A BBC Radio 4 full-cast Unabridged by Andy Barratt of Daniel Defoe's less famous sequel to the classic adventure Robinson Crusoe. After returning to England from his island home, Robinson Crusoe sets sail once more in search of adventure. Starring Tim McInnerny as Robinson Crusoe, with Jonathan Tafler, Adrian Grove, Stephen Critchlow, David Timso...

When the personable Captain Wentworth reappears in Anne Elliot's life several years after she had been persuaded to break off their engagement, he makes no secret of his angry indignation but, as they come to know each other again, their feelings are rekindled. There are many obstacles in their path, however, amongst them Anne's egotistical, snobbi...

Portraying each character in his own inimitable fashion, Alan Bennett reads the original story of Ratty, Mole, Badger and, of course, Toad.

The Musketeer's motto is 'One for all and all for one' and they follow it strictly, loyal friends and Staunch defenders of the king of France. The Three Musketeers is a swashbuckling adventure in which the king of France's guards swear by the motto "All for one and one for all" and follow it with the utmost commitment. The Musketeers find themselv...

Helen Graham moves to Wildfell Hall in a shroud of mystery: where has she come from, and who exactly is she? Anne's novel is the story of the beautiful and mysterious Helen Graham, who arrives at Wildfell Hall suddenly one day. No-one knows who she is or where she has come from, and Gilbert Markham, a young farmer who has fallen in love with her, s...

Nicholas Nickleby is left penniless by his father's death and becomes a champion for the weak and ill-treated. Nicholas Nickleby is at once a moving and funny novel following the fortunes and misfortunes of an impetuous and high-spirited hero. Left penniless by his father's death, and protector of his sister Kate, Nicholas Nickleby becomes a true...

Oliver Twist, the orphan, runs away to Victorian London to make his fortune... Oliver Twist is a family favourite at the same time as being a rather dark examination of the seedier side of life in Victorian London. An orphan, Oliver runs away to the big city, hoping to feel a sense of belonging and love. He falls in with a charismatic group of thi...

Sydney Carton, a lawyer and wastrel, tries to redeem himself somewhere between Paris and London to make up for his mis-spent youth. A tale of two cities is considered by many to be Dickens' most thrilling novel. Whilst contrasting the tranquility of London with revolution-torn Paris, incident follows incident as Sydney Carton finally redeems himse...

A touching tale of companionship and redemption, that challenges the age-old 'blood is thicker than water' adage. Silas Marner, a weaver, is cast out from his religious community and arrives in Raveloe, where he is feared because of his mysterious nature and brooding manner. When he is left an unwanted child to care for, his love for the child grow...

Orwell's darkly comic novel centres around the life of Gordon Comstock, onetime advertising copywriter turned bookshop employee and struggling poet. Gordon's disdain for money and artistic compromise preclude his earning enough of a living to escape constant public embarrassment. On top of this, it gives him terrible trouble holding on to his girlf...

Madame Bovary is one of Europe's most famous pieces of literature causing a huge scandal when first published in 1856 as a serial in La Revue de Paris and then, after being acquitted at a trial, as a book in 1857. Ahead of its time, Madame Bovary shocked its readers when first published, with its candid themes of adultery and betrayal. Emma Bovary...

A joyfully picaresque novel, Tom Jones is satirical and farcical in large doses, as well as confronting serious issues such as the importance of religion in eighteenth-century society. Tom is thrown out of his foster father's house for 'crimes' that he didn't commit, and proceeds to have numerous bawdy adventures and fights in the process of life,...

Martin Clunes and Michael Sheen star in this full-cast production of Oscar Wilde's well-known comedy. Oscar Wilde's dazzling comedy about mistaken identities and secret engagements still delights audiences over a century after its first performance in 1895. Algernon Moncrieff, a bachelor-about-town, has invented an invalid friend called Bunbury in...

Lucy Snowe, an English girl, goes to work as a governess in Brussels and finds solace in an unlikely suitor. Largely autobiographical fiction. Based on Charlotte's work as a governess in Brussels, Villette concerns the life of Lucy Snowe, an English girl who obtains a post at a girl's school in Belgium. With few friends and little money, Lucy conc...

The story of Paul Morel, torn between three women. A observant and insightful look at the complexities and dangers surrounding human love and attraction. Sons and Lovers is the moving and explicit account of a young man growing up in a closed mining village. Born into a difficult marriage, Paul Morel is shy and introverted and impressionable. As a...

This story is both shocking and absorbing, a vivid evocation of the dynamics within relationships between husbands and wives, which are not always happy, and can be violent. An apocalyptic masterpiece, Women in Love was originally refused publication for four years after completion due to its strong content. Describing violent relationships, animal...

Moll Flanders is an often humorous and always brazen woman, who, born into poverty in Newgate prison, has to cheek and swindle her way through life to survive. A loveable and chastizable heroine makes for a great listen. Moll Flanders is the epitome of a 'bawdy' woman, who makes few excuses for herself and is unashamed of her shady past. Now conve...

One of the greatest 'castaway novels ever written, 'Robinson Crusoe' sees its namesake struggling on a desert island after a shipwreck. Robinson Crusoe is a sailor who becomes stranded on a desert island for over twenty years when a storm destroys the boat he is travelling on. The ultimate tale of isolation and survival against the odds, Crusoe ha...

Adela Quested travels to India with her chaperone Mrs Moore, on the premise of deciding whether to marry Mrs Moore's son Ronny Heaslop, the city magistrate. Finding her India very disappointingly English, Adela jumps at the chance the two women are given to travel to the distant Marabar caves with Aziz, a charismatic young Indian Doctor. When Adela...

Lucy Honeychurch, accompanied by her vigilant guardian, Charlotte Bartlett, makes her first foray into the world, touring Italy and discovering a country very different to the English countryside she was brought up in. Torn between two lovers, she has to make a decision that will transform her from a girl to a woman. A talented pianist with a good...

Edgar Allan Poe's well known classic: the story of a vicious plague and a prince's attempts to remove himself and his friends from the horrors affecting the masses. Gothic literature at its very finest.