Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Great Poets: William McGonagall cover art

The Great Poets: William McGonagall

By: William Topaz McGonagall
Narrated by: Gregor Fisher
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Editor reviews

Scottish poet William McGonagall has become the butt of jokes, with his painful rhymes about battles, shipwrecks, and Scotland's scenery. Here the acclaimed actor Gregor Fisher adopts a pronounced brogue to bring McGonagall's poems to life, with amusing results. Fisher also reads illuminating passages from McGonagall's autobiography, which discuss his attempts at playing Shakespeare, the ideas behind his poems, and anecdotes from his travels and adventures. Those interested in Scottish poetry and history will find this a revealing listen.

Summary

The idiosyncratic Scottish poet William Topaz McGonagall has the unusual reputation as one of the worst poets in the English language with rhymes and rhythms that produce mirth rather than wonder. His masterpiece is "The Tay Bridge Disaster".

Scottish-born Gregor Fisher, who starred in Love Actually and other film and TV programs, reads the key poems and passages from the autobiography - and gets deep into character!

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2009 Naxos Audiobooks (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Naxos Audio has not only provided a highly entertaining hour's diversion but has confirmed something that every teacher of English has always known: poetry - good, bad, or indifferent - can be appreciated most when read aloud. Gregor Fisher [gives] an intelligent performance." (SoundComentary.com)

More from the same

What listeners say about The Great Poets: William McGonagall

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfectly terrible

He's the worst poet of all time, I loved every minute of it.

McGonagal's verse is clunky at best and torturous at worst, it is the poetic equivalent of a car crash, and like a car crash you can't help but be drawn to it. His poems are appalling and yet, quite unintentionally, haunting to listen to.

A great poet he is not, but I for one treasure his work, glorious dumpster fire that it is. One thing's for sure, like his Tay Bridge Disaster, listening to this is something 'which shall be remembered for a very long time'

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Drivel

I have to say I had long awaited a chance to hear McGonagall's poems... Bloody hell, he really was rubbish!! I cannot recommend this book. It's an hour of my time and £7 I'll never get back.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!