Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in Literature & Fiction

When Stuart is made redundant from his post as an advisor at Rayleigh Job Centre, he finds it hard to let go. Losing his job is tough enough, but worse than that is losing his chance of finally forging a relationship with his colleague, senior job seeker Nicola, who he's been yearning for ever since their one-night stand seven years ago. Queuing up to sign on, he finds himself reunited with his old school mates Joe and Terry, who he thought he outgrew years ago. They're delighted to have him back in their gang and are soon far too busy to find a job.

In these globally unprecedented times, Ed is also experiencing new and unusual circumstances. For the first time in 20 years, he's financially independent thanks to the timely arrival of his state pension, and living in a stylish, newly affordable 'capsule urban living unit' (a former office space converted into a flat). He has the luxury of three (organic) meals a day, all the premier catfood Edgar can eat, and even a new car - as well as free time to devote himself to his own long-cherished projects.

18 biographical dramas based on the lives and loves of celebrated writers. 

Gerald C Potter is the proud author of Death in the Arboretum, described by the Bournemouth Echo as 'well-written'. He works hard on his books, and worries about every comma, adjective and unfortunate typo, but somehow, he never seems to get very much done. However, his wife and fellow novelist, Diana (aka Magnolia Badminton), is positively prolific - much to his chagrin. These four series recount his daily activities and struggles for inspiration.

Ten mind-altering tales from some of the best new drama writers. There's a crack in reality. Our world has brushed up against another, and something is breaking through. Ordinary people are experiencing strange disruptions, as inexplicable events and bizarre elements from the other side start to interfere with their lives.... 

Ex-army officer Bradley Shoreham is a war game expert. As a soldier, he created a host of mock conflict exercises simulating various disasters - and now, as a civilian, he does it for a living. His scenarios may be fictional, but they're authentic: and that's exactly what the governments and corporations who employ him pay big money for. But as the participants are about to find out, his games can have real, deadly consequences.... 

Not long after their mother's death, sisters Maureen and Lesley are packing up their family home. It's a painful duty, with Maureen trying to control the worst of Lesley's projectile lamenting. Then a strange man knocks at the door and introduces himself as David Johnson, a friend of Maureen's neighbour. He'd like to view the house if they are thinking of selling - which Maureen definitely is.

This series of puzzles is explored in a six-part thriller starring David Ashton, Stella Forge, Vivienne Dixon and Ian Stewart. From Edward Boyd, the author of The Same River Twice, The Candle of Darkness and Castles in Spain.

North London barber's shop Tony's might not be the trendiest salon in town, but it's definitely the cheapest and the cheeriest. Run by exuberant Italian Tony Fucetti, it's the place to go if you want a bargain cut and blow-dry from apprentice Maisie, or a short back and sides courtesy of Scottish hairdresser Hector (just watch out for his razor).

Aboard the Carthena, on its way from Sydney to Southampton, a passenger walks on the dark deck, unaware his death is only seconds away. It's a death which will set in motion a criminal investigation stretching from England to Australia. 

In this BBC radio full-cast dramatisation of Jane Austen's last fully completed novel, Anne Elliot gets a second chance at love. Anne was persuaded out of an engagement with the not-yet wealthy Captain Wentworth. The Elliot family are now close to financial ruin and are forced to rent out their family home, while Captain Wentworth has returned after making his fortune at sea. How the tables have turned. 

It's been many years since a certain yellow Edwardian roadster was a key member of personnel at UNIT. As the Doctor's personal transport, Bessie was on the spot for many of his Earthbound adventures. Those were the glory days, when Bessie stood side by side with the Doctor, the Brigadier, Captain Yates and a parade of plucky young assistants. Yet Bessie's remarkable life began decades earlier, at the dawn of a new century, and it has continued beyond the UNIT years. Indomitably she lives to tell the tale, and is only too keen to do so.

Helen and Ben are an upwardly mobile couple climbing the social ladder in suburbia. They have just moved into a semi-detached house but discover that their taste for restoring their home to its original character is not shared by the neighbours....

Adapted from Thomas Keneally’s novel The Playmaker, Our Country’s Good tells the true story of the convicts and marines sent to Australia as part of the first penal colony. An eloquent argument for the redemptive power of theatre, Wertenbaker’s classic drama celebrates the beauty of language – in the slang of the criminal classes and the poetry of the play – and at the same time examines how it is used as an instrument of power.

September 1791. Newly promoted Lieutenant General Jacques Lacroix is transferred from Paris to Amiens, tasked to solve crimes and arrest criminals. But in these days of revolution, it’s increasingly tricky for him to identify the criminals amongst all the agitators, rabble-rousers and counter-revolutionaries. And his job is about to get even harder as he finds himself investigating a slew of grisly murders.... 

In these 26 episodes, a shaky treehouse gets hubby Henry in trouble with the law, the couple's plans for a week free of the children go awry and Jen's money-making plans run into red tape - and worse.... It's all change for the Corners as son Robin wins a scholarship to boarding school, there's a new baby on the way and Henry has a job offer - but can they bear to leave London and move to the countryside? 

What with those dirty Sloanes next door, the men's group meeting upstairs and the stay-at-home dads, we can hardly hear the phone ring - and it could well be Mel's agent offering her a role in something tasteful. Luckily Leslie, the show's resident announcer, is on hand to keep things moving and to introduce the variety aspect of the show: perhaps a tap dance, or Armed Forces sweetheart Edie Trinder, or maybe just one of the celebrity voices in Mel's head. 

Sarah Hargreaves doesn't share her husband Matthew's desire to join the Puritan exiles, but when their son Benjamin is arrested on a trumped-up charge, they have little choice but to go. Things go rapidly from bad to worse and they decide to leave everything behind. Hoping to find peace and like-minded souls in a new religious community in America, they spend everything they have left on a ticket to sail on the Mayflower. 

In these 22 episodes, the team ponders how to revamp tea to make it more dangerous and exciting, wonders why so many men went to ‘mow a meadow’, practises the dark arts with a lightly tossed salad and makes latex representations of a spaniel with the help of children's entertainer Jeremy Lion. Plus, Demis Roussos and Napoleon Bonaparte enter a witness protection scheme in Swanage, a 'ladies man' sings about his suspect personal hygiene, and two travellers stumble upon a very unusual pub quiz.... 

Maria and Richard Reynolds are happily married, but broke. With debts piling up and their house falling down, there’s only one thing for it: they have to start taking in lodgers. Their new housemates are two equally cash-strapped students - Ruby, who’s conscientious and dedicated, and Paul, who finds academic pursuits more of a challenge.