A collection of audio files more 'documentary in nature ...but just as dramatic.

Many thanks to Susan for for contributions to this page.
Currently for T2 and T3 contributors only. Download here.

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Anton Chekhov: How Chekhov Speaks to Us. Celebrating 150 years of the great man, Penelope Wilton, Miriam Margolyes and Lynne Truss reflect on how Chekhov's work still resonates. Drama related files will be available.

Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life In Letters. Letters written by the author to his mother Mary Doyle, read by Forbes Masson and John Dougal.

Beatrix Potter:A Life In Nature. Lindsay Duncan reads from the biography of the much-loved 20th century children's writer Beatrix Potter by Linda Leer.

Brian Johnston: The much loved cricket commentator Brian Johnston performs his hilarious 1993 one-man show at London's Richmond Theatre.

Casanova: The story of Giacoma Casanova. Born to a family of actors in Venice, sickly Giacomo is expected to die. Benedict Cumberbatch reads Ian Kelly's biography.

Charles de Gaulle: Monsieuer Non. Julian Jackson explores the contradictory and complex nature of the man who was happy to say 'yes' to making London his wartime HQ and rallying point, but 'Non' when twenty years later Britain was petitioning to join the Common Market.In fact it's not too far-fetched to suggest that De Gaulle's apparent perversity was at least partly responsible for Britain's long-standing ambivalent feelings towards Europe and the EU over the last fifty years...

Charles Hawtrey: That Funny Fellow with the Glasses. Charles Hawtrey is one the most recognisable characters from the Carry On film series, but it is his hidden talents and tragic decline that this programme reveals.Hawtrey was a man destined for stardom: a silent film actor by five, England's leading boy soprano by twelve, a self-taught classical pianist, theatrical producer, film director and prolific radio star. He eventually moved into television and found a "worldwide identity" through his twenty four Carry On roles. However, during the latter part of his career he ended up an alcoholic appearing in low-rate stage shows. His sad decline and life before the Carry Ons is revealed by writer and broadcaster Wes Butters, who after several years of research has collected recordings with the people closest to Hawtrey and has access to unseen private papers which uncover a remarkable story. A revealing insight into Charles Hawtrey, one of Britain's most memorable comedy actors.

Cleopatra: The Last Queen of Egypt. Joyce Tyldesley's biography reveals the truth behind the myths surrounding a highly intelligent ruler who steered her kingdom through turbulent times.Read by Haydn Gwynne.

Dr David Boder: I Did Not Interview The Dead. In 1946, psychologist Dr David Boder travelled across the American zones of war-torn Europe to record 120 interviews that remain unique.In Yiddish, Polish, German, Spanish and English, mostly Jewish young men, women and orphan children were asked to tell their personal stories of survival and loss in the world of Nazi concentration and death camps.Boder also gathered from them the songs of the ghettos.These recordings are arguably the first ever oral histories and the only contemporary interviews with people who had survived the worst but whose immediate fate was unkown.Alan Dein listens to those still making sense of their terrible experiences.

Dr Johnson: The A-Z of Dr Johnson - Words Words Words. Sue Perkins. The towering figure of Dr Johnson has dominated the classification of English. The publication in 1755 of his dictionary has traditionally been seen as the starting point of the defining of our language, but this was by no means the first dictionary.Sue gets her hands on a precious first edition of the Johnson's Dictionary and, along with biographer Henry Hitchens, meets the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, John Simpson, to find out how Johnson set about his monumental task, which he completed in just nine years. Sue also visits the British Library in the company of antiquarian book seller Karen Thomson, who gives her a whirlwind tour of our earliest dictionaries, with all their attendant quirks and oddities. A Drama related file soon available.

Enid Blyton: A Fine Defence of Enid Blyton. Children's author Anne Fine examines the enduring appeal of the stories of Enid Blyton.Rereading some of the stories that she had loved as a child, Anne is reminded that, despite the years of disapproval and accusations of sexism and racism that have dogged the books, they remain real page turners.Including extracts from an interview with Blyton's only surviving daughter, Imogen Smallwood, and contributions from Blyton's biographer, Barbara Stoney, and leading Blyton scholar Dr David Rudd, Professor of Children's literature at Bolton University. Plus archive recordings of Blyton herself, her elder daughter Gillian Baverstock and her brother Hanley.The reader is Miriam Margolyes.

