Listen free for 30 days
-
King Street Junior
- A BBC Radio 4 Comedy
- Narrated by: Peter Davison, full cast
- Length: 36 hrs and 2 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Humor & Satire
People who bought this also bought...
-
King Street Junior Revisited
- A BBC Radio 4 Comedy
- By: Jim Eldridge
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In these four series, we return to the inner-city primary in the new millennium. A different head is in charge, but the challenges remain the same: from planning a big fundraising concert, to searching for a truant, to coping with wintry weather and a disappearing lollipop lady. In addition, the teachers contend with personal and professional upheavals as Mr Maxwell’s attempts to maintain playground order land him in trouble, Mr Long suffers a painful little problem, Miss Featherstone is arrested - and a surprise awaits the staff as they return from their summer holidays.
-
-
Brilliant listen, thoroughly enjoyed it
- By N Santelmann on 16-06-20
-
After Henry
- The Complete BBC Radio Series 1-4
- By: Simon Brett
- Narrated by: Benjamin Whitrow, full cast, Gerry Cowper, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the death of her GP husband, widow Sarah is battling to bring up her strong-willed 18-year-old daughter, Clare, hindered by her meddling mother, Eleanor. Living on the middle floor of the family home, with Clare downstairs and Eleanor upstairs, Sarah finds herself besieged from above and below as she tries to cope with the demands of both her mum and her daughter. Luckily, she finds solace at work, where her best friend and boss at Bygone Books, Russell, provides a sympathetic ear.
-
-
After H
- By Janbo127 on 16-06-20
-
Ballylenon: The Complete Series 1-8
- A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama
- By: Christopher Fitz-Simon
- Narrated by: Aine McCartney, Full Cast, Gerard Murphy, and others
- Length: 19 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All eight series of the comedy drama series set in a Donegal town in the 1950s and '60s. Ireland in the '50s, and the days of mass tourism and indoor plumbing have not yet come to rural Co. Donegal. But in the small, sleepy town of Ballylenon, change is coming, and trouble is brewing. A power struggle is under way for control of the town, with two rival forces aligned against each other.
-
-
Gentle humour from the other end of the ferry
- By Mary Carnegie on 29-10-20
-
Second Thoughts
- Series 1-4 of the BBC Radio 4 Sitcom
- By: Jan Etherington, Gavin Petrie
- Narrated by: Lynda Bellingham, James Bolam, Celia Imrie, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill and Faith are both divorcees, late in love but new to each other. As they battle to forge a relationship together, they discover that the course of true love doesn’t always run smoothly. In these 31 episodes, they move in together, plan a wedding and deal with the challenges of married life – all the while trying to balance the demands of Bill’s ex-wife, Liza, and her teenage children, Hannah and Joe.
-
-
Excellent
- By Mr M Randell on 08-06-20
-
Brothers in Law: The Complete Series 1-3
- A BBC Radio Comedy
- By: Richard Waring
- Narrated by: full cast, Richard Briers
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by Henry Cecil's 1955 comic novel of the same name, Brothers in Law first appeared on BBC One in 1962, providing Richard Briers with his first starring role on television as idealistic young barrister Roger Thursby. Adapted by Richard Waring from TV scripts by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, it took to the airwaves in 1970, running for three years until 1972. As the series opens, the rookie lawyer is in his first year at chambers, and struggling to learn the ropes.
-
-
Old it may be but...
- By David on 02-01-21
-
It’s Not Us, It’s Them: Series 1-3
- A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama
- By: Jack Docherty
- Narrated by: Jack Docherty, Kerry Godliman, Fiona Allen, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barney and Cathy. Evan and Fiona. David and Alice. Three couples who have beaten the odds and stayed married - but is that simply because they haven’t got around to divorcing yet? In these three series, we follow this group of friends throughout weekends away and tricky date nights, weddings and funerals, Christmas celebrations and counselling sessions - all of which give them plenty of opportunity for flirting, fighting, competitiveness and reprehensible behaviour. We listen in to their innermost thoughts, feelings and motivations as they break the fourth wall.
