6. The School Trip

Class Four D go on a school trip to the British Museum.

Plus Adrian has his tonsils out.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ is the first book in the Adrian Mole series of comedic-fiction.

It's 1981 and Margaret Thatcher is in power; Britain is at war in the Falklands and teenagers are growing up in a world without mobile phones or computer games.

While his parents are downstairs, drinking, smoking and arguing about their failing marriage, Adrian is upstairs in his bedroom listening to ABBA, reading great works of literature, writing poems, and penning letters to the BBC.

Despite the many challenges that life throws at him - including regular beatings from the school bully, unrequited love, raging hormones, a severe case of acne and numerous rejection letters - Adrian soldiers on bravely and wins a place in our hearts with his charming naïveté.

Abridged in ten parts by Sara Davies.

Read by Harry McEntire.

Producer: Alexa Moore

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2017.