Dot's had quite enough of making tea in the Cabinet War Rooms. When she finds a cryptic message in the newspaper she enlists the help of her gals - will this be the big break Dot's been waiting for? Follow Dot as she gets squiffy over Agent Bertie Whiff-Whaff, concocts stirring yet pithy slogans for the war effort and goes on a mission to St Horribly Vulture’s School for Boys to enlist a teacher for...'shhhh...Bletchley Park!' Dot will do her bally utmost for King and Country in these spiffing tales of derring-do (and, occasionally, derring-don’t), whether investigating suspicious deaths, outwitting dastardly spies or helping the Prime Minister with his French vocab.

1 out of 5 stars

Really Disappointed

By
East Stander
on
14-12-18

Gudrun: Series 1-4

A Viking Epic Inspired by the Icelandic Sagas

By:
Lucy Catherine

Narrated by:
full cast,
Kate Phillips

Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
21

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
20

Story

5 out of 5 stars
20

An 11th-century Viking epic of love, revenge and faith, set in Iceland and starring the original Nordic Noir heroine, Gudrun. As a young woman growing up in 11th-century Iceland, Gudrun must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. The tale begins in her youth, with her childhood friends Kjartan and Bolli - but the love the two boys have for Gudrun causes a deathly enmity between them that leaves her reeling.

5 out of 5 stars

top books

By
Jana
on
13-02-19

Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics: Series 1-4

A Comical Guide to Ancient Greece and Rome

By:
Natalie Haynes

Narrated by:
Natalie Haynes

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
45

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
42

Story

5 out of 5 stars
41

Writer, broadcaster and recovering comedian Natalie Haynes mixes comedy and conversation to bring the ancient world entertainingly up to date in these four radio series. Each episode sees her profiling a key figure from ancient Greece and Rome, and, aided by her special guests, creating a stand-up show around them.

4 out of 5 stars

History with modern references and comedy

By
K. J. Noyes
on
31-03-19

I, Claudius (Dramatised)

By:
Robert Graves

Narrated by:
Derek Jacobi,
Tom Goodman Hill

Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
210

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
184

Story

5 out of 5 stars
184

A full-cast dramatisation of Robert Graves' brilliant account of the madness and debauchery of ancient Rome, starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and Derek Jacobi as Augustus. The wickedly entertaining inside story of the lives and deaths of the Imperial dynasty from Augustus to Caligula is told by their obscure relation, Claudius. In public, Claudius is a stammering, drooling weakling, whose reputation as an idiot keeps him safe from office and assassination.

5 out of 5 stars

classic at its classical best

By
Alison Ward
on
15-12-13

High Table, Lower Orders: The Complete Series 1 and 2

The BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama

By:
Mark Tavener

Narrated by:
Geoffrey Palmer,
Samuel West,
Rebecca Front,
and others

Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
75

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
66

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
66

When prominent don and celebrity TV historian Peter Devanti dies after dining at High Table, his colleague Gilbert suspects foul play and invites his former student Simon Harrison, a disillusioned health and safety officer, to investigate. Meanwhile, Simon’s former girlfriend Zoe, a freelance journalist, arrives to write an article about Devanti’s death, reopening old wounds for Simon.

4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

By
xxx
on
10-03-19

Undone: The Complete Series 1-3

The BBC Radio 4 Sci-Fi Comedy

By:
Ben Moor

Narrated by:
Al Murray,
Alex Tregear,
Ben Moor,
and others

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Story

4 out of 5 stars
9

Sci-fi comedy about the bizarre city of Undone - a weird parallel version of London. Edna Turner has moved to London to start a new job at entertainment magazine Get Out! When she arrives, she meets the strange Tankerton Slopes, who claims to come from a parallel version of London known as 'Undone'. Undone is 'where the weirdness comes from': where you can find pet tricks shows, medication designed to make you paranoid and the Undone delicacy ‘troubled eggs’. Weird things flow into London, and mundane things flow into Undone, making them the peculiar places they are.

5 out of 5 stars

So good I bought it twice

By
Andrew and Andrew's Wife
on
06-09-19

Dot: The Complete Series 1-3

By:
Ed Harris

Narrated by:
David Acton,
full cast,
Kate O'Flynn,
and others

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
20

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

Dot's had quite enough of making tea in the Cabinet War Rooms. When she finds a cryptic message in the newspaper she enlists the help of her gals - will this be the big break Dot's been waiting for? Follow Dot as she gets squiffy over Agent Bertie Whiff-Whaff, concocts stirring yet pithy slogans for the war effort and goes on a mission to St Horribly Vulture’s School for Boys to enlist a teacher for...'shhhh...Bletchley Park!' Dot will do her bally utmost for King and Country in these spiffing tales of derring-do (and, occasionally, derring-don’t), whether investigating suspicious deaths, outwitting dastardly spies or helping the Prime Minister with his French vocab.