-
-
Funny and real. Very entertaining.
- By Miss Rebecca Silliker on 31-10-19
-
King Street Junior Revisited
- A BBC Radio 4 Comedy
- By: Jim Eldridge
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In these four series, we return to the inner-city primary in the new millennium. A different head is in charge, but the challenges remain the same: from planning a big fundraising concert, to searching for a truant, to coping with wintry weather and a disappearing lollipop lady. In addition, the teachers contend with personal and professional upheavals as Mr Maxwell’s attempts to maintain playground order land him in trouble, Mr Long suffers a painful little problem, Miss Featherstone is arrested - and a surprise awaits the staff as they return from their summer holidays.
-
-
Brilliant listen, thoroughly enjoyed it
- By N Santelmann on 16-06-20
-
After Henry
- The Complete BBC Radio Series 1-4
- By: Simon Brett
- Narrated by: Benjamin Whitrow, full cast, Gerry Cowper, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the death of her GP husband, widow Sarah is battling to bring up her strong-willed 18-year-old daughter, Clare, hindered by her meddling mother, Eleanor. Living on the middle floor of the family home, with Clare downstairs and Eleanor upstairs, Sarah finds herself besieged from above and below as she tries to cope with the demands of both her mum and her daughter. Luckily, she finds solace at work, where her best friend and boss at Bygone Books, Russell, provides a sympathetic ear.
-
-
After H
- By Janbo127 on 16-06-20
-
Ballylenon: The Complete Series 1-8
- A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama
- By: Christopher Fitz-Simon
- Narrated by: Aine McCartney, Full Cast, Gerard Murphy, and others
- Length: 19 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All eight series of the comedy drama series set in a Donegal town in the 1950s and '60s. Ireland in the '50s, and the days of mass tourism and indoor plumbing have not yet come to rural Co. Donegal. But in the small, sleepy town of Ballylenon, change is coming, and trouble is brewing. A power struggle is under way for control of the town, with two rival forces aligned against each other.
-
-
Gentle humour from the other end of the ferry
- By Mary Carnegie on 29-10-20
-
Second Thoughts
- Series 1-4 of the BBC Radio 4 Sitcom
- By: Jan Etherington, Gavin Petrie
- Narrated by: Lynda Bellingham, James Bolam, Celia Imrie, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill and Faith are both divorcees, late in love but new to each other. As they battle to forge a relationship together, they discover that the course of true love doesn’t always run smoothly. In these 31 episodes, they move in together, plan a wedding and deal with the challenges of married life – all the while trying to balance the demands of Bill’s ex-wife, Liza, and her teenage children, Hannah and Joe.
-
-
Excellent
- By Mr M Randell on 08-06-20
-
Brothers in Law: The Complete Series 1-3
- A BBC Radio Comedy
- By: Richard Waring
- Narrated by: full cast, Richard Briers
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by Henry Cecil's 1955 comic novel of the same name, Brothers in Law first appeared on BBC One in 1962, providing Richard Briers with his first starring role on television as idealistic young barrister Roger Thursby. Adapted by Richard Waring from TV scripts by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, it took to the airwaves in 1970, running for three years until 1972. As the series opens, the rookie lawyer is in his first year at chambers, and struggling to learn the ropes.
-
-
Old it may be but...
- By David on 02-01-21
-
It’s Not Us, It’s Them: Series 1-3
- A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama
- By: Jack Docherty
- Narrated by: Jack Docherty, Kerry Godliman, Fiona Allen, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barney and Cathy. Evan and Fiona. David and Alice. Three couples who have beaten the odds and stayed married - but is that simply because they haven’t got around to divorcing yet? In these three series, we follow this group of friends throughout weekends away and tricky date nights, weddings and funerals, Christmas celebrations and counselling sessions - all of which give them plenty of opportunity for flirting, fighting, competitiveness and reprehensible behaviour. We listen in to their innermost thoughts, feelings and motivations as they break the fourth wall.
-
-
Funny and real. Very entertaining.
- By Miss Rebecca Silliker on 31-10-19
-
Chambers: The Complete Series 1-3
- A BBC Radio 4 Legal Comedy Drama
- By: Clive Coleman
- Narrated by: Alex Lowe, David Harewood, full cast, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Highlights
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Fuller-Carp, the Machiavellian head of chambers at Forecourt Buildings, is determined to become a QC and will perform almost any moral contortion to achieve his goal. When left-wing Ruth Quirke, rumoured to be a High Court judge's daughter, applies to join his chambers, Fuller-Carp's imagination goes into overdrive and promotion seems inevitable. However, his attempts to project a 'New Labour' image cut no ice with Ruth, and the two are soon at each other's throats.
-
Parsley Sidings
- The Complete Series 1 and 2
- By: Jim Eldridge
- Narrated by: Arthur Lowe, full cast, Ian Lavender, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Parsley Sidings ran for two highly successful series from 1971-1973 and was the only radio sitcom (other than Dad’s Army) to star the much-loved Arthur Lowe. As Horace Hepplewhite, station master of a sleepy railway station, he spends his time dealing with small crises and supervising his errant staff - including his son, ticket clerk Bert; blonde bombshell Gloria the station announcer; crafty Cockney porter Percy; and ancient signalman Bradshaw - not to mention his nemesis, Phineas Perkins, who manages the station one stop down the line.
-
-
Comedy at its best
- By keith on 03-11-19
-
No Commitments: Series 1-5
- The BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama
- By: Simon Brett
- Narrated by: Rosemary Leach, Celia Imrie, Josie Lawrence, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of looking after her elderly parents, Anna finds herself able, for the first time, to live her own life. She's enjoying simply being herself, with no responsibilities and no obligations. But her two younger sisters, Victoria and Charlotte, are concerned about her. Surely poor, unfulfilled Anna can't be happy without a partner or a family around? Determined to make an effort, they decide to draw her into their lives - and Anna's peaceful, commitment-free lifestyle soon disappears.
-
-
Funny sibling rivalry
- By andrea ainley on 19-01-21
-
Like They've Never Been Gone
- The Complete Series 1-4
- By: Mike Coleman
- Narrated by: full cast, June Whitfield, Roy Hudd
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tommy Franklin and Sheila Parr, winners of the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest, find themselves unexpectedly thrust back into the limelight. The trouble is, they can no longer stand the sight of one another. As fame beckons for a second time, they must put aside their differences to deal with publicity problems, a threat from Tommy’s dodgy past and their sneaky agent’s scheme to sell off their back catalogue.
-
All Gas and Gaiters: Series 1 and 2
- A BBC Radio Ecclesiastical Comedy
- By: Pauline Devaney, Edwin Apps
- Narrated by: Derek Nimmo, Full Cast, John Barron, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
TV’s first ecclesiastical comedy, All Gas and Gaiters was enjoyed by more than 10 million viewers on BBC One between 1966 and 1971. Written by husband-and-wife-team Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, it was so popular that a selection of scripts were revised and re-recorded for radio with the same star cast as the television series. Robertson Hare starred as the archdeacon of the fictional St Ogg’s Cathedral.
-
-
Really enjoyed this
- By Hes on 04-08-20
-
Up the Garden Path: The Complete Series 1-3
- The BBC Radio 4 Comedy
- By: Sue Limb
- Narrated by: full cast, Imelda Staunton
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tumbling from one love entanglement to another, 30-something teacher Izzy Comyn has a predilection for inappropriate men. Over the three hilarious series of Up the Garden Path, Izzy, played by Imelda Staunton, deals with the complicated ups and downs of her attempts to find true love.
