Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. In Episode 1, 'A Hole in the Head', the focus is on trepanation, the practice of drilling holes in the skull believing that such operations might correct physiological or sp...

Nicholas Parsons chairs the devious BBC Radio 4 word game. The panellists are David Mitchell, Paul Merton, Julian Clary and Gyles Brandreth.

Based on the epic novel by Nobel Laureate John Steinbeck. Set during the Great Depression, The Grapes of Wrath tells the powerful story of the Joad family's trek from the dust bowl of Oklahoma to the promise of a new life in California. But what they find threatens to rip apart their lives, and sever the ties that bind them together. Starring Shirl...

'The Rivals' is an insider's view of the potent alliance between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Behind the public face of a prime minister and chancellor united in policy and instinct, James Naughtie reveals the tensions of power in action. This is a unique account of the most enduring, complex and important relationship in recent times.

When the murdered body of a local boy is found in the woods, suspicions transform young Marsha's once-secure neighbourhood. Marsha begins to watch her neighbours and when Mr Green, the shy bachelor from next-door, takes an interest in her mother, Marsha is drawn into a cruel chain of events. Winner of the Orange Prize.

Tom Hollander stars in the complete award-winning comedy series, as seen on BBC TV. Tom Hollander ('In the Loop', 'Pirates of the Caribbean') stars as the Rev Adam Smallbone. He's a Church of England vicar, newly promoted from a sleepy rural parish to the inner-city world of St Saviour's in east London. He has little experience of this world, and i...

Perhaps the ultimate in TV comedy madness and absurdity, this cult series, which began in 1969, was conceived, written and performed by Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. It was innovative and ground-breaking comedy which inspired many of today's writers and performers. Its sketches, songs and catchphrases are...

We all know what it means these days to be a 'grumpy old man', because part of that role is to be outspoken. Well, we've heard just about enough out of the men, thank you very much. 'Grumpy Old Women' gives us the other perspective - the female take - on the million irritations of today's world. So what's the difference? Surely what is irritating t...

Finally given the heave-ho by Pandora, Adrian Mole finds himself in the situation of living with the love-of-his-life as she goes about shacking up with other men. Worse, as he slides down the employment ladder, from deskbound civil servant in Oxford to part-time washer-upper in Soho, he finds that critical reception for his epic novel, Lo! The Fla...

They say trouble comes in threes... Headstrong and organised, Mia is a single mum who wants to fix the world - but the one thing she can't fix is her family. Responsible older brother Will has fled Primrose Bay, unable to forgive and forget after the ultimate betrayal. And Jasmine, no longer the wayward baby sister, is determined to prove to her br...

Two true-crime cases from the hit TV series Murder is Forever MURDER BEYOND THE GRAVE: Stephen Small has it all - a Ferrari, fancy house, loving wife and three sons. But the only thing he needs right now is enough air to breathe. Kidnapped, buried in a box, and held for ransom, Stephen has forty-eight hours of oxygen. The clock is ticking . . . MUR...

From the world's favourite author, David Walliams - ten cautionary tales and a delightfully dreadful cast of characters. Are you ready to meet the World's Worst Children? Five beastly boys and five gruesome girls!  Like Sofia Sofa - a TV super-fan so stuck to the sofa that she's turning into one!  Or Dribbling Drew - a boy whose drool gets him in...

Most people ignored the outrageous reports on the news. But they became too frequent, they became too real. And soon, they began happening down the street. Then the Internet died. The television and radio went silent. The phones stopped ringing. And we couldn't look outside anymore. Malorie raises the children the only way she can; indoors. The hou...

The irascible husband of Victorian Egyptologist Amelia Peabody demonstrates again why he has been nicknamed "Father of Curses." Denied permission to dig at the pyramids of Dahshoor, Emerson is awarded instead the "pyramids" of Mazghunah: countless mounds of rubble in the middle of nowhere. Nothing in this barren spot seems worthy of interest-until...

Alan Groombridge had a fantasy. Husband to a woman he didn't like, father of two children he had never wanted, and manager of the second smallest branch of the Anglian-Victoria bank in the country, Alan was doomed to a life of domestic boredom and tedious routine. All that saved him was that one fantasy: stealing enough of the bank's money to allow...

The explosive finale to the Ringworld and the Fleet of Worlds series. For decades, the spacefaring species of known space have battled over the largest artifact-and grandest prize-in the galaxy: the all-but-limitless resources and technology of the Ringworld. Now, without warning, the Ringworld has vanished, leaving behind three rival war fleets. S...

Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. Human beings have long been fascinated by the brain and how it fulfils its many functions. This groundbreaking cultural history explores the development of our ideas about t...

Nicholas Parsons chairs the devious BBC Radio 4 word game, recorded at Derby University. The panellists are Josie Lawrence, Justin Moorhouse, Tony Hawks and Dave Gorman. Subjects include how to spot a mature student and three ways to pay back your student loan.

When Josh is forced to spend a summer with his eccentric aunt, he thinks it will be the most boring summer ever. Instead, he finds himself talking to a ghost from one hundred years ago! In order for the ghost to finally be at peace, it needs some help, and Josh reluctantly agrees to assist. But Josh needs to dig in the old cemetery, and when he doe...

Five disparate voices inhabit Ali Smith's dreamlike 'Hotel World', set in the luxurious anonymity of the Global Hotel, in an unnamed northern English city. The disembodied yet interconnected characters include Sara, a 19-year-old chambermaid who has recently died at the hotel; her bereaved sister, Clare, who visits the scene of Sara's death; Penny,...

Shakespeare classic in which ordinary people are toyed with by jealous and mischievous fairies - Charles and Mary Lamb's wonderful adaptations of Shakespeare translate beautifully to audio.