Stories
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI by O.Henry
Read by Kim Cattrall
Kim is an acclaimed film, stage and TV actress whose most recent credits include Filthy Rich, Tell Me a Story, Modus, The Witness for the Prosecution and Sensitive Skin (On which she also served as Executive Producer).
She's a Golden Globe and Screen Actor's Guild winner. On film she has appeared in Horrible Histories: The Movie, Mannequin, Roman Polanski's
Ghost Writer, Star Trek IV – The Undiscovered Country and Sex and the City 1 & 2.
Her West End theatre credits include Sweet Bird of Youth, Antony & Cleopatra, Private Lives, The Cryptogram and Whose Life is it Anyway?
THE FISHING BOAT PICTURE by Alan Sillitoe
Read by Garry Cooper
Garry’s recent theatre includes Ghost Stories, The White Devil, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry VI trilogy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Last Days of Troy, Brassed Off, King Lear and The New Statesman. On TV he’s appeared in New Tricks, Zen, Criminal Justice, Midsomer Murders, Charles II,
In A Land of Plenty, Taggart, The Vice and Gangs of London.
His film work includes Quadrophenia, Caravaggio, Prick Up Your Ears,
An Ungentlemanly Act, P’Tang Yang Kipperbang, 1984, Beautiful Thing, Biblioteque Pascal and Universal Soldier: Regeneration.
THE SIGNAL by Guy de Maupassant
Read by Victoria Blunt
Victoria’s theatre credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Prism (National Tour), Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Twelfth Night, Lady Windemere's Fan, Romeo and Juliet (UK & International Tour), Dead Funny and Love's Labour's Lost. Her screen credits include the feature film Ammonite and the TV series Borderline.
COUSIN TERESA by Saki
Read by Tim Bentinck
Tim has played David Archer in The Archers since 1982. His theatre credits include Pirates of Penzance, Reluctant Heroes, The Beaux' Stratagem, Hedda Gabler, A Doll's House, Arcadia, Charlie’s Aunt and Night Must Fall. On TV he has appeared in Tales of the Unexpected, Boon, Tigers of Kumaon, Three Up, Two Down, Four Minute Mile, Smuggler, Melba, Sharpe's Rifles, Grange Hill, The Bill, Kingdom and White House Farm Murders. Films include North Sea Hijack, Pirates of Penzance, Winter Flight, Year of the Comet, Twelfth Night and
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
MURDER IN BOGOTA by David Horovitch
Read by David Horovitch
David is probably best remembered for his performance as Inspector Slack in Miss Marple. His numerous other TV credits include Foyle’s War, Midsomer Murders and Holby City. He has played leading parts at The National Theatre and The RSC, played Handel in All the Angels at The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and performed in The West End many times. His films include
Mr Turner, 102 Dalmatians and Solomon & Gaenor.
THE ODD SOCK by David Sterne
Read by David Sterne
David’s films include The Last Witness, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Don't Forget Your Hat, Allies, 300: Rise Of The Empire, The Boat That Rocked, The Wolfman, Rocknrolla, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire. On stage he has appeared in Rootless Island Baby, Treasure Island, The Merry Wives Of Windsor, The Mouse and his Child, Cymbeline and Get Santa! His TV credits include Bridgerton, Gentleman Jack, Casualty, Detectorists, Free Rein, Vikings, The Coroner and Red Dwarf.
INDISCRETION by Guy de Maupassant
Read by Rebecca Phillips
Rebecca is a multi-disciplinary artist. She combines lyricism, film, theatre sound and the latest technology to form storyscapes and experiences where audio and visual coalesce. Her self-directed music videos and song releases have been recognised by HYPEBEAST, Resident Advisor, i-D, BBC Radio 1 XTRA, Notion, Complex UK, CLASH and more. Theatre includes acting in Parallax at the Almeida, writing and performing in Tentacles at the Lyric Hammersmith, as well as performing in a scratch of her play, Hoops at Hackney Showroom. Her work can be found at www.rebeccaphillips.xyz
THE THREE HERMITS by Leo Tolstoy
Read by Jack Klaff
Jack’s TV credits include Red Dwarf, Midsomer Murders; Dead in The Water, Ivanhoe, Space 1999, The Case Book Of Sherlock Holmes, The Sweeney, Vanity Fair, Reilly Ace Of Spies, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and Cadfael. Films include Two Years Of Decadence, The Black Spot, Star Wars: A New Hope, For Your Eyes Only, Apostis, King David, Agent X, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and 1871. Theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Frankenstein, Richard II and The Ice Cream Boys.
