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!

Christmas tidings

There are a few seasonal specials out there on the web. Firstly Radio Drama Revival has Waiting for Father Christmas, a drama about a woman reassessing her life from the wonderful Wireless Theatre Company and also a special Christmas episode of the Red Panda (in rhyming couplets!) from Decoder Ring Theatre. Buffy between the lines has also got several seasonal episodes with stories and a "Christmas EP"!
Update: Also the Sonic Society have a special "Jack and Shannon Christmas Card" with an extra special bonus for us Firefly fans!

If you're interested in old time radio shows there's also a list of episodes with Christmas themes to download for free at Old Radio Fun, with shows ranging from classic, to religious to super-hero and fantasy.

Of course the BBC has many special seasonal programs including

A ghost for Christmas
BBC7, 20th-21st Dec
Childrens ghost stories.

Adrian Mole at Christmas
BBC7, 24th-26th Dec
Adrian Mole's Christmas diary.

Jennings at School - Happy Christmas Jennings
BBC7, 24th Dec
The late Jennings author Anthony Buckeridge appears as Mr Wilkins in a seasonal dramatisation of life at Linbury Court School.

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
and
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding
BBC7 25th Dec
Seasonal Poirot mysteries by Agatha Christie

The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain
BBC7 27th Dec
Charles Dickens' last Christmas story is a vivid account of a man tormented by his past.

MR James at Christmas
BBC Radio 4 24th-25th Dec
Derek Jacobi introduces five new chilling dramatisations of MR James' ghost stories. MR James (1862-1936) was arguably the finest writer of ghost stories that England ever produced, influencing the likes of HP Lovecraft, Ramsey Campbell and Stephen King. Warning: apparently these are very scary!

Looks like there's lots of audio fun out there to share with/escape from the family!

Happy holidays!

Happy birthday BBC7!

The BBC digital radio station dedicated to drama and comedy, BBC7, is turning 5 on Dec 15th. I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing them a happy birthday, and thank them for all the wonderful stories they provide for us!

The special birthday edition on Saturday is playing requests from the listeners and includes

Theo: This delightful drama about the various owners of a rare cinnamon plush bear has always been a firm favourite with BBC 7 listeners. Written by Moya O'Shea it stars Martin Jarvis, Ross Livingstone, David Collings, Jane Whittenshaw and Stephen Critchlow. Directed by Tracey Neale, it was first broadcast in 1995.
12midday and 1am.

Diary of a Madman: This is another much requested monologue. The insight into the mind of a man sliding into madness is powerfully portrayed by Kenneth Williams. Originally broadcast in 1991, it was dramatised by James Burke from Nikolai Gogol's novel.
5.20pm, 11.20pm and 6.20am

as well as many popular comedies. The following week also includes some Christmas ghost stories to get us into the holiday spirit. All BBC7 programs are available as 'Listen Again' from their website for a week after broadcast.

News...

Well, I'm back from my vacation now so hopefully will be able to get back into posting regularly - apologies for the long absence.

In addition to this blog, I've also been asked to write some reviews for SFFaudio. For anyone who isn't familiar with this site, it is dedicated to science fiction and fantasy audiobooks and audio drama (hear their promo here) It's an amazing source of info with regular descriptions of new releases (commercial, internet radio and free podcast), general news and reviews, and I'm very proud to have been asked to write for them!