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  • Published: 15 July 2017
  • ISBN: 9781785297632
  • Imprint: BBC CD
  • Format: Audio CD
  • Length: 5 hr 52 min
  • Narrator: Claire Benedict
  • RRP: $55.00

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: BBC Radio Casebook Vol.1

Eight BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations




A collection of BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations based on the popular books by Alexander McCall Smith

Claire Benedict and Nadine Marshall star in these eight BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas adapted by Alexander McCall Smith

Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile

Must-listen...beautifully cast, precisely timed, simply wonderful' Daily Telegraph

Alexander McCall Smith's hugely popular novels featuring Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of Botswana's only female private detective agency, have become international bestsellers. These acclaimed productions, complete with vibrant music, bring the exotic world of the books to life.

In these eight episodes, Mma Ramotswe takes on her first case – and a new secretary; tries to solve a bone mystery; tackles a domestic drama and a doctor's erratic behaviour; and investigates the case of a missing American. In addition, she is hired by a beauty contest judge to check the integrity of the finalists; looks for two women wronged by her client, Mr Molefelo; learns of a rival detective agency; and is commissioned by a physiotherapist to find out what her errant husband is up to. The stories included are: The Daddy; The Bone; The Maid; Tears of the Giraffe; The Chief Justice of Beauty; The Confession; The Kalahari Typing School for Men and The Admirer.

Claire Benedict stars as Mma Ramotswe, with Nadine Marshall as Mma Makutsi and Joseph Marcell as Mr JLB Matekoni.

Duration: 6 hours approx

  • Published: 15 July 2017
  • ISBN: 9781785297632
  • Imprint: BBC CD
  • Format: Audio CD
  • Length: 5 hr 52 min
  • Narrator: Claire Benedict
  • RRP: $55.00

About the author

Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world's most prolific and most popular authors. His career has been a varied one: for many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the United Kingdom and abroad. Then, after the publication of his highly successful No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which has sold over twenty million copies, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty-six languages and become bestsellers through the world. These include the Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in The Scotsman, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the Von Igelfeld series, and the Corduroy Mansions series, novels which started life as a delightful (but challenging to write) cross-media serial, written on the website of the Telegraph Media Group. This series won two major cross-media awards - Association of Online Publishers Digital Publishing Award 2009 for a Cross Media Project and the New Media Age award. In addition to these series, Alexander writes stand-alone books, including The Forever Girl; Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party and Emma - a reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel. He is also the author of a book on Edinburgh, A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith's Edinburgh, as well as several collections of short stories, academic works, and over thirty books for children. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2004 and a CBE for service to literature in 2007. He holds honorary doctorates from nine universities in Europe and North America. In March of 2011 he received an award from the President of Botswana for his services through literature to that country. Alexander McCall Smith lives in Edinburgh. He is married to a doctor and has two daughters.

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Praise for The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: BBC Radio Casebook Vol.1

Opening with the joyous strains of Botswana children singing, this production never ceases to sound high-spirited and joyful.[…]

Audio File Magazine

[…] Whether Mma Ramotswe is tracking down lost relations, debunking a local witch doctor, or teaching typing to fumble-fingered men (one of the silliest sound effects ever created for radio), these programs subtly introduce the listener to Botswana's culture while creating bright, unforgettable characters. Touching, rhythmic, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, these world-renowned stories are sure to delight listeners of all ages.

Audio File Magazine