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'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens is to be made available as a free podcast for MP3 players, read by actor Geoffrey Palmer, who appeared in British sitcoms such as Butterflies and Time Goes By.
The entire text of the classic novel, which was first published in 1843, is offered by Penguin Books, divided into five instalments. It represents one of the first times a famous novel has been made into a complete and free podcast.
A Christmas Carol features some of the most well-known characters created by Dickens, including miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who receives visits from a number of ghosts. In addition it features a child called Tiny Tim and a clerk named Bob Cratchit.
A fortnightly podcast service was introduced by Penguin in October, providing extracts and interviews from modern writers such as Zadie Smith and Nick Hornby, for subscribers.
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