Books published by BBC Audio, A Division Of Random House

A thrilling selection of weird and wonderful short stories from the pages of Doctor Who Annual. Jon Culshaw, John Leeson, Terry Molloy, Louise Jameson, Dan Starkey and Geoffrey Beevers read seven stories from the legendary Doctor Who Annual of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In Justice of the Glacians the First Doctor gets into difficulties in a snowy wilderness. The Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria fall into the clutches of the Mastermind of Space, whilst the Third Doctor and Sarah go in search of The Time Thief. The Fourth Doctor is taken prisoner with Leela on The Planet of Dust, then joins Romana and K9 for A Midsummer''s Nightmare. The Fifth Doctor and Tegan encounter the Master at The Creation of Camelot, and the Sixth Doctor and Peri observe an intriguing Interface in time.Set the co-ordinates for nostalgia with these vintage tales, all featuring atmospheric sound design.

Five narrated TV soundtrack adventures starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor - plus bonus features. Absent from the TV archives, these stories survive in their entirety only as soundtrack recordings. Now remastered, with additional linking narration, you can enjoy them again: plus bonus interviews with Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines. In The Macra Terror the TARDIS visits a human colony that appears to be one big holiday camp, but has in fact been infiltrated and taken over by a race of giant crab-like creatures - the Macra. The Faceless Ones sees the TARDIS make a hazardous return to 1960s Earth, materialising on a runway at Gatwick Airport! In The Evil of the Daleks the TARDIS has been stolen by antiques dealer Edward Waterfield, who lures the Doctor and Jamie into an elaborate trap set by the most deadly race in the universe: The Daleks. The Abominable Snowmen finds the TARDIS in the Himalayas in 1935, where the Doctor makes a return visit to the nearby Detsen monastery - only to find it under attack, apparently from the Yeti... In The Ice Warriors the TARDIS crew materialise in an England of the future to find Earth in the grip of a new Ice Age - and under threat from a new menace in the form of the Ice Warriors...

Trapped underground, the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey encounter a small boy who claims to be Aladdin, in search of a fabled lamp. He joins them on their own quest, to find a power source in this weird domain and switch it off. Many obstacles lie in their way. Vast rooms stuffed with exotic items give way to torch-lit tunnels and deadly precipices. Creatures of mythical proportions lie in wait. Peculiar atmospheres take their toll on them. Perhaps strangest of all, the Doctor's multi-coloured scarf appears to take on a life of its own... As friends are separated and uneasy alliances are formed, the strange environment attempts to claim them. Will the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey ever get back to Hexford? And will Aladdin discover who he really is? With Tom Baker as the Doctor, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey, Guy Harvey as Aladdin, Sophie Ward as the Storyteller, Terrence Hardiman as the Gryphon, Andrew Sachs as the Scarf, Simon Shepherd as the Magician, and Su Douglas as the Toad, Aladdin Time is the third of five linked stories written by Paul Magrs.

First released by Original Records in 1980, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe star Peter Jones as The Book, Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect and Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox.

A thrilling novelisation of a classic adventure in history for the First Doctor and his friends.

Technology affects almost everything we do, and its possibilities can be both exhilarating and daunting. This collection features two radio documentaries exploring Douglas Adams’ vision of the digital future, plus Did Douglas Get it Right?, presented by Mitch Benn.Douglas Adams was a passionate technology enthusiast. His bestselling The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is full of futuristic tech, and in 1990 he predicted something very like the World Wide Web in the BBC2 film Hyperland. So in 1999, he was the natural choice to present Radio 4’s The Internet: The Last 20th Century Battleground. In it, he looked at the explosion in online communication, the evolution of cyberspace, and the risks and opportunities of the new virtual world.A year later, he hosted The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Future, in which he and his guests discussed how music, publishing, broadcasting, and society in general would be transformed in the 21st century. Sadly, this was Adams’ last BBC project: his death in 2001 meant he would never see if his visions came true.However, in 2015, Mitch Benn dipped into the archives for a follow-up programme, Did Douglas Get it Right?, revisiting Adams’ predictions to discover how prescient (or otherwise) they turned out to be...Fascinating, funny and insightful, these three programmes are a wonderful tribute to Douglas Adams, and a treat for fans and futurists alike.Produced by Mark Rickards.

