Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in Literary History & Criticism

From Little Nell to Miss Havisham, Dickens’ Women tells the story of Charles Dickens’ life through his beloved characters. Cowritten and performed by Miriam Margolyes, best known for her role as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, this one-women show is a celebration of her infectious passion for Dickens’ work. Taking on 23 different Dickensian characters, many of whom were inspired by real people such as Mary Hogwarth, Dickens' sister-in-law, Margolyes showcases her astonishing versatility as a performer. Dickens’ Women delighted audiences across the world in 2012 as Margolyes took her Olivier nominated show on tour for the bicentenary of Dicken’s birth.

For years they thought it was just them. Irritated and tormented by everything around them from call centres to nose studs, from speed bumps to ring tones. Then along came the BBC2 series Grumpy Old Men, and the subsequent best-selling book, and they knew they were not alone.

We all know what it means these days to be a "grumpy old man", because part of that role is to be outspoken. Well, we've heard just about enough out of the men, thank you very much. Grumpy Old Women gives us the other perspective, the female take, on the million irritations of today's world.

J.R.R. Tolkien: An Audio Portrait is a compilation of radio and TV archive material from the '60s and '70s featuring interviews with J.R.R. Tolkien, his relatives, and his colleagues in which he talks about The Lord of the Rings, his other Hobbiton books, life as an academic, correspondence received from fans, and his views on the 20th century. This audiobook is presented by Brian Sibley.

Author, broadcaster and 'rock star classicist' Natalie Haynes is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greece and Rome. In these four series, she explores some of the most prominent historical and mythological figures from the classical world, telling their stories through a mix of stand-up comedy and conversation.

The first nine volumes of 'Doctor Who at the BBC' form this unique collection of behind-the-scenes interviews, set reports, lively discussions, comedy skits and drama. Presented by Elisabeth Sladen, Anthony Head, Louise Jameson, Russell Tovey and Nicholas Courtney, the collection also includes three full-cast radio plays—Regenerations, Blue Sands and Golden Veils, and Dalek I Love You—plus the Radio 2 documentaries Project Who? and Who Is The Doctor?

To everything there is a season. A time to be born, a time to die, and a time to get a few things off your chest. Yes, it's a daily chronicle of life for the terminally irritable; an almanac of angst. If you know, live with, tolerate or, God forbid, ARE, a Grumpy Old Man, this is essential reading.

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.

In these 10 entertaining documentaries, he explores why some books, games and binge-watched box sets are, as they say, 'literally unputdownable'; peers into Plotto, an ingenious manual of story devices, to discover whether it really can make writing easy; takes a sideways look at some familiar characters from literature, including James Bond, Dracula, Fu Manchu and Carruthers; delves into the intricacies of the locked-room murder; and revisits his old prep school to find out whether a book of stirring 19th-century verse can work its magic on today’s young people.

In the famous tones of Sir John himself this magnificent autobiography in verse poignantly describes the pains and pleasures of growing up. "Summoned by Bells can hardly help being a landmark....one seems to be living his childhood and boyhood with him." -Stephen Spender

In 1998, a brand-new culture show was launched on Radio 4, featuring Melvyn Bragg and a panel of leading academics discussing the ideas, individuals and events that have shaped our world. In Our Time rapidly became one of radio's most well-loved programmes, regularly attracting over 2 million listeners eager to learn more about the topic of the week—which could be asteroids, Zoroastrianism or anything in between. This specially curated collection charts the evolution of the novel as a literary form throughout the past four centuries.

Sir Jonathan Bate examines eight iconic poems inspired by great historical events - and explores the Romantics, John Clare and William Wordsworth. In this BBC Radio 4 series, eminent Biographer and Broadcaster Sir Jonathan Bate looks at major historical events through the poems they inspired, exploring how history influences poetry and how poetry shapes the way we regard history.

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 critic Sheridan Morley.

Extracts from interviews with Coward himself, several of his songs and moments from his plays come together to form a fascinating picture of one of the 20th century's theatre greats.

The gospel stories as you've never heard them before.

Everyone knows the story of Jesus' life as told in the Gospels - and perhaps because it is so familiar, we have forgotten what an extraordinary life it was. Through these five plays, the story is pieced together as if from the memories of those who were there and saw events for themselves: Jesus' mother, Mary; his closest friends; the Jewish high priest; and the Roman governor. They recount the events they witnessed as if they had happened just the other day.

In this engrossing series, Drs Sarah Dillon and Corin Throsby set off on a quest to discover how some of our most famous, best-loved books were written. What was happening in the author's lives and how did that influence the process of creation? Following the clues, they attempt to solve the mysteries of these great works of literature - uncovering a wealth of fascinating information along the way.

Dylan Thomas is one of the 20th century's most celebrated poets. His rich rhetoric created poems of magical imagery; nowhere is language more rich and fantastic than in his best-known work, Under Milk Wood. He was also a popular radio entertainer and the BBC Archives contain a wealth of material featuring Dylan Thomas, not only readings of his own work, but also dramatic readings of other work such as Dr Faustus.

Alistair Cooke was a radio legend, entertaining millions of listeners for over 50 years in his weekly Letter from America. It was the longest-running one-man series in radio history, and every show was a virtuoso performance. Wise and witty, informed yet informal, Cooke was the doyen of foreign correspondents. Here are five letters about previous presidents and their elections over the past 60 years, in which Cooke - one of the world's most famous letter writers and radio's greatest observer - reflects on American life and politics.

Lyrical Ballads features a selection of poems from Wordsworth and Coleridge's 1798 collaboration, which marked the beginning of the English Romantic poetry movement. In the first episode, we hear Coleridge's "Lewti" and Wordsworth's "The Thorn", while the second episode showcases Coleridge's "The Nightingale" and Wordsworth's "Lucy" poems. In the final episode, we hear Wordsworth's "Lines Written A Few Miles above Tintern Abbey" and Coleridge's ballad, "Love".

Throughout its long history, crime fiction has broadened our horizons, introducing us to unfamiliar places, people and cultures and showing us new ways of looking at the world. In this fascinating series, Mark Lawson takes a global tour of the genre, putting detective novels under the magnifying glass to examine how they have depicted—and predicted—social and political change. Focussing on famous fictional investigators, he explores what these iconic protagonists can tell us about the historic character of their nations.

Part of BBC Radio 3's 'The Essay' strand, The Book That Changed Me features writers, academics and other eminent professionals discussing the literary works that have had the greatest impact on their lives. Absorbing and enlightening, this entertaining collection sheds new light on the intellectual lives of a host of famous names, and celebrates the transformative power of literature.