Comedy Audiobooks | LoveReading

Radio 9: The Complete Series 1 and 2: A BBC Radio 4 Spoof Comedy Series

Both series of the surreal sketch show, set in a parallel universe just like ours, but different ‘A hoot’ The Independent Welcome to Radio 9 – the only station providing ‘real radio for real listeners with real radios’. It’s the irrational home of the terminally strange, where the dark and the silly rub along together quite nicely. There’s a wealth of anarchic programming on offer, from parodic plays, investigative reports and reality shows to spoof news and sport – as well as absurd ads and off-the-wall trailers for the likes of Reckless Parenting magazine, ‘Pro-Celebrity Blacksmith’ and ‘Cats Washing Up’. Explore the green and nether regions of the South West with ‘Bob Bradman’s Bed & Breakfast’; join Quentin Montreal for ‘New Movements’, as he looks into such disturbing trends as the suffragette diet, fox hunting in Maida Vale and blind motor racing; and help yourself to a heaped spoonful of Sugar Cane, the sultry Detective Sergeant whose hand is firmly wrapped around the throbbing pulse of crime. Stay ahead of the game with the News Creation team, bringing you all the accidents and disasters before they happen; follow the ordinary people attempting to fake their way in open heart surgery, downhill skiing and abseiling in ‘The Great Pretender’; tune in to a championship football match with a difference, as Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath give us their poetic commentary on Arsenal v Inter Milan – and don’t forget to cast your vote in ‘The Nation’s Favourite Massacre’... Written by and starring Johnny Daukes and Hils Barker, this freakish and hilarious show features a raft of talented performers including Katherine Jakeways, Jonathan Kydd, Janice Vee and Michelle Gomez. Production credits Written by and starring Johnny Daukes and Hils Barker With Betty Daukes, Oliver Daukes, Sarah Daukes, Max Digby, Paul Evans, Stefan Frank, Michelle Gomez, Carine Harris, Mary Hennessy, Theresa Hennessy, Katherine Jakeways, Robert Johnston, Jonathan Kydd, Donnie Masters, Jack, Jane, Miriam, Megan and Esther Phillips, Charlotte Randle, Jon Stevenson, Janice Vee, Sarah Walton and Matt Wilkinson Produced by Johnny Daukes, Katie Marsden and Claire Jones First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 29 October-19 November 2003 (Series 1), 30 June-16 August 2005 (Series 2) © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Hils Barker, Johnny Daukes (Author), Carine Harris, Donnie Masters, Esther Phillips, Full Cast, Hils Barker, Janice Vee, Johnny Daukes, Jonathan Kydd, Katherine Jakeways, Mary Hennessey, Matt Wilkinson, Megan Phillips, Michelle Gomez, Robert Johnston (Narrator)

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MILF: Motherhood, Identity, Love and F*ckery

Brought to you by Penguin. Can women have it all? What does it mean to be a woman and a mother in the modern age? In this passionate, funny and fierce polemic, Paloma Faith delves deep into the issues that face women today, from puberty and sexual awakenings, to battling through the expectations of patriarchy and the Supermum myth. Infused with Paloma's characteristic humour and raw honesty about the challenges of IVF and the early years of motherhood, this book is a beautiful celebration of women's work and the invisible load women carry. Moving from questions around identity and how motherhood impacts on that, to what it even means to be a 'good mother', how we need to embrace messiness, imperfection and the bitter sweet pleasures of being 'selfish' and putting ourselves first. Paloma invites us into her own coming of age and relationship with her mum, to explore how our bonds with our children evolve into adulthood. We see a glimpse of the complexities and joys of Paloma's experience of juggling romantic love, heartbreak and dating with the demands of motherhood. ©2024 Paloma Faith (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Paloma Faith (Author), Paloma Faith, TBD (Narrator)

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The Life of Dai

A profound and inspirational account of dealing with adversity and finding daily meaning and happiness in our lives. 'Part memoir and part masterclass in finding hope and joy in the face of unthinkable challenges. This isn't a book about cancer, it's a book about living.' - Jaquie Brown Dai Henwood wanted to be a comedian even before he knew what a comedian was. He always knew there was something special in being able to make people laugh - even when the world goes dark. In January 2023 Dai shared publicly that three years earlier he had been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. Perhaps the ultimate teacher for what really matters, his incurable cancer has shown him a new way of living that embraces small moments of perfection and cherishes things we often overlook. As well as showing us how laughter can be a wonderful medicine - and there are many laughs in his book - he teaches us that often the gifts we've been searching for are right in front of us, if only we could see them.

