Kenneth Cranham has narrated 13 audiobooks on Listento.it by 10 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.7★ across 497 ratings. The most-rated is A Christmas Carol.
A Christmas Carol
Summary
'If I had my way, every idiot who goes around with Merry Christmas on his lips, would be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. Merry Christmas? Bah humbug!' Charles Dickens' ghostly tale of sour and stingy miser Ebenezer Scrooge has captivated readers, listeners and audiences for over 150 years. This Christmas, Audible Studios brings this story to life in an audio drama featuring an all-star cast. Starring: Sir Derek Jacobi as Dickens, Kenneth Cranham as Ebenezer Scrooge, Roger Allam as Jacob Marley, Brendan Coyle as The Ghost Of Christmas Past, Miriam Margolyes as The Ghost Of Christmas Present, Tim Mcinnerny as The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come, Jamie Glover as Bob Cratchit, Emily Bruni as Mrs. Cratchit, Jenna Coleman as Belle, Joshua James as Young Scrooge And Hugh Skinner as Fred
©2016 Audible, Ltd. (P)2016 Audible, Ltd.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Dramatised)
Summary
Smiley, wrestling with retirement and disillusionment, is summoned to a secret meeting with a member of the Cabinet Office. Evidence has emerged that the Circus has been infiltrated at the highest level by a Russian agent. 'Find the mole, George. Clean the stables. Do whatever is necessary.' Reluctantly Smiley agrees, and so embarks on a dark journey into his past a past filled with love, duplicity and betrayal.
Starring the award-winning Simon Russell Beale as Smiley, and with a star cast including Anna Chancellor, Alex Jennings, Kenneth Cranham, and Bill Paterson, this epic dramatisation brilliantly depicts the complicated moral dilemmas of those who practice post-war espionage and illuminates the murky corners of le Carré's classic spy thriller - the first in the Karla trilogy.
©1974 le Carre Productions (P)2009 BBC Audiobooks Ltd
The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection: The Later Years
Summary
Enthralling radio dramatisations of eight of Charles Dickens' much-loved novels.
Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned authors of all time, and this second digital volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes eight of his classic novels.
This collection includes the epic masterpiece David Copperfield, described by Dickens as his 'favourite child'; suspenseful mystery Bleak House; Dickens' most openly political novel, Hard Times; and Little Dorrit, a sweeping tale of imprisonment, poverty and riches. Also included are A Tale of Two Cities, set during the French Revolution; coming-of-age novel Great Expectations; sweeping satire of wealth and corruption Our Mutual Friend; and Dickens' final, unfinished story, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
With a star cast including Robert Glenister, Robert Lindsay, Honeysuckle Weeks, Kenneth Cranham, Sir Ian McKellen, Alison Steadman, Geraldine McEwan, Andrew Scott and Ian Holm, these radio adaptations bring Dickens' imaginative world to colourful, captivating life.
©2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd
Tracks: Series 1 and 2
Summary
Tracks A plane crash. A dead father. A buried secret. A passenger with a missing heart. When Dr Helen Ash witnesses the brutal and disturbing crash of the plane that is carrying her father, the incident sets her on an investigation into a dark conspiracy. Florian Chauvin was flying to Wales to tell his daughter something important, but his plane fell out of the sky. In the aftermath of the crash, Helen discovers that one of the passengers doesn't seem to have a heart. What was Florian coming to tell Helen? Who was he travelling with? And why did his plane crash? A major conspiracy thriller about life, death and the human brain, starring Romola Garai. Tracks became the most successful drama series launched by Radio 4 in 2016. Tracks: Strata Snowdonia, 1980. It’s the dawn of a new decade, and the future is coming. But in the wilds of Snowdonia, the ancient history of the landscape is hard to escape. Rachel Turner is looking for fossils with her four-year-old son, Joe. But when a freak earthquake shakes the land beneath their feet, Joe vanishes. With the help of two locals, Rachel embarks on a desperate search to find her son. But as darkness descends, the secrets hidden in the ancient forests of the mountain are uncovered. A prequel to the first series, series 2 is set 36 years before the events that rocked the life of Helen Ash. Cast of Tracks Helen………………..Romola Garai Freddy……………….Jonathan Forbes Michael……………...Alex Beckett Rosie………………..Susan Jameson Florian……………….Sean Baker K……………………...Rafay Asfi Fisker Lee…………..Kenneth Cranham Other parts played by Suzanne Packer, Richard Nichols, Caroline Berry, Alexandria Riley, Matthew Gravelle, Claire Cage, Richard Mitchley, Pauline McLynn, Paul Courtenay Hyu, Leo Wan, Ruth Lloyd, Tristan Sturrock, Jaimi Barbakoff, John Norton, Paul Copley, Rhodri Meilir, Sam Rix, Nabil Elouahabi, Liz Sutherland and Matilda le Fleming. Written by Matthew Broughton. Directed by James Robinson, Helen Perry and Abigail le Fleming. Original music by Stu Barker. A BBC Cymru Wales Production. Cast of Tracks: Strata Rachel ………………Fiona O’Shaughnessy Ifan…………………...Kai Owen Sam………………….Robert Pugh Afa……………………Betsan Llwyd Charlotte…………….Shelly Rees Ronny………………...Dafydd Emyr Written by Matthew Broughton. Directed by James Robinson. A BBC Cymru Wales production.
