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ID: 811876

Title: Know Your Place: Selected episodes from the BBC Radio Comedy

Author: Andrew Palmer, Nell Brennan

Narrator: Bernard Bresslaw, Frances Jeater, Frank Thornton, Full Cast , John Graham, Norma Ronald, Pat Coombs, Patricia Hayes, Roy Dotrice

Format: Unabridged

Length: 04:00:00

Language: English

Release date: 02-13-25

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, General

Summary:

Eight episodes from the 1980s sitcom about a jobsworth caretaker pursued by an over-amorous cleaner

Know Your Place ran for two series and 15 episodes between January 1982 and August 1983. Included here are all eight of the surviving shows, starring Roy Dotrice as curmudgeonly caretaker Ramsay Potts and Patricia Hayes as cheery cleaning lady Elsie Spurgeon.

Janitor Ramsay works at Worthing Court, a once-prestigious block of Edwardian flats in Bloomsbury that has seen better days. He takes pride in keeping the place spick and span, but flirty, feisty Elsie is always distracting him from his duties and getting him into trouble. While hes a stickler for the rules, she delights in breaking them, and while he respects authority, she refuses to know her place.

In these eight episodes, the odd couple join forces to deal with an MP stuck in a lift, and Elsie takes advantage when shes given a storeroom and borrows a flat. Meanwhile, the remarkable Ramsay hears the peal of wedding bells, takes on a dangerous job, is forced to give up cigarettes, has a close call with a local gangster and saves Elsie from being evicted...

Written by Andrew Palmer and Nell Brennan, and produced by Edward Taylor (The Men from the Ministry), this light-hearted sitcom also features a host of guest stars, including Frank Thornton, April Walker, Pat Coombs, Norma Ronald and Bernard Bresslaw.

NB: Some of the language and humour on this recording reflects the era in which it was first broadcast, and due to the age of the source material, the sound quality may vary.

Production credits

Written by Andrew Palmer and Nell Brennan

Produced by Edward Taylor

Cast

Ramsay Potts Roy Dotrlce

Elspeth Spurgeon Patricia Hayes

With Frank Thornton, John Graham, April Walker, John Glover, Pat Coombs, Sue Holderness, Norma Ronald, Nell Brennan, Yvonne Manners, Benny Lee, Joe Dunlop, James Taylor, Frances Jeater, Avis Bunnage, John Blythe and Bernard Bresslaw

Episode guide

1 Lift Off

2 Not to Be Used for Babies

3 Room to Manoeuvre

4 Marriage of Convenience

5 Jumpers

6 Sisterly Feelings

7 Health Can Damage Your Smoking

8 Out of the Closet

© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 742748

Title: Doctor Who: Snakedance: 5th Doctor Novelisation

Author: Terrance Dicks

Narrator: Geoffrey Beevers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 04:00:00

Language: English

Release date: 02-06-25

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Summary:

A novelisation of a terrifying adventure for the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa.

The TARDIS arrives on the planet Manussa, about to commemorate its ancient banishment of the evil entity known as the Mara.

Unbeknownst to the Manussans, the Doctor's companion, Tegan, has become an unsuspecting medium for the Mara. Now she has helped it to return home.

The Doctor realises that this could mark the spectacular revival of the Mara's reign of terror - but it seems that no-one will heed his warning.

2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Reading produced by Morrison Ellis. Sound design by James Murray. Executive Producer: Michael Stevens

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 802358

Title: Siadwel: The Complete Series 1-3: BBC Radio Stand-Up Comedy

Author: John Sparkes

Narrator: John Sparkes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 05:36:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-23-25

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Non-Fiction, Art & Music

Summary:

Three series of comic monologues from the bedsit poet, philosopher and favourite lost cause of Wales

Step into the charming and bewildered world of Siadwel: poet, philosopher, as endearing as he is perplexed. With his signature anorak and National Health Service specs, Siadwel has become a cultural icon, offering his unique and often befuddled perspective on the conundrums of everyday life.