DEAR GEORGE by Helen Simpson
Read by Amber James
Amber’s theatre work includes Anthony and Cleopatra, Troilus and Cressida and Dido, Queen of Carthage for the Royal Shakespeare Company; Snowflake, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Streetcar Named Desire, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Vassa, The Gathered Leaves and Much Ado About Nothing. In television and film she has appeared in Doc Martin, Doctors and Ransom.
THE SKYLIGHT ROOM by O'Henry
Read by Chris Hollis
Chris is an actor, writer and director. Theatre includes Translations, What the Butler Saw, Ivanov, Murder in the Cathedral, MAMMA MIA! For the RSC: Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Twelfth Night. Other Shakespearean productions: Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Henry and Hamlet. Recently, a UK tour of My Cousin Rachel. TV credits include A Touch of Frost, EastEnders, The Bill, Life Begins, Brookside, A Serpent in Eden, Take A Girl Like You and Das Boot Series 2.
LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by Roald Dahl
Read by Eva Feiler
Eva’s theatre credits include Black Chiffon, Macbeth, Square Rounds, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Dog Beneath the Skin, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Northanger Abbey, Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth. Her screen credits include Father Brown.
THE SAD STORY OF A DRAMATIC CRITIC by HG Wells
Read by Constantine Gregory
Constantine’s film credits include Jolt, The King's Man, Wonder Woman 1984, 6 Underground, Night Train, Thick As Thieves and Blood: The Last Vampire. On TV he has appeared in Gangs Of London, Sparebnb, The Tunnel, Whitechapel, Strike Back and The Company. His stage credits include Crossing Jerusalem, Antony And Cleopatra, Coriolanus and The Good Woman Of Szechuan.
THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN by Kenneth Grahame
Read by Stephanie Fayerman
Stephanie’s TV credits include EastEnders, Scarborough, Sick Of It, Modern Horror Stories: When Harry Met Sally, Victoria, Father Brown, Doc Martin and Doctors. On stage she has appeared in Outside Mullingar, Russian Dolls,
Love, Work & The Vote, All Creatures Great & Small, The Hostage and
The York Realist. Her film credits include Jingle Jangle, Villain, Eaten By Lions
and Sea View.
THE LONG WAY OUT by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Read by Sara Stewart
Sara's numerous film credits include Transformers: The Last Knight,
Face of an Angel, Philomena, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Sightseers, Genova and Batman Begins. Notable TV credits include Doctor Foster,
The Night Manager, Unforgotten, Fresh Meat, Quirke and Sugar Rush.
On stage Sara has played leading roles at the National Theatre, RSC, Donmar Warehouse, the Old Vic, and the Royal Court. In the West End she played Esther in The Price, Myra in Hay Fever and Claudia in Enron.
SIX YEARS AFTER by Katherine Mansfield
Read by Susan Bovell
Susan’s Theatre credits include The Lovely Bones, Calendar Girls, Hay Fever, Twelfth Night, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Oh What a Lovely War, The Merchant of Venice, Loot, Absurd Person Singular, King Lear and Wake, School for Scandal.
Television/Film credits include Brexit, Doctors, Minor Complications, Kiss and Tell, Gaudy Night, Milk, Foreign Affairs, Reflex Action, The Blue Poster and Emma Brody. Radio credits include The House In Paris (series), Wallis, Return Of The Native (series), Black Snow and A Book At Bedtime. Susan has a degree in Voice and has taught at the Moscow Arts.
SMEDDUM by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Read by Matthew Zajac
Matthew’s recent work includes Shetland, One of US and Still Game (BBC) on TV and the feature films The Crucifixion & Valhalla Rising. He is Artistic Director of Dogstar Theatre Company which tours throughout Scotland and internationally. He won Best Actor at the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland for his performance in his solo play The Tailor of Inverness,
which has been seen across the world.
FREE WHITE TOWEL by Carolyn Eden
Read by Heather Bleasdale
Heather’s screen credits include The Bill, Secret Diary of a Call Girl,
Doctor Foster, Mr Selfridge, Little Boy Blue, EastEnders, Coronation Street,
Powers and Merseybeat. She also played Mrs. Granger in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. On stage she has appeared in Out of the Cage, Hungry, Shredding Memories, Stunted Trees & Broken Bridges, Amy's View and The Weir.
