British Life

Learn and improve your English with the BBC. Collected here for the first time are 12 episodes from BBC Learning English's popular 6 Minute English series. Aimed at intermediate-level learners of English, each programme examines a different topic which is discussed and explained to help learners...

Bloomsbury presents A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith, read by Jeremy Clyde. 'As brilliant a cosy crime novel as you'll ever read' JANICE HALLETT 'A masterful voice in the mystery world' S. J. BENNETT 1901. Gabriel Ward KC is hard at work on a thorny libel case involving London's most...

The insights and memories of a member of the British Royal Family - HRH The Duke of Kent in conversation with Hugo Vickers about some of the key events of his life and the Queen's reign. HRH The Duke of Kent has been at the heart of the British Royal Family throughout his life. As a working...

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2017 ORWELL PRIZE The remarkable story of a unique series of studies that have touched the lives of almost everyone in Britain today In March 1946, scientists began to track thousands of children born in one cold week. No one imagined that this would become the longest-running...

'A warm, rich, generous book. A pleasure from first page to last.' KATHERINE RUNDELL 'A moving, vulnerable portrait of love, nature and a life well-lived' RORY STEWART 'Touching and extraordinary, this true story seems like a fairy tale' JOANNA LUMLEY The long-awaited memoir of life and love on...

Come take a joyous journey with Joe Marler as he introduces you to every aspect of his life post-rugby and (almost) everything that's going on in his head. A hugely entertaining and funny romp of a book. Joe Marler’s brain works like no-one else’s. Goes to places others cannot go. Gets stuck...

By the time of his death, Wellington had been prime minister twice, a shrewd personal advisor to four British monarchs, and one of the nation's most prominent politicians for three decades. Despite his nearly four decades of peacetime service in and out of politics, Wellington has remained one of the titans of the 19th century because of one June day in 1815. Then, as now, the duke of Wellington is best remembered for defeating Napoleon in the famous battle of Waterloo.

Share a cup, share a story… The truth is in the tea leaves… Nora Grey has spent her entire life surrounded by the secrets her mother keeps. The secret of Nora’s father’s identity, and the secrets Mabel Grey’s customers share with her at The Teacup Cottage on Puffin Island – where...

"My dad would look at me, this daft kid. 'You know,' he'd say, 'he's got a head full of magic.' He was right. There was something inside me, building up. I had only one thought - I want to perform." Will Mellor is one of British television's best‑loved actors and entertainers, known for...

The life of Sir Francis Drake, or, more precisely, the tale of it, is one of those prime examples that history is written by the winners. Drake was the most famous sailor of the Elizabethan era, and he has long been considered a hero by the English. His successes against the Spanish as a captain and a privateer were legendary, and Drake was celebrated for fighting the Queen's enemies, sinking their ships, and capturing the treasure that would otherwise be used to finance attacks on England.

UNIQUE, UNADULTERATED AND UTTERLY UNSTOPPABLE The revealing and comical memoir of one of Britain’s most iconic stars of stage and screen, Su Pollard’s book chronicles an incredible career spanning over half a century “Candid, witty, and refreshingly human. She’s survived the highs and...

'An empowering read . . . it is refreshing to see somebody celebrate the role that black Britons have played in this island's long and complicated history' DAVID LAMMY, author of Tribes, in 'The best books of 2020', the Guardian 'Timely and so important . . . recognition is long overdue . . . I...

From his earliest years, Prince William has been a photographer's dream come true in the same way his mother had been. While he is not necessarily known for his mother's media savvy, he is well liked by the media, and he is able, consciously or incidentally, to capitalize on this advantage. At the same time, from polo to charities, William is thoroughly his father Charles' son as a Windsor prince.

A poignant, challenging and witty memoir by one of Britain’s most senior journalists about the history of - and resistance to - immigration in the UK. In April 1968, Conservative MP Enoch Powell delivered a speech that was to frame the debate about immigration in the UK for the next 50 years. ‘We must be mad, literally mad, as a nation to allow the annual inflow of some 50,000 dependents,’ he said. ‘It is like watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre.’ Kamal Ahmed was six months old at the time of Powell’s speech.

Discover what life was really like for kids in the past in this brilliantly funny introduction to medieval times. Have you ever wondered what it was like living in a medieval castle? Why people would put leeches on their bodies when they were ill? Or how to train to become a knight? Learn the...

With Secrets from the Past, Barbara Taylor Bradford delivers her most powerful and emotional novel yet, about one woman uncovering the secrets surrounding her mother At thirty, American photojournalist Serena Stone has already made a name for herself with her unique and dramatic coverage of wars...

A tender slice-of-life story blending wit, heart and community with giving life –and love – a second chance! The last thing Steph expected in her forties was to be reinventing everything. Divorced, suddenly unemployed and juggling single parenthood, she’s learning that starting over is...

Brought to you by Penguin. Read by the author, with Christine Kavanagh, Rosina Aichner, Laurence Dobeisz, Joe Jameson, Conor Macleod, Jamie Zubairi, Ayesha Antoine, Naruto Komatsu, Alfie Thompson, Chris Thompson, Nile Faure-Bryan, Sam Heaton, Michael Pender, Brónagh Grace and Ru Merritt. There...

How do you know he's The One? Are you getting butterflies just thinking about him? Have you dreamt of marrying him? Do you just know? When Lucy meets Nate in Venice, she knows instantly he's The One. And, caught up in the whirlwind of first love, they kiss under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset...

"Four distinct voices tell the story of a disturbing incident and its far-reaching aftermath...It's a labyrinth of shifting perspectives, but the narrators keep this grim story focused and mesmerizing." — AudioFile Magazine The highly anticipated new audiobook from the author whose debut was...