Showing results by narrator "Gareth Bennett-Ryan" in All Categories

Life is tough and cheerless for Billy Casper, a troubled teenager growing up in the small Yorkshire mining town of Barnsley. Treated as a failure at school, and unhappy at home, Billy discovers a new passion in life when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk. Billy identifies with her silent strength, and she inspires in him the trust and love that nothing else can, discovering through her the passion missing from his life.

Since she inherited the Starfish Café, Hollie has poured her heart into the business, striving to keep her mother's traditions and warm-hearted spirit alive. But behind closed doors, Hollie is searching for true happiness, as she grieves the tragic loss of her family who were once the beating heart of the café. Jake lives by two rules: don’t let anyone get close, and don’t talk about what happened. Can Hollie and Jake break down the barriers that have been holding them back from finding love and happiness before Christmas comes around? With courage, nothing is impossible.

Megan thinks that she has the perfect husband and a perfect life. Craig works so she doesn't have to, leaving her free to relax all day in their secluded country home. When she starts to long for friends and purpose again, Megan applies for a job in London, much to her husband's disappointment. She thinks that he is upset because she is unhappy. After Megan goes against his wishes and attends the interview, Craig locks her away in their home and she realises that her husband never had her best interests at heart, nor did they meet by accident. He has been planning this from the start.

Amy is a loving wife and mother to her husband and two children, Michael and Bella. It's that dedication to her family that causes her to seek help for her teenage son when it becomes apparent he is going to fail his end of school exams. Enlisting the help of a professional tutor, Amy is certain that she is doing the best thing for her child. But when she discovers that there is more to this tutor than meets the eye, it is already too late. With the rest of her family enamoured, Amy is the only one who can see that there is something not quite right about her.  

Jemma thinks she’s found the love of her life. Scott is everything she ever dreamed of and she can’t wait to begin the next stage of their life together. But just as she is heading for her happy ever after, a shock revelation shatters Jemma’s life as she knows it. Left to pick up the pieces, Jemma's friends and family rally round to help her find the courage to move on. Sam thinks he has his future all worked out. A thriving career, lovely home and an amazing fiancée. But when tragedy strikes, he finds himself alone, far from everyone he cares about.

1899. Josie has never questioned her life in a mining village on the South Yorkshire coalfield. But everything changes when she meets Tommy from the neighbouring village. Tommy has been destined for a life underground since the moment he was born. But he has far bigger dreams. Josie and Tommy become fast friends, united by their desire for something better and by their fascination with the local gentry who have their keeping. Wealthy and glamorous, the Sedgewicks of Silvermoor inhabit a world that is utterly forbidden to Tommy and Josie. 

The peace of a Yorkshire town is disturbed when one of its most prominent residents is murdered. Inspector Blades and Sergeant Peacock investigate. With the murder weapon found near the body, the detectives hope that fingerprints will help them discover the killer. But it is clear that they are dealing with a cunning perpetrator who has covered all their tracks. With various leads running into dead ends, the answers will come from understanding the victim’s character and the killer’s motive.

What do you want? Ben Cassidy has strict instructions from his mother Cass: he must never go back to Darnshaw, his childhood home. Then an old friend dies unexpectedly, and he breaks this promise to attend her funeral. But Jessica died because of a game, Acheron. It promises to grant your deepest desire - for a price. Friendship. A finger. A murder. Your Soul. Acheron; Would you?

Dare you close your eyes for even a few seconds? One, two, three... Lisa Dale shuts her eyes and counts to 100 during a game of hide-and-seek. When she opens them, her four-year-old daughter, Ella, is gone. Disappeared without a trace. The police, the media and Lisa's family all think they know who snatched Ella. But what if the person who took her isn't a stranger? What if they are convinced they are doing the right thing? And what if Lisa's little girl is in danger of disappearing forever?

Michael Beaumont is head over heels in love with Alison, the woman of his dreams. But Alison is harbouring a dangerous secret, one that threatens to break loose once Michael introduces her to his last remaining relative, Grandmother Rose.

