Including Animal Farm 'Orwell is the most influential political writer of the twentieth century' New York Review of Books Throughout his life George Orwell aimed, in his words, to make 'political writing into an art'. This collection brings together the best of his matchless political essays and journalism with his timeless satire on totalitarianism, Animal Farm. It includes articles on subjects from the corruption of language to the oppressive British Empire; his masterly wartime Socialist polemic, 'The Lion and the Unicorn'; a wry review of Mein Kampf; a defence of Nineteen Eighty-Four; and extracts from his controversial list of 'Crypto-Communists'. Together these works demonstrate Orwell's commitment to telling the truth, however unpalatable, and doing so with artistry and humanity. Edited by Peter Davison with an Introduction by Timothy Garton Ash

Including Homage to Catalonia 'Spain not only defined Orwell as an individual, it also gave him his first glimpse of totalitarianism' D. J. Taylor, Guardian George Orwell's experience of the Spanish Civil War had a transformative effect on his life and work. This volume brings together his complete writings on the war, including Homage to Catalonia, his searing memoir of fighting in the conflict and the bitter betrayal that followed. The powerful journalism, essays, letters and pamphlets also collected here show his resolution to tell the truth about what happened amid a 'crop of lies' from both the Communist Party and the British press, while in 'Looking Back on the Spanish War' he remembers the heroism and decency of the ordinary people he encountered. Edited by Peter Davison with an Introduction by Christopher Hitchens

Including The Road to Wigan Pier 'No one wrote better about the English character than Orwell' New York Review of Books Much of George Orwell's best writing, brought together in this collection, is concerned with his complex, often contradictory attitude to England. In the brilliantly perceptive The English People, he lists the national characteristics as 'suspicion of foreigners, sentimentality about animals, hypocrisy, exaggerated class distinctions and an obsession with sport'. The Road to Wigan Pier, his blistering account of poverty in the north of England, and many of his essays, attack what he called 'the most class-ridden country under the sun', while other writings here ruminate on the merits of cricket, gardening, roast dinners, pubs, tea and seaside postcards. Edited by Peter Davison with an Introduction by Ben Pimlott

The Time War. The Doctor has been injured and brought to a Time Lord field hospital. His body glows with energy, but this is no regeneration into a future form - instead, the Doctor's past faces begin to appear as he flits haphazardly between incarnations... Staggering to his TARDIS, the Doctor sets out to solve the mystery of his 'degeneration'. Who has done this to him? How? And why? From the Earth to the stars, across an array of familiar times and places, he follows clues to retrace his steps, encountering old friends and enemies along the way. Tumbling through his lives, the Doctor must stop his degeneration before he loses himself completely...The Artist at the End of Time by James Goss. Suffering from the effects of degeneration, the Doctor heads towards the end of the universe in search of answers. Instead, he finds his daughter – Jenny – and an Artist whose works appear to mark the end of every world they touch. The Doctor stabilises into his Fifth form to join forces with Jenny and the Curator to solve the mystery of the Final Gallery and the art it has collected. CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Georgia Tennant (Jenny), Colin Baker (The Curator), John Telfer (Floom), Abi Harris (Roboguide). Special Appearances by: Stephen Noonan (The First Doctor), Michael Troughton (The Second Doctor), Tim Treloar (The Third Doctor), Colin Baker (The Sixth Doctor), Sylvester McCoy (The Seventh Doctor). Other parts played by members of the cast.

Including Down and Out in Paris and London 'Orwell was the great moral force of his age' Spectator The powerful writings collected together in this volume chronicle George Orwell's first-hand experiences of life among the underclass of the 'two nations' of rich and poor. Down and Out in Paris and London is the young Orwell's memoir of his time as a struggling, often penniless writer, living among the destitute and dispossessed, in which he exposes what 'going to the dogs' is really like. There are also articles and letters on sleeping rough in Trafalgar Square, being arrested for drunkenness, on the poverty Orwell witnessed in Morocco and India, and his shocking essay, 'How the Poor Die'. Edited by Peter Davison with an Introduction by Peter Clarke

A searing account of George Orwell’s experiences of working- class life in the bleak industrial heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire, The Road to Wigan Pier is a brilliant and bitter polemic that has lost none of its political impact over time. His graphically unforgettable descriptions of social injustice, slum housing, mining conditions, squalor, hunger and growing unemployment are written with unblinking honesty, fury and great humanity.

