Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in Entertainment & Performing Arts

Henry Normal uses poetry, storytelling and comedy to tackle big subjects with his trademark humour. This collection includes five of his funny and moving BBC Radio 4 shows: 'A Normal Family' is centred around Henry's son, Johnny, who was diagnosed with autism. 'A Normal Life' continues to draw on Henry's experiences of bringing up a child with autism. 'A Normal Love' sees Henry explore love, romance and other unreasonable expectations. 'A Normal Imagination' looks at why humans create. 'A Normal Nature' is an exploration of unsung nature, from the point of view of a busy urban human.

Sophie still lives at home with her mum in Hull. They make a living doing car boot sales at the weekend. Except they don't really make a living because her mum can't bear to get rid of any of their junk. Plus, they don't have a car. As their house gets more cluttered, Sophie feels more trapped. She dreams of moving to London to meet her dad and to become a famous actress. Will this dream ever come true?

In this fourth treasury of rare archive material, our irrepressible hero forms an association to save Fred’s Pie Stall in a newly restored 1959 radio episode of Hancock’s Half Hour. From the BBC TV series comes The Italian Maid (1959), in which Tony and Sid are bowled over by the lovely Silvano. Also included in this treasury are interviews with Paul Merton, Roger Wilmut and Freddie Hancock, who all talk about the life and career of Tony Hancock.

When Charles Paris’ agent rings with the news that he has a part for him in a new musical, Charles is delighted - and somewhat amazed, as he can neither sing nor dance. But Maurice has an ulterior motive: as one of the show’s backers, he wants Charles to play detective and investigate a series of accidents that have dogged the production. The pianist has been shot in the hand, and another cast member fell downstairs - or was he pushed? Anxious about their investment and their star, Chris Watt, the ‘angels’ are keen to ensure that nothing else goes wrong.

Immensely popular and hugely influential, The Goon Show changed the face of British comedy. This 14th and final collection returns to the programme's fourth series and includes the episodes 'The History of Communications', 'The Kippered Herring Gang', 'The Tooth-Paste Expedition', 'The Case of the Vanishing Room', 'The Greatest Mountain in the World', 'Collapse of the British Railways Sandwich System', 'The Case of Agent X2 (aka The Silent Bugler)', 'The Story of Brain [sic] (aka Western Story)', 'The Saga of the Internal Mountain' and 'Bank of England Robbery'.

This third treasury of rare archive material presents another four newly restored radio episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour: ‘The 13th of the Series’ (1957), ‘The Male Suffragettes’ (1958), ‘The Sleepless Night’ (1958) and ‘The Last Bus Home’ (1959). Starring once again alongside Tony Hancock are Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams. Three further editions of the radio hit Calling All Forces, from 1952, feature Hancock as co-compere with Charlie Chester, with a bill featuring Robb Wilton and many other light entertainment stars of the day.

A sparkling collection of specials and spin-offs from the award-winning BBC Radio 4 comedy show, plus two tributes to the legendary Humphrey Lyttelton. This third and final Clue treasury features a panoply of specials based around the perennial ‘antidote to panel games’. In the mix are I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Christmas Clue, featuring the team’s unique interpretation of A Christmas Carol; Humph in Wonderland, in which they venture down a rabbit hole; and In Search of Mornington Crescent, in which Andrew Marr peers behind the veil of secrecy surrounding that illustrious game.

Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows. She has no downtime, no hobbies (unless you count dressing up your cats in silly outfits), and her idea of relaxation is to play Assassin's Creed, an hour into which she is in a murderous rage with sky-high blood pressure. Her wife had to threaten to divorce her to make her go on holiday, and she's been told by the same long-suffering wife that unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, she's going to be unbearable. Susan decided her best bet was to try to immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing. 

Tom Baker and Sophie Aldred appear in one of three full-cast BBC radio dramas based around the real-life worlds of Doctor Who. "Regenerations" by Daragh Carville: A group of friends reunite for an annual Doctor Who convention. Set against a backdrop of the Belfast troubles, the play deals with themes of sexuality and love, and features appearances by Tom Baker and Sophie Aldred.

