Adventure FM catalogue

The first 50 Adventure FM stories

Fifty planned adventures, starting in London in 1666 and then travelling backwards through history to ancient Egypt. Each one stands on its own. Release dates will be announced as each is ready.

Find an adventure

50 adventures

Cover illustration of a boy with a lantern looking across the river at burning 1666 London, with old St Paul’s tower and London Bridge.

Adventure 01 · Start here

London, England

The Night London Burned

London, 1666. Ned secretly bodges a broken gate. That night the Great Fire breaks out, and his elderly neighbour is trapped behind it. The grown-ups can’t open it, and only Ned knows why. To get her out before the fire reaches the river, he must own up and fix it himself.

First adventure · Coming soonDiscover the story
Illustration of Lukas and Oskar carrying an address through the crowd at an opening Berlin border crossing in 1989.

Adventure 02 · When the World Held Its Breath

East and West Berlin, Germany

The Gate That Opened

On the night the Berlin Wall opens, Lukas and his family join the crowds hoping to reach an aunt they have never been free to visit. But an elderly neighbour cannot keep up, and staying to help may cost them their long-awaited reunion.

In developmentDiscover the story
Ben and Ruth trying to fix a borrowed television in a crowded school hall on the night of the Moon landing, 1969.

Adventure 03 · When the World Held Its Breath

Near Parkes, New South Wales, Australia

The Moon in the School Hall

Ben has promised his neighbours a front-row seat for the Moon landing—then the borrowed television goes blank. With the school hall filling up and the astronauts nearly ready, he and his cousin Ruth must find help before their whole community misses the moment.

In developmentDiscover the story
Danny and his friend watching a neighbour tune a short-wave radio in his garage, 1962.

Adventure 04 · When the World Held Its Breath

Key West, Florida, United States

The Stranger on the Short Wave

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Danny becomes convinced that a stranger with a radio is a spy. But his accusations put his best friend’s family under suspicion. Following a missing parcel through town, the two boys must uncover what really happened before their friendship falls apart.

In developmentDiscover the story
Peter pointing rescuers in a lantern-lit rowing boat towards a flooded Essex cottage, 1953.

Adventure 05 · When the World Held Its Breath

A fictional village on the Essex coast, England

The Bell Above the Water

When a storm floods his Essex village, Peter discovers that a family is still missing from the shelter. The rescuers believe their cottage is empty. With water rising through the streets, he must convince them to go back before the family is left beyond reach.

In developmentDiscover the story
Children on Berlin rubble watching an airlift plane drop tiny sweet parachutes, 1948.

Adventure 06 · When the World Held Its Breath

West Berlin, occupied Germany

The Chocolate Parachute

During the Berlin Airlift, Emil is determined to catch a chocolate parachute before his rival does. Then his delivery cart breaks, leaving an elderly neighbour waiting for supplies. With the aircraft approaching, he must choose between the prize he longs for and the person depending on him.

In developmentDiscover the story
Harry and June holding a tired homing pigeon carrying a wartime message.

Adventure 07 · When the World Held Its Breath

Southern England and the Channel coast

The Pigeon With a Secret

An exhausted pigeon returns to Harry’s loft carrying a wartime message. While his father contacts the official handlers, Harry and June must keep the bird safe. For a boy desperate to help the war effort, the hardest task is leaving its secret unopened.

In developmentDiscover the story
Jack and his father helping tired soldiers aboard their small boat off Dunkirk, 1940.

Adventure 08 · When the World Held Its Breath

Ramsgate and the English Channel

The Little Ship

Jack joins his father’s small boat in the evacuation of Dunkirk, ferrying stranded soldiers to larger ships. But damaged gear and exhausted passengers test everything he knows. When there are more men waiting than the boat can carry, helping them means following orders he desperately wants to question.

In developmentDiscover the story
Illustration of Perce carrying supplies across Antarctic pack ice with Endurance trapped behind him.

Adventure 09 · Further Than Anyone Thought

The Weddell Sea and Elephant Island, Antarctica

The Ship Beneath the Ice

Young stowaway Perce Blackborow gets the adventure he wanted when he joins Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition. Then ice crushes their ship. Stranded far from home and unable to walk, Perce must depend on his companions as they struggle to keep everyone alive and bring help back.

In developmentDiscover the story
Johnny watching the Wright Flyer lift off the sand at Kitty Hawk, 1903.

Adventure 10 · Further Than Anyone Thought

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, United States

Twelve Seconds in the Air

On a bitter morning in 1903, Johnny Moore watches the Wright brothers prepare a machine that seems far too flimsy to fly. Through setbacks, careful adjustments and four remarkable attempts, he witnesses the moment years of work finally lift off the sand.

In developmentDiscover the story
Nikos and Petros racing with bread baskets through Athens during the 1896 Olympics.

Adventure 11 · Further Than Anyone Thought

Athens, Greece

The Race Nobody Won

With Athens celebrating the first modern Olympics, cousins Nikos and Petros turn their family deliveries into a race. Then the takings disappear. Their search leads to a lost purse and a stranded visitor—and helping may mean missing the finish they most wanted to see.

In developmentDiscover the story
Billy and Kit hurrying a food parcel through East London on an old bicycle, 1888.

Adventure 12 · Further Than Anyone Thought

Bow, East London, England

The Matchbox Army

When his sister joins the match workers’ strike, Billy promises to help keep the family fed. Instead, he sends a precious food parcel to the wrong place. With his friend Kit and an unreliable bicycle, he must trace it through London and put his grand plan right.

In developmentDiscover the story
Ming and Arthur studying papers at a railway work camp in the Canadian Rockies, 1885.

Adventure 13 · Further Than Anyone Thought

British Columbia, Canada

The Last Spike’s Missing Name

As Canada’s great railway nears completion, Ming discovers that the record needed to claim his father’s wages is missing. With the work camp being dismantled, he and Arthur follow a trail of scraps and delivery tallies before the evidence—and the men who can help—leave.

In developmentDiscover the story
Tom and Jory at a locked lifeboat-station gate as a storm batters the Cornish coast.

Adventure 14 · Further Than Anyone Thought

A fictional Cornish harbour community, England

The Lifeboat of Porthkerris

A ship is in trouble off the Cornish coast, and Tom knows where to find the gear its rescuers need. But the skipper once publicly humiliated his father. As the storm worsens, Tom and his friend Jory must get past a locked gate—and Tom’s lingering anger.

In developmentDiscover the story
Hassan, his sister and father in their small boat as grand ships open the Suez Canal, 1869.

Adventure 15 · Further Than Anyone Thought

The Suez Canal, Egypt

The Ship Between Two Seas

At the opening of the Suez Canal, Hassan manoeuvres his family into the perfect place to watch the grand ships. Then a nearby tow swings loose towards their little boat. He and his sister must help their father get clear before the celebration becomes a collision.

In developmentDiscover the story
Illustration of Caleb beside his Pony Express horse, looking towards an injured rider on the Nebraska trail.

Adventure 16 · Promises on the Long Road

Near Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory, United States

The Pony Express Promise

Nebraska, 1860. Caleb wants to be the fastest rider on the Pony Express, so he skips the boring jobs, and a rider falls. Now the news of the new President is stuck in the Platte River’s quicksand, and the westbound rider leaves at sunrise. The only horse left is the slowest one.

In developmentDiscover the story
Osman and Eliza carrying clean sheets along a corridor of the Scutari hospital.

Adventure 17 · Promises on the Long Road

Scutari, Ottoman Empire (now Üsküdar, Istanbul)

The Lamp and the Missing Sheets

A delivery of clean sheets disappears on its way to the crowded hospital at Scutari. Osman and Eliza each blame the other, but the patients still need their linen. Retracing the bundles through stores and deliveries brings them closer to a mistake Osman would rather hide.

