Playwright, actor, singer, songwriter, poet and scriptwriter, Sir No‰l Coward used his `talent to amuse' to spectacular effect for almost sixty years. Sir Laurence Olivier, Lord Mountbatten and Joyce Carey are just some of the voices heard paying tribute to the elegant star in this audio biography which is linked by the broadcaster and criti...

Arthur Darvill reads this exclusive audio adventure featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Amy. When the TARDIS lands on Orkney in the near future, the Doctor and Amy arrive to find a large demonstration in progress over the construction of new electricity pylons. The Doctor tries to break things up peacefully - but suddenly the road splits open without...

A second BBC Radio 4 series of Stephen Fry's witty and incisive programmes looking at the oddities of the English language. Includes four 30-minute Radio 4 programmes presented by Stephen Fry indulging his delight in the English language. So Wrong It's Right - Stephen Fry examines how 'wrong' English can become right English, such as more people us...

Stephen Fry explores the highways and byways of the English language in these four programmes, as heard on BBC Radio 4. The Trial of Qwerty - The "Qwerty" keyboard faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct the English language. But who was Mr. Qwerty? He Said, She Said - Do men and women really say what they mean? Also Stephen investigates sex, domin...

Recorded on location in the Somerset Levels, in the garden of keen birdwatcher, writer and broadcaster Stephen Moss, A Guide to Garden Birds is a helpful, practical guide to help you sort out your Blue tits from your Great Tits and your hedge sparrows from your tree sparrows. Joining Brett and Stephen is wildlife sound recordist, Chris Watson armed...

In this special compilation there's a new chat in town and Alan is a rocket. So get ready to enter the chat-o-sphere as Alan Partridge tries to prove that his show's not moribund, meets another Alan Partridge and delves into Alan's Big Pocket. You'll be absolutely chattered as Alan loses patience with guests Keith Hunt (Am I Right? You're Not Wrong...

In this, the first adventure of his third "incarnation", Doctor who, Liz Shaw and the Brigadier grapple wth the nightmareish invasion of the Autons. Living, giant-sized, plastic-modelled "humans" with no hair and sightless eyes, they are waxwork replicas and tailors' dummies whose murderous behaviour is directed by the Nestene Consciousness - a mal...

The evil Master leered at the Doctor, and triumphantly pointed out of the cabin window. The many-tentacled Nestene monster - spearhead of the second Auton invasion of Earth - crouched beside the radio tower! Part crab, part spider, part octopus, its single huge eye blazed with alien intelligence and deadly hatred... Can the Doctor outwit his...

In the wake of a marital break-up, Dave finds himself living in the storage unit in which he keeps his belongings. Dave is accompanied by his fellow inhabitant, the borderline psychotic Geoff, and cultured security guard Ron. In this second series Dave's sister moves in with him, he celebrates his birthday, is offered a job and finally has to face...

Artist, illustrator, tuba-player, writer, broadcaster, Quaker and clown, Hoffnung's gifts as eccentric and raconteur are celebrated here in a compilation of all the existing Hoffnung recordings, including the famous Bricklayer Story.

Gerard Hoffnung was an artist, musician, broadcaster, raconteur - and genius. A true Renaissance Man, the multi-faceted Hoffnung crammed a great deal into his tragically short span. Using much previously unreleased archive material, this audio biography, presented by Humphrey Lyttelton, looks at every aspect of his life and career. From his childho...

The versatile Harry Enfield employs his comic talents to good effect with a host of hilarious characters in this BBC TV selection: `Simply spiffing sketches from series one and two. Yah.' The best bits of Series 1 & 2, starring Harry Enfield ably assisted by those bloody good blokes, Paul Whitehouse and Kathy Burke. All the old favourites are h...

For 5000 years and more, elephants have served humanity, as a living tractor, pile driver, fork lift truck, tank and 4WD. But the working elephant is now at the end of its economic usefulness. Adam Fowler explores the plight of thousands of captive elephants in Asia and their historic and changing relationship with man.

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot with Stephanie Cole and Donald Sinden. Hercule Poirot, along with three other luminaries from the world of crime detection, is invited to dinner by the renowned London socialite Dr. Shaitana. Also on the guest list are four members of what Shaitana calls his Black Museum...

Ariadne Oliver, Queen of Crime Fiction, has been asked to devise a "Murder Hunt" for a fˆte at Nasse House, the home of Sir George Stubbs. But she begins to suspect that someone is manipulating the scenario of her game and fears that something very sinister is being planned. She sends for her old friend Hercule Poirot. At first he is not incli...

A full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of an Agatha Christie story. On a flight from Le Bourget to Croydon, on which Hercule Poirot is an apprehensive passenger, a woman is found dead. A doctor on board is inclined to put it down to a wasp-sting, but Poirot suspects that a poisoned dart is the real cause - and, perhaps rather too conveniently, a blo...

As Hercule Poirot sifts through his post one particular morning, he alights upon a letter from an elderly and (as it transpires), exceedingly rich spinster - Miss Emily Arundell. She is clearly in great distress and seeking his help, but doesn't say why. Her only specific mention is "the incident of the dog's ball". However, what intrigues Poirot i...

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Agatha Christie's darkly suspenseful psychological thriller. Agatha Christie wrote Endless Night in 1967, and it is one of her greatest - and most unusual - novels. Creepy, malevolent and claustrophobic, it is a story about choices, the nature of good and evil, and grim retribution. Mike Rogers had a childho...

An exclusive hotel on a tiny picturesque island seems to be the ideal retreat for Hercule Poirot from the stresses of criminal detection. But with the appearance of the beautiful Arlena Stuart, the quiet and peaceful atmosphere becomes charged with an indefinable erotic tension. And when she is found viciously strangled in a secluded cove, there ar...

John Moffatt stars as the great Belgian detective in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Carla Lemarchant was a child of five when her mother was accused and convicted of poisoning her father, the famous painter Amyas Crale. After Caroline Crale dies in prison, Carla is sent to live with her uncle and aunt in Canada. Only on her twenty-first bir...

Alan Bennett's gentle, wry observations of life have made him one of the country's best-loved and most famous authors. He reads extracts from his bestselling diaries which offer a fascinating insight into his life - the work on location, life in Camden and fond, poignant memories of his childhood and home life.