Ralph Waldo Emerson issued a call for a great poet to capture and immortalize the unique American experience. In 1855, an answer came with "Leaves of Grass."
Today, this masterful collection remains not only a seminal event in American literature but also the incomparable achievement of one of America's greatest poets--an exuberant, passionate man who loved his country and wrote of it as no other has ever done. Walt Whitman was a singer, thinker, visionary, and citizen extraordinaire. Thoreau called Whitman "probably the greatest democrat that ever lived," and Emerson judged "Leaves of Grass" as "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed."
The text presented here is that of the "Deathbed" or ninth edition of "Leaves of Grass," published in 1892. The content and grouping of poems is the version authorized by Whitman himself for the final and complete edition of his masterpiece.
With a foreword by Billy Collins, an afterword by Peter Davison, and a new introduction by Elisabeth Panttaja Brink

The story of the Nightjar has been told for many years. A spaceship helmed by the legendary Captain Goben on a vital mission of mercy, delivering medical supplies to a distant colony in the middle of devastating war, an act of bravery that triggers the end of the conflict. At her heels throughout the journey, her pursuer, the spaceship Nemesis, helmed by the dogged Captain Eslo, never quite able to catch her target. The Doctor has always wanted to witness these historic events. And now, alongside Nyssa and Tegan, he’s got his chance. But history might just have other ideas. Further story details to follow

Separated from his companions, the Doctor attempts to find solace in the history of his favourite planet - Earth - but instead discovers new threats lying in wait. Travelling from twentieth-century East Berlin to sixteenth-century Strasbourg, the Doctor encounters creatures from other realities: monsters beneath the waves, and human beings determined to exploit their fellow man. But how long can he survive without a friend? In this release, Peter Davison returns as the Fifth Doctor, in the first of two new releases which pick up where 2019's Warzone/Conversion left off. This anthology release is compiled of four adventures which are loosely connected in that they see the Doctor travelling alone. CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Laura Aikman (Mary Wade), Timothy Blore (Peter Meier/Lucas), Wayne Forester (Clement/Dr Richard Alley/Gerhardt), Kate Harbour (Agatha/Teuthis/Margareta). Other parts played by members of the cast.

You are cordially invited to Argentia, the galaxy’s most exclusive tax haven, to attend the funeral of mining magnate Carlo Mazzini. The memorial service will be followed by music, light refreshments, and murder! Carlo’s heirs have come to say their final goodbyes (and find out how much they’ve inherited) but when a masked killer begins picking them off one by one, Argentia goes into lock-down, closed off behind its own temporal displacement field. Can the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric apprehend the murderer before Argentia – and everyone on board - is forever cut off from the rest of the Universe? Big Finish have been producing Doctor Who audios since 1999, starring Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, David Tennant and John Hurt. This release's director - Barnaby Edwards - is not only a prolific Big Finish director, but as an actor is the lead Dalek operator on TV's Doctor Who. Peter Davison - the Fifth Doctor on television - is also well known from other TV shows such as The Last Detective, Campion and A Very Peculiar Practice, while more recently he's been a significant presence in many high profile West End musical productions including Legally Blonde. CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Samuel West (The Mazzini Family), Phil Cornwell (Superintendent Galgo / Zaleb 5), Sophie Winkleman (Sofia).

