Showing results by narrator "Helen Longworth" in All Categories

Trevor Peacock (The Vicar of Dibley) stars as inspired chef Warwick Hedges in this comedy drama set in an idiosyncratic restaurant in the Cambridgeshire Fens. Warwick’s son, Jack, works alongside his father, which makes him permanently anxious. They are assisted by Samuel, an earthy odd-job man 'who crawled out of the slime with the eels', and Zofia the Polish waitress. Whether hosting unusual guests, dealing with flooding, fuelling father-son rivalry or moving strange stones from the edge of the Fen to his restaurant 'at his own peril', Warwick certainly keeps Mardle Fen on its toes.

Simon Bovey is an established writer and director who has penned numerous compelling dramas for BBC Radio. Collected here are four of his sensational sci-fi tales, packed with mystery, suspense and terror...

France, 1399: the Duke of Brittany is dead, and his widow, Joanna of Navarre, has inherited control of their land - a testament to her intellect, integrity and political prowess. Then comes an unprecedented proposal from Henry IV, King of England. The price of becoming his Queen? Abandoning her homeland, leaving her children and sacrificing her independence. Henry's hold on the crown is unsteady, and war is brewing.

A newly reissued edition of an Agatha Christie - writing as Mary Westmacott - 'Crime of the Heart' novel. A Daughter's a Daughter is the tale of a mother who comes to resent her daughter’s success. When Ann falls in love, she hopes for new happiness, but her only child, Sarah, wrecks any chance of her remarriage. Resentment and jealousy corrode their relationship as each seeks relief in different directions.

An acclaimed crime novelist and dramatist, Alison Joseph has scripted over 25 plays for BBC Radio. This collection showcases four of her original crime dramas, all specially written for Radio 4 – beginning with an apparently open-and-shut case for Sister Agnes that turns out to be anything but...

An eerie and compelling ghost story set on the dark wilds of the Yorkshire moors. For fans of The Witchfinder's Sister or The Silent Companions, this Gothic tale will weave its way into your imagination and chill you to the bone. Maybe you've heard tales about Scarcross Hall, the house on the old coffin path that winds from village to moor top. They say there's something up here, something evil. Mercy Booth isn't afraid. The moors and Scarcross are her home and lifeblood.

Number 33 Georgiana Street houses many people and yet seems home to none. To runaway Sam it is a place to disappear. To Bohemia, it's just another blip between crises, as her mum ricochets off the latest boyfriend. Old Isobel acts like she owns the place, even though it actually belongs to Steve in the basement, who is always looking to squeeze in yet another tenant. Life there is a kind of ordered chaos.

A sweeping international epic, perfect for all fans of Penny Vincenzi and Barbara Taylor Bradford June 1909, in a large Berlin mansion, cousins Zelda and Vicky are about to meet brothers Berthold and Josef for the first time – an evening that will alter the course of their lives forever…

On top of the Yorkshire Moors, in an isolated spot carved out of a barren landscape, lies White Windows, a house of shadows and secrets. Here lives Marcus Twentyman, a hard-drinking but sensitive man, and his sister, the brisk widow, Hester. When runaway Annaleigh first meets the Twentymans, their offer of employment and lodgings seems a blessing. Only later does she discover the truth. But by then she is already in the middle of a web of darkness and intrigue....

It was supposed to be a final celebration for six British graduates, the perfect French getaway - until Severine arrived. Her beauty captivates them, and in the summer heat, tension simmers and years of jealousy and longing rise to the surface. Then Severine disappears. A decade later, her body is found - and for Kate Channing, the discovery brings up unwelcome memories. As police suspicion mounts against the friends, Kate becomes desperate to resolve her shifting understanding of that time.

Making our own bread provides us with an unhurried, creative activity that is joyful, calming and productive - providing a much-needed antidote to life's stresses and strains. From kneading dough, to taking a delicious-smelling freshly baked loaf out of a hot oven, bread-making can be a mindful experience and a therapeutic craft that can nurture and nourish us. As yeast transforms flour and water, so making bread can transform us and our lives.

Shakespeare's romantic adventure is full of tyrants, incest, murder, knights, teenagers, pirates, brothels, sublime poetry, young love, a great hero, and the goddess Diana. A multicultural cast, world music, and the poet Benjamin Zephaniah give this timeless tale a contemporary twist.

Vita’s gift shop would do better if she ran it as a business, not as somewhere to daydream. But she's not one to tell herself off--she leaves that to Tim, her ex, who still co-owns the shop. He cheated on Vita and broke her heart. Could she ever give him another chance? Oliver, an experienced and successful tree surgeon, runs his home as calmly as his business. However, his heart is still with the mother of his child, even though it’s been three years now.

In 1887, Isabel Bilton is the eldest of three daughters of a middle-class military family, growing up in a small garrison town. By 1891 she is the Countess of Clancarty, dubbed 'the peasant countess' by the press, and a member of the Irish aristocracy. Becoming Belle is the story of the four years in between, of Belle's rapid ascent and the people who tried to tear her down. Reimagined by a novelist at the height of her powers, Belle is an unforgettable woman. Set against an absorbing portrait of Victorian London, hers is a timeless rags-to-riches story a la Becky Sharpe.

For Caitlin Carter, love means business. She's taken matchmaking back to basics. There is no swiping left. No creepy location tracker. Definitely no unsolicited pics of areas of the anatomy literally no one wants to see. She's made dating great again: personal, patient...and profitable. Her start-up is going from strength to strength, the brand her very own happy marriage (her wedding went viral), and now she even has celebrities wanting to use her services. Caitlin is living the perfect life. Except it's all a perfect lie. And Caitlin doesn't know how long she can keep it up.

Cass has always wanted to audition as an acrobat for the famous Circus Boat. But when her chance is snatched away, she comes up with a new plan. She secures a job on the Palace Boat, following the circus around the islands. Yet Cass has been invited on the boat for a very different reason - and it's not long before she is embroiled with thieves, sword fighters and a mysterious group of women called The Company of Eight....

Maddy Hamilton is at sea with her life. Her world was turned upside down when she discovered a message on her boyfriend's phone from a woman who was definitely not her. Then, when she thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, her boss delivered a second blow - there were cutbacks at work and Maddy was one of the unlucky ones. Six weeks after the break up, Maddy moves into Maxwell House to live by herself for the first time in 36 years. Lonely, heartbroken, and in desperate need of something, she finds a very unruly, very unloved patch of garden.

A knock at the door shatters Kate Hemingway’s life when she’s informed of her husband Stuart’s death in Afghanistan. She struggles to care for their young son George with only Stuart’s aloof best friend Paul as emotional support. Piece by fragile piece, she tries to rebuild her life, realising Paul and her son have formed an unlikely bond.

Psychological drama by David Hodgson. Greg Drake is just getting his life back together after the death of his wife. But then his house is broken into when he is asleep. Nothing is taken, but his peace of mind is destroyed. Starring Kevin Doyle as Greg, with Fiona Clarke, Helen Longworth, Beth Palmer, Roy Carruthers and Mark Winstanley.