Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Raymond Chandler: The BBC Radio Drama Collection

  • By: Raymond Chandler
  • Narrated by: Toby Stephens
  • Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (386 ratings)
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.
Raymond Chandler: The BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art

Raymond Chandler: The BBC Radio Drama Collection

By: Raymond Chandler
Narrated by: Toby Stephens
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 £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

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.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Complete George Smiley Radio Dramas cover art
Raymond Chandler cover art
Dr Gideon Fell: The Complete BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
Lord Peter Wimsey: BBC Radio Drama Collection Volume 1 cover art
Charles Paris: A BBC Radio Collection cover art
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Season 1; 44-Episode Collection cover art
The Plays of J. B. Priestley cover art
Raymond Chandler: The Long Goodbye (Dramatised) cover art
Robert Louis Stevenson: A BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete BBC Collection cover art
Joseph Conrad: The Secret Agent, Heart of Darkness & More cover art
Raymond Chandler: Poodle Springs (Dramatised) cover art
The Martin Beck Stories cover art
P. D. James BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe cover art
R.D. Wingfield: A Touch of Frost and Other Thrillers cover art

Summary

The complete collection of landmark BBC Radio dramas of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe mysteries.

Philip Marlowe is the archetypal noir detective: wisecracking and world weary, hard boiled yet honourable. This volume includes all eight dramatisations of Raymond Chandler's groundbreaking crime novels featuring his iconic hero.

The Big Sleep: Marlowe is consulted by a wealthy family man with two big problems: his children.

Farewell My Lovely: Marlowe's search for an ex-con's ex-girlfriend leads him into danger.

The High Window: when a rare gold coin is stolen from her collection, Mrs Murdoch hires Philip Marlowe to find it.

The Lady in the Lake: businessman Derace Kingsley hires Marlowe to find his estranged wife, Crystal.

The Little Sister: commissioned to find Orfamay Quest's missing brother, Marlowe is drawn into the glamorous film world of Hollywood.

The Long Goodbye: Marlowe befriends a drunk named Terry Lennox but comes to regret doing him a favour.

Playback: hired to follow the mysterious Betty Mayfield, Marlowe soon finds that he is being tailed, too.

Poodle Springs: newly married Marlowe puts his bride aside to look for a gambler on the run.

Starring Toby Stephens as Philip Marlowe, these stylish, suspenseful dramatisations - full of witty, ironic dialogue and colourful characters - bring the beautiful, corrupt world of California in the '40s and '50s to luminous life.

Duration: 11 hours approx.

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

©2016 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2016 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

What listeners say about Raymond Chandler: The BBC Radio Drama Collection

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    303
  • 4 Stars
    61
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    297
  • 4 Stars
    34
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    270
  • 4 Stars
    55
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2

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

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

So would chapter headings have killed them?

Any additional comments?

Good performances and some of the greatest crime narratives of the 20th century. But the chapter headings give no hint to which story the chapters cover, and the beginnings of each story don't have any identifying introductions. You have to know the stories themselves to figure out just what you are listening to. Want to dive straight into "The Long Goodbye"? Then it's forward and back on the chapter headings until find the start of it - or not. Lazy editing on someone's part.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

46 people found this helpful

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

Very good versions of Chandler classics

Overall, this was an interesting listen with fine performances and suitably atmospheric music.
It was annoying that the stories were not introduced at the beginning so that, unless you looked at the details section, it wasn't clear until the end what you'd be hearing. Admittedly, it was possible to guess which was which with the better known ones but,as the stories tend to cover similar ground, this is not always the case.
This smallish error spoilt the production for me, hence 4 stars all round.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful

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

Starts Out Brilliant, Becomes Just Good

The first couple stories, up to The Long Goodbye, are excellent.

Stephens makes a pretty good Marlowe, the production quality is excellent, and it's a blast to listen to.

But then we get to The Long Goodbye. I have no idea what happened, time or money constraints probably, but it and the proceeding stories are HEAVILY abridged.

To the point of missing out key characters AND moments from each story. Which is especially disappointing for me since The Long Goodbye is my favourite Marlowe story.

Mild spoiler here, but the woman playing Marlowe's wife isn't right. They don't flesh her out enough, she isn't even introduced in The Long Goodbye, and she's played all wrong. She's played as a spoiled, annoying rich girl. No depth whatsoever.

Overall, great production for the earlier stories. Just okay for the remaining ones.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

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

BBC full cast adaptation of Chandlers classic noir

Fantastic collection of BBC's Radio 4 2011 adaptation of Raymond Chandler's iconic fast talking private eye Philip Marlowe a moral man trying he's best to do the right thing in a amoral 1940's L.A, Toby Stephens does a fine job as Marlowe with he's world weary performance as do the rest of the cast. With the great sound design and the classic jazz sound track it really invokes the noir classics. The stories are abridged to fit the original 1 hour and 30 minute time broadcast time slot so some parts have be trimmed down. The only down side is for some reason when putting together the collection they edited out the proper intro saying what story has started and the Chapter headings are just numbered so if it helps I've listed the stories in their chapters bellow.

Chapter 1: The Big Sleep
Chapter 3: Farewell my Lovely
Chapter 5: The High Window
Chapter 7: The Lady in the Lake
Chapter 9: The Little Sister
Chapter 11: The Long Goodbye
Chapter 13: Playback
Chapter 14: Poodle Springs

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

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

So who needs chapter headings?

They were tired. They decided chapter heading would be too much work. Kind of like the work involved in giving someone a spoon to eat soup with...

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

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

Toby Stephens is brilliant

Superb acting by Toby Stephens and supporting cast, although they could have used a few more voices.
However, all the stories are great and the music gives it that LA Noir feel to it.
Really enjoyed it.
I hope Audible acquires the dramatisations of James Bond soon; also starring Toby Stephens.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

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

Must-have for fans

Phenomenal audio drama, some classic pulp tales supported by well-matched voice talent and effects.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

Excellent

Clinical, powerhouse performance by Toby Stephens with a great supporting cast. Dark, moody, atmospheric, humorous and gripping.
Completed the whole set in a around 2 weeks. Definitely worth listening to again.
The BBC production, music and sound effects are top notch. Well worth it.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

One of my favourite dramatisations

loved it all. Great stories and acting. And great value too. shame i finished it.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Fantastic production

I enjoyed reading the Philip Marlow stories as a teenager and 40 years later they are just as gripping. My only comment is it would have been helpful to have the title at the start of each story rather than the end.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful