Author:Lou Wakefield,Carole Hayman,Prunella Scales,Patricia Routledge,Full Cast
First broadcast on Woman's Hour, Prunella Scales and Patricia Routledge star in this popular BBC Radio 4 comedy Ladies of Letters. This collection features all 11 series.
When Irene Spencer meets Vera Small at her daughter Lesley's wedding reception they embark upon a correspondence that is quite unlike any other in the history of letter-writing. Both Irene and Vera are happily widowed and endowed with errant offspring. They live in a world of church fetes and amateur dramatics, but love nothing more than dipping their pens in the vitriol pot - while remaining the firmest of pen-pals. Feisty, naughty and endlessly funny, Ladies of Letters provides a hilarious insight into suburban friendships and modern family life as they really are!
The series are:
Ladies of Letters
Ladies of More Letters
Ladies of Letters.com
Ladies of Letters Log On
Ladies of Letters Make Mincemeat
Ladies of Letters Spring Clean
Ladies of Letters Go Global
Ladies of Letters Say No
Ladies of Letters Go Green
Ladies of Letters Crunch Credit
Ladies of Letters Go Crackers
'A hilarious double act by Prunella Scales and Patricia Routledge' - Northern Echo
'Beautifully scripted and perfectly acted' - Daily Express
Reading: RIOT DAYS, by #PussyRiot member MariaAlyokhina. A women's prison memoir like no other! One tough cookie!
—— @MargaretAtwoodA future cult classic
—— VogueIn oppressive political systems, some of the most effective weapons are sarcasm and dark humour. It is exactly these weapons that are employed by Masha Alyokhina in the brilliantly written Riot Days. Once you begin reading, you are completely disarmed, unable to put it down until the last page
—— Marina AbramovicRiot Days could so easily have been a straightforward, from-the-horse's-mouth confessional account of one of the most publicised political protests of recent years. Alyokhina takes on a far greater challenge: creating a text that is not just a reflection on a piece of art, but becomes one itself, and one that, in many places, lives up to her own criteria of protest: that it must be "desperate, sudden, and joyous"
—— Rachel Hewitt , GuardianThe literary equivalent of guerrilla street art
—— Marc Bennetts , The TimesUrgent and bold
—— Anna Aslanyan , Financial Times[An] energetic and enjoyable prison diary ... A search for meaningful protest in an age in which presidents often appear to be playful performance artists
—— Peter Pomerantsev , SpectatorAlyokhina's eye for surreal detail gives Riot Days a welcome dose of dark humor ... Through the chinks in the abusive system, Alyokhina glimpses human beings
—— The New York Times Book ReviewStrong, brave, honest, touching, bitter and sad
—— Vladimir Sorokin, master of contemporary Russian literatureOne of the most brilliant and inspiring things I've read in years. Couldn't put it down. This book is freedom
—— Chris Kraus, author of 'I Love Dick'Accessible and inspiring
—— Huck MagazineFascinating and important ... What's most striking is its universality
—— Refinery 29Iconoclastic
—— Livres HebdoOne of the most brilliant and inspiring things I've read in years. Couldn't put it down. This book is freedom
—— Chris Kraus, author of I Love DickThe seedy side of the golden age of Hollywood and Los Angeles is thrown into sharp relief in this fascinating oral history. Tales of the stars, the fallen idols, and the never-beens from the Twenties right up to the Nineties.
—— Daily MailThis gossipy exploration of life in the gilded cage from one of its own is packed with anecdotes… Wealth, fame, beauty and status are a heady mix in Jean Stein’s history of Hollywood told through the first-hand accounts of those who lived and worked there.
—— Fiona Wilson , The TimesMonstrous behaviour and vanity suffuse this oral history of Hollywood’s troubled dynasties… Tragedy lurks around the manicured lawns and marbled halls.
—— Anthony Quinn , GuardianThe anecdotes come so thick and fast it’s like being machine-gunned with marshmallows. Gradually, though, the mood darkens, the catalogue of vulgarity, cruelty and insanity takes its toll. While the Technicolor tour is relentlessly fascinating, it is reassuring to be shown in black and white that, in La-La Land at least, with the millions comes endless misery.
—— Mark Sanderson , Evening StandardJean Stein’s approach to family history is unconventional… Stein weaves them together with immense narrative skill.
—— Christopher Silvester , Spears Wealth Management SurveyThe stories are mesmerising… Great for people who want to see beyond the world of make-believe.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardA very dark oral history of Hollywood… mesmerising.
—— iEngaging… Hytner proves an erudite chronicler of his notable successes, while not being afraid to acknowledge some of the more egregious failures on his watch. A must-read for anyone interested in theatre.
—— Alexander Larman , The ObserverHytner chronicles the highs – and occasional lows – of running the National with crisp wit and deep affection
—— Jane Shilling , Daily MailBook of the day
—— The IndependentA sensitive, sweetly melancholic story of music, connection and community
—— S MagazineBOOK OF THE WEEK: An uplifting read…full of humour and authentic characters
—— Midweek ExtraBreezily written, heart-warming and unashamedly sentimental… [a] modern fairy tale
—— Mail on SundayRachel Joyce returns to some of the themes in her bestselling debut The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: loss, the past and the bonds that can be forged with strangers. This time the pilgrimage is through music.
—— Press AssociationA quirky, romantic fairy tale perfect for summer.
—— You MagazineMy Christmas pick: I love any novel by Rachel Joyce, whose The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was a huge success. Now she has created another Pied Piper of the heart in Frank, the proprietor of The Music Shop...This bewitching love story sings out the unique beauty of every human being, leaving you uplifted.
—— Bel Mooney , Daily MailThe Music Shop is a one gulp, super-satisfying read. Love it, love it, love it.
—— Sir Lenny HenryJoyce, a British actress and playwright, whose first novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, was longlisted for the Man Booker, continues to enchant and break hearts with her lovable misfits trying to survive in a modern world determined to pass them by. Irresistible.
—— Beth Anderson , Library JournalAn unforgettable story of music, loss and hope. Fans of High Fidelity, meet your next quirky love story. Vinyl fans, hold onto your turntables - Joyce's latest is a buoyant homage to the healing power of music well-played.
—— PEOPLE magazine‘The Music Shop’ is an unabashedly sentimental tribute to the healing power of great songs, and Joyce is hip to greatness in any key…. [The novel] captures the sheer, transformative joy of romance — ‘a ballooning of happiness.’ Joyce’s understated humor…offers something like the pleasure of A.A. Milne for adults. She has a kind of sweetness that’s never saccharine, a kind of simplicity that’s never simplistic…. I wouldn’t change a single note. Rachel Joyce, if music be the food of love, write on!
—— The Washington PostRachel Joyce’s charming and deceptively simple fourth novel chronicles an offbeat love story between a mystery woman and an ardent, if lonely, collector and gently explores the power of memory and music and the certainty of change…. love, friendship, and especially the healing powers of music all rise together into a triumphant crescendo…. This lovely novel is as satisfying and enlightening as the music that suffuses its every page.
—— The Boston GlobeMagnificent…. Joyce’s novel is intellectually and emotionally satisfying on every possible level. If you love words, if you love music, if you love, this is 2018’s first must-read, and it will be without question one of the year’s best.
—— Top Pick in Fiction, January 2018 , BookPageJoyce has a knack for quickly sketching characters in a way that makes them stick…. This is a touching, sometimes funny book about surviving change, the power of music and the importance of having a community — wacky or not. As with all of Joyce’s books, it will surprise you.
—— Minneapolis Star TribuneJoyce…continues to enchant and break hearts with her lovable misfits trying to survive in a modern world determined to pass them by. Irresistible.
—— Library JournalMagical…. [Rachel] Joyce has a winner in this deceptively simple love story…. Joyce’s odes to music…and the notion that the perfect song can transform one’s life make this novel a triumph.
—— Publishers WeeklyWhether on foot, as in her novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, or track by track, on this unlikely musical odyssey, Joyce excels in enveloping readers in epic journeys of lost connections and loving reunions.
—— Booklist[Rachel] Joyce sets up a charming cast of characters, and her spirals into the sonic landscapes of brilliant musicians are delightful, casting a vivid backdrop for the quietly desperate romance between Frank and Ilse. From nocturnes to punk, this musical romance is ripe for filming.
—— Kirkus Reviews