Showing results by narrator "Clive Mantle" in All Categories

An entertaining drama based on Nye Bevan’s race to create the new NHS by 5 July 1948. Getting Better is a roller coaster period drama based on real political events alongside the fictional story of front-line tears, trauma and triumph at The Park Hospital in Manchester. As Bevan faces up to the establishment in Parliament, Dr Eva Callaway faces the same challenges – facing poverty, sexism and homophobia in a system stuck in the past.

Britain's history is a sweeping saga of blood, death, love, sex and betrayal, peopled by a cast of extraordinary characters. Yet, when it comes down to it, there are only around 150 key things we really need to know that have shaped the story of these islands. Whether it's the Battle of Hastings or Henry VIII, the English Civil War or the Blitz, Remember, Remember, is a history of Britain in bite-sized chunks, containing all the important dates, people and events - but without the boring bits.

Peter Brownrigg finds himself on the wrong side of the law - and on the run. As he makes his way to London he meets Kit, another runaway, and with luck on their side they find jobs as apprentices to William Shakespeare. But then a chance discovery endangers their lives once more... An action-packed spy thriller set in Elizabethan times, 'Cue for Treason' is a masterpiece of historical fiction, widely considered to be a modern classic.

James Fynch doesn't believe in magic. He is an ordinary boy, immersed in the world of modern technology—until his 14th birthday, when something extraordinary happens. Turning the dials of an ancient clock, he finds himself mysteriously transported to a magical, parallel world. Here, he begins to learn of the firestone, one of four mythical crystals able to defeat the rising darkness. The barrier between worlds hasn't been broken for centuries, but with dark powers rising, it is more fragile than ever before.

When Freddie is given an ancient map for his birthday by his eccentric Uncle Patrick, it seems an odd gift, but Freddie is thrilled. Little does he realise that the mysterious map is about to turn his world upside down. Plunged into a perilous adventure between two worlds, and pursued in turn by a ruthless bully and a determined adversary who each go to any lengths to get what they want, Freddie must fight for what's right - and for his very life....

Hugh Laurie, Rory Bremner and Morwenna Banks star in this six-part comedy series that sends up both politics and traditional sitcom conventions.

On 6 June, 1944, Britain woke up to a profound silence. Overnight, 160,000 Allied troops had vanished and an eerie emptiness settled over the country. The majority of those men would never return. This is the story of that extraordinary 24 hours. Using a wealth of first-person testimonies, renowned historian Max Arthur recounts a remarkable new oral history of D-Day, beginning with the two years leading up to the silent day that saw the UK transformed by the arrival of thousands of American and Canadian troops.

Barcelona in 1912 is a city still recovering from the dramatic incidents of the so-called 'Tragic Week' when Catalan conscripts bound for the unpopular war in Spanish Morocco had rebelled at the city's dockside against the royalist forces. In the fighting many were killed and afterwards even more were thrown into prison. Including an Englishman, who was later found dead in his cell.

India. The country of curry, chutney, tigers, the Taj Mahal... and the Blue Rat Gang! In Delhi, hundreds of children have been enslaved. Will no one help them? Does no one care? One person does. And one dog too. On trains and rickshaws, travelling from slums to palaces, Tim and Grk plunge into the heart of India for the most exciting adventure of their lives.

When Tim discovers a man badly hurt on a beach, his sun-kissed relaxing holiday in the Seychelles takes on a more dangerous twist. He and Grk are the only ones, it seems, who want to know what happened. They find themselves speeding towards a well-guarded private island, and single-handedly foiling a dastardly plot threatening the local endangered giant tortoises.

Published in time for Remembrance Day 2008, the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, We Will Remember Them commemorates the veterans who are no longer among us. With an introduction by Henry Allingham, 110, only survivor of the Battle of the Somme and Britain's oldest living man, Max Arthur's new book expands the circle of contributors by interviewing the families of First World War veterans.

A racy romp for young readers involving spies, helicopters, and a dramatic dash across a border.

From the author of the best-selling Forgotten Voices of the Great War comes a final look at the last 21 living British veterans of the First World War. These interviews, conducted in 2004, will never be repeated, as the youngest was 106 years old, and most are now gone. These first-person accounts follow the young soldiers from their homes throughout Britain to the raging battles while in the service of the Royal Field Artillery, Black Watch, Royal Navy, and others.

When Mr Watts, the science teacher, turns up for class and tries to open his briefcase with his teeth, James, Alexander and Lemmy realise he's not quite himself. The friends investigate, and uncover a plot so dangerous that the life of every pupil and teacher is at risk. How will they possibly foil it and restore Mr Watts to normal? The third spooky story in the 'Too Ghoul for School' series.

The school inspectors are here! The visit seems to go smoothly until the gym display arranged in their honour takes an unusual twist. James, Alexander and Lenny realise something’s up - in more ways than one! - and the friends soon find themselves with double trouble on their hands as they try to save their school from closure.

New York might be the Big Apple, but for Tim it's sausage city. A priceless golden statue has been stolen & Tim has a vital clue.He follows the trail of hot dogs in a chase from Central Park to Brooklyn - helped by the hottest dog of all, Grk.

Sports day gets off to a shaky start when a bump to Stacey’s head kicks off a chain of events that aren’t on the programme. It soon becomes clear that the pupils are up against more than just each other, and James, Lenny and Alexander find themselves in a race to save their school from winning first prize for freakiness...The fifth spooky story in the 'Too Ghoul for School' series.

This is a follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Wintering, in which our hero, Billy Palmer, comes of age in the swinging sixties - he moves to London, grows his hair, chats up girls, and dreams of finding himself in Marrakesh.

Arriving at harvest-time in a sleepy rural village on the outskirts of Wells, the Palmer family are making a fresh start. At first, this smaller, slower world seems to offer few distractions, but even before winter has arrived, the open fields, cobbled streets, and steamy coffee shops begin to yield opportunities - especially for Jim with his eye for easy money and a pretty face.

Iggy is excited as he sets off with Dad on his first hunting trip. When they find a set of huge footprints, a heap of bones and a pool of slime, Iggy wants to hunt the creature, but Dad is suddenly anxious to get back. Later, Iggy’s Grumma tells him about the Slimosaur – a great scaly beast which coats you in slime before devouring you in one go. The Urks have had a poor harvest and food is running very low.