THE AXE by Penelope Fitzgerald
Read by Richard Bremmer
Richard has worked extensively in theatre, particularly with the National Theatre and RSC. Plays include Julius Caesar, The Inn At Lydda, Once A Catholic, Shakespeare In Love, Edward II and After Edward. His screen credits include 13Th Warrior, Harry Potter, Control, Les Miserables, Heart Of The Sea and Swallows and Amazons. TV credits include Twelfth Night, Kingdom, The Borgias, Beowulf, The Alienist, Into The Badlands and he can next be seen in the upcoming HBO series The Third Day.
REVERSIBLE by Courttia Newland
Read by Michael Obiora
Michael's recent work includes the television adaptation of Guy Ritchie's Snatch, Luther, Tomb Raider, Max Cordero in Sky 1's international thriller Fortitude, and voicing the lead character, Chike, in the animated series Robozuna. Other notable roles include Hotel Babylon, Dr Who and Casualty. His stage work includes Elmina's Kitchen and Fallout at the Royal Court. Michael has written two novels, Black Shoes, and Vivian's Couch,
the latter of which is currently being adapted into a six-part TV series.
THE OPEN WINDOW by Saki
Read by Andrew McDonald
Andrew's theatre credits include Ghost Stories (West End and tour), The Night of the Iguana, Art, Lies Low, Aladdin, The Height of the Storm, Kiss Chase, Ink, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Farinelli and the King, The Vote and The Scottsboro Boys. On TV he’s appeared in Crimewatch, The Bill, Murder Not Proven and EastEnders. His radio credits include Hobson’s Choice, Don Carlos, Spring Awakening, Pilgrim’s Progress and An Eye for an Eye.
THE NAIL THAT BENT by Tim Bentinck
Read by Wayne Forester
Wayne’s theatre credits include What the Butler Saw, The Three Musketeers, Batman –The Last Re-run, Fantastical Voyage, Thunderbirds FAB - The Next Generation and South Pacific. Film and TV credits include The Phantom Menace and Gerry Anderson’s Space Precinct. As a voice over artist, he has worked on
A Clockwork Orange, Under Milk Wood, The New Captain Scarlet,
The Likeaballs, Horrid Henry, The Fimbles, The Roly Mo Show and is the voice
of Zebedee for the new series of The Magic Roundabout.
TYPHUS by Anton Chekhov
Read by David Horovitch
David is probably best remembered for his performance as Inspector Slack in Miss Marple. His numerous other TV credits include Foyle’s War, Midsomer Murders and Holby City. He has played leading parts at The National Theatre and The RSC, played Handel in All the Angels at The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and performed in The West End many times. His films include
Mr Turner, 102 Dalmatians and Solomon & Gaenor.
THE SELFISH GIANT by Oscar Wilde
Read by Dominic Goodwin
Dominic's acting credits include tours of Two, Not About Heroes,
September In The Rain and Happy Jack. Multiple roles in
The Mystery Of Irma Vep, as well as two appearances as Hercule Poirot in
Black Coffee and Peril At End House. He was the resident Dame at the
Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond having performed in Mother Goose,
The Adventures Of Sinbad and Babes In The Wood. Other credits include
the BBC Radio 4 play Between The Lines and multiple tours of Holmes & Watson: The Farewell Tour, The Lost World and The Kaiser and I.
A DILL PICKLE by Katherine Mansfield
Read by Jessica Turner
Jessica’s theatre credits include A Song At Twilight, The Fantastic Follies Of Mrs Rich, All My Sons, The Second Mrs Tanqueray and Lettice & Lovage. On Film she has appeared in The Ottoman Lieutenant, The Murder Of Princess Diana and Deeply. Her TV credits include Father Brown, Midsomer Murders, Law & Order UK, New Tricks and Doctors. Her radio credits include Black Eyed Girls,
A Night At The Tate, The Forsytes, The Teahouse Detective and Delicate Matters.
A DUEL by Guy de Maupassant
Read by Andrew Woodall
Andrew’s films include Where Is Anne Frank, Solo: A Star Wars Story, 303 Squadron, The Riot Club, Johnny English Reborn, Hypnotic, The Count Of Monte Cristo and Belle. His TV credits include Des, Grantchester, Lucan, New Worlds, An Adventure In Space And Time and Miranda. On Stage he has appeared in Admissions, Antony And Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, First Light and The Wars Of The Roses.
