonA settlement is first recorded in Brighton as long as ago as 3000 BC, when Celtic Druids practised their ancient worship of oaks, mistletoe and virgins, and indeed, oaks and mistletoe are still plentiful in Brighton. Read more

March 1978 saw the first ever transmission of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4; the beginning of a cult phenomenon. March 2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of that first transmission – 42 being the answer, of course, to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. To mark the occasion, Pan Macmillan are bringing back into print The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts with an introduction from Simon Jones.The collection also includes the previously 'lost' Hitchhiker script from the 25th anniversary edition, 'Sheila's Ear' and the original introductions by producer Geoffrey Perkins and Douglas Adams.This collection, which is a faithful reproduction of the text as it was first published in 1985, features all twelve original radio scripts – Hitchhiker as it was written and exactly as it was broadcast for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings and original notes on the writing and producing of the series by Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. For those who have always loved Douglas Adams, as well as for his new generation of fans, these scripts are essential reading and a must-have piece of Adams memorabilia.This special anniversary edition will accompany reissued eye-catching editions of the five individual Hitchhiker books coming in March 2020: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless. Read more

'Joyous, wise, reassuring and laugh-out-loud funny. I love these two women so much.' Elizabeth Day'The two funniest women on planet earth right now.' Dolly Alderton'I want to be Fi and Jane when I grow up.' Clare Balding'A book like no other. Honest and very, very funny. Some bits made me want to cheer.' Sara Cox'If you loved the late, great Victoria Wood, then you'll love Fi and Jane too.' Red magazineAward-winning broadcasters Fi Glover and Jane Garvey don't claim to have all the answers (what was the question?), but in these hilarious and perceptive essays they take modern life by its elasticated waist and give it a brisk going over with a stiff brush.They riff together on the chuff of life, from pet deaths to broadcasting hierarchies, via the importance of hair dye, the perils and pleasures of judging other women, and the perplexing overconfidence of chino-wearing middle-aged white men named Roger. Did I Say That Out Loud? covers essential life skills (never buy an acrylic jumper, always decline the offer of a limoncello), ponders the prudence of orgasm merchandise and suggests the disconcerting possibility that Christmas is a hereditary disease, passed down the maternal line. At a time of constant uncertainty, what we all need is the wisdom of two women who haven't got a clue what's going on either. Read more

Do you struggle to find appropriate scenes and monologues for young performers? Whilst there are so many plays to choose from, the selection of material for auditions, exams and competitions can often be overwhelming. Monologues and Duologues For Young Performers offers a new collection of original monologues, duologues and scenes for young actors aged 7 to 14 that come ready-made for performance. With more than 30 new pieces for male and female actors of varying ages, these scenes explore a wide range of themes and characters and the accompanying notes suggest a range of activities for both the teacher and the student to help them develop the piece for performance. All the scenes have been tried and tested by young actors and many have been used in LAMDA examinations as well as for Speech and Drama Festivals and auditions. Each scene is accompanied by notes on character, background and setting as well as a range of drama activities and questions to ask as an actor, making it an ideal resource for those taking part in LAMDA and Trinity Speech and Drama examinations as well as for drama competitions, other examinations, auditions and theatre exploration. Read more

Elizabeth Taylor is known internationally as one of the most beautiful and talented women ever to grace the silver screen. She has won two Academy Awards and starred in over sixty films. She is just as well known for her tempestuous personal life, marrying eight times and suffering through innumerable health problems. A cultural icon, she has been written about before . . . but never like this. This moving book traces for the first time Elizabeth's journey through the dark and often lonely world of a fame unparalleled in the 1960s and 1970s, a time during which alcohol and drugs played a major part in her life. It would be with her fifth (and sixth) husband Richard Burton (with whom she made twelve movies, including Cleopatra) that she would learn life lessons about love and loyalty that would inform the rest of her life and, finally, be the catalyst for her recovery from alcoholism in the 1980s. This book also details her philanthropic work as an AIDS activist in the 1990s as well as her stunning success as a business woman today (with a multi-million-dollar fragrance). Based on years of research, this is not just a star's biography . . . it's an unforgettable woman's story. Read more

