Stories from the Archives

A fiercely loyal sparrow picks a revenge fight with a wagoner, proving that even the littlest among us should not be underestimated. Funny and characteristically Grimm.

An Anglo-Scottish border version of the Frog Prince tale, told with perfect comedy timing by the brilliant Bill Patterson.

Comical folk tale. When a paperwork problem prevents a little spirit from passing through the pearly gates, it's forced to return to earth to find itself a name.

Hilariously funny story by Leonora Carrington, read by Dame Penelope Wilton. A debutante befriends a hyena, with the most unlikely consequences. Archive recording from The Almeida Theatre, October 2000.

Jon Canter reads his excellently funny story 'The Jewish Vicar' about a man who finds himself in the wrong clothes at the right time. Recorded at the Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh, in 2012.

The story was later developed into a BBC Radio 4 afternoon play starring Stephen Mangan, Claudie Blakley and Pauline McLynn (2014).

Jonathan Pryce performs this heartwarming Turkish folk tale, following the forgetful Hassan, whose curiosity and determination not to forget what he's told leads him into a spiralling comedy of errors.

A charming English folk tale performed by Judy Campbell at the Almeida Theatre, recorded on October 1st 2000.

Adrian Mitchell recites his poem telling the tale of his visit to a school in Offah, and a reading not to be forgotten.

Adrian Mitchell's parody of William Shakespeare, trying to help us find a way of remembering all his plays. Brilliantly performed by Roger Lloyd Pack, with music by Sylvia Hallett & Miguel Tantos.