The complete BBC radio series of Micky Flanagan’s autobiographical comedy show – plus pilot episode‘Excellent, funny and poignant’ Miranda Sawyer, The ObserverBased on his Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated show What Chance Change?, Micky Flanagan’s debut radio series combines brilliant stand-up with insightful behind-the-scenes interviews to tell the story of his life from the 1970s to the 2000s.These five episodes chart the Cockney comedian’s progression from working-class Herbert to middle-class intellectual giant – and being awkwardly caught between both worlds. Via hilarious jokes and sharply-observed comic routines, Micky takes us from the mean streets of the East End to the leafy lanes of East Dulwich, outlining his rise to fame from Billingsgate fish porter to successful entertainer, from Sunblest to panini, tabloids to broadsheets and the street party to the dinner party. We hear how he left school without qualifications, ran away to New York to be an international lover and player, returned to education to become a teacher, and settled down with his wife and built his stand-up career.Chatting to family, friends and special guests – including sociology professor Paul Willis, millionaire plumber Charlie Mullins, and fellow comedian Sean Lock – he considers how his upbringing shaped his identity, discusses the thorny issue of class and comedy, and explains how, over four decades, taking chances has changed his life.Written and performed by Micky FlanaganProduced by Tilusha GhelaniFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 6 January 2009 (pilot episode), 25 May-15 June 2010 (Series 1)

Four vintage episodes from the classic seafaring sitcom, including the original pilot episode and the final regular episodeOperation Fag End ('Working Their Passage') 5 April 1959New head honcho Commander Povey is heading to the island to inspect the crew - just as Pertwee's consignment of 50,000 smuggled cigarettes is about to arrive... The Bugged and Burgled Beer ('Bugging') 1 October 1967Pertwee has a purchasing problem: the two cases of beer he sold to his customers have ended up in Povey's custody. Can a bugging device help him recover his haul?Number One's Anniversary ('Biff Boff Boffing Their Way Through') 11 July 1971With his first wedding anniversary approaching, Mr Murray is in a bad mood - and Captain Povey is in trouble after switching the photos of two applicants for his wife's advertisement for an au pair. Captain Wilberforce Pertwee ('Having a History Lesson')18 January 1976After Pertwee's ingenious defence gets Phillips acquitted at a court martial, he recounts how he got his inventiveness from his wily Great-Great-Grandfather Wilberforce Pertwee. Starring Jon Pertwee, Leslie Phillips, Richard Caldicot, Stephen Murray and Tenniel Evans, with Dennis Price, Ronnie Barker, Michael Bates, Heather Chasen, Pamela Buck, Norma Ronald and April Walker. Produced by Alastair Scott-JohnstonA BBC Studios production

Somewhere on the frontier between thought and reality exists the Discworld, a parallel time and place which might sound and smell very much like our own, but which looks completely different... Collected together for the first time are seven full-cast BBC Radio dramatisations of Terry Pratchett's novels, with star-studded casts including Martin Jarvis, Sheila Hancock, Anton Lesser, Philip Jackson, Alex Jennings and Mark Heap. Now being published for the very first time, the adaptations in this collection are:MortHopeless young peasant Mort is hired as an apprentice to Death. He'll have free board, use of the company horse, and being dead isn't even compulsory. In fact, it's a dream job - until he discovers that it can be a killer on his love life... Wyrd SistersThree witches meet on a blasted heath. A king is cruelly murdered. A child heir and the kingdom's crown are both missing. But Granny Weatherwax finds that meddling in royal politics is a lot more complicated than certain playwrights would have you believe... Guards! Guards!In Ankh-Morpork, the Haves and the Have-Nots are about fall out. Again. The Night Watch's Captain Vimes is used to this but when the Have-Nots find the key to a lethal, dormant weapon that even they don't understand, he knows it's time so sober up. EricWhen precocious young Eric Thursley summons a demon from the loathsome pit to fulfil his every wish, he wants what everyone wants - immortality, to rule the world, and have the most beautiful woman love him. Instead he gets Rincewind, the Disc's most incompetent wizard. Small GodsOn the Discworld, Gods are as numerous as herring roe, all elbowing for space at the top. In such a competitive environment, you need an acolyte, and fast. For the Great God Om, Brutha is the Chosen One, or at least the only One available... Night WatchLiving in the past is hard. Dying in the past is incredibly easy, especially when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets coppers. Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch is back in his own rough, tough past, and he has a job to do. ***Bonus Story*** In addition to these Discworld novels, this collection will also include a full-cast dramatisation of Only You Can Save Mankind, from the Johnny Maxwell series. As an alien fleet crosses his computer screen, Johnny prepares to blow the ScreeWee into a million pieces...

