The complete second BBC Radio 4 series written and presented by Sir David Attenborough, featuring all 20 episodes about some of the strangest insects and creatures from around the world. One of the nation's most popular presenters examines 20 marvels of the natural world from his extraordinary and pioneering experiences. How did Sir David track down a giant earthworm? Why does he respect rats? What was the first bribe in nature? Why do well known foods often have two names?
America - Empire Of Liberty: Volume 1: Liberty And Slavery
UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 46 mins)
By David Reynolds
Narrated By David Reynolds
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It celebrates the American achievement and evokes the sound and colour of daily life; it also explores the paradoxes of American history. through three themes - empire, liberty and faith - that together this vivid saga. PART ONE - from the beginnings to the start of the Civil War in 1861 The series is written and presented by David Reynolds - a prize-winning Cambridge historian whose previous work for the BBC includes the 2008 TV series Summits.
America: Empire Of Liberty, Volume 2: Power and Progress
UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 53 mins)
By David Reynolds
Narrated By David Reynolds
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Volume Two of David Reynolds's major BBC Radio 4 series traces America's story from the Civil War to World War Two. This epic narrative tells the saga of the United States through the voices of those who lived it - presidents and farmers, mothers and children, settlers and soldiers, immigrants and Native Americans. This is also the story of how ordinary Americans lived, worked and had fun - with fascinating snapshots of H.J. Heinz, Buffalo Bill, skyscrapers, baseball, the Flappers and Gone with the Wind.
The second series of the Sony Radio Academy Gold Award-winning BBC Radio 4 show in which physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince take a witty, irreverent and unashamedly rational look at the world according to science.
David Attenborough's books and broadcasts have opened the incredible world of natural history to millions of viewers and listeners. Zoo Quest for a Dragon takes us back to one of his earliest projects, when the BBC and London Zoo joined forces on several animal-collecting expeditions.
Narrated By Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Jasmine Hyde, and others
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An engrossing BBC Radio 4 series spanning the history of the home and domestic relationships over the past 500 years, presented by Amanda Vickery. Professor Vickery is one of the most charismatic historians in Britain today. In 'A History of Private Life' she reveals the intimate secrets of life at home, from the Tudor mansion to the modern bedsit.Through letters, diaries and other first-person accounts, we hear the voices of men and women from very different backgrounds telling their stories.
>American is the story of one of the most influential comedians of the modern era. Even though Bill Hicks died over 16 years ago, his reputation has continued to grow. He is still regularly found in top 20 polls of 'best' comedians, and is regarded by many as the 'comedians' comedian' - such is his high regard. This recording is a lasting record of his life, based on hundreds of interviews across America, as told by the people who knew him best.
Stephen Fry presents this intriguing programme charting the history of knowledge, how technology changes our relationship with it, and how we know what we knowKnowledge. The Google generation thinks it doesn't need to carry much of it around in its head any more. Much has already been written about the internet changing the way we think and learn. But is knowledge less valuable than it used to be?
Stephen Fry traces the evolution of the mobile phone, from hefty executive bricks that required a separate briefcase to carry the battery, to the smartphones available today. There are more mobile phones in the world than there are people on the planet. Stephen Fry talks to the backroom boys who made it all possible, and here's how the technology succeeded in ways that the geeks had not necessarily intended.
This compilation of Mark Tully's acclaimed reports from India includes his specially recorded observations. Sir Mark Tully was the BBC's Foreign Correspondent in India from 1972 to 1994. He has become familiar to listeners around the world for his incisive and thought-provoking reports. On this special recording, he looks back at his career, which coincided with a remarkable period in Indian history.
Narrated By Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Jasmine Hyde, and others
Overall
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An engrossing BBC Radio 4 series spanning the history of the home and domestic relationships over the past 500 years, presented by Amanda Vickery. Professor Vickery is one of the most charismatic historians in Britain today. In 'A History of Private Life' she reveals the intimate secrets of life at home, from the Tudor mansion to the modern bedsit.Through letters, diaries and other first-person accounts, we hear the voices of men and women from very different backgrounds telling their stories.
A special compilation from Eyewitness, a unique history of Britain in the 20th Century, written by Joanna Bourke and narrated by Tim Pigott-Smith. Eyewitness provides a rare and fascinating opportunity to hear the events of the century described by those who saw them happen.
The complete second BBC Radio 4 series written and presented by Sir David Attenborough, featuring all 20 episodes about some of the strangest insects and creatures from around the world. One of the nation's most popular presenters examines 20 marvels of the natural world from his extraordinary and pioneering experiences. How did Sir David track down a giant earthworm? Why does he respect rats? What was the first bribe in nature? Why do well known foods often have two names?
