Audiobooks narrated by Nicholas Farrell

Patrick Hamilton: Rope, Gaslight, Hangover Square and more: Seven BBC Radio Full-Cast Productions

"A collection of thrilling radio dramas from the celebrated novelist and playwright Patrick Hamilton is renowned for his gritty, slice-of-life tales chronicling the hopes, dreams and obsessions of London's working class in the inter-war years. This collection brings together his key pieces, together with some lesser-known classics and a bonus 2004 documentary exploring his achievements and legacy. Hangover Square - Earl's Court, 1939. With war looming, everyone is frantically pursuing a good time. But when composer George Bone becomes obsessed with beautiful, fast-living actress Netta, murder and madness ensue... This brooding adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's masterpiece stars Nicholas Farrell and Amanda Redman. Rope - Believing they have committed the perfect murder, two students throw a macabre dinner party, where the guests include the victim's father. Will anyone see through their terrible vanity? Alan Rickman and Adam Baring star in this electrifying drama, famously adapted as an Alfred Hitchcock film. Gaslight - A husband commits to driving his wealthy young wife insane in order to steal from her in this psychological drama which originated the term 'gaslighting'. Starring Barbara Jefford and Michael Kilgarriff. Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky - Patrick Hamilton's semi-autobiographical trilogy tells a story of unrequited love amid the hardship of 1920s London, and comprises The Midnight Bell, The Siege of Pleasure and The Plains of Cement. Steven Pacey, Annette Badland, John Moffatt and Emily Morgan star. The Governess - Ethel Fry takes a position as a governess in the Drew household, but when the family discovers their baby son has been abducted, the entire house is thrown under suspicion. Starring Margaret Wolfit and Helen Worth To The Public Danger - A young couple fall into the company of two reckless motorists, whose drunk-driving has fatal consequences. Ivan Samson and Arthur Young star. The Duke in Darkness - Set in the Chateau Lamorre during the 16th-century French Civil Wars, this stirring tale of imprisonment and escape stars Alec Clunes and John Moffatt. A Portrait in Black - Biographer Nigel Jones celebrates the centenary of Hamilton's birth and his skill at conjuring up a lost world of seedy boarding-houses, third-class railway compartments, dance halls and fleapit cinemas. Text copyright © Patrick Hamilton 1929 (Rope), 1935 (Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky), 1938 (Gas Light), 1939 (To the Public Danger), 1941 (Hangover Square), 1943 (The Duke in Darkness), 1946 (The Governess) Cast and credits Written by Patrick Hamilton Hangover Square Rope Gaslight Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky The Governess To The Public Danger The Duke in Darkness Extra Content: A Portrait in Black 'If you were looking to fly from Dickens to Martin Amis with just one overnight stop, then Hamilton is your man' Nick Hornby © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Patrick Hamilton (Author), Adam Bareham, Alan Rickman, Amanda Redman, Annette Badland, Barbara Jefford, David Thorpe, Full Cast, Geoffrey Whitehead, John Moffatt, Michael Kilgarriff, Nicholas Farrell, Steven Pacey (Narrator)

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Arthur The King: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama

"The lavish seven-part saga of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 'Wonderful... pure pleasure' The Listener The Arthurian legends have long held a powerful grip on our collective imagination, inspiring numerous poets, novelists and playwrights to interpret them in countless different ways. In this epic play cycle, based on Malory's classic Le Morte D'Arthur, Graeme Fife gives us his dramatic, in-depth retelling of these perennially popuar myths. Focusing on seven key characters: Merlin, Tristram, Gareth, Lancelot, Galahad, Guenever and Arthur himself, he builds a vivid, multi-layered picture of the fabled king and his heroic knights. We hear the tales of Merlin, the great magician, brought down by the beautiful Nimue; Tristram and his illicit passion for Isolde; and the mysterious 'Beaumains', who sets out to rescue an unknown, besieged lady from Castle Perilous. Here, too, are the stories of Sir Lancelot du Lac, the Queen's champion and jewel of the Round Table; his saintly son, Galahad; Guenever, whose love for him will tear Camelot apart - and Arthur, the King, who chose the sword Excalibur over its scabbard, and sealed his fate. And behind them all lurks the shadow of Morgan le Fay, Arthur's nemesis, and Mordred, the son destined to destroy him... Told in allusive, poetic language, and with majestic, evocative music by Steven Faux, this sumptuous drama is full of enchantment, adventure, chivalry and courtly love. It stars Keith Baxter as Arthur, with Paul Scofield as Merlin, Anna Massey as Morgan le Fay, Nicholas Farrell as Lancelot and Jill Balcon as Guenever. Cast and credits Written by Graeme Fife Music by Stephen Faux Produced and directed by John Powell Main Cast Arthur (man and boy) - Keith Baxter Morgan le Fay - Anna Massey Merlin - Paul Scofield Lancelot du Lac - Nicholas Farrell Gareth - Crawford Logan Tristram - Rupert Frazer Lady Guenever - Jill Balcon Sir Galahad - Benny Young Other Cast Nimue - Tara Dominick, King Vortigern - Michael Graham Cox, Uther Pendragon/ Sir Dinadan - James Greene, Merlin (child) - Jill Lidstone, Sir Kay - Michael Kilgarriff, Archbishop - John Moffatt, Isolde - Sarah Badel, King Mark - John Franklyn-Robbins, Sir Pellinore - Jonathan Scott, Sir Dinadan - James Greene, Lynet - Rosalind Shanks, Sir Gawain - Ioan Meredith, King Pelles - Maurice Denham, His daughter, Lady Elaine - Eva Haddon, Sir Perceval - Ian Saynor, Prince Morded - Tom Hunsinger, Elaine of Astolat - Moir Leslie, The Hermit Naciens - Peter Penry-Jones, Sir Bors - Douglas Blackwell, Abbot - John Bull, Sir Agravain - Angus Pope, Sir Bedivere - Edward de Souza and Brian Miller, Simon Treves, Vincent Brimble, Jo Kendall, Marcia King and Donald Gee. Episode List Merlin First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 November 1990 Tristram First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 November 1990 Gareth First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 November 1990 Lancelot First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 December 1990 Galahad First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 December 1990 Guenever First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16 December 1990 Arthur First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 December 1990 ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Graeme Fife (Author), Anna Massey, Full Cast, Ioan Meredith, Jill Balcon, Keith Baxter, Maurice Denham, Michael Kilgarriff, Nicholas Farrell, Paul Scofield (Narrator)

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THE NIGHT WATCH

"“A FABULOUS BOOK. GET STARTED AND TRY TO STOP – I COULDN’T.” Jan Harlan, executive producer of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut and AI – Artificial Intelligence, with Steven Spielberg. - Those with the job of thinking the unthinkable face the greatest challenge of their lives. - Old orders are failing- tired democracies falter in the face of violence in the streets. - A storm of financial might and technological horror is gathering. - Calvin November, a messianic figure, makes a Presidential bid and an astonishing offer. - Primitive animal fear drives a messenger through a winter night with a warning nobody wants to hear. - The action moves between the power centres of Washington and Whitehall -the angry streets of New York - secretive Giant Domes in the Nevada desert - terrifying experiments in Warsaw and a deadly threat to the. world's greatest-ever Summit in Geneva. "

Julian Dinsell (Author), Nicholas Farrell (Narrator)

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Sketches by Boz: A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama collection

"Slices of 19th-century London life from the pen of Charles Dickens Here are ten gloriously comic stories from Sketches by Boz, Charles Dickens' earliest collection of short pieces in which he honed his literary genius. Each tale is dramatised by Dr Stephen Wyatt with a full cast. ©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd Cast and credits Written by Charles Dickens Dramatised by Dr Stephen Wyatt Directed by Sally Avens Starring Nicholas Farrell as Boz The Tuggses at Ramsgate The nouveau riche Tugg family discover that money cannot buy you love. Cast: Christopher Hancock, Frances Jeater, Colleen Prendergast, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Sean Baker, Tracy-Ann Oberman First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 September 1998 The Bloomsbury Christening The arrival of a bouncing baby boy is wonderful news - but not for miserable misanthrope Nicodemus Dumps. Cast: Alison Reid, Geoffrey Whitehead, Robert Harper, Charlie Simpson, Elaine Pyke First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 September 1998 The Great Winglebury Duel Alexander Trott finds it is possible to become betrothed in even the most trying circumstances. Cast: Peter Gunn, Julia Deakin, David Timson, Kim Wall and David Antrobus First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 September 1998 The Private Theatricals of Mrs Joseph Porter A household becomes obsessed with amateur dramatics - with farcical results. Cast: Geoffrey Whitehead, Frances Jeater, David Antrobus, Jane Holm, Shirley Dixon, Charles Simpson First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 22 September 1998 Mr Watkins Tottle All Mr Tottle wants is to enter the blessed state of matrimony - but the course of true love never did run smooth. Cast: David Collings, John Hartley, Jenny Howe, Patience Tomlinson, Christopher Scott First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 29 September 1998 Love and Oysters Meeting an oyster seller sparks disruption for orderly John Dounce. Cast: David Calder, Samantha Spiro, Siriol Jenkins, Elizabeth Conboy, David Allister, loan Meredith First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 July 1999 The Steam Excursion A boat trip on the Thames proves the undoing of 'paragon of perfection' Percy Noakes. Cast: Marston Bloom, Shirley Dixon, Joanna Monro, Jeremy Swift, Becky Hindley, Ben Crowe, Stephen Critchlow First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 July 1999 Sentiment The Crumpton sisters are delighted when an MP's daughter arrives at their finishing school - until a romantic attachment comes to light. Cast: Patience Tomlinson, Jane Booker, Gerard Murphy, Tilly Gaunt, Harry Myers, Elizabeth Conboy, Michael Mueller First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 July 1999 The Boarding House The respectability of Mrs Tibbs' residential establishment is threatened by a mysterious new lodger. Cast: Imelda Staunton, Annette Badland, Christopher Hancock, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Stephen Critchlow, Peter Gunn, Jason O'Mara First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 July 1999 Horatio Sparkins The snobbish Maldertons are thrilled when their unmarried daughter receives the attentions of the gentlemanly Mr Sparkins. But who exactly is he? Cast: David Haig, Tessa Worsley, Sarah-Jane Holm, Adrian Schiller, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Patrick Barlow First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 August 1999"