Dai Henwood, Jaquie Brown (Author), Dai Henwood, Jaquie Brown, TBD (Narrator)

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Murray Ball: A Cartoonist's Life

The long-awaited biography of cartoonist Murray Ball, creator of Footrot Flats In Murray Ball: A Cartoonist's Life, Murray's son Mason Ball shares all the hits and misses and long years of hard graft that went into what would become the wildly successful creative enterprise: Footrot Flats. From his unique viewpoint and with candid honesty, Mason reveals the real-life backstory to Murray's most iconic characters and themes, telling the story of the man - and father - who could see the quirks of human nature and capture them with the stroke of a pen. Richly illustrated with family photos and cartoons by the bloke who brought us that most lovable character, the Dog. Let me show you how my dad became a leading cartoonist of his generation, how his endearing characters evolved and where the insightful and humorous ideas sprang from. Let's see the man behind the drawing desk and delve into the workings of his mind. - Mason Ball

Mason Ball (Author), Martin Crump, TBD (Narrator)

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Joyful Recollections of Trauma

From award-winning actor and comedian Paul Scheer, a candid and humorous memoir-in-essays on coming to terms with childhood trauma and finding the joy in embracing your authentic self. Paul Scheer has entertained countless fans and podcast listeners with stories about the odd, wild, and absurd details of his life. Yet these tales have pointed to deeper, difficult truths that the actor and comedian has kept to himself. Now, Paul is finally ready to share those truths for the first time. Blending the confident, affable humor that has won him a dedicated following with a refreshing level of candor, Joyful Recollections of Trauma chronicles Paul’s often shocking, admittedly messed-up childhood, and how the experiences of his youth have reverberated throughout his life. In his comedy, Paul has always been unafraid to “go there,” to play naïve, cringeworthy characters, imbuing them with disarming charm and humanity. That daring openness is on display in the pages of this memoir. Nothing is off limits: from reckoning with his stepfather’s alcoholism to finding self-acceptance to becoming a good father himself. Joining bestselling celebrity authors Casey Wilson, Colin Jost, Seth Rogen, Molly Shannon, and Bob Odenkirk, Paul Scheer demonstrates once again that the truth is often stranger—and funnier—than fiction. Joyful Recollections of Trauma offers a unique perspective on universal themes: growing up, working through a challenging childhood, staying true to oneself, and finding success, fulfillment, and happiness in often strange and difficult circumstances. Paul shares both hard-fought lessons and laughter that can be found in the darkest parts of life, and reminds us that what matters is not what you’ve been through but who you are becoming. Joyful Recollections of Trauma includes a 16-page color photo insert.

Paul Scheer (Author), Paul Scheer, TBD (Narrator)

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The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Me

The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically attempts to follow the original meaning of the Constitution in search of answers to one of the most pressing issues of our time: How should we interpret America's foundational document? A.J. Jacobs learned the hard way that donning a tricorne hat and marching around Manhattan with a 1700s musket will earn you a lot of strange looks. In the wake of several controversial rulings by the Supreme Court and the on-going debate about how the Constitution should be interpreted, Jacobs set out to understand what it means to live by the Constitution. In The Year of Living Constitutionally, A.J. Jacobs tries to get inside the minds of the Founding Fathers by living as closely as possible to the original meaning of the Constitution. He asserts his right to free speech by writing his opinions on parchment with a quill and handing them out to strangers in Times Square. He consents to quartering a soldier, as is his Third Amendment right. He turns his home into a traditional 1790s household by lighting candles instead of using electricity, boiling mutton, and-because women were not allowed to sign contracts- feebly attempting to take over his wife's day job, which involves a lot of contract negotiations. The book blends unforgettable adventures-delivering a handwritten petition to Congress, applying for a Letter of Marque to become a legal pirate for the government, and battling redcoats as part of a Revolutionary War reenactment group--with dozens of interviews from constitutional experts from both sides. Jacobs dives deep into originalism and living constitutionalism, the two rival ways of interpreting the document. Much like he did with the Bible in The Year of Living Biblically, Jacobs provides a crash course on our Constitution as he experiences the benefits and perils of living like it's the 1790s. He relishes, for instance, the slow thinking of the era, free from social media alerts. But also discovers the progress we've made since 1789 when married women couldn't own property. Now more than ever, Americans need to understand the meaning and value of the Constitution. As politicians and Supreme Court Justices wage a high-stakes battle over how literally we should interpret the Constitution, A.J. Jacobs provides an entertaining yet illuminating look into how this storied document fits into our democracy today.

