Showing results by narrator "Simon Johns" in All Categories

After Vladimir Lenin’s death, Stalin orders two Jewish scientists to preserve Lenin’s body for all time. If they succeed, the rewards will be considerable. If not, it’s the gulag - or worse. Based on real events, Vern Theissen’s nimble dark comedy exposes the absurdities of Soviet life under Stalin.

Originally broadcast on Radio 4 in 2003-4, We’ve Been Here Before is the topical, satirical, historical panel game that aims to show beyond all doubt that there’s nothing new in the news. Hosted by award-winning comedian, broadcaster and Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Clive Anderson, it takes a wry, witty look at long-gone days through a present-day lens, as the panellists battle it out to discover who’s got the best memory for detail when it comes to raking up the past.

For over 40 years The News Quiz has graced the Radio 4 airwaves with an irreverent sideways look at the headlines. Having first appeared in 1977, it boasts a tantalising archive of episodes to remind us of the news from yesteryear, refracted through the satirical gaze of regular panellists including Alan Coren, Andy Hamilton, Mark Steel, Francis Wheen and Jeremy Hardy. Among the many guest panellists featured here are Boris Johnson, Nigella Lawson, Jo Brand, Eddie Mair, John Sergeant, Linda Smith and Roy Hattersley.

A collection of fabulous tales of genies, heroes, flying carpets and fantastic voyages, The Arabian Nights has enchanted generations of children and adults. Forged in the Islamic Golden Age, it was brought to Europe in the 18th Century, where it became an instant sensation. Included here are seven full-cast dramatisations, starring Carolyn Backhouse as Shahrazad and Derek Jacobi as the King, as well as a bonus edition of In Our Time exploring the story behind the tales.

Erica has always wanted to be exactly like her neighbour, Faye: beautiful, thin, and a mother. But Faye’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems - she has a terrible secret, and slowly but surely, it is threatening to destroy her and everything she holds dear. When Faye’s daughter Tamsin goes missing after school, the police turn to Erica. But is Erica the only one who has been enviously watching Faye? Or is there another threat hiding in the shadows?

There is more to the Bible than we ever imagined. It conceals profound mysteries and hidden secrets previously reserved for the initiated. For millennia, the world has revered the words of this ancient book and countless legions have died defending it. Even today, in the 21st century, heated debates are fought every day over the truth which lies within. But there is much more to this archaic document than meets the eye.

Chris Jackson's new thoughtful and brilliantly written study of Federer as a man, player and aesthetic and moral figure of our times outplays even Foster Wallace's magisterial writing on this greatest of all tennis champions. Updated for its audio release, here is the most profound, insightful and elegant book ever written about the greatest sportsman of our time.

This is the third novel featuring the Rev Oughterard, vicar of St Botolph's and genteel murderer of parishioner Mrs Elizabeth Fotherington. So far eluding arrest (but with fears of imminent exposure), he is in the grasp of his blackmailing pal, the shady Nicholas Ingaza, who forces him to steal a valuable figurine of a prancing pig from collector Claude Blenkinsop. Naturally the project backfires and the hapless vicar is plunged into further skulduggery during which someone is murdered.

The Write Stuff is the book-based panel show that takes a witty and whimsical look at well-known authors and their work. Host James Walton challenges the erudite contestants with tricky literary teasers, which they endeavour to answer using a combination of knowledge and guesswork.

Freshly experience Jesus' arrival and the church's earliest days in this Luke-Acts Devotional. Chapter guides will stimulate your personal contemplation, family devotions, or discussion with others, delivering a unique experience well-suited to Advent/New Year. This audio edition is a convenient...

Thin, Brittle, Mile is the story of brothers Luke and Tyler Dearlove who travel to the remote, sparsely populated Skidaway Island searching for their third missing sibling. The brothers soon garner the sense that something is terribly wrong on the island, and their inquiries, which stir up the most insidious of hornets nests, are greeted at first with shrouded suspicion, then with open hostility, followed by blunt threats, harassment, and escalating violence.

To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, a select group of his family and most ardent admirers from the worlds of literature and entertainment, including Joanna Lumley and Simon Callow, gathered in Highgate Cemetery, burial place of many of the Dickens family, to hear readings from his work introduced by his great-great-grandson Mark Dickens and to discuss his life.

Suits you, Sir! With a host of memorable characters and catch-phrases, The Fast Show was one of the most popular BBC TV comedy shows ever. The talents of Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Caroline Aherne, Simon Day and many more come together in this collection of selected TV episodes and special...

These five classic mysteries offer chilling darkness, drama, and intrigue. Includes: "Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe; "Silver Blaze" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; "The Secret of the Growing Gold" by Bram Stoker; "The Honour of Israel Gow" by G. K. Chesterton; and "The Signal-Man" by Charles Dickens.

It was the long hot summer of 1979 in London, and Michael Berlin is 15, a skater, wild, adrift and out of control. With school over, he lands his dream job at Skateboard Kingdom and wastes no time getting in over his head. He and his friends rush toward a summer of youthful excess played out against a soundtrack of Bowie and Blondie in the shadow of Thatcher coming to power in a country on the brink. With humour and heart, he recounts his bad-boy antics and the resilience and refuge that intense male friendships can provide.

“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad … “So begins this historical tale of romantic adventure. Andre-Louis Moreau is an orphan and cousin of the beloved Aline. He is raised by his godfather, the Lord of Gavrillac, and matures into an educated lawyer—while Aline sets her mind on marrying the rich but dishonorable Marquis de la Tour d’Azyr. But when Moreau’s closest friend is killed by the Marquis in a duel, Moreau vows vengeance. After publicly denouncing the aristocracy and stirring up the crowds, Moreau is forced to go into hiding.

The story takes place aboard a transatlantic ocean liner. A passenger named Brisbane is puzzled when the steward behaves oddly while taking his luggage to his stateroom, number 105. In the middle of the first night, Brisbane is further perplexed when his roommate suddenly leaps down from the upper berth and runs out of the cabin. In the morning, Brisbane learns that his roommate has gone overboard - and was the fourth consecutive occupant of the same upper berth to do so.

The validity of the Bible has been debated and fought over for centuries. Stolen and adapted by other religions, it has spawned hundreds of sects and cults. Experts say much of what we read in today's version is riddled with deception and diversion, however there are also sacred and ancient secrets hidden within. The truth about the marriage of Jesus Christ to Mary Magdalene and their children, the real name of Jesus Christ and his unusual origins, and more. Explore and investigate the latest theories and research and discover the real secrets of the Bible.

It's the most popular book of all time. It's packed with stories, fables, mythology, factual historical events, poetry, and prose, and of course revelation. It has been debated and fought over for centuries - it is, of course, the Bible and it holds sacred divine messages that we are only now beginning to decipher. The truth about Jesus and Mary and the shocking origins to the human race are explored with new insight into the Bible's secret codes.

A Family Obsession is the fascinating result of Harry and Jamie sitting round the kitchen table, where they discuss, debate, select and celebrate all aspects of the game that have inspired them. Who are the men who impacted their careers and fired that all-consuming passion for football? This is a deep dive into the matches, the players, the managers and the changes that have spanned their two generations.