Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Bleak Expectations by Mark Evans Bleak Expectations (Series 1 - 5) Series 1 : The sitcom follows the remarkable adventures of young Sir Philip 'Pip' Bin as he struggles to rescue himself and his sisters from the schemes of his evil and ironically-named guardian Mr Gently Benevolent. Series 2 : The comic Victorian epic tells the further extraordinary adventures of Pip Bin and his trusty friend Harry Biscuit as they battle against the evil Mr Gently Benevolent, returned from the dead specifically to destroy all that is good and pure and true. Wince at the cruel vengeance of the Sternbeater cousins! Weep at the squalor of the opium den! Wonder at the engineering of the world's first beef and pastry railway! Series 3 : All seems well in the life of Pip Bin. His evil guardian Mr Gently Benevolent has been killed (again) and he has found true love with his wife Ripely and true happiness with his beloved family and friends. Everything is properly splendid, and surely for the duration of the series it will continue that way, won't it? No! Because in a ghastly incident at a seance the spirit of the evil Mr Benevolent reappears to wreak more havoc on everything that is noble, Victorian and English! Series 4 : Shipwrecks, time-machines, the Wild West, volcanoes, the underworld and a sinister new kind of cake abound appear in Series 4. Hero Pip sees his former nemesis - the badly named Gently Benevolent - thwarted and locked up in a prison within a jail (within a gaol spelled the other way), and apparently repentant of his crimes. But late one foggy night when Pip is attacked with a bowl of sinister custard he realises a new form of evil is stalking the streets of London, and he is obliged to ask for help from his erstwhile foe. Meanwhile, Pip's wife Ripely has become obsessed with cutlery, and the purchase of some diamond-handled dodo knives looks likely to force Pip into bankruptcy. His best friend, Harry Biscuit, claims to be having terrible problems with an angry badger, but is all as it seems? Series 5 : Pip Bin is beginning to miss the conflict with his absent evil nemesis Mr Gently Benevolent, when he receives an intriguing invitation to a house party with Britain's poshest man. The series sees Pip, Gently and Co visit India, Antarctica and other interesting locations. Bleak Expectations. We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method. Listeners also enjoyed. Elvenquest. Stephen Mangan and Alistair McGowan star in the fantastical BBC Radio 4 comedy by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto. When fantasy novelist Sam is whisked off to Lower Earth by a band of noble warriors, his dog Amis goes with them. Transformed into human form, Amis turns out to be The Chosen One, whom the warriors need to help find the Sword of Asnagar. Only with the sword can they save Lower Earth from the evil rule of Lord Darkness. Phenomenal. Revolting People: The Complete Series 1-4. All four series of the hilarious historical sitcom set just before and during the American Revolution. Baltimore, 1770, and shopkeeper Samuel Oliphant has much to worry about. Storm clouds are gathering, business is bad and to make matters worse, he’s been forced to play host to two British soldiers. Hapless officer Captain Brimshaw is decent enough, but his fellow redcoat - the one-eyed, one-eared, one-armed and one-legged Sergeant McGurk - is a shameless rascal obsessed with money and sex. Hut 33: The Complete Series 1-3. Set during World War Two, Hut 33 follows the adventures of a team of codebreakers at Bletchley Park as they work tirelessly to break German codes, matching wits with the fabled Enigma Machine. Unfortunately, they hate each other. Archie is a stroppy Geordie socialist revolutionary while Professor Charles Gardner is a toffee-nosed snob. In theory, the immensely stupid 3rd Lt. Joshua Featherstonhaugh-Marshall is in charge of the hut, but he is still struggling with even the most basic concepts. I have always Loved BBC Humor. Cabin Pressure: Molokai (Christmas Special 2010) In this Christmas special 'Molokai' - It's Christmas morning, but when Carolyn schedules an extra stop-off to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, Arthur has just seven minutes to celebrate Christmas. Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch & Roger Allam star in the second series of the hit sitcom about the tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. I can't believe I missed this Cabin Pressure. Blackadder: The Complete Collected Series. Through the ages of Britain, from the 15th century to the 21st, Edmund Blackadder has meddled his way along the bloodlines, aided by his servant and sidekick, Baldrick, and hindered by an assortment of dimwitted aristocrats. Now the complete history of Blackadder is collected together, including the four TV series: The Black Adder, Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth. If you know the show well, You'll Love its Audio. It’s Not Us, It’s Them: Series 1-3. Barney and Cathy. Evan and Fiona. David and Alice. Three couples who have beaten the odds and stayed married - but is that simply because they haven’t got around to divorcing yet? In these three series, we follow this group of friends throughout weekends away and tricky date nights, weddings and funerals, Christmas celebrations and counselling sessions - all of which give them plenty of opportunity for flirting, fighting, competitiveness and reprehensible behaviour. We listen in to their innermost thoughts, feelings and motivations as they break the fourth wall. Outstanding Fun. Elvenquest. Stephen Mangan and Alistair McGowan star in the fantastical BBC Radio 4 comedy by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto. When fantasy novelist Sam is whisked off to Lower Earth by a band of noble warriors, his dog Amis goes with them. Transformed into human form, Amis turns out to be The Chosen One, whom the warriors need to help find the Sword of Asnagar. Only with the sword can they save Lower Earth from the evil rule of Lord Darkness. Phenomenal. Revolting People: The Complete Series 1-4. All four series of the hilarious historical sitcom set just before and during the American Revolution. Baltimore, 1770, and shopkeeper Samuel Oliphant has much to worry about. Storm clouds are gathering, business is bad and to make matters worse, he’s been forced to play host to two British soldiers. Hapless officer Captain Brimshaw is decent enough, but his fellow redcoat - the one-eyed, one-eared, one-armed and one-legged Sergeant McGurk - is a shameless rascal obsessed with money and sex. Hut 33: The Complete Series 1-3. Set during World War Two, Hut 33 follows the adventures of a team of codebreakers at Bletchley Park as they work tirelessly to break German codes, matching wits with the fabled Enigma Machine. Unfortunately, they hate each other. Archie is a stroppy Geordie socialist revolutionary while Professor Charles Gardner is a toffee-nosed snob. In theory, the immensely stupid 3rd Lt. Joshua Featherstonhaugh-Marshall is in charge of the hut, but he is still struggling with even the most basic concepts. I have always Loved BBC Humor. Cabin Pressure: Molokai (Christmas Special 2010) In this Christmas special 'Molokai' - It's Christmas morning, but when Carolyn schedules an extra stop-off to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, Arthur has just seven minutes to celebrate Christmas. Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch & Roger Allam star in the second series of the hit sitcom about the tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. I can't believe I missed this Cabin Pressure. Blackadder: The Complete Collected Series. Through the ages of Britain, from the 15th century to the 21st, Edmund Blackadder has meddled his way along the bloodlines, aided by his servant and sidekick, Baldrick, and hindered by an assortment of dimwitted aristocrats. Now the complete history of Blackadder is collected together, including the four TV series: The Black Adder, Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth. If you know the show well, You'll Love its Audio. It’s Not Us, It’s Them: Series 1-3. Barney and Cathy. Evan and Fiona. David and Alice. Three couples who have beaten the odds and stayed married - but is that simply because they haven’t got around to divorcing yet? In these three series, we follow this group of friends throughout weekends away and tricky date nights, weddings and funerals, Christmas celebrations and counselling sessions - all of which give them plenty of opportunity for flirting, fighting, competitiveness and reprehensible behaviour. We listen in to their innermost thoughts, feelings and motivations as they break the fourth wall. Outstanding Fun. Cabin Pressure: The Complete Series 2. Stephanie Cole ("Doc Martin"), Benedict Cumberbatch and Roger Allam ("The Thick Of It") star in the complete second series of the hit sitcom about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. Brilliant Fun! John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme. The complete third and fourth series of BBC Radio 4’s award-winning sketch show, written by and starring the writer of Cabin Pressure. In the third and fourth series of his hit sketch show, John Finnemore examines a typically eclectic range of issues including making friends, the problem with polymath bestselling authors, the colour of posh men’s trousers, and a history of choice. Comedy gold from Finnemore and company. Cabin Pressure: The Complete Series 3. Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Roger Allam star in the first series of the hit sitcom about the tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. MJN keeps flying, I keep laughing. Cabin Pressure: The Complete Series 4. Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch & Roger Allam star in the fourth series of the hit sitcom about the tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult. By John Finnemore (The News Quiz, Mitchell & Webb). Laugh out loud. John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme: Series 8. John Finnemore presents the eighth series of his multi-award-winning Souvenir Programme. John Finnemore, creator and star of Cabin Pressure and John Finnemore’s Double Acts , is back with series 8 of his highly acclaimed radio sketch show, winner of the Academy Silver Award, a Broadcasting Press Guild award and two BBC Audio Drama awards. So much fun! How Does That Make You Feel? Series 1-10. Psychotherapist Martha is reasonably compassionate, but deep down she's losing patience. It seems all her clients want to be something they are not, and it's driving them (and her) out of their minds. Across a series of 15-minute comedy vignettes, How Does that Make You Feel? offers a fly-on-the-wall view of Martha’s sessions, each one shedding more light on the