Audiobooks narrated by Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen Gets Into Character: A BBC Radio 4 Series

Michael Sheen explores the strange art of acting, from classic techniques to Method madness From Tony Blair and David Frost to Aziraphale and Hamlet, Michael Sheen has taken on a host of iconic roles, inhabiting each one with complete conviction. But – whether he’s transforming himself into real figures or bringing fictional ones to life – how does he go about immersing himself in his characters? The answer lies in an obscure Russian theatre technique that has evolved to become a central plank of modern-day acting training. In this three-part series, Michael explores Stanislavski’s ‘System’, beginning in 1906, when a bad performance inspired Constantin Stanislavski to develop a revolutionary new process for actors to create authentic, naturalistic characters. He goes on to examine how this formula got lost in translation; how it was interpreted in radically different ways by famed acting teachers Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler; and how it morphed into the famous modus operandi popularised by Hollywood’s elite: ‘The Method’. Speaking to experienced stars including Adrian Lester and Anne-Marie Duff, he analyses their approaches to their craft, and delves into the off-stage drama of drama schools. He also chats to up-and-coming actors Mia McKenna-Bruce and Brandon Grace, discussing their non-traditional routes into the profession and the challenges faced by vulnerable young performers today. And, as he considers the fragile boundaries between actors and the parts they play, he muses on the flip side of getting into character – getting out of character – and reflects on how his many roles have stayed with him, shaping and changing him to make him the actor he is today. Production credits Presented by Michael Sheen Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio With Isaac Butler; Tom McClane, Adrian Lester, Simon McBurney, Patsy Rodenburg, Anne-Marie Duff, Michael Goldfarb, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Brandon Grace, Lou Platt and David Thackeray First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14-28 May 2024

Michael Sheen (Author), Michael Sheen (Narrator)

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Unmade Movies: Hammer Horror's The Unquenchable Thirst of Dracula: A BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the u

Dracula travels to 1930s India in this celebrated unproduced Hammer Horror script, directed by Mark Gatiss The annals of movie history are full of lost treasures - spectacular scripts from world-renowned writers that could have been classics, had they only been made. Now, for the first time, some of these forgotten gems have been brought to life, fully realised as vivid, cinematic radio productions. Scripted by major 20th Century writers, including Harold Pinter, Arthur Miller, Alfred Hitchcock and Dennis Potter, they star a host of A-list actors and feature richly evocative, atmospheric soundtracks. In The Unquenchable Thirst of Dracula, one of seven 'unmade movies' available on audio, it is 1934, and young Englishwoman Penny is travelling by train across India in search of her missing sister. En route, she meets sibling artistes Prem and Lakshmi, who have been hired by a Maharajah and his wife, the Rani, to entertain their aristocratic European guest. But evil lurks in the hidden caverns beneath the ancient palace, where the acolytes of a fiendish blood cult await their next human sacrifice... The intended follow-up to Scars of Dracula, this exotic, blood-drenched tale was nearly filmed on location in India in the early '70s, but financing problems meant it was dropped in favour of Dracula, AD 1972. Rescued from Hammer's vaults, it has been resurrected by Mark Gatiss, and is the first new Hammer Horror Dracula production in 43 years. It stars Anna Madeley (All Creatures Great and Small) as Penny, with Nikesh Patel (Indian Summers) as Prem, Ayesha Dharker (The Indian Doctor) as Lakshmi and Meera Syal (Goodness Gracious Me) as the Rani. Lewis MacLeod (Dead Ringers) channels Christopher Lee as the iconic Count, and Michael Sheen (Staged) narrates. Get ready for a terrifying, edge-of-your-seat encounter as the Prince of Darkness rises from his grave once more... Production credits Written by Anthony Hinds Directed by Mark Gatiss Produced by Laurence Bowen and Peter Ettedgui Original music by Blair Mowat Sound design: Wilfredo Acosta A Dancing Ledge production for BBC Radio 4 Cast Narrator - Michael Sheen Penny - Anna Madeley Prem - Nikesh Patel Lakshmi - Ayesha Dharker Babu - Kulvinder Ghir The Rani/Mrs Mukherjee - Meera Syal Count Dracula - Lewis MacLeod Maharajah/Inspector - Raj Ghatak Lucy - Natalie Kimmerling Evil Face - Sagar Arya First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 October 2017 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Anthony Hinds (Author), Anna Madeley, Ayesha Dharker, Full Cast, Lewis Macleod, Meera Syal, Michael Sheen, Nikesh Patel (Narrator)