Woman's Hour: A Celebration of Mothers is an audiobook that looks at the changing role of mothers over the last fifty years; the relationships that they have enjoyed with their children, how they have juggled the work life balance and how they have challenged the stereotypes and tested the boundaries of what being a mother means.
For most of the time between 1906 and 1914 a young Englishwoman by the name of Millie Graham Polak, together with her husband, shared the same house in South Africa as Mahatma Gandhi and his family; she and Gandhi talked about everything under the sun, and Millie wrote down their conversations, later publishing them in a small book. This programme recreates those revealing exchanges.
Frontline: Reporting from the World's Deadliest Places
UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 24 mins)
By David Loyn
Narrated By David Loyn
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Remember turning on the television and seeing shots of rockets fired at night in the first Gulf War, the first massacre victims in Kosovo, the US bomb that killed women and children in a bunker in Baghdad, and Mullah Omar declaring holy war for the Taliban? The men and women at the Frontline news agency believed the public should see the true horrors of war and courageously went where other news organisations feared to tread. Risking everything to show the truth, they travelled the world's most dangerous places in a quest to live life to the full, a quest some paid for with their lives. This is their story.
A fifth series from BBC Radio 4, in which Stephen Fry examines, with the help of experts, the highways and byways of the English language. In these four episodes he tells 'The Story of X': a letter holy and profane, sexy and chaste; discusses intonation, the "song" of English, and how cadence affects meaning; muses on the art and craft of conversation - and whether true conversation can happen on TV and radio - and ponders the meaning of meaning and the gap between brain and mouth that means language can never truly represent thought.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Dramatised)
ORIGINAL (1 hr and 40 mins)
By Robert M. Pirsig
Narrated By James Purefoy
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James Purefoy stars in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Robert M. Pirsig's multi-million best-selling philosophical novel. One of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance tells the iconic story of a father and son's motorcycle trip across America in the 1960s. Yet it also describes a personal and philosophical journey. Now dramatised for the first time by Peter Flannery and starring James Purefoy, this full-cast drama adds a new and original dimension to a true modern classic.
The Infinite Monkeys, Robin Ince and Brian Cox, return for a new series of irreverent science chatter with a host of guests. The six episodes are: 'What's the North Ever Done for Us?', 'A Balanced Programme on Balance', 'The Origins of Life', 'The Science of Sound', 'I'm a Chemist, Get Me Out of Here', and 'The Science of Christmas'.
Voices of the Powerless: The Crofters' Farewell: Northern Scotland, the Western Isles and the Highland Clearances
UNABRIDGED (31 mins)
By Melvyn Bragg
Narrated By Melvyn Bragg
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Visiting the Hebridean island of Mull today, it's not long before someone mentions the steep decline in population that the Scottish highlands and islands suffered 150 to 200 years ago. And it was a depopulation that the crofters were powerless to do anything about - in a phrase that sounds a knell almost as chilling as today's 'ethnic cleansing', the Highland Clearances are still talked of as one of the most harsh pieces of social manipulation in Britain's history. A long-drawn-out lament mourned in song and poetry ever since.
Following his expedition to Indonesia, as told in Zoo Quest For A Dragon, David Attenborough's next animal collecting and filming trip was to New Guinea, home of the exotic Birds of Paradise. The quest demanded hazardous treks across treachorous terrain in the Jimi Valley and on the edges of uncharted territory but the arduous adventures were finally rewarded when, as the camera turned, a Count Raggi's Bird of Paradise enthralled him with its frenzied dance.
A door creaks, footsteps echo, someone's breathing - and we are terrified. But why? Sean Street investigates the psychology of fear, so potently sensitive to sound. Talking to musicians, writers, film-makers, neuro-scientists and sound researchers, he investigates how sounds trigger fear. He discovers the importance of context, asks whether sound and fear are culturally specific and hears how scary sounds are created. He also experiences what might be the most frightening sound of all - absolute silence.
Why did almost all life go extinct 250 million years ago? Why on five other occasions in the geological history has the living world experienced sudden episodes of global mega-death with the majority of species being annihilated? And are humans causing the sixth great mass extinction event in Earth's history? These are among the questions Adam Rutherford explores in this three-part series on extinction. Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker.
From its first mention by Tubal-Cain, seventh-generation grandson of Adam, to its role in the Crucifixion, the same spear has found its way into key moments in history. Not surprisingly, Adolf Hitler coveted its power. Did Hitler posses the Spear of Destiny? Does it contain the power of God, or does it carry a more sinister magic? Where is it, who will pick it up, and what will he do with it this time?
