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BBC Radio 4: In Our Time podcast on “The Fisher King” mythology

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The BBC Radio 4 program (and podcast) In Our Time is an always reliable source for academic scientific and historical discussions, a recent program on “The Fisher King” will be of much interest to fans of chivalric literature. Here’s the official line:

“In the world of medieval romance there are many weird and wonderful creatures – there are golden dragons and green knights, sinister enchantresses and tragic kings, strange magicians and spears that bleed and talk. And yet, in all this panoply of wonder, few figures are more mysterious than the Fisher King. Entrusted as the keeper of the Holy Grail itself, he resides in a castle made of magic where he lies blighted by a wound that does not heal.

He is a complex and poetic figure and has meant many things to many people. From the age of chivalry to that of psychoanalysis and beyond, he has been Christian and pagan, tragic and enduring, a sinner, a fertility god and a symbol of sexual fear and desire.”

Contributors to the program, Carolyne Larrington (Tutor in Medieval English at St John’s College, Oxford), Stephen Knight (Distinguished Research Professor in English Literature at Cardiff University), Juliette Wood (Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh, Cardiff University and Director of the Folklore Society) joined Melvyn Bragg in this fascinating forty minute show. To listen to the archived programme click on the “Listen To This Program In Full” button on this subpage (RealAudio required).

Listeners to the episode have made connections between “The Fisher King” and as disparate works as: Dr No, Apocalypse Now, Heart of Darkness, Discworld (to name a few).

Here’s the podcast feed for In Our Time (which unfortunately doesn’t archive its programs for more than a week):

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/rss.xml

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBC7: The Last Days Of Shandakor by Leigh Brackett

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BBC7’s the 7th Dimension is re-broadcasting their action-packed reading of a novelette by Leigh Brackett. The Last Days of Shandakor was originally published in April 1952 issue of Startling Stories magazine and was first broadcast on BBC7 back in March 2007.

NOTE: This is being broadcast in 2 parts on successive Sunday evenings with repeat broadcasts at 12:30am (Monday).

The Last Days Of Shandakor
By Leigh Brackett; Read by Nathan Osgood
Broadcast in 2 parts – Approx. 50 minutes [UNABRIDGED?]
Broadcaster: BBC 7 / 7th Dimension
Broadcast: Sunday January 28th and Sunday February 3rd 2008
This is another new commission for the 7th Dimension.
An epic space adventure written in which Mars is portrayed as a dying planet where desperate Earthmen compete with the last Martians and other alien races for lost knowledge and hidden power.

And remember BBC7 provides the Listen Again service to catch it for 6 days following the broadcast!

posted by Jesse Willis

BBC Radio 4 presents: The Listening Room

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Our resident agent in the U.K., Roy, tells us that the latest issue of the Radio Times has a BBC Radio 4 show that may be of interest…

The Listening Room
By Steve Gough; Performed by a full cast
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4 / Saturday Play
Broadcast: January 26th 2007 @ 14:30-15:30
In this psychological thriller exploring truth, confidentiality and morality, it is the year 2035 and Kathleen works on a national helpline in a call centre named The Listening Room. Late one night, she receives a call from a man named John who holds a terrible secret. Over the past three years, he claims to be responsible for the “disappearance” of many foreign nationals and illegal immigrants who are perceived by those in the British Interior Ministry to be an unacceptable threat to the State. Kathleen listens with horror, bewilderment and disbelief, but the strict professional code she works to has been drummed into her. Confidentiality is paramount and must never be broken – even in the most extreme case. As she’s drawn in deeper, Kathleen starts to feel that even her own sanity is under threat.

This should be available through the “listen again” feature for 6 days following the broadcast.

Posted by Jesse Willis

BBC7 New and Old content

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The latest from BBC7 and The 7th Dimension…

First broadcast in 1998!

Troy – King Priam and his Sons
By Andrew Rissick; Performed by a full cast
1 Part – [RADIO DRAMA]
AIRS: Sunday at 10am and 8pm
The first in a 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.

Another chance to hear this “sci-fi thriller,” originally commissioned for BBC 7.

Scramble
By Martin Kiszko; Performed by a full cast
3 Parts – [RADIO DRAMA]
AIRS: Saturday at 6pm and midnight
In a futuristic totalitarian world where music has been banned, a government scientist uncovers some uncomfortable facts.

Another rerun of a special commission for BBC 7, this one described as “sci-fi horror” .

Survival
By John Wyndham; Read by Nicholas Boulton.
2 Parts – [ABRIDGED?]
AIRS: Sunday at 6.30pm and 12.30am
The instinct for survival is tested when a group of space travellers are trapped on board a shuttle to Mars.

A first broadcast for this new BBC 7 commission. This one sounds cool!

Project Raphael
By Jenny Stephens; Performed by a full cast
3 Parts – [RADIO DRAMA]
AIRS: Monday to Wednesday at 6.30pm and 12.30am
A dangerous enemy agent of British Intelligence has died, taking his secrets to the grave. The only hope of retrieving them is to send someone after him. Raphael volunteers to become a ‘revenant’, a dead agent. However, once he is dead no one can contact him, and so a ghost-hunter is recruited.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Final Episode of Blake’s 7 airs on BBC7

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Blake’s 7 Liberator

The third and final one hour show of the new Blake’s 7 audio drama series has just aired on BBC7’s The 7th Dimension! “Liberator” wraps up the entire three cycle run of recorded Blake’s 7 re-imagination by B7 Media. You can hear it via the “listen again” feature for the next 6 days, after which, consider purchasing the Higher-Fi-er quality versions in the form of the CD sets HERE.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Blake’s 7 on BBC 7

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The second one hour show of the new Blake’s 7 audio drama series has just aired!

Comments about Blake’s 7 audio drama…

“Its great that Blake’s Seven is back on the BBC. Hearing the stories as one hour blocks rather than 5 min bits is so much better!” -Kally_1978

“Very well done BBC7 for this purchase from sci-fi. And for broadcasting it in substantial one hour chunks. Thoroughly enjoyed the first episode. A very neat ‘reimagining’ (horrible word)of the origin tale. Looking forward to the next chapter.” -rosewizard

“I have to say, I was impressed. It’s played straight – none of the tongue-in-cheek nonsense that spoils so much science fiction. And I was delighted that there was some effort at scientific accuracy. The space travel element is well worked out, they don’t assume that all spaceships have artificial gravity…” -Blue_Biro

And these folks are dead-on, this show is super slick. The program shines in the 1 hour format. If you were a fan of the original tv series you’ll absolutely love this re-imagining. I hope these adventures continue past just these three shows.

Posted by Jesse Willis