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Agatha Raisin: The Complete BBC Radio Drama Collection
After a lifetime spent in public relations, one-woman dynamo Agatha Raisin struggles to adapt to life in a quiet country village - but she soon finds that there is murder and mayhem aplenty to keep her busy. Among the cases she has to deal with are a poisoned quiche; a vet who has been 'put to sleep'; a hanged horticulturist; a murdered rambler and a curate who meets his Maker somewhat sooner than expected. Then there's the treasure hunt with a rather nasty prize at the end; the secretive salon owner; the husband who is quite definitely ex; the murder on the dancefloor and the fairies at the bottom of the garden. With all this and handsome neighbour James Lacey to deal with, the 'Columbo of the Cotswolds' has her hands full!
10 pages, Audiobook
Published August 1, 2019
About the author
M.C. Beaton
301 books6,106 followersLike her on Facebook!
Learn more on her website!
Marion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Marion Chesney, Charlotte Ward, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
Learn more on her website!
Marion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Marion Chesney, Charlotte Ward, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 19, 2024
I had already listened to all of the individual books adapted to radio in this collection, but it was nice to hear them again as full BBC radio dramas. As with the books Penelope Keith plays Agatha, and even before I listened to any of the audio books I would have imagined a very similar voice in my head. If not Penelope Keith, then Patricia Routledge (of Keeping Up Appearances fame).
Each of the books is shortened into about an hour of radio split into two episodes and obviously abridges the stories somewhat. Still, very enjoyable and great to hear these presented in this way. Even if oyu have read all the books, this is well worth a listen.
Each of the books is shortened into about an hour of radio split into two episodes and obviously abridges the stories somewhat. Still, very enjoyable and great to hear these presented in this way. Even if oyu have read all the books, this is well worth a listen.
April 2, 2023
Hilarious. I was laughing all the way through. What a tonic. The narration from the whole cast is brilliant. Would recommend to anyone who wants a lighthearted escape, in bitesize chunks!
August 16, 2022
Decided to listen because a few of my family members are long time fans of the series and it’s not what I was expecting but its good. I haven’t read the books but I gather they’re a bit different.
This series is more focused on the slow burn bickering romance and cuts off at a point where it’s equally believable they could stay together for the rest of their lives or break up the next day which is in line with the rest of their relationship where I hear they become platonic and she meets someone else in later books. Which would probably make people turn on James as he’s never heard hearing Agatha out about the abuse.
Mysteries where usually semi-obvious with not that many red herrings but the murders where treated more like an excuse for small village drama.
The protagonist is the sort of jerk people like in fiction and hate in real life, one of those change of pace characters who is outwardly confident and beloved in herself but should probably lean tact and communication skills as basically every story she confronts the murders and they try to kill her or themselves if they get the chance.
More serialised than I was expecting concidering usually when I see them packaged in CDs covering two arcs they aren’t numbered.
This series is more focused on the slow burn bickering romance and cuts off at a point where it’s equally believable they could stay together for the rest of their lives or break up the next day which is in line with the rest of their relationship where I hear they become platonic and she meets someone else in later books. Which would probably make people turn on James as he’s never heard hearing Agatha out about the abuse.
Mysteries where usually semi-obvious with not that many red herrings but the murders where treated more like an excuse for small village drama.
The protagonist is the sort of jerk people like in fiction and hate in real life, one of those change of pace characters who is outwardly confident and beloved in herself but should probably lean tact and communication skills as basically every story she confronts the murders and they try to kill her or themselves if they get the chance.
More serialised than I was expecting concidering usually when I see them packaged in CDs covering two arcs they aren’t numbered.
June 27, 2021
This light, breezy detective series was hilariously funny! I listened to the audio version. Because it was a BBC radio program, all kinds of actors read for the series, complete with all kinds of sound effects. The mysteries were pretty simplistic, often relying on Agatha Raisin's intuition and confession of the murderous offender. But, if you look beyond that, I really enjoyed this retired PR director who moves to a small town and decides she just has to to help the police by using her very amateur detective skills. She drags her reluctant neighbor to help her. The audiobooks are based on written books by the same name. I loved this silly collection of stories---laugh out loud muderously funny!
February 14, 2022
I haven't had this much fun with an audiobook in a long time.
I'm a huge fan of BBC radio dramas of novels, despite the fact that so much has to be cut in order to fit them into a certain time frame.
But these were so perfect.
Obviously Penelope Keith is Agatha Raisin, and I was so happy that they got her for this series. But other than her, the secondary cast members were also incredible (my personal shout outs to the actors for James and Roy).
I can certainly see myself listening this whole collection again between Agatha Raisin book releases.
