Showing titles in Dramatisations

An alternative history of the US space programme, dramatised by Dirk Maggs. What if John F. Kennedy survived the assassination attempt and developed the space programme? President Nixon, with the help of former president JFK, has just green-lit NASA’s first manned expedition to Mars. Aboard the expedition is Natalie York, a geologist who risks everything she loves for the chance to go to space; Phil Stone, former X-15 test pilot; and Ralph Gershon, a Vietnam War hero intent on being the first African American to reach another planet.

Full-cast dramatisations of six masterpieces from the founding fathers of dystopian fiction Dark and disturbing, provocative and prescient, dystopian literature has long captured our imagination with its nightmarish visions of forbidding future worlds. Included here are six classic novels of...

Originally published in 1943, The Glass Bead Game was Herman Hesse’s last novel. It was hailed as his magnum opus, and was instrumental in securing him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. Set in a utopian future society, it explores themes of knowledge, individualism, creativity and spirituality, and has inspired contemporary thinkers from authors to game designers. Narrated by Derek Jacobi, this two-part radio drama tells the story of Joseph Knecht (Tom Ferguson), plucked from obscurity as a young orphan, admitted to the finest elite school and groomed for greatness.

Deviant. Depraved. Dangerous. Denounced for their transgressive themes and inflammatory ideas, these 20th-century classics have all been considered so seditious that they had to be suppressed. Find out what made these iconic works so threatening to governments worldwide in these superlative dramatisations, featuring stellar casts and specially composed music.

'Nobody who crosses Pike lives to tell the tale!' The rugged Cornwall of days gone by is the scene for first Doctor William Hartnell’s 1966 foray into the murky world of pirates and hidden treasure. The TARDIS lands on the seventeenth century Cornish coast, and its crew stumble upon a plot...

Often referred to as the father of science fiction, Victorian author Jules Verne is renowned for his fantastical adventures imagining extraordinary voyages to strange new horizons. Prolific and prophetic, he wrote over 50 novels and numerous short stories, in which he foretold the skyscraper, the submarine, space missions and even the Internet. Featured here are contemporary adaptations of four of his most famous tales, as well as a special episode of The Forum examining the long-lasting appeal of his work.

It is a simple question that is as profound as any we can ask: “Who am I?” Dr. Vikram Anthony is that rare person who believes the answer is relatively simple. I am my work; I am my skill; I am my mind. It is only when the noted surgeon faces his own mortality that the answer gets more complex. And the opportunity for a new life–a decidedly different life–opens a world of possibilities he’d never imagined.

An excellent jumping-on point for new listeners.... Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor starts another phase of his adventures with a brand-new companion (Lucie Miller, played by the award-winning Sheridan Smith) and an all-star supporting cast. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 7.... 'The crashed ship. The one Tom Cardwell saw all those years ago. And you borrowed its technology, didn't you? Maybe even found a Dalek or two in the wreckage. Dead but intact. And you began to turn human beings into creatures like them.'

Four BBC radio dramatisations starring Michael Hordern as Tolkien – plus a special archive compilation exploring Tolkien’s life and work The tales in this collection all reflect an aspect of what Tolkien himself called ‘the perilous realm of Faerie’. Adapted for radio by Brian Sibley...

The Tardis materialises on the USS Eldridge after the Philadelphia Experiment has gone disastrously wrong. Most of the crew are dead, the ship is disintegrating and the Doctor soon realizes that the problem comes from another dimension.... As they attempt to find a way to get the ship home, the Doctor and Peri visit the distant planet Capron and meet its tyrannical ruler, Osloo. But the search for a possible solution only creates increasingly dire problems. Osloo's horizons have been widened - and space and time are hers for the taking....

Arthur Conan Doyle is well known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, but he also wrote numerous works in which the great detective played no part. Included here are a selection of the best, ranging from science fiction to tales of supernatural terror and rip-roaring adventures set in Jacobean and Regency England.

In the future, the leaders of Hive nations–nations without fixed location–clandestinely committed nefarious deeds in order to maintain an outward semblance of utopian stability. But the facade could only last so long. The comforts of effortless global travel and worldwide abundance may have tempered humanity's darkest inclinations, but conflict remains deeply rooted in the human psyche. All it needed was a catalyst, in form of special little boy to ignite half a millennium of repressed chaos.

It is June 1940. The war against Hitler’s forces is raging. And the tide is turning against the British. In this hour of despair, Prime Minister Winston Churchill receives a mysterious letter from an even more mysterious woman, offering a Faustian bargain and a promise of victory. But if Churchill accepts, will he be condemning his nation’s very soul?

'Even Time Lords die...' When a dissident Time Lord group inadvertently caused the destruction of an entire civilisation through interference, its members vowed to repent by serving the Universe not as gods of Time but as mere men. Many years later, this peaceful resolve is severely tested when...

This first volume of readings features twelve stories of excitement and adventure in distant times and places. In The Curse of Peladon (read by Jon Pertwee), the Doctor and Jo visit a primitive planet where they encounter a delegation of aliens- including the Ice Warriors. In Kinda (read by...

Three enhanced audiobooks performed by the stars of the classic BBC television series. 'President' by Simon Guerrier. Alone together, two Federation officials at last share the truth. Supreme Commander Servalan agrees to explain to Secretary Rontane how she set up the President. And when she is done, Servalan's executioners will be waiting....

Coupland's iconic novels brought to life in two full-cast adaptations: In this adaptation by Theo Toksvig-Stewart, Douglas Coupland's brilliantly funny novel Microserfs takes a microscope to working culture in the early days of the tech boom. Perhaps one of Coupland's most iconic novels, Girlfriend in a Coma begins in December 1979 when 17-year-old Karen unexpectedly falls into a deep coma after a teen house party.

The 21st century has just begun, and Malebolgia is enjoying its status as the newest state in America. After his successful involvement with Scotland's devolution, Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart has been invited over to Malebolgia to offer some of his experiences and expertise. There he encounters the charismatic Brigham Elisha Dashwood III, an evangelical statesman running for Governor who may not be quite as clean-cut and wholesome as he makes out.

When the TARDIS materialises on an alien planet, the Doctor insists that he and his companions have arrived in the far future. Steven and Dodo think otherwise, however, after they encounter a band of cave-dwelling primitives who are terrified of strangers.

The universe is in grave danger. The very fabric of time and space is being altered. The Doctor and Lucie must race against time to prevent the destruction of everything they hold dear. They may have to sacrifice everything to save the universe. Even themselves....