Get Your Free Audiobook
-
The Edgar Allan Poe BBC Radio Collection
- The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Works
- Narrated by: Andrew Scott, Clarke Peters, full cast, James Fleet, Kerry Shale, Sean Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
People who bought this also bought...
-
Troy
- The Siege of Troy Retold
- Written by: Stephen Fry
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 68
The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against the city of Troy, to which they will lay siege for 10 whole and very bloody years. It is Zeus, the king of the gods, who triggers the war when he asks the Trojan prince Paris to judge the fairest goddess of them all. Aphrodite bribes Paris with the heart of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of the Greeks, and naturally, nature takes its course.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful
- By Anonymous User on 11-11-20
-
Animal Farm
- Written by: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 217
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 188
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 187
Animal Farm is George Orwell's great socio-political allegory set in a farmyard where the animals decide to seize the farmer's land and create a co-operative that reaps the benefits of their combined labours. However, as with all great political plans, some animals see a bigger share of the rewards than others and the animals start to question their supposed utopia.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
phenomenal story, extra ordinary narration!!
- By Prashant Nigam on 26-11-18
-
Mythos
- Written by: Stephen Fry
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 368
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 321
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 320
The Greek myths are amongst the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney. They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West. You'll fall in love with Zeus, marvel at the birth of Athena, wince at Cronus and Gaia's revenge on Ouranos, weep with King Midas and hunt with the beautiful and ferocious Artemis.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic
- By Rahul Bengali on 24-04-19
-
1984
- Written by: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 175
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 157
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 157
Big Brother is watching you.... 1984 is the year in which it happens. The world is divided into three superstates. In Oceania, the Party’s power is absolute. Every action, word, gesture and thought is monitored under the watchful eye of Big Brother and the Thought Police. In the Ministry of Truth, the Party’s department for propaganda, Winston Smith’s job is to edit the past. Over time, the impulse to escape the machine and live independently takes hold of him and he embarks on a secret and forbidden love affair.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gripping!
- By Gaurav on 09-02-19
-
Ready Player One
- Written by: Ernest Cline
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 135
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 126
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 126
It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Long but mostly captivating
- By Gaurav Bhandari on 17-10-19
-
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 730
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 636
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 635
One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Stephen Fry is THE best narrator. Period.
- By Anonymous User on 05-05-20
-
Troy
- The Siege of Troy Retold
- Written by: Stephen Fry
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 68
The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against the city of Troy, to which they will lay siege for 10 whole and very bloody years. It is Zeus, the king of the gods, who triggers the war when he asks the Trojan prince Paris to judge the fairest goddess of them all. Aphrodite bribes Paris with the heart of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of the Greeks, and naturally, nature takes its course.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful
- By Anonymous User on 11-11-20
-
Animal Farm
- Written by: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 217
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 188
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 187
Animal Farm is George Orwell's great socio-political allegory set in a farmyard where the animals decide to seize the farmer's land and create a co-operative that reaps the benefits of their combined labours. However, as with all great political plans, some animals see a bigger share of the rewards than others and the animals start to question their supposed utopia.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
phenomenal story, extra ordinary narration!!
- By Prashant Nigam on 26-11-18
-
Mythos
- Written by: Stephen Fry
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 368
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 321
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 320
The Greek myths are amongst the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney. They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West. You'll fall in love with Zeus, marvel at the birth of Athena, wince at Cronus and Gaia's revenge on Ouranos, weep with King Midas and hunt with the beautiful and ferocious Artemis.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic
- By Rahul Bengali on 24-04-19
-
1984
- Written by: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 175
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 157
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 157
Big Brother is watching you.... 1984 is the year in which it happens. The world is divided into three superstates. In Oceania, the Party’s power is absolute. Every action, word, gesture and thought is monitored under the watchful eye of Big Brother and the Thought Police. In the Ministry of Truth, the Party’s department for propaganda, Winston Smith’s job is to edit the past. Over time, the impulse to escape the machine and live independently takes hold of him and he embarks on a secret and forbidden love affair.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gripping!