A brand new boxset of four adventures, featuring monsters from the new series of Doctor Who! 1.1 FALLEN ANGELS by Phil Mulryne. 2015: When sightseers Joel and Gabby Finch encounter a strange man in Edwardian cricketing garb in the Sistine Chapel, their honeymoon suddenly takes a terrifying turn. 1511: Michelangelo is commissioned to create some very special sculptures by a mysterious sect. But as he carves, angels seem to emerge fully-formed from the rock. Almost as if they are alive. From Michelangelo's workshop to the catacombs of Rome, the Fifth Doctor must keep his wits about him and his eyes wide open as he confronts the Weeping Angels. 1.2 JUDOON IN CHAINS by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris. The Sixth Doctor is no stranger to courtroom drama, but faces a very different challenge when he prepares to defend a most unusual Judoon. After an environmental clearance mission goes wrong, Captain Kybo of the Nineteenth Judoon Interplantary Force is stranded in Victorian England, bound in chains, an exhibit in a circus show. But he has allies: Eliza Jenkins - known to audiences as 'Thomasina Thumb' - and the larger-than-life 'clown' in the colourful coat.Uncovering a trail of injustice and corruption, the Doctor and Kybo soon find themselves on trial for their lives. 1.3 HARVEST OF THE SYCORAX by James Goss. In the far future, humanity has a remedy for everything. Whatever the problem, Pharma Corps has the answer and a designer disease tailored to every human's blood-type. Zanzibar Hashtag has no need to be sad, scared, stressed, or depressed ever again. That is, until vicious aliens arrive on her space station intent on opening its Vault. What will it mean for the human race if the Sycorax take control of what's inside? And when the Seventh Doctor arrives on the scene, can he convince Zanzibar to care about her life long enough to help him? 1.4 THE SONTARAN ORDEAL by Andrew Smith. An instant of the Time War brings centuries of conflict to the planet Drakkis, and the Eighth Doctor is there to witness the terrible results. A Sontaran fleet, desperate to join the epic conflict, follows in its wake to take advantage of the fallout. But when Commander Jask is beamed down to the ravaged surface, there is more to his arrival than first appears.Soon, an unlikely champion joins forces with the Time Lord to fight for the future of her world, and together they must face the Sontaran Ordeal.This epic release brings together elements of the TV Doctor Who series both classic (viewed as the era up to 1996) and the 2005 revival. Writer James Goss is the novelist trusted by the Douglas Adams estate to adapt several of the late author's Doctor Who works to book form. This set includes a number of actors recognised by fans for their work in various cult TV shows - Josette Simon (Blake's 7), Trevor Cooper (Star Cops), Dan Starkey (Doctor Who), Christopher Ryan (The Young Ones).CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Colin Baker (The Doctor), Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Paul McGann (The Doctor) Sacha Dhawan (Joel Finch), Diane Morgan (Gabby Finch), Matthew Kelly (Michelangelo), Joe Jameson (Piero), Nicholas Briggs (Captain Kybo), Kiruna Stamell (Eliza Jenkins), Trevor Cooper (Jonathan Jaggers Esq), Tony Millan (Justice Burrows/Jonty), Sabina Franklyn (Herculania), Nicholas Pegg (Business Owner), Nisha Nayar (Zanzibar), Jonathan Firth (Cadwallader), Rebecca Callard (Shadrak), Giles Watling (The Sycorax Chief), Josette Simon (Sarana Teel), Dan Starkey (Jask), Christopher Ryan (General Stenk/Flitch), Sean Connolly (Tag Menkin/Ensign Stipe).

Two new adventures bringing back one of the Doctor's most `popular' foes - the Cybermen! Warzone - At Warzone, competitors gather from across the galaxy to test the limits of their endurance and achieve their personal best. So,when the TARDIS materialises in the middle of a racetrack, the Doctor and his friends must literally run for their lives. Conversion - On the fringes of the galaxy, techno-pirates and research medics fight for the secrets of advanced extra-terrestrial technology. For the Doctor, however, a more personal battle awaits as he confronts his own guilt and the creatures that killed a friend: the Cybermen. CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), George Watkins (Marc), David Banks (The Cyber Leader), Timothy Blore (Morris), Angela Bruce (Herb), Silas Carson (Commentator), Mark Hardy (Cyber Lieutenant), Pepter Lunkuse (Esma), Liz Sutherland-Lim (Creasey). Other parts played by members of the cast.

63BC. Following the overthrow of Catiline, Cicero and his wife retire to the coastal town of Cumae, safe from the threats of Rome. But when a stranger and his companions arrive at Cicero’s villa, new dangers lie in wait and Cicero finds himself plunged into a realm of gods and monsters. His only hope of returning home lies with a man known as the Doctor. But can Cicero trust him? CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Samuel Barnett (Cicero), Laura Riseborough (Terentia), George Watkins (Marc), Joe Shire (Septus), Tracy-Ann Oberman (Tartarus). Other parts played by members of the cast.

