Showing results by author "BBC" in All Categories

Cindy Murphy is the early 2000s poster girl for having it all. A top job in finance in Manhattan, two delightful daughters and a house in the suburbs. But Cindy’s life is built on a lie. She’s really a Russian spy sent to live in deep cover in the US and send intel back to Moscow. Rosamund Pike narrates this true story documentary about an extraordinary woman who deceives her friends, neighbors, boss and even her children.

Have you ever noticed that when you do something positive to your body, your mood lifts too? Our minds and bodies are more connected than you could ever imagine and the latest science is proving just that. In this podcast, Psychologist Kimberley Wilson explores a range of activities that can help to boost your focus, energy and overall mental wellbeing. And she’ll reveal her easy take-home tips and tricks that you can add to your daily routine to help you get started right away - whether you want to reboot with a nap, take a cold water splash, or reap the benefits of a burst of morning sun.

In today's fast-paced world, most people are familiar with feeling stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. But a remarkable resource exists to ease these problems – nature. BBC Studios Natural History Unit and environmental psychologist Alex Smalley have teamed up to create immersive natural soundscapes that will help you unlock this incredible healing potential. Whether it’s learning to tap into the awe-inspiring power of thunderstorms or replenishing your attention with the sound of the rainforest, each soundscape will help to unlock mental health benefits that are grounded in academic research.

"Jack and the Beanstalk", read by Lenny Henry
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears", read by Sheridan Smith
"Puss in Boots", read by Lenny Henry
"Snow White", read by Sheridan Smith. Here are four fantastic stories, full of magic and fun, that young children are sure to love!

“I am not Nicholas Rossi!” gasps Arthur Knight through an oxygen mask in March 2022. Recently discharged from a Covid ward in Glasgow, he's in a wheelchair. The police say he’s Nicholas Rossi, suspected of faking his death and wanted for rape in Utah. The story makes headlines globally.

This six-part comedy series was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1988. Hosted by Stephen Fry, accompanied each week by Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Emma Thompson, and a selection of guests including Phyllida Law, Robert Bathurst, Julia Hills, and Alison Steadman, the show takes the form of a roundtable discussion, interspersed with sketches that veer tangentially from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Panel game in which the contestants are challenged to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition on any subject that comes up on the cards

An unsettling collection of full-cast dramas from the long-running BBC Radio 4 horror series. Throughout five series of Fear on 4 from 1988-1997, Edward de Souza was The Man in Black, a sinister raconteur who introduced a weekly half hour of terror and suspense. Here, he welcomes us to his house of horrors as he presents 13 terrifying tales that will make your flesh crawl. With eerie sound effects that enhance the atmosphere of dread, these bloodcurdling adaptations run the gamut from the mysterious to the macabre. With superb casts including Imelda Staunton, Bernard Cribbins, Anna Massey, Thora Hird and Sean Barrett.

In this popular collection, actors Andrew Branch and Anne Rosenfeld perform over 50 fantastic nursery rhymes, from familiar favourites to lesser-known gems, speaking the rhymes aloud and chatting about their meanings. As they listen, children are encouraged to think about and appreciate the words, increasing their communication skills as they join in and play. This unique collection brings to life traditional nursery rhymes with music and sound effects to thrill a new generation, and is ideal for preschool children who can listen and follow along.

A fun collection of all-time favourite pre-school playgroup songs for everyone to enjoy....

Robin of Locksley returns from the Crusades to find his people starving and oppressed by the new Sheriff of Nottingham. Under this tyrannical regime, the slightest crime attracts the heaviest punishment, and dissent is impossible. Robin soon discovers that the only way to reason with the Sheriff is with bow and arrow, even if it means sacrificing his lands and becoming an outlaw. This exciting adventure is read by Richard Armitage, who plays Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood. It also features Robin and his loyal band of brothers, as seen in the hit BBC TV series.

A bumper collection of classic fun and games from one of BBC Radio 4's best-loved and most enduring comedy panel games. The inimitable Humphrey Lyttelton is in the chair for these 36 hilarious editions, collected together for the first time. He presides over regular players Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Willie Rushton, plus guests including Stephen Fry, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, Paul Merton, Sandi Toksvig and Jeremy Hardy.

December 2022 marks 55 years of Just a Minute, Radio 4's longest-running and most beloved panel game. To commemorate this milestone, this special collection comprises five classic series of the hit show from 2010 and 2011, featuring a wealth of favourite panellists attempting to prove they have the gift of the gab.

Hosted once again by the incomparable Sandi Toksvig, these four series of the satirical radio panel game take us through all the big stories of 2013, the year of Obama's inaugaration, Margaret Thatcher's funeral, Prince George's birth and Andy Murray's first Wimbledon win. Series 79 features a 'Best of 2012' compilation show and 'The News Now Quiz Show', hosted by Rory Bremner, which sees Sandi and fellow News Quizzer Jeremy Hardy take on The Now Show's Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis in the ultimate topical smackdown. And the specials don't stop there: Series 81 also includes an Edinburgh edition.

Brian Cox and Robin Ince present a witty, irreverent look at the world according to science. The Infinite Monkey Cage has become one of BBC Radio 4's most popular science-based programmes. Well-known guests featured in this collection include Dave Gorman, Sara Pascoe, Dara O Briain, Alexei Sayle, Ross Noble, Eric Idle, Jo Brand, Lee Mack, Josie Long, Katy Brand and Stephen Fry.

It's not what you know but who you know that matters...and, indeed, how well you know them. The show is a bit like ‘Mr and Mrs’, except that it's not played by husbands and wives. Instead, panellists can pick anyone they like: dad, cousin, best friend, mother-in-law. What is Bridget Christie's worst fear? Or Ainsley Harriott's worst habit? Or Seann Walsh's worst gig? All these burning questions, and more, will be answered in this BBC comedy panel show hosted by Miles Jupp, where panellists are tested on how well they know their nearest and dearest.

Born the same year as Radio 4 itself, Just a Minute is one of the BBC's longest-running and most popular panel games. In these five series from 2016-2018, collected together to mark the 55th birthday of the show, Nicholas Parsons presides over more hilarious linguistic shenanigans. Highlights include a festive edition, Just a Minute Does Panto!, which sees the players journeying through Panto-land in search of the missing Golden Whistle. Also featured is Just a Minute: 50 Years in 28 Minutes, which was specially compiled to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary.

Another bumper collection of classic fun and games from one of BBC Radio 4's best-loved and most enduring comedy panel games. The inimitable Humphrey Lyttelton is in the chair for these 25 hilarious editions (including the very first episode from 1972) plus two volumes of vintage 'Live' recordings (ad libs, retakes, warm-ups and all), a 35th anniversary special edition, and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Desert Island, in which famous fans Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent and Germaine Greer choose their favourite 'Clue' moments.

First broadcast in 1967, Just a Minute is Radio 4's longest-running panel game, and a national institution. These five series from 2015-2016, brought together in one collection to commemorate the show's 55th anniversary, feature some of the most magical moments in JAM's history—among them David Tennant's spectacular performance, speaking for an uninterrupted minute in his very first show.

A collection of classic nursery rhymes and songs brought to you by the BBC. Join in with over 40 minutes of fun with familiar favourite rhymes including This Little Piggy, Incy Wincy Spider and Baa Baa Black Sheep. Pre-schoolers will love to sing, dance and learn with this traditional compilation of 30 cheerful songs. Head down to the farm with Old McDonald, count with One Potato Two Potato and discover the delightful joys of Hey Diddle Diddle with a CD that will soon become an essential soundtrack to those precious early years.