The Read

Acclaimed actors combine with classic literature, breathing new life into iconic stories.

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  E1Persuasion

  Dec 18, 2025· 63m

  Bafta and Olivier Award-winning actor Monica Dolan gives a captivating reading of Jane Austen’s much-loved novel.

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  E2The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

  Dec 25, 2025· 58m

  Steffan Rhodri (Gavin and Stacey, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) gives an enchanting reading performance of CS Lewis’s timeless classic, as we step into the magical world of Narnia, filled with adventure, courage and Turkish Delight.

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  E3The 39 Steps: The Read with John Hannah

  Feb 26, 2026· 56m

  Murder, conspiracy and espionage are the themes of John Buchan’s gripping novel, set against the backdrop of WWI, that sees Richard Hannay, a bored adventurer, become embroiled in a plot to assassinate a political figure.

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  E4The Picture of Dorian Gray with Luke Thompson

  Mar 22, 2026· 59m

  Oscar Wilde’s haunting tale of beauty, vanity and moral corruption, where eternal youth comes at a terrible price. Luke Thompson delivers a spellbinding performance of Wilde’s only novel.

Rediscover the books you thought you knew. Acclaimed actors combine with classic literature, breathing new life into iconic stories.

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  E11984

  Nov 17, 2024· 59m

  A bleak dystopian future plays out before us as Royal Television Society award-winning actor Sacha Dhawan narrates George Orwell’s profoundly impactful and thought-provoking classic.

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  E2A Christmas Carol

  Dec 22, 2024· 73m

  Anne-Marie Duff performs an intimate reading of Charles Dickens’s timeless classic. Can the ghostly interventions salvage Scrooge’s soul?

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  E3Wuthering Heights

  Jan 5, 2025· 62m

  Emily Brontë’s timeless classic set against the haunting backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors and narrated by award-winning actor Vinette Robinson.

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  E4Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with Reece Shearsmith

  Feb 2, 2025· 64m

  Who is the real monster? Robert Louis Stevenson’s defining gothic horror explores alter egos in this captivating narration that reimagines the 19th-century classic.

Outstanding performance readings of iconic British novels.

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  E1A Kestrel for a Knave

  Sep 17, 2023· 64m

  Christopher Eccleston narrates Barry Hines’s heartbreaking coming-of-age tale in this fresh take on a classic British novel.

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  E2Shakespeare Sonnets: A Modern Love Story

  Oct 29, 2023· 43m

  Some of the best-known love poems are weaved together to create a fresh contemporary story told by four lovers.

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  E3Frankenstein

  Mar 3, 2024· 64m

  Alex Kingston breathes life into Mary Shelley’s timeless gothic horror story. Young, gifted scientist Victor Frankenstein unwittingly creates a monster. Written more than 200 years ago, the classic masterpiece still resonates today as a tragic romance that examines the battle between ambition and morality.

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  E4The Remains of the Day: The Read with Steve Pemberton

  May 12, 2024· 61m

  Heartbreak and longing are centre stage as BAFTA-winning actor Steve Pemberton narrates Kazuo Ishiguro’s contemporary classic.

A series of four creative performance readings of iconic British novels. Each episode is directed by exciting emerging talent.

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