Here are the two audio shows that I wanted to tell you about. They are not typical audiobooks. There’s no single plot or storyline. There are several actors. The stories are dramatised. They are more like radio dramas rather than just books. Still, they are great entertainment, and they rescued me from the listening vacuum I was in (it’s even harder to find a good audiobook than to find a good book). Here’s more about them.
1. Lunch. BBC Radio 4 comedy drama
Time: 4 hrs and 35 mins.
Lunch is an audio show about two characters, Bill and Bella. They used to be friends at college but then they went separate ways. Now, years later, they meet again and decide to rekindle their friendship. They start meeting once a month for lunch to talk about their lives.
Bill and Bella are very different. Bill is married and has a kid. He’s pragmatic, sceptical and sometimes cynical. Bella has recently broken up with her partner. She’s a free spirit who loves yoga and travelling to exotic places. They rarely share the same views, and so it’s interesting to see how they react to various life situations. It’s a thought-provoking show that lets you see things from different perspectives.
I really enjoyed the show. It was never boring. I loved the narrators’ voices, accents and style. The topics are fun too. I only wish the whole show was longer. I was told there are 5 seasons. Audible provides only 4, but it still feels like a complete show.
2. Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets
Time: 7 hrs and 33 mins.
This show was a treat!
In this show Stephen Fry takes you on a journey to Victorian times, exploring everything from their darkest secrets to something as practical as the construction of toilets. You’ll learn about serial killers, asylums, medicine, cosmetics, the life of gay people. You will even learn something new about Sherlock Holmes! It’s not just a gripping show, it’s actually a very thorough historical work, beautifully presented by different actors and historians.
It’s incredible how much information was placed into just 7.5 hours. I wish the show was longer, but only because it was so good.
If you listened to any similar series, or know any other interesting audio shows, podcasts or audiobooks, please, let me know! 🙂
I love audio plays and podcasts. I’m about 10 episodes in to Victorian Secrets and it’s wonderful. I haven’t heard about Lunch before, but I shall be checking it out. 🙂
Well, Victorian Secrets is definitely much better and of a different level altogether. Lunch is just for fun.
Thank you for sharing:) Have you encountered Tea and Jeopardy featuring Emma Newman of Planetfall fame? It’s when she interviews authors, illustrators, artists who are mostly in the SFF genre – but there is also some madcap danger involved, along with formal tea being served by a rather creepy butler… Great fun:))
No, I’ve never heard about it! Thank you for writing to me about them! I’m constantly looking for something to listen to, it’s the only way I can do boring things when reading is not possible. I’m currently listening to The Bright Sessions podcast. It’s a drama podcast (or I don’t know yet what to call it). It’s fiction played by several actors about a psychotherapist who’s working with people who have some superpowers. There’s also a bigger story behind all the sessions, it seems. I don’t know how it will develop later but I think it’s very well made and quite interesting. Have you heard about it?
No – but it sounds fascinating:). Tea and Jeopardy is magnificently eccentric and quirky, while interviewing talented authors and SFF personalities who are prepared to join in the fun.
My friend keeps telling me about a podcast in the UK she listens to: My Dad Wrote a Porno. I listened to about 5 minutes of it once, and it was hysterical. I’m not really a podcast person (I keep meaning to try them while I commute, but I am too lazy to add an app on my phone, haha), but that Victorian one sounds pretty awesome. I love stuff like that.