lives of her entertaining clients. Starring Frances Tomelty, Roger Allam, Marcella Riordan, Tim McInnerny, Cathy Belton and Rebecca Saire. Produced and directed by Eoin O’Callaghan. Amusing look at life today - social media, food. The Castle. Sir John Woodstock (James Fleet) is the Lord of the Castle and basically in charge of keeping order in the ramshackle medieval village. Although he hates all that torturing and usually lets the peasants off with a bit of community service. He lives in his huge but slightly falling down castle (but then it was built by the French, so what can one expect) with his daughter Anne (Martha Howe-Douglas) and very teenage son Henry (Steven Kynman). Anne’s best friend Charlotte (Ingrid Oliver) nearly always joins Anne on her constant quest to find fit men in the village. one of the best for BBC. Cabin Pressure. The complete finale of the hit BBC Radio 4 sitcom- 2 episodes. Cabin Pressure is set in the wing and prayer world of a tiny, one-plane airline, staffed by two pilots, one on his way down, and one who was never up to start with. In this, the finale of the whole series, we discover that for MJN Air, whether it's choosing an ice-cream flavour, putting a princess in a van or remembering your grandmother's name, no job is too small, but, many, many jobs are too difficult. MORE, PLEASE!! Welcome to Our Village Please Invade Carefully. 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. we'd make great pets! Brothers in Law: The Complete Series 1-3. Inspired by Henry Cecil's 1955 comic novel of the same name, Brothers in Law first appeared on BBC One in 1962, providing Richard Briers with his first starring role on television as idealistic young barrister Roger Thursby. Adapted by Richard Waring from TV scripts by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, it took to the airwaves in 1970, running for three years until 1972. As the series opens, the rookie lawyer is in his first year at chambers, and struggling to learn the ropes. Jeeves & Wooster: The Collected Radio Dramas. A rollicking collection of six acclaimed dramatisations of P.G Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster novels, starring Michael Hordern and Richard Briers as Jeeves and Wooster. Also featuring Maurice Denham, Paul Eddington, David Jason, John Le Mesurier, Miriam Margolyes, Jonathan Cecil, Liza Goddard and Patrick Cargill. tracks out of order. Absolute Power. Stephen Fry and John Bird star in all four series of the BBC Radio 4 satirical comedy, plus the 2006 special episode. Set in the Machiavellian world of modern PR, Absolute Power introduces us to London-based 'government-media relations consultancy' Prentiss McCabe, whose partners Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe are frequently embroiled in the machinations of the British political system. unsparing! Publisher's Summary. The complete collected series 1-5 of the gloriously daft Victorian romp Bleak Expectations . Gasp at the evil Mr Gently Benevolent, played by Mr Anthony Head! Weep at the trials of our young hero, Pip Bin, played by Master Tom Allen! Be moved to joy and sorrow by the remarkable narration of Mr Richard Johnson! Swoon at the fragile beauty of Pip's poor mama, played by Miss Celia Imrie! Wonder at the thespian prowess of Mr Geoffrey Whitehead as six different siblings! Follow the remarkable adventures of young Pip Bin as he struggles to rescue himself and his sisters from the schemes of his evil and badly named guardian, Mr Gently Benevolent, and the blood-curdling Hardthrasher family. Immerse yourself in a timeless epic featuring terrifying schools, even worse prisons, opium dens, disguises, court cases, shipwrecks, underwater squirrels and swashbuckling long-lost aunts. Revel in the many fine quips, characters and scenarios written by Mr Mark Evans and produced by Mr Gareth Edwards, previously renowned for their craftsmanship on the works of Messrs Mitchell and Webb. Series 1: Televised as The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff on the BBC. Episodes: 'A Childhood Cruelly Kippered', 'An Adolescence Utterly Trashed', 'A Youth Utterly Crocked', 'A Young Adult Bitterly Dismantled', 'A Young Love Mercilessly Dismembered', 'A Life Sadly Smashed Then Happily Restored a Bit'. Series 2: 'A Happy Life Cruelly Re-Kippered', 'A Re-Kippered Life Smashed Some More', 'A Recovery Made Miserable', 'A Restoration Re- Ruined Only Even Worse', 'An Already Bad Life Made Worse but Sort of on Purpose', 'A Happy Life Broken' and 'Then Mended a Bit'. Series 3: 'A Lovely Life Re-Kippered Again Once More', 'A Now Grim Life yet More Grimmified', 'A Sort of Fine Life De-Niced Completely', 'A Horrible Life Un-Ruined and Then Re-Ruined Again', 'An Evil Life Sort of Explained', 'Lives Lost', 'Ruined Wrecked' and 'Redeemed'. Series 4: 'A Tolerable Life De-Happified', 'A New-Spoiled Life Smashed Some More', 'A Wretched Life Made Much, Much Sadder', 'A Painful Life Re-Miserablised', 'A Now Tricky Life Woefully Miseried Up', 'A Life Destroyed then Repaired and Re-Happied'. Series 5: 'A Pleasant Yet Dull Life Re-Evilled', 'A Re-Excited Life Made Distinctly Dangerous', 'An Alrightish Life Savagely Frozen to Bits', 'A Writerly Life Made Dreadfully Different', 'A Terrifying Life Made Even Scarier a Bit Some More', 'A Loved-Up Life Potentially Totally Annihilated'. Bleak Expectations. A fantastically funny and inventive novel from the hit Radio 4 comedy series. You think