The Brightonomicon
By Robert Rankin; Performed by a full cast
Broadcast: BBC7 / The 7th Dimension
Dates: August 23 – November 15th, 2008
Production: Hokus Bloke & Ladbroke Radio
The Brightonomicon, the much-acclaimed novel by British fantasy author Robert Rankin, involves the grand high magus Hugo Rune, and Rizla his amnesiac assistant, in a strange quest to solve the mystery of the Brighton zodiac (twelve ancient hidden constellations) and thereby thwart the evil Count Otto Black’s mad scheme to dominate the world.
The book was adapted into a full-cast audio drama and released earlier this year (CD box & downloadable) and features a terrific cast of notables: David Warner (Hugo Rune), Rupert Degas (Rizla), Andy Serkis (Count Otto Black), Jason Isaacs, Martin Jarvis, Mark Wing-Davey, Sarah Douglas, Ben Miller and Michael Fenton-Stevens, among others. In short, the very best of the UK’s acting and comedic talent.
For the broadcast version, 12 adventures are spread across 13 half hour episodes which will be aired on the 7th Dimension program beginning this Saturday, August 23, at 6:30PM GMT (repeated at 12:30AM GMT), and then on consecutive Saturdays for 13 weeks through November 15th. As always, for online listeners, the BBC7 Listen Again service will keep each episode available for 6 days after it airs so you won’t miss a single one.
Note this disclaimer from The Brightonomicon website: The episodes are edited for radio…but no, that doesn’t mean we’ve removed naughty words or some of the more bizarre elements that make Robert’s work so fantastic…it means a few trims here and there to get the length down to 28mins30secs. Can you spot the bits that have gone? Missing the missing bits? Well fear not. You can always buy the full version as a beautiful box-set or as a delightful download…
Hey, that’s not so much a disclaimer as it is a come-on. I think they did it on porpoise! Seriously though, if I like what I hear on the 7th Dimension broadcasts, I may well take them up on it.
Posted by RC of RTSF