Showing results by narrator "Simon Philips" in All Categories

This is the very first Poirot/Hastings story. Set in 1916, we meet Captain Hastings as he is invalided out of the Great War and goes to convalesce at Styles Court, the family home of his great friend, John Cavendish. By an extraordinary coincidence, billeted in the village is a brilliant little retired detective with an egg-shaped head, who made a considerable impression on the Captain when he was in Belgium. Styles is not a happy household and in the blistering summer heat, tensions mount.

In over 30 essays, written over 20 years, one of the world's great storytellers meditates on the art of storytelling. Warm, engaging and often amusing collection of writing which offers thoughts on a wide variety of topics, including the origin and composition of Philip's own stories, the craft of writing and the storytellers who have meant the most to Philip. The art of storytelling is everywhere present in the essays themselves, in the instantly engaging tone, the vivid imagery and striking phrases, the resonant anecdotes, the humour and learnedness.

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective with Simon Williams and Philip Jackson. Alice Ascher, a poor, elderly shopkeeper, is murdered in Andover. Betty Barnard, a young waitress, is strangled with her own belt at Bexhill-on-Sea. Next comes Carmichael Clarke, collector of Chinese art, clubbed to death in Churston. Only in Doncaster does the pattern vary: the man found stabbed in the Regal Cinema is called George Earsfield.

When word reaches 'The Department' - an ailing section of British intelligence - that Soviet missiles are being installed close to the West German border, it seems the perfect opportunity to show Control and Smiley, their rivals over at the Circus, that The Department still has value. Former spy Fred Leiser is lured back from retirement to investigate, and manages to cross the border into East Germany in a dangerous night-time operation.

In The Eyes of Max Carrados, our blind hero, who can read a newspaper headline with the touch of his fingers and shoot a villain by aiming at the sound of his beating heart, discovers a story of murder, suicide and a desperate daughter’s quest to clear her father’s name. As the First World War rapidly approaches, we arrive in a sleepy south coast town where Max Carrados, the celebrated blind detective, is soon investigating the sudden death of the local museum curator. All is not as it seems, as our blind hero finds himself on the cliff top in a duel to the death.

The British government has created the Counter-Measures group, a specialist team that investigates strange phenomena and dangerous technology. This box set contains four of their adventures plus a behind-the-scenes documentary.

The British government has created the Counter-Measures group, a specialist team that investigates strange phenomena and dangerous technology. This box set contains four of their adventures plus a behind-the-scenes documentary.

A superb collection of dramas guaranteed to thrill and entertain from best-selling author Peter Ackroyd. Set in the heart of London, these star-studded adaptations feature parallel investigations into killings across two centuries, black magic, haunted houses, holy ghosts and a stunning performance by Simon Callow as the magnificent Charles Dickens. Novelist, biographer and critic Peter Ackroyd has cemented his place at the heart of the culture and history of London. This fantastic collection is full of vitality from a world-class author and stellar cast.

Lady Sophie Baxter must wed a wealthy lord by the end of the season, or risk the ruin of her family. However, her father does not have just any lord in mind. He's set his sights on the Marquis of Ashton - a man known amongst the ton for being as cold and aloof as he is rich and powerful. Curiosity leads her to accept the marquis' suit, and before long she learns that his secrets are far darker than she could have ever imagined. Darkest of all being the hidden chamber behind a locked door, filled with ropes, restraints, and implements of torture....

A collection of fabulous tales of genies, heroes, flying carpets and fantastic voyages, The Arabian Nights has enchanted generations of children and adults. Forged in the Islamic Golden Age, it was brought to Europe in the 18th Century, where it became an instant sensation. Included here are seven full-cast dramatisations, starring Carolyn Backhouse as Shahrazad and Derek Jacobi as the King, as well as a bonus edition of In Our Time exploring the story behind the tales.

Meet Max Carrados, the celebrated blind detective who can read a newspaper headline with the touch of his fingers and shoot a villain by aiming at the sound of his beating heart. In The Eyes of Max Carrados, our hero discovers a story of murder, suicide and a desperate daughter’s quest to clear her father’s name.