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The Patricia Highsmith BBC Radio Collection: The Talented Mr Ripley, Strangers on a Train, Carol & o

The definitive collection of dramatisations and readings of Patricia Highsmith's finest fiction - plus bonus material A master of the psychological crime genre, Patricia Highsmith is most famous for her quintet of bestselling 'Ripley' novels, and her groundbreaking thriller Strangers on a Train (notably adapted as a classic film by Alfred Hitchcock). This extensive collection encompasses her best-known works, as well as selected short stories and three programmes about the author herself and her greatest creation, charismatic anti-hero Tom Ripley. Included is a series of five plays charting Ripley's journey from smalltime conman to cool, calculated killer. Comprising The Talented Mr Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley's Game, The Boy Who Followed Ripley and Ripley Under Water, The Complete Ripley stars Ian Hart as Tom. Also featured are dramatisations of Strangers on a Train (starring Anton Lesser, Michael Sheen, Saskia Reeves and Bill Nighy); Patricia Highsmith's compelling tale of obsession, The Cry of the Owl (starring John Sharian, Adrian Lester and Joanne McQuinn); and the dark, intriguing domestic noir A Suspension of Mercy (starring Stuart Milligan and Janet Maw). Highsmith's tender, unsettling lesbian love story Carol is abridged and read in 10 parts by Zoë Wanamaker, and there are abridged readings of her short stories 'A Dangerous Hobby', 'Variations on a Game' (both read by Campbell Scott), and 'The Trouble with Mrs Blynn, the Trouble with the World' (read by Anna Massey). Five more unabridged stories, 'The Cries of Love', 'The Snail-Watcher', 'The Breeder', 'Notes from a Respectable Cockroach' and 'Goat Ride', are read by Helen Horton, John Webb, Garrick Hagon, William Hootkins and Crawford Logan. In Looking for Ripley, crime writer Mark Billingham unravels the mystery behind our lasting fascination with Tom Ripley, while in A Passionate Affair, Marcel Berlins asks if his creator Patricia Highsmith also fell under his spell. And in Desert Island Discs, the author shares the soundtrack of her life with presenter Roy Plomley. Contents The Talented Mr Ripley Ripley Under Ground Ripley's Game The Boy Who Followed Ripley Ripley Under Water Strangers on a Train The Cry of the Owl A Suspension of Mercy Carol A Dangerous Hobby Variations on a Game The Trouble with Mrs Blynn, The Trouble with the World The Cries of Love The Snail-Watcher The Breeder Notes from a Respectable Cockroach Goat Ride Looking for Ripley A Passionate Affair Desert Island Discs: Patricia Highsmith Original texts © 1993 by Diogenes Verlag AG Zurich, all rights reserved. © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Patricia Highsmith (Author), Adrian Lester, Anton Lesser, Bill Nighy, Ian Hart, John Sharian, Mark Billingham, Michael Sheen, Saskia Reeves, Zoë Wanamaker (Narrator)

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Myths Reimagined: Troy Trilogy, Dionysos & more: A BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation collection

