Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in All Categories

Stand-up fans rejoice—this cracking collection contains a whole seven series of top-drawer comedy, recorded live at London and Manchester's legendary Comedy Store and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Enjoy more than 11 hours of laughs from some of the biggest and best stand-ups on the circuit, hosted by three fantastically funny compères: Simon Bligh, Ross Noble and Adam Hills.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Horace Rumpole in this fourth collection of dramatic court cases. 'Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation': Erskine-Brown is working on a sordid ABH and affray case which allegedly occurred in a Soho night club. When he and Rumpole visit the disreputable scene of the crime, they meet Maurice Machin, the editor of the Daily Beacon, whose paper is being sued for libel.

Join Professor John Lloyd and curators Jimmy Carr, Humphrey Ker, Phill Jupitus and Sarah Millican as they plunge down the badger hole of ignorance in a search for the universe's most mind-boggling oddnesses. The Museum of Curiosity is BBC Radio 4's monumental comedy edifice and the only one with gargoyles in the foyer. It allows nothing inside that doesn't make you scratch your head, stroke your chin or, at the very least, go 'hmm'.

Join sad pervie Richard Richard and his masochistic flatmate Eddie Hitler (a.k.a. Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson) for some disgusting toilet humour, caustic merriment and charming English pleasantries in these four pungent classic TV episodes of anarchic sitcom Bottom. In addition, we join charismatic ace investigative reporter Kevin Turvey (Mayall) as he combs the back of his mind to bring us exclusives on such soul-searching subjects as death, sex and the supernatural in Kevin Turvey Investigates.

Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen star in this classic audio adventure from 1976. The TARDIS' arrival on a lonely stretch of beach at night is closely followed by a slithering sound and a chilling roar. It marks the beginning of a terrifying adventure on present-day Earth for the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. The deadly Pescatons have arrived! Refugees from their own dying planet, these towering amphibians are led by the mighty Zor, whom the Doctor has encountered before. Soon the creatures have invaded London, wreaking death and destruction.

Advertising guru Rory Sutherland is a world-leading proponent of behavioural economics. In Hacking the Unconscious, he looks at how this emerging science is used by marketers to influence us and challenges us to reassess which ideas we hold dear.

You may know him from his Netflix series Repertoire, his podcast Off Menu or James Acaster's Perfect Sounds, but before all of that James Acaster was one of the top researchers working in the UK today.... In these five shows, he probes deeply into a variety of subjects - and shares his eye-opening conclusions. Accompanied by agreeable assistant Nathaniel Metcalfe (Fresh from the Fringe) and Donna from the Complaints Department (Call the Midwife's Bryony Hannah) he tackles the big questions on the topics of bread, wood, fruit, wheels and paint.

Andy Hamilton is a familiar and much-loved voice on Radio 4. With this collection he presents a collection of observations and reminiscences about both his personal life and his 40 years working in comedy. Andy looks at Childhood, Politics, The Human Body and Animals. Using comic observation and personal anecdotes he explores each theme, examining how much (or how little) things have changed in the 60-ish years he's been on this planet.

Delve into the world of Rosemary Timperley if you dare! In this chilling collection, discover ten chilling full-cast dramatisations of sinister stories and suspenseful tales and immerse yourself in a totally unique listening experience. Recorded with a full musical score, these standalone tales are perfect for fans of the supernatural and will raise goosebumps on even the warmest of days.

Presented by writer, comedian and self-confessed listomaniac Susan Calman, this hilarious show celebrates the power of the humble list—from 'Buzzfeed' to 'bucket' and everything in between. Accompanying Susan for a spot of comic categorising are a panel of special guests, including Lucy Porter, Joe Lycett, Richard Herring, Katherine Ryan, James Acaster, Miles Jupp, Lucy Beaumont, Nat Luurtsema, Alun Cochrane, Sarah Millican, Ricky Wilson, Roisin Conaty and Isy Suttie. Together, they participate in a variety of anarchic games themed around lists both magnificent and mundane.

Welcome to Concrete Cow, the sketch show where anything is possible. Written by James Cary, who won a Silver Sony Award for Think the Unthinkable, this silly, surreal and ingenious comedy stars one half of ‘Mitchell and Webb’, Robert Webb. Also featuring are Oscar-winning actress and comedian Olivia Colman, as well as Sally Hawkins, Chris Pavlo, Beth Chalmers and more.

From taking the knee to transgender rights, wedge issues are everywhere in modern life - dividing opinions, polarising debate and tearing friendships and families apart. Even something as seemingly innocuous as wearing a facemask can provoke vicious disagreement. But how did we get here, and what does it mean for society going forward? In this gripping series, acclaimed writer and journalist Jon Ronson searches for the origin stories of the hostilities - the pebbles thrown in the pond, creating the ripples that led to where we are today.

Over the course of his distinguished entertainment career, Alan Bennett has received multiple awards and honours, including two BAFTAs, four Laurence Olivier Awards, two Tony Awards, an Academy Award nomination for his film The Madness of King George, and a British Book Award for Author of the Year in 2006. In this four-part collection of his remarkable Untold Stories, the acclaimed writer considers his childhood, career, and the current state of the world with his customary blend of wit and poignancy.

In this wonderful, fraught, witty, real comedy about a middle-aged mother desperate to begin her post-children life, Stella is wondering why those grown-up children are all still in her house. Dreaming of retiring to a life in the countryside with her husband, instead she's dealing with four extra people in the house, rooms that urgently need de-junking, surprise pregnancy tests, difficult neighbours and a mother who really isn't helping anything. When she attempts to clear the useless clutter from the house, Stella realises it's her children who really need to go.

Frank Twist and Sarah Gold run The Agency, a paralegal firm based in sunny Manchester. With the help of their team of freelancers, they operate a round-the-clock advice service, going into police stations across the North West to offer help and support to those in custody. In these 26 episodes, their clients include the good, the bad and the ugly: from a teenager pulled in for texting an indecent photo of his girlfriend, to a man detained for suspected arson at a primary school.

All six volumes of The Essential Letters from America, brought together for the first time in this definitive chronological collection of Alistair Cooke's finest broadcasts. Alistair Cooke was the doyen of foreign correspondents and a radio legend, entertaining millions of listeners for over 50 years in his weekly Letter from America. It was the longest-running show in radio history, and every show was a virtuoso performance.

The Birling family are spending a happy evening celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft - a marriage that will result in the merging of two successful local businesses. Yet, just when everything seems to be going so well, they receive a surprise visit from an Inspector Goole who is investigating the suicide of a young girl.

Renowned novelist and poet Thomas Hardy is best known for his fatalistic, often tragic novels set in the 'realistic dream-country' of Wessex, in south and south-west England. Drawing on his own life, he created some of the most memorable characters and stories in Victorian literature—many of which are included here. In five dramas taken from Radio 4's 'Hardy's Women' season, we meet a few of Thomas Hardy's most compelling female protagonists.

Maurice Denham stars as John Mortimer's famous comic creation Rumpole of the Bailey. Defender of the underdog, friend of South London villains and scourge of QCs, much-loved barrister Horace Rumpole was first brought to life on television, and in 1980 BBC Radio 4 introduced him to the airwaves for a 13-episode series.

Challenged to retrieve a fallen star, Tristran Thorn leaves the sleepy English village of Wall and crosses into the land of Faerie and the realm of Stormhold. Locating the star, he discovers it is no meteorite but a young woman, Yvaine. When Yvaine evades him and escapes, Tristran discovers he is not the only one in pursuit of the star: there are dark forces in this magical land, and he must find Yvaine before she falls into their clutches.