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Six more radio monologues written by Lynne Truss, author of the phenomenal bestsellers Eats, Shoots & Leaves and Talk to the Hand. In the tradition of Alan Bennetts Talking Heads come Lynne Trusss male monologues: six tales of fidelity, pride, friendship and family from the classic BBC Radio 4 series. Six men have reached a certain age, their forty-something years, and each has a very different and sometimes surprising story to tell, from the brother who receives an unexpected letter to a compulsive philanderer and a news photographer sent on on an unusual assignment. All are funny, touching and as beautifully observed as would be expected from the author of the phenomenal bestsellers Eats, Shoots & Leaves and Talk to the Hand. Starring Douglas Hodge, Robert Glenister, Peter Capaldi, Stephen Tompkinson,Simon Russell Beale and Stuart Milligan, Volume Two features the stories The Father, The Son, The Husband, The Pedant, The Brother and The Married Man.

A Suitable Boy is Vikram Seth's epic love story set in India. Funny and tragic, with engaging, brilliantly observed characters, it is as close as you can get to Dickens for the twentieth century. The story unfolds through four middle class families - the Mehras, Kappoors, Khans and Chatterjis. Lata Mehra, a university student, is under pressure from her mother to get married. But not to just anyone she happens to fall in love with. There are standards to be met and finding a husband for Lata becomes a family affair in which all the members are to play a part. A beautifully composed story which is an affirmation of family and friendship. The characters struggle, they try to buck the system, to break free of restraint, of interference - but ultimately their strenth and sense of being comes from their family and friends. It is a celebration of ordinariness. In his sweeping epic, Vikram Seth has created an entire world filled with warmth, humour, pathos, tragedy - in short, life. Recorded on location in India, A Suitable Boy is made by the production team of the award-winning Bleak House and The Handmaid's Tale.

When Elspeth McGillicuddy is the only witness to a brutal murder - for which not even a body is in evidence - it takes all of Miss Marple's remarkable ingenuity to discover the key to a secret which lies buried within a decaying country house. Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring June Whitfield as the deceptively mild Miss Marple.

As Miss Marple sat basking in the Caribbean sunshine she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened. Eventually, her interest was aroused by an old soldier's yarn about strange coincidence. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her an astonishing photograph, the Major's attention wandered. He never did finish the story... June Whitfield stars as the sharp-witted spinster sleuth in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective. Alice Ascher is murdered at Andover. Betty Barnard is strangled at Bexhill-on-Sea. Each time, an ABC railway guide is found by the dead bodies and, each time, Poirot is warned in advance by a letter from someone signed 'ABC'. But who is ABC? And can Poirot find out in time to prevent the death of C?

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective. When Richard Abernethie, last master of Enderby Hall, dies suddenly in his sleep, the family are eager to discover how hiw riches have been divided. However, the reading of the will is rudely interrupted by his youngest sister Cora - 'he was murdered, wasn't he?' she blurts out. Used to her inopportune remarks, the family ignore her. But the next day, when Cora herself is found brutally killed, they start to wonder...

Among the towering red cliffs of Petra, like some monstrous swollen Buddha, sat the corpse of Mrs Boynton. A tiny puncture mark on her wrist was the only sign of the fatal injection that had killed her. With only 24 hours available to solve the mystery, Hercule Poirot recalled a chance remark he'd overheard back in Jerusalem: 'You see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?' Mrs Boynton was, indeed, the most detestable woman he'd ever met. Another Christie classic which takes a series of turns that keep listeners guessing to the end. Starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot

Miss Marple, Agatha Christie's deceptively mild spinster sleuth, is being treated to a few days' holiday by her niece, staying at Bertram's Hotel, a dignified, unostentatious establishment tucked away in a back street of busy Mayfair. Here is a place where sedate upper class ladies, retired military gentlemen and the higher echelons of the clergy can indulge in the comforts of a bygone age. But Miss Marple begins to feel uneasy. Something sinister lurks beneath the polished veneer. Why are so many major crimes associated in some way with the hotel or somehow implicate eminently respectable people staying there? June Whitfield stars as Miss Marple in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of a classic brain-teaser from the Queen of Crime.

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring June Whitfield as the sharp-witted spinster sleuth. Dolly Bantry, mistress of Gossington Hall, is enjoying a pleasant doze when suddenly her dreams take a strange turn. The housemaid Mary is telling her that there is a body in the library. As she wakes up, it turns out to be true... But who is the strange young blonde sprawled on the library floor? Enter St Mary Mead's resident sleuth, Miss Mary Marple.

Mr Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless he was a man of whom everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Poirot that he considered murder an art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana's private collection. Starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot

With World War II at an end, Charles Hayward is finally free to marry the woman he loves, Sophia Leonides. However, she refuses - the unexplained death of her grandfather, wealthy businessman Aristide Leonides, draws her back to the suffocating environment of her family home. Charles follows, but his arrival coincides with the discovery that Aristide's death was murder. The ensuing investigation drags Charles into the dark heart of the family, and its dark secrets and dangers. Even if Charles escapes with his life, will he survive the corrosive effect of the family itself?

A full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of an Agatha Christie story. On a flight from Le Bourget to Croydon, on which Hercule Poirot is an apprehensive passenger, a woman is found dead. A doctor on board is inclined to put it down to a wasp-sting, but Poirot suspects that a poisoned dart is the real cause - and, perhaps rather too conveniently, a blow pipe is dicovered stuffed down the back of his seat. Clearly the murder can only have been committed by one of the passengers or crew on the plane. But which one? Poirot, Japp and M. Fournier of the Surete will make their way through shoals of red herrings before reaching an utterly unexpected conclusion.

In one of her most popular mysteries, Agatha Christie leads us into a maze of evil as dark and labyrinthine as the ancient tombs of the Pharoahs. Linnet Ridgeway has led a charmed life. Blessed with beauty, enormous wealth and a devoted husband, she has everything anyone could wish for. But as the happy couple set out on an idyllic honeymoon cruise on the Nile, storm clouds are gathering... John Moffatt stars as the famous Belgian detective in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

As Hercule Poirot sifts through his post one particular morning, he alights upon a letter from an elderly and (as it transpires), exceedingly rich spinster Miss Emily Arundell. She is clearly in great distress and seeking his help, but doesnt say why. Her only specific mention is the incident of the dogs ball. However, what intrigues Poirot is the date of the communication it was written two months ago. He persuades Captain Hastings that they must visit the lady with all haste. On arrival they discover that she has died, apparently of natural causes. But Bob, Miss Arundells devoted wire-haired terrier, knows better. And so, soon, does Poirot. John Moffatt, as ever, stars as Hercule Poirot and Simon Williams as Captain Hastings. With music specially composed by Tom Smail.

