Sinister supernatural forces are at work in this fast-paced tragedy of guilt and retribution, in which the power of human beings to control their own destiny is called into question.The brave warrior Macbeth allows himself to be persuaded by Lady Macbeth, his wife, to slay good King Duncan and seize the throne of Scotland for himself. Macbeth achieves his ambition, but one murder proves not to be enough as he desperately attempts to eliminate all who might threaten his ill-gotten p...

In a hushed Vatican reading room, the scene was shocking: a crazed professor shot dead after brandishing evidence of a grisly crime. Moments later, two bodies are found in a nearby church, each with a gruesome calling card from the killer.As the August heat takes Rome in its fiery grip, the news of the two brutal murders holds the city in thrall. And as the media gathers and Vatican officials close ranks, a young detective is sent to the forefront of the case. Nic Costa is the son ...

Hamlet, which dates from 1600-1601, is the first in Shakespeare’s great series of four tragedies, the others being Othello (1603), King Lear (1605) and Macbeth (1606). In writing this extraordinary play Shakespeare effectively reinvented tragedy after an interval of roughly two thousand years we have to go back to the Greek dramatists of fifth-century Athens to find anything of comparable depth and maturity.

This ghost story is set on the wild Atlantic coast of North Devon and told through the eyes of Jenny, a girl of nearly nineteen, whose recently deceased grandmother Mary has bequeathed her Windover, the cottage where she is staying with her father and his girlfriend during summer vacation.Before long, Jenny is troubled by visions of two teenage girls and learns from a photograph taken in 1934 that these girls are her grandmother Mary and Mary’s friend Cathy. As the days go by, Jenn...

Unabridged readings of four spine-tingling storiesThis suspenseful anthology collects together four gripping tales of gruesome scientific experiments and chilling supernatural events - all read in full by some of the very best voice actors. With over 18 hours of electrifying listening, tracked by chapter, these classic tales will have you on the edge of your seat.FrankensteinMary Shelley's Gothic masterpiece about young scie...

Unabridged readings of four fictional masterpiecesContained in this collection are four more enduring classics, read in full by some of the very best audiobook narrators. With over 32 hours of irresistible storytelling, tracked by chapter for ease of navigation, this is the perfect way to immerse yourself in these iconic works.Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë's tempestuous tale of passions, betrayal and retribution on the wild ...

Ten short BBC Radio 4 plays from an eclectic mix of writers, including Josie Long, Nick Warburton and Tim Key, exploring one of the most important human emotions. 'Ten Lessons in Love' was originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 25 April 2011.This accumulation of mini-plays encompasses romance, heartbreak and some adult themes; each play offering a very different perspective on love. David uses 'the machine' to revisit his old memories - he wants to pinpoint the exact moment he fel...

A BBC Radio 4 semi-autobiographical play by BAFTA award-winning writer Trevor Preston, telling the story of Charlie, who suddenly re-discovers the passion and energy of his youth. 'Small Acts of Kindness' was originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 15 March 2011. In the late 1950s Charlie was a violent and uncontrollable entrant to art school. His teacher changed the course of his life. 'Small Acts of Kindness' catches up with Charlie as his mentor's death shifts everything once mo...

Fast-talking, trouble-seeking private eye Philip Marlowe is a different kind of detective: a moral man in an amoral world. California in the ’40s and ’50s is as beautiful as a ripe fruit and rotten to the core, and Marlowe must struggle to retain his integrity amidst the corruption he encounters daily. The Big Sleep finds the world-weary, wisecracking investigator consulted by a wealthy family man with two big problems: his children. Carmen Sternwood has got herself mixed up with ...

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama written by the award-winning screen and stage dramatist Marcy Kahan, and starring Stephen Mangan as Ed, whose life is about to change forever when he accidentally puts National Treasure Penhaligon Rhinehart into a coma. First broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 14 January 2011. It's an important day for Ed Hanson. He has to do two things: present a 'vision statement' to keep hold of his job and propose marriage to his girlfriend, Lucinda. What isn't on Ed's list...

A full-cast environmental mystery set against the evocative backdrop of the Norfolk fensMist rising over the fens. The haunting cry of the nesting bittern. But not everything is as pristine as it appears to be. The protection of nature and the pursuit of progress collide in this thrilling, full-cast, environmental drama.When Laura McLaren lands a much-needed job with the Environment Agency in Norfolk, her principal concern is the distance it involves from h...

The complete collected dramatisations of C. J. Sansom's historical mystery seriesSet during the reign of Henry VIII, these six stunning dramas follow the adventures of hunchbacked lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake as he navigates the dangerous world of Tudor England, solving crimes and seeking out murderers.Dissolution - Winter, 1537. When a King's Commissioner is brutally murdered at Scarnsea monastery, Thomas Cromwell sends Shar...