Audiobooks narrated by Richard E. Grant

The Surreal and Supernatural Stories of Walter de la Mare: A BBC Radio Collection

Full-cast dramatisations and readings of classic tales by Walter de la Mare – plus bonus material. An award-wining poet, short story writer and novelist, Walter de la Mare is probably best known for his works for children and his perennially popular poem ‘The Listeners’. His ghost stories were much admired by H. P. Lovecraft and inspired subsequent authors of supernatural horror such as Robert Aickman and Ramsey Campbell. In 1921, his novel Memoirs of a Midget won the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction, and this haunting, surrealistic tale is the opening tale in our anthology. It tells the extraordinary life story of the diminutive Miss M, who struggles to find her place in Victorian society. Torn between her obsessive suitor Mr Anon and the cruel, beautiful Fanny Bowater, she seeks freedom in the dangerous world of the circus… Emma Fielding stars as Miss M, with Robert Glenister, Sylvestra Le Touzel and Anna Massey. Based on de la Mare’s 1923 short story and starring Samuel West and Margaret Robertson, ‘Seaton’s Aunt’ sees Rupert Withers recalling the sinister relative of a boyhood friend – a woman he met just three times, but who left an indelible impression. Ghost Stories of Walter de la Mare contains four more uncanny tales – ‘All Hallows’ (read by Richard E. Grant), ‘Crewe’ (read by Kenneth Cranham), ‘A Recluse’ (read by Anthony Head) and ‘The Almond Tree’ (read by Julian Wadham). It is followed by a dramatisation of ‘The Trumpet’, starring Garard Green, in which a rector’s son meets his best friend in church one moonlit night for a dare that ends in disaster. Also included are two bonus programmes celebrating the poetry of Walter de la Mare. In Adventures in Poetry: The Listeners, Peggy Reynolds introduces a reading of the much-loved poem, and explores its background, effect and lasting appeal with guests Russell Hoban, Sean Street and de la Mare’s grandson Giles. And in Three Score and Ten, Ian Macmillan presents an archive recording from Christmas Day 1953 of Walter de la Mare reading his poems ‘England’ and ‘The Little Salamander’. Credits Written by Walter de la Mare First published 1921 (Memoirs of a Midget), 1923 (‘Seaton’s Aunt’, ‘The Almond Tree’), 1926 (‘All Hallows’), 1930 (‘Crewe’, ‘A Recluse’), 1936 (‘The Trumpet’) Memoirs of a Midget First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 March-2 April 1993 Please note that the language used reflects the era in which the original novel was written. ‘Seaton’s Aunt’ First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 December 1995 Ghost Stories of Walter de la Mare First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 24-28 December 2010 The Trumpet First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 April 1986 Adventures in Poetry: The Listeners First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 November 2008 Three Score and Ten First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 12 October 2016 © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Walter De La Mare (Author), Andrew Wincott, Anthony Head, Emma Fielding, Full Cast, Garard Green, Jonathan Keeble, Julian Wadham, Kenneth Cranham, Margaret Robertson, Richard E. Grant, Samuel West, Walter De La Mare (Narrator)

Audiobook

With Nails: The Film Diaries of Richard E Grant

Richard E. Grant's life changed almost overnight when he was cast as the lead in Withnail & I in 1986. He kept a diary of the experience, the bestselling With Nails, and now it is published for the first time in audio, read by the author. Funny and revealing, told with trademark candour, join Richard E. Grant on the shoot of a lifetime. 'In these dashing diaries of his recent years in the movies, Grant shares with candour his wonder at this aberrant universe and its inhabitants' ― Sunday Times 'An exceptionally vivid and penetrating insight into Hollywood film-making... What most of us want is gossip about starts, and this is something the book delivers in spades... Qualifies for that exclusive niche reserved for film star memoirs that are worth much more than a casual flick on the bookshop shelf' ― Observer

Richard E. Grant (Author), Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Pocketful of Happiness