Following an otherwise-enjoyable literary luncheon, the celebrated crime novelist Ariadne Oliver is accosted by a particularly formidable woman who engages her in conversation about one of her many god-daughters, whom Ariadne hasn't seen since she was a child. She lands a bombshell with the question 'What I want to know is this: did her mother kill her father, or was it the father who killed the mother?' Affronted and bewildered by the assertiveness of this pushy busybody, Ariadneis nevertheless intrigued. There's only one thing for it. She must contact her old friend Hercule Poirot. Together they set about unravelling the mystery of a tragedy from the distant past - provoked in equal measure by hate and love. As always, John Moffatt stars as Hercule Poirot, while Julia McKenzie stars as Ariadne Oliver - whom Agatha Christie based on herself.

An exclusive hotel on a tiny picturesque island seems to be the ideal retreat for Hercule Poirot from the stresses of criminal detection. But with the appearance of the beautiful Arlena Stuart, the quiet and peaceful atmosphere becomes charged with an indefinable erotic tension. And when she is found viciously strangled in a secluded cove, there are few, especially among the women, who seem to feel either surprise or regret. As Poirot follows a twisting path of bizarre and bewildering clues, his only certainties are that the solution lies within Arlena herself, and that there is evil under the sun. John Moffat is Hercule Poirot in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation with an all-star cast which includes Iain Glen, Fiona Fullerton, Robin Ellis, Wendy Craig, George Baker and Joan Littlewood.

John Moffatt stars as the great Belgian detective in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. A sixteen year-old murder with the apparent killer convicted and long dead is a formidable challenge even for the remarkable Poirot. Especially as he has nothing to go on except five suspects who fit strangely into the pattern of a children's nursery rhyme...

John Moffatt stars as the great Belgian detective in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. When a young girl is found drowned at a Halloween party after boasting about a murder she had seen, Ariadne Oliver, the famous crime novelist, sends for her old friend Hercule Poirot. But has Poirot one death to investigate - or two ?

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring Peter Sallis as the great Belgian detective. Tyrannical millionaire Simeon Lee has been estranged from most of his family for years. But now, on Christmas Eve, the old man calls them all together once more. Unable to disobey, the children gather uneasily and wonder what their father's intentions are. Does he want to clear up past misunderstandings or cause fresh mischief? Before they can find out, a deafening crash is heard overhead. Rushing upstairs, they discover a shocking sight: Simeon Lee is lying in a pool of blood, his throat cut. But it is the strangest thing - the door has been locked from the inside and there is no trace of the murderer. With so many possible suspects, it is lucky for Superintendent Sugden that the Chief Constable has his old friend Hercule Poirot staying with him. It seems to be an impossible case. But, as Poirot knows only too well, things aren't always as they seem

'Monsieur Poirot, somehow or other I've just got to get rid of my husband!' No sooner had she uttered the words than Lady Edgware's husband was dead, brutally stabbed in the neck. The evidence against her is overwhelming, the case cut and dried. But what was the truth behind it all? What enemies lurked in the background of the victim's life? Hercule Poirot is on the case, intrigued once more, ready to investigate murder in the library... John Moffatt stars as the great Belgian detective in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring June Whitfield as the sharp-witted spinster sleuth. After the death of her husband, Dolly Bantry sold Gossington Hall to the former film star Marina Gregg and her husband . When the glamorous couple decide to throw a benefit for the local hospital, the grounds are thronged with curious visitors, and for one of them, the day ends in tragedy. It is up to Miss Marple to discover who was really meant to take the poison that killed poor Heather Babcock.

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffat as Hercule Poirot. Mrs McGinty is murdered because she has recognised someone in her village as a notorious killer - but can Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver find out who it is before the killer strikes again?

Miss Marple, Agatha Christie's immortal spinster sleuth with a razor sharp mind and a intuative understading of criminal behaviour gets to grips with a compelling murder mystery in the sleepy village of St Mary Mead, where under a seemigly peaceful exterior of an English country village lurks intrigue, guilt deception and death. June Whitfield stars as Jane Marple, Agatha Christie's most popular character, in this dramatisation of a classic brain-teaser from the 'Queen of Crime'.

Crime sleuth Hercule Poirot returns in a thrilling BBC Radio 4 dramatisation. Amy Leatheran has never felt the lure of the mysterious East, but when she travels to an ancient site deep in the Iraqi desert to nurse the wife of a celebrated archaeologist; events prove stranger than she could ever have imagined. Her patient's bizzarre visions and nervous terror seem unfounded, but as the oppressive tension in the air thickens, events come to a terrible climax - in murder...

A BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation starring June Whitfield as the deceptively mild spinster sleuth. The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Miss Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: 'A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th , at Little Paddocks at 6.30pm. Is it a hoax? As the time approaches, the crowds gather at Little Paddocks;and then the lights go out. This was Agatha Christie's fiftieth book - acknowledged to be one of the best.

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffat as Hercule Poirot. When Poirot arrives in France, following an urgent appeal for help, he finds he is too late. His client, a South American millionaire, has been stabbed to death and his body flung into a freshly dug open grave on the golf course adjoining the property. Meanwhile the millionaire's wife is found bound and gagged in her room. Poirot launches an investigation and the baffling mystery begins to unfold.

An international cast of suspects, all passengers on the crowded train, are speeding through the snowy European landscape when a bizarre and terrible murder brings them to an abrupt halt. One of their glittering number lies dead in his cabin, stabbed a mysterious twelve times. There is no lack of clues for Poirot - but which clue is real and which is a clever plant? Poirot realises that this time he is dealing with a murderer of enormous cunning and that in a case frought with fear and inconstencies only one thing is certain - the murderer is still aboard the train waiting to strike again... John Moffatt stars as the great Belgian detective in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

This is the very first Poirot/Hastings story. Set in 1916, we meet Captain Hastings as he is invalided out of the Great War and goes to convalesce at Styles Court, the family home of his great friend, John Cavendish. By an extraordinary coincidence, billeted in the village is a brilliant little retired detective with an egg-shaped head, who made a considerable impression on the Captain when he was in Belgium. Styles is not a happy household and in the blistering summer heat, tensions mount. Even so, the tragic murder which occurs is not expected. The entire family is drawn into the case but with their reluctant permission, Hastings calls upon the services of the diminutive Belgian. Thus begins one of the great partnerships and friendships in the history of crime. John Moffatt stars as Hercule Poirot, Simon Williams as Captain Hastings and Philip Jackson as Detective Inspector Japp, who already has reason to be indebted to the distinguished and unique hero of so many mysteries. A destroyed will, a shattered coffee cup, an old envelope - such are the seemingly unrelated details surrounding the murder of Mrs Inglethorp, mistress of Styles Court. With a thoroughness that is to become legendary, Hercule Poirot, the methodical little Belgian, begins his first - and perhaps most fascinating - investigation. Cast includes Philip Jackson, Nicola McAuliffe and Simon Williams.

A millionaire strikes a deal on the seedier side of Paris and a priceless cache of rubies becomes destined for his beloved daughter Rachel. Two days later Rachel is dead - murdered on a train on her way to the Riviera to meet her scoundrel lover: a mysterioius, dark man. The suspects line up...only master slueth Hercule Poirot can unravel the mystery and find the truth. Maurice Denham stars as the great Belgian detective in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

June Whitfield stars as the sharp-witted spinster sleuth in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Miss Marple is totally shocked to receive a letter from the recently deceased Mr Rafiel, an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. The letter leaves instructions for Miss Marple, whom Mr Rafiel had recognised as a natural detective, to investigate a crime after his death. There are absolutely no details about the crime, however, nothing about who is involved, or where or when it had been committed. Miss Marple, of course is thoroughly intrigued.

When Poirot's dentist is found dead in his surgery a chain of events is set off which culminates in another death with Poirot assembling the evidence. Stars John Moffatt.

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective. Hercule Poirot and his good friend Captain Hastings are enjoying a well-deserved break on the Cornish Riviera, in the idyllic village of St Loo. Wandering along the terrace of the Hotel Majestic on the first morning of their stay, Poirot literally falls at the feet of a pretty, dark-haired girl and, much to Hastings' delight, insists that she join them for a cocktail. The girl is Nick Buckley, last in a long line of Buckleys to live at End House, an isolated old place perched on the end of a rocky outcrop. As she reassures the two friends that living there is more fun than it might seem, Poirot's ears prick up - she is having fun, Nick says, despite the fact that she has had three near-fatal accidents in the past few days. To Poirot, that adds up to more than coincidence. And when Nick jerks away from a bee flying past that turns out to be a bullet, the Belgian knows there is work ahead for the little grey cells. The perpetrator of these 'accidents' may well be endlessly inventive and diabolically clever, but is he a match for the meticulous M. Poirot?

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring June Whitfield as the deceptively mild spinster sleuth. With only one bizarre clue to the agonizing death of a wealthy financier, Miss Marple must unravel a mystery hidden in a child's nursery rhyme that is to prove one of the strangest cases of her life.

Elinor Carlisle and Roddy Welman are the model English couple, perfect companions set for a life of ease when they inherit Aunt Laura's considerable fortune. But a poison pen letter begins a chain of events which is to end in tragedy..... Enter Hercule Poirot to investigate. John Moffatt stars as the great Belgian detective in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

June Whitfield is Miss Marple once again in this Agatha Christie story. In Sleeping Murder, Miss Marple is called in to solve a 'perfect crime' committed many years before.

A full-cast dramatisation of Agatha Christie's novel featuring Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot. Gordon Cloade is killed in a London air raid, and his vast fortune passes to his young wife Rosaleen. Five of his relatives are desperate to get their hands on Cloade's money, and Rosaleen begins to fear for her life. The prospects for the Cloades improve when they discover that Rosaleen had a previous husband who perished mysteriously in Africa. Then a mysterious stranger appears in the village, saying that he has something to communicate to her, but the following morning he is found dead. Was he, in fact, her husband? Cast: Hercule Poirot - John Moffat Superintendent Spence - Robert Lang Lynn Marchmont - Susannah Corbett Rowley Cloade - Ifan Meredith David Hunter - Tom George

In this delightful tale, an Eastern Prince arrives in England with some family jewels which hes having reset as a gift for his fiance. However, the Prince also has a mistress; she asks to wear one particularly enchanting piece that features a huge ruby, and then promptly disapppears with it. Poirot discovers a connection with a house party at the home of Colonel and Mrs Lacey, and in order to pursue his investigation an invitation is procured for him to the Laceys, ostensibly to enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas. With deft skill and the workings of his little grey cells, Poirot brings this caseto a satisfying end. Starring John Moffat as Hercule Poirot, with Donald Sinden and Sian Phillips as Colonel and Mrs Lacey.

Lymstock was a town with more than its share of shameful secrets - a town where even a sudden outbreak of anonymous hate-mail caused only a minor stir. But all of that changed when one of the recipients, Mrs Symmington, committed suicide. Her final note said 'I can't go on'. Only Miss Marple questioned the coroners verdict of suicide. Was this the work of a poison-pen? Or of a poisoner? June Whitfield once again stars as Miss Marple.

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffat as Hercule Poirot. Mrs Farrars is found dead of an apparent overdose one year after the death of her husband. The villagers of King's Abbot are suspicious. The rumour is that she poisoned her husband and was in love with Roger Ackroyd. When he is found murdered the following day, there is little to go on. Luckily one of the newest residents who has retired to this normally quiet village is none other than Monsieur Hercule Poirot.

A blizzard has hit England. In the tiny village of Sittaford, on the fringes of Dartmoor, a party of six is gathered in Sittaford House, home of Captain Trevelyan. He has rented the house out for the winter and is staying in a nearby village. As evening draws in, a seance is proposed. But it reveals more than they had anticipated - TREVELYAN DEAD, spells out the board. Slowly the table begins to rock again, spelling out the word M-U-R-D-E-R. Is it true? And who would kill a man who doesn't have an enemy in the world? John Moffatt and Stephen Tompkinson star in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of a classic from the Queen of Crime.

The Unexpected Guest: A foggy night...a lonely country house...and a woman with a gun in her hand quietly surveying the dead body of her husband. It looked like a straightforward case of murder. Or was it? As the ghosts of an old wrong begin to emerge from the past, the case begins to look anything but straightforward... First staged at the Duchess Theatre in London in 1958, this play ran for 604 performances and is as gripping and ingenious as you would expect from the Queen of Crime. The Pale Horse: Father Gorman is called to a dingy rooming house to see a woman who, before she dies, confesses a bizarre tale to him. Leaving the house he is followed and, in the fog, a fatal blow is struck. A piece of paper with nine names written on it is found in the dead priest's shoe. The clue leads to The Pale Horse Inn, home of three women: a psychic, a medium and a witch. Can Mark Easterbrook and his friend Ariadne Oliver unravel the occult mysteries?

Miss Marple is told that her old friend, Carrie, is in danger and she goes to stay with her at Stoneygates, a home for maladjusted adolescents. While she is there, tragedy strikes as Carrie's step-son, Christian Gulbrandsen, is shot dead. There are at least seven suspects and two more murders follow. But the man with the obvious motive has a cast-iron alibi, as he could hardly be two places at once - or could he? June Whitfield once again stars as the indomitable amateur detective.