-
-
a very pleasant story and engaging characters
- By J. Simnett on 02-05-20
-
Alison and Maud: The Complete Series 1 and 2
- The BBC Radio 4 Comedy
- By: Sue Limb
- Narrated by: Denise Coffey, Full Cast, Geoffrey Whitehead, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sisters Alison and Maud are joint landladies of the Abbeyfield Guest House, dispensing hospitality to a variety of demanding clients while also looking after their irascible, bedridden father downstairs in the granny flat. Dreamy ornithologist Alison has just moved back from Bloomsbury, while Maud ran a 3,000-acre farm in Africa - but neither sibling is really up to the task of managing a B&B, and chaos generally ensues.
-
-
Simply charming
- By Isobel on 02-10-20
-
The Castle
- The Complete BBC Radio 4 Sitcom
- By: Kim Fuller, Paul Alexander, Nick Doody, and others
- Narrated by: James Fleet, Neil Dudgeon, Ingrid Oliver, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sir John Woodstock (James Fleet) is the Lord of the Castle and basically in charge of keeping order in the ramshackle medieval village. Although he hates all that torturing and usually lets the peasants off with a bit of community service. He lives in his huge but slightly falling down castle (but then it was built by the French, so what can one expect) with his daughter Anne (Martha Howe-Douglas) and very teenage son Henry (Steven Kynman). Anne’s best friend Charlotte (Ingrid Oliver) nearly always joins Anne on her constant quest to find fit men in the village.
-
-
Absolutely Brilliant
- By Lesley Goodman on 25-12-19
-
Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang Ups: Series 1-5
- By: Tom Wrigglesworth, James Kettle, Miles Jupp
- Narrated by: full cast, Tom Wrigglesworth
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In these 24 episodes, Tom Wrigglesworth phones home for his weekly check-in, giving us a funny, fascinating glimpse into his family background and the influences that have shaped his temperament, opinions and hang-ups. As the conversations unfold, Tom takes time out from the calls to explain the situation and his parents’ reactions, and relate various anecdotes from the past which illustrate his family's views. And sometimes he just needs to sound off about life’s everyday annoyances.
-
-
Tom Wrigglesworth
- By Janbo127 on 21-01-20
-
Something to Shout About: Series 1-3: A BBC Radio Comedy
- A BBC Radio Comedy
- By: Myles Rudge, Ronie Wolfe
- Narrated by: Eleanor Summerfield, Fenella Fielding, full cast, and others
- Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Medwin stars as account executive Michael, with Fenella Fielding as his seductive secretary Janet, Joan Sims and Sheila Hancock as shorthand typists Mavis and Shirley, Eleanor Summerfield as no-frills executive Maggie and Nicholas Phipps as copywriter Adrian. This disparate team must stick together to succeed, as they battle to win new accounts and impress clients – and from wooing a US tycoon to putting a glamorous spin on a dreary seaside holiday camp, they always think big. Why else would they hire an elephant to promote bath salts?
-
-
Great series but ....
- By Brian Daji on 08-01-21
-
Rent: The Complete Series 1-4
- A BBC Radio Comedy Drama
- By: Lucy Flannery
- Narrated by: Barbara Flynn, Full Cast, Patrick Barlow
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maria and Richard Reynolds are happily married, but broke. With debts piling up and their house falling down, there’s only one thing for it: they have to start taking in lodgers. Their new housemates are two equally cash-strapped students - Ruby, who’s conscientious and dedicated, and Paul, who finds academic pursuits more of a challenge.
-
-
Complete Joy
- By Colin McIntosh on 31-10-20
-
Double Income, No Kids Yet
- The Complete Series 1-3
- By: David Spicer
- Narrated by: David Tennant, Liz Carling, full cast
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Tennant and Liz Carling star in the sitcom about a young couple, Daniel and Lucy, and their circle of friends. In the first series, Lucy sets up Daniel's party, but their mates seem too busy with kids. Then, when a top author gets writer's block, Lucy and Daniel get landed with an unwelcome guest. In the third episode, Daniel and Lucy's plans for a quiet weekend are hit by a stream of unplanned visitors and are later hit by other people's baby blues.
-
-
The best audiobook I've listened to so far!
- By vice versa s.r.o. on 19-08-20
Summary
All 10 series of the BBC Radio 4 comedy drama set in a small junior school.
