Philip Palmer – författare

Flanagan (who is, for want of a better word, a pirate) has a plan. It seems relatively simple: kidnap Lena, the Cheo''s daughter, demand a vast ransom for her safe return, sit back and wait. Only the Cheo, despotic ruler of the known universe, isn''t playing ball.Flanagan and his crew have seen this before, of course, but since they''ve learned a few tricks from the bad old days (being particularly bad if you happen to have been one of the myriad sons or daughters the Cheo let die rather than give in to blackmail) and since they know something about Lena that should make the plan foolproof, the Cheo''s defiance is a major setback. It is a situation that calls for extreme measures. Luckily, Flanagan has considerable experience in this area. . .

The odds of surviving quantum teleportation to the Exodus Universe are, more or less, fifty/fifty. The only ones crazy enough to try it are the desperate, the insane and those sentenced to death for their crimes. Belladonna is home to the survivors and, in a planet run by criminals and desperados, death is commonplace. But a particularly horrific (and improbable) killing attracts the Galactic Police force, and a cyborg cop is sent to investigate.Version 43 has been here before, and has old scores to settle. The cop was human once, but is now more programme than man. And he intends to clean up this planet, permanently, whatever the cost.

The Hell Ship hurtles through space. Inside the ship are thousands of slaves, each the last of their race. The Hell Ship and its infernal crew destroyed their homes, slaughtered their families and imprisoned them forever.One champion refuses to succumb. Sharrock, reduced from hero to captive in one blow, has sworn vengeance. Although Sai-as, head of the alien slave horde, will ruthlessly enforce the status quo. But help is close. Jak has followed the Ship for years and their battles have left Jak broken, a mind in a starship''s body, focussed only on destroying the Ship. Together, can hunter and slave end this interstellar nightmare?

She''s a stone cold killer, a rebel and a librarian ...Raised on the library planet of Rebus, Artemis McIvor has a love of books in a future where reading is a lost art. Unfortunately, she''s also been imprisoned for a string of brutal murders she didn''t commit. Not that she hasn''t killed people. She just didn''t kill these people.A war is coming and Artemis will find that her talents will be in high demand. But she has debts to pay and when they come due she will have a choice: fight for her freedom, or die a slave.

Professor Richard Helms heads up a tight-knit band of scientists and soldiers sent to explore New Amazon, a lush but savage planet seemingly determined to attack them at every turn. When they are done cataloguing every detail of this vast, unfamiliar ecosystem, they will burn it to the ground and make it fit for human habitation.But when the team falls under attack, Helms and his followers are forced to flee into the depths of the jungle. Here, old enemies and petty rivalries surface as they struggle to survive. They soon end up fighting for their lives - against the planet they are exploring, the robots designed to protect them and, most of all, against each other. For the countdown into madness is ticking.Palmer burns a new path for science fiction in this gripping, dark tale of man''s place in the universe.

A gritty thriller set behind the Iron Curtain in 1960s HungaryBudapest, 1964. Special Investigator Bertalan Lázár and his wife, spymaster Franciska Lázár, face formidable challenges as they try to navigate a path through the dangerous underworld of Cold War-era Hungary. Catching the criminals is difficult enough, but there are other more threatening battles raging in higher places.In these eight episodes, Bertalan prepares to fight a turf war as he tries to find a child killer, investigates a seemingly straightforward case of GBH that leads him to a rogue cop, and enters the uncharted territory of Budapest''s underground drugs scene after a rock musician is found dead.His life is further complicated by the return of his old nemesis, Tibor Farkas, and soon both he and Franciska find themselves in the firing line as the corrupt cop turns his sights on them...Written by Philip Palmer, this gripping, atmospheric drama expertly conjures up the tense, paranoid world of Communist Hungary, where dissidence was dangerous, the truth was hard to find and pursuing justice could get you killed. Leo Bill stars as Bertalan and Clare Corbett as Franciska, with Andy Linden as Tibor Farkas.The episodes in this collection are:Gellert HillSpider''s WebCarnaby StreetGypsy DancersGrandmother''s FootstepsMad DogThe Light of DawnThe Great SocietyProduced and directed by Toby Swift and Sasha YevtushenkoCastBertalan Lázár - Leo BillFranciska Lázár - Clare CorbettJózsef Szabados - Joseph AyreDmitri Dragunov - Simon ScardifieldMárk Mészáros - Michael BertenshawAndrás Vásáry - David HounslowPriest/Copper - Christopher HarperGyuri Varg/Fabenyi/Police officer/Partygoer - Kenny BlythDorina Varga - Helen ClappMinistry official/Police officer/Drug dealer/Partygoer - Chris PavloHanna Krivosik - Franchi WebbZsófia/Nurse 1 - Sarah OvensTibor Farkas - Andy LindenPuŠomori Žiga - Debbie KorleyNurse 2/Receptionist - Susan JamesonGyozo Novak - Carl PrekoppFlorian Hevesi - Luke NunnSandor Boros - Stephen GreifPathologist - Jane WhittenshawCop/Detective - Stefan AdegbolaMother - Emma HandyKulcsar - Roger RingroseDraskovic - Ewan BaileyBilliards player/Prison officer - Ian Dunnett Jnr

