December brought four audiobook productions into Offbeat to finish off projects for 2025 as well as recording presenters Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore for two upcoming 2026 episodes of 20th Century Radicals for BBC Radio 3
BIRTHING by DAVINA McCALL
Offbeat was involved in the audiobook of Birthing by Davina McCall.
Caroline Flint was Davina’s midwife and she narrated the introduction for the audiobook.
We helped Caroline to set up recording at her home using an Electro-Voice RE20 Microphone. Then I edited and produced her final audio section for Harper Collins.
Birthing is your honest, expert guide to pregnancy, birth and beyond, featuring everything you need to feel informed, supported and empowered.
'Davina’s new book is EVERYTHING you need to know about giving birth…this is basically a bible’ - Alex Jones on The One Show
WINTERBOURNE
Narrated by Olivia Caw for Bonnier Books, this production of the audiobook version of Winterbourne by Elisabeth Wolf was recorded at Offbeat in early December.
It's an atmospheric gothic mystery set in a fictional Scottish Island. Librarian Anne Adams has found the perfect escape: a job cataloguing the library of Winterbourne, an architectural masterpiece on a remote island off the west coast of Scotland.
Surrounded by an awe-inspiring landscape, the library is magnificent, with priceless
first editions, a book lover's dream. However, Anne's early weeks in her new job are
beset by obstacles – no internet, a house plunged into darkness every night and
unexplained mysteries on the island.
'Haunting, ominous and astonishingly dark. A mesmerising triumph.'
Suzy Aspley, author of Crow Moon
THE UNFRAGILE MIND
In this 4th audiobook we've produced for Dr Gavin Francis. Between a quarter and a fifth of young people in the UK now suffer a mental disorder. One in four adults are prescribed psychiatric medication. These numbers represent a huge and recent expansion in mental health labelling, but reveal nothing of the experience of those seeking help.
In The Unfragile Mind, published by Profile Books, Gavin draws on conversations with patients, colleagues, and his thirty years of practice to explore the chequered history of psychiatry, the nature of mental health and ill-health, and the problems - including mood disorders, trauma, anxiety and addiction - that he addresses daily.
The mind, he argues, is dynamic and adaptive - better addressed not with rigid labels and protocols, but with curiosity, kindness, humility and hope.
THE GRAVEWOOD
Offbeat recorded the audiobook The Gravewood by New York Times bestselling author Kelly Andrew, with direction down the line from US by Zane Birdwell for John Marshall Media. It will be released on Penguin.
This was another 'record only' project with remote direction from New York. In these projects we mark up the script while the recording is done on the 'fluff and repeat' method. Retakes and time code are marked on the script with notes taken on Protools to assist the editor following the session.
Narrated by Elisabeth Robbins, who we last worked together with on The Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren for Penguin USA and On The Bright Side by Anna Sortino.
FIND OUT ALL ABOUT OUR AUDIOBOOK PRODUCTION SERVICES HERE ON THE OFFBEAT WEBSITE
20th CENTURY RADICALS - BBC RADIO 3
We really enjoyed radio recordings of the Xmas episode of 20th Century Radicals for BBC Radio 3 presented by Gillian Moore & Kate Molleson and Produced by Sam Phillips down the line from Devon.
Featuring the music of Sun Ra & Jonathan Harvey’s, winter of spring with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra
And another programme featuring the controversial pianist Henry Cowell, who invented the first ever drum machine as far back as 1917.
I realised after the session after a wee blether that Kate (a wonderfully natural radio presenter) is the sister of the infamous Molleson musical family. I worked with Conrad, Willie & Ben back in the 1980s with Kith and Ken and the Critter Hill Varmints and Hex (featuring the late Richard Horne from Swamptrash also known as Harry Horse). And in the 90s with Greg recording funk band Captain Shifty.