Which Murder of Roger Ackroyd recording should you buy?
A book to hear before anyone spoils the ending. The same search sells complete readings, a BBC radio play and a Collins retelling for English learners — and Roger May's name is on both a full-length reading and the learners' edition.
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Agatha Christie · 5 Audible UK recordings compared
Short answer
Hugh Fraser. He played Hastings on television, he reads many of the Poirot novels on Audible UK, and his is the complete novel. Roger May's 2026 reading and Mike Vendetti's 2025 one are complete too — Audible's listing data marks both unabridged — so they are a choice of voice rather than of content. The catch is the name: Roger May also reads a Collins graded reader of this book for people learning English, listed under the plain title, where only a level code beneath the title, the web address and the description say what it is. Check the runtime, not the reader. The BBC production with John Moffatt is a radio play.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Fraser Our pick | 6 hrs 54 mins | Complete novel | The complete novel, read by the actor who played Hastings on television. |
| Roger May | 8 hrs 37 mins | Unabridged | Listed as The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery, from Saga Egmont (2026). Audible's listing data marks it unabridged, it runs at full length, and its description has none of the Collins learners' wording. The same reader's name is on the graded reader below, so check the runtime. |
| Mike Vendetti | 8 hrs 29 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo, from Spoken Realms (2025): Audible's listing data marks it unabridged, and it runs at full length. |
| Roger May | 3 hrs 28 mins | Collins graded reader (Level 5, B2+) | NOT the novel: a Collins graded reader, the story rewritten for people learning English. The listing title is just The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, with "Level 5, B2+" on the line beneath it; the web address names B2 and the Collins ELT Readers series, and the description says it is for English language learners. |
| Full cast with John Moffatt | 1 hr 27 mins | BBC full-cast dramatisation | A BBC radio play. The web address says Dramatised; the listing title does not. |
