Letters from father christmas

Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from thr North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien's children. Inside would be a letter in a strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or some sketches. The letters were from Father Christmas. They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole - how all the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident prone Polar Bear climbed the north Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house into the dining room; and so on. The tape comprises a festive unabridged reading of the letters. Interspersed with carols and Christmassy music to give a real seasonal feel, Derek Jacobi's reading, with John Moffat and Christian Rodzka in supporting roles as Polar Bear and Ilbereth the Elf, is laced with humour. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by the inventiveness and authenticity of Tokien's ''Letters from Father Christma'''.