Galton & Simpson: Very Nearly An Armful - The Galton & Simpson Story. After meeting in a tuberculosis sanatorium in 1949, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson started writing for the hospital's radio station and within two years they were writing for the UK's top comic talent. In a move that changed comedy for ever, the pair insisted that comedy should not be interrupted by howling crooners, whistling hillbillies or harmonica players, but instead should reflect life as it is. The show they created, Hancock's Half Hour, was so popular that pubs and shops complained that it was causing them to lose business.

George Bush Jnr: Bremner on Bush - A Final Farewell. Rory Bremner considers the rhetorical evolution of George W Bush, from gaffe-prone candidate to grandiose war president. He considers whether Bush grew to become an effective orator and who was responsible for writing the words he spoke and examines some of his key speeches and phrases. Featuring contributions from political commentators and former Bush speechwriters.
Ira Aldridge: The Negro Tragedian. Kwame Kwei-armah traces the life and work of Ira Aldridge, a black actor who defied racial prejudice to become one of Britain's finest Shakespearean actors.When Aldridge first appeared on the London stage in 1825, he was enthusiastically received by the public but the critics hated him, The Times going so far as to say that he could not pronounce English properly, 'owing to the shape of his lips'. Here was a black man daring to break into the heartland of the British 'classics', which had hitherto been the exclusive domain of white actors.But, undeterred by the racial hostility of the press, Aldridge became a perpetually touring player, an exotic 'star', honing his skills in the provinces and across Europe. In a career spanning 30 years, he became one of Britain's finest Shakespearean players, and had more honours showered upon him than any other actor of his time.Kwame Kwei-armah tells the story of Ira Aldridge, one of Britain's finest tragedians.

 Jimmy Jewel: A Jewel In The Comedy Crown. Jason Manford pays tribute to Jimmy Jewel, one of the most enduring showbusiness entertainers of the 20th century.Born in December 1909, Jewel, probably best remembered today for his fractious double act with Hylda Baker in the 1960s and 70s comedy Nearest and Dearest, first took to the stage aged four. Later, as part of the variety double act Jewel and Warriss, he became a popular music hall star. Jewel continued a successful career on radio, stage and screen before cementing his position as one of the great survivors and adapters when he made the transformation to accomplished straight actor.Jimmy Jewel's story reflects the changing face of British light entertainment over 60 years, and this programme is peppered with classic Jewel archive and includes contributions from actor Jean Boht and variety entertainer John Styles.

John Betjeman: The Betjeman Letters - 1924 to 1951. John Betjeman (1906-1984) was not simply one of the best-loved contemporary English poets but was also one of the best-loved Englishmen of the twentieth century. He was never, nor strove to be, the darling of intellectuals or academics, but became the darling of the ordinary man in the street.

John F Kennedy: The First Pop President. Perhaps like no other world leader the life of JFK still intrigues and fascinates, despite it being nearly 50 years since his untimely death. Robert Vaughn looks back at how JFK changed politics forever, shaped the 1960s and assesses why the world is still enraptured by JFK.

John Mortimer: John Mortimer's Life, Love And The Law. Sir John Mortimer, playwright and creator of Rumpole shares his life story, writings and poetry with friends.The novelist, playwright, QC and Rumpole creator entertains an audience with his favourite readings, poems and reminiscences.

Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash of Easter Cash. Johnny Cash is an all-American hero, yet he discovered that his ancestors came from a small village in Scotland.A chance conversation on a transatlantic flight led him to trace his family roots to Easter Cash in Fife.Sarfraz Manzoor goes in search of the Cash connection.

Jon Pertwee: An Hour with Jon Pertwee. Time Lord. Scarecrow. Naval officer. Is there nothing Jon Pertwee couldn't do? Jon himself enthralls us with tales of his life.

Julian & Sandy The Bona History Of Julian And Sandy. Ooooh innee bold! Maureen Lipman introduces this celebration of all things dolly about the camp twosome double act Julian and Sandy, from the popular radio series `Round the Horne.' Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick's gay characters captured the hearts of the nation at a time when being gay was illegal, and writers Barry Took and Marty Feldman often had to fight the censors.