In developmentDiscover the story
Grace Darling and her father rowing towards a rock near Longstone Lighthouse, 1838.

Adventure 18 · Promises on the Long Road

Longstone Lighthouse and the Farne Islands, England

The Girl Who Rowed Into the Storm

When a ship is wrecked near Longstone Lighthouse, Grace Darling spots survivors stranded on a wave-battered rock. She and her father launch their small boat into dangerous seas. This dramatisation follows the real rescue and the difficult work of bringing the survivors safely ashore.

In developmentDiscover the story
Freddie and Mary holding a mixed-up parcel on an early steam railway, 1830.

Adventure 19 · Promises on the Long Road

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, England

The Ticket to Manchester

Freddie’s first steam-train journey becomes a mystery when he accidentally takes another passenger’s parcel. Inside is something far stranger than his aunt’s sewing. With his cousin Mary, he must retrace the mix-up and find its owner before the railway carries their belongings farther apart.

In developmentDiscover the story
Joseph and a fellow apprentice searching a print shop for missing petition sheets.

Adventure 20 · Promises on the Long Road

London, England

The Names on the Petition

Petition sheets opposing the slave trade vanish from Joseph’s print shop. His fellow apprentice wants to replace the signatures from memory; Joseph insists on finding the originals. Their search reaches a tradesman who will only help if they change the words their neighbours agreed to support.

In developmentDiscover the story
Midshipman Edward hurrying across a warship’s deck with an older sailor at Trafalgar, 1805.

Adventure 21 · Promises on the Long Road

Aboard an unnamed ship in the British fleet at Trafalgar

The Youngest Midshipman

At Trafalgar, inexperienced midshipman Edward must carry an order through the noise and smoke of battle. But he isn’t certain what he heard. To deliver it correctly, he needs the help of a seasoned sailor whose advice he has spent the voyage dismissing.

In developmentDiscover the story
Luc chasing a runaway sheep past a grand balloon at Versailles while Madeleine follows, 1783.

Adventure 22 · Promises on the Long Road

Versailles, France

The Day the Sheep Flew

A sheep is about to fly in a balloon at Versailles, and Luc thinks he has spotted it escaping. His pursuit draws Madeleine and her delivery basket into the confusion. Can they untangle the mix-up and reach the demonstration before the real animal passengers take off?

In developmentDiscover the story
Isaac reading a troubling printed sheet in a New York print shop as soldiers pass outside.

Adventure 23 · Who Deserves Your Loyalty?

New York, British-occupied North America

The Printer’s Two Flags

In occupied New York, apprentice printer Isaac is asked to help publish an accusation against a neighbour. His family is divided over the revolution, but he knows the evidence has been twisted. With soldiers approaching, he must get his master to read the original letter.

In developmentDiscover the story
Tiago, his sister and mother helping an injured neighbour through Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake.

Adventure 24 · Who Deserves Your Loyalty?

Lisbon, Portugal

When the Bells Fell Silent

When an earthquake strikes Lisbon, Tiago and his sister follow their mother through shattered streets. Their familiar escape route leads towards a waterfront facing fresh danger. With an injured neighbour slowing them, the family must find another way to reach higher ground.

In developmentDiscover the story
Illustration of Ben and Cora watching Rafe hold a small chest inside a Nassau cooper’s workshop.

Adventure 25 · Who Deserves Your Loyalty?

Nassau, the Bahamas

The Pirate Who Wanted a Receipt

Ben finally meets a pirate—but Rafe wants to return stolen goods, not bury treasure. When another pirate comes to take them back, Ben and Cora are caught in a struggle over the chest. Their cooperage becomes a hiding place, and Ben’s dream of adventure suddenly feels very real.

In developmentDiscover the story
Robin chasing a pickpocket through the Frost Fair on the frozen Thames.