THE MOUSE by Saki
Read by Ian Bleasdale
On screen Ian is probably best known for playing the character Josh Griffiths in Casualty for 18 years. Other TV credits include Inspector Morse, Crown Court, The Beiderbecke Affair, Andy Capp, Emmerdale, Soldier Soldier, Drop the Dead Donkey, The Brittas Empire, Heartbeat, The Bill, Doctors and Coronation Street. Films include Paternal, Old Unhappy Far Off Things and Wetherby. Stage credits include Sixty Five Miles, Once Upon A Time in Wigan, Talking To Planets, Spend Spend Spend and School For Scandal.
THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH by Edgar Allan Poe
Read by Sir Derek Jacobi
Derek’s extensive theatre credits include Heartbreak House, King Lear, Twelfth Night, A Voyage Round My Father, Hamlet, Don Carlos and
The Tempest. On film he has appeared in Murder On The Orient Express, Stratton, The History Of Love, Cinderella, Grace Of Monaco, Anonymous and The King’s Speech. His TV credits include I, Claudius, Frasier, Vicious,
Last Tango In Halifax, Titanic, The Borgias and Dr Who.
SUMMER OF LOVE by Paul Bailey
Read by Peter Guinness
Peter's numerous film credits include Official Secrets, King Arthur, The Last Boy, Centurion, Sleepy Hollow, The Saint and Alien 3. On TV he's appeared in Cursed, Pennyworth, Catch-22, Chernobyl and Stan Lee's Lucky Man. His stage credits include Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, After Independence, The Crucible, Hamlet, Reunion, Reading Hebron
and The Pianist.
THE FULNESS OF LIFE by Edith Wharton
Read by Abigail McKern
Abigail’s theatre credits include Merchant Of Venice, The Cherry Orchard, Death Of A Salesman, The Magistrate, She Stoops To Conquer and
5 Characters In Search of A Good Night's Sleep. On TV she has appeared in Rumpole Of The Bailey, Pie In The Sky, Bramwell, A Respectable Trade, Psychos and Nicholas Nickleby. Her radio credits include Pictures At Departure, Othello, War And Peace, Fossils and Dear Jayne Brown.
THE QUEEN OF SPADES by Alexander Pushkin
Read by Constantine Gregory
Constantine’s film credits include Jolt, The King's Man, Wonder Woman 1984, 6 Underground, Night Train, Thick As Thieves and Blood: The Last Vampire. On TV he has appeared in Gangs Of London, Sparebnb, The Tunnel, Whitechapel, Strike Back and The Company. His stage credits include Crossing Jerusalem, Antony And Cleopatra, Coriolanus and The Good Woman Of Szechuan.
HOW THE CAMEL GOT HIS HUMP by Rudyard Kipling
Read by Simon Chandler
Simon’s theatre credits include Cock, The Stepmother, For Services Rendered, Wild Honey, Red, The Letter Of Last Resort, The Bomb, Women, Power And Politics, Persuasion, Cause Celebre, All Mouth and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Film credits include A Bridge Too Far, The King’s Speech, The Iron Lady, Vera Drake, Fast Girls, Mr. Turner and The Theory of Everything. On TV he’s appeared in Silent Witness, Teachers, Heartbeat, Coronation St, Foyle's War, Holby City, The Bill, My Family, Midsomer Murders, Doctors,
Land Girls, Silk, Vera and Mr Selfridge.
THE STORYTELLER by Saki
Read by Macy Nyman
Macy’s theatre credits include Plenty, Pack of Lies, The Stepmother, Posh, Peter Pan and The BFG. On TV she has appeared in The Coroner and Poirot: Hallowe’en Party . Her films include Run, Fatboy, Run and Foster. She has performed on radio in Enemies of the System and The Moon That Night for Radio 4.
THE LAST LEAF by O.Henry
Read by Sara Stewart
Sara's numerous film credits include Transformers: The Last Knight,
Face of an Angel, Philomena, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Sightseers, Genova and Batman Begins. Notable TV credits include Doctor Foster,
The Night Manager, Unforgotten, Fresh Meat, Quirke and Sugar Rush.