Running for 10 series between 1985 and 1988 (with a sequel, King Street Junior Revisited, airing from 2002-2005), this hugely popular school-based sitcom was one of the BBC’s most successful radio programmes.
Created by award-winning writer Jim Eldridge, it follows the headmaster and staff of an inner-city primary as they deal with unruly pupils, problem parents, school governors and OFSTED inspectors.
From Parents’ Evening to the PTA, and from supply teachers to staff room squabbles, every day brings fresh challenges for headmaster Mr Beeston. Among the problems facing him are a flu epidemic, a shortage of computers, a phantom prune thief and a mysterious graffiti artist - and there’s trouble in store when in comes to sex education, school trips and Sports Day.
Meanwhile, idealistic newcomers Mr Brown and Mr Sims learn some lessons about teaching, and their battle-scarred colleagues vie for promotion - or look forward to retirement. And as each new term rolls around at King Street Junior, they all prepare to shape the minds of a brand new generation....
Peter Davison stars as Eric Brown, Karl Howman as Philip Sims and James Grout as Mr Beeston, with guest stars including John Craven and Michaela Strachan as themselves.
Created by Jim Eldridge
Written by Jim Eldridge, Paul Copley, Richard Stoneman, Ivan Shakespeare, Dave Single and Martin Davies
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson
Violinist: Sarah Hallam
Pianist: Max Harris
Critic reviews
"The Sistine Chapel of radio drama." (The Times)
What listeners say about King Street Junior
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Heather Traynor
- 10-10-19
Love this!
Having listened to King Street Junior on BBC Radio 4 over the years I thought I might be disappointed to hear it again. I was wrong, it’s just as enjoyable now as it was when I heard it for the first time. James Grout is outstanding as The Principal, Mr Beeston and brings great humour to the role.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mrs J M Richards
- 04-01-20
A delight.
True to the reality of teaching and the staff room, believable children and engaging staff. Entertaining through each of the 79 episodes. Would that there were more.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Graham Levett
- 30-10-19
Better Second time around
Use to listen to show on radio when it was first broadcast. Unfortunately use to miss some episodes with this Audiobook not a problem. I think issues raised are still valid today. Pity we never find out how Mr Sims does on his travels. Great Audiobook
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stephen
- 16-10-19
Brilliance ..
Another BBC piece of England .. Listened to this on and off .. when it was first aired on radio 4 .. many years ago .. Just takes you .. in so many ways through a kaleidoscope of memories .. Thank you all ..
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Florence
- 17-11-20
Memories of school as a child or teacher
Hours and hours of school life , no big dramas but the ins and outs of a small school, years ago.The smell of chalk dust, liver and onions from the school canteen and the crowd around the tea mugs full of gossip and school chatter. the smell of wet coats and wellies in the cloakroom, the yells in the playground. King Street Junior rules okay.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chris Taylor
- 08-11-20
Childhood memories
Warming stories from school. Following teaching in an inner city primary school over a decade starting in the 1980s.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Craig
- 21-10-20
Fabulous
Great to this once again after so many years a real treat all in one package too
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- N Santelmann
- 16-06-20
Loved, loved, loved this programme
Hilariously funny at times, a bit sad and thought provoking at others. You really get a great insight into what being a teacher in the 80's and 90's was like. Great Characters, great storylines, loved Mrs Rudd's stubbornness and Mr Holiday's non existent road sense and Mr Beeston as the head was just brilliant. You really got the sense of real people dealing with real people issues and how they handled them. Really well done, one of my favourite programmes and one I will surely be listening to again and again.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- mgn
- 21-04-20
Perfect
I wish there were more series of this written. This has been one of the most pleasurable listens of my life. No stress, just good plots in each episode and excellent characters one cares about. The performance of each actor is compelling. The whole experience superb.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- graham
- 13-03-20
Fantastic school based drama
What a great 10 series of a fantastic school radio drama, whould highly recommend giving this a listen. Kept me entertained for the past month a few episodes aday.