Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Classic Stories

Tales of heat, high jinks and haunted holidays ; not all sunny, but all summery.

Sounds,15 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Stories for Summer
A Country Cottage by Anton Chekhov
Chekhov's story of a newlywed couple whose harmony is broken by an arrival off the train.
21 Jun 2019,5 mins
Stories for Summer
The Flower Gatherer by Edward Thomas
Edward Thomas’s story of a child exalting in the joy of summer, with a sting in its tail.
21 Jun 2019,10 mins
Stories for Summer
The New Dress by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf’s sharply observed tale of a young woman’s fashion faux pas.
21 Jun 2019,20 mins
Stories for Summer
One Crowded Hour by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tale of a highwayman taking to the Sussex roads.
21 Jun 2019,30 mins
Stories for Summer
Second Best by DH Lawrence
DH Lawrence’s powerful story about growing up and coming to terms with life’s realities.
21 Jun 2019,20 mins
Stories for Summer
The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield’s acclaimed story of a family are preparing for a lavish celebration.
21 Jun 2019,38 mins
Stories for Summer
Rats by MR James
MR James’ spine-tingling story about a young writer sojourn in a remote Suffolk inn.
21 Jun 2019,15 mins
Stories for Summer
Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy
Tolstoy’s timeless parable of a king seeking answers to life’s most important questions.
21 Jun 2019,9 mins
Stories for Summer
Wailing Well by MR James
MR James’ story of summer scout trip takes a sinister turn when Stanley breaks the rules.
21 Jun 2019,25 mins
Stories for Summer
The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane’s humorous story of a newlywed woman arriving in a raucous Texan town.
21 Jun 2019,26 mins
Stories for Summer
After the Race by James Joyce
James Joyce’s youthful vignette about a jubilant, heady summer evening spent in Dublin.
21 Jun 2019,14 mins
Stories for Summer
A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf
Woolf’s strangely romantic sketch of a ghostly couple watching over their old home.
21 Jun 2019,6 mins
Stories for Summer
The Postmaster by Rabindranath Tagore
Tagore’s tale of a postman leaving his job and the poor girl he's been looking after.
21 Jun 2019,16 mins
Stories for Summer
Holiday Group by EM Delafield
EM Delafield’s subtle and satirical story of a family's summer trip to the coast.
21 Jun 2019,32 mins
Stories for Summer
A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin’s cleverly observed story about a woman’s ambivalence towards a guest.
21 Jun 2019,11 mins