Hercule Poirot, his amateur detective acquaintance Mr Satterthwaite, and the distinguished Harley Street nerve specialist Sir Bartholomew Strange are amongst the guests at a weekend party being given by the celebrated actor Sir Charles Cartwright at his clifftop house in Cornwall. On the first evening after their arrival there is a cocktail party - at which an elderly clergyman, who's only had a sip of dry martini, falls dead. Was it through natural causes - or murder?

Three 30' Agatha Christie short story full-cast dramatisations: Philomel Cottage/Magnolia Blossom/Swan Song. Agatha Christie is the acknowledged 'Queen of Detective Fiction'. Nearly all of her Hercule Poirot and all of her Miss Marple novels have been adapted for BBC Radio and released by the Radio Collection.

Three 30' Agatha Christie short story full-cast dramatisations: The Hound of Death/Witness for the Prosecution/The Gate of Baghdad. Agatha Christie is the acknowledged 'Queen of Detective Fiction'. Nearly all of her Hercule Poirot and all of her Miss Marple novels have been adapted for BBC Radio and released by the Radio Collection.

Three 30' Agatha Christie short story full-cast dramatisations: IN A GLASS DARKLY, about a man who sees a murder in an old mirror, THE DRESSMAKER'S DOLL featuring a doll that has a life of its own, and THE CASE OF THE PERFECT CARER (retitled from The Case of the Perfect Maid) - where a non-existent maid is blamed for a spate of burglaries. Agatha Christie is the acknowledged 'Queen of Detective Fiction'. Nearly all of her Hercule Poirot and all of her Miss Marple novels have been adapted for BBC Radio and released by the Radio Collection. These are non-Marple/Poirot stories.

Three 30' Agatha Christie short story full-cast dramatisations: THE 199 ADVENTURE (retitled from The 5 Adventure), a Parker Pyne adventure about a bank clerk looking for adventure, THE GYPSY and THE LAST SEANCE, the latter two supernatural tales. Agatha Christie is the acknowledged 'Queen of Detective Fiction'. Nearly all of her Hercule Poirot and all of her Miss Marple novels have been adapted for BBC Radio and released by the Radio Collection. These are non-Marple/Poirot stories.

The radio adventures of MC Beaton's famous amateur sleuth.

The radio adventures of MC Beaton's famous amateur sleuth.

This splendid title showcases the combined talents of Alan Bennett, one of our foremost dramatists and writers, and Thora Hird, the celebrated and much-loved actor who died in 2003. It features an exclusive and unique recording, The Last of the Sun, that Thora made for BBC Audiobooks a couple of months before her death. A short piece written by Alan especially for Thora, The Last of the Sun is controversial and challenging, and yet it has all the pathos and tenderness that we expect of Bennett's writing. This performance, Thora's last, is very moving and memorable. Accompanying The Last of the Sun are two bestselling Talking Head monologues, A Cream Cracker Under the Settee and Waiting for the Telegram. Also featured is a specially written introduction and postscript, in which Alan recalls the experience of knowing and working with Thora. This is a fitting tribute to the talents of a pair who, in the course of their longstanding working relationship, combined drama and comedy to leave a legacy of unique work. 'Alan and Thora' is sure to appeal to all Bennett and Hird fans.

A unique anthology of Alan Bennett's radio and television work featuring extracts from his diaries and readings, tributes to friends Russell Harty and Peter Cook plus commentary and specially recorded links by Bennett himself.

Untold Stories, Alan Bennett's first major collection of prose since his bestselling Writing Home, brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years. Two recordings feature selected material from Untold Stories: Part 1: Stories (also available from BBC Audio) contains the title piece, and Part 2: The Diaries covers Alan Bennett's much-celebrated diaries for 1997-2004. Part 2: The Diaries Alan Bennett's diaries from 1997-2004 are an erudite collection of witty yet poignant recollections told in his own unique voice. Whether appreciating the simple pleasures of nature, or commenting on religion, politics or the arts, his observations are incisive, funny, and yet always meaningful.

Untold Stories, Alan Bennett's first major collection of prose since his bestselling Writing Home, brings together the finest and funniest of prose since his bestselling Writing Home, brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years. Two recordings feature selected material from Untold Stories: Part 1: Stories contains the title piece, and Part 2: The Diaries (also available from BBC Audio) covers Alan Bennett's much-celebrated diaries for 1997-2004. Part 1: Stories Untold Stories is a poignant family memoir recalling the marriage of Alan's parents, the lives and deaths of his aunts and the uncovering of a long-held family secret. At times heartrending, and at others extremely funny, Untold Stories is a matchless and unforgettable journey into Alan Bennett's past.

Michael Gambon is Guy Burgess and Penelope Wilton the actress Coral Browne in Bennett's re-telling of a real-life incident. Whilst touring 'Hamlet' Moscow with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1958, Browne is astonished to have Burgess appear in her dressing room. Having disappeared from England in 1951 together with fellow diplomat Donald Maclean, spy Burgess is a wanted man. Bennett's take on the encounter is both poignant and comic, and the play examines his life in exile, his love of England and his even greater love of Russia. This full-cast dramatisation was originally broadcast on BBC World Service.

A quirky, wry and ironic tale about the Ransomes who have been burgled. Everything has gone, even the toilet paper, and for the stuffy solicitor and his wife it marks a turning point.

Alan Bennett reads all four parts of his highly-acclaimed Untold Stories, now available for the first time in one collection.Untold Stories Part 1: Stories A poignant family memoir recalling the marriage of Alans parents, the lives and deaths of his aunts and the uncovering of a long-held family secret.Untold Stories Part 2: The Diaries Alan Bennetts diaries are an erudite collection of witty yet moving recollections told in his unique voice. Whether appreciating the simple pleasures of nature, or commenting on religion, politics or the arts, his observations are incisive, funny and always meaningful.Untold Stories Part 3: Written on the BodyFive more extracts from Untold Stories reflect Alan Bennetts childhood and schooldays.Untold Stories Part 4: A Common AssaultThree further chapters include some more reminiscences from Alans life and an essay on the class system.Alan Bennetts major collection of prose brings together the finest and funniest of his writing from 19972004.

Forty Years On & A Woman of No Importance This version of Alan Bennett's popular stage play, starring Sir John Gielgud, Alan Bennett and Paul Eddington, is paired with one of his famous monologues starring Patricia Routledge as Margaret.

