Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

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.

China Towns: Based on the Five Towns Novels

By: Arnold Bennett
Narrated by: Kate O'Flynn, Neil Dudgeon, Tim McInnerny, Don Gilet, Rebekah Staton, full cast
Try for £0.00

£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.

Summary

Neil Dudgeon and Tim McInnerny star in this epic tale of money, passion and defiance, inspired by the 'Five Towns' novels of Arnold Bennett

In this radical reinterpretation of Arnold Bennett's classic novels set in the Staffordshire potteries, it's the 19th Century and the Industrial Revolution is at full throttle. Only the ruthless thrive in this uncompromising world - and Ephraim Tellwright and Darius Clayhanger are both determined to succeed.

From humble beginnings, these two self-made men have risen to become wealthy and powerful. Now, they hold the fate of the Five Towns in their hands, passing judgement on those who put the prosperity and reputation of their community at risk...

Over 10 hours and almost 40 years, we follow them, their descendants, and the inhabitants of Bursley and the Five Towns, as individuals rise, fall, flourish, age, and see the world around them become unrecognisable, transformed by new technology. Fortunes are lost, hearts broken, empires built and compromises made.

These tales of aspiration and passion, damage and danger are told with Bennett's forensic eye for human psychology and a surprising degree of witty comedy, and feature a star cast including Emma Cunniffe, Kate O'Flynn, Don Gilet and Rebekah Staton.

©2019 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2019 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Masters' India Saga cover art
Anna of the Five Towns cover art
Patrick Hamilton: Rope, Gaslight, Hangover Square and More cover art
Helen with the High Hand cover art
Riceyman Steps cover art
The Thomas Hardy BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
The Evelyn Waugh BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection: The Later Years cover art
The Leo Tolstoy BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
Val McDermid: A BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
The Fyodor Dostoevsky BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
Strangers and Brothers cover art
The Ngaio Marsh BBC Radio Collection cover art
The Complete Barchester Chronicles cover art
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete BBC Collection cover art
The Plays of J. B. Priestley cover art

What listeners say about China Towns: Based on the Five Towns Novels

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    29
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    27
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 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

Perfect

This is an absolutely perfect dramatisation. Neil Dudgeon leads an outstanding cast in this tragic tale of missed opportunities. But there is humour too. Heard this first on radio 4. Enjoyed it even more on my second listen. An episode a night on my evening walk during COVID.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Excellent audiobook

this is a strong story well acted and an excellent listen its just the thing to settle down to on a cold winters night

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

Totally Absorbing

Loved it. A great reworking of Bennett's characters and books. I now want to catch ip with his books that I've not yet read.

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

A wonderful story.

I loved this interpretation of Arnold Bennett's stories.I couldn't stop listening.The actors were so believable I could smell the smoke.

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
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

poor quality sound.

I can't review if I cannot hear words. why silly background music all the time.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Strange brew but still tasty....

This is a reinterpretation of Bennett's work and some of the changes are odd, completely reimagining some characters, conflating others. If you have read the books this can be quite jarring and sometimes this messes with the authors original intentions. Still as a radio drama on its own terms its good, but head scratching at times....

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful