Archive.org: CBC Radio Vancouver – The Kraken Wakes based on the novel by John Wyndham

SFFaudio Online Audio

Someone has posted a 1965 CBC Radio dramatization of the “apocalyptic science fiction novel” by John Wyndham’s novel The Kraken Wakes to Archive.org. Unlike a lot of OTR (old time radio) this is very likely not in the public domain (as claimed on the site), but does qualify as the audio drama equivalent of abandonware (as CBC never rebroadcast it or made it commercially available) – either way if you’re going to hear it it’d be wise to be quick about it.

CBC Radio Vancouver - The Kraken Wakes based on the novel by John WyndhamThe Kraken Wakes
Based on the novel by John Wyndham; Adapted by Eric Cameron; Performed by a full cast
5 Zipped MP3 Files – Approx. 2.5 Hours [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio Vancouver
Broadcast: 1965
Provider: Archive.org
At first, the fireballs seemed to be nothing more than a dazzling display of lights in the sky, plunging into the deepest oceans and disappearing without trace. But when ships started sinking inexplicably and the sea-lanes became impassable it seemed that the world was facing a threat of unprecedented proportions. Recorded at CBC Radio Vancouver.

Starring:
Sam Paine
Shirley Broderick
Michael Irwin
Derek Ralston
Allan Routon
John White
Ivar Harries
Greg Barnes
Peter Brockington
Otto Lowy
Roland Hunter
Sound effects by Lars Eastholm
Produced and directed by Norman Euton
Technical operations by Ian Stephens

Incidently there is a BBC radio drama version of The Kraken Wakes that’s commercially available.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Live in NYC: Frankenstein – Halloween Special

SFFaudio News

Oh to be in New York City on Halloween…

Radio Theatre NYC - FrankensteinFrankenstein – Halloween Special
Based on the novel by Mary Shelley; Adapted by Dan Bianchi; Performed by a full cast
Length: 1 Hour 20 Minutes [LIVE STAGE PERFORMANCE]
Venue: The Kraine Theater @ 85 E 4th St., NYC
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009 @ 3pm
Tickets: smarttix.com
Details: General Admission, $18 with code VICTOR, 212-868-4444
Official website: horsetrade.info
In 1818, a 19 yr old girl, Mary Shelley, wrote the most influential, the most frightening science fiction novel of all time…about a scientist who dared to go where no man had gone before…in his quest to become God!

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBCR4: Bullitt

Aural Noir: Online Audio

Radio Times - Bullitt (BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play) by Jeremy Aspinall BBC Radio 4Very few people have heard of a novel called Mute Witness by Robert L. Fish (aka Robert L. Pike) – but many, many more have seen the 1968 film into which it was adapted: Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen and a Ford Mustang Fastback.

Personally I think naming a cop “Bullitt” just stupid. It’s like naming a fly fisherman “Rodd” or a janitor “Bukkett.” What you can’t argue with is that Bullitt is a good movie, with a really terrific chase sequence, despite the silly name.

A new radio play adaptation of the novel just aired on BBC Radio 4 and is currently available for listening via the BBC iPlayer. It’s also available over on RadioArchive.cc via torrent. But I got mine in the MP3 format via Radio Downloader. The voice acting appears to be by a British cast, playing New Yorkers. It works for me. See the Radio Times review, at left, for all the details.

BBC Radio 4 - BullittBullitt
Based on a novel by Robert L. Fish; Dramatized by Adrian Bean; Performed by a full cast
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4 (Saturday Play)
Broadcast: 24th October 24, 2009 @ 14:30-15:30
“A gritty detective story set in the 52nd precinct in New York. Lieutenant Clancy is assigned to protect an important Mafia witness but when the witness is found dead Clancy has only a matter of hours to find the killer before his enemy, the assistant district attorney, finds out.”