Big Finish have been producing Doctor Who audios since 1999, starring Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, David Tennant and John Hurt. In these two new adventures, Jon Culshaw comes on board to play Kamelion, a shape-changing android companion from the Fifth Doctor’s era. BLACK THURSDAY by Jamie Anderson. 1902. Deep beneath the Welsh village of Abertysswg, men have worked the black seam for generations. Until the day of the disaster. The day that a blue box from the future materialised inside the mine... and things would never be the same again. POWER GAME by Eddie Robson. Welcome to the Incredible Power Game, in which three brave Earthlings enter the Void Pit in search of strange gems to help return the alien Hostess to her home dimension. Today's contestants include Graham, Sadia... and Tegan, an air stewardess from Brisbane! Jon Culshaw comes on board to play Kamelion, a shape-changing android companion from the Fifth Doctor’s era, the character’s first appearance at Big Finish. Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Jon Culshaw (Kamelion), Lizzie Roper (Eira Hughes), Tim Treloar (John Hughes), Matthew Aubrey (Gwyn Hughes), Derek Hutchinson (Geoff Evans), Bettrys Jones (Judith Matson), Christopher Naylor (James Hudd), Harriet Kershaw (The Hostess), Natalie Winter (Una), Richard Popple (Richard), Dougie McMeekin (Stuart), Alex Tregear (Sadia).

The Doctor's adventures in time and space are over. The Time Lords have recalled him to Gallifrey - but what he faces on his home planet is worse than any trial. Following the disappearance of President Borusa, the High Council condemned him to the highest office - and he can't evade his responsibilities a nanosecond longer...So all hail the Lord High President! All hail President Doctor! Rassilon save him. This time, there's really no escape. Big Finish have been producing Doctor Who audios since 1999, starring Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, David Tennant and John Hurt. Star Peter Davison played the Doctor on television between 1981 and 1984, but this is a part of a much larger body of work including stage work such as Gypsy in the West End with Imelda Staunton. He is the father-in-law to the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant! This story is much-anticipated by fans, as it features not only the Doctor's return to his home planet, but also a meeting with Leela (Louise Jameson), the companion to his fourth self (played by Tom Baker). CAST: Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Louise Jameson (Leela).

Astronomical navigation is a tricky business. To help Adric with his studies, the Doctor sets course for Gallius Ultima -a planet on the edge of the Milky Way, housing one of the most impressive observatories ever constructed. But the TARDIS arrives to find Gallius U in a state of emergency, tracking the return of the Explorer-class ship Johannes Kepler from its mission into the heart of the mysterious Large Magellanic Cloud. A mission that met with disaster...To find out what overtook the crew of the Johannes Kepler, the Doctor and his companions must journey into the heart of the Cloud...and beyond, into the darkness of another reality altogether. The universe of the Star Men. The Star Men marks the first of a trilogy of stories reuniting the 1982 TARDIS crew for Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor - Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Nyssa (Sarah Sutton). Director Barnaby Edwards is not only an overworked director for Big Finish productions, but on top of many audiobook voice-over duties, he's also the main Dalek operator in TV's Doctor Who.Sue Holderness takes an overdue dramatic role in this story, but is best known for playing Boycie's wife Marlene in much-loved sitcoms Only Fools and Horses and The Green Green Grass. Guest star Sophie Wu will be familiar to any fans of cult film hits Kiss-Ass and Kick Ass 2, or the much missed spooky BBC series The Fades. CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Sue Holderness (Kala Tace), Sophie Wu (Autumn Tace), Peter Guinness (Rovus), Damian Lynch (Fell/ Lom), Kris Dyer (Nomar/ Vedrin / Surgical Robot/ Pilot), Barnaby Edwards (Computer).

Shakespeare's Richard III presents difficult textual problems. There are 2,000 verbal differences between the text of the first quarto (1597) and the version in the First Folio (1623). Although the narrative of the two plays is virtually identical, each has lines which are not found in the other, parts of the play are arranged differently, and the quarto deploys fewer characters. The text of the quarto is accompanied by a collation of variant readings and substantial textual notes. In a lengthy introduction Peter Davison proposes that Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, used a memorially reconstructed text of Richard III during a touring performance of the play, and that text provided the manuscript for the 1597 quarto. Using examples of touring practice of the past 400 years, Davison shows how the actors' involvement helped to produce the text we have.