The beloved Welsh geek has been tickling audiences funny bones for decades, having first appeared on television screens as part of the sketch series Naked Video, which ran from 1986 to 1991. Amid the comedic landscape of the time, Siadwels naïve and endearing persona stood out, delivering monologues from the comfort of his bedroom.

Fast forward 25 years and John Sparkes, the creator and performer behind Siadwel, has resurrected the beloved character. With a new lease of life, he has returned to the airwaves with three series of side-splitting stand-up comedy monologues. Recorded in front of live audiences, each episode takes listeners on a journey through Siadwels uniquely entertaining thought process, as he shares a blend of jokes and stories, not all of which are entirely true

Written and performed by Jon Sparkes

Produced by Peter Baikie

Executive Producer: Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely Production for BBC Radio Wales

First broadcast 21 March 2014 19 November 2016

©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 752064

Title: Ask Me Again

Author: Clare Sestanovich

Narrator: Luke Daniels, Xe Sands

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10:24:40

Language: English

Release date: 01-23-25

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Literary Fiction, General, Coming of Age

Summary:

From Clare Sestanovich, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize nominee whose short stories received instant acclaim (‘Sparingly told, evoked with lacerating intimacy . . . Extraordinary’ – Esquire), Ask Me Again is a debut novel about a young woman’s coming of age, in parallel with a renegade male friend who challenges her beliefs and the course of her life.

At sixteen, Eva meets Jamie by chance. She lives in middle-class South Brooklyn; he comes from the super-rich of upper Manhattan. She’s observant, cautious, eager to seem normal; he’s curious, bold, full of mysteries. She keeps a keen intelligence under wraps; his eccentric brilliance is all but impossible to repress.

While Eva welcomes Jamie into her family’s embrace, he avoids going home; with little in common, they are drawn together in a deep friendship. As Eva goes off to an elite college and falls in and out of love, Jamie drops out of school and joins the Occupy Wall Street movement. Eva, so often trapped by self-doubt, is both awed and repelled by the strength of Jamie’s convictions.

Carried forcefully along by Sestanovich’s highly observant, butterfly-pinning prose, these two characters, pulled into separate spheres, circle the same questions: how to define their values and find their purpose, how to create a sense of self while discovering what they owe to society and to the cause of justice. The geometry of their platonic love leads us on a surprising journey of intimacy across time – exposing the alchemy of connection, of the relationships that can define who we are and can even change us, and the possible futures we might not have imagined for ourselves.

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 804435

Title: Secrets and Lattes: The Complete Series 1 and 2: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Comedy Drama

Author: Hilary Lyon

Narrator: Full Cast , Hilary Lyon, Hilary Maclean, Julie Graham, June Watson, Simon Greenall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 05:36:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-23-25

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Family Life

Summary:

Both series of the hilarious and heart-warming comedy drama set in an Edinburgh café

Arty free spirit Trisha returns to her native city of Edinburgh after years of living in London. Although she is coping with the loss of her job and a bruised heart, she arrives at Waverley Station enthusiastic and eager for the next chapter of her life to begin. Meanwhile, Trisha's big sister Clare could not be more different. A non-practising qualified accountant, she has been married for years, has two spoiled teenage children and has probably spent too much time on the school PTA. Together, they decide to open a new café in leafy Bruntsfield, which marks the beginning of a whole new era for both sisters.

Throw in temperamental opera-loving Polish chef, Krzysztof and uninvited waitress, Lizzie, and you have the perfect recipe for volatile relationship tension, a lot of laughs and a few secrets for good measure.

