Showing results by narrator "Maureen Lipman" in All Categories

Best known today for his comic masterpiece, Vanity Fair, W. M. Thackeray was regarded in his time as the only rival to his contemporary, Charles Dickens. This collection includes a selection of his finest satirical fiction, as well as two fascinating programmes exploring his life and writings.

Join us for an exhilarating and immersive adventure through 500 years of history, told entirely in the words of those who were there. With their artless prose and their polished & witty gossip, these are the men and women who have shaped our past. Brought to life by an award-winning all-star cast of 30 celebrated actors, including Charles Dance, Harriet Walter, David Suchet, Maureen Lipman, Timothy West, Jenny Agutter and many more.

Award-winning actress and comedian Maureen Lipman has been entertaining audiences for over half a century. Her career has encompassed film, theatre, TV and radio; she has written several bestselling autobiographies; and in 2020 she was made a Dame in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. In this sparkling collection, the irrepressible 'Queen of Coronation Street' takes to the airwaves with her hilarious monologues, diverting duologues and amusing anecdotes - all recorded in front of a live audience. Also included are four comedy dramas showcasing her manifold talents.

Voices from the Past with David Suchet as Lord Nelson writing to his beloved Emma on the eve of Trafalgar, hoping in God that he will live to finish his letter after the Battle, while Harriet Walter as Virginia Woolf hangs about the House of Commons mourning the passing of Edward VIII and the coming of King Albert I. Winston Churchill is captured and imprisoned by the Boers and Jane Austen sells 'Pride & Prejudice' for £110.

Then climb aboard and join Oscar Wilde in America amused at the sight of local gun slingers looting the house where outlaw Jesse James had been killed a few days earlier. Meet John Betjeman as he implores the BBC to engage the impoverished Dylan Thomas while Jane Austen demands the return of her unpublished novel. Austen Chamberlain rages at Hitler for sending a wreath emblazoned with the Swastika to be placed at the foot of the Cenotaph.

One moment Liselotte, the Duchess of Orleans is observing the Prince of Orange consummating his marriage in thick woollen drawers and the next, Harold Nicolson is at the Savoy Grill dining with the Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson who is, 'bejewelled, eyebrow-plucked, virtuous and wise'. There's a young medical student watching his friend bowing to the crowd as he is hanged on the roof of Horsemonger Lane Gaol.

At Waterloo, women are stripping the corpses of their valuable shoes and stockings yet the Highlanders are left in mass graves with their coarse tartan socks still on. Roy Strong attending a private dinner with the Prime Minister notes that Margaret Thatcher in floaty chiffon is 'the apotheosis of the boss's wife, with the appeal of cosmeticised putty.' Even at the coronation of George IV, Queen Caroline, who is denied entry to the Abbey, is observed looking like 'a blowsy landlady'.

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?

Five family pantomimes featuring musical numbers, silly jokes and fun for all the family! Enjoy fantastic live performances of these classics tales: Puss in Boots, Aladdin, Mother Goose, Dick Whittington and Sleeping Beauty. The pantos are recorded in front of a live audience, with full musical numbers and an orchestral score. Rousing songs, silly jokes and Widow Twankey all make an appearance! With casts including Terry Wogan, Maureen Lipman, Anita Harris, June Whitfield, Kenneth Connor and Frank Thornton.

Pongo is a young and mischievous gorilla living in the mountains of Africa. He wants to grow up to be brave and clever like his dad, and perhaps even become leader of the pack one day. But it is not until his little sister, Whoopsie, is born that Pongo discovers that growing up isn't just about having a big chest to thump! Can he prove that he isn't as young and irresponsible as everyone thinks? Unabridged reading of this classic tale by Jill Tomlinson.

Pat is an adorable little sea otter. She likes turning up her toes and floating in the sea, chasing fish, and asking a hundred and one questions. One day, Pat makes friends with another otter, Bobby. The two enjoy playing and exploring together, until their lives are unexpectedly turned upside down when they get caught up in a storm and washed ashore on an island.

Otto isn't an ordinary penguin: he is the first penguin chick to be born that year, which means that it is his job to look after all the other young penguins. But out in the snow and ice of Antarctica there is an awful lot to learn, and Otto has to discover for himself how to swim, dive, and catch fish before he can teach anyone else. And how will he do that when all the grown-ups are too busy to help?

Suzy is a small striped cat with long white whiskers, who lives in a French seaside village with a fisherman and his four sons. She likes living in France, chasing butterflies and being stroked the wrong way. She doesn't like straying too far from home. But like all cats, Suzy is very inquisitive - which causes problems when she climbs into the basket of a hot-air balloon, falls asleep, and is carried up, up, and away over the Channel to England!

Hilda is a small, speckled hen. She is brave and very single-minded. When she hears that her aunt has just hatched five baby chicks, she is very excited, and can’t wait to go and see them. There is a problem; however her aunt lives five miles away. How will Hilda ever travel all the way to her farm? But she has her heart set on getting there, and goes out to hitch a lift on a rubbish lorry, a fire engine, a scooter and even a steam roller!

Pim is a baby aardvark, with a long, furry nose. He has tiny little claws instead of fingers and toes, and sleeps in a cosy burrow. But he isn't sure what being an aardvark really means. He asks his mother all sorts of questions, and she decides it is time he found out what being an aardvark is all about. In his quest to discover the world around him, he meets lots of exotic and interesting animals. There are snakes, cheetahs, elephants, and monkeys, and they all have something to teach him.

Against his better judgement, Andrew Patterson accepts a job as a lecturer in English literature at a remote Northern redbrick university. His departmental colleagues are an eccentric bunch: doddery Head of English Professor Misty, who looks like he went to school with Little Dorrit; Amy Spade, who's suffering from an identity crisis and given to sending anonymous letters, and man-eating Melissa Murgatroyd, the honeypot of the Senior Common Room. Fortunately, Patterson has old friend and fellow lecturer Victor to show him the ropes - but even so, his first day does not go well.

Joyce Grenfell was one of the last century’s greatest entertainers, renowned worldwide for her monologues, songs, and comic writing. Her career spanned over 30 years, ranging from wartime tours to solo stage shows, films such as the St Trinian’s series, appearances on BBC TV and numerous radio broadcasts. Contained here are five sparkling productions of her work, performed by acting legend Maureen Lipman – who is celebrated for portraying Joyce in the 1991 TV film Re-Joyce – alongside a delightful reading by Joyce Grenfell herself of her autobiography.

Originally broadcast on Radio 4 in 2003-4, We’ve Been Here Before is the topical, satirical, historical panel game that aims to show beyond all doubt that there’s nothing new in the news. Hosted by award-winning comedian, broadcaster and Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Clive Anderson, it takes a wry, witty look at long-gone days through a present-day lens, as the panellists battle it out to discover who’s got the best memory for detail when it comes to raking up the past.