A collection of social comedies, wry observations of Victorian society and ‘spook stories’ from the great humorist E. F. BensonE. F. Benson is probably best known for his wickedly satirical ‘Mapp and Lucia’ series. A prolific writer, his works included novels, biographies and supernatural fiction. His versatility is showcased in these dramatisations and readings, which range from the hilariously comic to the horribly chilling.Queen Lucia

The much-loved Mapp and Lucia novels of E.F.Benson are sadly too few in number. The Tilling Smugglers is the fifth in Hugh Ashton's series which have satisfied the wishes of Mapp and Lucia fans around the world for more adventures of the famous pair. The first four books, written in the style of the originals, have been much praised and enjoyed.In this story, a new character from the theatrical world appears when Lucia is appointed to entertain a visiting Royal personage with a page...

Since the disaster that was her fiftieth birthday party, Elizabeth Mapp-Flint has been avoiding Tilling society. But just as she decides to re-enter the round of bridge parties and dainty teas, an unexpected visitor to Mallards throws her plans for a triumphant return as the social leader of Tilling into confusion.Lucia and Georgie, Diva, the Padre and Evie, the Wyses, and quaint Irene (and of course, Major Benjy and Mapp herself) all come alive again in this tale of genteel snobber...

Elizabeth Mapp-Flint seeks to regain her status as the leader of Tilling society by holding a New Year's Eve party to which Lucia brings two unexpected and not entirely welcome guests, causing embarrassment, if not chaos. Elizabeth redoubles her social offensive by introducing an alternative to Tilling's traditional games of bridge, brought back from India many years before by her husband, Major Benjy.Such a state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue, as Lucia offers a different...

Classic plays and ghost stories, as performed by the residents of Ambridge and friends - plus bonus drama Dead Girls Tell No TalesBorsetshire's queen of amateur theatricals, Lynda Snell, never misses the chance to put on a Christmas show. Her productions are always a big hit with Ambridge audiences - and now, Archers fans can enjoy these top-notch performances alongside them (as well as eavesdropping on the shenanigans backstage).In Bl...

Mrs Emmeline Lucas, known to all as "la Lucia", is the undisputed social and cultural leader of the quiet, but refined country village of Riseholme. Together with her husband, and her devoted courtier Georgie Pillson, she leads her subjects in hunts for Roman remains and fossils. Meanwhile two very different visitors arrive in the village, and the balance of Riseholme power is temporarily upset.La Lucia looks at life in Riseholme before the start of the Mapp and Lucia novels by E.F...