
Hilda Tablet: The Complete Plays
- Author Henry Reed
- Narrator Hugh Burden, Carleton Hobbs, Mary O'Farrell, Full Cast, Hugh Burden, Carleton Hobbs, Mary O'Farrell, Full Cast, Deryck Gyler
- Publisher BBC Audio
- Publish Date 19 June 2025
- Run Time 9 hours and 5 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Film, television, radio genres: Comedy and humour, Satirical fiction and parodies.
Flexible Pricing & Rewards For Listening
At xigxag, the more you read, the less you pay* on select audiobook and x-book® titles, as in the table below. Pricing updates automatically in the app and resets one year after your first purchase. And you can always find a selection of brilliant titles available for only {book.integrated.discount}.
*Only the full price titles you buy count toward your personal pricing tier. Full price titles don’t include Listen for Less or other books bought with a voucher or discount code.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- $13.95
- $12.95
- $11.95
- $10.95
- $9.95
Listen to a sample
What to expect
A series of vintage mockumentaries about fictional experimental composer Hilda Tablet
Written by poet Henry Reed and first broadcast on the Third Programme between 1953 and 1959, these spoof radio plays follow his alter ego, fictional biographer Herbert Reeve, as he goes in search of the truth about his hero, the equally fictional novelist Richard Shewin. But he is led down the garden path by Shewin’s friends and relatives, who would much rather talk about themselves than the great man. And when Reeve’s scholarly research leads him to the gifted avant-garde composeress Hilda Tablet, he finds himself inescapably enmeshed in her world of wild eccentricity...
A Very Great Man Indeed sees Reeve trying to extract information about the late Richard Shewin from a variety of oddball interviewees, including Shewin’s brother, Stephen; fellow author T. H. Powers and the formidable Miss Tablet.
In The Private Life of Hilda Tablet, he is persuaded to write the biography of the ‘lady music writer’, renowned for her groundbreaking ‘musique concrète renforcée' (or ‘music for reinforced concrete’). Luckily, it need not be lengthy – ‘not more than twelve volumes’.
Emily Butter recalls the Covent Garden premiere of Hilda Tablet’s opera, an all-female parody of Billy Budd set in a department store.
A Hedge, Backwards centres around the posthumous production of Richard Shewin's only play.
In The Primal Scene, as it were…, Hilda and her companions are transported (on a millionaire’s yacht) to the isles of Greece; and General Gland establishes himself as a major figure in her entourage.
Not a Drum Was Heard finds the General recounting his war memoirs to the BBC – and inadvertently revealing his less-than-heroic record.
Finally, Musique Discrète is a request programme of music by Dame Hilda Tablet, celebrating her appearance in the Honours List and revolving around her long and celebrated career.
Starring Hugh Burden as Herbert Reeve, Mary O’Farrell as Hilda Tablet, Carleton Hobbs as Stephen Shewin and Deryck Guyler as General Gland, this sparkling seven-part saga features a host of well-known actors including Marjorie Westbury, Gwen Cherrell, Norman Shelley and Dennis Quilley, and music composed by Donald Swann.
NB: Due to their age, these recordings contain some dated attitudes and language.
Production credits
Written by Henry Reed
Produced by Douglas Cleverdon
Music by Donald Swann
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
About xigxag
Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.
Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.
Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.