Hello everyone, I've another little comic bite of Saki to share with you this week: 'The Peace Offering' (1911), in which the Baroness asks Clovis for his help in bringing people together and healing divisions after a bitterly fought election... Bizarrely, I'd just finished work on this recording when it was announced that we're having a snap general election here in the UK. I had no inside information, the timing is entirely co-incidental, if remarkably apt... I hope you enjoy!
Hello listeners, I've been immersed in the world of M. R. James this week... I'm currently mid-edit on 'Canon Alberic's Scrapbook', his very first ghost story. Or possibly his first... it was actually presented at the Chit Chat club on the same evening as 'Lost Hearts' (which I recorded last year) and as far as I can ascertain it's not known for certain which was read first on that occasion.... but it's usually presented first in the published volumes. Dating from 1893, it sets a high standard for what was to be a remarkable output of classic ghost stories, and I look forward to sharing it with you, early next week all being well.
While revisiting James, I've also taken the opportunity to re-master a couple of my older MRJ recordings from when I first started the channel, to clean up some slightly muddy audio and/or fix some audio processing which I wasn't happy with. So you may notice those popping up next week too. But of course the main event to look out for is Canon Alberic, so do keep an eye out in your feeds for that one and I hope you enjoy.
While on the subject, just to note that I have a running tally of requests for more James stories. The Mezzotint is next at the top of my list, with The Ash Tree having several votes too... I certainly aim to get around to both of them in the coming months, which will mean I'll have recorded the whole first volume of 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'.
In other news, I have a new Father Brown story in the pipeline: 'The Mirror of the Magistrate' is recorded and I hope to get around to editing it later next week, so that'll be up next, probably around the beginning of May.
Thanks as ever for listening, liking, sharing etc.
Wishing you a great weekend,
Simon
Hello everyone, just a quick update to let you know there'll be a slight delay before I can upload the next story, as previously announced for this week. Unfortunately my PC crashed, and I lost everything on it.
The good news is that all my audio recordings (including the newly-recorded Max Carrados) were backed up on a separate drive, so they are all safe. However, in losing my PC I've of course lost the software I use to edit and process the audio, along with all the associated plug-ins, plus graphics software and video editing software. I have all the licence information saved so I can get them back and re-install them on a new machine, but obviously it's going to take me some time to rebuild and recover... not least recreating shortcuts, plug-in settings etc. Apologies for the delay – I hope to be back up and running in the next week or so.
I'm lucky in that most of my important files were all backed up; unfortunately one thing I have lost is all the artwork created over the last several months... for some inexplicable reason I'd saved the artwork on a separate drive, which failed along with the PC, and I hadn't kept a second backup copy as I did with the audio. The main frustration is that I recently spent many hours creating all the art for 'The Diary of a Nobody' in advance... and it's all gone, so I'm going to have to recreate it from scratch! A useful reminder to back up regularly...
Thanks for your understanding, normal service will be resumed asap, etc.
Best wishes,
Simon
Dear listeners, I just wanted to give you a little preview of some forthcoming stories. Coming up next week is 'The Daughters of the Late Colonel', by Katherine Mansfield. I'll be particularly interested to know your reactions to this one, as it's something of a departure for the channel. Katherine Mansfield (pictured below) is regarded as one of the greatest short story writers in English literature, with an especially impressive output given her relatively short life-span: she died in 1923, aged just 34.
'The Daughters of the Late Colonel' is regarded as one of Mansfield's finest; it regularly appears in lists of the greatest short stories ever written. A modernist classic dating from 1921, it's not plot-driven and the structure is quite complex, with several shifts in time and narrative perspective. Thought-provoking and moving, but also very funny in places, it depicts the lives of two middle-aged sisters in the aftermath of their father's death. (He has died before the story starts, although we are treated to glimpses of him in flashback...) I've really enjoyed delving into this one, it's been a refreshing change from my regular content, and I can't wait to hear what you think of it! I'm currently mid-edit, and hope to have it ready for you to listen early next week.
