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Falco: The Complete BBC Radio Collection

By: Lindsey Davis
Narrated by: Anna Madeley, Anton Lesser, Ben Crowe, Frances Jeater, Fritha Goodey, full cast, Jonathan Keeble, Michael Tudor Barnes, Trevor Peacock
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Summary

Full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the first five Falco novels by Lindsey Davis, starring Anton Lesser as Marcus Didius Falco.

The Silver Pigs:
One fine day, A.D. 70, Sosia Camillina quite literally runs into Marcus Didius Falco on the steps of the Forum. It seems Sosia is on the run from a couple of street toughs, and after a quick and dirty rescue, P.I. Falco wants to know why. Hoping for future favors from Sosia's powerful uncle, Falco embarks on an intricate case of smuggling, murder, and treason that reaches into the palace itself.

Shadows in Bronze:
Rome, AD 71. Against his better judgement, Marcus Didius Falco secretly disposes of a decayed corpse for the Emperor Vespasian, then heads for the beautiful Bay of Naples with his friend Petronius. But this will be no holiday: they have been sent to investigate the murderous members of a failed coup, now sunning themselves in luxurious villas and on fancy yachts in Neapolis, Capreae, and Pompeii.

Venus in Copper:
A small accounting error has left Marcus Didius Falco sharing a cell with a large rat. But the Roman Empire's most hard-done-by investigator is finally bailed out, and promptly accepts a commission to help a family of freed slaves fend off a professional bribe....

The Iron Hand of Mars:
Falco is dispatched to one of the most hostile parts of the Empire to deliver a new standard, an iron hand, to one of the legions. Germania is cold, wet, dismal, and full of dark forests inhabited by bloodthirsty barbarians, but Falco has an even bigger problem to worry about: he has forgotten Helena Justina's birthday, and she is being pursued by the Emperor's son Titus Caesar.

Poseidon’s Gold:
Returning to Rome after his mission to Germania, Falco finds that his mother is being harassed by a centurion named Censorinus, who says he is chasing a debt owed to him by Falco's late brother Festus. When Falco refuses to cough up the money, he and Censorinus end up fighting... and later, the centurion turns up dead. Under suspicion of murder, Falco must confront his past and uncover his brother's secrets before he can clear his name and solve the mystery.

These funny and fast-moving adaptations are a treat for all Falco fans.

Cast:
Falco… Anton Lesser
Helena… Fritha Goodey/Anna Madeley
Petronius…Ben Crowe
Ma…Frances Jeater
Pa…Trevor Peacock
Vespasian …Michael Tudor Barnes
Titus …Jonathan Keeble

Dramatised by Mary Cutler
Directed by Peter Leslie Wild

Sound quality varies due to the age of these recordings.

©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
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What listeners say about Falco: The Complete BBC Radio Collection

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A Roman Triumph!

Lindsay Davis transports us back to ancient Rome with a brief stop in Europe. Falco is a great set of detective stories mixed in with authentic history, humour and great narration. It grips you from the first paragraph and the characters become your friends. No gooey romance but love is still in the air. One of the most original a enjoyable detective books since Sherlock Holmes. A brilliant listen.

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Sound quality a bit impaired, but very good stories

Sound quality in first story is bad in a couple of short patches. Other four stories are fine, so still good value. Due to the sound effects used to enrich the story, this may not be suitable for those slightly hard of hearing.
Lovely stories, and top notch voice acting.

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Good story

annoying interlude music and breaks in stories. otherwise most enjoyable and well written story. next book please.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Thoroughly satisfying entertainment.

I bought it to have access to Anton Lesser as Falco, without having to wait for the next episode.

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good all round

a good set of book turned into a food set of radio play same they did not complete the series

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it.

Now onto the unabridged stories for more.
As brevity is not acceptable, I shall add this sentence.

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Love it !

I've always loved listening to these programmes on the radio, especially as I'm a great fan of Anton Lesser as a narrator. He's is matched here though by the good clear diction of the other actors, so important with either radio or audio. I cannot stress enough how important this clarity is, to know exactly which character is which. Some of the Shakespeare's on BBC 3 radio are the worst offenders for my wondering who is speaking at the time. No problems here though.

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Well done, but radio format translates badly.

Great dramatisations of novels I read and enjoyed years ago, but because they were made for radio, the repetition of a two bar theme tune throughout became annoying and so did the recapping of the story so far. Excellent cast.

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An audio page turner

Good stories an engaging, an old fashioned detective series set a long time ago. Only a small issue with a small part of the recording prevents five for everything (background noise in two sections are quite annoying).

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A great cast of voice actors

I like listening to radio plays and really enjoyed listening to these stories!
Good stories that are set in the Roman Empire.

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