Showing results by narrator "Jan Francis" in All Categories

The BBC TV soundtrack of the acclaimed Jackanory multi-voice reading of The Hobbit. Broadcast to mark the 3000th programme of the much-loved children's series Jackanory, The Hobbit was transmitted over two weeks and 10 episodes in 1979. It told the gripping story of Bilbo Baggins and his band of dwarves, who are on a quest for the treasure guarded by the fearsome dragon Smaug. As he leaves his cosy hobbit-hole and travels into the wild, Bilbo's adventures begin.

Jan Francis reads Johanna Spyri's classic tale of the adventures of a little Swiss girl. Ever since her mother died, Heidi has been looked after by her aunt Dete. But now Dete is moving to Frankfurt, and Heidi must go and live with her grandfather in a hut high up in the Swiss mountains. There she meets Peter the goatherd and his blind grandmother, and the three become great friends. Heidi loves her new, carefree life - but then her aunt returns to take her away from everyone she loves.

My naughty little sister is the naughtiest little girl in the world... she's always having adventures! She wins a prize in the Fancy Dress parade, and she goes to the hairdresser with Bad Harry to watch him have his golden curls chopped off. But she's a very stubborn girl at the photographer's shop - she won't say cheese!

My naughty little sister is the naughtiest little girl in the world. She is guaranteed to cause mischief wherever she goes! She digs up the garden, eats all the trifle and she doesn't even like Father Christmas!

Wrongly accused of theft and exiled from a religious community many years before, the embittered weaver Silas Marner lives alone in Raveloe, living only for work and his precious hoard of money. But when his money is stolen and an orphaned child finds her way into his house, Silas is given the chance to transform his life. His fate, and that of the little girl he adopts, is entwined with Godfrey Cass, son of the village Squire, who, like Silas, is trapped by his past.

Two series of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom about an alien invasion of a small village, starring Hattie Morahan and Julian Rhind-Tutt with Peter Davison and Jan Francis. When the small Buckinghamshire village of Cresdon Green is invaded by an alien race called the Geonin, the local residents come up against Uljabaan, the smooth-talking leader of the aliens.

There are six of the Bone children and, when their parents are drowned on the Titanic, everyone wonders what will become of them. But Binnie is determined not to let the family be split up, and she stands up to all the well-meaning offers from relatives to take charge. Her love holds the family together through its ups and downs. Then the First World War starts - and Binnie's brothers are desperate to go and fight for their country.

Dawn Buckle spends most of her days trying to get people to notice her. But whether at home or at school, it's as if she's completely invisible. And that's exactly what makes her the ideal recruit for S.H,.H. (Strictly Hush Hush) - a secret intelligence agency. How the world's most forgettable girl transforms herself into a world-class spy and tracks down a surprising secret agent will delight listeners.

English Poetry, Volume 2 – An Introduction. The English language has grown into the Worlds pre-dominant spoken language. It’s estimated there are over one million words with which to do this. Its sources are rich and diverse, absorbing from other cultures and times without hesitation.

Jock was supposed to have died in the Paddington train crash. Minty had received a letter from the railway company. But, curiously, the police hadn't been in touch. And Jock had gone off with all her savings. Then Jock's ghost starts reappearing to Minty: at home, at work, even in the cinema. He even touches her. Minty started to carry a knife. If he wasn't made of shadows, would he bleed?

The English language has grown into the world’s pre-dominant spoken language, containing over one million words. Its sources are rich and diverse, having absorbed words from other cultures and times without hesitation. With such talents as Shakespeare, Keats, Shelley, Kipling, Blake, and many other classic poets using this most flexible language to render their thoughts and visions, it is no wonder that the beauty and reach of English entrances us.

When Bet is first asked to go into the meadow to read aloud - apparently to no one - she wonders why. To her surprise, her audience is a little mole. But no ordinary mole. This is a mole who can speak, is over 300 years old, and has an incredible tale to tell. So begins an enchanting tale of deep secrets, extraordinary magic, and beautiful friendship between Bet and the Little Gentleman in Black Velvet.

My naughty little sister is the naughtiest little girl in the world, and there's double trouble with her best friend, Bad Harry! There's a peculiar pile of green mouldy crusts on the floor - where has it come from? Bad Harry gets covered in polish and sawdust, but he doesn't think that's naughty at all. And why on earth are those children taking pieces of cheese and bacon rind to the library?

Westminster Abbey has seen much during its long, rich history: the coronations of Kings and Queens, the burials of Prime Ministers. However, it is also a church that remembers the men and women of the arts. Dedicated writers and poets who spoke so eloquently that the nation wished to remember them with plaques upon its walls so that all who travelled here could remember, too. Their works are worth remembering, and here, in these volumes, their wise words speak, too, and for us all. In volume 2 we collect together John Clare to DH Lawrence.

A growling lion spends the morning at school and frightens the school bully; a little boy saves a mouse’s life; Totty spends the night with a ‘man-eating manatee’; a crooked little finger gets Judy into trouble; and the Great Sharp Scissors cause havoc! These are just some of the surprises in store in this charming collection of nine lively tales.

The first girl had a bite mark on her neck, but they traced the DNA to her boyfriend. But the tabloids got hold of the story and called the killer 'The Rottweiler' and the name stuck. The latest murder takes place very near Inez Ferry's antique shop in Marylebone.

After listening to a tape about the Creeper, a horrific creature formed from the ashes of a murdered man and bent on revenge against all wrongdoers, Lucy gets scared. Now the Creeper is loose, and Lucy fears she will be a victim.