Lieutenant Clancy ……………………….. Jason Isaacs
Ada Chalmers/Barnett/Renick/Johnny Rossi ……. Kerry Shale
Detective Kaprowski ……………………….. Lou Hirsch
Captain Wise/Johnny Rossi/Ships Officer ……. John Biggins
Dr Willard/Pete Rossi …………………… Stephen Hogan
Doc Freeman/Sergeant ………………….. Bruce Alexander
Detenctive Mark Kelly ……………………… Sasha Pick
Ann Renick/LAPD Officer …………….. Emerald O’Hanrahan
Hotel Manager/Chalmers’ Secretary ………….. Kate Layden
Directed by Pauline Harris

And though Halloween doesn’t really mean much in the U.K., BBC Radio 4 is doing something somewhat appropriate on this Saturday and the next following…

Haunted House: An Appointment With Fear
By Reece Shearsmith
2 Broadcasts – Approx. 60 Minutes [DISCUSSION]
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4
Broadcast: October 29 and November 5, 2009 @ 11:30-12:00
Comic actor Reece Shearsmith hosts energetic and witty illustrated discussions on horror, before an audience inside the reputedly haunted Sutton House in Hackney. Reece examines some classic scary moments from British radio and television and explores the ingredients for a classic horror story. He is joined by horror enthusiasts Mark Gatiss, Vic Reeves and Yvette Fielding.

Here’s one thing even the best audio dramatizations can’t do very well…

[Thanks very much Roy!]

Posted by Jesse Willis

The SFFaudio Podcast #039

Podcast

The SFFaudio PodcastThe SFFaudio Podcast #039 – Jesse and Scott are joined by Fred Greenhalgh of Final Rune Productions (and the Radio Drama Revival podcast) to talk about the twin arts of radio drama and audio drama.

Talked about on today’s show:
Modern radio drama, The Sonic Society podcast, Roger Gregg, William Dufris, H.P. Lovecraft, Halloween, horror, The Grist Mill, Dark Passenger by Fred Greenhalgh, Willamette Radio Workshop, zombies, The Drabblecast podcast, Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine, WMPG, Maine, equipment for recording, Zoom Q3, Zoom H2, software for editing audio, Audacity, Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit Pro), Pro Tools, The Most Dangerous Game, Three Skeleton Key, Infidel by Roger Gregg, “field recording” audio drama, Marantz PMD660, the growth of amateur audio drama, AudioDramaTalk.com, Mad Horse Theatre Company, Waiting For A Window by Fred Greenhalgh, 2008 Ogle Awards, Wireless Theatre Company, The Grimm Of Stoddesden Hall, folklore, mythology, Medusa On The Beach, New Orleans, fantasy, Day Of The Dead by Fred Greenhalgh, the Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Robert Jordan, Final Fantasy, German audio drama (“Hörspiel”), the freakonomics of audio drama (dubbing drives interest in audio drama), the Torchwood radio dramas, Lux Radio Theatre, Academy Award Theatre, will radio drama revive?, what’s wrong with terrestrial radio?, what’s wrong with satellite radio?, Sirius Channel #163, radio drama in decline?, CBC mothballing radio drama, Colonial Radio Theatre, turning radio drama into cartoons, The Anne Manx series, Anne Manx animated (on YouTube), Radio Repertory Company of America, Decoder Ring Theatre’s The Red Panda Adventures, machinima, Creepshow, Wormwood, is the month of October for radio drama?, or is it just Halloween?, The War Of The Worlds, Simon Jones, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (radio drama), The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Adventures Of Sexton Blake, Dirk Maggs, stream of consciousness, post modern audio drama, Yuri Rasovsky‘s The Cabinet Of Dr. Calagari, Tom Lopez (aka Meatball Fulton), The Cabinet Of Dr. Fritz, Cellphone Theatre, ZBS.org, Audible.com’s new stereo format, Bradbury 13, 90 Second Cellphone Chillin’ Theatre, Blackstone Audio’s The Maltese Falcon, narration in audio drama, Rogue Male, storytelling and medium, First Blood, RadioArchive.cc.

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBC Radio 7: Planet B

SFFaudio Online Audio

BBC Radio 7 - BBC7Planet BPlanet B is a Science Fiction radio drama series first broadcast on BBC Radio 7 in March 2009. It follows the journey of John Armstrong (played by Gunnar Cauthery) through the virtual world of a futuristic game. In an effort to find his girlfriend Lioba Fielding (Donnla Hughes) he becomes entangled in an array of strange scenarios, teleporting from each adventure to the next with his companion Medley (Lizzy Watts) while being watched by an antivirus programme called Cerberus (Chris Pavlo). The series was created by Sam Hoyle, Jessica Dromgoole and Matthew Broughton with James Robinson and ran for ten episodes. It was BBC 7’s biggest ever commission for an original drama series. A second series is currently in production and is scheduled to be broadcast in late November 2009.