A fascinating collection of rare and remastered radio & TV material starring Tony HancockThis second treasury of rare archive material is spearheaded by four newly-restored radio episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour, all from 1956: ‘The New Secretary’, ‘Anna and the King of Siam’, ‘The Stolen Petrol’ and ‘The Expresso Bar’. Starring alongside Tony Hancock are Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.A number of fascinating extracts from the long-running 1950s variety show Calling All Forces feature Hancock performing alongside Charlie Chester and others, whilst the famous Budgerigar Sketch - with Hancock as the eponymous bird - is featured here from 1958’s Christmas Night With the Stars on BBC TV.In What Happened to Hancock? from 1971, Philip Oakes reflects upon the complex personality of his friend, and elicits personal recollections from those who knew him, including Ralph Reader, Beryl Vertue, Sylvia Sims, Sid James, Duncan Wood, Michael Wale, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Heroes for a Time, from 1978, considers Hancock’s legacy ten years after his death, with contributions from Lyn Took, Barry Took, Arthur Askey and Billy Marsh. Freddie Ross Hancock recollects life as Tony’s second wife in a Woman’s Hour interview from 1979.Barry Cryer introduces Six Characters in Search of an Answer: Tony Hancock from 2003 and examines the man behind the character, with the help of Galton & Simpson, Dennis Main Wilson and Richard Briers. Finally, in two editions of The Essay from 2015, Simon Heffer examines and compares the careers of both Tony Hancock and his stalwart co-star Sid James. A bonus PDF booklet looks at each item in the context of Hancock’s broadcasting career, with insights into how many of these lost or rare items were discovered.Marking the legacy of one of our greatest comedy entertainers, this collection is a must for fans of Tony Hancock and Hancock's Half Hour.Approx. 5 hours. Read more

Three complete radio dramas featuring writer-cum-amateur detective Paul Temple, plus bonus archive material. When it comes to classic crime partnerships, Paul Temple and his wife Steve are the crème de la crème. Between 1938 and 1968 their glamorous exploits enthralled generations of radio listeners around the world. Here, presented in chronological order, are some of the amateur detective's earliest adventures. 'Send for Paul Temple' (1940) is an early remake of the now-lost original 1938 BBC production. 'Paul Temple Intervenes' (1942) finds Paul and Steve investigating a series of celebrity murders, whilst 'Paul Temple and the Vandyke Affair' (the original 1950 production, presented here for the very first time) concerns the strange disappearance of the Desmond baby and her sitter. Hugh Morton, Bernard Braden, Carl Bernard and Peter Coke play Paul in these episodes, with Bernadette Hodgson, Peggy Hassard and Marjorie Westbury as Steve. A bonus disc features rare archive material from otherwise lost productions, including the final episodes of 'Send for Paul Temple' (1938) and 'Paul Temple and the Front Page Men' (1938). Duration: 11 hours approx. Read more

The complete collection of landmark BBC Radio dramas of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe mysteries. Philip Marlowe is the archetypal noir detective: wisecracking and world-weary, hardboiled yet honourable. This volume includes all eight dramatisations of Raymond Chandler's groundbreaking crime novels featuring his iconic hero. The Big Sleep Marlowe is consulted by a wealthy family man with two big problems: his children. Farewell My Lovely Marlowe's search for an ex-con's ex-girlfriend leads him into danger. The High Window When rare gold coin is stolen from her collection, Mrs Murdoch hires Philip Marlowe to find it. The Lady in the Lake Businessman Derace Kingsley hires Marlowe to find his estranged wife Crystal. The Little Sister Commissioned to find Orfamay Quest's missing brother, Marlowe is drawn into the glamorous film world of Hollywood. The Long Goodbye Marlowe befriends a drunk named Terry Lennox, but comes to regret doing him a favour. Playback Hired to follow the mysterious Betty Mayfield, Marlowe soon finds that he is being tailed too... Poodle Springs Newly-married Marlowe puts his bride aside to look for a gambler on the run. Starring Toby Stephens as Philip Marlowe, these stylish, suspenseful dramatisations – full of witty, ironic dialogue and colourful characters – bring the beautiful, corrupt world of California in the '40s and '50s to luminous life. Duration: 11 hours approx. Read more