Kenneth Williams: The Pain of Laughter. The Last Days of Kenneth Williams. Rob Brydon explores the complex character of Kenneth Williams, a gifted and articulate performer at odds with his public persona. Kenneth's inner circle of friends offer an insight into his passions and private world, revealing an intelligent and spiritual man grappling with his declining career and health.

Kim Phuc. It's My Story- The Girl in the Picture. Kim Phuc, subject of an iconic picture from the Vietnam War, tells her story as she's reunited with the ITN reporter who helped save her life 38 years ago. The image of a nine year old girl screaming as she ran naked down a road in Trang Bang after suffering extreme burns in a Napalm chemical attack became one of the most famous photographs of the Vietnam War. But what happened to the 'Girl in the Picture'?
In an emotional meeting, former ITN reporter Christopher Wain - who helped to save her life that day - is reunited with Kim for the first time in 38 years.
They recall the events of June 8th 1972 and Kim hears for the first time the lengths to which Chris went to get her life-saving treatment.
She tells how Nick Ut's Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph has helped and haunted her in equal measure. She explains how she was recruited as a 'symbol of war' before finally escaping Government control by fleeing to Canada.
She managed to live a normal life for a while but was discovered by the press again in the 1990s. She soon realised she had to take control of the photograph and decided to use her fame to help others by establishing a charity for child victims of war called 'The Kim Phuc Foundation'.
The burns Kim suffered in 1972 left her scarred for life and still take their toll on her body. She's in constant pain and has to take regular breaks. But it doesn't stop her living a busy life.
As part of the programme, Kim also meets Ali Abbas, who lost both his arms and sixteen members of his family in the Iraq War. The pair share their experiences and Kim offers him advice on living a normal life and finding a way to forgive.

Laurel & Hardy: The Story of Laurel & Hardy (presented by Norman Wisdom). Laurel and Hardy on Tour. Glenn Mitchell examines the impact made by the legendary comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy during their various tours of Europe between 1932 and 1954. Their first visit in 1932 was intended as a holiday but became a whistle-stop tour as fans mobbed the duo wherever they went. Contributors include Laurie Bellew, Harry Worth and members of the public who met them. Listen to 'Stan' from the drama pages here.

Mohammed Ali: When Cassius Met The Beatles. Miami 1964: two legendary 20th-century forces, Cassius Clay and The Beatles, came face to face in a run-down boxing gym. John Wilson gathers eyewitness accounts of this unique encounter, with photographer Harry Benson, writer Robert Lipsyte and fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco.John Wilson tells the tale of an unexpected encounter between The Beatles and Cassius Clay.insert

Nelson: The Latest. Two hundred years after Nelson died at Trafalgar and a mortal became a hero, what is there new to say?

Nico: Femme Fatale: The Story of Nico. Marc Riley tells the story of Christa Paffgen, the German model and actress who would become better known as Nico, the singer with influential 1960s rock band The Velvet Underground. Featuring interviews with her son Ari, her manager during her time in Manchester, Alan Wise, her biographer Richard Witts and John Cale, one of her colleagues in The Velvet Underground.

Noel Coward: Mad Dogs And Englishmen. Edward Seckerson marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Noel Coward in conversation with Sheridan Morley. Includes vintage recordings of Gertrude Lawrence and Coward himself in Private Lives and The Stately Homes of England, plus a wartime song banned by the BBC. Noel Tribute. The centenary of the birth of Noel Ciward falls in 1999, and to mark the anniversary glittering new productions of his plays, comedies and musicals are planned, as well as the publication of previously unknown work. Christopher Cook gives a foretaste of the centenary events, with archive contributions from Coward himself.
PG Wodehouse: Wodehouse Letters. A selection of notes from the shy and reclusive writer PG Wodehouse to his beloved step-daughter Leonora. Read by Simon Cadell.
Philip Toosey: The Colonel of The Bridge on the River Kwai. The story of Burma's real PoW colonel - Philip Toosey.Anton Lesser reads his granddaughter Julie Summers' biography. (Brilliant! - My grandfather was a PoW on this railway and this documentary tells me a little of what he couldn't.)