1 out of 5 stars

Really Disappointed

By
East Stander
on
14-12-18

Gudrun: Series 1-4

A Viking Epic Inspired by the Icelandic Sagas

By:
Lucy Catherine

Narrated by:
full cast,
Kate Phillips

Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
21

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
20

Story

5 out of 5 stars
20

An 11th-century Viking epic of love, revenge and faith, set in Iceland and starring the original Nordic Noir heroine, Gudrun. As a young woman growing up in 11th-century Iceland, Gudrun must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. The tale begins in her youth, with her childhood friends Kjartan and Bolli - but the love the two boys have for Gudrun causes a deathly enmity between them that leaves her reeling.

5 out of 5 stars

top books

By
Jana
on
13-02-19

Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics: Series 1-4

A Comical Guide to Ancient Greece and Rome

By:
Natalie Haynes

Narrated by:
Natalie Haynes

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
45

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
42

Story

5 out of 5 stars
41

Writer, broadcaster and recovering comedian Natalie Haynes mixes comedy and conversation to bring the ancient world entertainingly up to date in these four radio series. Each episode sees her profiling a key figure from ancient Greece and Rome, and, aided by her special guests, creating a stand-up show around them.

4 out of 5 stars

History with modern references and comedy

By
K. J. Noyes
on
31-03-19

I, Claudius (Dramatised)

By:
Robert Graves

Narrated by:
Derek Jacobi,
Tom Goodman Hill

Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
210

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
184

Story

5 out of 5 stars
184

A full-cast dramatisation of Robert Graves' brilliant account of the madness and debauchery of ancient Rome, starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and Derek Jacobi as Augustus. The wickedly entertaining inside story of the lives and deaths of the Imperial dynasty from Augustus to Caligula is told by their obscure relation, Claudius. In public, Claudius is a stammering, drooling weakling, whose reputation as an idiot keeps him safe from office and assassination.

5 out of 5 stars

classic at its classical best

By
Alison Ward
on
15-12-13

High Table, Lower Orders: The Complete Series 1 and 2

The BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama

By:
Mark Tavener

Narrated by:
Geoffrey Palmer,
Samuel West,
Rebecca Front,
and others

Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
75

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
66

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
66

When prominent don and celebrity TV historian Peter Devanti dies after dining at High Table, his colleague Gilbert suspects foul play and invites his former student Simon Harrison, a disillusioned health and safety officer, to investigate. Meanwhile, Simon’s former girlfriend Zoe, a freelance journalist, arrives to write an article about Devanti’s death, reopening old wounds for Simon.

4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

By
xxx
on
10-03-19

Undone: The Complete Series 1-3

The BBC Radio 4 Sci-Fi Comedy

By:
Ben Moor

Narrated by:
Al Murray,
Alex Tregear,
Ben Moor,
and others

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Story

4 out of 5 stars
9

Sci-fi comedy about the bizarre city of Undone - a weird parallel version of London. Edna Turner has moved to London to start a new job at entertainment magazine Get Out! When she arrives, she meets the strange Tankerton Slopes, who claims to come from a parallel version of London known as 'Undone'. Undone is 'where the weirdness comes from': where you can find pet tricks shows, medication designed to make you paranoid and the Undone delicacy ‘troubled eggs’. Weird things flow into London, and mundane things flow into Undone, making them the peculiar places they are.

5 out of 5 stars

So good I bought it twice

By
Andrew and Andrew's Wife
on
06-09-19

It Is Rocket Science: The Complete Series 1-3

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Show

By:
Helen Keen,
Miriam Underhill

Narrated by:
Helen Keen,
Peter Serafinowicz,
Susy Kane

Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
13

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
13

Story

5 out of 5 stars
12

This 'shamelessly nerdy...deeply silly' (Radio Times) space extravaganza features fewer close-ups of Professor Brian Cox looking cool in front of a rocket than Wonders of the Universe but more weird, wonderful and occasionally woeful stories about the geniuses, Nazis and Satanists who plotted to propel humankind to the stars. Find out the many and varied ways to leave the planet as It Is Rocket Science takes you on a 'gleefully irreverent' (The Scotsman) whistle-stop comic tour of the Great Brains who put monkeys, ladies, dogs and gentlemen into orbit.

5 out of 5 stars

Not the complete series 1-3

By
LHP
on
24-12-18

The Stuarts

The Epic BBC Radio 4 Drama

By:
Mike Walker

Narrated by:
Anton Lesser,
Bill Paterson,
Blake Ritson,
and others

Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
17

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
13

Story

5 out of 5 stars
13

Eleven BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas telling the stories of Mary Queen of Scots and the Stuart royals. Under the Stuarts, Britain entered the modern world. But with great change came turmoil, and for 111 years, the Stuart monarchs faced dynastic struggles, religious conflict, the rise of parliamentary democracy - and civil war. These dramas chart that turbulent epoch through its royal family, from Mary, Queen of Scots to the ‘last Stuart’, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s daughter Charlotte.

5 out of 5 stars

STUART FANS WILL LOVE THESE ELEVEN FANTASTIC DRAMA’S

By
Highlight
on
15-08-19

The Havana Quartet

Four Full-Cast Crime Dramatisations

By:
Leonardo Padura

Narrated by:
Adjoa Andoh,
Ben Crowe,
Lanre Malaolu,
and others

Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
15

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
14

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
14

Leonardo Padura's award-winning Cuban detective series featuring Lieutenant Mario Conde. Havana Blue: it's New Year's Day 1989, and Lieutenant Mario Conde wakes up with another terrible hangover and a case which is close to home. Havana Gold: Lieutenant Conde goes on a trip through his childhood Havana haunts when a young female schoolteacher at his old school is murdered. Havana Red: Conde's fondly held prejudices are tested by this case involving a man found strangled in Havana Woods wearing a beautiful red dress.

Jules Verne's two novels featuring Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island), condensed down to two thrilling hours. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, marine scientist Professor Aronnax and his stowaway daughter, Connie, join whaler Ned Land aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to hunt an aggressive sea monster, believed to be a giant narwhale. When they engage the monster, they find to their astonish­ment it's an electrically powered submarine, the Nautilus, techno­logically far superior to any vessel known.

5 out of 5 stars

Stop putting this off....

By
Occasional Sarcastic Review
on
09-09-19

The Wilsons Save the World: Series 1 and 2

The BBC Radio 4 Comedy

By:
Marcus Brigstocke,
Sarah Morgan

Narrated by:
Caitlin Moran,
India Brown,
Kerry Godliman,
and others

Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
18

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
15

Story

5 out of 5 stars
15

Michael and Maxine Wilson and their teenage daughters, Lola and Cat (plus their bearded dragon, Chomsky, and about 150,000 bees), have resolved to live a cleaner, greener, serener life. They are attempting to live ethically...whatever that means. The Wilsons conscientiously tackle tricky situations and dilemmas, from balancing the need of hot sun on holiday to a carbon-neutral campsite, explaining the pitfalls of online relationships to their daughter by drawing parallels to Brexit or protesting library closures when, according to Cat, everything can be found online anyway.

5 out of 5 stars

Very Poor Version

By
Neil Sparks
on
24-04-19

Higher: The Complete Series 1-4

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy

By:
Joyce Bryant

Narrated by:
Jonathan Keeble,
Sophie Thompson,
full cast,
and others

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Original Recording

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
12

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
11

Story

3 out of 5 stars
10

A BBC comedy drama set in the world of a 'pile 'em high university'. Karen Poynter is the new head of the Geography Department - renamed Geographical Tourism - at Hayborough University, which is definitely not part of the elite Russell Group of top universities. Ranked 132nd in the UK academic league table; if you have a pulse, you can have a degree. This is the high-energy farce of the breeze block and grotty cafeteria, with all the endless meetings, the backstabbings and the sheer panic of a university setting. In an era of increasing fees and cutbacks, this satire has become all the more acute.

3 out of 5 stars

Higher..Lower

By
Janbo127
on
26-06-19

24 Hours in Ancient Athens

By:
Philip Matyszak

Narrated by:
John Telfer

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

Athens, 416 BC. A tenuous peace holds. The city-state's political and military might are feared throughout the ancient world; it pushes the boundaries of social, literary and philosophical experimentation in an era when it has a greater concentration of geniuses per capita than at any other time in human history. Yet even geniuses go to the bathroom, argue with their spouse and enjoy a drink with friends. Few of the city's other inhabitants enjoy the benefits of such a civilised society, though - as multicultural and progressive as Athens can be, many are barred from citizenship.

4 out of 5 stars

Athens v Rome

By
Macfhelen
on
11-09-19

King Street Junior

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy

By:
Jim Eldridge

Narrated by:
Peter Davison,
full cast

Length: 38 hrs

Original Recording

Overall

0 out of 5 stars
0

Performance

0 out of 5 stars
0

Story

0 out of 5 stars
0

From Parents’ Evening to the PTA, and from supply teachers to staff room squabbles, every day brings fresh challenges for headmaster Mr Beeston. Among the problems facing him are a flu epidemic, a shortage of computers, a phantom prune thief and a mysterious graffiti artist - and there’s trouble in store when in comes to sex education, school trips and Sports Day. Meanwhile, idealistic newcomers Mr Brown and Mr Sims learn some lessons about teaching, and their battle-scarred colleagues vie for promotion - or look forward to retirement.

Ladies of Letters

The complete BBC Radio collection

By:
Lou Wakefield,
Carole Hayman

Narrated by:
full cast,
Patricia Routledge,
Prunella Scales

Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
89

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
79

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
81

First broadcast on Woman's Hour, Prunella Scales and Patricia Routledge star in this popular BBC Radio 4 comedy
Ladies of Letters. This collection features all 11 series. When Irene Spencer meets Vera Small at her daughter Lesley's wedding reception, they embark upon a correspondence that is quite unlike any other in the history of letter writing. Both Irene and Vera are happily widowed and endowed with errant offspring. They live in a world of church fetes and amateur dramatics but love nothing more than dipping their pens in the vitriol pot.

Psychotherapist Martha is reasonably compassionate, but deep down she's losing patience. It seems all her clients want to be something they are not, and it's driving them (and her) out of their minds. Across a series of 15-minute comedy vignettes, How Does that Make You Feel? offers a fly-on-the-wall view of Martha’s sessions, each one shedding more light on the lives of her entertaining clients. Starring Frances Tomelty, Roger Allam, Marcella Riordan, Tim McInnerny, Cathy Belton and Rebecca Saire. Produced and directed by Eoin O’Callaghan.

5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly funny

By
mr J. R. Jolley
on
26-10-18

Party: The Complete Series 1-3

By:
Tom Basden

Narrated by:
Anna Crilly,
Johnny Sweet,
Katy Wix,
and others

Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins

Original Recording

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
10

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
5

Story

4 out of 5 stars
5

Disillusioned with the capitalist system, five ambitious students set out to make waves and change the face of democracy. Holding their meetings in a garden shed, budding politician Jared, ideas engine Simon, socialist firebrand Mel, image conscious materialist Phoebe and Communications Tsar Duncan wrangle with the modern political machine and attempt to lay the foundations of a new movement. Or they would, if only they had a pen.

3 out of 5 stars

Great show - dodgy audiobook!

By
K. Candlish
on
17-08-19

To Hull and Back: The Complete Series 1-3

The BBC Radio 4 Comedy

By:
Lucy Beaumont

Narrated by:
full cast,
Lucy Beaumont,
Maureen Lipman

Length: 6 hrs and 1 min

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
49

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
40

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
40

Sophie still lives at home with her mum in Hull. They make a living doing car boot sales at the weekend. Except they don't really make a living because her mum can't bear to get rid of any of their junk. Plus, they don't have a car. As their house gets more cluttered, Sophie feels more trapped. She dreams of moving to London to meet her dad and to become a famous actress. Will this dream ever come true?

5 out of 5 stars

well written and performed comedy

By
Mrs
on
08-05-19

Summary

Kieran Hodgson stars as Pliny the Younger in Hattie Naylor’s engaging drama charting the fortunes of a household in Ancient Rome.

The Emperor Domitian has informers everywhere; no-one is safe. He rules Rome with a rod of iron, and he is dangerously unstable and paranoid. In the snake pit of Imperial Rome, all Pliny the Younger wants to do is get his letters ready for publication.

Except if he, his mother Marcella, their Greek cook Doris (who narrowly missed out on becoming the next Oracle at Delphi), and Venta, their slave with secretarial skills, have any chance of surveying, they are going to have to negotiate a political minefield, keep their eyes peeled for spies and, most of all, not do anything to annoy the Emperor.

Easier said than done.

Cast and credits

Pliny the Younger………………..Kieran Hodgson
Venta………………………………..Nigel Barrett
Marcella……………………………Joanna Scanlan
Doris the Cook…………………Mia Soteriou
Regulus……………………….Matthew Gravelle
Lucipor…………………………Ewan Bailey
Produced by and directed for radio by Kate McAll
Written by Hattie Naylor

Wish it was longer

This was an excellent Series in a quiet little way. The three very charismatic lead performers will leave you wanting more. Don’t expect tonnes of comedy or huge tension, just gentle comedy and historical atmosphere.

meh 😐

dont like to write bad reviews but i was dissapionted, better used as a sleeping aid as the story and voices just drone on.didnt enjoy

1 of 4 people found this review helpful

Sort by:

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

L W C

03-02-19

Highly entertaining use of Pliny the Younger

This story, drawn around the letters of Pliny the younger, is fun, interesting and a good use of Pliny's cultural context. The performance of all characters is superior in quality. Even the music is good.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Jim

30-04-19

great story line

this story had so much humor the narrator's were fantastic it's hard to choose my most favorite moment there were so many