Nine more episodes from the fourth series of the popular radio comedy, plus bonus programme Forty Laughing YearsFull of whimsical witticisms, sketches, songs, puns and double entendres, Beyond Our Ken entertained the nation over seven series and 123 episodes.

Eighteen episodes from Eric and Ernie's BBC Radio 2 comedy series, collected together for the very first timeBetween 1975 and 1978, when they were at the peak of their popularity on television, Morecambe and Wise also starred in their own radio series, with each episode scripted by the one and only Eddie Braben. This feast of gags, sketches and song and dance numbers - plus of course Ernie's 'plays what I wrote' - features a host of special guests including Ann Hamilton, Anita Harris, Gayle Hunnicutt, Richard Caldicot, Percy Edwards, Nicola Pagett, Brian Wilde, Des O'Connor, Vince Hill, Penelope Keith and The Nolan Sisters. So pull back the stage curtain and settle down to nine hours of sparkling comedy, in the company of 'the tall one with glasses' and 'the one with the short, fat, hairy legs'. Honestly, you can't see the join. The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise ShowWritten and adapted by Eddie BrabenProduced by John BrowellThe Best of British Laughs - Morecambe & WisePresented by Barry TookProduced by John BrowellThe Entertainers: Morecambe & Wise: Two of a KindPresented by Frank DixonProduced by Herbert SmithThe comedy in this release reflects the attitudes and conventions of the era in which it was first broadcast

The brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast series based on And Another Thing... the sixth book in the famous Hitchhiker's Guide "e;trilogy"e;. Winner of the 2019 Audie Award for Science Fiction. Forty years on from the first ever radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent and friends return in six brand new episodes, in which they are thrown back into the Whole General Mish Mash in a rattling adventure involving Viking Gods and Irish Confidence Tricksters, with our first glimpse of Eccentrica Gallumbits and a brief but memorable moment with The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast Of Traal. Starring John Lloyd as The Book, with Simon Jones as Arthur, Geoff McGivern as Ford Prefect, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, Sandra Dickinson and Susan Sheridan as Trillian, Jim Broadbent as Marvin the Paranoid Android and Jane Horrocks as Fenchurch, the cast also includes Samantha Beart, Toby Longworth, Andy Secombe, Ed Byrne, Lenny Henry, Philip Pope, Mitch Benn, Jon Culshaw and Professor Stephen Hawking. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018, the series is written and directed by Dirk Maggs and based on And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer with additional unpublished material by Douglas Adams. This edition also includes over 50 minutes of unbroadcast bonus material. Listeners are reminded that the relaxed attitude to danger provided by Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses is no substitute for running around, screaming. Music by Philip PopeProduction research by Kevin Jon DaviesWritten and directed by Dirk MaggsBased on the novel And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer, with additional material by Douglas AdamsRecorded at The Soundhouse Ltd. by Gerry O'RiordanSound Design by Dirk MaggsProduced by Dirk Maggs, Helen Chattwell and David MorleyA Perfectly Normal Production for BBC Radio 4

An unabridged reading of this exciting novelisation of a First Doctor television adventure. It is ten million years in the future, and the Earth is about to plunge into the Sun. A gigantic Space Ark has been launched, to take the last of humanity to a new life on the planet Refusis II. Accompanying the humans on their journey are the Monoids, strange reptilian creatures from an alien world. When the TARDIS materialises on board, the Doctor and his friends are greeted with suspicion, which soon turns to open hostility when Dodo inadvertently infects the Ark's crew with a long-forgotten virus. It is an accident which will have a terrible effect on mankind, an effect which will last for seven hundred years...