A poignant, gently humorous tale from the master storyteller Alan Bennett. It is set in a Northern hospital and comedy is mixed with farce and family relationships are revealed in a throw-away sentence. It tells of the life and death struggle of a father and son (with Aunt Kitty hovering in the background) is by turns comic and tragic - and always recognisably real.

Alan Bennett stars in a new production of his own acclaimed satrical comedy, thirty years after its original West End debut. The Headmaster has been at Albion House for fifty years, man and boy. Now he is retiring and takes part in the end-of-year entertainment for the last time. Entitled Speak For England, Arthur, it weaves together a multi-generational story of England: the glorious era at the turn of the century, when the summers were always golden; the fast-living inter-war years peopled by the Bloomsbury Group; and the growing cynicism of a country going to war twice in so many decades. Tongue-in-cheek, the play-within-a-play prompts an outraged response from the Headmaster, who can only see his beloved standards being mocked. Yet within the parody lies an almost-painful nostalgia for a more peaceful age and the timeless misunderstanding of one generation by another. Clever, funny and poignant, Alan Bennett's masterful play is rightly regarded as a modern classic. Starring Alan Bennett and Eleanor Bron

Alan Bennett, master storyteller, reads four of his highly-acclaimed stories. The Lady in the Van - An eccentric old lady and her van are told to move on by the council, but a kind homeowner invites her to live in his garden. In this bizarre tale, the homeowner is Alan Bennett and the woman stays for fifteen years. As heard on BBC Radio 4, this edition also includes the short story, Uncle Clarence. The Clothes They Stood Up In - The Ransomes have been burgled, robbed, cleaned out. Everything has gone, even the toilet paper. But, for the stuffy solicitor and his downtrodden wife, it marks a kind of liberation where nothing will ever be quite the same. The Laying On of Hands - A darkly humorous story for our times in which the fragile state of celebrity encounters a universal leveller. Father! Father! Burning Bright - Midgley determines not to let his dying father down and mounts a vigil by his bedside. Whether comical or quirky, Alan Bennett's poignant stories are rightly regarded as modern classics.

Alan Bennett's new, award-winning play as heard on BBC Radio 3 features the National Theatre cast. After a sell-out national tour and an extended stage run, Alan Bennett's phenomenally successful play transfers to BBC Radio 3. Richard Griffiths, Clive Merrison and Frances de la Tour star as part of the National Theatre cast. At a boys' grammar school in Sheffield, eight boys are being coached for the Oxbridge entrance exams. It is the mid-eighties, and the main concern of the unruly bunch of bright sixth-formers is getting out, starting university - and starting life. At the heart of The History Boys are four characters, each with contrasting outlooks on teaching and school: Hector, an eccentric English teacher with no interest in exams; Irwin, a young supply teacher who sees history as 'entertainment'; Mrs Lintott, a traditionalist, who teaches 'history, not histrionics'; and a Headmaster obsessed with results. Described as 'the richest play Bennett has ever written' (Financial Times), staff-room rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence collide in an intensely moving and thought-provoking play. Winner of the Olivier, Evening Standard, Critics' Circle and South Bank Show Awards for Best New Play.

New Radio 4 adaptations of two Alan Bennett plays originally performed at the National Theatre and later adapted for TV: An Englishman Abroad and A Question of Attribution. In An Englishman Abroad, double-agent Guy Burgess is confined to a squalid flat in 1950s Moscow. When actress Coral Browne arrives, Guy is eager to know about English society gossip, and cajoles her into taking home measurements for a new pinstripe from his London tailor. A Question of Attribution sees Professor Anthony Blunt respected as a pillar of the Establishment. Knighted in 1956, he holds the position of Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures. He is perfectly at home in the corridors of Buckingham Palace, where HM The Queen finds him replacing one of her favourite Titians. The painting is a fake, but Her Majesty may also be aware that her enigmatic servant is not what he seems...

Talking Heads is a complete collection of Bennett's six masterful monologues, performed by the authour and five of Britain's leading actresses. In these compelling pieces, Bennett displays the wry observation, knowing irony and tender misunderstement that have ensured his rightful place at the forefront of contemporary writing.

In these six new pieces Alan Bennett retains the gripping stories, intensity of delivery and masterly style of his original monologues. The suburban normality of the world his characters inhabit once again belies their lives of secrets, revelations, fears, crimes and passions. They tell their stories, and in doing so reveal more than they know of the humour, passion and sadness of their lives. Alongside the original pieces, these superb monologues form one of the great contributions to television drama. Included in this collection is: Miss Fozzard Finds her Feet, with Patricia Routledge The Hand of God, withEileen Atkins Playing Sandwiches, withDavid Haig The Outside Dog, withJulie Walters Nights in the Gardens of Spain, with Penelope Wilton Waiting for the Telegram, with Thora Hird

Ten childhood snapshots from the master of the monologue: A STRIP OF BLUE, PROPER NAMES, OUR WAR, EATING OUT, AN IDEAL HOME, AUNT EVELINE, A SHY BUTCHER, UNSAID PRAYERS, DAYS OUT, NO MEAN CITY Following on from the phenomenal success of Writing Home, Alan Bennett reminisces about his early years - from his schooldays to undergraduate life at Oxford University. It was an ordinary childhood - growing up in Leeds taught Alan early on that 'life is generally something that happens elsewhere'. Yet the children who long for German bombs to lend their city some wartime glamour; the working class mother who reads Ideal Home and dreams of coffee mornings and cocktail parties; and 18-year-old Alan - a practising Anglican who is deeply distrustful of God, strike a chord within all of us. In fact, it is their very ordinariness that makes these tales so special - combined, of course, with the wry observation and tender understatement that have earned Alan Bennett his place at the forefront of contemporary writing.

Alan Bennett's brand new short story, published in the London Review of Books in May 2001 and then by Profile Books in September, is read here by the author. Clive has died young, in Peru and in crucumstances which make some of his many friends uneasy. The congregation gathered for his memorial service is unexpectedly distinguished; amongst the well-known faces and household names are pop stars, actors, politicians and even members of the government.So how come they all knew Clive - and why does his death make so many of them anxious?It's only when Clive's friends in the congreation begin to stand up and share their memories of the dead man that a number of uncomfortable truths are revealed.

When the Queen chases a straying corgi through the grounds of Buckingham Palace, she happens upon the City of Westminster travelling library, and begins a journey of discovery.