A collection of acclaimed radio retellings of Greek and Roman myths Andrew Rissik's powerful, uncompromising reimagining's of classic tales from Roman and Greek history were hailed as masterpieces when they first aired on BBC radio. Told in contemporary speech, they revitalised the ancient myths, making them fresh, relevant and accessible to a modern-day audience. This collection brings them together on audio for the first time, with stellar casts including Michael Sheen, Paul Scofield, Lindsay Duncan, David Harewood, Eleanor Bron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Diana Rigg, Roger Allam, Toby Stephens, Anton Lesser and Robert Hardy. The Troy Trilogy - Praised by one critic as 'the greatest radio drama [anyone] could ever hear', this three-play sequence tells the tragic, timeless tale of the events leading up to and following the fall of Troy. In King Priam and His Sons, a child is born to Priam and his wife Hekabe, but the gods foretell disaster if he is allowed to live... The Death of Achilles resumes the story in the final year of the war, as Achilles quarrels with his supreme commander, Agamemnon. And in Helen at Ephesus, Troy has fallen, and as Agamemnon returns to face the judgement of his wronged wife Klytemnestra, Menelaos and Helen must begin the long spiritual journey towards forgiveness and self-knowledge. Dionysos - Based on Euripides' The Bacchae, this dark, provocative drama is the first of three plays examining the conflict between religion and state. Charismatic cult leader Dionysos arrives in Thebes preaching a gospel of wine and ecstasy. Threatened by his popularity, King Pentheus orders his arrest... The Art of Love - The second of the three-play cycle sees Roman poet Ovid sent into exile when his subversive ideas about love and freedom challenge the authority of the ageing Emperor Augustus. Resurrection - In the final play of the trilogy, the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, clashes with troublesome, itinerant preacher Yeshua Ben Youssef. Cast and credits Written by Andrew Rissik Directed by Jeremy Mortimer The Troy Trilogy Toby Stephens, James Hayes, Oliver Cotton, Ian Hogg, Emma Fielding, Cassandra Sperry, Deborah Findlay, Michael Maloney, Geraldine Somerville, Paul Scofield, Lindsay Duncan, James Laurenson, Geoffrey Whitehead, Abigail Docherty, Jean-Marc Perret, Michael Sheen, Saeed Jaffrey, David Harewood, Julian Glover, Eleanor Bron Music by Nick Russell Pavier and David Chilton. Singer: Mia Soteriou. First broadcast BBC Radio 3: 28 November 1998 (King Priam and His Sons), 29 November 1998 (The Death of Achilles, Helen at Ephesus) Dionysos Chiwetel Ejiofor, Toby Stephens, Paul Scofield, Diana Rigg, Roger Allam, Pip Donaghy, Bruce Purchase, Jeffery Kissoon, Trevor Martin, Anna Carteret, Mali Harries, Yolanda Vazquez & Mia Soteriou Music by Mia Soteriou. First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 20 April 2003 The Art of Love/Resurrection Stephen Dillane, Juliet Aubrey, Penny Downie, Robert Hardy, Peter Eyre, Ian McNeice, James Laurenson, Ioan Meredith, Damian Lynch, Anton Lesser, David Calder, Julia Ford, Sam Dastor, Raad Rawi, John Rowe, Mia Soteriou, Chris Moran, James Hayes, Jon Glover and Danny Sapani Music by Mia Soteriou. Musicians: Mia Soteriou, Steve Bentley Kline, Merlin Shepherd, William Lyons First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 11 April 2004 ©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Andrew Rissik (Author), Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Harewood, Diana Rigg, Full Cast, Lindsay Duncan, Michael Sheen, Paul Scofield, Roger Allam, Toby Stephens (Narrator)

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BBC Radio Shakespeare: A Collection of Six Tragedies

Six full-cast BBC Radio productions of Shakespeare's classic tragedies Treachery, betrayal and fatal power struggles are among the themes of these six iconic productions of Shakespeare's timeless tragedies. Featuring all-star casts, they are introduced by Sir Richard Eyre. Hamlet Shakespeare's powerfully poetic tragedy of murder, madness and revenge stars Michael Sheen as the Prince of Denmark, with Kenneth Cranham as Claudius and Juliet Stevenson as Gertrude. Macbeth In this notorious 'Scottish play', a lust for power and the prophecy of three witches transform a brave nobleman into a traitor and murderous tyrant. Ken Stott stars as Macbeth and Phyllis Logan as Lady Macbeth. King Lear The tragic consequences of evil triumphing over truth, and of the vanity of old age, are set in motion when Lear banishes his favourite daughter, Cordelia, from court. Starring Corin Redgrave as King Lear, with David Troughton, Geraldine James and Robert Glenister. Othello Evil cunning perverts a once noble mind, as heroic general Othello is destroyed by both his own jealousy and the machinations of the devious Iago. Ray Fearon stars as Othello, with James Frain as Iago. Romeo and Juliet An updated version of Shakespeare's tragedy of feuding families and doomed love, set in modern Verona and starring Douglas Henshall as Romeo and Sophie Dahl as Juliet. Cymbeline When Cymbeline discovers his daughter Imogen's secret marriage to Posthumus, he banishes her husband. But Posthumus's boasts of his wife's chastity provoke lachimo to attempt her seduction. Bill Wallis stars as Cymbeline.

