Books published by Samuel French Ltd

Can Skipper the pilot complete the raid and get his crew safely home? The crew: Eric the nose gunner wants to end the war with a profit. Norman the flight engineer dreams of using his basic flight training to fly Lily home on a “wing and a prayer”. Joe the radio operator has been recommended for officer training, and worries about the youth and inexperience of his fellow crewmen. Arthur is just out of flight training, and this is his first mission. Taff is the mid-upper gunner. He may appear to be the clown of the crew, but there is a bit more to Taff than that. Finally, there is Tony in the rear turret with his movie-star good looks. Tony has a lot on his mind, he is in trouble, and he can’t even tell his  friends why. So apart from that, the flack and the Luftwaffe, everything should be “Tickety Boo”. Bon Chance Lily.

"Behind me, the sky was falling in. Slowly drifting down. That''s the last thing my broken eye saw before it all went black. Do you believe me?"No one''s touched the buffet, there''s a big gap on the wall where a mirror''s fallen off and something is stinking the place out. Julie and Ruby are sisters coming to terms with thedeath of formidable matriarch Iris who still manages to control their lives from beyond the grave. On the night of the funeral, Julie gets off with Gerry, the crime scene cleaner. Maybe that''ll help. It doesn''t. When their mother''s unusual bequest unearths a story that leaves some indelible marks, something more than a deep clean is needed.

A writer of children's stories is popular in his field by not at home, where he is a calculating sadist. His wife turns to another man for affection, and eventually the two of them devise a fool-proof plan to do away with the husband. Unfortunately, however, the writer's frustrated secretary learns of it and uses her information to trap the other man into marriage after he has killed the husband. They go away together and the police are led to believe that the husband drowned chasing a prowler. But some weeks later there is a surprise in store when the husband turns up hale and hearty - having been warned in time by his secretary.-2 women, 4 men

Young David Armstrong misses his mother. Following her death, he now lives alone in their North Country house, a devoted member of the Salvation Army. His estranged father Thomas, a coarse philanderer, reappears uninvited and unwanted. David meets an attractive barmaid Bess and persuaded by him to take a vacant room in the house, she becomes involved with Thomas as the volatile situation comes to a head.-2 women, 2 men

Christopher has had the romantic notion of bringing his wife Mary away for a holiday in celebration of their first wedding anniversary. Mary has saved until they arrive the lovely surprise that her mother will be joining them. Horace, a chesty old misery who is their Redcoat and Fun-Leader, contributes to the general atmosphere of gloom and the virile athleticism of Miss Bounce, the camp P.T. instructor, nearly finishes poor Christopher altogether.|5 women, 4 men

Judith Shakespeare has one ambition: to be a playwright. When her debt-ridden father forces her into an engagement, she runs away with the help of dashing actor Ned Alleyn, hoping to join her brother in London. But when Judith arrives in the plague-stricken capital, she finds her brother gone, Ned engaged to another, and her play refused. Judith and the players confront poverty in the midst of economic depression, in a society where women's freedoms are curtailed, under a government confronting religious extremism in a climate of fear. Judith must choose between succumbing to social pressures, and following her dream, no matter what the cost. Shakespeare's Sister was first performed as a staged reading at the Theatre Royal Haymarket as part of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass Trust's "Pitch Your Play" scheme, supported by the Nöl Coward Foundation and the Vernon Charitable Trust. It was revived as part of the Shakespeare400 celebrations at King's College London.

Produced to acclaim in London, Edinburgh, and South Africa, this is the tender, simple story of the relationship between a sister (the author) and her younger brother, described in realistic and down to earth language. Episodic flashes of dialogue through the years are linked by the sister's narrative.1 woman, 1 man

Flushed by their successes, the stalwart veterans of the Dramatic Society are poised to conquer yet another dramatic idiom: their current production sails the luxury ocean liner SS Farndale Avenue into the world of thirties musical comedy. The ladies prove that the age of elegance, glamour and enchantment is not dead... well, not quite. Circumstances almost beyond their control threaten to wreck the evening's entertainment but the ladies and Gordon, in true Farndale form, soar above such mundane matters to present some catchy numbers and a stunning underwater sequence!-3 women, 2 men

Together ten chronologically-organised scenes offer a vision of love and sex in England across two millennia, from classical times to the present day via the Renaissance and the Swinging Sixties.|3 women, 3 men

Set in a city named Thebes, somewhere in the 20th century, the play is introduced by a militia sergeant named Miletus and two child soldiers under his command, Scud and Megeara. They discover the body of Polynices, a warlord in the recently-ended civil war and brother of Antigone and Ismene. Meanwhile, Ismene and the new female president of Thebes, Eurydice, widow of Creon get ready for the arrival of Theseus, fi rst citizen of the powerful democratic state of Athens, to discuss rebuilding Thebes after the civil war.|10 women, 10 men

Crosby and Gilbert are escaped convicts who couldn''t face the thought of yet another Christmas dinner in gaol. Their adventures on the run, in various disguises, dodging a host of amazing characters are all tremendous fun.|2 women, 7 men

A novelist and his family are in poor straits; for Father has not managed to write anything in years. An American, named Simon, buys the novelist''s old castle and comes with his brother, Neil, to take possession.|7 women, 7 men

Mary is left alone for much of the day in her isolated house, high among the farming hills. A constant stream of visitors calls to relieve her loneliness, but there is something odd about their visits. Whenever Mary leaves the room the visitors "freeze" into whichever action they are performing! Mary believes her mother has passed on to her an extraordinary gift - that of being able to imagine something and persuading someone else it was true. However, at the end of this amusing and intriguing play we find it is not Mary, but sister Marjorie who has the "gift" and she is using it for very philanthropic purposes indeed!4 women, 1 man

Mr and Mrs Hudd are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Elaine and Bob's house. Friends and family are invited along to share the caviar and to toast this odd-ball couple with champagne. However a creaking floorboard, a leaking pipe and the odd behaviour of the party members makes the day most memorable - for all the wrong reasons.-3 women, 3 men

Mr Hanacott has recently passed on. His will aims to secure the future of his family and ensure his farm is managed efficiently. To this end he insists that his sister, Prudence, should bring her business acumen to the farm. However, running a farm is rather different from running a successful draper's shop and her methods are not always welcomed by the family, the farm staff or the villagers. A production of an amateur play leads to problems on the farm - including some sexual frissons. But how to get rid of her? Well - that's the question!6 women, 3 men

Harold Makepiece, a redundant Civil Servant, while taking a quiet holiday at the seaside, gets into conversation with Joyce, whose main preoccupation is feeding sparrows, in whose welfare she seems to take a somewhat exaggerated interest. What starts as an odd but moderately reasonable exchange gradually turns into a nightmare as Harold becomes involved also with a freakish Edward and the seaweed-eating Sandra. It turns out that all three are planning to bomb a large power station nearly because of the pollution it causes. They try and rope in Harold as an accessory, until events are taken out of all their hands in a totally unexpected way.-2 women, 2 men

Most people have heard of the Tolpuddle Martyrs of 1834, but what of their wives, the women behind the men in that troubled strife? This is the story of those women, who watched and worried as their husbands banded together to try to get a fair wage, and were then left behind to suffer and manage as best they could when the men were savagely sentenced to seven years' transportation.4 women, 6 men

A hilarious, original, and thoroughly entertaining pantomime, guaranteed to transport all involved to the land of the Arabian Nights.Large flexible cast

Based on a true event, Silent Night is the heart-warming story of an ordinary family in extraordinary times: the Blitz. A direct hit on their Anderson shelter leaves Wilf, Rose, Lily, Jack and their tortoise Harold awaiting the call to St Peter and the Pearly Gates.

Glasgow, 1890. Andrew Baird calls upon Flora McNeil to settle a debt owed by her late husband. It is a bank holiday, however: no money! Baird is determined and refuses to leave; Flora has to resort to violence. Pistols are brought out for a duel; but first, Baird must teach her to shoot...1 woman, 2 men

Who could tell, in the first decade of the twentieth century, what strange adventures might befall those who ventured to travel by the new-fangled aeroplane? A forced landing, perhaps, in some long-forgotten land where time has stood mercifully still. James Smith, of the well-known London catering concern, drops in on Arcadia, where no-one tells lies, or grows older, where money is unheard of and unemployment a permanent attraction. Far from impressed by what Smith tells them of the joys of life in London his hosts despatch him, with missionary zeal-and two agelessly beautiful Arcadian nymphs-to convert the wretched metropolis. Things do not always go as planned.11 women, 13 men

Paul Reakes' pantomimes include many original twists to the familiar stories, with plenty of audience participation. They can be staged as simply or as elaborately as desired.Large flexible cast

A top surgeon has disappeared from St Sennapod's Hospital leaving young Dr Boldly in charge of Ward 10. Sinister Dr Scalpel arrives, trying to corner the market in spare-part surgery by snipping off spare parts wherever he can. However, Orderly Jim Pill and the hospital staff succeed in foiling Scalpel's dastardly plans and all ends happily. This fun-filled, fast-moving play for children is easily staged and allows plenty of opportunity for audience participation.Large flexible cast

This portrait of the interweaving relationships and fortunes of a desperately charming, if eccentric, aristocratic family and their influences upon Charles Ryder has been faithfully adapted for the stage, preserving all the'sharp wit and candid social commentary of Waugh's narrative.Large flexible cast

This hilarious and irreverent whirlwind of lies, religious hypocrisy and family feuds features one of theatre's most perfect comedy creations.

In this reputable English comedy in the grand tradition, a repertory company is holding the second rehearsal for next week's play and things are proceeding in customary confusion. The star is in a hassle with her husband, who also plays the part of her husband in the play within a play. The author, of course, shows up to offer his invaluable talent to the poor producer who is a pretty worried guy at this point. He has just been fished out of the orchestra pit into which he fell after a sally with a left handed carpenter and an amateur electrician who switched off the lights.5 women, 8 men

The Pied Piper is based on the traditional tale made famous by Robert Browning, and uses much of Browning's poem. This adaptation has the Piper making his first appearance as a modern busker, delighting the children with his music.3 women, 5 men, 20 men or women

The Good Companions focuses on the trials and tribulations of a concert party between the World Wars. It was arguably Priestley's most famous novel, written in 1929, and the work which established him as a national figure. This 1931 stage adaptation was dramatized jointly by Edward Knoblock and the author in 1931.-3 women, 7 men

Richard Bean's English version of The Servant of Two Masters is set in Brighton in the 1960s. Centred on the bumbling Francis Henshall, a minder to both Roscoe Crabbe - a local gangster - and Stanley Stubbers - an upper-class criminal. But Roscoe is dead, killed by Stanley Stubbers and being impersonated by his sister Rachel, who is also Stanley's girlfriend, and in Brighton to collect ¿6,000 from Roscoe's fianc¿e's dad. Chaos unfolds as Francis tries to stop the two 'guvnors' from meeting and everyone else tries to hide their real identities. Richard Bean's award-winning play is a glorious celebration of British comedy: laugh-out-loud satire, songs, slapstick and glittering one-liners. One Man, Two Guvnors opened at the National Theatre in May 2011, before transferring to the West End and embarking on a successful UK tour. It won Best Play in the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2011.