In these six pieces, Alan Bennett retains the gripping stories, intensity of delivery and masterly style of his original monologues. The suburban normality of the world his characters inhabit once again belies their lives of secrets, revelations, fears, crimes and passions. They tell their stories, and in doing so reveal more than they know of the...

In this BBC full-cast production of The Taming of the Shrew, the freedom and virility of women is frowned upon. Will Petruchio's quest to 'tame' his new wife succeed?Layers of assumed identity, elaborate role-playing, and acerbic exchanges of wit reveal the real relationship between men and women in this exuberant production of one of Shakespe...

Alan Bennett reminisces about his early years - from his schooldays to undergraduate life at Oxford University. It was an ordinary childhood - growing up in Leeds taught Alan early on that `life is generally something that happens elsewhere'. Yet the children who long for German bombs to lend their city some wartime glamour; the working class mothe...

In this BBC full-cast production of The Tempest, a magical storm washes some sailors up on a peculiar island, changing the course of their lives forever...Raging storms and rich beautiful music combine to magical effect in this production of Shakespeare's allegorical last play, where mystical forces work to restore harmony and order to an estr...

THE TERRIBLE TOURIST: Now that their marriage plans have collapsed, Agatha is furious to find that James is taking a holiday on the island where they were to have their honeymoon. But when she sets out in pursuit of him, she stumbles upon another murder. THE FAIRIES OF FRYFAM: Having been hurt by James once too often, Agatha takes a trip to the Cor...

More sketches from the inside-out world of David Mitchell and Robert Webb, including what James Bond is really like as a party guest, and the rather too exciting world of Rabbit Newsnight. Their distinctive and lopsided view of the world includes the worst possible name for a dry cleaning shop; the brave and dangerous work of Hairdressers Sans Fron...

David Mitchell and Robert Webb star in the complete second series of their critically-acclaimed BBC Radio 4 show. Starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, from Channel 4's 'Peep Show', 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound' is a mix of satirical sketches and surreal characters that provides a fantastically skewed perspective on everyday life. Meet soporifi...

David Mitchell & Robert Webb star in the complete third series of their Sony Award-winning comedy show - as broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Here the duo return to their radio roots, and this third series finds them in their finest ever sketch-show form.

The Sony award-winning radio series starring Marcus Brigstocke, with David Mitchell and Stephen Moore. Unthinkable Solutions are the hapless management consultants who inflict their unique brand of help on unsuspecting companies. This first series of the BBC Radio 4 comedy won a Silver Award at the Sony Radio Academy Awards, and stars Marcus Brigst...

A BBC Radio 3 full-cast dramatisation of H. G. Wells' pioneering science fiction adventure. Wells' story of an inventor who travels in time and discovers a nightmarish dystopian future has been adapted several times for TV and film. This first ever UK radio adaptation, starring Robert Glenister as the Time Traveller and William Gaunt as H. G. Wells...

The first series of Andy Hamilton's BBC Radio 4 comedy about sports PR agent Trevor. Trevor and Sammy are the movers and shakers at TS Sports Stars agency. Friends for twenty years, and business partners for nine, they are chalk and cheese: Trevor is thoughtful, honest and sensitive while Sammy is a rapacious dealmaker with the morals of a hyena. I...

In this BBC full-cast production of Twelfth Night, Malvolio is looking for trouble - and revenge...Michael Maloney, Josette Simon and Anne-Marie Duff star in this fast and funny production of Shakespeare's most sparkling and optimistic comedy, when all the world is turned on its head and authority is usurped, when by civil...

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the third book in Philip Pullman's trilogy 'His Dark Materials'. Bringing the saga to a thrilling close, it reintroduces familiar characters such as Lyra, Will, Mrs Coulter and Dr Mary Malone, the latter of whom possesses the powerful amber spyglass. Finally, the outcome of the battle within the Kingdom of H...

In this BBC full-cast production of As You Like It, Rosalind is banished from the Royal court, heartbroken over Orlando. Will the two find a way to reunite?A comedy of wit, disguise and love, Shakespeare's tale about the enchanted world of the Forest of Arden remains as moving as it is funny.Helena Bonham Carter stars as Rosalind, with&nb...

'The Chief Justice of Beauty' finds the ladies hired by a beauty contest judge to check up on the integrity of the finalists in a forthcoming competition, following the embarrassing arrest for shoplifting of a previous winner. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotsweis worried about her fianc‚, Mr J. L. B. Matekoni. 'The Confession' sees Mma Ramotswe consulti...

In this BBC full-cast production of Coriolanus, allies and enemies become blurred just as Rome is in sight...Coriolanus tells of a proud Roman general who captures the town Corioli but subsequently falls from favour with the Roman people. He allies himself with the Volscians and leads an attack on Rome, but allegiances are won and lost be...

'The Daddy' introduces us to Mma Ramotswe as she embarks on her first case and takes on a new secretary, the resourceful and talented Mma Makutsi. Together, they must find the truth about a Daddy who appears to have returned from the dead - as well as investigating a wayward teenage girl and attempting to find a vanished child. 'The Bone' sees the...

Perhaps the ultimate in TV comedy madness and absurdity, this cult series, which began in 1969, was conceived, written and performed by Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. It was innovative and ground-breaking comedy which inspired many of today's writers and performers. Its sketches, songs and catchphrases are...

Ed Bishop stars as Philip Marlowe in a powerful and atmospheric full-cast dramatisation of Raymond Chandler's classic noir novel. The first time Marlowe sets eyes on Terry Lennox, he is lying drunk in the passenger seat of a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith. The next time, he's on Skid Row. After they share a few Gimlets, Marlowe thinks he seems like a ni...

Michael Sheen stars as Hamlet with Kenneth Cranham as Claudius, Juliet Stevenson as Gertrude and Ellie Beaven as Ophelia in the best-known and most powerful tragedy of modern times. BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and...

Warm, humorous and uplifting, Alexander McCall Smith's hugely popular novels featuring Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of Botswana's only female private detective agency, have become international bestsellers, sold over seven million copies, and been translated into 26 languages.These acclaimed productions, complete with vibrant music, bring the exot...