- By Gaurav on 09-02-19
-
Ready Player One
- Written by: Ernest Cline
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 135
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 126
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 126
It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Long but mostly captivating
- By Gaurav Bhandari on 17-10-19
-
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Written by: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 730
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 636
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 635
One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Stephen Fry is THE best narrator. Period.
- By Anonymous User on 05-05-20
Publisher's Summary
Edgar Allan Poe's most celebrated stories, as heard on BBC Radio - plus bonus documentaries and two thrilling original dramas.
The master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe has inspired generations of horror writers with his chilling Gothic tales and is also credited with inventing the detective fiction genre in 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'.
This radio collection features five of his classic tales - 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'The Tell-Tale Heart', 'The Oblong Box', 'The Fall of the House of Usher' and 'The Masque of the Red Death', read by David Horovitch, Brian Gear, James Aubrey, Sean Barrett and Don Gilet. Also included is his renowned poem 'The Raven', read by Patrick Romer.
Here, too, are adaptations of Poe's suspenseful story of piracy and slavery, 'The Gold Bug', starring Clarke Peters and Rhashan Stone, and his pioneering mystery story 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue', starring James Fleet and Andrew Scott.
Radio 3's The Essay: Loving the Raven sees Poe enthusiasts Andrew Taylor, Joanne Harris, Louise Welsh, Mark Lawson and Kim Newman discussing the author's enduring legacy and cult status, while in Adventures in Poetry: The Raven, Peggy Reynolds explores Poe's most iconic work.
Also included are two original dramas featuring Poe himself. Obsessed by a woman's unsolved murder, Edgar Allan Poe is presented with a disturbing revelation on the night before his death in Peter Mackie's The Real Mystery of Marie Roget, starring Ed Bishop. And in Christopher Cook's The Strange Case of Edgar Allan Poe, starring Kerry Shale and John Moffatt, Poe's famous detective C. Auguste Dupin investigates the bizarre death of his creator.
Content warning: 'The Gold Bug' is set in a time when slavery was still prevalent in America and contains racist language from that era.
Track listing:
- 'The Pit and the Pendulum'
- 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
- 'The Oblong Box'
- 'The Fall of the House of Usher'
- 'The Masque of the Red Death'
- 'The Raven'
- 'The Gold Bug'
- 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'
- The Essay: Loving the Raven
- Adventures in Poetry: The Raven
- The Real Mystery of Marie Roget
- The Strange Case of Edgar Allan Poe
More from the same
What listeners say about The Edgar Allan Poe BBC Radio Collection
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Ginevra
- 14-02-21
3 hours of Poe, 4 hours of essays/adaptations
Take a careful look at the table of contents before spending on this recording. More than half the audiotape is either underwhelming essays on Poe, or stories written by completely different authors (in the same genre). There's a few genuine Poe stories (averaging 10-15 minutes each). But the only two that are substantial are Fall of the House of Usher (1 hr) and Murders in the Rue Morgue (30 min, which was performed well). You might think that the Gold Bug is included, however the story does not just dramatize but significantly re-writes this story (to the point of reversing the actual ending!). It is regrettable, because the Gold Bug actors reading for the story were the best part of this audiobook. But performance aside, the degree of liberty taken with Poe's content are such that it really should have been called an adaptation or "inspired by the story of Edgar Allan Poe.." Good or no, it's no longer Poe's work. The performances of other stories are ok , but not better than other recordings available. None of the essays were of any interest to me. This was a disappointment, I expected better from the BBC.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- ReadingWild
- 21-10-20
Not the usual...
There are many so many versions of Poe's work out there but this is different, it contains biography, drama, readings and fascinating critical discussions of this seminal authors work, it's really essential for the Poe devotee
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Christopher Snazell
- 10-12-20
Remarkably Light On Content By Poe
Majority of content not written by Poe.
The readings were good but the dramatisations were really poor.
Parachuting another author's detective into The Murders of The Rue Morgue was too much for me. I suspect it was supposed to be clever but in reality it was lazy & slapdash .
1 person found this helpful