Christopher Eccleston to narrate UCLan Publishing audiobook

Actor Christopher Eccleston has agreed to narrate the audiobook version of A J Hartley’s Cold Bath Street, published by the student-run, not-for-profit publishing house UCLan Publishing.

Debbie Williams, who set up the publishing house at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), said Eccleston was Hartley’s “ideal” narrator.

“I did know Chris from years ago as I used to serve him when I managed a floor of Deansgate Waterstones a while ago but had lost touch. Chris is currently playing Macbeth at the Royal Shakespeare Company and a friend of mine, who runs the Shakespeare Institute, was running an event with him. Chris and I met up at the event again and got chatting,” she said.

Hartley, who is also a Shakespeare professor, took part in the event with Eccleston at the Shakespeare Institute last month and the actor had “no hesitation” in saying he wanted to narrante the audiobook.

“Chris very much believes in what we are doing and cannot wait to work with the students,” said Williams. “He will be coming up to our University studios in Preston to make the recordings.”

Cold Bath Street, a gothic thriller, was launched at the Northern Young Adult Literary Festival in early April 2018 and is described as Hunger Games crossed with Artemis Fowl.

Eccleston said: “Cold Bath Street is thrilling and deeply moving. I loved the originality of its premise and specificity of its location: the north. Just fantastic! I am very excited to be doing the audiobook.”

The audiobook will be released in 2019. UCLan is also publishing a special print edition of the book on 31st October with a map by illustrator Tomislav Tomic.