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

Gudrun, a young woman in 11th-century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas and starring the original Nordic noir heroine, Gudrun.

In series 1, Rhys examines his privileged status, chats to his mum and dad, and reluctantly speaks to a girl he had a crush on in school. He also explores the topic of wisdom in his own unique way, by reading a letter he wrote to his future self at 10 years old. In Series 2, Rhys attempts to become more politically engaged by one week trying out one set of opinions, the next week, another. He asks questions such as why we are not doing more to save the planet, whether Facebook is actually spying on us and whether gender-neutral toilets are really worth it.

Join critically acclaimed sketch trio Daphne as they pull out all the stops in a dazzling array of peculiar characters, wacky scenarios, curious observations, minor altercations and major peacemaking - served on a bed of catchy little numbers with a live nine-piece band. It's the show that's got everyone saying 'Who's Daphne?'

Through the medium of open letters, the comedian Tom Wrigglesworth investigates the myriad examples of corporate lunacy and maddening jobsworths in modern Britain. His subjects range from traffic wardens to estate agents, with Tom recalling his own funny and ridiculous experiences, as well as recounting the absurd encounters of others.

Tim Vine and the Great British public are the stars of this side-splitting radio chat show, featuring his trademark wonderful wordplay, quickfire gags and silly songs. Internationally acclaimed master of the one-liner, Tim Vine, travels the length and breadth of Britain on a quest to hear the funny, strange and surprising life stories of his live audience – while simultaneously taking the opportunity to showcase his world-famous jokes and preposterous songs.

Timothy West takes on the role of Rumpole in these two thrilling dramas featuring the wily magician of the Old Bailey at his implacable best. Rumpole takes up the cause of young Bertie Timson, whose sole ‘crime’ seems to be playing football in the street. As he endeavours to defend our ancient freedoms, he becomes uneasy about exactly what his wife Hilda is up to in her continuing friendship with a high court judge.

In these 24 episodes, Tom Wrigglesworth phones home for his weekly check-in, giving us a funny, fascinating glimpse into his family background and the influences that have shaped his temperament, opinions and hang-ups. As the conversations unfold, Tom takes time out from the calls to explain the situation and his parents’ reactions, and relate various anecdotes from the past which illustrate his family's views. And sometimes he just needs to sound off about life’s everyday annoyances. 

Each Roman Catholic parish compiles a Book of the Dead from the lists of departed loved ones submitted by parishioners. Printed on the front of the envelopes are three words: November Dead List. In this series, a young priest opens one such envelope and discovers not a list of the dead but a list of people he knows to be alive and members of his congregation. At first he thinks it's someone's idea of a joke. Then the people named start turning up dead.

Simon Mayo hosts a comedic battle between three teams to find out which is the funniest generation. Will the Up and Comers, the Current Crop or the Old Guard be crowned as the Golden Age of Comedy?

Simon McGrath is a nice chap - he donates blood, he recycles, he cares about the world. He just happens to work as an arms dealer - or a 'defence and security equipment system solutions broker', as he prefers to call it. It wasn’t planned, and what he really wants is to pursue is his career in electronic music, but until that takes off he’ll stay where he is. After all, he has to pay his mortgage like everyone else....

In this sitcom, Harry Hill stars as the governor of Britain’s remotest prison. In Series 1, he has to contend with the prison inspectors, mysteriously malfunctioning CCTV cameras, escaping prisoners and even the prison being attacked by a pair of mating whales. In Series 2, he and the team pitch a new invention to Dragon’s Den, he tries to get his stomach around a food shortage and a self-destruct button is found in the prison.  

Alex Edelman, the 25-year-old Bostonian native and winner of the prestigious Best Newcomer Award at the 2014 Edinburgh Comedy Festival, brings his unique wit to a discussion of the issues that affect the millennial generation. This collection includes two of his BBC Radio 4 series. 

Andy Hamilton is a familiar and much-loved voice on Radio 4. With this collection he presents a collection of observations and reminiscences about both his personal life and his 40 years working in comedy. Andy looks at Childhood, Politics, The Human Body and Animals. Using comic observation and personal anecdotes he explores each theme, examining how much (or how little) things have changed in the 60-ish years he's been on this planet.

For over 40 years The News Quiz has graced the Radio 4 airwaves with an irreverent sideways look at the headlines. Having first appeared in 1977, it boasts a tantalising archive of episodes to remind us of the news from yesteryear, refracted through the satirical gaze of regular panellists including Alan Coren, Andy Hamilton, Mark Steel, Francis Wheen and Jeremy Hardy. Among the many guest panellists featured here are Boris Johnson, Nigella Lawson, Jo Brand, Eddie Mair, John Sergeant, Linda Smith and Roy Hattersley. 

Alex Horne and his special guests bring together stand-up and live music in a free-wheeling and spontaneous combination. Each episode sees Alex, his band and guests explore a different topic. These range from love to technology, the seasons to the body. In this collection of the complete series 1-3 Alex is joined by comedians including David O’Doherty, Isy Suttie, Kevin Eldon, Phill Jupitus, Matt Lucas, Doc Brown, Sara Pascoe, James Acaster, Marcus Brigstocke and Adam Buxton.

Can a young country girl lead an army? Joan, guided by her guardian angels St Catherine and St Margaret, decides to wage war against the English. Starring Dawn French as Joan of Arc. The cast also includes Anne Reid, Maggie Steed, Kevin Eldon and Jim Broadbent.

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?

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'.