Alfie Moore spent 18 years on the Humberside police force before turning to stand-up comedy. In each episode of this live stand-up show, he takes his audience through a scenario based on a real-life case and tasks them with deciding how they would have acted in the circumstances. From drink driving to a missing gnome, road traffic collisions to the tricky subject of Stop and Search, not to mention a case in which you must imagine what it would be like if Bruce Lee came from Scunthorpe and had been hammering the kebabs for 20 years.... 

The complete Genius radio series, in which Dave Gorman and his celebrity guests consider the ridiculous, unworkable, but sometimes genius inventions of the public. Guests such as Stewart Lee, Johnny Vegas, Germaine Greer and Charlie Brooker peruse a parade of proposals, be they innovations, gadgets, gizmos, philosophies or follies, in an attempt to sort the worthy from the worthless. Will they unearth some genuine gems of genius? And which pitch will win the legendary Genius trophy?

Twelve classic episodes of The Goon Show, plus the complete series of The Omar Khayyam Show, The Army Show, The Naughty Navy Show and a wealth of bonus material.

J.R.R. Tolkien: An Audio Portrait is a compilation of radio and TV archive material from the '60s and '70s featuring interviews with J.R.R. Tolkien, his relatives, and his colleagues in which he talks about The Lord of the Rings, his other Hobbiton books, life as an academic, correspondence received from fans, and his views on the 20th century. This audiobook is presented by Brian Sibley.

A sweeping radio saga of political intrigue, love affairs, financial wrangles and murder, based on the books by Anthony Trollope, creator of The Barchester Chronicles. This epic drama follows several generations of the Palliser dynasty as they navigate the twists and turns of political and high society in Victorian England. Starring Ben Miles as Plantagenet, Sophie Thompson as Glencora, Conleth Hill as Phineas and David Troughton as the Narrator, with a star cast including Bertie Carvel, Juliet Stevenson, Greg Wise and Rachael Stirling. 

From 1965 to 1968, Round the Horne boldly went where no programme had previously dared, bringing a frenetic mix of wit, satire, parody and downright innuendo to the BBC airwaves.

Were you terrified of the Daleks? Has the familiar Doctor Who theme tune ever sent a shiver down your spine? Did Saturday teatimes once mean gathering round the television to see where the TARDIS had landed each week? If so, Doctor Who at the BBC is for you. In this special release, Elisabeth Sladen and Nicholas Courtney take a journey through the archives and uncover the history of Doctor Who on BBC radio and television.

Here are all six episodes from this one-off 1987 radio comedy series, written by John Antrobus and starring Spike Milligan, Chris Langham, John Antrobus, and a jazz quartet. Episodes include "The Incredible Case of the Vanishing Flying Scotsman", "Jonah and the Whale", "From Rags to More Rags", "That 'Cake' Elusive Pimpernel", and "The Incurables".

Produced by Sydney Lotterby of Yes Minister and Porridge fame. Each instalment featured a mixture of sketches (some foreshadowing Bennett's subsequent television dramas, others mocking television clichés, such as documentaries about working-class Northern writers and discussion programmes featuring pretentious critics). This is a never before broadcast compilation of sketches and extracts from the TV series before the tapes where wiped.

This production of The Lost World, based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1975, and amongst the cast are Francis de Wolff, Gerald Harper, Carol Boyd and the renowned radio actor Carleton Hobbs. The story follows a 19th century expedition to enter the rumoured lair of animals thought to have died out millions of years before - a terrifying world of pterodactyls and other 'prehistoric monsters'.

Award-winning comedian Alan Davies stars in his own BBC Radio sitcom. Meet Alan. He's a struggling actor trying to cope with life in the 90s - the friends, the work, the romance... Meet the friends: Murray is a local journalist, who's given a crash course in tabloid sensationalism when the entire staff comes down with Peruvian flu. Kate is a primary school art teacher, who tussles daily with the obnoxious seven-year-old Tamara and tries to save time by getting the children to write their own reports.