Upon inheriting the Moonstone, a huge and priceless diamond, Rachel Verinder’s delight turns to dismay when the gem suddenly disappears. But this is no ordinary theft. Sergeant Cuff of Scotland Yard is called in and immediately suspects an intricate plot. However, not even his powers of detection can penetrate fully the mysteries surrounding the diamond. And as we listen to each character’s version of the events, layer upon layer of drama and suspense build to the final and astonishing den...

A study of Albert Camus' life and works which draws together both dramatisations of his novels and documentaries about his life.One of postwar France’s most influential writers, Albert Camus was fêted for his masterful exploration of the absurdity of the human condition. Included here are adaptations of his three iconic existential novels – The Plague, The Outsider and The Fall – alongside four bonus pieces shining a light on the man and his work.La Peste –...

Ronald Pickup, Paul Ritter and Kate Duchêne star in Nick Warburton’s comedy about one community’s attempts to resist changeWhen Richard and Clare Wells inherit a clifftop house in Yorkshire, they also inherit a sitting tenant, John Hector, who treats their home as his own and the local town as his own personal fiefdom. But the sea is eroding the land, and John is intent on stopping them all from being evicted, so the Wells’ reluctantly embrace him as an ally. As he...

BBC radio productions of the finest works of Wilkie Collins: sensation novelist, early master of the mystery story, and pioneer of detective fictionWilkie Collins was one of Victorian England's best-loved and best-selling authors, and a crime fiction pioneer. His enthralling 'sensation novels' such as The Woman in White paved the way for today's thrillers, and his tour de force The Moonstone is one of the first, and greatest, mode...

Prepare yourself for a gripping journey back into the darkest corners of post-war London and the shocking story of the infamous Rillington Place murders that shook London in the early 1950’s. Based on the original trial transcripts, it is for you to decide if an innocent man was sent to the gallows.On January 11, 1950, Timothy Evans of 10 Rillington Place stood trial at the Old Bailey, accused of the murder of his own baby daughter. The courtroom was heavy with tension as the prose...

Out of print for many years, this is a brand new edition of the definitive companion to the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of novels, written by the author himself.What was daily life in Nelson's navy really like, for everyone from the captain down to the rawest recruit? What did they eat? What songs did they sing? What was the schedule of watches? How were the officers and crew paid, and what was the division of prize-money?These questions and many more a...

Two outstanding plays from a major figure of British Edwardian theatreHarley Granville Barker was one of the most influential voices in early 20th-century drama – an actor, director and playwright whose work helped shape modern British theatre. His plays are celebrated for their psychological depth, moral complexity and Chekhovian style. He is best known for his masterpiece, The Voysey Inheritance, which is presented here with his forgotten classic, Th...

A trio of full-cast adaptations of the novels of Howard Spring, including his two best-selling works and featuring a 40-year-old Ian McKellen.Howard Spring was a Welsh author who was an immensely popular and successful writer from the 1940s to the 1960s. From 1934 he produced a series of best-selling novels, the most successful of which were My Son My Son and Fame is the Spur. This collection includes dramatisations of both of these novels, alongs...

Written over four hundred years ago, ‘Hamlet’ still remains one of the most powerful, influential and thrilling tragedies in the English language. The story of Prince Hamlet and his quest for vengeance has been interpreted countless times on stage, film and television. With its riveting plot featuring murder and supernatural horror; and presenting possibly the most fascinating character in the history of drama, it never fails to enthral. This BBC archive production from 1971 was produced b...

Eight incisive dramas by the internationally-renowned playwright - plus bonus interviewWriter and director David Hare is one of England's leading political dramatists, celebrated for his many award-winning plays analysing the morality of contemporary Britain. This collection comprises some of his most acclaimed pieces, as well as a fascinating radio interview with Hare himself.It opens with his two acknowledged masterpieces: Plenty...

A BBC Radio dramatisation of the real-life diaries of a West Country village parson, writing at the turn of the 19th Century'A good diary can provide an unsurpassed entry into society, and the diary of William Holland is a very good diary indeed' The SpectatorOn October 25th, 1799 - his 18th wedding anniversary - cantankerous Somerset parson William Holland begins his diary, chronicling events at the vicarage and in the sm...

A collection of seminal dramatised pieces by the great German polymathJohann Wolfgang Goethe was a colossus of German literature and a true Renaissance man. A novelist, dramatist, poet, humanist, scientist and philosopher, he wrote the first international bestseller, The Sorrows of Young Werther, and his epic masterpiece Faust is one of the most famous and celebrated dramas of all time.We open this anthology with a dramatisation of