Peter England, Una Stubbs and Crawford Logan star in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Philippa Pearce's enchanting time-slip tale.
When his brother catches measles, Tom is sent away to stay with his Aunt Gwen and Uncle Alan, and is thoroughly fed up about it. What a boring summer it's going to be! But tedium turns to adventure when, lying in bed one night, he hears the old grandfather clock in the hall strike thirteen. What can it mean? As Tom creeps downstairs and opens the door, he finds a beautiful garden, and glimpses a girl in old-fashioned clothing. As he revisits the garden over the next few nights, he watches the seasons change from spring to autumn, and children come and go. But no-one seems to see him – until he meets Hatty, and the two become firm friends. With his new playmate, Tom embarks on the adventure of a lifetime...
This magical drama stars Peter England as Tom, with Una Stubbs as Aunt Gwen and Crawford Logan as Uncle Alan. The wonder and excitement of much-loved children's classics lives on in BBC Radio's acclaimed full-cast dramatisations, complete with evocative music and sound effects.
- What's new?
- Health Information Week children's collection, 19-25 January 2026
- Winter Wonders
- Little People, Big Dreams
- Popular children's comic books
- Read-Along
- Unmissable Picture Books
- Funny reads for kids
- National Storytelling Week, 2-8 February 2026
- Love is all around
- Childhood Classic eBooks
- Travel the World
- Out of this world
- See all ebooks collections
- What's new?
- Health Information Week children's collection, 19-25 January 2026
- Amazing Animal Adventures
- Mystery and detective stories for kids
- Available now
- Childhood Classics to listen to
- National Storytelling Week, 2-8 February 2026
- Love is all around
- Winter Wonders
- First in the series
- Unicorns!
- Travel the World
- Funny reads for kids
- See all audiobooks collections