We don’t meet the eponymous hero until a quarter of the way through this lively 18th-century classic, when he appears with his backside literally hanging out of his breeches and joins the retinue of Squire Bramble as they proceed from Bath to London and points north. The rumbustious story of how the foundling footman becomes a charismatic Methodist preacher and finds true love is told – with many digressions – through letters written by Bramble (Ioan Meredith), his urbane nephew Jeri (Hywel Simons), his niece Lydia (Suzy Aitchison) and his supremely irritating spinster sister Tabitha (Whitfield). The political fulminations drag on a bit, but overall it’s a fresh and enjoyable comedy

THE EXPEDITION OF HUMPHRY CLINKER by Tobias Smollett, read by June Whitfield and company

(Download only, £7.95, from silksoundbooks.com, 17 hours 20 minutes, unabridged).

Dowload an extract of the book here

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