I'm a huge fan of BBC radio dramas of novels, despite the fact that so much has to be cut in order to fit them into a certain time frame.
But these were so perfect.
Obviously Penelope Keith is Agatha Raisin, and I was so happy that they got her for this series. But other than her, the secondary cast members were also incredible (my personal shout outs to the actors for James and Roy).
I can certainly see myself listening this whole collection again between Agatha Raisin book releases.
April 28, 2021
Brilliant set of audio plays adapted from M.C Beatons set of cosy crime books centering around Agatha raisin. Brilliant narration by the cast especially Penelope Keith and the actor who played James. Going to look and see if they adapted any more of these as I had such a good time with this audiobook and it made me laugh out loud at moments usually when Agatha was using her wit to be critical of something that wasn't going her way.
April 3, 2022
Listening to this audio book made every situation feel like taking a hot long bath. No matter if I was commuting on the metro, stuck in traffic in the car, relaxing after a stressful day or taking a walk around the neighborhood: I always felt like I had just put on a candle, got comfortable in my swing chair and taken a deep breath.
I’m absolutely obsessed with Agatha Raisin, but also the cast was incredible. When I closed my eyes I felt like I was there in the middle of it all.
I’m absolutely obsessed with Agatha Raisin, but also the cast was incredible. When I closed my eyes I felt like I was there in the middle of it all.
August 24, 2023
This BBC Radio production starring Penelope Keith encompasses ten of Beaton's Agatha Raisin humor-laced murder mysteries. Although after the first few they became a bit predictable, it was still entertaining with Keith and the rest of the cast giving gratifyingly over the top performances. Instead of binge-listening, I would have enjoyed these stories even more if I had spaceď them out with something quite different in between.
February 25, 2023
First 5-star book of the year! These are BBC dramatizations of an entire series, so each novel is condensed into an episode. I don't know what I've lost, since I'm not reading the full novel, but Agatha Raisin is a hilarious main character (if you like British snark, which I do). I laughed out loud at various things she said.
February 12, 2021
What a lovely collection of stories about the murder mysteries an older woman investigates in her small town. There are far too many murders for such a tiny English town, but it is still a fun series.
October 7, 2021
Very good adaptation of the stories. Penelope Keith is a hoot as Agatha and the supporting cast equally good.
Cosy mystery in that you know that the crime will be solved and some very inventive solutions.
Thoroughly recommend this audiobook of 10 plays.
Cosy mystery in that you know that the crime will be solved and some very inventive solutions.
Thoroughly recommend this audiobook of 10 plays.
June 20, 2020
I love M. C. Beaton and the flawed and funny Agatha in any format - this did not disappoint.
February 23, 2021
The audio was very good, with Penelope Keith playing Agatha Raisin. The stories were a bit too similar.
January 15, 2023
Ugh I'm so addicted to Agatha! Why must they end?!
February 20, 2023
This BBC broadcast was great. I loved all the stories and of course, Penelope Keith just rocks as Agatha!
June 20, 2023
What can I say I love the Agatha Raisin series especially the dramatized ones on audiable
June 5, 2022
Cotswolds, England.
citizen sleuth.
cozy and light but not saccharine.
The novels are abridged to be presented as an hour program. Many details are lost in the process. Some important ones that are critical to the plot.
These recordings are an excellent way to visit Agatha Raisin while driving, doing chores or exercising.
It's much better to read or listen to the unabridged novels in order to appreciate them.
citizen sleuth.
cozy and light but not saccharine.
The novels are abridged to be presented as an hour program. Many details are lost in the process. Some important ones that are critical to the plot.
These recordings are an excellent way to visit Agatha Raisin while driving, doing chores or exercising.
It's much better to read or listen to the unabridged novels in order to appreciate them.
March 6, 2025
I really enjoyed listening to the full-cast audio production of the abbreviated versions of the first stories in M.C. Beaton's classic series. Some of the names have been changed and many of the plot lines were condensed, but otherwise, I think the radio drama captures the charm of the tales.
October 26, 2022
Have the the TV show up to current season. Then listened to all the audiobooks. Read a good review about this radio broadcast. Love it! Penelope Keith IS Agatha Raisin in my book. That voice! Really, really enjoyed this.
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September 1, 2023This was fun! In spite of the crime stories being oversimplified and not very believable. I very much enjoyed the conversations and banter.
September 3, 2024
Another perfectly adapted BBC audiobook.
March 20, 2025
This is what got me hooked on the Agatha Raisin series. It's such a fun radio drama. The characters are witty, and the stories are fun.
April 25, 2025
Charming and fun. A great listen! *Audiobook*
January 22, 2026
This provided me with hours of entertainment. Agatha Raisin as a character was so fun and surprising.
May 21, 2026
Wonderful
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews