Going Solo
Dahl’s extraordinary early adulthood escapades gave him story fodder for the rest of his life.
This is the second part of Roald Dahl's remarkable life story, following on from Boy.
When he grew up, Roald Dahl left England for Africa – and a series of dangerous adventures began. From tales of plane crashes to surviving snake bites, this is Roald Dahl's extraordinary life before becoming the world's number one storyteller.
Running time - 4 hours 38mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language - English
Boy
Explore thrilling stories of Roald Dahl’s own boyhood, from taste-testing chocolate bars to The Great Mouse Plot.
Throughout his young days at school and just afterwards, a number of things happened to Roald Dahl, which made such a tremendous impression he never forgot them. Boy is the remarkable story of Roald Dahl's childhood; tales of exciting and strange things – some funny, some frightening, all true.
Running Time - 3 hours 11mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language - English
Revolting Rhymes
Your favourite nursery rhymes retold with an ever-so-wicked Roald Dahl flourish.
You can think again if you thought you knew the stories of some of the most popular fairy tales. Here are six of the best known retold, with more than a twist or two, by the master of the comic and the blood-curdling.
Please note: Roald Dahl invented quite a few fantastic words in his time, including "Scrumdiddlyumptious" and "Splendiferous"! But one or two words in this title err on the PG side of G, and we understand that tastes may have changed since it was written. If you'd like to buy this title, we recommend exercising caution, practicing forgiveness, or getting in touch for more detail!
Running Time - 35mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
Billy & the Minpins
Comedian Bill Bailey reads Roald Dahl’s final story for children, a lesser-known tale that’s still quintessentially Dahl.
Billy's mum says he must never go out through the garden gate and explore the dark forest beyond. So, one day, that's exactly what he does! There he meets the Minpins, tiny tree-dwelling people whose children are the size of matchsticks. They live in fear of the terrible, galloping GRUNCHER. Will it gobble Billy too – or can he find a way to defeat the hungry beast?
Running time - 47mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
Dirty Beasts
A menagerie of hilariously grisly comic rhymes. Watch out for the rumbling Tummy Beast, it won’t be pleasant…
In Dirty Beasts we meet a ghastly menagerie of wonderfully comic animals that can only have been invented by Roald Dahl. There is the toad that jumps to France - at his own peril; the pig who ponders the meaning of life; the anteater who gets the wrong end of the stick; and many more. Snigger, titter and laugh at their antics in this collection of irreverent and absurdly comic verse!
Running time - 34mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
Esio Trot.
Quentin Blake turns his talent to narration to tell this kooky courting tale involving a flat full of tortoises and some back-to-front magic.
Mr Hoppy loves Mrs Silver.
Mrs Silver loves Alfie the tortoise.
Sometimes Mr Hoppy wishes he could become a tortoise. Until one day he finds a way to win Mrs Silver's heart, with the help of a little magic and some cabbage.
Running time - 33mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
The Twits
The IT Crowd’s Richard Ayoade narrates some of Roald Dahl’s most enduringly twisted images (worm spaghetti, anyone?).
Mr Twit is a foul and smelly man with bits of cornflake and sardine in his beard.
Mrs Twit is a horrible old hag with a glass eye.
Together they make the nastiest couple you could ever hope not to meet.
Down in their garden, the ghastly, evil Twits keep Muggle-Wump the monkey and his family locked in a cage.
But not for much longer! Because the monkeys are planning to trick the terrible Twits and make their escape, once and for all....
Running time - 57mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
The Magic Finger
Dahl gives his female protagonist supernatural powers with which to exact delicious revenge on those who are cruel to animals. Read to great effect by Kate Winslet.
Every Saturday morning the Greg family goes off to shoot animals and birds. But the girl who lives next door hates hunting.
Now it's made her so angry she's PUT THE MAGIC FINGER ON THEM ALL. And very strange things have begun to happen . . .
Running time - 26 mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
The Enormous Crocodile
Stephen Fry reads the trials of the greedy croc as he tries (in vain!) to find some children to fill his tummy.
The Enormous Crocodile by Raold Dahl is a greedy grumptious brute who loves to guzzle up little girls and boys.
But the other animals have a scheme to get the better of this foul fiend, once and for all!