William Shakespeare (Author), Bill Wallis, Corin Redgrave, Full Cast, Geraldine James, Juliet Stevenson, Ken Stott, Kenneth Cranham, Michael Sheen, Siân Phillips, Sophie Dahl (Narrator)

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The Secret Commonwealth: The Book of Dust Volume Two

It is twenty years since the events of La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One unfolded and saw the baby Lyra Belacqua begin her life-changing journey. It is almost ten years since readers left Lyra and the love of her young life, Will Parry, on a park bench in Oxford's Botanic Gardens at the end of the ground-breaking, bestselling His Dark Materialssequence. Now, in The Secret Commonwealth, we meet Lyra Silvertongue. And she is no longer a child . . . The second volume of Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust sees Lyra, now twenty years old, and her daemon Pantalaimon, forced to navigate their relationship in a way they could never have imagined, and drawn into the complex and dangerous factions of a world that they had no idea existed. Pulled along on his own journey too is Malcolm; once a boy with a boat and a mission to save a baby from the flood, now a man with a strong sense of duty and a desire to do what is right. Theirs is a world at once familiar and extraordinary, and they must travel far beyond the edges of Oxford, across Europe and into Asia, in search for what is lost - a city haunted by daemons, a secret at the heart of a desert, and the mystery of the elusive Dust. 'Sheen conjures a multitude of accents and delivers rapid-fire conversations between them. He's in step with the text at every turn; when situations become fraught or dangerous, Sheen ramps up the tension exquisitely. Thanks to Pullman's intricate storytelling and Sheen's propulsive narration, listeners will be on the edge of their seats' - AudioFile The Secret Commonwealth is truly a book for our times; a powerful adventure and a thought-provoking look at what it is to understand yourself, to grow up and make sense of the world around you. This is storytelling at its very best from one of our greatest writers.

Philip Pullman (Author), Michael Sheen (Narrator)

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The Oscar Wilde BBC Radio Drama Collection: Five full-cast productions

The collected BBC radio productions of the major works of Oscar Wilde, plus bonus play by Neil Bartlett Loved for his flamboyant personality, sparkling wit and brilliant epigrams, Oscar Wilde was a comic genius and a literary icon. This collection reflects the many facets of his dazzling talent. Here are dramatisations of his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, a Gothic tale of a gilded aristocrat who makes a dangerous pact, as well as four scintillating social comedies - Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband. Among the distinguished casts are Ian MacDiarmid, Joely Richardson, Edward Fox, Diana Rigg, Martin Clunes, Michael Hordern and Judi Dench. Moving examples of his correspondence are revealed in The Letters of Oscar Wilde and De Profundis, read by Simon Callow and Simon Russell Beale respectively, and his most famous poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, is performed live by stars including Ian McKellen, Neil Tennant and Stephen Fry. In addition, a bonus drama, In Extremis by Neil Bartlett, starring Corin Redgrave and Sheila Hancock, reimagines Oscar Wilde's hastily arranged sitting with a society palm reader, a week before the trial that would cost him so dearly.