Charles Dickens, Stephen Wyatt (Author), Annette Badland, David Antrobus, David Haig, Full Cast, Imelda Staunton, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Nicholas Farrell, Samantha Spiro, Tracy-Ann Oberman (Narrator)

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The Henrik Ibsen: Nine full-cast BBC radio dramatisations

"Often described as 'the father of realism', Henrik Ibsen was a pioneer of modernist drama. He influenced playwrights as diverse as George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, and is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare. Included in this collection are adaptations of his tragicomic masterpiece The Wild Duck, his complex and compelling play Rosmersholm, the epic drama Brand and the tragedy John Gabriel Borkman. Ibsen's A Doll's House is relocated to 1879 India in Tanika Gupta's Audio Drama Award-winning dramatisation, while the provocative and scandalous Ghosts is adapted by Richard Eyre, with the cast of his Olivier Award-winning Almeida Theatre production. Also featured are vibrant dramatisations of Hedda Gabler, whose desperate heroine is trapped in a suffocating marriage; The Lady from the Sea, about a woman torn between security and passion; and An Enemy of the People, in which a whistleblower reveals an inconvenient truth and is vilified for it. The casts of these stunning dramas include David Threlfall, Nicholas Farrell, Helen Baxendale, Indira Varma, Lesley Manville and Harriet Walter. Track listing: The Wild Duck Rosmersholm Brand John Gabriel Borkman A Doll's House Ghosts Hedda Gabler The Lady from the Sea An Enemy of the People"

Henrik Ibsen (Author), David Threlfall, Full Cast, Harriet Walters, Helen Baxendale, Indira Varma, Lesley Manville, Nicholas Farrell, Samuel West (Narrator)

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BBC Radio Shakespeare: A Collection of Three Roman Plays

"Three full-cast BBC Radio productions of Shakespeare's most famous Roman plays Featuring all-star casts and introduced by Sir Richard Eyre, these three iconic productions of Shakespeare's dynamic Roman histories are full of political intrigue, passion and tragedy. Julius Caesar This updated version of Shakespeare's classic play is set in Italy in 1925. Julius Caesar, a new Roman dictator, has swept to power, and his way is clear to assume total control - unless a coup by Cassius and Brutus can alter the tide of history. Nicholas Farrell stars as Brutus and Gerard Murphy as Julius Caesar. Coriolanus When Rome's greatest hero, the warrior Coriolanus, divides the people and the patricians through his arrogance, he is driven into exile. Samuel West stars as Coriolanus, with Susannah York as Volumnia. Antony and Cleopatra Shakespeare's last great tragedy is an action epic set against the political backdrop of the Roman Empire and the centre of Egyptian culture, Alexandria. But at the heart of the play is the story of what happens when two people fall in love. Starring Frances Barber as Cleopatra and David Harewood as Mark Antony."