Rose's outburst upon meeting Alison seems like more than just a simple delusion. And something about the string of murders terrorizing London, with incidents occurring just blocks from Michael, feels like more than just a coincidence....       

'My name is Ruby. I live with Barbara and Mick. They're not my real parents, but they tell me what to do and what to say. I'm supposed to say that my bruises and black eye came from falling down the stairs. But there are things I won't say. I won't tell them I'm going to hunt for my real parents. I'm going to be with my real family. And I'm not going to let Mick stop me.'

Finn and Kaz are about to meet for the first time. Ten-year-old Finn, a quirky, sensitive boy who talks a lot and eats only at cafes with a five-star hygiene rating, is having a tough time at school and home. Outspoken Kaz, 59, who has an acerbic sense of humour and a heart of gold, is working at the café when Finn and his mum come in. They don't know it yet, but the second time they meet will be a moment which changes both of their lives forever....

Two soldiers recently returned from the Great War are spending their summer larking about, chasing girls, drinking, smoking and forlornly trying to find gainful employment. Their lives are turned upside down when a girl is murdered on the seafront and they fall under suspicion. The accusations against them snowball. They are convicted by a juggernaut of evidence, although most is circumstantial. But did they do it? Inspector Blades and seconded Scotland Yard investigator CI David Walker are pretty sure they did. And they are determined to make the men go down for the horrific crime.

Ash's dad has returned from war, close to a breakdown and lost in a world of imaginary threats. Meanwhile, Ash's best friend, Mark, is grieving and has drifted away into his own nightmares. Ash's only escape is his lonely mountain running, training to be the stag boy in the annual Stag Chase. But dark things are stirring. Could Mark and Dad be haunted by more than just their pasts?

Waldo's Wrestling Trolls are back, and they're ready to rumble! But the villainous Lord Veto has other plans. Challenged to a Giant Rumble but suffering from a shortfall of wrestlers, Jack and his friends set out to find more participants for their great battle. But what starts as a fun-filled road trip in their trusty caravan soon becomes an action-packed adventure filled with dangers such as farting billy goats, poisonous spiders and evil servants of the wicked King Nugget.

It's hard being that woman, the one whose husband disappeared. He went out five years ago for a pint of milk and never came back. So here I am with a daughter who blames me for everything, a son trying his best to pick up the pieces and a gaggle of neighbours who are incredibly nosy. Then I find a left luggage ticket in the pocket of one of his old coats and suddenly I'm thinking... What if he's not dead? What if he's still out there somewhere?

Willem has Asperger’s Syndrome and two main aims in life: to fly and to make at least two friends of his own age. As he stands on the edge of a wall, Sasha gives him a wink. Might she become his friend? As he flies through the air he wishes he could fly and escape. Instead he comes crashing down and breaks his ankle. Sasha is determined to put things right.

Jack is doing fantastically well as the Wrestling Trolls' training coach, Big Rock is winning matches, and the group are on their way to more gold than they can count. Nothing ever goes smoothly for Jack, though, especially after Milo is kidnapped by evil goblins determined to get their greedy hands on Big Rock's winnings! The wrestling crew know that they will have to be very quick and clever if they want to rescue Milo.

Jack, Milo, Robin and Big Rock are back with a new friend - Blaze, the magical phoenix. The gang plan to take on notorious bully, Buster Gutt. Soon Jack finds himself and his alter-ego THUD in some seriously hot water.... In the second story, villainous Lord Veto tries to break up the wrestling trolls. Soon Princess Ava is caught in the middle of a wrestling tournament! The brave trolls must come together for glory once more.

Still grieving the death of her watchman husband in a terrorist attack during the Outrages, factory worker Rose is struggling to make ends meet when she encounters middle-class Annie, a newspaperman's wife who devotes her time to lobbying for better working conditions. Rose is desperate to avoid making waves with three mouths to feed. But she can't sit back and watch women and young girls continue to work in dangerous conditions, including her desperately sick lodger.