Alan Bennett reminisces about his early years - from his schooldays to undergraduate life at Oxford University. It was an ordinary childhood - growing up in Leeds taught Alan early on that `life is generally something that happens elsewhere'. Yet the children who long for German bombs to lend their city some wartime glamour; the working class mothe...

The humorous and moving tale of Miss Shepherd, an eccentric old lady who, by a bizarre series of twists and turns, lived in the author's garden for many years.

What is the connection between a Bear of Very Little Brain and a Honey Pot? Usually it's the very sticky paw of Winnie the Pooh, as he a takes a break between adventures for 'a little something.'In these 5 stories, taken from the book The House at Pooh Corner, Pooh and Piglet build a house for Eeyore, Tigger comes to the Forest and has breakfast, P...

Alan Bennett, master storyteller, reads four of his highly-acclaimed stories. The Lady in the Van - An eccentric old lady and her van are told to move on by the council, but a kind homeowner invites her to live in his garden. In this bizarre tale, the homeowner is Alan Bennett and the woman stays for fifteen years. As heard on BBC Radio 4, this edi...

Alan Bennett stars in a new production of his own acclaimed satrical comedy, thirty years after its original West End debut. The Headmaster has been at Albion House for fifty years, man and boy. Now he is retiring and takes part in the end-of-year entertainment for the last time. Entitled Speak For England, Arthur, it weaves together a multi-genera...

Untold Stories, Alan Bennett's first major collection of prose since his bestselling Writing Home, brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years. Part 2: The Diaries Alan Bennett's diaries from 1997-2004 are an erudite collection of witty yet poignant recollections told in his own unique voice. Whether appreciating...

Alan Bennett's gentle, wry observations of life have made him one of the country's best-loved and most famous authors. He reads extracts from his bestselling diaries which offer a fascinating insight into his life - the work on location, life in Camden and fond, poignant memories of his childhood and home life.

Two unexpected tales written and read by the bestselling author of 'The Uncommon Reader', 'Untold Stories' and 'The History Boys'. In 'The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson', Mrs. Donaldson is a conventional middle-class woman beached on the shores of widowhood after a marriage that had been much like many others: happy to begin with, then satisfactory a...

To mark their thirtieth anniversary, the Medici String Quartet asked composer George Fenton and writer Alan Bennett to collaborate on a piece for performance at the Harrogate International Festival. The result was 'Hymn', a meditative piece, in which Bennett looks at the part which music played in his childhood. George Fenton's score, which accompa...

In these six pieces, Alan Bennett retains the gripping stories, intensity of delivery and masterly style of his original monologues. The suburban normality of the world his characters inhabit once again belies their lives of secrets, revelations, fears, crimes and passions. They tell their stories, and in doing so reveal more than they know of the...

The 'Uncommon Reader' of the title is none other than H M the Queen who drifts accidentally into reading when her corgis stray into a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. She reads widely (J R Ackerley, Jean Genet, Ivy Compton Burnett, and the classics) and intelligently. Her reading naturally changes her world view and her relationship with...

A sparkling BBC Radio 4 adaptation of J.B. Priestley's comic play, starring Alan Bennett, Brenda Blethyn, Gwen Taylor, Alun Armstrong, Michael Jayston and Nicola Pagett. Three eminently respectable Yorkshire couples are in the midst of their joint silver wedding celebrations when they receive a rude shock - they are not legally married. Confronted...

Until the time of her death in 2003, actress Thora Hird worked regularly with the playwright Alan Bennett. In this audiobook, Bennett recalls his work and friendship with Thora, and introduces three examples of their collaboration.

Alan is an award winning actor, author, screenwriter and playwright. His play The History Boys has been adapted into a popular film as well as receiving 6 Tony Awards for its Broadway run in 2006. The title is available to download from the Listening Books library, number 01451. Photograph c Antony Crolla

lan Bennett reads three further chapters from Untold Stories, his major collection of new writings. Untold Stories, Alan Bennett's first major collection of prose since his bestselling Writing Home, brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years. After Untold Stories: Part 1: Stories, Part 2: The Diaries and Part 3:...

On the Margin was a six part BBC 2 TV British satirical comedy sketch show written and performed by Alan Bennett and a regular cast including John "Strictly Come Dancing" Sergeant. produced by Sydney Lotterby of Yes Minister and Porridge fame. Each instalment featured a mixture of sketches (some foreshadowing Bennett's subsequent television dramas,...

A unique anthology of Alan Bennett's radio and television work featuring extracts from his diaries and readings, tributes to friends Russell Harty and Peter Cook plus commentary and specially recorded links by Bennett himself.

This is Alan Bennett's first major collection of prose since his bestselling 'Writing Home'. It is a poignant family memoir recalling the marriage of Alan's parents, the lives and deaths of his aunts and the uncovering of a long-held family secret. At times heartrending, and at others extremely funny, 'Untold Stories' is a matchless and unforgettab...

Untold Stories, Alan Bennett's first major collection of prose since his bestselling Writing Home, brings together the finest and funniest of his writing over the last ten years. Following on from Untold Stories: Part 1: Stories and Part 2: The Diaries (also available from BBC Audiobooks), Part 3: Written on the Body is both a reflection on Alan Be...

When the Water Rat invites the unassuming Mole to spend his first day ever in a boat on the river, and wise Badger comes along for the ride as well, so begins a marvellous season of adventure for the three friends. Mr Toad (he of Toad Hall) completes a happy foursome, but his tendency to get into hot water leads him into some rather hair-raising sc...

Portraying each character in his own inimitable fashion, Alan Bennett reads the original story of Ratty, Mole, Badger and, of course, Toad.