On stage Sara has played leading roles at the National Theatre, RSC, Donmar Warehouse, the Old Vic, and the Royal Court. In the West End she played Esther in The Price, Myra in Hay Fever and Claudia in Enron.
THE SIGNALMAN by Charles Dickens
Read by Bob Cryer
Bob is perhaps best known to TV audiences as series regular Glenn Donovan in Hollyoaks. He has also appeared in Eastenders, Coronation Street, Holby City, Doctors and The Bill. He was a regular on BBC’s The Interceptor and other tv credits include Victoria Wood and Outnumbered. Theatre credits include The Sting, Into Thy Hands, The Tempest and Ardent Theatre's Party Lines election night project. As a writer he is best known as the co-creator (with his father Barry) of The Mrs Hudson’s Diaries series of books, plays and radio shows for Radio 4.
THE MAGIC SHOP by HG Wells
Read by Joshua Higgott
Josh’s film credits include The Snowman, Darkest Hour, The Mummy, Juliet Remembered, The Machine and 21 Clicks. On stage he has appeared in Hamlet, Oresteia, Ghost Stories, 1984, The Illiad, Shakespeare in Love, Birdsong and The Alchemist. His TV credits include The Witcher, McMafia and Black Mirror - "Hang the DJ".
THE WIND BLOWS by Katherine Mansfield
Read by Malcolm Sinclair
Malcolm's TV credits include Pie in the Sky, Anna Karenina, Midsomer Murders, Virtuoso, Tubby and Enid, Worricker, Silk, Henry V and Parade's End. His films include The Man Who Knew Infinity, Survivor, A Belfast story,
The Young Victoria, Casino Royale, V for Vendetta and The Statement.
His extensive theatre credits include The Light in the Piazza,
An Enemy of the People, Pressure, This House, Ivanov, The Meeting,
Songs of the 1916 Rising, Bliss: Morning Heroes and Temple.
DEATH BY SCRABBLE by Charlie Fish
Read by Richard Sutton
Richard's theatre credits include Ghost Stories (West End & Tour),
The Cow Play (Brighton Festival Theatre), Transmissions, Tall Phoenix, Confusions, Romeo & Juliet and The Libertine. On screen he has appeared in Sherlock, Line Of Duty, The Crown, The Terror, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Casualty, Doctors, The Tunnel, Humans, Silent Witness, Gigglebiz,
Come Fly With Me, The Missing, Miranda and Hustle.
He is also co-creator of OnceUponAQuarantine.com
THE MONKEY'S PAW by W.W. Jacobs
Read by Robert Pickavance
Robert’s theatre credits include Dr Korczak's Example, A View From The Bridge, Around The World In 80 Days, Hamlet and A Christmas Carol. His varied television career has seen him play roles in Cheated, A Study In Time, Coronation St, A Touch Of Frost and Emmerdale. Robert’s recent radio work includes Special Measures, Chrysalids, Higher (3rd Series), The Dying Wish, Woyzeck and Solace.
MARRIAGE A LA MODE by Katherine Mansfield
Read by Jane Hollington
Jane’s theatre credits include A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg,
A Woman Of No Importance, Bottom's Dream, Impact, The Country Wife,
The Good Doctor and The Rape Queen. On TV she is best known for her performances in Benidorm and Coronation Street.
THE TINDERBOX by Hans Christian Anderson
Read by Mike Grady
Mike is best known for his role as Barry Wilkinson in the long-running BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine. Other TV credits include Citizen Smith,
Shakespeare & Hathaway, Endeavour, Vanity Fair, Midsomer Murders, Casualty and Skins. His films include Carry On Loving, The Return of the Pink Panther and Sherlock Holmes; A Game of Shadows. His theatre credits include
Seventeen, Taken At Midnight, Black Comedy, Henry VI and Much Ado About Nothing.
TOBERMORY by Saki
Read by Kevin McNally
Kevin has had a long and distinguished career both on screen and on stage. His film credits include Valkyrie, Legend, Conspiracy, Phantom of the Opera and has played the role of Gibbs in five Pirates and the Caribbean films. On TV he’s appeared in Downton Abbey, Shackleton, 24: Live Another Day, Supernatural and Designated Survivor. His theatre credits include Boeing Boeing, The Lady in the Van, Naked, Dead Funny, The Iceman Cometh and the title role of King Lear at The Globe.