Cast

Trisha Julie Graham (Series 1) / Hilary Maclean (Series 2)

Clare Hilary Lyon

Krzysztof Simon Greenhall

Lizzie Pearl Appleby

Minty June Watson

Richard Roger May

Callum Derek Riddell

Other roles played by Nicola Grier, Moray Hunter, Guy Paul, Duncan Duff, Stuart McQuarrie and Scott Hoatson

Written by Hilary Lyon

Directed by Marilyn Imrie

Produced by Gordon Kennedy and Moray Hunter

An Absolutely Production for BBC Radio 4

First broadcast 7 April 2014 10 August 2015

©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 804436

Title: Herman Melville: A BBC Radio Drama Collection: Three Full-Cast Dramatisations including Moby-Dick

Author: Herman Melville

Narrator: Adrian Scarborough, Charles Simpson, Full Cast , Garrick Hagon, Ian Holm, P J Brennan, Paul Scofield, Trevor White

Format: Unabridged

Length: 05:00:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-16-25

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Action & Adventure, Classics

Summary:

The collected BBC full-cast adaptations of the works of Herman Melville, plus a bonus biographical programme about his life and work

Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. He is best known for Moby-Dick, the opening line of which - Call me Ishmael - is one of the most famous opening lines in literature.

This BBC collection features lively full-cast dramatisations of three of Melvilles best-known works:

Moby-Dick: The sailor Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab for vengeance against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg.

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A man employed as a copyist in a firm of lawyers starts behaving strangely. It begins with him announcing there are aspects of his work hed 'prefer' not to do although hes excellent at the actual work. But then the list of things hed rather avoid doing becomes more sinister...

Billy Budd, Sailor: Herman Melville's famous story of an innocent and handsome sailor, left unfinished on his death in 1891. Billy Budd is a sailor who inadvertently kills his false accuser. The ship's Captain recognizes Billy's lack of intent, but the law of mutiny requires him to sentence Billy to be hanged.

Also included is a documentary programme, The Strange Journey of Herman Melville: a profile of author and one-time sailor who fell out of favour during his lifetime and whose reputation was only re-established after his death.

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 798388

Title: Ivan Turgenev: A BBC Radio Full-Cast Drama Collection: First Love, Father and Sons, A Month in the Country & More

Author: Ivan Turgenev

Narrator: Amanda Root, Bill Nighy, David Horovitch, Full Cast , Hugh Dickson, Ian Holm, Maureen O'brien, Norman Shelley, Patrick Troughton, Rosalind Ayres, Tim Pigott-Smith, Timothy West

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12:10:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-09-25

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Audio Theatre, Drama

Summary:

Nine classic works by the Russian literary giant, adapted for BBC Radio

Ivan Turgenev stands alongside Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as one of the three great Russian novelists of the 19th century. He was also a consummate short story writer, poet and playwright, and the first Russian author to become popular in the West. This specially curated collection showcases his key works, from the most celebrated to the undeservedly underrated.

Described as one of the most perfect things ever written, the lyrical novella First Love tells the story of 16-year-old Vladimir, whose longing for the capricious Zinaida informs his whole life. Dramatised for Radio 4, it stars Simon Cadell, Rosalind Ayres and Bill Nighy. Succeeding it is Turgenevs masterpiece, Fathers and Sons, an exploration of the eternal conflict between the reactionary older generation and the revolutionary younger one. John Castle stars as youthful nihilist Bazarov, with Maurice Denham as his father Nikolai. First published in 1855 as Two Women, Turgenevs best-known play A Month in the Country centres around a landowners wife who finds herself attracted to her sons tutor. Translated by Isaiah Berlin, our Radio 3 version stars Maureen OBrien and Gerard Murphy.

Written a few years before A Month in the Country, the little-known play The Poor Gentleman is an emotional comedy about an elderly mans devotion to a daughter he can never recognise publicly. It stars Frank Finlay, Morag Hood and Colin Baker. Next up is Smoke, Turgenevs only novel not to be set in Russia. Baden Baden is the setting for a tale that blends poignant love story and searing political satire, starring Garard Green, Rachel Gurney and Patricia Leventon. Meanwhile, in the short story The Dog, a mild Hussar (Timothy West) is the subject of a bizarre haunting

Turgenevs debut novel, Rudin, features that archetypal character in Russian literature, the superfluous man. Ian Holm stars as the eponymous hero, an idealistic intellectual who is incapable of taking action: and suffers for it. Set just before the Crimean War, the romantic novella On the Eve has passion and patriotism as its themes. Amanda Root stars as the upper-class Elena, who embarks on a doomed affair with Bulgarian revolutionary Insarov (Philip Franks). We conclude as we began, with a tale of first love Spring Torrents, one of Turgenevs greatest and most autobiographical novellas. Adapted for Radio 4s Book at Bedtime, it is read by David Horovitch.

First published 1848 (The Poor Gentleman), 1855/1872 (A Month in the Country), 1857 (Rudin), 1860 (First Love, On the Eve), 1862 (Fathers and Sons), 1866 (The Dog), 1867 (Smoke), 1872 (Spring Torrents)

Production credits

Written by Ivan Turgenev

With thanks to Keith Wickham

Contents List

First Love

Fathers and Sons

A Month in the Country

The Poor Gentleman

Smoke

The Dog

Rudin

On the Eve

Spring Torrents

© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 770392

Title: Doctor Who: House of Plastic: 7th Doctor Audio Original

Author: Mike Tucker

Narrator: Terry Molloy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 01:10:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-02-25

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Summary:

An original adventure for the Seventh Doctor and Ace, as played on TV by Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, in an encounter with the Autons.

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 802356

Title: Colette: Gigi, Cheri and more: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Author: Colette Avital

Narrator: Brigit Forsyth, Clare Higgins, Frances Barber, Full Cast , Joseph Millson, Lindsay Duncan, Melvyn Bragg, Paul Ritter, Robert Hardy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 09:36:00

Language: English

Release date: 01-02-25

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Classics, Coming of Age

Summary:

Writer Colettes classic works brought to life in a unique audio collection

Listen for the first time to this stunning collection of five of Colettes most celebrated works, compiled and created by BBC Radio. French author and woman of letters, Colette is best known for her 1944 novella Gigi, which became the stage musical launching the career of Audrey Hepburn. Known for her frank, direct and honest way of writing about women and female friendships, Colettes stories champion the female perspective and all feature strong women protagonists. Considered immoral and shocking at the time, her works are now cherished as a fresh insight into the female experience of the era and she is celebrated for the sheer quality of her writing. This exclusive collection includes, Gigi, Cheri, Claudine at School, The Vagabond and Sido and features performances from Lindsay Duncan (Sherlock, Starter for 10, Doctor Who), Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner), Frances Barber, Brigit Forsyth and Dame Peggy Ashcroft. Also included is a bonus edition of In Our Time, hosted by Melvyn Bragg as he and guests discuss Colette, her life, her works and her significant cultural impact.

In the classic Gigi, we follow the story of a young woman in Paris, who is being groomed by her grandmother for the life of a courtesan. Cheri is a semi-autobiographical story following an enduring love affair between a courtesan and a man half her age. Claudine at School Heavy with erotic over tones, this full cast dramatisation explores the life of the enchanting Claudine as she navigates her journey to womanhood. The Vagabond tells the story of a divorcée dancer in a Paris music hall, she is pursued by a wealthy admirer. Will she allow herself to fall in love a second time?

Finally, Dame Peggy Ashcroft narrates Sido, based on Colettes memories of her own mother.

Text copyright © Colette 1900 (Claudine at School), 1910 (Vagabond), 1920 (Cheri), 1929 (Sido), 1944 (Gigi)

Gigi

Translated from the French and adapted by Barbara Bray

Produced by Raymond Raikes

Cast: Margaret Robertson, Margaret Rawlings, Carol Marsh, Robert Hardy, Hilda Kriseman, Ian Thompson, Isabel Jeans

Cheri

Directed by Pauline Harris

Cast: Lindsay Duncan, Joseph Millson, Frances Barber, Brigit Forsyth, Laura Harding, Conrad Nelson, Judith Davis

