Classic Fiction

300,000 KISSES

by Luke Edward Hall & Seán Hewitt

read by André Santana

running time 3hrs 59mins

Steeped in honey, Juventius, your golden eyes, and as sweet too. when I press my lips to them - three hundred thousand kisses is not close to enough. For centuries, evidence of queer love in the ancient world was ignored or suppressed. Even today, only a few, famous narratives are widely known - yet there's a rich literary tradition of Greek and Roman love that extends far beyond this handful of stories. Here, the poet Seán Hewitt and painter Luke Edward Hall collect together, for the first time, forty of the most exhilarating queer tales in the classical canon and bring them newly to life. A ground-breaking anthology that changes the way we see the ancient world - and invites us to reflect on the puritanism of our own - 300,000 Kisses is a riotous celebration of desire in all its forms.

AN ACADEMIC QUESTION

by Barbara Pym

read by Jilly Bond

running time 4hrs 48mins

In a provincial university town, Caro Grimstone, a dissatisfied faculty wife, becomes the unwilling accomplice to her husband Alan's ambitions. When she volunteers to read to a blind, esteemed anthropologist in a nursing home, Alan seizes the opportunity to steal his papers - research that could both advance his reputation while refuting the findings of a respected colleague. A delightful comedy of manners with a touch of mystery, An Academic Question is prime Barbara Pym territory.

BALLET STORIES

by David Angus

read by Jenny Agutter

running time 1hr 45mins

The magic of ballet is evoked in these enchanting stories presented with many musical excerpts from the works themselves. Jenny Agutter, who, before turning to acting was a dancer, presents the stories of two French ballets -- Giselle and Coppelia -- and the three great ballets by Tchaikovsky, in engaging style.

CAMILLA

by Fanny (Frances) Burney

read by Lucy Scott

running time 37hrs 30mins

Naive Camilla Tyrold is in love with Edgar Mandlebert, a noble young man, but must suffer a series of misunderstandings that threaten their happy union. Her sister Eugenia, destined to inherit her uncle’s great wealth, is plagued with misfortune as she is left disfigured by smallpox and men court her for financial gain only. Meanwhile their cousin, beautiful but selfish Indiana, never finds a fortune for her good looks.

DANSE MACABRE

by Gerald Elias

read by Jim Frangione

running time 8hrs 30mins

Daniel Jacobus, reclusive blind concert master and amateur sleuth, returns to solve a most despicable crime and to clear an innocent man when violinist and humanitarian Rene Allard is brutally murdered. Jacobus follows a trail of broken violins and broken lives as it leads inexorably to the truth, and to his own mortal peril.

EAST LYNNE

by Ellen Wood

read by Rachel Atkins

running time 23hrs 30mins

When the aristocratic Lady Isabel abandons her husband and children for her wicked seducer, more is at stake than moral retribution. Ellen Wood played upon the anxieties of the Victorian middle classes who feared a breakdown of the social order as divorce became more readily available and promiscuity threatened the sanctity of the family. In this novel the simple act of hiring a governess raises the spectres of murder, disguise, and adultery.

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER AND OTHER TALES

by Edgar Allan Poe

read by William Roberts

running time 4hrs 52mins

The horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, with its dungeon of death, and the overhanging gloom on the House of Usher demonstrate unforgettably the unique imagination of Edgar Allan Poe. Unerringly, he touches upon some of our greatest nightmares – premature burial, ghostly transformation and words from beyond the grave. Written in the 1840s, they have retained their power to shock and frighten even now.

