The Radio Times, that invaluable resource for radio programmes airing in the UK, has a picked a “spine-tingling” tale for us to listen to. The Ditch is set to air on February 1st, 2010 in BBC Radio 4’s Afternoon Play slot. Given that the plot concerns a sound recordist in a spooky fen I’m betting this is going to play out pretty damn eerily. I’m game.
The Ditch
By Paul Evans; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 45 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4 / Afternoon Play
Broadcast: Monday February 1st, 2010 @14:15 Tom Saunders, a wildlife sound recordist, goes missing, leaving only a collection of recordings and a notebook. These fall into the hands of his radio producer, who tries to piece together what has happened. His quest leads him back to the disturbing aural landscape of Slaughton Ditch, where an obsession with hidden sounds has terrifying and fatal consequences.
Recorded on location, this chilling tale is written and narrated by Paul Evans.
Cast:
Tom Saunders …… Jimmy Yuill
Narrator …… Paul Evans
Other parts played by Christine Hall and Richard Angwin
Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson
Directed by Sarah Blunt
I expect an MP3 of this will plop itself into my Radio Downloader folder shortly after it appears online. Is that how most of you get your BBC Afternoon Play fix too? Or are you all using RadioArchive.cc? Are you using the BBC iPlayer? Surely you’re not streaming it online? That’d be weird.
For me Double Indemnity is the best of Film Noir. It takes the filmic art form to the highest of the black and white heights. It faithfully captures James M. Cain’s novella like no other film has done with any novel.
When I read about this BBC radio dramatization of Double Indemnity I kept my expectations low – that probably helped me enjoy it all the more – but I can’t imagine any fan of either the novel or the film being disappointed by this rare gem. It is more than terrific! Theresa Russell as Phyllis Deitrichson is superior to Barbara Stanwyck‘s iconic role. Her performance has me wanting to watch Black Widow again.
Cast:
Walter Huff …. Frederic Forrest
Lola …. Molly Ringwald
Phyllis …. Theresa Russell
Keyes …. John Wood
Nerdlinger …. Michael Drew
Norton …. John Goraczio
Jackson …. John Baddeley
Nettie …. Geraldine Fitzgerald
Zachetti …. Roger May
Original Music by Barrington Pheloung
Technical presentation by Graham Hoyland, Dave Parkinson, Andrew Lawrence, Fiona Baker, Christine Hall, Mark Decker
Directed at Christchurch Studios in Bristol by Andy Jordan
You can get Double Indemnity via TORRENT at RadioArchive.cc.
And speaking of FILM NOIR, has anybody got room for a hitchhiker? I’d really like to be in San Fransisco by tomorrow afternoon…
Radio Drama Revival is celebrating three excellent years on the internet! Fred Greenhalgh looks back on that three years, in part by providing a list of five episodes to hear again:
1 – Dialogue with Martian Trombone (Episode 13) – What can I say? I’m a lover of jazz music and this absurd martian tale showcases the endless wit of Great Northern Audio Theater. Having David Ossman and Philip Proctor from the Firesign Theatre certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
2 – Buried in Falling Sand (Episode 16) – While Dreamseeed has not produced much else, this gem of a sci-fi bears deserves a listen.This inspired, eerie tale does what science-fiction does best: use a society not so unlike our own to tell us truths we’d rather not know. What WOULD happen if we had a drug that made us forget the work day?
3 – God of the Razor (Episode 94) – The Grist Mill has produced many fine tales, but God of the Razor may be the best.Moody, atmospheric, and unremittingly dark, Joe Lansdale’s God of the Razor tells of the dark that lurks in the basements of East Texas… and in the hearts of men.
4 – The Salmon of Blackpool (Episode 52, Episode 53, Episode 54, and Episode 55) – Okay, here’s a cheat, because it’s a series of four episodes, not just one, but it is worth it.Crazy Dog Audio Theatre’s “Salmon of Blackpool” is simply one of the most compelling produced and moving pieces of audio drama I’ve ever heard. The only thing I’ve listened to that deserves the name “audio cinema.” Give a listen and tell me you don’t agree.
5 – Hayward Sanitarium (Episode 126) – And let’s not miss this entry from the catalogue of audio suspense.While we only featured one episode of it, “Hayward” is a masterfully written and produced tale of the goings-on at one strange home for the mentally in coastal Maine. The precedent for shows like Wormwood and Shadow Falls, even if they don’t know it!
6 – Medusa on the Beach (Episode 138) – Okay, well this is #6, but I couldn’t help myself. I’m addicted to myth and Wireless Theatre Company’s “Medusa on the Beach” retells the myth of medusa beautifully. Cheeky, moving, and dark, I’m delighted from the first few minutes.
Congratulations to Radio Drama Revival from your friends at SFFaudio, and thanks for the great audio drama!
Luke Burrage, in the second of two consecutive shows with me as a guest on Science Fiction Book Review Podcast, is talking about Smoke by Donald E. Westlake and other stories about invisibility. We thoughrouly examine the invsiblity meme, discuss its strengths and weaknesses and chat about possible upcoming topics of conversation!
SFBRP #079 – Smoke and more invisible men
1 |MP3| – Approx. 58 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Podcaster: SFBRP.com
Podcast: Monday, January 18, 2010
Here’s what we talked about:
Luke’s The Invisible Man podcast (SFBRP#78), The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, Donald E. Westlake’s Smoke, invisibility, Freddie Urban Noon, crime, Smoke is an invisible man story done right, Memoirs Of An Invisible Man by H.F. Saint, Memoirs Of An Invisible Man (the 1992 film), invisibility in Fantasy (J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings), invisibility in Science Fiction (The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells), invisibility in a comic crime story, what are the problems with being an invisible thief?, humor, New York, Richard Stark, hard boiled crime, 5 Writing Lessons Learned from Donald Westlake, “When the phone rang Parker was in the garage killing a man.”, The Writing Excuses Podcast, Luke’s review of Makers by Cory Doctorow (SFBRP #74), big tobacco, Westlake’s way of telling a story “he went into the unspeakable kitchen.”, Westlake is a masterful writer of sentences, Peg Briscoe (Freddie’s girlfriend) is a competent confederate, how do you steal things when you’re invisible? (people will see the stolen goods floating down the street!), how do you sell stolen goods when you’re invisible? (you’ll need a confederate), invisibility is a small but well known meme, comparing the memes of invisibility and time travel, nailing small coffins and flogging tiny horses, The Man With The Getaway Face by Richard Stark, the Stark novels are faced paced and utterly absorbing, the differences between Stark novels and Westlake novels, The Hunter by Richard Stark, Payback (the 1999 film), more invisible men, Hollow Man (the 2000 film), Sony used a fake reviewer to shill its movies, unlikeable characters in novels vs. film, the concept of invisibility is a human concept and not a worldly phenomenon (and what that does to our perception of possibility), negating a phenomenon doesn’t create a new phenomenon, invisibility in The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy series, Jack Ward, The Sonic Society, Superman, why Superman is impossible, invisible men cannot smoke or drink or eat if they want to remain wholly invisible, Neil Morrisey, The Vanishing Man (1998), future memes and themes for podcasts: THE YELLOW PERIL, when will China take over the world? (soon), David Wingrove’s Chung Kuo series, The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer, the Judge Dee mysteries, Starship: Flagship by Mike Resnick, Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick |READ OUR REVIEW|, ***watch out for the false ending*** Alan Moore‘s The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Captain Nemo, Mina Harker, Allan Quatermain, the National Treasure series, Indiana Jones, 6 Insane Fan Theories That Actually Make Great Movies Better, the best television show ever made: The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones, doing something with a television show that no-one has ever done on TV before or since, automating your podcast with Audacity, python.
The SFFaudio Podcast #046 – Jesse and Scott talk audiobooks, hard SF, current theatrical movies, Kenneth Oppel‘s Skybreaker and the new Gene Wolfe audiobooks at Audible.com! We also debut a new feature (boldly stolen from the late lamented Sofanauts Podcast). RIP.
One of these is being re-made, improved upon, surpassing the original*, the other never can be nor could be, it was perfected in 1978.
Guess which is which.
I’ll give you a hint. This one is brand new and has just arrived at SFFaudio’s Canadian HQ:
Blake’s 7 The Early Years – Jenna: The Trial / The Dust Run (Vol. 1.5)
By Simon Guerrier; Performed by a full cast
1 CD – Approx. 70 Minutes [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: B7 Productions
Published: November 30, 2009
ISBN: 9781906577087 The Dust Run – Jenna Stannis has grown up as a spacer, where the normal rules don’t apply. No school, no police, no public imperatives – that’s still all to come. But the situation on Earth is changing and the effects are slowly being felt throughout the Vega system. It’s going to mean trouble for a brash boy called Townsend – who Jenna doesn’t fancy at all. Soon Jenna and Townsend are competing in the Dust Run – racing shuttles through an asteroid field without using computers, making the complex calculations in their heads. It’s dangerous, fool-hardy and really good fun. But they’re playing for the highest of stakes…
The Trial – The election is going to change everything. A man called Roj Blake promises the voters new hope, an end to years of corruption. There are those who can’t let him be heard. But Jenna Stannis is determined to get his message out to the colonies. It’s been years since the Dust Run, and Jenna’s a changed woman. She’s left the Vega system far behind, using her exceptional piloting skills to carve out a life as a smuggler. Blake’s message could earn her a fortune – or cost her, her life.
Blake’s 7 (1978):
Blondie (1978):
[*with mucho props to the original show for being next to awesome]
The Radio Times, that invaluable resource for radio programmes airing in the UK, has a picked a “spine-tingling” tale for us to listen to. The Ditch is set to air on February 1st, 2010 in BBC Radio 4’s Afternoon Play slot. Given that the plot concerns a sound recordist in a spooky fen I’m betting this is going to play out pretty damn eerily. I’m game.
The Ditch
Radio Drama Revival
