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P. D. James BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art

P. D. James BBC Radio Drama Collection

By: P. D. James
Narrated by: Greta Scacchi,Hugh Grant,full cast,Judi Bowker,Philip Franks,Robin Ellis,Siân Phillips,Richard Derrington
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Summary

Seven BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations of P. D. James' acclaimed mysteries, plus P. D. James in Her Own Words.

This collection includes:

Cover Her Face 

P. D. James' debut novel, introducing her famous detective Adam Dalgliesh. Starring Robin Ellis as Dalgliesh.

A Taste for Death 

Dalgliesh investigates when two bodies are found murdered a London church. Starring Richard Derrington as Dalgliesh.

Devices and Desires 

Dalgliesh hunts a serial killer in desolate Norfolk. Starring Robin Ellis as Dalgliesh.

A Certain Justice 

Dalgliesh probes the murder of a brilliant criminal lawyer. Starring Philip Franks as Dalgliesh.

The Private Patient 

Dalgliesh investigates a high-profile murder at an exclusive cosmetic surgery clinic. Starring Richard Derrington as Dalgliesh.

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman 

An eminent scientist hires Detective Cordelia Gray to discover why his son committed suicide. Starring Judi Bowker as Cordelia Gray.

The Skull Beneath the Skin 

With her life in danger, actress Clarissa Lisle turns to private detective Cordelia Gray. Starring Greta Scacchi as Cordelia Gray.

Among the supporting cast in these classic dramas are Siân Phillips, Hugh Grant, Anna Massey and Geraldine James.

Also included is a bonus audio documentary, P. D. James in Her Own Words, in which the author discusses her professional career and private life.

©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

What listeners say about P. D. James BBC Radio Drama Collection

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very good dramatizations but.........

Let down by a lack of introductions and opening credits to some of the plays. You quite simply have no idea what it is you’re listening to!
Couldn’t Audible add some type of introduction and possibly some text to the chapter listing?

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44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Happy all 7 dramatisations are in one collection

I love all the bbc radio dramatisations of not only P. D. James but also of Agatha Christie however I had them on CDs from years ago and were therefore harder to access . Now that all of P D James radio dramatisations are in the one collection , it is far more convenient to listen to them and therefore more pleasurable to listen to . in fact I was missing a couple of the PD James dramatisations so I now have a complete set .And the dramatisations are superbly done .

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42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Difficult to play due to lack of chapterisation

Nothing wrong with P.D. James' work, or (most of) the stories in this collection. It's just that they are not split by story, nor are there any accompanying notes saying exactly what is in them.

In the end, I gave up constantly trying to *wind forward* to where I had left off - an issue for any of us listening on multiple devices.

This is a fault of Audible and perhaps, the BBC, for marketing it this way. A shame, spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

enjoyable

thoroughly enjoyed this book with the different varied stories. great actors throughout.
would highly recommend

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love These Dramatisations

The books are brought to life and are just the right length. PD James interviews are interesting and worth listening to.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

More PD James than you really need

I'm a bit of a fan of PD James, and there's no question that this offering represents great value for money. Seven full-cast dramatizations -- that's an awful lot of PD James for one Audible credit. It's actually a bit too much, if I'm being quite honest. I couldn't listen to the whole thing, and I've put it on the back-burner to come back to later.

The seven stories were (I think) recorded at different times by different actors, with different methods of dramatization. Some stories take the form of radio plays, where the whole thing is (voice-) acted. Some are essentially readings, but with some voice dialog. The plots are often too complicated to be carried entirely by voice-acting, but I don't particular like lengthy narration in some of the episodes, especially when it contains mostly dialog -- this should really be presented by an actor. What I'm trying to say is that the balance between acting and narration is not the same in all episodes, and in some episodes it's more effective than others.

Still, if Audible had just chosen the best three episodes and offered only those for one credit, I would have been satisfied. The others are just a bonus.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Getting to know PD James

I thoroughly enjoyed all the dramatisation of her books but most especially her own words and thoughts at the end of this presentation. Excellent

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Di
  • 30-03-18

Wonderful dramatisation

I had previously read the books and even so I greatly enjoyed the dramatised stories, the narration and actors are excellent. I also very much enjoyed the interviews with P. D. James at the end of the book, what an admirable woman and writer!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Lovely listening for a rainy bank holiday weekend

Easy listening to quality who done its-though by the end of a binge the stories all started to melt into one.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A mixed bag I am afraid

The quantity is superb, full casts and good sound effects. It is the outdated ideas, preoccupations and language that got to me and, crucially for me, this is not something that would stand up to repeat listening so am going to return it.

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3 people found this helpful