GILBERT WITHOUT SULLIVAN

by William Schwenck Gilbert & Stephen Wyatt

read by Miscellaneous

running time 4hrs 38mins

Ten comic dramatisations based on the stories and plays of WS Gilbert. Sir William Schwenck Gilbert is best known for his operatic collaborations with Sir Arthur Sullivan, which captivated 19th-century audiences and continue to delight today. But he also created numerous solo works, among them these ten pieces, dramatised for radio by Stephen Wyatt and featuring Jonathan Coy as WS Gilbert. The Finger of Fate - Confirmed bachelor Foggerty yearns for peace - but Fate has other plans, in the form of large, lively Dolly Fortescue. Starring Stephen Moore, Alison Steadman, Martin Hyder, Ian Masters. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 December 2002. An Elixir of Love - The inspiration for the Gilbert & Sullivan opera The Sorcerer, this humorous tale finds the Rev Stanley Gay secretly administering a love potion to his parishioners - with unexpected results. Starring Paul Downing, Cathy Sara, Gillian Goodman, Christopher Scott, John Fleming. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14 May 2003. The Burglar's Story- Housebreaker's son Theodore Belvawney learns the hard way that there is no honour amongst thieves. Starring Michael Onslow, John Webb, Anny Tobin, Stephen Boswell, Kim Durham, Alexandra Lilley. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 May 2003. Wide Awake - Rich, unworldly Harold Symperson learns that he must stay alert when looking for his soulmate. Starring Richard Derrington, Chris Emmett, Julia Hills, Joanna Wake, Jamie Chapman, Tom George. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 28 May 2003. Mr Foster's Good Fairy - Confectioner Cyril Foster fears his chequered past will be exposed, until he's offered an unlikely escape. Starring Ian Brooker, Sara Coward, Lennox Greaves and David Bannerman. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 4 June 2003. The Wedding March - Woodpecker Tapping's wedding day goes from bad to worse in this farcical drama. Starring Jason Chan, Paul Clarkson, Amy Shindler, John Rowe, Alex Tregear, Sion Probert, Charlotte West-Oram. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 December 2004. A Sensation Novel - Author Ebenezer Fudge is most perturbed when his characters come to life and criticise his melodramatic plots. Starring John Rowe, Nicholas Boulton, Hugh Dickson, Julia Hills, Jason Chan and Wendy Baxter. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 December 2004. A Colossal Idea - Holidaying with his wife in Margate, grocer Mr Yellowboy claims to be writing an encyclopaedia - but his real activities are less innocent. Starring Tim Hudson, Sarah Hadland, Tina Gray, Bella Merlin, James Howard. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 December 2004. Tom Cobb or Fortune's Toy - In need of money to marry his fiancee, Matilda O'Fipp, Tom Cobb decides to 'die'. Starring Bertie Carvel, Sarah Corbet, Stephen Hogan, James Howard, Bella Merlin, Jason Chan. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 January 2005. The Realm of Joy - A West End play proves so scandalous that Victorian society can't stay away. Starring Alexander Delamere, Jeffrey Harmer, Tim Hudson, Jilly Bond, Stephen Hogan, Bella Merlin, Charlotte West-Oram. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 January 2005.

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES

by Hans Christian Andersen

read by Jonah Hauer-King

running time 4hrs 30mins

Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales is an enchanting collection, retold by writer and critic Naomi Lewis, and contains 12 of Hans Christian Andersen's magnificent stories, including Thumbelina, a little girl no more than a thumb-joint high, The Emperor's New Clothes, the tale of a man who cares only for his appearance and The Little Mermaid, who longs to one day marry a human prince.

THE IDIOT

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

read by Barry Wilsher

running time 27hrs 45mins

Classic Russian literature whose central themes are based upon the love of Prince Myshkin for two women. The author vividly describes St Petersburg and the Prince's emotions: compassion and desire.

JANE EYRE

by Charlotte Brontë

read by Maureen O'Brien

running time 19hrs 30mins

Orphaned Jane Eyre, a spirited young woman, obtains the post of governess at Thornfield Hall and falls in love with the enigmatic Mr Rochester. When she learns his dark secret she must choose whether to stay, and live with the consequences, or uphold her principles and leave - both Thornfield and the man she loves.

KENILWORTH: A ROMANCE

by Sir Walter Scott

read by Tony Pearce-Smith

running time 20hrs

In the court of Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is favoured by the Queen and it is rumoured that she may choose him for her husband. But Leicester has secretly married the beautiful Amy Robsart. Fearing ruin if this were known, he keeps his lovely young wife a virtual prisoner in an old country house.

LADY AUDLEY'S SECRET

by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

read by Kim Hicks

running time 15hrs

When beautiful young Lucy Graham accepts the hand of Sir Michael Audley, her fortune and her future look secure. But Lady Audley's past is shrouded in mystery, and Sir Michael's nephew, Robert, has vague forebodings. When Robert's friend George Talboys disappears, he is determined to find him and to unearth the truth. His quest reveals a tangled story of lies and deception, crime and intrigue, which turn the conventional picture of Victorian womanhood on its head. Can Robert's darkest suspicions really be true?

THE MABINOGION

by Sioned Davies (Translator)

read by David Hobbs

running time 9hrs 20mins

Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, and an intriguing interpretation of British history - these are just some of the themes embraced by the anonymous authors of the eleven tales that make up the Welsh medieval masterpiece known as the Mabinogion.

THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM

by Edgar Allan Poe

read by Adam Sims

running time 7hrs 20mins

A riveting story, told in the first person. It tells of a disastrous sea voyage involving storms, mutiny, starvation, thirst - and a mysterious conclusion.

THE ODYSSEY

by Homer

read by Anton Lesser

running time 12hrs 45mins

The Trojan War is over and Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, sets out for home, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. It proves a long, 10-year journey, fraught with dangers, from Polyphemus, the one-eyed Cyclops, and the seductive Sirens, to the love of Calypso on her all-too-comfortable isle.

A PAIR OF BLUE EYES

by Thomas Hardy

read by Hazel Douglas

running time 17hrs

Elfrida, the clergyman's daughter, wants an attractive, sensible husband, but the attentions of rival suitors leads to tragedy.

RAMA THE STEADFAST

by M Valmiki

read by Sid Sagar

running time 17hrs 21mins

Warrior-prince Rama is about to be crowned Young King, when he hears the devastating news that his father, King of Ayodhya, has been tricked into banishing him to the forest. His devoted wife Sita insists on accompanying him in exile, but the evil ten-headed lord Ravana has fallen deeply in love with the beautiful princess and steals her away. Aided by Hanuman, mighty captain of the monkeys, Rama sets out across the world to find her and destroy Ravana in a deadly battle. Rama the Steadfast was composed in the oral tradition in about the fifth century BC and has been retold over the generations ever since. With its fantastical characters ranging from monsters to apes, a very human hero and its profound moral purpose, it is one of the greatest of all Indian tales.

SANSHIRO

by Natsume Soseki

read by Andrew Koji

running time 8hrs

One of Soseki's most beloved works of fiction, the novel depicts the 23-year-old Sanshiro leaving the sleepy countryside for the first time in his life to experience the constantly moving 'real world' of Tokyo, its women and university. In the subtle tension between our appreciation of Soseki's lively humour and our awareness of Sanshiro's doomed innocence, the novel comes to life. Sanshiro is also penetrating social and cultural commentary.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

by Charles Dickens

read by Richard Pasco

running time 14hrs 5mins

Set in Paris and London in the French revolution. Dr Manette has recently been released from the Bastille after 18 years as a political prisoner. Brought to England he begins to recover his sanity. Charles Darnay also arrives, and falls in love with Manette's daughter, Lucie. In the Terror he returns to Paris to rescue a servant, but is caught. He is only saved when barrister Sydney Carton, also in love with Lucie, takes his place on the scaffold.

UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE

by Thomas Hardy

read by Grace Dives

running time 7hrs

This delightful portrayal of a picturesque rural society established Hardy as a writer. However, the double-plot, in which the love story of Dick Dewey and Fancy Day is inter-related with a tragic chapter in the history of Mellstock Choir, hints at the poignant disappearance of a long-lived and highly-valued traditional way of life.

THE VALLEY OF FEAR

by Arthur Conan Doyle

read by Ian Wallace

running time 6hrs 30mins

A cipher message and a horrible murder in a Sussex village begin the case which has Sherlock Holmes battling against his arch enemy, Dr Moriarty.

WAITING FOR GODOT

by Samuel Beckett

read by Miscellaneous

running time 1hr

Beckett's classic 'Waiting for Godot', has been famously described as a play in which "nothing happens, twice". As Vladimir and Estragon await the arrival of Godot, they discuss their lives and consider hanging themselves, but choose to wait for Godot instead, in the hope that he can tell them what their purpose is.