A gritty thriller set behind the Iron Curtain in 1960s HungaryBudapest, 1963. Special Investigator Bertalan Lázár and his wife, spymaster Franciska Lázár, face formidable challenges as they try to navigate a path through the dangerous underworld of Cold War-era Hungary. Catching the criminals is difficult enough, but there are other more threatening battles raging in higher places.In these 16 episodes, Bertalan must investigate the murder of a former member of the secret police, fight a turf war as he tries to find a child killer, probe a seemingly straightforward case of GBH that leads him to a rogue cop and enter the uncharted territory of Budapest''s underground drugs scene after a rock musician is found dead.Written by Philip Palmer, this gripping, atmospheric drama expertly conjures up the tense, paranoid world of Communist Hungary, where dissidence was dangerous, the truth was hard to find and pursuing justice could get you killed. Leo Bill stars as Bertalan and Clare Corbett as Franciska, with Andy Linden as Tibor Farkas and Joseph Ayre as József Szabados.The episodes in this collection are:The Wolf The Old Days Behind the Wall Waiting by the River Heroes Gellert Hill Spider''s Web Carnaby Street Gypsy Dancers Grandmother''s Footsteps Mad Dog The Light of Dawn The Great Society Red Pen The Great Tree Gang The Magical Magyars Produced and directed by Toby Swift and Sasha YevtushenkoSound Design by Caleb KnightleyCastBertalan Lázár - Leo BillFranciska Lázár - Clare CorbettTibor Farkas - Andy LindenJózsef Szabados - Joseph AyreGizella - Nicola FergusonBela Fekete - Sargon YeldaMr Papp - Nick UnderwoodKitchen Porter - Richard PepplePolice Officer/Csaba - Sam RixLilien Racz - Adie AllenMilton Szilard - Philip FoxKristof Szep - Samuel JamesMr Kiraly - Robert BlytheWaiter/Peterke - Tom ForristerMrs Tolnay - Sanchia MacCormackStenographer - Kerry GoodersonDmitri Dragunov - Simon ScardifieldMárk Mészáros - Michael BertenshawAndrás Vásáry - David HounslowPriest/Copper - Christopher HarperGyuri Varg/Fabenyi/Police officer/Partygoer - Kenny BlythDorina Varga - Helen ClappMinistry official/Police officer/Drug dealer/Partygoer - Chris PavloHanna Krivosik - Franchi WebbZsófia/Nurse 1 - Sarah OvensPuŠomori Žiga - Debbie KorleyMrs Kovacs/Nurse 2/Receptionist - Susan JamesonGyozo Novak - Carl PrekoppFlorian Hevesi - Luke NunnSandor Boros - Stephen GreifPathologist - Jane WhittenshawCop/Detective - Stefan AdegbolaMother - Emma HandyKulcsar - Roger RingroseDraskovic - Ewan BaileyBilliards player/Prison officer - Ian Dunnett JnrHadik - Hasan DixonRichard Miklos/Károly Miklós/Laska - Shaun MasonViolinist/Márton Kozma/Police Officer/Priest - Simon LuddersRéka Kozma/Pathologist - Jane SlavinArchivist/Ioveanu - Tony TurnerOrsolya - Ria MarshallReceptionist - David Sturzaker© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd(P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Three lively retellings of Daniel Defoe’s classic novels, plus two bonus programmes about his extraordinary life and far-reaching influence.Robinson Crusoe and his Farther Adventures An imaginative blend of the famous castaway tale and its lesser-known sequel, this thrilling drama sees Crusoe setting sail for the far north. Facing danger in the Siberian wastes, he keeps terror at bay by telling his companions campfire tales of his many adventures on his beloved island. Starring Tim McInnerney as Crusoe.Moll Flanders When Daniel Defoe meets Elizabeth Atkins in Newgate jail, she recounts her stranger-than-fiction story of a rags-to-riches life that took her from prostitution to prosperity – but culminated in destitution. Inspired, Defoe mixes fact and fiction to re-invent her as one of his most engaging characters: Moll Flanders. Starring Ben Miles as Defoe and Jessica Hynes as Elizabeth Atkins.A Journal of the Plague Year Writing a fictional journal of the Great Plague of 1665, Defoe soon comes to be haunted by the characters he is conjuring. Starring Ben Miles as Defoe.This exciting new collection of reinvented tales will also include two bonus programmes about Daniel Defoe himself:Defoe: Merchant, Writer, Convict, Spy by Philip Palmer - A biographical drama about Defoe’s life, starring Ben Miles as Defoe and Niamh Cusack as his wife Mary.Defoe: The Facts and Fictions - A documentary by Mark Lawson, exploring the far-reaching influence of the pioneering author.