Alan Bennett's three classic BBC Radio full-cast dramas: Kafka's Dick, Forty Years On and An Englishman Abroad. Kafka's Dick - Alison Steadman, Richard Griffiths and Nigel Anthony star in this BBC Radio 4 version of Alan Bennett's acclaimed comedy drama, described by the Daily Telegraph's Gillian Reynolds as 'Pure joy'. Bennett's brilliantly clever comedy not only examines the relationship between life and art, but also asks what was Kafka's embarrassing little problem? Forty Years On - Alan Bennett stars in the production of his own acclaimed satirical comedy about a headmaster of Albion House who is retiring and takes part in the end-of-year entertainment for the last time. It also stars Robert Bathurst and Eleanor Bron. An Englishman Abroad - Michael Gambon and Penelope Wilton star as Guy Burgess and Coral Browne in this BBC Radio full-cast drama based on a real-life chance encounter in 1958 between the world famous spy and a Shakespearean actress. Clever, funny and poignant, Alan Bennett's masterful plays are rightly regarded as modern classics.

Three classic Alan Bennett adaptations, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and released on CD for the first time. A Visit from Miss Prothero: Since Mr Dodsworth retired, he has had all the time in the world. Then he has a visitor from his old firm Miss Prothero, who is eager to tell him all the news... Say Something Happened: A naive, inexperienced social worker calls on an elderly couple but does she need more help than they do? Two in Torquay: A middle-aged man and a middle-aged woman engage in polite conversation ina hotel on the Cornish Riviera. But neither is quite who they appear to be.Who is deceiving whom? Amusing, ironic and affectionate, these three adaptations feature Hugh Lloyd,Patricia Routledge, Judi Dench, Thora Hird, Brian Wilde, Imelda Staunton and Alan Bennett himself.

Alan Bennett reads five more extracts from Untold Stories, his major collection of new writings Untold Stories, Alan Bennetts first major collection of prose since his bestselling Writing Home, brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years. Following on from Untold Stories: Part 1: Stories and Part 2: The Diaries (also available from BBC Audiobooks), Part 3: Written on the Body is both a reflection on Alan Bennetts childhood and schooldays and a meditation on writing. Written on the Body is a sideways look at Bennetts schooldays at Leeds Modern School, and a recollection of the growing pains of puberty. Seeing Stars is a nostalgic view of the movies of the Forties, seen by Bennett and his family in any one of the half a dozen cinemas in their district in Leeds, including the Western, the Clifton, the Picturedrome and the Lyric. Finally, Staring Out of the Window lets us into Bennetts creative process, which apparently consists of a good deal of ... well... staring out of the window. Alan Bennetts television series Talking Heads has become a modern-day classic, as have many of his works for the stage, including Forty Years On, The Lady in the Van, The Madness of George III (together with the Oscar-nominated screenplay The Madness of King George) and an adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. The History Boys won the Evening Standard and Critics Circle awards for Best Play, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, the South Bank Award and six Tony Awards.

Alan Bennett reads three further chapters from Untold Stories, his major collection of new writings Untold Stories, Alan Bennetts first major collection of prose since his bestselling Writing Home, brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years. After Untold Stories: Part 1: Stories, Part 2: The Diaries and Part 3: Written on the Body, Part 4: A Common Assault contains two more reminiscences from Bennetts life and an essay on the class system. A Common Assault describes an incident in Italy when he was mugged, and found himself trying to give a statement to the police in bad Italian. The History Boys harks back once more to Bennetts time at school, and shows how the raw material of experience was eventually transformed into the highly-acclaimed stage play The History Boys. Arise, Sir..., finishes on a light-hearted note, in which Bennett muses on the Honours List in typically iconoclastic mode. Alan Bennetts television series Talking Heads has become a modern-day classic, as have many of his works for the stage, including Forty Years On, The Lady in the Van, The Madness of George III (together with the Oscar-nominated screenplay The Madness of King George) and an adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. The History Boys won the Evening Standard and Critics Circle awards for Best Play, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, the South Bank Award and six Tony Awards.

Fill My Stocking is a collection of Christmas stories and poems from Alan Titchmarsh. A great raconteur and entertainer, Alan gets together every Christmas with family and friends to celebrate the season and performs much-loved favourites old and new. Fill My Stocking combines these well-known favourites with his own self-penned festive pieces. Collected together for the first time, this is the perfect stocking filler for his legions of fans.

An extraordinary tale of desire, betrayal and death from Britains longest running and best loved radio serial. Wealthy, philandering gentleman farmer Brian Aldridge embarked on a casual fling with freelance translator Siobhan Hathaway, but what ensued was the most explosive affair in the history of Ambridge. After a series of secret trysts, Siobhan got pregnant,and the whole affair came out into the open. Although devastated, Brians wife Jennifer stood by her man, and promised to forgive him as long as his mistress left Ambridge forever. Siobhan embarked on a new life in Germany taking with her baby Ruari, the son that Brian had always wanted. For a while, it seemed as though the Aldridge family could get back to normal:until Siobhan returned with devastating news that looked set to turn everyones lives upside down... For the Archers faithful and those who are joining the residents of Ambridge for the first time, this epic saga makes for compelling listening.

The rivalry of the Grundy brothers Will and Ed over Emma Carter brings about a car crash, a wedding, a family feud, a divorce, a paternity dispute over baby George and other dramatic disasters.Pub landlord Sid Perks' keep-fit gym regime leads to an affair with country and western singer Jolene Rogers. Following Sid's divorce from Kathy, Jolene moves into the Bull. An unlikely but hugely successful partnership, with the Bull transformed by Jolene and her teenage daughter, Fallon, to win the Best Pub in Borsetshire Award.Wealthy, philandering gentleman farmer Brian Aldridge embarks on an intense affair with translator Siobhan, wife of GP Tim Hathaway. The Hathaways divorce, Siobhan gives birth to Brian's son, but the Aldridge's marriage survives. This story is not over yet and there will be a dramatic denouement around about Easter 2007.

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a brilliant criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories. These fairies are armed and they are dangerous. Artemis thinks he's got them just where he wants them, but then they stop playing by the rule

Sir Henry Baskerville is bequeathed an eerie estate on the moors which has a legend attached to it of a mysterious hound. At first this is dismissed as nonsense, but when a murder occurs Sir Henry wisely sends for the omnisient Holmes. The setting of the moors provides a mysterious and gloomy background for Conan Doyle's novel and it takes all of Sherlock Holmes' powers of reasoning to work out what lies behind the mysterious legend. Clive Merrison stars as Holmes with Michael Williams as Watson in this adventure, part of the unique fully dramatised BBC canon of Conan Doyle's short stories and novels featuring the world-famous sleuth.

