Showing results by narrator "Andrew Sachs" in All Categories

These ghostly tales will appeal to ghastly kids with a taste for the grim and the gruesome. There's the story of Nigel who loves killing spiders - until they come back to haunt him. There's theiving Terry who's taught a nasty lesson by A. Phantom Esq. And the two litle boys who spend a night in a haunted cottage, with dire consequences.

In The Dinosaur Hunters, Deborah Cadbury brilliantly recreates the remarkable story of the bitter rivalry between two men: Gideon Mantell uncovered giant bones in a Sussex quarry, became obsessed with the lost world of the reptiles and was driven to despair. Richard Owen, a brilliant anatomist, gave the extinct creatures their name and secured for himself unrivalled international acclaim.

One day the Fat Fairy turns up at Thomas Top's house to grant him a birthday wish. Thomas can't think what to ask for, so he wishes he could fly. That's how Thomas goes from being just an ordinary boy whom no one notices to being the most popular boy in the school. But it makes him sad that grown-ups can't see the wonderful things he can do.

As Venice experiences a debilitating heatwave, Commissario Brunetti prepares to escape the city and spend time with his family in the mountains. However, the weather is the last thing on Ispettore Vianello’s mind; it seems his aunt has become obsessed with horoscopes and has been withdrawing large amounts of money from the family business. Not knowing what to do, he consults Brunetti and asks permission to unofficially trail her, which leads to the flat of Stefano Gorini. But who is this man?

A 10-year-old gypsy girl is found dead in the canal, a man's wedding ring and watch in her possession, and Commissario Guido Brunetti uncovers a thorny world of prejudice and malefaction surrounding the immigrant gypsy communities.

When a man is found stabbed to death floating in the canal, Commissario Brunetti is convinced he recognises him from somewhere. It doesn't take long for Brunetti to realise why he remembers the dead man - he saw him at a demonstration a couple of years ago, where farmers were protesting about European milk quotas. But what was his involvement with the protest? And could it have anything to do with his murder?

Andrew Sachs stars in this BBC Radio 4 'Afternoon Play' about painter Edward Lear. The Need for Nonsense was originally broadcast on 9 February 2009, and repeated on 17 January 2011.

Julia Blackburn's play captures the warm, heartfelt, and comic story of the Victorian poet and painter Edward Lear's lifelong friendship with his eccentric Greek servant, Giorgio, who inspired him to address the painful truths in his life while making us laugh.

Hezekiah is a very hairy camel. He lives a quiet life in his enclosure at the zoo and seems to be the only animal without a friend. So Hezekiah decides to escape, and breaks into a safari park! There he meets another hairy character – and finally makes a friend.

Timmy Twinkle is chubby. That means he gets bullied at school and hasn't any friends. He longs to play football, but he's hopeless at games. He's miserable. And it doesn't help when Gramps tells him about Great Uncle Vernon, a chubby boy who grew up to be a famous footballer.

When Billy Pickles' dad leaves home to live in New York, he gives Billy a moneybox. Billy's not sure where to put the money, and not sure why his dad has left.

Peter is a young boy, living on a farm. One day, whilst out doing chores for his father, he comes across a strange white stick floating in the stream. He reaches out and catches it - and finds an exciting new friend in the process. Ninnyhammer is the local village simpleton, but Peter knows there's more to him than that - he's a magician and the white stick is his magic wand. Ninnyhammer is so grateful that he starts to help Peter and his family with their struggling farm. But Peter wants to do something for Ninnyhammer in return.

Ex-SS cop and Russian POW Bernie Gunther is making his way back to Munich in 1949 to resurrect his career as a PI. Munich's a place of dirty deals, rampant greed, fleeing war criminals, and all the backstabbing intrigue that prospers in the aftermath of war. It's also a place where a private eye can find a lot of not quite reputable work. A woman seeks him out. Her husband has disappeared. She's not looking to get him back - she just wants confirmation that he's dead.

Corduroy Mansions, Pimlico is an oasis of old-fashioned civilisation, its inhabitants considerate and peace-loving. But beneath the polite exterior seismic change is stirring. Barbara Ragg makes an eye-popping discovery about her stolid Scottish suitor’s past, while Oedipus Snark – newly appointed and tirelessly self-interested Government Minister – has a close encounter in Switzerland that leaves him a new man all together.

Quasimodo is abandoned as a baby on the steps of Notre Dame. He becomes a bell-ringer there, but in order to hide his grotesque features he spends his life virtually imprisoned in a tower. While there, he becomes obsessed by Esmerelda, a gipsy who dances in the square below. A tragic and moving tale.

Captain, Ladybird and Herbert – two Shire horses and a Suffolk Punch – are not pleased when Jenny, a retired seaside donkey, arrives at the Old Horses' Home. It's supposed to be a home for horses, and they don't want to share their field with a common little donkey. Then rustlers are spotted in the area: thieves who like nothing better than to steal horses and ship them abroad – to be made into horse pie! Can Jenny and her friends save the huge heavy horses?

Seven entertaining audio readings of best-loved children’s springtime stories for children of three years and over to enjoy over Easter! This audio download is a heritage-rich collection showcasing some of the best-loved characters in children’s literature. Compiled by HarperCollins Children’s Books, it features popular stories by John Bond, Nick Butterworth, Judith Kerr, David Walliams and Rob Biddulph.

Frankie Dettori is a unique character in modern-day Britain: a millionaire champion jockey irresistible to the punters; a charismatic personality with an easy charm and immaculate dress sense that make him an instant favourite on TV chat shows; and a celebrity with a fascinating life story encompassing drama, passion, death and deliverance.

Rosa's grandfather has a special song for every occasion, and even a special one to stop Rosa from being scared of the dark. In Rosa's Grandfather Sings Again, they go to the zoo, to the seaside, and to a carol concert.

This classic story of a bet that Phileas Fogg could not travel around the world in 80 days has now been made into a star-studded film with Steve Coogan in the lead role and Jackie Chan playing his well-meaning assistant, Passepartout.

Corduroy Mansions is the affectionate nickname given to a genteelly crumbling mansion block in London's vibrant Pimlico. This is the home patch of - among others - a lovelorn literary agent, possibly the first ever nasty Liberal Democrat MP, and Freddie de la Hay, an urbane terrier trained to be vegetarian and respectful of feline rights.