The Birthday Boys
- Author Beryl Bainbridge
- Narrator Simon Mattacks
- Publisher Ulverscroft Ltd
- Publish Date 18 November 2025
- Run Time 5 hours and 47 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Fiction: general and literary, Historical fiction, Humour.
Click to open directly in the xigxag app.
Standard price shown. Sign in for personalised pricing.
Send as a gift Get in the xigxag appFlexible Pricing & Rewards For Listening
At xigxag, the more you read, the less you pay* on select audiobook and x-book® titles, as in the table below. Pricing updates automatically in the app and resets one year after your first purchase. And you can always find a selection of brilliant titles available for only £3.99.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price per title
- £7.99
- £6.99
- £5.99
- £4.99
- £3.99
*Only the full price titles you buy count toward your personal pricing tier. Full price titles don’t include Listen for Less or other books bought with a voucher or discount code.
Listen to a sample
What to expect
A haunting and incisive group portrait of the crewmembers aboard Captain Scott's doomed Antarctic expedition.
They set off from Cardiff in 1910, racing to plant the first flag in the South Pole: the burly Petty Officer Taff Evans; the introspective scientist Edward Wilson; the sanguine Lieutenant Birdie Bowers; the brooding Captain Lawrence Oates; and their tragic, conflicted leader, Captain Scott. As each man narrates his own version of events, perspectives fracture, and the misguided courage and reckless optimism that characterised the voyage are thrown into stark relief.
One of Beryl Bainbridge's most acclaimed novels, The Birthday Boys evokes not only the terrible beauty of the Antarctic and the remarkable bravery of its explorers, but also the imperial hubris of late Edwardian society at the dawn of the 20th century.
More from the same
About xigxag
Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.
Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.
Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.