Adventure 26 · Who Deserves Your Loyalty?

The frozen Thames, London, England

The Frost Fair Fox

At a fair on the frozen Thames, Robin mistakes a performer for a thief—and gives a real pickpocket the chance to steal Will’s takings. With help from Bess and the grown-up Ned, he must follow the clues through the crowded booths before the money disappears.

In developmentDiscover the story
Ned searching the burnt ruins of London for Father’s lost account book after the Great Fire.

Adventure 27 · Who Deserves Your Loyalty?

London after the Great Fire, England

The Missing Ledger

London, after the Great Fire. Ned is desperate to beat Father’s new apprentice, so he takes a forbidden shortcut through the burnt city, and Father’s account book vanishes. Now Matthew is blamed, a timber merchant wants paying twice, and the only way to put it right is back down into the ruins.

In developmentDiscover the story
Pieter and Annetje examining a tulip bulb in a Haarlem nursery, 1637.

Adventure 28 · Who Deserves Your Loyalty?

Haarlem, the Dutch Republic

The Most Expensive Onion in Haarlem

In tulip-mad Haarlem, Pieter promises a buyer a magnificent flower he has never seen. With the sale approaching and the market turning nervous, he searches his father’s nursery for a way out. His friend Annetje knows enough about bulbs to make his bluff increasingly difficult.

In developmentDiscover the story
Hugh reaching from a small boat towards a Spanish boy in the water as fireships burn off Calais, 1588.

Adventure 29 · Who Deserves Your Loyalty?

Off Calais, English Channel

Fire Ships at Calais

As fireships scatter the Spanish Armada off Calais, Hugh hears a Spanish boy calling from the water. His boat’s officer fears a trap, but the boy cannot free his arm. Hugh must persuade the crew to attempt a rescue amid the burning ships and drifting wreckage.

In developmentDiscover the story
Diego and Isabel studying charts and a ship’s log in Seville after the first voyage around the world.

Adventure 30 · Words, Maps and Dangerous Knowledge

Seville, Spain

The Ship That Lost a Day

The first voyage around the world returns to Seville with an impossible puzzle: the sailors’ calendar is a day behind. Young clerk Diego suspects a lie. With Isabel’s help, he follows their journey across charts and accounts to discover how careful counting could produce the wrong date.

In developmentDiscover the story
Hans checking a printed page for an error while Marta sorts sheets in an early print workshop.

Adventure 31 · Words, Maps and Dangerous Knowledge

Mainz, Holy Roman Empire (now Germany)

The Backwards Letter

Hans finds an error on a freshly printed page—then discovers it in a growing pile of copies. Admitting it will embarrass the workshop and waste costly paper. With Marta’s help, he must trace the faulty sheets before the bundles leave and the mistake travels with them.

In developmentDiscover the story
Afiq directing small boats at the busy Malacca harbour as a squall approaches.

Adventure 32 · Words, Maps and Dangerous Knowledge

Malacca, Malay Peninsula

The Harbour of a Hundred Tongues

At Malacca’s busy harbour, aspiring interpreter Afiq sends visitors to the wrong landing after pretending to understand an instruction. Then a squall disrupts the waterfront. Working with his aunt and a visiting sailor, he must help reunite the party using words he can be certain of.

In developmentDiscover the story
Balla steadying a camel’s load in the Sahara as Mansa Musa’s caravan moves ahead.

Adventure 33 · Words, Maps and Dangerous Knowledge

A Saharan stage of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage route

The Caravan’s Last Waterskin

Travelling with Mansa Musa’s great caravan, Balla dreams of gold and important company. But his supply group falls behind in the Sahara, with a slipping load, an exhausted man and dwindling water. Catching up will take more than abandoning whatever—and whoever—seems to be slowing them down.

In developmentDiscover the story
Elias holding his family’s house key beside his friend Willam and a loaded cart, 1290.

