Which 4.50 from Paddington recording should you buy?
A complete reading, a BBC radio play, and the same Collins retelling for English learners in both of the publisher's ranges — the same reader and description, at different levels and lengths.
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Agatha Christie · 4 Audible UK recordings compared
Short answer
Emilia Fox for the novel: hers is the complete reading here, at 8 hrs 8 mins. The BBC edition with June Whitfield is a radio play, well under the length of the book. Jane Collingwood's listings are both Collins graded readers for people learning English, one in each of Collins's ranges: "B2+" on the line beneath the title of one, "B2" on the other, identical descriptions, and neither is the novel. The title is written "4.50 From Paddington" on some of these listings and "4.50 from Paddington" on others — the capital letter is not a signal of anything.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emilia Fox Our pick | 8 hrs 8 mins | Complete novel | The complete novel, solo. |
| Full cast with Ian Lavender, Joan Sims, June Whitfield | 1 hr 29 mins | BBC full-cast dramatisation | A BBC radio play with June Whitfield as Miss Marple. The title does not say so. |
| Jane Collingwood | 3 hrs 25 mins | Collins graded reader (B2+) | NOT the novel: a Collins graded reader for people learning English. Plain title; a bare "B2+" on the line beneath it. |
| Jane Collingwood | 3 hrs 10 mins | Collins graded reader (B2) | NOT the novel either: Collins's other range, same reader, "B2" beneath the title, a different length, the same description word for word. |