Two stand-alone BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas adapted by Alexander McCall Smith from his much-loved series 'The Kalahari Typing School for Men' opens with bad news for Mma Ramotswe - her agency has competition in the form of the Satisfaction Guaranteed Detective Agency, run by a man. Mma Makutsi has entrepreneurial ambitions too, and has conceived t...

In this BBC full-cast production, King Lear tests his three daughters' love, to disastrous consequences.Some of the most stirring scenes Shakespeare ever wrote resonate powerfully in this dramatic radio production. Tortured madness, pure evil, and the fatal struggle for power grip the listener until the final, shockingly tragic conclusion.Starring&...

Ed Bishop stars as Philip Marlowe in this powerfully atmospheric dramatisation of Raymond Chandler's novel about the cynical, world-weary, wise-cracking shamus whose honesty in a dishonest world sent him down the mean streets again and again in search of some kind of justice. Blonde, beautiful and wild, Crystal Kingsley had never exactly been the f...

'The Maid' sees Mma Ramotswe visiting the house of the mechanic she has agreed to marry, Mr J. L. B. Matekoni. But there is a shock in store for her... Back at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, there is the mystery of the erratic doctor to look into, and a 'cold case' involving an American who went missing from a communal farm. 'Tears of the Gira...

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...

'The Return of Note' finds Mma Ramotswe in a compromising situation when her past catches up with her. But things are looking brighter for her assistant, Mma Makutsi, when she takes up ballroom dancing... 'The Ceremony' sees Mma Ramotswe's agency work under control at last, so she has time to take care of her own problems. Can she release her fianc...

No caveats for readers of Davis's second playful, well-plotted mystery featuring imperial agent Marcus Didius Falco and based in first century, C.E., Rome. Nero's successor Vespasian has squelched an early treasonous plot and assigned Falco to take care of loose ends, which include the body of the uncle of the high-born young widow Helena Justina,...

One fine day, A.D. 70, Sosia Camillina quite literally runs into Marcus Didius Falco on the steps of the Forum. It seems Sosia is on the run from a couple of street toughs, and after a quick and dirty rescue, P.I. Falco wants to know why. Falco finds out that Sosia, the niece of a highly placed senator, holds the secret to a stockpile of silver pig...

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Jacqueline Wilson's favourite character, Tracy Beaker, who lives in a children's home. Ten-year-old Tracy is smart and full of energy but more than anything she wants love. In "The Story of Tracy Beaker", Tracy doesn't know where her mum lives but that doesn't stop her having long imaginary conversations wit...

'There is No Such Thing as Free Food' finds Precious Ramotswe, owner and founder of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, preoccupied both professionally and personally by the subject of food. 'The Best Profession for a Blackmailer' sees Mr Polopetsi, part-time mechanic and would-be assistant detective, taking on a case of his own; while Mma Makutsi f...

Six extraordinary adventures, never revealed before, starring Simon Callow as Sherlock Holmes and Nicky Henson as Dr Watson, written by John Taylor. 'The Wandering Corpse': The professor claimed he knew how to resurrect the dead. Now he's dead and his body's missing from the coffin. 'The Horror in Hanging Wood': The victim's arm has been wrenched h...

In the heyday of the Roman Empire, a small accounting error has left Marcus Didius Falco sharing a cell with a large rat. But the Empire's most hard-done-by investigator is finally bailed out, and promptly accepts a commission to help a family of freed slaves fend off a professional bribe... A third instalment of the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries s...

'A Very Rude Woman' finds Precious Ramotswe facing change at The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, while Mr J.L.B. Matekoni meets the rudest person in all Botswana. 'Talking Shoes' sees a new detective taking on a case for the Agency, while Mma Ramotswe, among others, has a problem with high blood pressure.

BBC Radio 4 has a new star on his hands. No-one knows where he's from - "As a child, I always remember my father saying to me 'Son, to pay for your education your mother and I had to make a lot of sacrifices.' Because they were both druids." No-one can predict what he gets up to -"I'm not getting on with my yoga teacher at the moment ... which freq...

Tons of award-winning comedy (as seen on TV) from the brilliant Victoria Wood and lots of other people, some of whom are still in work. Julie Walters, Alan Rickman, Dora Bryan, Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie, Hugh Lloyd and many more join Victoria Wood in this positively bloated bumper collection oozing with songs, sketches and monologues. A revolution...

These are masterly readings, by renowned thespian Paul Schofield, of two substantial works of poetry by T.S. Eliot. The Wasteland, first published in 1922, is one of Eliot's most influential works and has long been on the syllabus for A-Level English Literature. The Four Quartets consists of four long poems, first published between 1935 and 1942....

1994 saw one of Peter Cooks most acclaimed performances since his 1960's heyday. Chris Morris' surreal and inventive questions brought out the very best of eccentric aristocrat Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling - a character whom Cook had carried with him through Beyond the Fringe and Not Only.But Also.to his latter years. These five interviews recall St...

It's the beginning of the summer holidays and William and the Outlaws see an endless expanse of gloriously carefree days stretching ahead but how to fill them? The six classic adventures contained in this unabridged reading are: William and the Holiday Centre - William's Treasure Trove - William and the Cottage - William Tackles the Job - William a...

Alan Bennett's distinctive readings of children's stories have become classics in their own right. His interpretations of the wonderful characters that people Lewis Carroll's extraordinary novels are, as ever, exactly right.

Richard Curtis' and Ben Elton's award-winning comedy in which Rowan Atkinson as the ubiquitous Blackadder, ably hampered by Tony Robinson as the loyal Baldrick, wreaks havoc throughout the centuries. Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Robbie Coltrane, Rik Mayall and Miranda Richardson are some of the guest stars joining in the fun.

In Blackadder II, England's Golden Age is treated to the schemes and strategems of Edmund, Lord Blackadder as he curries grace and favour from the stark raving mad Queen Bess.