Oscar Wilde (Author), , Diana Rigg, Ian Mckellen, Judi Dench, Martin Clunes, Martin Jarvis, Michael Sheen, Miriam Margolyes, Simon Russell Beale, Stephen Fry (Narrator)

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The Flame

The Flame is a stunning collection of Leonard Cohen's last poems, selected and ordered by the author in the final months of his life. Featuring lyrics, prose pieces and illustrations, the book also contains an extensive selection from Cohen's notebooks, which he kept in poetic form throughout his life, and offers an unprecedentedly intimate look inside the life and mind of a singular artist and thinker. An enormously powerful final chapter in Cohen's storied literary career, The Flame showcases the full range of Leonard Cohen's lyricism, from the exquisitely transcendent to the darkly funny. By turns devastatingly sad and winningly strange, these are the works of a poet and lyricist who has plumbed the depths of our darkest questions and come up wanting, yearning for more.

Leonard Cohen (Author), Leonard Cohen, Margaret Atwood, Michael Sheen, Seth Rogen (Narrator)

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The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! 2018 Odyssey Honor 2018 ALSC Notable Children's Recording The Washington Post Best Audiobook of 2017 Slate Best Audiobook of 2017 Booklist Editor's Choice Audio for Youth AudioFile Best YA Audiobooks of 2017 'Too few things in our world are worth a seventeen year wait: The Book of Dust is one of them.' -The Washington Post Philip Pullman returns to the parallel world of his groundbreaking novel The Golden Compass to expand on the story of Lyra, 'one of fantasy's most indelible characters.' (The New York Times Magazine) Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy.... Malcolm's parents run an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors. Malcolm and his daemon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue. He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust-and the spy it was intended for finds him. When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, he sees suspicious characters everywhere: the explorer Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; a gyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a daemon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl-just a baby-named Lyra. Lyra is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm. 'The book is full of wonder. . . . Truly thrilling.' -The New York Times 'People will love the first volume of Philip Pullman's new trilogy with the same helpless vehemence that stole over them when The Golden Compass came out.' -Slate Note: This audiobook was recorded from the U.K. edition.

Philip Pullman (Author), Michael Sheen (Narrator)

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La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One

The British Book Awards Audiobook of the Year 2018. Penguin presents the audio download edition of La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman, read by Michael Sheen. Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and his dæmon, Asta, live with his parents at the Trout Inn near Oxford. Across the River Thames (which Malcolm navigates often using his beloved canoe, a boat by the name of La Belle Sauvage) is the Godstow Priory where the nuns live. Malcolm learns they have a guest with them; a baby by the name of Lyra Belacqua . . . "As a reader and a fan, I was hugely excited on hearing that Phillip was returning to the story of Lyra and Dust and challenging the Authority. And, as an actor, it was a true privilege to be asked to record La Belle Sauvage, the first book of this new work." Michael Sheen 'The best piece of narration I've ever heard' - The Bookseller "Michael Sheen's narration of Philip Pullman's new novel is better than an army of voice actors his voice is impressive, from the crisp, definitive consonants of its higher registers to the rumbly bass notes Sheen summons when some menace enters the scene, to the vast, buttery expanse of his middle range." Slate

Philip Pullman (Author), Michael Sheen (Narrator)

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John Keats

Naxos AudioBooks continues its new series of Great Poets - represented by a collection of their most popular poems on one CD - with John Keats. Although this man had a short life, he produced a series of outstanding poems - many of which appeared first in letters to his sister. He was largely unappreciated during his lifetime, and died in Rome at the age of 26. Most of his 150 poems were written in just nine extraordinary months in 1819. This selection contains some of his finest works, the principal Odes, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Old Meg and Much Have I Travelled.

John Keats (Author), Michael Sheen, Samuel West (Narrator)

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Stories From Shakespeare

Here are the stories of ten key Shakespeare plays: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, King Lear, Richard III, Othello, Macbeth, The Tempest, Henry V, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. David Timson presents the complex plots in a clear, entertaining and informal style, presenting the main characters in the context of the famous lines. The stories contain important passages from the plays themselves, taken from the award-winning Naxos AudioBooks recordings. This is a 3 CD set which not only entertains but acts as an ideal 'starter pack' for children going to see the plays of Shakespeare.

David Timson, William Shakespeare (Author), Juliet Stevenson, Michael Sheen (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Michael Sheen