So that’s what wikipedia sez about Planet B

Here’s what my friend Julie sez about Planet B:

“An amazing show.

Hopefully if you subscribe now then you can get the first couple of episodes. If not, I’ll send them to you. So very, very good …”

Thanks Julie. Because of your recommendation I am currently downloading the torrent from RadioArchive.cc. I don’t know how I missed the original podcast feed for the show!

Here’s the description of each episode:

Episode 1 Golden Moments – Approx. 29 Minutes
Opening episode of Radio 7’s new major science fiction series set in a virtual universe of infinite possibility. John is shocked to discover that he is attending his girlfriend Lioba’s funeral, again. Unsure whether it’s a dream, a drug induced hallucination, or – as his Auntie Cherry tells him – the grief, he tries to make sense of the fact that there’s no body in her coffin.

Episode 2 New Boy – Approx. 28 Minutes
John and Medley learn to cope in the brutal environment of a nostalgic school world, where only bullies win.

Episode 3 Freak Show – Approx. 28 Minutes
Searching for Lioba, John finds himself in Freak Show, where celebrity is all. Will he find Lioba, or is this world a trap?

Episode 4 New Rome – Approx. 28 Minutes
John and Medley are transported to New Rome, a world of orgies and circuses, where the slaves are rebelling against the cruelty of the human controlled avatars.

Episode 5 Smart Money – Approx. 29 Minutes
John and Medley are pitched into the frantic world of buying low and selling high, unaware that they’re playing for his life.

Episode 6 The Wild Gang – Approx. 29 Minutes
Chuck Flint’s gang rule by gun law in Wild West World, where John finds himself in the role of Sheriff.

Episode 7 Catharsis – Approx. 27 Minutes
John is the captain of a space battleship in a world that’s so real he’s forgotten who he is. Can Medley make him remember?

Episode 8 Retreat – Approx. 28 Minutes
John and Medley find themselves in a strange religious retreat. Is it a cult or will they find real enlightenment here?

Episode 9 The Fast Track – Approx. 29 Minutes
Still stuck in a virtual world, it’s John’s last chance to save Lioba; can he work out how to navigate a path through Planet B?

Episode 10 Death’s Door – Approx. 29 Minutes
John and Lioba leave Planet B, and agree to meet in the real world, but can they ever really escape?

Posted by Jesse Willis

Creative Audioscape: Star Wars: In The Shadows AUDIO DRAMA

SFFaudio Online Audio

Creative Audioscape ProductionsDany Pépin points me to his new Star Wars based audio drama called:

Star Wars: In the Shadows

Sez Dany:

“This is a a non-profit fan-production from a new audio drama group called Creative Audioscape. It’s set “one year before the Battle of Yavin” [before the first Star Wars movie]

SWITS is a classic Star Wars space opera not unlike ‘A New Hope.’ It could be described as a light fugitive/adventure story with some mature theme inserted within. SWITS has been inspired by the Star Wars movies but also its Expanded Universe (EU) like the media giant Shadows of the Empire and The Force Unleashed. There are small EU references that will appeal to the fans of the genre, but most importantly the participation of Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Xizor, Guri and Mon Mothma in the story plot.

Sez me:

“Neato!”

Star Wars: In The ShadowsStar Wars: In the Shadows
By Dany Pépin; Performed by a full cast
6 MP3s – Approx. 3 Hours [AUDIO DRAMA]
Podcaster: Creative Audioscape Productions
Podcast: October 4th – December 20th, 2009
Born and raised in a military family, Emma Wermis will slowly discover that the Empire is not what she always been taught it was. Her allegiance to the Empire will be tested and she will, during her adventures, uncover something about her family and a secret weapon kept hidden even within the Empire.

Podcast feed:

http://feeds2.feedburner.com/creativeaudioscape

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

Posted by Jesse Willis