The award-winning BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Vikram Seth's masterpiece'The drama highlight of the year...this sumptuous production, wonderfully atmospheric, written with pace and performed, by an all-Indian cast, quite superbly. The novel may be vast but I was convinced by this version right from the start. Magnificent drama' - Radio TimesA Suitable Boy is Vikram Seth's epic love story set in India. Funny and tragic, with engaging, brilliantly-observed characters, it is as close as you can get to Dickens for the twentieth century. The story unfolds through four middle-class families - the Mehras, Kapoors, Khans and Chatterjis. Lata Mehra, a university student, is under pressure from her mother to get married. But not to just anyone she happens to fall in love with. There are standards to be met and finding a husband for Lata becomes a family affair in which all the members are to play a part. The characters struggle, they try to buck the system, to break free of restraint, of interference - but ultimately their strength and sense of being comes from their family and friends. It is a celebration of ordinariness; a beautifully composed story that is an affirmation of family and friendship. In his sweeping epic, Vikram Seth has created an entire world filled with warmth, humour, pathos, tragedy - in short, life. Recorded on location in India, A Suitable Boy is made by the production team behind the award-winning Bleak House and The Handmaid's Tale. 2018 is the 25th anniversary of the first publication of this classic story. Shortlisted for the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, 1993. Winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize, 1994. Winner of the WH Smith Literary Award, 1994. Dramatised and directed by John Dryden. A Goldhawk Production.

These classic soundtrack adventures, with additional linking narration, have all been remastered and include bonus interviews with William Russell, Maureen O'Brien, Peter Purves and Anneke Wills. The War Machines: The TARDIS lands in London in 1966 - only to find that the brand new Post Office Tower is home to a monstrous supercomputer.

The year is 1861, and the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey find themselves in the right place at the wrong time. At the rectory they encounter the ill-tempered Reverend Dobbs and his young ward Andrew, whose paper faces hide whatever horrors lie beneath. Tutoring him is one Mr Bewley, whom Mrs Wibbsey is startled to recognise. In Hexford Woods, the Doctor uncovers a secret which Andrew and his friends have been keeping. As the truth begins to emerge about the rectory's occupants, it also becomes clear why so many people have disappeared from the village. Unless the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey can help, the whole village will soon be terrorised by a child's imagination... With Tom Baker as the Doctor, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey, Terrence Hardiman as the Reverend Dobbs, Joanna David as Mrs Audley, Guy Harvey as Andrew, Simon Shepherd as Mr Bewley, Charlie Mitchell as Jake, Elinor Coleman as Sally, Geoff Leesley as Harold and Su Douglas as the Cook, The Broken Crown is the second of five linked stories written by Paul Magrs.

Four sparkling episodes of the much-loved BBC Radio 4 panel game chaired by Nicholas ParsonsOne of the longest-running and most popular radio comedy shows of all time, Just a Minute celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017.

Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker star as the Doctor in these seven narrated full-cast TV soundtracks of classic Doctor Who TV serials. The stories are The Tomb of the Cybermen (narrated by Frazer Hines); Doctor Who and the Silurians (narrated by Caroline John); The Sea Devils (narrated by Katy Manning); The Curse of Peladon (narrated by Katy Manning); The Monster of Peladon (narrated by Elisabeth Sladen); The Pirate Planet (narrated by John Leeson) and Destiny of the Daleks (narrated by Lalla Ward). Also includes bonus interviews with the narrators in which they each recall their time as the Doctor's companion in the BBC TV series. Duration: 14 hours approx.

Richard Franklin reads the exciting novelisation of a classic TV adventure featuring the Third Doctor, as played by Jon Pertwee. Eminent scientist Emil Keller has developed a revolutionary new process for the treatment of hardened criminals. His invention, the Keller Machine, is being heralded as a major scientific breakthrough.But Professor Keller is in truth the Master, and the Keller Machine is much more than a mere machine.Soon the Doctor, Jo, the Brigadier and UNIT are involved in a bitter struggle with the Master, an alien mind parasite, and a diabolical scheme to plunge the world into a Third World War... Richard Franklin, who played Captain Mike Yates in the BBC TV series, reads Terrance Dicks's novelisation of a 1971 TV serial by Don Houghton.