Claudine at School

Adapted by Yvonne Mitchell

Produced and directed by Liane Aukin

Cast: Fidelis Morgan, Rosalind Adams, Anne Rosenfeld, Jean Rogers, Nigel Lambert, Diana Bishop, Joan Matheson, Carole Hayman, Haydn Jones, Pamela Moiseiwitsch, Shane Briant,

Michael Harbour, Peter Howell, Timothy Bateson, Edward Kelsey

The Vagabond

Dramatised by Charlotte Cory

Directed by Mary Peate

Cast: Clare Higgins, Paul Ritter, Allan Corduner, David Thorpe, Jasmine Hyde

Sido

Abridged by B. J. Salmon

Read by Dame Peggy Ashcroft

In our Time Colette

Presented by Melvyn Bragg.

Text copyright © Colette 1900 (Claudine at School), 1910 (Vagabond), 1920 (Cheri), 1929 (Sido), 1944 (Gigi)

©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 798916

Title: Robbing Hood: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Crime Comedy

Author: John Graham, Peter Ling

Narrator: Full Cast , Moira Lister, Norman Wisdom

Format: Unabridged

Length: 02:48:00

Language: English

Release date: 12-19-24

Publisher: PGRH UK

Genres: Fiction & Literature, Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Suspense, Humor

Summary:

Norman Wisdom stars in this light-hearted comedy crime caper

British comedy legend, Norman Wisdom plays small-time crook Norman Hood whos just been released from prison for burglary. Hoping to make new life as an honest man, he is entrusted to widow Natalie Matthews (Moira Lister), who offers him a job and accommodation. However, she has an ulterior motive

Follow the farcical misadventures of Norman, played out with a huge cast of supporting actors as he tries to stick, but mostly fails, to the straight and narrow! Charming, gentle but ever so funny, Robbing Hood is a joy to listen to. Normans bicycle turns out to be an unexpected treasure, theres a trip to the Grand Hotel which triggers a safe cracking incident, and somehow the hapless ex-con becomes mixed up with the mafia who needs brains when youve got bullies?! When Norman tries to earn an honest crust and gets a job in a marmalade factory, it makes for a sticky situation and the psychiatrist next door wants to know why Norman's talking to trees? This is a vintage treasure of a series, not to be missed.

Sir Norman Wisdom was a comedy legend and national treasure whose stellar career on film, stage and television spanned six decades. Charlie Chaplin once referred to him as his favourite clown. Robbing Hood is a rare radio outing for the actor and a must listen. Moira Lister was a regular cast member on Hancocks Half Hour, and also appeared in a number of Ealing Studios comedy films.

Cast and credits

Written by John Graham and Peter Ling

Based on an idea by Norman Wisdom

Directed by Leslie Lawton

Norman Hood - Norman Wisdom

Natalie Matthews - Moira Lister

Bernard Bassington - Norman Jones

Beatrice Bassington - Rosemary Leach

Winifred Bassington/Miss Barlow - Anne Windsor

Head Waiter - Timothy Carlton

Prison Governor - Gordon Reid

Warden - Peter Gunn

Pettigrew - Royce Mills

Mr Bargery - Jonathan Adams

Mrs Bargery - Kate Binchy

Victor/Charlton Humsecke - John Church

Lorry driver - David Learner

BT youth - Matthew Sim

Valerie/Fiona - Melinda Walker

Lady helper/Poppet/Michelle - Siriol Jenkins

Nosher Nelson - Windsor Davis

The Judge - James Grout

Fifi - Sally Kinghorn

Waiter - Eric Allen

Alfredo - Nicky Henson

Tracey - Lorraine Chase

Police Sergeant - Victor Winding

Inspector/Parrot - John Graham

Petshop Girl/Receptionist - Joanna Wake

The Simpson brothers - Henry McGee

PC Harris - Jonathan Tafler

Evans - Matthew Morgan

Roderick Burrows - Keith Drinkel

Dr Doberman - Andrew Sachs

Miss Conway - Liza Goddard

Heidwig - Sally Kinghorn

First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 July - 25 August 1992

©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Contact: [email protected]