BOULE DE SUIF by Guy de Maupassant
Read by Kathryn Pogson
Kathryn’s TV credits include Vera, Midsomer Murders
Foyle's War, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, The Bill, Eskimo Day, Family Money and Reckless. On film she has appeared in The Arbor, The Life Class, The Last Hangman, Breakfast on Pluto, Company of Wolves and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. Her theatre credits include Antigone, The Bachae, Blood Wedding, 66 Books, Legacy, Carver, Girl Watching, Just Between Ourselves and Cherished Disappointments of Love.
THE MIXER by P.G.Wodehouse
Read by Tim McInnerny
Tim is probably best known for playing the roles of Lord Percy in two series of Blackadder and Captain Darling in Blackadder Goes Forth. Other TV and film roles include Notting Hill, 101 Dalmatians, Peterloo, Eddie The Eagle,
Edge of Darkness, New Tricks and Game of Thrones. On stage he has appeared in Scenes From An Execution, What The Butler Saw,
Hedda Gabler, Othello, The Lady From The Sea and Mappa Mundi.
THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE by Oscar Wilde
Read by Tom Clegg
Tom’s theatre credits include Twelfth Night, Skrik, Greyscale, Broken and Buggy Baby. On television, he has played roles in A Discovery Of Witches, The Trip To Spain, Doctors, And Then There Were None
and Doctors. His varied audio work includes The Ten Types Of Human,
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, First Of The Tudors and The Sinking Admiral.
BIRDS by Bruno Schulz
Read by Matthew Zajac
Matthew’s recent work includes Shetland, One of US and Still Game (BBC) on TV and the feature films The Crucifixion & Valhalla Rising. He is Artistic Director of Dogstar Theatre Company which tours throughout Scotland and internationally. He won Best Actor at the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland for his performance in his solo play The Tailor of Inverness, which has been seen across the world.
THE INN by Guy de Maupassant
Read by Hugh Ross
Hugh's TV credits include The Team, An Honourable Woman, Poirot, Absolutely Fabulous, Midsomer Murders and notably as Major Mungo Munro in Sharpe’s Gold, Sharpe’s Battle and Sharpe’s Sword. Films include Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, Patriot Games, Trainspotting, Charlotte Gray, Before You Go, The Four Feathers, and most recently The Iron Lady. Recent theatre includes Twelfth Night for English Touring Theatre, Macbeth with James McAvoy and Hamlet with John Simm.
BLOCKED by Zadie Smith
Read by Adeel Akhtar
Adeel’s screen credits include Four Lions, Pan, The Dictator, Capital, River, The Night Manager, Back to Life, Utopia and The Nest. In 2016 Akhtar appeared as Shahzad in the BBC one-off drama Murdered by My Father for which he received a BAFTA for Best Actor. On stage he has appeared in
A Christmas Carol, Hamlet, Satyagraha, Wuthering Heights and In My Name.
THE NECKLACE by Guy de Maupassant
Read by Phyllis Logan
Phyllis is probably best known for playing Mrs Hughes in six series of Downton Abbey. Other screen credits include Doctor Who, Girlfiriends, Good Karma Hospital, Bones: The Lost Love In The Foreign Land, Vera, Touch Of Frost and Lovejoy. On stage she has appeared in Switzerland, Present Laughter, Richard III, Gaucho, Marvin's Room, On The Edge,
Minor Complications and The Hired Man.
OH, WHISTLE, AND I'LL COME TO YOU, MY LAD by M.R. James
Read by Andy Nyman
Andy's TV includes: Hanna, Wanderlust, The Eichmann Show, Psychobitches, Campus, Dead Set and Peaky Blinders. On film he has appeared in
The Commuter, Death at a funeral, Kick-Ass2, The Glassman, Black Death,
The Brothers Bloom, Severence and Judy. His theatre credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Hangmen, Assassins, Abigail's Party and Ghost Stories.
A PAINFUL CASE by James Joyce
Read by Paul Rhys
Paul's theatre credits include Uncle Vanya, The Master & Margarita, Measure For Measure, Hamlet, King Lear and Long Day's Journey Into Night. On TV he has appeared in Discovery Of Witches, Rellik, Turn, Victoria and Casanova.
His films include Eliminate Archie, Unknown Things, Hellraiser:d Deader and The 10 Commandments.
THE LUMBER ROOM by Saki
Read by Preston Nyman
Preston's film and television credits include Crooked House, Catch-22,
Silent Witness, This Country of Ours, Doctors, Doc Martin and Stath Lets Flats.
On stage he played George in George’s Marvellous Medicine (2017/18, Curve/Rose Kingston/UK Tour) and appeared in Ghost Stories at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith and in its West End run at the Ambassadors.
THE LADY WITH THE DOG by Anton Chekhov
Read by Peter Wight
Peter's TV credits include A Confession, This Time with Alan Partridge , Vanity Fair, The Crown Series 2 and Brief Encounters. His extensive theatre career includes roles in Uncle Vanya, Rosmersholm, Early Doors Live,
The Birthday Party and Hamlet. His film credits include Only You,
The Sense of an Ending, Another Mother's Son, Tresspass Against Us and
The Program.
BLACK FLOWER by Edna O'Brien
Read by Suzanne Bertish
Suzanne has had a long and distinguished career within Film, TV and the Theatre. She was nominated for a Tony for The Moliére Comedies and has appeared on Broadway in Machinal, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Wit, Salome
and the RSC's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Her screen credits include The Hunger, Bent, Red Dwarf and The Upside of Anger.
THE TELL-TALE HEART by Edgar Allan Poe
Read by David Horovitch
David is probably best remembered for his performance as Inspector Slack in Miss Marple. His numerous other TV credits include Foyle’s War, Midsomer Murders and Holby City. He has played leading parts at The National Theatre and The RSC, played Handel in All the Angels at The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and performed in The West End many times. His films include
Mr Turner, 102 Dalmatians and Solomon & Gaenor.
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Read by Tabitha Grove
Tabitha has toured in The Good Doctor, Broken and Impact with ClapTrap Theatre, Sherlock Holmes, A Working Hypothesis with the Flanagan Collective and most recently The Barber and Sue and Hiding with Me & Thee Theatre -
a joint collaboration with playwright Libby Pearson.
She is also a professional costumier working on such productions as ITV's Victoria and Tiger Aspect's Peaky Blinders.
SREDNI VASHTAR by Saki
Read by Simon Callow
Simon is an acclaimed actor, writer and director. His varied theatrical career includes creating the role of Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus. His many one-man shows include Tuesday’s at Tesco’s, The Mystery of Charles Dickens, Being Shakespeare, De Profundis, A Christmas Carol, and Inside Wagner’s Head. He has appeared in many films including A Room with a View, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love, Phantom of the Opera, Viceroys House and Hampstead.
SUNSTROKE by Ivan Bunin
Read by David Morrissey
David's television work includes The Singapore Grip, Inside No.9, Britannia,
The City And The City, The Missing, Dr Who, Blackpool, State Of Play and the award winning series The Walking Dead.
His varied theatre credits include The End Of History, Julius Caesar, Hangmen, Macbeth , Peer Gynt, King John and In A Dark Dark House.
TALENT by Anton Chekhov
Read by Amber James
Amber’s theatre work includes Anthony and Cleopatra, Troilus and Cressida and Dido, Queen of Carthage for the Royal Shakespeare Company; Snowflake, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Streetcar Named Desire, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Vassa, The Gathered Leaves and Much Ado About Nothing. In television and film she has appeared in Doc Martin, Doctors and Ransom.
AN UNCOMFORTABLE BED by Guy de Maupassant
Read by Hugh Simon
Hugh is best known for his portrayal of the character Malcolm Wynn-Jones in the television series Spooks. His other TV credits include Shackleton, Attachments, Cold Feet, North Square, Big Bad World, and Unusual Suspects (an episode of Highlander: The Series).
He has also appeared on stage in the 2005 London revival of Epitaph for George Dillon, and in the film Possession.
THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER by DH Lawrence
Read by Hugh Bonneville
Hugh is probably most recognised for his portrayal of Robert Crawley,
Earl of Grantham in ITV’s historical drama Downton Abbey. It ran for six series and, in 2019, was turned into a major motion picture. Other film and television credits include Paddington, The Hollow Crown, Notting Hill, Monuments Men, Iris, W1A, Twenty Twelve, Rev and Doctor Who.
His varied stage career includes roles in Shadowlands, An Enemy of the People, The Cherry Moo, Cloaca, US and Them and The Handyman.