©2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd
The Interrogation: The Complete Series 1-5
Summary
Kenneth Cranham and Alex Lanipekun star in these 15 hard-hitting crime dramas.
Chalk and cheese coppers Max Matthews and Sean Armitage are from different generations and different worlds, but together they make a remarkable team. In this powerful, unconventional police procedural, we join the detective duo in the interview room as they practise their unique style of interrogation in a bid to extract a confession.
These 15 dramas all focus on a different suspect, each with their own story and version of events. Among the varied characters we hear from are Rod, a Premier League footballer accused of rape; Jermaine, a ruthless gang leader; Marc, an ex-policeman suspected of domestic violence; and Beverley, who has come into the station to report her elderly father as missing. As the details of their crimes are revealed, we get under their skin and come to understand what motivated them to do what they did.
Compelling and compassionate, these dramas probe some of today’s most troubling moral issues, inviting us to face hard truths but holding out the possibility of redemption. With razor-sharp dialogue and characters that feel entirely authentic, they’ll linger in your mind long after you’ve finished listening.
Series 1
1. Rod
2. Jermaine
3. Sarah
Series 2
1. Marc
2. Grace
3. Simon
Series 3
1. Colin
2. Jonny
3. Kellie
Series 4
1. Tom
2. Riz
3. PC Joanne Laverty
Series 5
1. Beverley
2. Micky
3. Neil
Cast and credits
DS/DI/DCI Max Matthews…Kenneth Cranham
DC/DS Sean Armitage…Alex Lanipekun
Rod Tyler…Joe Sims
Helen Cottol…Katie Angelou
Mother…Tracy Wiles
Jermaine…Anthony Welsh
Sarah…Claire Louise Cordwell
Danny…Carl Prekopp
Marc Johnson…Ben Crowe
Lisa Johnson…Philippa Stanton
Operator…Hannah Wood
Grace Buffong…Noma Dumezweni
Stephen Buffong…Jerome Holder
Simone Parker…Amaka Okafor
Simon Barnes…Sam Swann
Jason…Michael Shelford
Damien…Will Howard
Wendy Harris…Joanna Brookes
Mr Renshaw/Football fan…Nicholas Murchie
Colin Hamilton…Michael Bertenshaw
Gemma…Amy Metcalf
Jonny Foster…Gawn Grainger
Nancy…Dinah Stabb
Kellie…Cush Jumbo
Alan Parke…Clive Hayward
Tom…Luke Norris
Debbie Ross…Susan Brown
Riz….Nabil Elouahabi
Tara…Joanna Horton
Derek…Chris Pavlo
Reporter…Stephen Critchlow
Jordan…Gershwyn Eustache Jr
Joanne…Sally Orrock
Beverley…Adjoa Andoh
Marcel…Jason Maza
Micky…Danny Webb
Neil…Joseph Millson
Sally…Catriona McFarlane
Sarge…Karen Bartke
Football fan…Finlay Robertson
Written by Roy Williams
Produced and directed by Jessica Dromgoole (series 1 and 2) and Mary Peate (series 3 to 5)
Music composed by David Pickvance
©2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd
Smiley's People (Dramatised)
Summary
When a Russian émigré is found murdered on Hampstead Heath, Smiley is called out of retirement to exorcise some Cold War ghosts from his clandestine past. What follows is Smiley the human being at his most vulnerable and Smiley the case officer at his most brilliant; and it makes to a thrilling conclusion his career-long, serpentine battle with the enigmatic and ruthless Russian spymaster Karla.
Starring the award-winning Simon Russell Beale as Smiley, and with a distinguished cast including Anna Chancellor, Lindsay Duncan, Maggie Steed, Alex Jennings and Kenneth Cranham, this enthralling dramatisation captures every nuance of le Carré’s complex and compelling novel - the final book in John le Carré’s Karla trilogy.