Once a year, Mary Morstan receives an anonymous package containing a magnificent costly pearl. Aware that the gifts are somehow connected to the disappearance of her father ten years previously, she is both intrigued and frightened by the arrival of a letter summoning her for a meeting in the dead of night. Accompanied by Holmes and Watson, Mary embarks on a quest which is to lead them through the dark heart of the city, to a one-legged man and an incredible tale of greed and revenge. Clive Merrison stars as Holmes with Michael Williams as Watson in this adventure, part of the unique fully dramatised BBC canon of Conan Doyle's short stories and novels featuring the world-famous sleuth

Original soundtrack to the popular Life On Mars spin-off, packed full of 80's gems! 1 Introduction (Dialogue) Alex Drake - Various Artist 2 Ashes To Ashes - David Bowie 3 Fade To Grey - Visage 4 Love Action - The Human League 5 Girls On Film - Duran Duran 6 Geno - Dexys Midnight Runners 7 Souvenir - OMD 8 No More Heroes - The Stranglers 9 I Fought The Law - The Clash 10 (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing - Heaven 17 11 Interlude (Dialogue) You're Nicked - Various Artist 12 Gene Genie - Edmund Butt 13 In Love With A German Film Star - The Passions 14 Happy Birthday - Altered Images 15 It's Different For Girls - Joe Jackson 16 Money - Flying Lizards 17 Doors Of Your Heart - The Beat 18 Staring At The Rude Boys - The Ruts 19 Reward - The Teardrop Explodes 20 Swords Of A Thousand Men - Tenpole Tudor 21 Let's Stick Together - Bryan Ferry 22 Vienna - Ultravox 23 Title Music From 'Ashes To Ashes' - Edmund Butt 24 Epilogue (Dialogue) Fandabydozy - Various Artist

More anecdotes, poems and sketches from one of the nations most popular poets. Just over thirty years ago, a little-known poet named Pam Ayres made her debuton the ITV talent show Opportunity Knocks. Since then, she has taken the nationby storm, entertaining millions of people with her books, stage shows and radio and television appearances. Her first BBC Radio 4 series, Ayres on the Air, was a huge success, and this second series proves to be every bit as droll and delightful. A mix of comic poetry, sketches, and observations on life, each programme is themed around a different subject:Fame, Animals, Travel,Motherhood, The Old Days and Food. Here are much-loved poems such as Do You Think Bruce Springsteen would Fancy Me? Im Going to Be Surgically Enhanced, Clamp the Mighty Limpet, How Can That Be My Baby?, The Dolly on the Dustcart, With These Hands and Thoughts of a Late-Night Knitter; and sketches about the frustration of calling rail enquiry lines, cracking the art of text messaging, and trying to stick to a diet. These six programmes show the inimitable Pam Ayres at her warmest and wittiest, and are guaranteed to amuse and delight her many fans.

On CD for the first time, this fantastic full-cast radio adventure comes from esteemed producer Dirk Maggs, director of Superman: Doomsday and Beyond and the recent radio episodes of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Batman has been crippled by his fiercest foe ever, Bane: a villain of superhuman strength, cunning and evil. With Bruce Wayne confined to a wheelchair, who will protect the innocent from the dangerous inmates of Arkham Asylum, whom Bane has released? This stunning audio production was first aired on BBC Radio 1. The cliffhanging, all-action adventure can now be heard uninterrupted - dazzling sound effects, specially composed orchestral music and all. You've never heard a comic sound like this!

Michael Sheen, Kenneth Cranham and Juliet Stevenson star in the best-known and most powerful tragedy of modern times. BBC Radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. Each word of this production builds a picture of the richness and complexity of Shakespeare's characters. Those decades of experience come to fruition in this production. The intimacy of radio gives full rein to the power of Shakespeare's language, taking the listener into the very centre of Hamlet's emotional and moral turmoil. The play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre, and the accompanying booklet includes a scene-by-scene synopsis, full character analysis, brief biographies of the leading actors and of Shakespeare himself, as well as an essay from the producer on their interpretation of the play. Revitalised, original and comprehensive - this is Shakespeare for the new millennium.

Richard Eyre directs Ken Stott as Macbeth and Phyllis Logan as Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's dramatic tale of greed and destiny. BBC Radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. In the acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre, and comes with an accompanying booklet which includes a scene-by-scene synopsis, full character analyses, brief biographies of the leading actors and of Shakespeare himself, as well as an essay from the producer on their interpretation of the play. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the new millennium.

John Betjeman reads his own poetry in a selection taken from the BBC archives. Sir John Betjeman was one of the best-known and loved Poet Laureates. Even after his death, his popularity continues to garner acclaim and new admirers. Fortunately, he left behind a legacy of poetry readings and performances in the BBC archives that can be enjoyed in this comprehensive collection. Selected from over thirty years of radio and television programmes, this compilation includes the very best of his performances and the most popular of his poems, among them: Metro-land / A Subalterns Lovesong / Diary of a Church Mouse / In a Bath Teashop / Pot Pourri from a Surrey Garden / Youth and Age on Beaulieu River / Trebetherick / Myfanwy at Oxford / Back from Australia / Death at Leamington

This BBC Radio 4 series is written and presented by Bill Bryson and based on his best-selling book 'Mother Tongue'. In it he romps through the history of Britain to reveal how English became such an infuriatingly complex - but ultimately world-beating - language. The subject areas covered in the course of the six episodes (originally broadcast as 'Mother Tongue') include the arrival of the Angles and the Saxons, the rules which brought order to a disorderly language, the million and one ways to have fun with the English language, the struggle with phrasal verbs (and the way things often get lost in the translation) and the future of English - does Estuary English Rule OK?

Track Listings: 1. Queen - Don't Stop Me Now 2. Dexys - Come On Eileen 3. Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough 4. Jimmy Cliff - You Can Get it if you Really Want 5. Dave & Ansil Collins - Double Barrel 6. Kenny Rogers - The Gambler 7. Johnny Nash - Cupid 8. Elvis Costello - Brilliant Mistake 9. The Smiths - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side 10. Alison Moyet - Invisible 11. The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way 12. The Real Thing - Can You Feel The Force 13. Diana Ross/Supremes/Temptations -I'm Gonna Make You Love Me 14. Gabrielle - Should I Stay 15. 10cc - I'm Not in Love 16. Yazoo - Only You 17. Terence Trent D'Arby - Sign Your Name 18. Billy Idol - White Wedding 19. Mud - The Secrets That You Keep 20. Sandi Shaw - There's Always Something There to Remind Me 21. Rob Lane - Blackpool Theme

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Evelyn Waugh's stunning, tragi-comic novel of the lives, loves and mores of the English aristocracy. The action moves between 1944 and 1923, to tell the story of Charles Ryder and his infatuation with the decadent Sebastian Flyte.