Running Time - 23 mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
Fantastic Mr Fox
Roald Dahl’s classic caper is brought to life by The IT Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd.
Mr Fox steals food from the horrible farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean – one fat, one short, one lean.
These three crooks concoct a plan to dig Mr Fox out of his home, but they don't realise how truly fantastic Mr Fox is, or how far he'll go to save his family…
Running time - 1 hour 15mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
George's Marvellous Medicine
Known for his Shakesperian roles, Derek Jacobi taps into a different tenor to read Roald Dahl’s madly inventive tale.
George Kranky is eight years old and wondering what sort of mischief he might get into. George's Grandma is a grizzly old grouch and George wants to teach her a lesson…
And when Grandma's finished drinking George's marvellous medicine, she'll really have something to grumble about.
Running time - 1 hour 35mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
Hugh Laurie brings his comedic chops to narrate Roald Dahl’s tale of The Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company.
Billy dreams of turning a weird old wooden house into a wonderful sweet-shop. But a giraffe, a pelly, and a monkey already live inside! Soon they are friends, and when they meet the richest man in England, Billy's scrumptious-galumptious dream just might come true…
Running time - 45mins
Age Range - 5 - 8yrs
Language - English
Matilda
Beloved by bookworms the world over, Matilda is absolute classic Roald Dahl and read here by the wonderful Kate Winslet.
Matilda Wormwood is an extraordinary genius with really stupid parents.
Miss Trunchbull is her terrifying headmistress who thinks all her pupils are rotten little stinkers.
But Matilda will show these horrible grown-ups that even though she's only small, she's got some very powerful tricks up her sleeve…
Running time - 4 hours 18mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language - English
The BFG
David Walliams takes on the challenge of bringing to life Roald Dahl's Big Friendly Giant, young dreamer Sophie and HM The Queen.
The BFG is a nice and jumbly giant. In fact, he is the only big friendly giant in Giant Country.
All the other giants are big bonecrunching brutes, and now the BFG and his friend Sophie must stop them guzzling up little human beans – with some help from Her Majester, the Queen.
Running time - 4 hours 24mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language - English
The Witches
One of Dahl’s more spine-tingling creations. Beware the witches who look like normal women but can frizzle kids like fritters…
The Witches have a motto: “One child a week is fifty-two a year. Squish them and squiggle them and make them disappear.”
The Grand High Witch of All the World is the scariest of the lot, but one boy and the grandmother he adores have a plan to get rid of the witches for good.
Running time - 4 hours 28mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language - English
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
One of Roald Dahl's greatest and best-loved children’s stories of all time, with a unique cast of characters that’s seared into the collective imagination.
Charlie Bucket desperately wants to eat more than cabbage soup every day. But even more than that, he longs to see Wonka's enormous chocolate factory!
Now Mr Willy Wonka, the most wondrous inventor in the world, has hidden golden tickets inside his delicious creamy chocolate bars. Only five winners can go through those great iron gates; will one of them be Charlie?
Running time - 3 hours 17mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language - English
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Roald Dahl's follow-up to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is as phizz-whizzing a trip as the original.
Charlie Bucket and his family are rushing around the Earth at seventeen-thousand miles an hour in a great glass elevator.
It belongs to the fantastic Mr Willy Wonka, and the adventure becomes even greater upon discovering they're not the only ones orbiting the Earth at that particular time...
Running time - 3 hours 15mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language - English
Danny the Champion of the World
A lovely, heart-warming story about the bond between father and son, with a dose of mystery and some added mischief!
Danny thinks his dad is the most marvellous and exciting father any boy ever had – but Danny's dad has a very big secret.
This secret leads them both into the strangest adventure of their lives, and a daring plot that makes Danny the champion of the world.
Running Time - 4 hours 27mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language- English
James and the Giant Peach
Join James on an extraordinary journey aboard a ginormous juicy fruit.
James Henry Trotter's parents have been eaten by a rhinoceros, so now he lives with his two repulsive aunts.
One hot day something peculiar happens and an enormous peach grows in their garden. Soon James and the Giant Peach are rolling away from his horrible aunts, towards a most marvellous and wonderful place…
Running time - 3 hours 18mins
Age Range - 5 - 12+yrs
Language - English
