Herbert George Wells was an English writer. Prolific in many genres, he wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. Wells is now best remembered for his science fiction novels and has been called the “father of science fiction”.

In addition to his fame as a writer, he was prominent in his lifetime as a forward-looking, even prophetic social critic who devoted his literary talents to the development of a progressive vision on a global scale. A futurist, he wrote a number of utopian works and foresaw the advent of aircraft, tanks, space travel, nuclear weapons and satellite television

This collection brings together BBC Radio dramatisations and readings of some of Wells’ most notable works of fiction.

The Time Machine – Transported to the year AD 802701, the Time Traveller encounters the peaceful Eloi, a beautiful elfin race of childlike adults afraid of the dark, and with good reason. Beneath the earth’s surface live the Morlocks, apish troglodytes who torment the Eloi. When the time machine is stolen, the Time Traveller must enter Morlock territory if he ever hopes to return home.

The Wonderful Visit – Everyday life in a small English village is completely disrupted when the vicar accidentally shoots and wounds an angel who’s somehow flown off-course.

The Island Of Dr Moreau – Edward Prendick, the single survivor of a shipwreck, is rescued by Montgomery in a vessel carrying a menagerie of savage animals. Taken to an uncharted island, he meets Dr Moreau – a brilliant scientist whose notorious experiments have caused him to abandon the civilised world. It soon becomes clear he has been developing these experiments – with truly horrific results.

The Invisible Man – When a strange man takes shelter at an inn, his skin covered from head to toe in bandages, he causes distrust. Griffin, a scientist, reveals that he has successfully managed to turn himself invisible, but alas without a way of undoing it. Desperate for a cure, his ailment drives him to many sinister actions, including murder.

The War Of The Worlds – When Earth is invaded by Martians in great mechanical tripods, terror ensues. They are equipped with heat rays and poisonous black gas, intent on wiping out the human race. During the destruction, one man’s story details the monstrous invasion and his struggle to find his wife in the devastation.

Love and Mr Lewisham – Young, impoverished and ambitious, science student Mr Lewisham is pursuing former sweetheart, Ethel Henderson passionately, only to find that she hides a dark secret. For she is involved in a plot of trickery, working as an assistant to her stepfather – a charlatan ‘mystic’ who earns his living by deluding the weak-willed with sly frauds.

The First Men In The Moon – A chance meeting between penniless businessman Mr Bedford and absentminded scientist Dr Cavor leads the two on a fantastical journey to the moon. However, they are unprepared for what they find: freezing nights, boiling days and sinister alien life. Will they be trapped forever?

Kipps – Arthur ‘Artie’ Kipps leaves school, and his first love Ann, when he’s apprenticed to a Folkestone draper. His life – and fortune – changes dramatically when he answers an advertisement in a newspaper.

Tono-Bungay – Presented as a miraculous cure-all, Tono-Bungay is in fact nothing other than a pleasant-tasting liquid with no positive effects. Nonetheless, when the young George Ponderevo is employed by his uncle Edward to help market this ineffective medicine, he finds his life overwhelmed by its sudden success. George …. Neil Dudgeon

Ann Veronica – This witty and lively tale sees Ann Veronica living alone in London in her quest for liberation but it’s an uphill struggle; she has to fight off the sexual advances of a so called friend, discovers the love of her life is married, and gets arrested and imprisoned for a suffragette raid on the House of Commons.

The History of Mr Polly – Mr Polly is an ordinary middle-aged man who is tired of his wife’s nagging and his dreary job as the owner of a regional gentleman’s outfitters. Faced with the threat of bankruptcy, he concludes that the only way to escape his frustrating existence is by burning his shop to the ground, and killing himself.

In the Abyss – Elstead designs a sphere capable of exploring the seabed for the first time. His deep-sea expedition encounters some strange creatures that inhabit the unknown depths. What he finds amazes him.

The Sea Raiders – After a suspicious-looking object is washed in by the tide, flesh-eating monsters from the deep are soon terrorising residents along the Devon coastline.Performed by Robert Bathhurst

A Dream of Armageddon – A stranger on a train reveals his secret. When he dreams, he enters a future reality of an advanced civilization descending into senseless war.

The New Accelerator – In the name of science, HG Wells agrees to sample a new drug designed to speed up both body and mind.

The Inexperienced Ghost – A man encounters a troubled spirit. But could this meeting lead to tragedy?