Melvyn Bragg follows his long historical exploration of the Routes of English with Voices of the Powerless, the BBC Radio 4 series in which he explores the lives of the ordinary working men and women of Britain at critical moments across the last 1,000 years. At the beginning of his reign, King Charles I faced a perennial problem for English monar...

A very clever story which will keep you guessing right up until the twist in the tale. Dame Muriel Spark's talent for crime fiction abounds here and her hitherto undiscovered detective has surprises and answers in store for sleuthing listeners.

Felix Lane is bent upon revenge for the death of his young son in a hit-and-run accident, and uses all the knowledge he has gained as a well-known crime writer to track down the culprit . The plot features amateur sleuth Nigel Strangeways, a character modelled on W.H. Auden.

Oliver Goldsmith's "Adventures of a Strolling Player" explores the fickleness of fame. This rollicking, exuberant tale flows effortlessly from the pen of the great 18th century master storyteller and from the lips of T. P. McKenna, whose Irish brogue suits the story perfectly. It is the uproarious story of a travelling player who likes to embellish...

This truly spooky story leaves a listener chilled and unsure which characters to pity. An abusive and cruel husband wears down his wife to the degree that she never argues or complains but lives an existence of quiet misery. When circumstances change drastically, the man's servants start to hear her voice when he cannot - is he going insane or is s...

The first fully recognizable Jeeves and Bertie story. Bertie's cousin arrives in New York lured by the bright lights of Broadway, forcing his dreaded Aunt Agatha to make an unscheduled visit to America. A struggling artist needs help in a romantic intrigue. A wonderful Wodehouse story full of laughs, gaffes and unlikely though touching camaraderie.

Wooster receives a letter out of the blue from his Aunt Agatha inviting him and Jeeves to join her in Rouville-sur-Mer, France. It turns out that Aunt Agatha has decided it is time that Wooster gets married and has some children. She has met an eminently respectable girl she wants to introduce him to, as she considers her absolutely right for the j...

Rockmetteler (Rocky) Todd, one of the laziest people in America, visits Wooster and Jeeves in New York for their advice. Rocky's aunt has written him a letter informing him that she will give him a large monthly allowance on the condition that he visits all the clubs and retaurants and lives life to the full as she would have done had she been much...

Wooster bumps into Bingo and his uncle Old Bittlesham in St James' Street. Old Bittlesham has received a threatening letter in an uneducated hand. Bingo and his uncle think that the culprit is a man with a beard. So Bingo with the help of œ50 offers to sort the matter out. Instead he puts the œ50 on Ocean Breeze a horse owned by his Unc...

This story concerns an obnoxious child called Anthony Martin, a character based upon Christopher Robin, made famous by A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh books. Despite Anthony being spoiled and famous, the unchanging and ever-indifferent William has reliably never heard of him! Richmal Crompton's loveable rogue of an anti-hero is always a delight on aud...

William Brown's Christmas day is typically filled with a burst of mouth organ at 6am in the morning, buying people presents that he expects to be given straight back and generally making an albeit good-intentioned nuisance of himself to all and sundry. Chock-full of William's famous observations on life and ruminations on the human condition, Chris...

Inspired by Charles Dickens' story A Christmas Carol, where miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed overnight by ghosts, Jimmy embarks on his own mission to 'Cure a mizzen for Christmas'. Walking along, he sees his victim, the Vicar, who is counting a large sum of cash. Jimmy convinces his friend Bobby to help him on his mission but their plan does...

A rollicking adventure in the vast catalogue of mischievous japes that chronicles the life of irrepressible and ageless schoolboy William Brown. The scruffy, mud-stained and mischievous boy is a loveable rogue whose heart is usually(!) in the right place and whose pranks usually end in disaster. An ill-advised joke is the basis for this funny tale...

This shady tale takes a listener into the unhappy marriage life of Mr. and Mrs. Bodman, holidaying in snowier climes. Whilst each may have their motives, which party may find that they are driven to the edge and are staring into the abyss? An atmospheric thriller, this story examines two people with extreme personalities who unfortunately do not co...

A well-crafted piece of writing about schadenfreude - sheer pleasure, in this case, at seeing someone 'get his comeuppance' - with an element of slapstick. Lieutenant Golightly is a young officer in the British Army in India who prides himself on "looking like 'an Officer and a Gentleman'" and it is clear he puts a little too much emphasis on his a...

An intriguing India-based tale from Rudyard Kipling that concerns money, stealth and deception. Reggie Burke is seemingly the perfect bank manager, but "As he said himself, and as many men found out rather to their surprise, there were two Burkes, both very much at your service." This becomes very clear as the story progresses and a listener is dra...

As a listener learns at the beginning of this fable-like old-fashioned story: "This is the story of a man who wilfully stepped beyond the safe limits of decent everyday society, and paid for it heavily. He knew too much in the first instance; and he saw too much in the second. He took too deep an interest in native life; but he will never do so aga...

This thrilling and mysterious story was first published in the Civil and Military Gazette on March 4th 1887 and collected in Plain Tales from the Hills in 1888, and in subsequent editions of this collection. The Bisara of Pooree is a tiny eyeless fish, carved from a nut, inside a little jewelled silver box. If stolen, it is a powerful love charm. I...

A refreshingly unusual story which examines the human condition and the idea of words from the past haunting the present. A jockey in a big race is set to win and is a 'sure bet' but with haunting voices from the past ringing in his ears, can he overcome his psychological torture to succeed on the track? A well-crafted story which lends itself to a...

A story of marital discomfort, bribery and 'just desserts', this story follows an unpleasant man's efforts to divorce his wife. Described by some critics as 'overdoing' the retribution dished out to the story's villain, this tale is a gritty and satisfying listen which outlines the perils of dishonesty and is a fable of sorts.

Both a cautionary tale outlining the dangers of over-indulgence and a farcical account of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Brugglesmith is funny and at times, unbelievable. Our sorry narrator finds himself in a situation with a stranger who is less than logical, and has to resort to rather drastic means to keep him at bay.and to keep his...