Sinan, Koca Mimar: Sinan the Magnificent. Koca Mimar Sinan was court architect to one of the most powerful dynasties the world has known: the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century. Responsible for some four hundred sublime and inventive buildings throughout Turkey, the Balkans and the Middle East he is virtually unknown in the West. Why is this? Architectural journalist Jonathan Glancey tells Sinan's astonishing story.

Somerset Maughham: The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham. Barbara Flynn reads from Selina Hastings' biography of Somerset Maugham, which sheds new light on his complex character.

The Marx Brothers: The Marx Brothers On Radio. In 1932, Groucho and Chico Marx made their radio debuts in a series called Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel. The scripts, long thought lost, turned up in the late 1980s and were turned by the BBC into a series of half hour recreations. At the time, all recordings of the original series were thought also to have been lost. Mark Brisenden, who adapted the Flywheel scripts for the successful recreation, has recently acquired one complete episode from the original 1932 show. In this programme he reveals the background to the original series and introduces the first ever broadcast of the only complete show now known to exist. The Groucho Letters. 'I had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it'.A personal epistolary odyssey into the world of Groucho Marx.

The Prime Ministers: Sir Robert Walpole: The first of Nick Robinson's eight portraits is of Sir Robert Walpole, the first and longest serving prime minister, who served from 1721 to 1742. Lord North Nick asks if history has been fair to Lord North, who is remembered as the prime minister who lost America.Sir Robert Peel: Sir Robert Peel, who put the national interest before party interest. Lord Palmerston: Lord Palmerston, whose colourful private life masked his skill at manipulating the press. Benjamin Disraeli: Benjamin Disraeli, who turned his skills as a novelist to politics and became Britain's first Jewish-born prime minister. David Lloyd George: David Lloyd George, who led Britain in the First World War with a presidential approach. Stanley Baldwin: Stanley Baldwin, who led Britain between the world wars and was the first prime minister to master radio. Clement Attlee: Clement Attlee's lack of charisma did not prevent him transforming post war Britain

Tony Hancock: Briers on Hancock. An Echo of Remembered Laughter. Richard Briers looks over the life and career of Tony Hancock, one of Britains greatest comic talents.

Trotsky (Leon): Stalins Nemesis - Nigel Anthony reads from Bertrand M Patenaude's account of the exile and subsequent assassination of Leon Trotsky, who was outmanoeuvred for the leadership of the Soviet Communist Party by Josef Stalin before being exiled, eventually going into hiding in Mexico in the home of the famous artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.
T.S Eliot: Macavity's Not There: TS Eliot in the 21st Century. Michael Alexander explores the place of Eliot, and of poetry in general, in national culture. Eliot may be regarded by some as the most significant poet in the English language over the past 100 years, but how much does he mean to modern readers? Only now are his complete writings undergoing full critical editing, and yet times have changed to a point where poets are regarded as barely relevant by many people, and where Eliot himself is probably best known for the poems which provided the inspiration for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. Michael Alexander enlists the help of Eliot scholar Christopher Ricks and the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams to assess Eliot's influence and the role of poetry in the modern world. Including TS Eliot reading from his own work.

Vincent van Gogh: The Letters. Mark Rylance and Julius D'Silva read from a new edition of Van Gogh's prodigious correspondence.

Violet Gibson: The Woman Who Shot Mussolini. On Wednesday 7 April, 1926 Benito Mussolini is shot at close quarters. Who did it and why? Sinead Cusack reads from Frances Stonor Saunders' account of the troubled life of Violet Gibson, the daughter of an Anglo-Irish lord, who attempted to assassinate Mussolini in Rome in 1926

William Golding:The Man Who Wrote Lord of the Flies. His debut novel, Lord of the Flies, was rejected by many publishers before going on to sell over 20 million copies in Britain alone. Drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished material from the Golding family archive, Carey explores the life and career of an often harshly self-critical novelist.

William Murfitt: Poison Farm - A Murderer Unmasked After 60 Years - William Murfitt was poisoned in 1938 and despite an extensive investigation by Scotland Yard's finest officers the identity of the murderer has remained a mystery until now.

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