Lady Amelia Fitzwilliam is approaching her 30th year, and her umpteenth season without selecting a husband. Her elder brother is so concerned over this state of affairs that he's tripled her already obscene dowry in hopes that the coming season will finally see her leg-shackled. Opposed to the establishment of marriage to begin with, Amelia has no intention of giving up her freedom - or the taboo predilections she engages in behind closed doors. After all, what lord of the town would submit himself to a woman who enjoys subjecting her bed-mates to pain and domination for life?

Stanley Bing follows his enormously successful What Would Machiavelli Do? with another subversively humorous exploration of how work would be different - if the Buddha were your personal consultant.

After a disastrous first Season, Lydia Darling abandons all hope of love and marriage. A simple country girl, she does not belong among the debutantes of the ton. Rather than rely on her family for the rest of her days, she chooses to find work as a governess, a position that allows her to hide away from the society that shunned her. However, she cannot seem to forget the mysterious stranger she encountered at a ball during her Season...a man whose kiss haunts her dreams.

As the world entered the long night of 2020, Philip Yancey turned to John Donne's Devotions, a nearly 400-year-old manuscript, for guidance. In it, he found a trustworthy companion for living through a global pandemic—or any other crisis. As Yancey says, "Nothing had prepared me for Donne's raw account of confrontations with God." By faithfully and poetically rendering Donne's 17th century prose into 21st century vernacular, Yancey opens up this classic work to a new generation.

"Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar" - so lautet der legendäre und allgemein bekannte erste Artikel des deutschen Grundgesetzes. Doch wie geht es eigentlich weiter? Was steckt noch in diesem Werk, das unsere deutsche Verfassung bildet und somit unser tägliches Leben bestimmt? Eine Frage, die sicher nicht viele Bürger einfach so beantworten können, schließlich zählt das Grundgesetz nicht zur allgemeinen GuteNacht-Lektüre.

Philip Simon zieht sich regelmäßig in einen Spind zurück, der für die WDR-Fernsehsendung "Mitternachtsspitzen" auf die Bühne geschoben wird, und den der Künstler dann zur Formulierung einiger besonders klarer Sätze verlässt. Das macht er seit 2018 - es ist also Zeit, die vielen großartigen Nummern in einem Best-of zusammenzufügen. Philip Simon kommt hierfür aus seinem Spind, direkt ins Aufnahmestudio und gibt seine Nummern zum Besten - dabei blickt er auf die Entstehungszeit zurück und stellt neue und aktuelle Zusammenhänge her.

Philip Simon seziert mit großer Spielfreude und dem Skalpell seine eigenen Gedanken. Er stellt fest: Die einzigen Visionen, die er noch hat, sind medikamentös bedingt. Ein gefühlvoller und pointierter Hobbyphilosoph auf der Höhe der Zeit und auf der Suche nach einer Antwort, zu der er selbst nicht einmal die Frage kennt. Nur soviel ist klar: Yoga ist keine Lösung, Bio macht auch dick und "alternativlos" bringt 21 Punkte beim Scrabble.

"Don't live in the darkness, Amy Jennings." Adolescence is difficult enough, especially when your family members are vampires and werewolves. But somehow Amy Jennings survived it. Now a young woman, Amy has come back to Collinsport, determined to forget the horrors of childhood and start anew. But growing up means confronting the truth about the world around you and Amy's rite of passage has only just begun.

Ende der Schonzeit! Philip Simon geht auf die Jagd nach dem Wahnsinn des Lebens und so absurd es auch sein mag, so befreiend ist seine Freude an der Sinnlosigkeit politischer Debatten und der Sinnlosigkeit tagtäglicher Handlungen. Ganz zu schweigen von der Sinnlosigkeit des Seins. Und so nimmt uns der Hobbyphilosoph und Lebemensch an die Hand und führt uns durch seine Welt der verrückten, lustigen, stillen und auch traurigen Momente.