Also coming up, some more regular fayre: I've just recorded a new Max Carrados tale, 'The Comedy at Fountain Cottage', in which the blind sleuth investigates the case of a young couple who fear their neighbour is going mad... I'm hoping to have that one ready after Easter, although I'm going to be away on a short family holiday for Easter weekend so exact timing is TBC.
To follow that, I've been preparing some other old favourites: M. R. James and 'Canon Alberic's Scrapbook', and another case for Father Brown, 'The Mirror of the Magistrate'. I also have more in preparation from L. T. Meade and her collaborators, plus a return to the world of Hamilton Cleek is on the horizon.
Alongside all of this, for those of you who'd like more comic content, I'm currently recording 'The Diary of a Nobody', the classic Victorian comic novel by George and Weedon Grossmith. The episodic structure works well in bite-sized chunks (it was originally a serial in 'Punch' magazine) so I've been releasing it in chapters for channel members and patreons: I'm currently up to chapter 9 (of 24), so at the present rate of progress I'm on course to finish it in the summer! At which point I'll put it all together as a single upload for everyone to listen. But if you can't wait til then and would like a sneak preview, do check out the channel membership here or on my other platforms!
So altogether, lots to keep me busy this spring. Thanks as ever for all your support listening, subscribing, liking, commenting and sharing, I really appreciate it.
Best wishes,
Simon
Hello listeners. Last week I spent a very enjoyable evening at the theatre in Bristol, watching Robert Lloyd Parry performing two classic ghost stories by M. R. James. Robert has been performing a one-man show of MRJ's stories for some years now, to great acclaim, under the banner of Nunkie Theatre. I became aware of his work a couple of years ago, but unfortunately hadn't found an opportunity to see him performing live. I'm glad to have been able to rectify that omission: it's a truly entertaining evening, very atmospheric and Robert's story-telling is superb. Highly recommended.
Nunkie is on YouTube as @NunkieFilms , where you can find clips of Robert's performances, plus some online readings he performed on camera during lockdown, M. R. James-related documentaries, and more. Do pop over and take a look. But for the full experience I highly recommend catching Robert's work on stage if you can (he does regular UK tours, and I believe sometimes tours further afield too... more info at www.nunkie.co.uk)
Next up here on Bitesized Audio will be a new case featuring Loveday Brooke, the Victorian Lady Detective. I'm currently finishing the edit and it should be with you in the next few days, so do look out for that... After that, in the coming weeks I'm lining up some Katherine Mansfield, more from Ernest Bramah and G. K. Chesterton; and I hope to return to M. R. James myself before too long – currently planning an audio excursion to Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges... So lots to look forward to I hope.
Best wishes,
Simon
Hello everyone, just a note to say thank you so much to everyone who voted in the poll on story selections, over 3,400 votes to date, and also those of you who left a comment. There were some great suggestions and useful feedback. I replied to several directly but then discovered that all the comments I'd responded to seemed to disappear or become hidden, for reasons I'm not clear about! Anyway, as I value the feedback and would like to keep the comments at hand for reference, I decided not to respond to any more... but rest assured I have read and appreciated all of them.
Overall the results were encouraging, as it seems about 80% of you are likely to enjoy most uploads, and I wasn't expecting to please everyone all the time! As a few people noted, there's also a whole category of stories which weren't covered in the poll because they don't fit neatly into either the ghost or detective genre, including some popular comic stories. I certainly plan to keep doing more from authors such as Saki, A. J. Alan, Stacy Aumonier, H.G. Wells et al, as well as maintaining the detective favourites and classic ghosts. I also have stories by several authors new to the channel in the pipeline at the moment, and look forward to introducing those in due course. So, something for everyone I hope.
Best wishes,
Simon
Hello listeners, I thought it would be interesting to gauge your views on a question which crops up in channel comments and feedback from time to time. I occasionally receive comments on the detective stories asking me to do more ghost stories; conversely on the ghost stories I sometimes receive requests to do more detective stories. Personally, I enjoy both types of stories fairly equally, which is why I do both... and of course I also try and include selections which don't really fit neatly into either camp, or which are a mix of both.
People sometimes ask me why I don't include "ghost" or "horror" or "detective" in the channel name; the main reason I haven't is because I like to straddle all these categories, and more, from a wide range of different authors. My original idea for the channel was to celebrate the short story form itself. I've always particularly enjoyed this form ever since I first discovered the Sherlock Holmes stories when I was about 10: it has a craft and style of its own. I enjoy reading longer novels too, but there's something satisfying about starting and finishing a story in one sitting, in an evening, or on a commute or other journey. And of course the late Victorian era was a golden age for the short story.
Anyway, do let me know your thoughts via the poll below. I've tried to cover as many bases as possible with the different options, so I hope one will sit reasonably close to your views. For all the reasons outlined above, I still aim to keep on doing both types of stories regularly, but I'd very much value your input and your answers will help me in making story selections going forward.
Incidentally, after the recent run of detective stories my next upload will be a new classic ghost story, 'The Crown Derby Plate' by Marjorie Bowen, which has been requested by multiple listeners. I've got a fairly busy couple of weeks ahead, but I hope to have it ready for you to listen by mid-February, so do look out for that...
Hello everyone, just a quick update on what to look out for in the next week or so. It's been a while since I put together an anthology, so coming up later today is one which I've had in mind for a while – a collection of six stories with a shared theme of a mysterious, sinister or haunted room: I've given this compilation the title 'Chambers of Horror'. It includes tales by M. R. James, E. F. Benson and Arthur Conan Doyle, amongst others. (You can probably guess some of the stories I've selected!) They've all featured individually on the channel previously, but as with previous anthologies I've taken the opportunity to clean up the audio and remaster several of the older ones. The total running time is a little under four hours.
Also coming soon, I have a new Dr. Thorndyke mystery: 'The Stranger's Latchkey'. I had hoped to have it ready for this weekend, but events and other work have somewhat derailed my plans. However, it's recorded and I just need to find some time to do the editing and processing: so do look out for that, hopefully in the next week or so.
Thanks as always for listening, commenting, liking, etc. Best wishes,
Simon
Dear listeners, Happy New Year! I'm gradually settling back into the swing of things having finished my run in the theatre last week. I really enjoyed being back on stage again, but I'm equally excited now to be getting back to recording new content for the channel. So I just wanted to share a little preview with you of what's coming up in the weeks ahead.
First up, I have a new adventure featuring Baroness Orczy's The Old Man in the Corner (aka The Teahouse Detective). I've just recorded 'The Regent's Park Murder' and hope to have that ready for you to listen later this week. It's a classic murder mystery set in the swirling fogs of Edwardian London, to be exact in Park Square, Marylebone: the geography in the story is still very recognisable today, although the main road which bisects Park Square is no doubt even busier and noisier now than the "heavy traffic" to which the Old Man refers!
Also in the pipeline are several more in my ongoing "rivals of Sherlock Holmes" series: more adventures featuring (although not necessarily in this order) Dr. Thorndyke, Martin Hewitt, Max Carrados, Father Brown and Loveday Brooke are already in preparation. In the case of Loveday, there are sadly only two more of her stories left to record (I've done five out of the seven so far), so I hope to complete that series this year. I also have another L. T. Meade detective story in the works, quite an unusual one: but more details on that one to follow...
Alongside these, I'd like to fit in some non-detective stories as well as introduce some new authors not previously covered on the channel – I have a modernist classic by Katherine Mansfield in preparation at the moment; again, more details on that soon.
So lots to keep me busy... In the meantime, thanks as ever for listening, subscribing, liking, commenting and generally supporting me, and I'd like to wish you all the very best for 2024.
Simon
Welcome. This channel celebrates classic English short stories, in particular the mystery and suspense stories which were a staple of the popular periodicals of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
All my uploads are original recordings, narrated/performed by me, Simon Stanhope, UK-based actor and voice artist.
I've added captions for those learning English, or if you want to read along, plus author biogs and background notes.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: All text of all the stories featured here is in the public domain. There is NO RE-USED CONTENT on this channel, only new interpretations/performances of classic texts. All copyright for these recordings rests with Bitesized Audio. They are not available on other channels. If any of these recordings are found on other YouTube channels this is not authorised and it would be appreciated if you could notify me in the comments or via the email address below.
I hope you enjoy this content. Please subscribe, like, share etc. Thanks for listening.