Adventure 34 · Words, Maps and Dangerous Knowledge

London and a departure port, England

The Key They Could Not Keep

Ordered to leave England in 1290, Elias’s Jewish family waits for a cart that never arrives. His neighbour Willam offers a hiding place, but Elias refuses to leave his parents. Together the boys must find transport—and confront a harmful rumour—before the family’s departure.

In developmentDiscover the story
Illustration of Adam testing a stone at the unfinished Salisbury Cathedral building site around 1250.

Adventure 35 · Words, Maps and Dangerous Knowledge

Salisbury, England

The Mason’s Mark

Helping build Salisbury Cathedral, Adam hears a worrying sound when he taps a stone being prepared for lifting. The older apprentice who taught him insists it is sound. With the ropes ready, Adam must persuade the master to check it, risking the friendship he values most.

In developmentDiscover the story
Martin finding a sealed packet in the riverside mud at Runnymede, 1215.

Adventure 36 · Words, Maps and Dangerous Knowledge

Runnymede and the Thames, England

The Seal in the Mud

While the King and barons gather at Runnymede, young clerk’s helper Martin loses a sealed packet in the riverside mud. A servant offers to return it for a price, but the ferryman’s daughter suspects a trick. Together they must recover the real document before Martin’s master asks for it.

In developmentDiscover the story
Peter leading a small neighbour by the hand as families leave through a Jerusalem gate, 1187.

Adventure 37 · Kingdoms, Raiders and the Stranger

Jerusalem

The Price of the Gate

After Jerusalem’s surrender, Peter’s family gathers the money and belongings they need to leave. Then they discover that a neighbour’s child has no place in the departure arrangements. With the queue moving, they must seek an interpreter’s help and find a way to bring her with them.

In developmentDiscover the story
Edwin leading younger children along a woodland path away from their Sussex mill, 1066.

Adventure 38 · Kingdoms, Raiders and the Stranger

Sussex, England

The Mill on the Wrong Side

As an invading army advances through Sussex, Edwin hides his family’s supplies to stop them abandoning their mill. When danger draws closer, he must undo the delay and help lead the younger children away. On their escape route, they find a wounded man wearing enemy equipment.

In developmentDiscover the story
Haki holding a treasured iron object beside a shipwright repairing a Norse boat in North America.

Adventure 39 · Kingdoms, Raiders and the Stranger

A Norse base in Newfoundland, North America

The Shore Beyond the Sagas

Far from home at a Norse camp in North America, Haki helps prepare a damaged boat for the return voyage. But the shipwright is running short of metal. As departure approaches, Haki must decide whether to give up his treasured possession to help make the vessel seaworthy.

In developmentDiscover the story
Osric guiding a giant messenger through misty Somerset marshes before dawn, 878.

Adventure 40 · Kingdoms, Raiders and the Stranger

Athelney and the Somerset marshes, Wessex

The Marsh King’s Messenger

Somerset, 878. King Alfred is hiding in the marshes, and Osric, an eel-catcher’s son who wants to be a warrior, has lost the king’s only boat. Now he must guide a giant messenger along hidden paths under the water before dawn, when a whole village leaves Wessex for good.

In developmentDiscover the story
Yunus and Mariam studying shadows cast by a brass instrument in a Baghdad courtyard.

Adventure 41 · Kingdoms, Raiders and the Stranger

Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate

The Shadow That Would Not Behave

In Baghdad, Yunus is preparing to show off his new measuring instrument when Mariam spots results that do not agree. Together they investigate the shifting shadows before the demonstration. The closer they come to the answer, the less impressive Yunus’s proudest claim begins to look.

In developmentDiscover the story
Cuthred carrying manuscript pages and helping an old man follow a monk across Lindisfarne, 793.

Adventure 42 · Kingdoms, Raiders and the Stranger

Lindisfarne, Northumbria

The Bell Across the Water

When raiders approach Lindisfarne, Cuthred joins a monk leading a small group towards safety. Entrusted with a bundle of precious manuscript pages, he struggles to keep up. Then an older man needs help walking, and Cuthred cannot carry the books and support him at the same time.