Set on an idyllic Greek island, the story of an Italian army captain's love affair during World War II is a bestselling novel. The rustic charm contrasts dramatically with the horror of war in this reading by Robert Powell, first heard on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime, which won a Talkie Award for Best Abridged Modern Fiction. 'Not to be missed.' - (Daily Telegraph)

Clive Merrison stars as Holmes with Michael Williams as Watson in these adventures, part of the unique fully dramatised BBC canon of Conan Doyle's short stories and novels featuring the world-famous sleuth. Includes The Lion's Mane, The Veiled Lodger, Shoscombe Old Place and The Retired Colourman.

Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective is one of the most enduringly popular sleuths of all time. It is with great pride that the BBC Radio Collection has been able to publish, for what we believe to be the first time on audio, all the Arthur Conan Doyle stories and novels featuring Holmes & Watson. Our eighteen-volume series has the consistency of the same team of directors, producers, dramatisers and leading actors - Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson. Acclaim for the series has been widespread: ""A remarkable undertaking - the dramatisation of all 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories.. Applauding them, and particularly Clive Merrison's Holmes, made my hands sore."" Peter Davalle, The Times. This box set, containing all eighteen volumes, is a highly collectable item for the many devotees of Sherlock Holmes. The box also includes a book written by the series' dramatiser, Bert Coules, which takes a look behind the scenes at the highs and lows that came with the undertaking of such an enormous project.

Ariadne Oliver, Queen of Crime Fiction, has been asked to devise a Murder Hunt for a fte at Nasse House, the home of Sir George Stubbs. But she begins to suspect that someone is manipulating the scenario of her game and fears that something very sinister is being planned. She sends for her old friend Hercule Poirot. At first he is not inclined to take her very seriously but soon a series of events propels him to change his mind. Then suddenly all Ariadnes worst fears are realised when the girl playing the partof the murder victim is found strangled in the boat-house. For Hercule Poirot,the Murder Hunt has become a grim reality. A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective, with Julia McKenzie as Ariadne Oliver.

Ellis Peters was awarded the Crime Writers' Association and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for her medieval whodunnits. Philip Madoc stars as Brother Cadfael, priest-turned-sleuth, solving mysteries in Shrewsbury in a series of BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations that teem with twelfth-century suspense. In Dead Man's Ransom, Brother Cadfael is drawn from the peace of the Abbey to the civil war raging in the outside world and uncovers a tale of mystery, murder, romance and deceit.

Captain Richard Barton, late of the Commandos, made his radio debut on the Light Programme in 1946 and quickly went on to become Britain's most popular hero. This is the 1972 re-make of the very first adventure of the radio legend.

A BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of Dick Francis's thriller novel, starring Frances Matthews, Caroline Blakison and Mark Colleano. The unexpected arrival of a new apprentice jockey at his father's racing stables heralds the beginning of a series of dark happenings for Neil Griffon. First his father suffers a grisly accident, then Neil is brutally assaulted and abducted. The price for his freedom will mean the betrayal and deception of those who trust Griffon most. But he has no choice: a no-compromise crime czar has made an ultimatum - that his own eighteen-year-old son be hired by Griffon's stables to ride the superstar horse, Archangel, in the Derby. And the young man must be trained to win. Or else....

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Dick Francis' thriller novel. The unexpected arrival of a new apprentice jockey at his father's racing stables heralds the beginning of a series of dark happenings for Neil Griffon. But even dark threats, violence and cold-blooded murder fail to deter him from taking control and running things his way.

This full-cast audio dramatisation of Gaudy Night has been specially recorded for BBC Radio Collection. Ian Carmichael is reprising his famous role as Lord Peter Wimsey, which he has played on both television and radio. When Harriet Vane attends her Oxford reunion, known as the 'Gaudy,' the prim academic setting is haunted by a rash of bizarre pranks: scrawled obsentities, burnt effigies and poison-pen letters - including one that says, 'Ask your boyfriend with the title if he likes arsenic in his soup.' Some of the notes threaten murder; all are perfectly ghastly; yet in spite of their scurrilous nature, all are perfectly worded. And Harriet finds herself ensnared in a nightmare of romance and terror, with only the tiniest shreds of clues to challenge her powers of detection - and those of her paramour, Lord Peter Wimsey.

The elegant, intelligent amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey is one of detective literature's most popular creations. Ian Carmichael is the personification of Dorothy L. Sayers' charming investigator in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Lord Peter Wimsey, man about town and amateur sleuth, and his man Bunter, are drawn into a series of intreguing incidents after being stranded in the remote village of Fenchurch St. Paul. What is the identity of the grotesquely disfigured corpse found in the church-yard? Who murdered him and why? Perhaps the Fenchurch bells hold their own answers to the mystery...?

The elegant, intelligent amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey is one of detective literature's most popular creations. Ian Carmichael is the personification of Dorothy L. Sayers' charming investigator in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Society's eligable women are in mourning - Lord Peter Wimsey has married at last. Having finally succeeded in his ardent pursuit of the lovely Harriet Vane they depart for a tranquil honeymoon in a country farmhouse. But the couple's newly wedded peace is shattered when the dead body of the previous owner is found in the cellar. Why would anyone have wanted to kill old Mr Noakes? What dark secrets was he hiding?

The elegant, intelligent amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey is one of detective literature's most popular creations. Ian Carmichael is the personification of Dorothy L. Sayers' charming investigator in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. When Sandy Campbell's body is found at the foot of a cliff near the small town of Kircdubright, the local constabulary are convinced that the argumentative painter is a victim of a tragic accident. But when Lord Peter Wimsey turns up, the hunt begins for an ingenious killer. Faced with six men, all of whom have a motive for murder, the aristocratic amateur sleuth must deduce which are the five red herrings and which has blood on his hands.

The elegant, intelligent amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey is one of detective literature's most popular creations. Ian Carmichael is the personification of Dorothy L. Sayers' charming investigator, with Maria Aitken as his companion Harriet Vane, in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Two years after the trial for the murder of her lover, the blaze of publicity surrounding mystery writer Harriet Vane has begun to die away and Harriet decides it's time for a break. But the peace of a North Devon walking tour is rudely shattered when she discovers the body of a man on the beach, his throat slit from ear to ear. The moment the story breaks Harriet's old friend Lord Peter Wimsey is on the scene to lend his powers of detection. Can the two of them discover who the murderer is?

The elegant, intelligent amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey is one of detective literature's most popular creations. Ian Carmichael is the personification of Dorothy L. Sayers' charming investigator in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. When copywriter Victor Dean falls to his death on the stairs of Pym's Advertising Agency, no one seems to mind. That is, until Lord Peter joins the firm incognito as Dean's replacement and starts asking questions which lead him into a network of blackmailers, drug pushers and one of the most deadly plots of crime fiction. However, before the crimes can be solved and the truth revealed, five more people must die...