William Shakespeare (Author), David Harewood, Frances Barber, Full Cast, Gerard Murphy, Nicholas Farrell, Samuel West, Stella Gonet, Susannah York (Narrator)

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Dinner: A full-cast production of the acclaimed black comedy

"A deliciously black satirical comedy about the dinner party from hell. The fastidious host, Paige, decides to throw a dinner party in honour of her husband Lars, who is celebrating the success of his pop psychology book, Beyond Belief. She carefully plans a surprise menu that will mark the occasion, and anxiously checks with the waiter she has employed to make sure that everything is perfectly prepared. Her lucky guests include a post-feminist vegetarian artist, a distinguished microbiologist, a TV journalist and an uninvited guest who ends up staying for dinner. But it soon becomes apparent that the meal may contain some rather nasty surprises… Moira Buffini's outrageous comedy Dinner started life in the National Theatre's Loft in 2002, and became her first West End smash. In this production, adapted by the writer for BBC Drama on 3, Harriet Walter returns to the role she created: Paige, the hostess and architect of an evening which her guests will never forget. Two other original leads, Nicholas Farrell and Penny Downie, and four new cast members join her in this viciously black chamber piece about appetite, which will make you think twice about ever accepting another invitation to dinner. Moira Buffini was nominated for an Olivier Award for Dinner in 2003, and won the Olivier in 2014 for her play Handbagged. Cast Paige……………………Harriet Walter Lars……………………Nicholas Farrell Wynne……………………Penny Downie Hal……………………Paul Bazely Sian……………………Pippa Bennett-Warner Mike……………………Peter McDonald Waiter……………………David Hounslow Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting"

Moira Buffini (Author), David Hounslow, Harriet Walters, Nicholas Farrell, Paul Bazely, Penny Downie, Peter Mcdonald, Pippa Bennett-Warner (Narrator)

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The Vicar of Wakefield

"First published in 1766 and a perennial favourite since then, The Vicar of Wakefield is built around the naïve but loveable figure of Dr Primrose. He and his family live in rural bliss until disaster threatens to destroy their happiness: abduction, impoverishment and betrayal combine to lay them low, but a surprising figure brings hope when all seems lost."

Oliver Goldsmith (Author), Nicholas Farrell (Narrator)

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The Prelude

"Wordsworth’s Prelude is the consummation of his achievement as the great founder of English romanticism. An autobiography in verse, it tells of his childhood in the Lake District, his student days in Cambridge, his passion for the French Revolution and his later disenchantment with it, and his personal journey to a belief in Nature as the great moral and spiritual force which shapes human life, but on which human society all too often turned its back. Subtitled ‘Growth of a Poet’s Mind’, The Prelude is both a key document in the history of English literature, and an inspiring work of imagination, as fresh and challenging today as when it was written two centuries ago."

William Wordsworth (Author), Andrew Riches, Neville Jason, Nicholas Farrell (Narrator)

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Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson (Author), Edward Holtom, Nicholas Farrell, Tom Baker (Narrator)

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Untold Story

"What if Princess Diana hadn't died? Diana's life and marriage were fairy tale and nightmare. Adored by millions, in her personal life she suffered heartbreak and betrayal. Within a life of privilege, she frequently felt trapped and alone. Constrained by protocol and precedent, she refused to follow the rules. Untold Story takes the life of the world's most famous woman as a point of departure, examining the past and imagining a future. The fictional princess who is the novel's heroine is at breaking point and, believing that the Establishment is plotting her assassination, she makes an irrevocable decision: to stage her own death and begin a new life under an assumed identity. After a period of intense upheaval, Lydia (as she is known) settles in small town America and establishes a fragile peace. It is threatened by thoughts of what she has lost: not the glamour and glitz of royalty but that which is most precious - her children. She is, at least, safe in the knowledge - having altered her appearance and ten years after her 'death' - that her secret will never be uncovered. But then a chance encounter with a member of the paparazzi robs her of that certainty. Will he recognize her? Should she flee or remain calm? Is there anyone she can trust and turn to, or will she inevitably be betrayed? Untold Story is a novel about family and friendship, intrigue and obsession, the meaning of identity, and the peculiar calamity of fame."

Monica Ali (Author), Emma Fielding, Nicholas Farrell (Narrator)

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Julius Caesar: A BBC Radio Shakespeare production

"In this BBC full-cast production, Julius Caesar is triumphant after his victory over the sons of Pompey. But as bad omens and weather plague Rome, even his most loyal friends are starting to see the signs... Political intrigue and fierce battle rage in this tense and dynamic production in which a country is torn apart under the legacy of Julius Caesar, 'the colossus'. Gerard Murphy, Stella Gonet, Samantha Bond and Nicholas Farrell star in Shakespeare's turbulent Roman history. BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly-formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. In this acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the modern day."

William Shakespeare (Author), Full Cast, Gerard Murphy, Nicholas Farrell, Samantha Bond, Stella Gonet (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Nicholas Farrell