One of Kipling's famed 'Just So' stories, this lyrical tale makes a perfect suit for audio and explains why cats are.well, like cats are! This story goes back to the beginning and imagines the first time a cat deigned to put a foot inside a human dwelling. The cat and the humans have a bumpy ride agreeing the terms of a future arrangement as the ca...

Matilda Cuvering decides to release a boar pig ('Tarquin') into the paddock where Mrs Stossen and her daughter are walking, in order to teach them a lesson. A funny and intelligent tale from the supreme wit of Saki, who incorporates the French language, a ridicule of manners / best behaviour and blackmail into this short but sublimely bitter-sweet...

One of Saki's famed 'animal stories', The Brogue is the witty, and biting tale of an erratic horse and the hapless and even hopeful human beings that the beast comes into contact with. Writing as H. H. Munro here, Saki is a genius of satirical prose and always a rewarding and amusing listen.

This excellent animal story, written by Saki under his penname H.H. Munro, concerns two half-brothers, their respective artistic prowess, sibling rivalry, jealousy and a rather non-plussed white bull. As always, Saki lives up to his (real) name and delivers a witty and caustic short story which is an amusing delight to hear.

Taken from a fascinating collection of tales, including stories related by members of a select club consisting of an actor, a barrister, a doctor, a soldier, a writer and an 'ordinary man'. Each member of this club is obliged to entertain his fellows to dinner from time to time, after which he relates a story connected with his profession or trade...

Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris with Martine McCutcheon as Jodie Ricks in this BBC Radio 4 comedy detective drama. Charles finds himself uncharacteristically employed in a film, having landed the part of Szabec, a middle management vampire in The Wreathing. His co-star is swimwear model turned actress Jodie Ricks and before long, Jodie is using C...

An early morning awakening leads to a discovery much more shocking than a few rifled drawers at a grand house. A suspected bungled robbery that it seems has gone horribly wrong calls our heroes Holmes and Watson to The Abbey Grange, where their super-sleuthing may be able to shed some light on the mystery.

Arthur Cadogan West, a young government clerk, is found dead by the railway tracks near Aldgate. On his body Holmes' brother Mycroft finds some secret submarine plans - 3 pages of which seem to be missing. These pages alone, in the wrong hands, could be used to build a Bruce-Partington submarine that would pose a threat to Britain. Cadogan West's h...

When a gruesome package is delivered to a Croydon spinster, our heroes suspect that what was initially thought a dark 'prank' could in fact be a clue in an altogether more serious, and perhaps deadly, game.

Mr. Trevor Bennett comes to Holmes with a most unusual problem. He is Professor Presbury's personal secretary, and until recently he has enjoyed the old Camford physiologist's implicit trust as though he were a close member of the family. The professor, however, has begun to act strangely after returning from a mysterious fortnight's absence. He is...

A Cornish holiday goes dreadfully wrong when a young woman is found dead next to her singing, laughing, insane brothers. What is the significance of the roaring fire, and what dark forces are at work? The only men for the job are of course Holmes and Watson, who a listener can rely upon to unravel this perplexing conundrum.

Watson gets the surprise of his life upon seeing a familiar face, coinciding with the seemingly motiveless murder of one Ronald Adair. What secrets does the empty house hold and who is the returning stranger who gives Watson such a shock? Expect exemplary detective work as always in this gripping story.

Written in the first person in the form of a letter, a man who has been in jail for three years professes his innocence of murder. In so doing he reveals a fascinating story of burglary and murder and a possible travesty of justice.

A BBC Radio 4 drama by Stephanie Dale, originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 10 January 2011. When art teacher Rachel, walking home festooned with end-of-term gifts from her pupils, bumps into Tyrone on his first day in London it is the beginning of a passionate love affair. Soon it makes sense for Tyrone, now working as a chef in a loca...

The Hon. James Inglis relates his experiences of life in India, and in particular, the experience of tracking a wild tiger through the undergrowth on all fours, so close to the magnificent beast that danger was always close at hand. An absorbing big game story, which is astounding and well-told.

On the theme of love a second great collection of romantic short stories from yesteryear read by another husband and wife team Edward Fox and Joanna David. LOVE is a staple theme of many short stories and in this second off-beat selection from CSA it comes in many guises. There is love tragically thwarted by duty in Thomas Hardy's The Son's Veto; t...

Voltaire and Pangloss travel the world looking for the good in life, but can they find it? Candide and his tutor Pangloss travel the globe trying to follow the philosophy 'All is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds'. However, they are stung and let down at every turn, being robbed, tortured and ridiculed, amongst other trials. On...

Angela tells the story of a 'poor paralysed fellow' who becomes infatuated with a girl who visits him. A melancholy and emotive tale of longing, desire and loss, Angela is a well-crafted short story by the great W.S. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame).

Containing ten wonderful stories read captivatingly by Rosalind Ayres, Barbara eigh-Hunt, Juliet Stevenson and Harriet Walter, this collection is a winner with everyone. All stories have been carefully chosen for their strong female characters and are full of humour, drama and insight. Also containing some works about women by well-known male write...

This classic Irish short story is read fittingly by T. P. McKenna, whose commanding Irish brogue is a perfect suit for this vignette by William Carleton, a well-respected Irish 'peasant novelist'.

The first in CSA WORD's series of brilliant and strong women's stories. With stories from such female greats as Elizabeth Gaskell and Katherine Mansfield, this collection should appeal to women and men alike, with a strong and varied selection of stories by and about women.