Sir David Suchet to voice audiobook of Pope Francis’ A Gift of Joy and Hope 

The audiobook of Pope Francis’ A Gift of Joy and Hope is to be voiced by Sir David Suchet, best known for his portrayal of Agatha Christie’s detective Hercule Poirot.

Hodder Faith will publish the UK edition of the book, written in response to “the devastating loss the world faced during the pandemic” and originally released in Italy in 2020, in conjunction with the audiobook on 29th September.

Suchet said of the recording experience: “I count it a great privilege to have recorded the audiobook of Pope Francis’ A Gift of Joy and Hope. His book is a universal message to the world that the answer to all our difficulties, tragedies, wars etc is love. Love of God and love of our neighbour. Love is the Divine Healer.”

A spokesperson for Hodder Faith said: “We couldn’t be more delighted that David has narrated the audiobook, bringing his remarkable voice, warmth and passion, to the Pope’s words. 

“David is the beloved narrator of Hodder Faith’s Complete NIV Audio Bible and the NIV Bible in One Year audiobook and when it came to A Gift of Joy and Hope we couldn’t imagine a more perfect person to narrate.

“It truly is a joy to hear, and we hope listeners of all faiths will enjoy listening to the audiobook and the inspiring messages it holds.”

In 2012 Suchet made a series for the BBC called “In the Footsteps of St Paul” and in 2018 hosted a podcast for Audible titled "David Suchet’s Questions of Faith".

Since becoming a Christian at the age of 40, Suchet dreamed of recording the Bible and spent more than 200 hours recording the very first full-length audio version of the Complete NIV Bible, published by Hodder Faith, which has sold 100,000 copies across all editions according to the publisher.