A.J. Jacobs (Author), A.J. Jacobs, TBD (Narrator)

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15 Minute Musical: A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Series: Twenty Musical Sketches

Twenty brief, barbed and bittersweet musical comedies, written by and starring Richie Webb – including eight Christmas Specials ‘Let’s have a standing ovation for the 15 Minute Musical' The Guardian Oozing with satire and sass, these fun-size yet deliciously satisfying musical comedies do for your ears what chocolate does for your taste buds. Based on the lives and careers of well-known public figures, each one takes a politician or VIP who has hit the headlines, and gives them a West End make-over. Their fabricated stories are told in an original, never-heard-before, musical that will have your toes tapping to the rhythm and shoulders shaking to the laughs. All the conventions of a musical are followed (huge production numbers, tender ballads and emotional reprises) – but artistic licence is well and truly taken as celebrities such as David Cameron, Simon Cowell and Morrissey are hilariously lampooned in song. Hear the greatest stories never told (or sung) as Julian Assange is wiki-leaked; Nigel Farage goes to Europe with a Britpop soundtrack; and Barack Obama fights for the American presidency via power ballads and rock anthems. Plus, we go ‘Upstairs Downton’ with the Middletons; and pay homage to Russia’s greatest love machine in an outrageously camp, disco-tastic look at Vladimir Putin... Also featured are all eight Christmas specials from 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, including Jeremy Corbyn Superstar!, Lady and the Trump, Cabarexit, Eurovision Gone Wrong Contest and a Rodgers and Hammerstein-inspired celebration of all things Meghan Markle: The Sixth in Line to be King and I. Winner of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Radio Comedy Award, this hugely entertaining series is written by Dave Cohen, David Quantick and Richie Webb, and stars Richie Webb, Dave Lamb, Alex Tregear, Jess Robinson and Pippa Evans. Production credits Starring Richie Webb, Dave Lamb, Alex Tregear, Jess Robinson and Pippa Evans Written by Richie Webb, Dave Cohen and David Quantick Produced by Katie Tyrrell and Richard Morris Production co-ordinator: Nick Coupe Music composed, performed and arranged by Richie Webb Music production: Matt Katz A BBC Studios Production A Right Royal Cockney Christmas First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 December 2012 Brian Elliott First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2012 The Ozfather First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 December 2012 The Reducers First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 December 2012 Licence to Kil...marnock First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 December 2012 Barack of Ages First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 January 2013 It’s a One-Hit Wonderful Life First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 December 2013 Julian and the Assanging Technicolour Download First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 December 2013 The Last Days of Farage First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2013 Heaven Knows I'm Middle-Aged Now First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 December 2013 Half a Sixth Form First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 December 2013 Ra Ra It's Putin First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 December 2013 Seven Bribes First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 December 2015 Jeremy Corbyn Superstar! First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 December 2015 Lady and the Trump First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 December 2016 Cabarexit First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 December 2016 The Legend of Holy Superior Mother Theresa May and the Magic Money Tree First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 December 2017 Dud Brothers First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2017 Eurovision Gone Wrong Contest First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 December 2018 The Sixth in Line to be King and I First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 January 2019 © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Dave Cohen, David Quantick, Richie Webb (Author), Alex Lowe, Dave Lamb, Jess Robinson, Melanie Hudson, Pippa Evans, Richie Webb (Narrator)

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I Hope This Finds You Well

Would you want to know what your colleagues say behind your back? 'Darkly funny with a brilliant premise' Emma Gannon For readers who loved The Office US and Really Good, Actually comes the awkward heroine you’re about to fall in love with Meet Jolene: she’s socially anxious, isolated, and hates her boring office job. To cope with the daily drudgery, she details petty office grievances via hidden messages in emails to her colleagues. But when one of the messages is exposed, and HR restrictions on her computer result in an IT mix-up that grant her access to her co-workers’ inboxes and DMs, she decides to turn the tables. As tensions in the office rise, Jolene starts to learn more about her colleagues than she could ever have imagined. In the end, she must decide if she can keep living her life between the lines of an email, or if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle and finally experience the world she’s hidden herself away from.