'A gorgeously candid account of acting and show business. And an intimate and heartfelt story of love, loss and a life spent together. It is an honour to be invited in on these diaries. I cannot remember being so moved by a book' Dolly Alderton 'Fascinating, funny and heart wrenching' Dame Julie Walters 'An emotional rollercoaster - profoundly moving and wonderfully entertaining. A brilliant memoir about living, loving and losing' Bernardine Evaristo 'One of the bravest, strongest, funniest memoirs I've ever read' Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry An intimate and uplifting memoir by Richard E. Grant. Born in Swaziland in 1957, Richard E. Grant moved to the UK to pursue his acting career, and has been a fixture on our screens since his breakout role in Withnail and I in 1987. When his beloved wife Joan died in 2021 after almost forty years together, she set him a challenge: to find a pocketful of happiness in every day. The result is this book. Set between the present day and flashbacks to delightfully indiscreet diary entries recalling landmarks from his remarkable life and glittering career, this is an immensely personal and profound memoir that celebrates and cherishes life's unexpected joys. Funny, moving and perceptive, A Pocketful of Happiness is an insight into the life of a much loved British actor.

Richard E. Grant (Author), Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich?: A BBC Radio 4 comedy

Richard E Grant, Peter Capaldi and Amanda Root are among the stars of this BBC radio sitcom about three promising graduates still underachieving in their 30s Flatmates Judith, Giles and David once had it all: youth, optimism, ambition, and degrees from one of the country's best universities. In their 20s, they were full of potential, but ten years later, they're simply might-have-beens. Stuck in Streatham and strapped for cash, they're forced to mooch off their more successful mates just to get by... Wannabe actress Judith is searching for her big break, but all she finds are unsuitable men (and one equally unsuitable woman...) Could a baby be the answer to her unfulfilled yearnings - or maybe marriage to ex-lover Giles? Nerdy David is also hopelessly in love with Judith, but knows he doesn't have a chance. Will he ever meet a potential girlfriend who isn't in his cycling club? And for dissolute ex-public-schoolboy Giles, recently returned from 'finding himself' in Kathmandu, anything's preferable to going back to Norfolk and becoming a solicitor... As they battle with life, love, themselves and each other, can the not-so-young hopefuls finally find their focus and get to grips with adulthood? First broadcast in 1995, this fresh, funny series still feels real and relevant today, and features a stellar cast including Richard E Grant, Douglas Hodge and Tony Slattery as Giles, Peter Capaldi and Paul Bigley as David and Amanda Root as Judith. Production credits Written by Paul Shearer and Richard Turner Produced by Paul Schlesinger and Claire Jones Music by Pete Baikie Cast Giles - Richard E Grant/Douglas Hodge/Tony Slattery Judith - Amanda Root David - Peter Capaldi/Paul Bigley Mr Horrocks - Geoffrey Whitehead Mrs Horrocks - Tina Gray/Jillie Meers With Christopher Rozycki, Amerjit Deu, Kay Stoneham, Alexander Armstrong, Richard Turner, Eva Stuart, Peter Yapp, Simon Greenall, Annabel Mullion, Alex Lowe, Phil Nice, Siriol Jenkins, Paul Shearer, Abigail Cruttenden, Jane Slavin, Alice Arnold, Christian Rodska, Dominic Letts, Felicity Montagu, Gavin Muir, Colleen Prendergast, Stephen Critchlow, Abigail McKern, Nick Holder, Colin McFarlane, Hugh Bonneville, Margaret Robertson, Philip Glenister, Jonathan Kydd, Jane Whittenshaw, Sam Dastor, Peter Wingfield, Caroline Strong, Caroline Langrishe, Jacqueline Beatty, Pip Torrens, Patience Tomlinson, David Timpson, Kerry Shale, Debra Stephenson, Fiona Allen, Janet Ellis, Nina Wadia, Sue Elliot Nichols, Barbara Murray First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10 January-14 February 1995 (Series 1), 6 June-11 July 1996 (Series 2), 28 May-18 June 1998 (Series 3)

Paul Shearer, Richard Turner (Author), Alex Lowe, Alexander Armstrong, Amanda Root, Douglas Hodge, Hugh Bonneville, Peter Capaldi, Richard E. Grant, Tony Slattery (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Echo Chamber

Brought to you by Penguin. What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is. Six ounces of metal, glass and plastic, fashioned into a sleek, shiny, precious object. At once, a gateway to other worlds - and a treacherous weapon in the hands of the unwary, the unwitting, the inept. The Cleverley family live a gilded life, little realising how precarious their privilege is, just one tweet away from disaster. George, the patriarch, is a stalwart of television interviewing, a 'national treasure' (his words), his wife Beverley, a celebrated novelist (although not as celebrated as she would like), and their children, Nelson, Elizabeth, Achilles, various degrees of catastrophe waiting to happen. Together they will go on a journey of discovery through the Hogarthian jungle of the modern living where past presumptions count for nothing and carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant. Along the way they will learn how volatile, how outraged, how unforgiving the world can be when you step from the proscribed path. Powered by John Boyne's characteristic humour and razor-sharp observation, The Echo Chamber is a satiric helter skelter, a dizzying downward spiral of action and consequence, poised somewhere between farce, absurdity and oblivion. To err is maybe to be human but to really foul things up you only need a phone. © John Boyne 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

John Boyne (Author), Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

Making History

Brought to you by Penguin. Michael Young is a brilliant young history student whose life is changed when he meets Leo Zuckerman, an ageing physicist with a theory that can change worlds. Together they realise that they have the power to alter history and eradicate a great evil. But tinkering with timelines is more dangerous than they can imagine and nothing - past, present or future - will ever be the same again. Making History is funny, moving, romantic and told with Stephen Fry's characteristic skill and brilliance. Praise for Making History: 'His best novel yet... an extravagant, deeply questioning work of science fiction' GQ 'Making History has the imaginative pull that keeps the pages turning while the tea gets cold and the cat gets the goldfish' The Independent 'Stephen Fry at his twinkling best' Sunday Times © Stephen Fry 1996 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Stephen Fry (Author), Richard E. Grant, Stephen Fry (Narrator)

Audiobook

Once there was a boy…

A spectacular collection of four much-loved modern classics from the multi award-winning, internationally best-selling picture-book maker, Oliver Jeffers. Read by Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant, these captivating stories are brought to life with music and sound effects. Stretching from the moon all the way to the South Pole, follow the boy and the penguin on their adventures as they reach for the stars and try to fly away. Featuring: How to Catch a Star Lost and Found The Way Back Home Up and Down

Oliver Jeffers (Author), Paul Mcgann, Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sea, The Sea: Vintage Classics Murdoch Series

Brought to you by Penguin. VINTAGE CLASSICS MURDOCH: Funny, subversive, fearless and fiercely intelligent, Iris Murdoch was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. To celebrate her centenary Vintage Classics presents special editions of her greatest and most timeless novels. ‘I saw a monster rising from the waves.' Charles Arrowby has determined to spend the rest of his days in hermit-like contemplation. He buys a mysteriously damp house on the coast, far from the heady world of the theatre where he made his name, and there he swims in the sea, eats revolting meals and writes his memoirs. But then he meets his childhood sweetheart Hartley, and memories of her lovely, younger self crowd in – along with more recent lovers and friends – to disrupt his self-imposed exile. So instead of 'learning to be good', Charles proceeds to demonstrate how very bad he can be. Winner of the Man Booker Prize 1978. © Iris Murdoch 1978 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Iris Murdoch (Author), Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

Peeler: The BBC Radio 4 crime series

A six-part BBC Radio 4 crime drama set in nineteenth-century London It is 1830, a year after Sir Robert Peel's creation of the Metropolitan Police, known as the 'Peelers'. As the brand new bobbies patrol the beat in their smart blue uniforms, armed only with truncheons and rattles, they form the first line of defence against crime. But as this thrilling series opens, the fledgling detective force is proving unpopular, sparking deep political unrest and public protests. Rioters take to the streets of London, and the police struggle to contain the violence. The threat posed by the mob is not the only problem for young Martin Quin, onetime hero of Waterloo and now a police constable. First his fiancée, Maria Staples, breaks off their engagement due to her tyrannical father's disapproval. Then Quin is involved in an altercation with Lord Trowle's coachman, and the arrogant aristocrat insists he is charged with assault. Forced to defend himself in court, Martin finds himself facing imprisonment and ruin. Meanwhile, Bow Street runner Jeremiah Morley investigates shady printer Peter the Screever, and uncovers a heinous blackmail plot... Written by Patrick Carroll, this atmospheric series stars Richard E Grant as Lord Trowle, Norman Jones as Sir Robert Peel, Mick Ford as PC Martin Quin and James Booth as Jeremiah Morley. Written by Patrick Carroll Directed by Janet Whitaker Singer: Martin Carthy Cast PC Martin Quin........................Mick Ford Jeremiah Morley........................James Booth Sir Robert Peel........................Norman Jones Lord Trowle........................Richard E Grant Colonel Rowan........................Peter Jeffrey Richard Mayne........................Killian McKenna Maria Staples........................Joanna Myers Sergeant Dutton........................Ronald Herdman Inspector Beale/Frederick Roe........................Timothy Bateson PC Atkinson/Sergeant Cazalet/Mr Evans........................Alan Barker PC Smythe/Francis Place/Turnkey/Mr Luke........................Mark Straker Lord Laverton/PC Rourke........................James Greene Mr Yardley........................Richard Pearce Arthur Jenkins/John Staples........................Ian Lindsay Rev Charles Lyton........................Timothy Carlton Mrs Gascoygne........................Elizabeth Bell Peter the Screever........................Fraser Kerr Beth/Florrie........................Susan Sheridan Lucy/Mrs Gregory........................Elizabeth Kelly First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 July-22 August 1991

Patrick Carroll (Author), James Booth, Mick Ford, Norman Jones, Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Old Drift

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell, read by Adjoa Andoh, Richard E. Grant and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Electrifying, playful, ambitious, brilliant - a Zambian debut novel that follows three generations of three families, telling the story of a nation, and of the grand sweep of time 'It's difficult to think of another novel that is at once so sweepingly ambitious and so intricately patterned, delivering the pleasures of saga and poetry in equal measure. The Old Drift is an endlessly innovative, voraciously brilliant book, and Namwali Serpell is among the most distinctive and exciting writers to emerge in years.' Garth Greenwell On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. Here begins the epic story of a small African nation, told by a mysterious swarm-like chorus that calls itself man's greatest nemesis. The tale? A playful panorama of history, fairytale, romance and science fiction. The moral? To err is human. In 1904, in a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fates of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. This sets off a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families (black, white, brown) as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond. As the generations pass, their lives - their triumphs, errors, losses and hopes - form a symphony about what it means to be human. From a woman covered with hair and another plagued with endless tears, to forbidden love affairs and fiery political ones, to homegrown technological marvels like Afronauts, microdrones and viral vaccines - this gripping, unforgettable novel sweeps over the years and the globe, subverting expectations along the way. Exploding with colour and energy, The Old Drift is a testament to our yearning to create and cross borders, and a meditation on the slow, grand passage of time.

Namwali Serpell (Author), Adjoa Andoh, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Little Prince: A new translation by Michael Morpurgo

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, translated by Michael Morpurgo. Read by Richard E. Grant, with an introduction read by Michael Morpurgo. If a little fellow comes along, if he laughs, if he has golden hair, and if he never answers questions, then you will know who he is. He is the Little Prince, the mysterious, innocent and beautiful boy who appears to a pilot stranded in the desert and makes an extraordinary request. He has captured the hearts of millions of readers around the world since his story first appeared in 1943, written down by an aristocratic French aviator who soon after disappeared during a flight across the sea. The Little Prince journeys to our planet from his home among the stars, encountering all sorts of benighted grown-ups along the way, and a fox, who teaches him how to see the important things in life. But the Prince has left behind a flower growing on his star, a rose which is his treasure and his burden, and before long he must return to it. Master storyteller Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse, has translated what is for him 'one of the greatest stories ever written' so that more English readers might discover the joy of reading this enchanting fable. The Little Prince is a story for everyone, for children and grown-up children, for kings, geographers and lamp-lighters, even for the very serious and the very wise.

Antoine De Saint-Exupery (Author), Michael Morpurgo, Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Ladder to the Sky

Random House presents the audiobook edition of A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne, read by Richard E. Grant, Richard Cordery, Nina Sosanya and Laurence Kennedy. A psychological drama of cat and mouse, A Ladder to the Sky shows how easy it is to achieve the world if you are prepared to sacrifice your soul. If you look hard enough, you can find stories pretty much anywhere. They don't even have to be your own. Or so would-be writer Maurice Swift decides very early on in his career. A chance encounter in a Berlin hotel with celebrated novelist Erich Ackermann gives him an opportunity to ingratiate himself with someone more powerful than him. For Erich is lonely, and he has a story to tell. Whether or not he should do so is another matter entirely. Once Maurice has made his name, he sets off in pursuit of other people's stories. He doesn't care where he finds them - or to whom they belong - as long as they help him rise to the top. Stories will make him famous but they will also make him beg, borrow and steal. They may even make him do worse.

John Boyne (Author), Laurence Kennedy, Nina Sosanya, Richard Cordery, Richard E. Grant (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Richard E. Grant