©1979 David Cornwell (P)2010 BBC Audiobooks Ltd
BBC Radio Shakespeare: A Collection of Six Tragedies
Summary
Six full-cast BBC Radio productions of Shakespeare's classic tragedies. Treachery, betrayal and fatal power struggles are among the themes of these six iconic productions of Shakespeare's timeless tragedies. Featuring all-star casts, they are introduced by Sir Richard Eyre. Hamlet Shakespeare's powerfully poetic tragedy of murder, madness and revenge stars Michael Sheen as the prince of Denmark, with Kenneth Cranham as Claudius and Juliet Stevenson as Gertrude. Macbeth In this notorious 'Scottish play', a lust for power and the prophecy of three witches transform a brave nobleman into a traitor and murderous tyrant. Ken Stott stars as Macbeth and Phyllis Logan as Lady Macbeth. King Lear The tragic consequences of evil triumphing over truth and of the vanity of old age, are set in motion when Lear banishes his favourite daughter, Cordelia, from court. Starring Corin Redgrave as King Lear, with David Troughton, Geraldine James and Robert Glenister. Othello Evil cunning perverts a once noble mind, as heroic General Othello is destroyed by both his own jealousy and the machinations of the devious Iago. Ray Fearon stars as Othello, with James Frain as Iago. Romeo and Juliet An updated version of Shakespeare's tragedy of feuding families and doomed love, set in modern Verona and starring Douglas Henshall as Romeo and Sophie Dahl as Juliet. Cymbeline When Cymbeline discovers his daughter Imogen's secret marriage to Posthumus, he banishes her husband. But Posthumus' boasts of his wife's chastity provoke lachimo to attempt her seduction. Bill Wallis stars as Cymbeline.
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Doctor Who - Blood of the Daleks, Part 1
Summary
An excellent jumping-on point for new listeners... Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor starts another phase of his adventures with a brand new companion (Lucie Miller - played by the award-winning Sheridan Smith) and an all-star supporting cast. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 7. 'People of Red Rocket Rising, my fellow citizens. Our long night is over. I've been contacted by a benevolent people. They too have known great trials, but they have overcome them and made it their mission to help others do the same. They have offered us refuge and passage to the nearest human worlds. They have the resources, and the patience and compassion, to evacuate every one of us. My fellow citizens, my friends, rescue is at hand!'
©2007 Big Finish Productions (P)2007 Big Finish Productions
Stalingrad
Summary
A two-part radio dramatisation of Vasily Grossman's dark, honest account of the Battle of Stalingrad; a prequel to Life and Fate - plus Stalingrad: Destiny of a Novel. Epic BBC serial Life and Fate stunned radio audiences in 2011, garnering rave reviews for its powerful depiction of a family torn apart by war in Soviet Russia. Now, with this astonishing prequel published in its first ever English translation by Richard and Elizabeth Chandler, we are transported back to the very beginning of Vasily Grossman’s panoramic tale, as the ‘harsh whirlwind’ of war approaches the city of Stalingrad. As Stalingrad opens, we are introduced to the many lives of the Shaposhnikov family and their partners. Atomic scientist Viktor Shtrum struggles with his work for the State and with his own conscience, while his family live, love and work (despite swirling rumours) to run the city’s power stations, factories and hospitals. Meanwhile, at the Front, we meet old-school Bolshevik Commissar Nikolai Krymov in the thick of the Russian army’s pell-mell retreat before Operation Barbarossa and follow the 'unknown' soldiers giving their lives to hold the line at the Volga. This vivid, gripping drama features many of the same acclaimed cast as Life and Fate, including Kenneth Branagh as Viktor Shtrum and Greta Scacchi as Lyuda Shaposhnikova. Accompanying this stellar dramatisation is Stalingrad: Destiny of a Novel, featuring extracts from Grossman's private journal, translated here for the first time and chronicling Stalingrad’s tortuous gestation and long, tormented passage to print. Written and presented by author and historian Catherine Merridale, with readings by Anton Lesser, this five-part series reveals the dramatic backstory behind the classic novel and explores the beginnings of Grossman’s own journey towards Soviet heresy. Written by Vasily Grossman. Translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler. Dramatised by Mike Walker (Part One) and Jonathan Myerson (Part Two). Part One produced and directed by Jonquil Panting. Part Two produced by James Robinson and directed by Jonathan Myerson. Series Producer: Alison Hindell. Original music composed by John Hardy, with Rob Whitehead, and performed by Oliver Wilson-Dixon, Tom Jackson, Stacey Blythe and Max Pownall. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 November-1 December 2019.