Natalie Sue (Author), Nasim Pedrad, To Be Announced (Narrator)

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Somebody Told Me: One Man’s Unexpected Journey Down the Rabbit Hole of Lies, Trolls and Conspiracies

Brought to you by Penguin. Have you been keeping your eye on your grandma lately? Have you been calling her enough? You sure she’s not spending too much time on YouTube? Is she talking fondly of dictators? Has she suddenly started quietly muttering in the Aldi queue about the “Jewish Space Lasers” she’s heard are setting wildfires around the world to make sure everyone believes in climate change? When was the moment the world began to believe anything? Danny Wallace, million-copy bestselling author of Yes Man and Join Me, has fallen down the modern rabbit hole of lies, conspiracies and disinformation. Along the way, he encounters families torn apart by accusations and fake news, journalists putting themselves on the frontline of the disinformation war, reformed conspiracy theorists, influencers who see profit in stoking paranoia, and the shadowy nameless, faceless trolls on the other side of our screens. He discovers how disinformation and well-told lies can ruin a year or a whole life, how they can affect our family, our street, our community. How they can spread across a country, a continent, even the world. How they take hold of our imaginations and make us feel both helpless and powerful. And Danny asks: can you do anything to stop it – even with the truth on your side? ©2024 Danny Wallace (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Danny Wallace (Author), Danny Wallace, TBD (Narrator)

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The Write Stuff: 40 Episodes from the Panel Game of Literary Correctness

Highlights from the light-hearted literary quiz chaired by James Walton The Write Stuff is the book-based panel show that takes a witty and whimsical look at well-known authors and their work. Host James Walton challenges the erudite contestants with tricky literary teasers, which they endeavour to answer using a combination of knowledge and guesswork. Each episode is themed around an ‘Author of the Week’, who is the subject of the introductory rounds in which the panellists read out favourite quotations from their writing and field questions about their life. Among the intervening rounds are ‘Connections’, ‘Odd One Out’, a music round, an archive round and a fast-paced, fingers-on-buzzers round of general literary knowledge. And for the rib-tickling finale, the contestants are tasked with penning parodies in the style of the chosen author, resulting in comic gems such as Jerome K Jerome’s ‘Three Men on a Club 18-30 Holiday’, a hardboiled crime novel in the style of Virginia Woolf, and a Twitter thread by Jane Eyre. Collected here are 40 of the finest episodes from the show’s 17 series, featuring iconic writers from Jane Austen and Charles Dickens to James Joyce, Anton Chekhov, William Wordsworth and John Milton. Pitting their wits against each other are the fiercely competitive team captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh, aided by celebrity guests including Stephen Fry, Miles Kington, Philippa Gregory, Sue Limb, Simon Brett, Lynne Truss, John O’Farrell, Natalie Haynes and Mark Billingham. Also included is a Christmas special, filled with festive quizzing and seasonally themed pastiches. Clever, funny and decidedly unstuffy, this knockabout show is a must for bookworms, bibliophiles and anyone who enjoys mixing some laughter with their literature. Production credits Compiled, written and presented by James Walton Produced by John Rolph, Katie Marsden, Dawn Ellis, Alexandra Smith and Sam Michell Readers: Rachel Atkins, Beth Chalmers and Becky Hindley First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: Jane Austen 31 July 1998 DH Lawrence 28 August 1998 Charles Dickens 4 September 1998 Arthur Conan Doyle 14 July 1999 The Brontë Sisters 21 July 1999 James Joyce 28 July 1999 Oscar Wilde 11 August 1999 William Wordsworth 11 April 2001 Samuel Taylor Coleridge 10 April 2002 Virginia Woolf 17 April 2002 George Orwell 2 April 2003 Dylan Thomas 12 May 2004 Rudyard Kipling 26 May 2004 Alexander Pope 9 June 2004 Samuel Pepys 16 June 2004 The Write Stuff at Christmas 29 December 2004 Lord Byron 25 May 2005 John Milton 22 June 2005 Charles Dickens 29 June 2005 Henry James 19 June 2006 Thomas Hardy 17 July 2006 F Scott Fitzgerald 9 April 2007 John Keats 16 April 2007 Jonathan Swift 7 April 2008 Hans Christian Andersen 14 April 2008 George Eliot 28 April 2004 DH Lawrence 3 November 2008 Marcel Proust 19 October 2010 Daniel Defoe 27 January 2012 Gustav Flaubert 3 February 2012 HG Wells 24 February 2012 The Brontës 12 May 2013 Mark Twain 19 May 2013 Greek Tragedy 26 May 2013 William Blake 9 June 2013 Gerald Manley Hopkins 19 October 2014 Jerome K Jerome 26 October 2014 Henry Fielding 2 November 2014 Virginia Woolf 9 November 2014 © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

James Walton (Author), James Walton, John O’farrell, Lynne Truss, Mark Billingham, Natalie Haynes, Nigel Williams, Sebastian Faulks, Simon Brett, Stephen Fry, Sue Limb, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ian Hislop’s Oldest Jokes: A BBC Radio 4 Series

Ian Hislop takes a hilarious look at some of Britain's oldest jokes The British are rather proud of their sense of humour - but where has that pride come from and what makes it unique? With the help of contemporary comedians, scholars and an appetite for enduring humour, Ian Hislop tracks down the earliest examples of enduring British comedy tropes and jokes, and guides us through some of the vital elements that make up that most curious thing: the British sense of humour. Join Ian as he begins his quest in the dark ages, admittedly not known as a well-spring of comic opportunity. Nevertheless, in the pages of the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England, there is wordplay potent enough to have a part in the naming of a nation. How his fellow monks must have laughed. Travelling across the UK, Ian admires the Bishop's seat and discovers the filth hidden behind the Double entendre of the Exeter Book of Riddles. He looks for the earliest examples of visual humour under the seats of New College Oxford Chapel, and wooden carvings that suggest those who made them were never happier than when making people laugh. He discovers the set of a 15th century entertainer who performed for audiences in Nottinghamshire at the time of the Wars of the Roses, and the famous medieval Bestiary which describes the Bonnacon, a mythical beast that appears to have no biblical message beyond its capacity to make the reader laugh. Ian delves into Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th century humble-brag parody, the Tale of Sir Topaz, before arriving in the 17th century, when printing and changes in censorship laws ushered in a new and energetic form of comedy. Finally, Ian explores satirical cartoons and a collection of comic songs with hilarious consequences. This is a must listen for anyone who loves a good belly laugh. Presenter and writer Ian Hislop is perhaps best known for his appearances on the satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You, and he has been the editor of Private Eye since 1986. He’s presented many shows on television and radio and is the author of several books. This series also features contributions from Nina Conti, Paul Whitehouse, comedy song writing duo Jo and Joan and parodist Craig Brown. Written and presented by Ian Hislop Produced by Tom Alban First broadcast 22 January-2 February 2024 ©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ian Hislop (Author), Ian Hislop (Narrator)

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How to Train Your Human: A Cat’s Guide

A witty and winsome new way of looking at the complex relationship between cats and people: through the eyes of one erudite and attentive Italian gatto. We live on a planet infested with humans. They are a pernicious species, yet undeniably clever and capable—even if the reasons behind their actions are often incomprehensible to us felines. But while it is true that there have never been so many primates on Earth, in reality, they are quite simple to teach using well-practiced domestication techniques, such as loud vocalizations and strategic nighttime alarms. And if you have the good fortune to be able to tame your specimen when it is in its youth, you can end up with the best, most faithful companion you could possibly wish for. Andrea Ferolla’s elegant illustrations make this book a feast of fancies for the eyes. Translated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor

Babas (Author), Hollis Mccarthy, TBD (Narrator)

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