In developmentDiscover the story
Niall and Hild weaving a hut wall on Lindisfarne as a new family crosses the tidal sands.

Adventure 43 · Kingdoms, Raiders and the Stranger

Lindisfarne and coastal Northumbria

The Boat to Lindisfarne

As Aidan’s community takes shape on Lindisfarne, Niall wants to finish his family’s new home. Then another household arrives needing shelter. Working with Hild, who knows the island better than he does, he must decide how much of his carefully saved timber he is willing to share.

In developmentDiscover the story
Petros calling for his cousin beside scaffolding inside the vast new church in Constantinople.

Adventure 44 · What Makes a Civilisation?

Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire

The Echo Under the Dome

During a visit to Constantinople’s enormous new church, Petros loses sight of his little cousin. Andreas’s cries echo from behind a screened work area, making him difficult to locate. While adults search for a safe way in, Petros must use a familiar song to help guide them.

In developmentDiscover the story
Marcus and Brenna studying animal tracks near a gateway in the Roman frontier wall.

Adventure 45 · What Makes a Civilisation?

Hadrian’s Wall, Roman Britain

The Other Side of the Wall

When a trader’s animals stray across the Roman frontier, Marcus suspects theft—but the trader’s daughter Brenna spots a different trail. Following the missing livestock brings the two children up against gates, guards and Marcus’s own accusation. Getting the animals home means working together across the wall.

In developmentDiscover the story
Felix and his sister helping an old man through Pompeii as Vesuvius erupts in the distance, AD 79.

Adventure 46 · What Makes a Civilisation?

Pompeii and its surroundings, Roman Italy

The Mountain That Woke

As Vesuvius erupts, baker’s son Felix must abandon his work and flee Pompeii with his family. Falling stones and crowded streets make their familiar route harder to follow. With his sister remembering another way, he helps an exhausted neighbour while their mother leads them towards safety.

In developmentDiscover the story
Petos and Doro beside a broken supply cart below the great lighthouse of Alexandria.

Adventure 47 · What Makes a Civilisation?

Alexandria, Ptolemaic Egypt

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Son

Distracted by ships arriving at Alexandria, Petos neglects a supply check at the great lighthouse. When the delivery fails to appear, he and his friend Doro discover a broken cart. With visibility worsening at sea, they must help get the keeper’s supplies moving again.

In developmentDiscover the story
Damon and Myron running through olive groves near Marathon with a warning, 490 BC.

Adventure 48 · What Makes a Civilisation?

The Marathon plain and Attica, Greece

The Runner from Marathon

Near Marathon, Damon is sent to warn a neighbouring household where to gather safely. But excited reports of victory tempt him to carry a grander message: all danger is over. With his friend Myron, he must get the original warning through without turning rumour into reassurance.

In developmentDiscover the story
Abdi hiding a piece of blue glass aboard a Bronze Age trading ship as the sea rises.

Adventure 49 · What Makes a Civilisation?

The eastern Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age

The Cargo of Blue Glass

Aboard a Bronze Age trading ship, Abdi secretly pockets a beautiful piece of blue glass and leaves damaged packing unreported. When rough seas shift the heavy cargo, he knows where the trouble began. He must tell the captain what he saw before the load moves again.

In developmentDiscover the story
Illustration of Seneb offering water to a tired worker at the organised Giza pyramid building site around 2550 BC.

Adventure 50 · What Makes a Civilisation?

Giza, Old Kingdom Egypt

The Stone That Wouldn’t Move

At Giza, Seneb longs to work beside the great stones instead of carrying supplies. But when a load stalls and a worker becomes exhausted, he and Meret discover the missing water delivery. Helping the builders means leaving his prized view and finding what the crew actually needs.

In developmentDiscover the story