BBC Radio Dramatization Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings (13 hours) 1981

A dramatization of Tolkien's celebrated fantasy. Sauron, the Dark Lord, has gathered to him the Rings of Power - the means by which he will be able to rule the world. All he lacks in his plan for domination is the Ruling Ring, which has fallen into the hands of the hobbit, Frodo Baggins.

There is nothing in the series that is not in the book (unlike the films...). Secondly, as it is audio only, it really lets you use your imagination in visualising characters and places, which is lost a little when things are presented on a screen. This is helped by a wonderful production, with great sound effects. Thirdly, the calibre of the cast. Michael Hordern as Gandalf, Robert Stevens as Aragorn, Ian Holme as Frodo, Bill Nighy as Sam, the list of stars goes on and on. They all turn in superb performances, especially Hordern and Holme. These days, when I read the book it is the voices from the radio that I hear in my head when reading dialogue. Fourthly, there is Stephen Oliver's magnificent score. