Showing results by narrator "Martin Jarvis" in All Categories

It's the third death that really troubles former champion jump-jockey Sid Halley. He knows the perils of racing all too well, but in his day, jockeys didn't usually reach the finishing line with three .38 rounds in the chest. But this is precisely how he finds Huw Walker, the new winner of the Triumph Hurdle and Halley's friend. Now former friend. Walker was riding one of Lord Enstone's horses in the Hurdle and it was the inimitable owner who invited Halley in the first place.

On the sunlit Greek island of Skios, the Fred Toppler Foundation's annual lecture is to be given by Dr Norman Wilfred, the world-famous authority on the scientific organisation of science. He turns out to be young and charming - not at all the intimidating figure they had been expecting. The Foundation's guests are soon eating out of his hand. So is Nikki, the attractive organiser. Meanwhile, in a remote villa at the other end of the island, Nikki's old friend Georgie waits for the man she rashly agreed to go on holiday with.

The King James Version of The Bible was first published in 1611, and aside from small modernisations in spelling, has stayed true to the original manuscript ever since. Originally produced to quell tensions in England over which Bible Translation was the truer to use in the Church of England, the KJV is now the most widely-used version of the Bible. The keys to the version’s success have been simplicity of language and majesty in execution and presentation.

A collection of stories in which Jimmy could almost be younger brother to William Brown (of Just William fame). Like William, Jimmy has a big heart and all of his efforts go towards trying to make his family and friends happy. Unfortunately, and again like William, his plans always take a turn for the worst, or don't turn out in the way that he intended. Fortunately for a listener, this makes for a myriad of classic comedy moments.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe, CSA Word is proud to release a brand new recording of over 100 poems written by the men and women who served during the war. A formidable and unique legacy, this striking collection of poems and voices, framed by helpful narration, evokes the atmosphere and feelings of war in all its aspects: the pain, passion, fear, loneliness, anger, and some unexpected humour too.

Sydney Carton, a lawyer and wastrel, tries to redeem himself somewhere between Paris and London to make up for his mis-spent youth. A tale of two cities is considered by many to be Dickens' most thrilling novel. Whilst contrasting the tranquility of London with revolution-torn Paris, incident follows incident as Sydney Carton finally redeems himself from his past. Read movingly by Martin Jarvis.

Oliver Twist is an orphan who was born in a workhouse. After an unhappy apprenticeship, Oliver steals away to London where he is taken in by thieves, headed by a man named Fagin. He is rescued by Mr Brownlow, but the gang kidnaps him back. Oliver discovers the identity of his parents and the gang is exposed.

An acclaimed novelist, short story writer and critic, Leslie Poles Hartley is best known for his 1953 novel The Go-Between, which won the W. H. Heinemann Award and was adapted as a BAFTA-winning film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates. Included here is a radio dramatisation of that classic tale, alongside adaptations of three further novels and five short stories.

Adam Scott listens to the reading of his father's will, aware that the contents can only be meagre. The Colonel, after all, had nothing to leave, except a letter he had never opened himself, a letter that can only bring further disgrace to the family name.

In the quiet cul-de-sac where Keith and Stephen live, the only immediate signs of the Second World War are the blackout at night and a single random bombsite. But the two boys start to suspect all is not as it seems when one day Keith announces a disconcerting discovery: the Germans have infiltrated his own family. And when the secret underground world they have dreamed up emerges from the shadows, they find themselves engulfed in mysteries far deeper and more painful than they had bargained for.

Mixing the colorful letters of Franz Liszt with some of his most ecstatic piano music, Odyssey of Love depicts his tempestuous relations with two fascinating women.

For the 90th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh, a sequel featuring new stories from the Hundred Acre Wood. Ninety years since Winnie-the-Pooh first stepped into the Forest, he's venturing back in an entirely new collection of stories. Four highly acclaimed authors - Paul Bright, Brian Sibley, Kate Saunders and Jeanne Willis - will transport you to the Hundred Acre Wood, where you will meet new companions and old friends in four delightful adventures.

The intense relationships between Robert Schumann, his wife Clara, and Johannes Brahms are brought to vivid life through music and excerpts from their passionate writings. With the arrival of the young, dynamic Brahms into their household, the Schumanns’ fragile marriage is threatened by the deepening bond between Clara and their gifted guest.

And suddenly I stood up because I knew what it was. It was a model galleon, buried in the sand... My heart was in my mouth. I just knew that no matter if I lived to be a hundred I would never find anything so wonderful again.’ With growing excitement, Tim and his Uncle Geoff realize the significance of their discovery. For the model ship yields up a secret that sets them on a journey into the past, to solve a mystery and salvage a story of danger and romance buried in the sands.

‘An unknown place.’ This was what Michael Frayn’s children called the shadowy landscape of the past from which their family had emerged. In this book he sets out to rediscover that lost land before all trace of it finally disappears beyond recall. As he tries to see it through the eyes his parents and the others who shaped his life, he comes to realise how little he ever knew or understood about them. This is a charming, moving and witty childhood memoir from one of Britain’s best-loved writers.

Adam Scott listens to the reading of his father's will, aware that the contents can only be meagre. The Colonel, after all, had nothing to leave, except a letter he had never opened himself, a letter that can only bring further disgrace to the family name.

For the 90th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh, a sequel featuring new stories from the Hundred Acre Wood. Ninety years since Winnie-the-Pooh first stepped into the Forest, he's venturing back in an entirely new collection of stories. Four highly acclaimed authors - Paul Bright, Brian Sibley, Kate Saunders and Jeanne Willis - will transport you to the Hundred Acre Wood, where you will meet new companions and old friends in four delightful adventures.

Dickens' exuberant novel charts the rise of its young hero Nicholas Nickleby, who progresses from an impoverished youngster gladly accepting his uncle's offer of help, to an assured businessman capable of thwarting villainous plans. The book unfolds in a series of vivid scenes, starting with Nicholas accompanying the vicious schoolmaster, Wackford Squeers, north to the grim Dotheboys Hall.

On July 19, 2001, Jeffrey Archer—politician and international best-selling author—was sentenced to four years in prison for perjury. He became Prisoner FF8282 and spent the first three weeks of his sentence in a high-security prison that housed some of Britain's most violent criminals. He was moved to the Lifer's wing—because of the security it provided—where he became a trusted confidant to fellow convicts. Prisoners and guards alike asked for his autograph and sought his advice—though one cellmate sold a story about Archer to the British tabloids.

The fictional story, relocated to the Vietnam War, opens many years after Lieutenant's death, with the publication of a photograph of the POW Camp Commandant responsible, now a US citizen and successful businessman named Donald Quang. Hershey is commissioned by a fellow Vietnam veteran to carry out a 'routine check' into Quang's background, ostensibly for business reasons. Complications multiply quickly as it emerges that the Lieutenant's senior NCO is already on his way to the US.