Colonial on Sonic Society

Colonial Radio Theatre, winner of many awards and producer of many productions ranging from classics to westerns and comedies, is bringing 12 of its shows to the Sonic Society podcast throughout this year. This is the only place you can hear them on the internet, so keep an eye (or ear!) open for them. Confirmed so far are "Powder River", a long running western in February, "Father Brown", murder mystery dramatisations for March, and episodes of the comedy "The Dibble Show" in April.

I've heard lots of good things about Colonial, but haven't heard any of their dramas yet, so I'm definitely looking forward to hearing this!

The Fall of Troy

I don't normally re-listen to audio dramas I've already heard, but I'm making an exception for this fantastic version of "Troy" on BBC7. It tells the story of the fall of Troy and the Trojan war through the various characters in a very atmospheric and poetic way. There's also some wonderfully haunting music.

The first episode is up for a week, followed by the next two.

Troy - King Priam and his Sons
The first of Andrew Rissick's trio of compelling plays re-telling the story of events leading up to, and following the fall of Troy. As the Trojan King and his wife expect their second son, the Gods warn that disaster looms if the child lives. A distinguished cast includes: Paul Scofield, Toby Stephens, Emma Fielding, Oliver Cotton, Ian Hogg, Michael Maloney, Geraldine Somerville, Julian Glover and Saeed Jaffrey. First broadcast in 1998, the director was Jeremy Mortimer.
Sunday 13th Jan

Happy 2008!

Welcome to the new year - now's a good time to welcome any newcomers to the world of audio drama. There's so much stuff out there to listen to, some of it great, and some of it, well, not so great. And then there are the things that everyone else seems to love, but aren't really your taste. So, where to start?

The BBC produces many wonderful dramas which are available at BBC R4 and BBC R7. All programs are available to 'Listen Again' by streaming from the website for a week after broadcast.

For podcast audio drama try the Sonic Society and Radio Drama Revival - they podcast shows from different production companies, so you're bound to find something you like. Another great source of audio dramas is Dramapod which is a directory where you can search for dramas by genre, and rate and review what you've listened to.

Happy listening!

Talk Audio Drama!

Now there's a brand new place on the web now to discuss your favourite audio dramas - Audio Drama Talk. The good folks at the Sonic Society suggested the idea and Marcus Beattie has put it into practice, and very good it looks too.

The forum allows you to discuss your favourite shows, chat to fellow audiophiles and get advice about doing your own production - see you over there!