There are 2,000 verbal differences between the text of the First Quarto of Shakespeare's Richard III (1597) and the version in the First Folio (1623). In this Quarto edition the text is accompanied by a collation of variant readings and substantial textual notes. Peter Davison argues that Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, used a memorially reconstructed text of Richard III during a touring performance of the play, and that text provided the manuscript for the 1597 Quarto. The result is a breakthrough in textual studies.

An array of familiar friends and foes join the Fifth Doctor in his second fortieth anniversary box set from Big Finish Productions. The Auton Infinity is a six-part full cast audio drama, where the Doctor and his faithful companions Tegan and Turlough arrive unexpectedly at a UNIT base. Snowdonia. UNIT is running a training exercise with the Brigadier in attendance. Except it isn't long before things start to go badly wrong. The fake aliens primed to attack the troops might not be so fake after all, and a temporal disturbance attracts the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough into the fray. Old enemies are on the scene with a deadly plan - but they might be the least of the Doctor's worries. Because he's recently been sent backwards and forwards through his own lifetime - and he's finally going to find out why. CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Juliet Aubrey (Prodigal), Jon Culshaw (Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart/Kamelion), Lucy Fleming (Veronica Holmes), Fiona Hampton (Sergeant Janet Wharry), Glen McCready (Dodson/Autons), Oscar Pearce (Captain Ted Mears), Homer Todiwala (Corporal Vikram Palmer). Other parts played by members of the cast

This is the first in a story split across two releases (to be followed by Shadow of the Daleks 2 releasing December 2020) recorded and produced entirely during the Covid-19 lockdown. Together, the two releases make up a 'mini-season' for Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor as he is caught up in the Time War. Each part contains four one-episode adventures, in which the Doctor lands in different times, different places and keeps meeting the same faces, but as different people. 1. Aimed at the Body by James Kettle. An encounter with a notorious cricketing legend should be right up the Doctor's street, but the unexpected appearance of an old enemy is about to send the Doctor on a quest. 2. Lightspeed by Jonathan Morris. The trail has led the Doctor to a spaceship in the far future - where he finds himself trapped in the middle of a terrifying revenge plot. 3. The Bookshop at the End of the World by Simon Guerrier. It's very easy to forget yourself and get lost in a bookshop. But in some bookshops more than most... 4. Interlude by Dan Starkey. The play's the thing! Or is it? The Doctor is roped into a theatrical spectacular - but who is he really performing to? CAST: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks), Dervla Kirwan (Mrs Calderwood/Yost McCormack/DI Wright/Anna-Maria), Anjli Mohindra (Flora/Kathy Dafoe/Madeleine Williams/Bianca), Jamie Parker (Douglas/Monsignor Plummer/Frank Reichenbach/Virgilio), Glen McCready (Orson/Elroy Dale/Captain). Other parts played by members of the cast.

Gordon Comstock loathes dull, middle-class respectability and worship of money. He gives up a 'good job' in advertising to work part-time in a bookshop, giving him more time to write. But he slides instead into a self-induced poverty that destroys his creativity and his spirit. Only Rosemary, ever-faithful Rosemary, has the strength to challenge his commitment to his chosen way of life. Through the character of Gordon Comstock, Orwell reveals his own disaffection with the society he once himself renounced.

During one of Nyssa's experiments, the TARDIS's temporal scanner picks up a message: 'Idra'. Just one word, but enough to draw the Doctor to the Archipelago of Sirius. There, the Autarch is about to announce a new crusade. A mighty war against Seth, Prince of the Dark. But who is Seth?

Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison and Colin Baker are among the readers of these 12 stories from the worlds of Doctor Who. The Curse of Peladon is read by Jon Pertwee; Kinda is read by Peter Davison; Attack of the Cybermen is read by Colin Baker; Out of the Darkness (three short stories) is read by Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant; and Short Trips (six short stories) is read by Nicholas Courtney and Sophie Aldred. With original music.