Sporting Stories Before Bedtime

Stories Before Bedtime is a series of late-night readings designed to champion the love of reading and stories and to transport the audience back to when being read aloud to before bedtime was a fundamental part of one's daily life.

Come and listen to classic short stories come to life in the mouths of some of this country's leading actors and actresses.

This Olympics-themed special brings you some of literature's funniest and most iconic sporting tales, read by a selection of Britain's most-loved actors.

Brian Blessed reads an extract from WE Bowman's mountaineering exploits in The Ascent of Rum Doodle.

Brian Blessed is one of this country's best known and most highly respected actors.

Blessed climbed Mont Blanc at the age of seventeen and he has remained an active mountaineer throughout his life. He attempted to climb Mount Everest on three separate occasions, but never reached the summit. During his attempt on his birthday on 9th October in 1993, the then 57 year old became the oldest man to reach 28,400 feet without oxygen, which was a world record... the height record was broken by Sir Ranulph Fiennes in 2009 but he used oxygen. Blessed has successfully climbed Aconcagua in Argentina as well as Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He also holds the record for being the oldest man to trek on foot to the magnetic North Pole, and has undertaken an expedition deep into the jungles of Venezuela.

Stephen Fry reads Clicking of Cuthbert by PG Wodehouse

Stephen Fry is a celebrated author, as well as being an accomplished actor, presenter, and director. His work includes best-selling novels, an autobiography, as well as a book on poetry form, The Ode Less Travelled. He is well known amongst a younger generation as the reader of the audio book versions J. K. Rowling�s Harry Potter novels.

Stephen Fry on Cricket: Cricket was once an Olympic event. For me to it is the mount Olympus of every year. My love for it encapsulates my love of my country. Incomprehensible to outsiders, binding in its glory to fellow lovers. Eccentric, beautiful, subtle and - like all the best things - it needs time. Time to understand, time to unfold. To those who find it boring - well. I find reality TV boring but I don't insult those who enjoy it...