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
The Interrogation: The Complete Series 6-8
Summary
Kenneth Cranham and Alex Lanipekun star in these 11 gritty contemporary crime dramas. Idiosyncratic detective duo Max Matthews and Sean Armitage are back for three more series, in which they expertly extract confessions from their suspects during the course of one interview. Their relationship has evolved since they were first paired up, back when Armitage was a rookie constable, but their interrogation technique is as incisive as ever. These 11 compelling dramas all shine the spotlight on a different suspect, each with their own tale to tell - and their own selective version of events. We hear from a wealth of diverse characters including Ross, a young prisoner accused of attacking a fellow inmate; Jack, a respectable writer who has been charged with shoplifting; Dan, whose wife is in hospital after a suicide attempt; and Nadine, a fellow police officer who Sean has known since childhood. As Matthews and Armitage subject them to a grilling, the truth is revealed, in all its messiness and moral complexity. Created by multi-award-winning playwright Roy Williams, The Interrogation's naturalistic dialogue and virtuoso real-time scenes make it a police procedural like no other, and one that grips from start to finish. Cast and credits DCI Max Matthews - Kenneth Cranham DS Sean Armitage - Alex Lanipekun Harry - Rupert Holliday Evans Ross - Billy Seymour Julie - Georgie Glen Jack - Michael Shaeffer PC Kerry - Kerry Gooderson Heather - Jo Martin Clare - Claire Rushbrook Dan - Navin Chowdhry Nadine - Bianca Stephens Evie - Marcia Warren Ronald - Sean Baker PC Jones - Helen Clapp Billy - Daniel Kendrick Officer/Nathan- Joseph Ayre Trevor - David Hounslow Carly - Lizzy Watts Written by Roy Williams Directed by Mary Peate Produced by Jessica Dromgoole Music composed by David Pickvance First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2018 (Series 6), July/August 2019 (Series 7) and September/October (Series 8) Episode guide Series 6 1. Ross 2. Jack 3. Heather Series 7 1. Dan 2. Nadine 3. Evie 4. Billy 5. Carly Series 8 1. Sandra 2. Stephen 3. Tanya and Natalie
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
BBC Radio Shakespeare
Summary
BBC Radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard.
Those decades of experience come to fruition in this production. The intimacy of radio gives full rein to the power of Shakespeare's language, taking the listener into the very centre of Hamlet's emotional and moral turmoil.
Revitalised, original, and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the new millennium.
©1999 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)1999 BBC Worldwide Ltd
Call for the Dead (Dramatised)
Summary
Simon Russell Beale stars in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of John le Carré's first novel, which introduced his most famous character, George Smiley. This dramatisation, set in London in the late 1950s, finds Smiley engaged in the humdrum job of security vetting. But when a Foreign Office civil servant commits suicide after an apparently unproblematic interview, Smiley is baffled. Refusing to believe that Fennan shot himself soon after making a cup of cocoa and asking the exchange to telephone him in the morning, Smiley decides to investigate - only to uncover a murderous conspiracy with its roots in his own secret wartime past. Starring the award-winning Simon Russell Beale as Smiley, and with a distinguished cast including Kenneth Cranham, Eleanor Bron, and Anna Chancellor, this tense, thrilling dramatisation perfectly captures the atmosphere of le Carré's masterful début novel.
©1962 David Cornwell (P)2009 BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Last Days of Grace
Summary
A cricketing legend faces his final innings in this moving BBC radio drama starring Kenneth Cranham and Benedict Cumberbatch. Easter Monday, 1908, and there's snow on the ground as ageing icon W.G. Grace arrives at the Oval to contemplate another day in his lifelong cricketing obsession. He can't face the thought of sitting in the clubhouse and meeting the same old people - so instead, he trudges out in the cold to the groundsman's hut, where he encounters a young stranger. Their talk turns, naturally, to cricket, and the two men recall the highlights of Grace's long career: his debut for the All-England team in 1866, when he made 100 runs on the first day, and his first Test Match at the Oval in 1880 where he scored 152 against Australia, becoming England's first centurion. But those triumphs occurred decades ago, and Grace no longer dominates the world of cricket as he once did. At nearly 60, he knows in his heart that it's time to retire, but he cannot bear the idea of giving up the game he loves. Can the stranger persuade him to bow out with dignity? Written by Nick Warburton, who won the 2007 Peter Tinniswood Award for Best New Play on Radio, this poignant, bittersweet drama stars Kenneth Cranham as Grace, with Benedict Cumberbatch as the young man and Christopher Martin-Jenkins as the Voice of Cricket. Produced by Steven Canny Cast W.G. Grace - Kenneth Cranham GF - Benedict Cumberbatch Voice of Cricket - Christopher Martin-Jenkins First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 24th September 2008
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd