Showing results by narrator "Jilly Bond" in All Categories

The building was once home to families, friends, children, couples, love, life. Now almost every flat is empty, the inhabitants forced out by developers. Only a few of the inhabitants have fought back. And they have been joined by passionate student protestor and would-be journalist Ella, who is leading a high-profile media campaign to protect those who refuse to leave. But Ella is in trouble. Because now there are more than six people in the building, but one of them is lying in a lift shaft with a broken neck....

A year after the tragic death of her husband, Kate Nichols, still overwhelmed with grief, meets Richard Marshall. A divorced father of two, Richard’s messy involvement with his bi-polar ex-wife troubles Kate but, despite these obstacles, she can’t stop herself from falling in love. Meanwhile, as Kate’s father battles with the final stages of cancer, her divorced mother has found a new love in Ben. But Kate’s suspicions are roused as her mother’s behaviour becomes increasingly furtive.

In this exciting adaptation of the novel by H.G. Wells set in 1900, we join the eccentric professor Cavor and the rakish free loading Charles Bedford on their extraordinary journey to the moon in a huge metal sphere resplendent with drape curtains, gentleman’s arm chairs and brass fittings. Once upon the moon’s surface they discover more than they bargained for—within the centre of the moon there is life! Taken prisoner by the calculating Selenites, our heroes and their crew are soon subjected to mind experiments and terror.

Wrongly accused of theft, innocent Celina Shelley is cast out of the brothel she calls home and flees to Quinn Ashley, Lord Dreycott, for safety. But the heat in the daredevil adventurer’s eyes tells Lina that the danger is just beginning.... Lina dresses like a nun, but flirts like a professional - and Quinn hardly suspects she’s a virgin! Now he knows the truth, will he wed her before he beds her?

On the morning of 20 June 1837, an 18-year-old girl is called from her bed to be told that she is Queen of England. The young queen’s first few years are beset with court scandal and malicious gossip: There is the unsavoury Flora Hastings affair, a source of extreme embarrassment to the queen; the eternal conflict between Victoria and her mother; and the young queen’s hatred for Sir John Conroy, her mother’s close friend. Then there is the Prime Minster, Lord Melbourne - "Lord M" - worldly cynic and constant companion to the queen, himself a veteran of many a latter-day scandal.

Isabella and Ferdinand rule over a newly united Spain, steadfast in their determination to build a powerful state. During the final years of Isabella’s reign, Ferdinand looks to his daughters to further his ambitions, but his wife finds herself torn between his brilliant plans and her love for her children. As events unfold, the sovereigns begin to feel that there must be a curse on the royal house – misfortune strikes at the heart of their family and tragedy after tragedy befalls the Daughter of Spain.

Discover these horror stories of the Victorian era, with Gothic tales from J. S. Lee Fanu. This definitive audio version is narrated by Jilly Bond and brings the classic horrors of old to a new audience. Ghostly Tales by J. S. Le Fanu is brought to audio for the first time. Dim the lights and listen to these unsettling tales of Victorian horror. Fanu is described as a "master of the genre" by subsequent distinguished authors such as E. F. Bleiler. Fanu's unique approach helped to usher in a new, more psychological era of dread.

Victoria James is at home awaiting a call from Downing Street, desperate for the telephone to ring but mindful of the impact a promotion could have on her husband and daughter. When she receives the summons, high office does indeed await her, and life will never be the same again. As a young, attractive female Minister, Victoria will be living in the public eye, challenged in her views at every turn. But nothing prepares her for what ultimately throws her off-balance: a love affair with a married man.

In 1913 an orphan girl is delivered to The Hall of Eternal Splendour, seemingly destined to live out her life as a prostitute in its smoky backrooms. Yet one day hope appears in the unlikely form of a customs inspector, a modest man who will take Pan Yuliang as his concubine and introduce her to a glamorous life in 1920's Shanghai: a life of love and of art. But as Pan begins to realize her talent as a painter she also sees that she may lose something even more precious: a life in safety.

Peacetime has brought little respite for Verity Kent. Intrigue still abounds, even within her own family. As a favour to her father, Verity agrees to visit his sister in Wiltshire. Her once prosperous aunt has fallen on difficult times and is considering selling their estate. But there are strange goings-on at the manor, including missing servants, possible heirloom forgeries and suspicious rumors - all leading to the discovery of a dead body on the grounds.

Ivy's parents, the King and Queen of the Sand Witches, have prepared her a show-stopping birthday present - a magic act where they disappear! But hold on, they really have disappeared! Foul work is at play, and to rescue Ivy's parents, she and her friend Tom must travel all over Miracula on broomsticks and flying carpets, making friends along the way, and pulling together to defeat Clawdelia Thorn, evil Queen of Grotland.

In the nursery, only the toys that are old and wise truly understand what it means to be Real. The Velveteen Rabbit, a newcomer to the nursery, asks one of the most knowledgeable toys, the Skin Horse, what being real means. "Real isn't how you’re made," says the Skin Horse. "It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become real. It doesn't happen all at once."

Vera Brittain and the First World War tells the remarkable story of the author behind Testament of Youth while charting the book's ascent to become one of the most loved memoirs of the First World War period. Such interest is set to expand even more in this centenary year of the war's outbreak.

Yesterday, Sally was living in an idyllic South African farmstead with her teenage daughter, Gigi. Now Sally is dead, murdered, and Gigi is alone. But Sally lingers unseen in her daughter's shadow. When Gigi moves in with her aunt, Sally comes, too. When Gigi's cousin develops an obsession with African black magic. Now Sally must find a way to stop her daughter from making a mistake that will destroy the lives of everyone.

When her husband, Dan Haywood, swaps their family for a younger woman, Sarah tries best to juggle childcare, friendships and a career as a dress designer. It doesn't help that problematic middle-aged men seem to conspire against her. Enter neighbour Robert Maynard, who insists that her new house was promised to him. Shocked, but not immune to his charm, Sarah's second chance may be closer to home than she ever imagined.

Lizzy has always known she has been adopted. But since her family moved to Cornwall her world has turned upside down. By chance, she discovered Kes, a brother she never knew existed, and the incredible truth about her birth mother.

November 1919. A relaxing few weeks by the seaside with her husband, Sidney, could almost convince Verity Kent that life has returned to the pleasant rhythm of pre-war days. Then Verity's beloved great-aunt, Ilse, lands on their doorstep. After years in war-ravaged Germany, Ilse has returned to England to repair her fragile health - and to escape trouble. Someone has been sending her anonymous threats, and Verity's Secret Service contacts can only provide unsettling answers.

One hot summer's day, two-year-old Jessica Preston disappears from the beach. The police are convinced she drowned, but Sandra Preston won't give up hope that her daughter is still alive. How can she? Twenty years later, another child goes missing, and Sandra is approached by a young journalist who raises questions about what really happened to Jessica Preston all those years ago.

Dutiful daughter Arabella Shelley is bitterly unhappy at home with her tyrannical father. Both her sisters have run away and the future looks bleak until handsome Rafe Calne, Viscount Hadleigh, sweeps her off her feet. A few weeks, later pregnant and abandoned, Bella sets out to force Viscount Hadleigh to do the right thing. And he does - the problem is, it isn’t the viscount she had been expecting…

Tom Baker reprises the role of the Fourth Doctor in the third of five thrilling brand new audio adventures, with Richard Franklin as Mike Yates. In Blandford, 1832, ringmaster Antonio exerts a strange influence on the townsfolk. When the Doctor steps into the ring, he discovers that Antonio has some familiar demons of his own... Written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs, The Circus of Doom also features Michael Maloney, Jilly Bond, Susie Riddell and Stephen Thorne.