Audiobooks Narrated by Brendan O’hea

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent

Brought to you by Penguin. Discover the work of the greatest writer in the English language as you've never encountered it before by pre-ordering internationally renowned actor Dame Judi Dench's SHAKESPEARE: The Man Who Pays The Rent - a witty, insightful journey through the plays and tales of our beloved Shakespeare 'A MAGICAL LOVE LETTER TO SHAKESPEARE' Sir Kenneth Branagh Read by Barbara Flynn (Open All Hours, The Durrels) and the book’s co-author Brendan O’Hea. Also featuring a warm and witty exclusive bonus conversation between Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea about the making of the book. Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig... Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green... Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head... These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare. For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor & director Brendan O'Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare's plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans. Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now. Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi's love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent. ©2023 Judi Dench (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Judi Dench (Author), Barbara Flynn, Brendan O’hea, Judi Dench (Narrator)

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The Last Days of Troy: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Lily Cole stars as Helen of Troy, 'the face that launched a thousand ships', in Simon Armitage's vivid, visceral adaptation of Homer's Iliad and Virgil's AeneidFor ten years, the Greeks have been laying siege to Troy to win back their abducted queen, Helen. But as the war drags on, and the battlefields run scarlet with blood, the opposing forces are entrenched in a bitter stalemate. As Gods and mortals squabble amongst themselves for the spoils of war, the exhausted warriors go to extreme lengths in a desperate grab for victory...Dramatised by multi-award-winning poet and playwright Simon Armitage, The Last Days of Troy was first produced as a stage play at the Manchester Royal Exchange and Shakespeare's Globe, and this radio version features the original cast. Both a tense action adventure and a powerful commentary on the futility of war, it brings Homer's ancient myth to dynamic life and explores themes that still resonate today, in a world locked in cycles of conflict and revenge, East versus West and with the same dangerous combination of pride, lies and self-deception that fuelled the Trojan War.'Armitage was the real star, with his vivid and muscular dialogue and occasional flashes of humour...The Last Days of Troy was a powerful reflection on the folly of men and the cruelty of war.' - IndependentCast and creditsAgamemnon..................................................................David BirrellAchilles..................................................................Jake FairbrotherZeus..................................................................Richard BremmerOdysseus..................................................................Colin TierneyHera..................................................................Gillian BevanAndromache/Thetis................................................Claire CalbraithHector..................................................................Simon HarrisonHelen..................................................................Lily ColeParis..................................................................Tom StuartAthene/Briseis..................................................................Francesca ZoutewellePriam..................................................................Garry CooperPatroclus..................................................................Brendan O'HeaAstyanax..................................................................Luca RawlinsonOriginal music by Alex BaranowskiDirected for radio by Susan RobertsFirst directed for The Royal Exchange Theatre by Nick Bagnall

Simon Armitage (Author), Brendan O'hea, Brendan O’hea, Claire Calbraith, Colin Tierney, David Birrell, Francesca Zoutewelle, Garry Cooper, Gillian Bevan, Jake Fairbrother, Lily Cole, Luca Rawlinson, Richard Bremmer, Simon Harrison, Tom Stuart (Narrator)

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