Here's something for your Christmas television viewing diary. The BBC will be screening a two-part Cranford special this Christmas - starring not one, but two of Silksoundbooks audio book readers - Dame Judi Dench and Julia McKenzie.

The dramas are based on the novels of Elizabeth Gaskell and regularly attracted audiences of over seven million during the last series, which won both Bafta and Emmy awards, a remarkable success for a 'Bonnet Drama'.

What is the secret of the show's success? Well, apparently the actresses who star in Cranford believe they have identified the secret of its success - a lack of Botox! Their willingness to embrace their age and shun cosmetic surgery has made the series more believable, they said.

If you are not able to watch these wonderful actresses on TV , here are a couple of suggestions.

Evelina by Frances Burney was an eighteenth century best-seller. Read by Judi Dench, her daughter Finty Williams and Geoffrey Palmer, this wickedly funny audio book download would make a great gift - or just keep it for yourself!

Julia McKenzie has two unabridged audio books in the Silksoundbooks collection
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There are the classic stories written by Lewis Carroll and are perfect for children of all ages !

And just one more thing - if you enjoy Cranford, why not listen to Susannah York reading Elizabeth Gaskell's classic novel My Lady Ludlow ?

So many audio books to enjoy !!

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