Brilliantly manipulative and entirely amoral, the hero-villain Richard is one of Shakespeare's greatest roles.The Yorkists have emerged victorious from the civil wars and Edward IV wears the English crown. But Edward's misshapen brother Richard harbors kingly ambitions and will stop at nothing to achieve the throne. In a fatal battle on Bosworth Field, Richard meets the ghosts of all whom he has murdered and the Earl of Richmond, the future King Henry VII.Richard III is pla...

Shakespeare’s most imaginative and merry play is set in an enchanted wood amidst fairies and sprites.When Oberon, King of the Fairies, uses his magic upon four runaway lovers in a midsummer wood outside Athens, chaos ensues. Who really loves whom? Meanwhile, a band of well-meaning but bungling local actors have their rehearsal sabotaged by the mischievous Puck, who bewitches their leader, Bottom, and Titania, the Fairy Queen. The result is a lively and anarchic com...

A fantastic counting adventure from Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey – perfect for listening to at home, in the car, at bedtime or at any time at all!When Ted falls out of bed, three tearaway mice whisk him off on a breathtaking adventure. They zoom around in fast cars, go on a balloon ride and climb a building-block mountain. It's all very exciting, but will Ted ever get back to his bed?One Ted Falls Out of Bed's counting theme is woven perfectly i...

A brilliant collection of bestselling stories from Julia Donaldson and friends, read aloud by stars Floella Benjamin, Lauren Laverne, Alex Jennings, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant and Saskia Wickham. Perfect for listening to at home, in the car, at bedtime or any time at all!Head off on a fantastical adventure with the paper dolls, set sail in search of missing treasure and practice counting to ten with Ted!This collection includes stories from five of Juli...

Comedy about the ruling family of Renaissance Italy's most inconsequential city-stateIn Monte Guano, a ridiculously small and penniless principality in Renaissance Italy, Prince Ludovico II finds his rule constantly undermined by those around him: his shrewd wife, his official mistress, and his three disappointing - if not outright humiliating - sons.As well as having to manage the ever-increasing tributes demanded by the Pope, Prince Ludovico must also con...

Aiming to track down a small oasis town deep in the Sahara, some of whose generous inhabitants came to her rescue on a black day in her adolescence, Annie Hawes leaves her home in the olive groves of Italy and sets off along the south coast of the Mediterranean.Travelling through Morocco and Algeria she eats pigeon pie with a family of cannabis farmers, and learns about the habits of djinns; she encounters citizens whose protest against the tyrannical King Hassan takes the form of ...

A gorgeous rhyming adventure from Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey – perfect for listening to at home, in the car, at bedtime or at any time at all!Rosie's Hat isn't just any old hat. When a gust of wind sweeps it off her head, it goes off on a whole hatful of adventures! It becomes a toy for a dog, a hiding-place for a mouse, a frisbee for some children and even a nest for some birds. Surely poor Rosie will never find her hat again . . . or will she?

Tolstoy's classic tale of love and high society, read by Saskia Wickham and featuring an immersive musical soundtrack to enhance your audiobook listening experience!Regarded by many as the world's greatest novel, this is the classic story of Anna Karenina, 'grande dame of Petersburg society', who forsakes everything - her marriage, her son and her position in society - for the dashing Count Vronksy, with tragic consequences.Booktrack is an immersive format that pair...

A play replete with puns and double-entendres, this is one of Shakespeare’s earliest and most lighthearted.The young king of Navarre and three of his courtiers have vowed to lock themselves away for three years of study and fasting, and to forswear the company of women for this period. No sooner is their vow made than it is tested, however, as the princess of France and three of her ladies arrive in Navarre on a diplomatic mission. The young men fall instantly and hopelessly in lov...

The bard's sonnets read by a leading actor of stage and screen Simon Callow.Savor the most celebrated love poems in the English language. Written almost 400 years ago, the sonnets of William Shakespeare are passionate and exalted, rich in imagery and alliteration, and full of mystery and intrigue.This selection presents all 154 sonnets composed from 1593-1601. In words and rhyme, he reveals his infatuation with the "Dark Lady," his relationship with a rival poet, and his pr...

Macbeth, Shakespeare’s last great tragedy, has remained one of the most popular plays since it’s first performance in 1606 probably in front of King James. This exciting new audiobook production is directed with fresh imagination by Fiona Shaw who breaks the conventional strait jacket that has hampered the development of Shakespeare on audio. We are as much in the twenty-first century as in medieval Scotland the tensions, the politics, the struggle for power and dark ambition is part of ou...

Chaucer’s greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society, and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of The Knight’s Tale to the joyous bawdy of the Miller’s; all are told with a freshness and vigour in this modern verse translation that make them a delight to hear.