you know the entire story of Bleak Expectations but look! Now it's also a big, fat, juicy book. Like the radio series, but with added jokes, extra bits of story, additional dimensions to characters and masses more paper. Unless you're reading it as an e-book in which case. masses more A fantastically funny and inventive novel from the hit Radio 4 comedy series. You think you know the entire story of Bleak Expectations but look! Now it's also a big, fat, juicy book. Like the radio series, but with added jokes, extra bits of story, additional dimensions to characters and masses more paper. Unless you're reading it as an e-book in which case. masses more digital information bits. Bleak Expectations recounts the remarkable adventures of young Pip Bin as he tries to repair his destroyed family and distinctly damaged life, aided by his best friend Harry Biscuit and definitely not aided by his cruel and ironically named guardian Mr Gently Benevolent and his accomplices, the fearsome Hardthrasher siblings. Weep! As Pip is sent to Britain's nastiest boarding school, St Bastard's. Gasp! As the true extent of his despicable guardian's plan becomes clear. Worry! As our hero is committed to the Workhouse, where he meets the hideous poverty-punishments of the treadmill, the grindstone and the painwheel. Sigh! As Pip finds love with London's most eligible frail beauty, Miss Flora Dies-Early. Find a tenterhook and sit on it! Grim circumstances, mistaken identities, unlikely inheritances, nightmarish court cases, ridiculous names, convenient coincidences to resolve plot problems, over-sentimental death scenes and lots and lots of adjectives: Bleak Expectations is the novel Charles Dickens might have written after drinking far too much gin. . more. Get A Copy. Friend Reviews. Reader Q&A. Be the first to ask a question about Bleak Expectations. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. This book is based upon Series 1 of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series "Bleak Expectations", a pastiche of the works of Charles Dickens. I have to say that the book doesn't quite live up to the comedy heights of the radio show - especially since it can't replicate the evil laugh of the main villain Mr Gently Benevolent (marvelously played by Anthony Head), described as "the most evil man in the world, his massively complicated evil plans are designed both to conquer the world and to personally make P This book is based upon Series 1 of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series "Bleak Expectations", a pastiche of the works of Charles Dickens. I have to say that the book doesn't quite live up to the comedy heights of the radio show - especially since it can't replicate the evil laugh of the main villain Mr Gently Benevolent (marvelously played by Anthony Head), described as "the most evil man in the world, his massively complicated evil plans are designed both to conquer the world and to personally make Pip as miserable as possible". (Note - Pip is Pip Bin, the "hero" of the story and a young man who becomes hugely rich by "inventing" the waste bin!). It's worth checking out the book and/or radio show just to smile at the hugely silly names given to all the characters. The book's humour comprises a mix of outrageously bad puns, a full frontal assault on the more sentimental type of 19th Century English literature and surreal comedy. Although this book is quite fun, it doesn't match up to the radio series. As stated, this book only covers the 1st series and I'd advise anyone who's interested to check out the BBC Radio website or the audio CD's of all 5 series. The author of the book, Mark Evans, also wrote the radio series in which he plays minor characters in most episodes. . more. Harrumble for Bleak Expectations! This book is a retelling of series 1. It follows the storyline, recycles most of the jokes, rewrites some of them as to make them fit to the page, and adds some new ones. I find it quite interesting to see which jokes made the cut in which form. For example, in the radio series there was a joke with Sourquill and a Gladstone bag. The book doesn't need the Sourquill framing device, and consequently there's a new scene with Gently Benevolent and a Gladstone bag. An Harrumble for Bleak Expectations! This book is a retelling of series 1. It follows the storyline, recycles most of the jokes, rewrites some of them as to make them fit to the page, and adds some new ones. I find it quite interesting to see which jokes made the cut in which form. For example, in the radio series there was a joke with Sourquill and a Gladstone bag. The book doesn't need the Sourquill framing device, and consequently there's a new scene with Gently Benevolent and a Gladstone bag. Another joke that got rewritten, to my sadness, is the one with Harry joining the army and discovering he has an allergy for the colour red. For some reason, in the book, Harry discovers his fear for the colour red. Just not as funny as allergy. Bleak Expectations started off as a radio show, and it still works best as a radio show. If only for Benevolent's laugh, which is just not done justice by ha! ha! ha!. But it does make for an amusing book. To Evans' credit, he does try to use the possibilities of his new medium, such as jokes with footnotes or appendices. I got quite a lot of hearty laughs out of this, from old jokes and new. But I'll sooner be giving the radio show another listen. . more.