The Reality of Space Travel: With Stanton Friedman
ORIGINAL (1 hr and 29 mins)
By Stanton Friedman
Narrated By Stanton Friedman
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Fission, fusion, and laser propulsion is possible (but expensive) with what we now know on Earth, but that's not the only way in the future. What produces the enormous power of quasars? What force holds sub-nuclear particles together? Is there a way to bend time and space to bounce from one place to another in the Universe? Any or all of these methods, or something unimaginable now, may make it possible eventually to travel the vast distances of space like our alien counterparts.
A group of frequent abductees underwent hypnotic suggestion in hopes that they'd be better able to respond in the drug-like fog of abduction when the time came. Once aboard the UFOs and under the usual examinations, it was hoped they might better be able to communicate with their alien hosts, and perhaps find out the purpose of these torments. The results of this experiment are remarkable: case after case of startling revelations about the extraterrestrial visitors, their operations, and their purpose.
The foremost gatherer of physical evidence from UFO visitations and alien abductions, Derrel Sims shares his unique perspective on the subject. Sims believes abductees (he was one himself) have been subjected to medical experimentation and surgical intervention. His evidence indicates humans may have been the subjects of abductions since the 12th century and the current program may have been initiated 6,000 years ago! Is it possible we're all just lab-rats in a huge experiment by a superior, alien civilization and what we believe to be the basis for life on Earth is all a lie?
Bonnie Meyer is by all accounts a regular housewife... who has been contacted repeatedly by aliens in UFOs for over three decades. Not all alien abductions are positive, but hers have been, she claims, and she also claims there are in fact two competing factions of aliens visiting Earth, one benign, one not so much. She tells us who the aliens are, where they come from and why they are here. She also tells us startling information about what the extraterrestrials have to say about Religion, Jesus, God, and our future on Earth.
Imagining witnessing what may be the most important event of the 20th Century and having to keep quiet about it for a lifetime. Warned, intimidated, called upon by the government to do one's patriotic duty and stay silent, dozens of eyewitnesses did just that. Having seen the crash of a UFO, the collection of dead alien bodies and even live, injured extraterrestrials, these ordinary New Mexicans kept those images to themselves, saying nothing to friends and family, only now coming clean with their tales at the end of their days.
Over and over, the Universe manages to create order out of chaos. What is little known is that humans themselves can duplicate these results by exerting a small amount of energy in a positive direction. Yes, you can travel through time and space and connect with the resonance of the larger world. Go beyond The Secret to the true source of cosmic energy through those Laws of Attraction which can deliver all you desire. It's true: you create your own future, if you only remember to.
Deep within the Earth below the Bucegi Mountains in Romania is a holographic library left by an advanced civilization. Tunnels from this library lead into Inner Earth, where a long-buried culture once thrived along with what appears to be a time machine. Force-fields protect the place, designed for 16-foot-tall beings. Is this a thriving, as-yet undiscovered colony beneath our feet, evidence of extraterrestrial visitation of UFOs, or our own species in some earlier incarnation? Is Inner Earth a parallel universe intersecting across time and space, or is it something we as yet do not understand?
The more North America is explored, the clearer it is that a number of advanced ancient civilizations existed there, rivaling the civilizations of Mexico and Central and South America. Some of the most fascinating archeological finds are the sophisticated stone walls of Southern Indiana, built as fortresses for protection, as living quarters, enclosures for livestock, water management and erosion control. Built from local materials, these walls may have supported a large population with mining, sawmills, textile mills, or other processes.
Is it possible you've been implanted by alien beings without knowing it? Darrel Sims has spent decades tracking down UFO abductees and extracting devices implanted in their bodies. Himself a victim of alien abduction, Sims has made it his mission in life to discover these devices, warn the public, and find out their true purpose. He believes the aliens have a malevolent agenda to control humans by controlling human bodies and by selective breeding.
Aliens from Outer Space: UFO Landings, Crashes and Retrievals
ORIGINAL (2 hrs and 36 mins)
By Bill Knell
Narrated By Bill Knell
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For those who don't believe that Aliens from outer space have invaded our planet, this amazing program reveals the facts they DON'T want you to know. Join UFO researcher Bill Knell in this cult classic presentation covering suppressed and hidden information about the strangest and most fantastic UFO incidents in recent history. You will be amazed and bewildered by countless UFO sightings by credible witnesses that defy explanation.