Author:Charles Dickens,Alex Jennings,Pam Ferris,Full Cast
Powerful full-cast radio dramatisations of four of Charles Dickens' most famous novels
Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned novelists of all time, and this first volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes four of his best-loved stories.
The Pickwick Papers
Mr Samuel Pickwick, founder of the Pickwick Club, forms a Corresponding Society for members to report back about their travels. So begins the chronicle of their hilariously comic journeys.
Oliver Twist
Born and brought up in the workhouse, orphan Oliver escapes to London - only to fall into the hands of the notorious Fagin and his gang of child pickpockets.
Nicholas Nickleby
Left penniless after his father's death, nineteen-year-old Nicholas Nickleby takes a teaching position at Dotheboys Hall, where the brutal Wackford Squeers presides.
The Old Curiosity Shop
Pretty, innocent Little Nell's childhood is shattered when evil moneylender Quilp discovers her grandfather is in debt. The duo are forced to leave their curiosity shop and go on the run...
With an all-star cast including Pam Ferris, Tim McInnerny, Alex Jennings, Anna Massey, Ken Campbell, Tom Baker, Julia McKenzie and Sandi Toksvig, these BBC radio adaptations bring out all the humour, romance, pathos and tragedy of Dickens' four classic masterpieces.
'Johanna Lindsey creates fairy tales that come true...She understands a woman's secret fantasies'
—— Romantic TimesRobert Harris’s Cicero trilogy ends in grand style…the culmination of 12 years work and a remarkable literary achievement
—— ObserverThe book works…more than that; at times it sings… Thrillers are supposed to thrill, but few really do raise your heart rate and short-circuit your critical faculties…Exhilarating…This trilogy deserves the highest compliment that can be paid to a work of historical fiction
—— The TimesRobert Harris completes his wonderful trilogy based on the life of Cicero. I haven’t enjoyed Roman history more since Robert Graves’s I, Claudius
—— Anthony Horowitz , Guardian, Book of the YearHarris’s fascination with politics galvanises his impressive knowledgeableness into compulsive fiction
—— Peter Kemp , The Sunday Times, Books of the YearHarris is brilliant at the political then-as-now, giving Caesar with a hint of Blair – and also of Thatcher
—— Peter Stothard , SpectatorStaying close to the sources, Harris picks his way masterfully through Cicero’s personal and political dilemmas…superb…does full justice to one of Rome’s most interesting complex and humane statesmen, whose pragmatic political treatises proved so influential during the renaissance and enlightenment
—— Evening StandardHarris skilfully navigates these fraught years in Cicero’s life … Dictator triumphs
—— The New StatemanA superior historical thriller
—— Fiona Wilson , The Times, Books of the YearHarris’ version of Cicero is a tremendous creation
—— Independent[Dictator's] gripping dramas and powerful themes - the fragility of democracy and the fallibility of human beings among them - richly illuminate the conflicts of its era and our own
—— Publishers WeeklySuperb…confirms Harris’s undisputed place as our leading master of both the historical and contemporary thriller
—— Daily MailHarris is a masterful storyteller. I’m currently experiencing that terrible phase of cold turkey after finishing something superb
—— Alastair Moffat , HeraldContemporary echoes abound in this endlessly fascinating exploration of power struggles
—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday, Books of the YearTriumphant
—— Sunday TimesA masterful story of political intrigue…a fascinating and absorbing novel
—— Financial TimesRobert Harris is an incomparable storyteller... It's a brutal tale of murder and mayhem and a tour de force of research and imagination...
—— The ExpressI’m a big fan of Robert Harris so I’d like to read his latest, Dictator… Robert is very good at politics and evoking a period
—— Melvyn Bragg , Good Housekeeping, Books of the YearSinuous, clever and compelling…A fitting end to a magnificent trilogy
—— MetroA riveting read
—— Sunday ExpressRobert Harris brings his Cicero trilogy to a triumphant, compelling and deeply moving conclusion…The three novels are surely the finest fictional treatment of Ancient Rome in the English language…distinguished by a mastery of the sources, sympathetic imagination, political intelligence and narrative skill
—— Yorkshire PostHarris’ Cicero is a bit special – a mix of genius and craft, kindness and pomposity, ambition and principle
—— Daily Mail (Scotland)Penetrating and utterly compelling
—— Claire Allfree , Metro, Books of the YearIn Dictator, Robert Harris brings his trilogy on Cicero to a triumphant end. As one who has himself written novels set in the last years of the Roman republic and the first century of empire, I am happy to say that Harris reigns supreme. His Cicero is magnificent; couldn’t conceivably be done better
—— Alan Massie , Spectator, Books of the YearBaume’s writing is poetic, delicate and inventive … and despite the undertow of humour, there’s not one whiff of sentimentality – you’re left with the sadness and chronic fearfulness of the truly lonely
—— The Times[A] skilful debut … lyrical and impressive.
—— Literary ReviewAn extraordinarily fresh style …this is an atmospheric novel …Baume is undoubtedly an exceptional new talent.
—— The PhoenixAmbitious.
—— Sunday TimesThere is a lovely, lilting cadence to the novel… Stylishly done…. Winterson manages against the odds to keep us gripped.
—— Sarah Crown , GuardianWinterson is on sparkling form in this highly intelligent and daringly imaginative reworking of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale... Witty, clever and bold.
—— Mail on SundayWinterson is incapable of being dull, and The Gap Of Time is a fitting addition to her uniquely inventive catalogue.
—— Ellis O'Harrison , Irish IndependentShe deftly captures all the magic and raw emotion of the original.
—— Irish Times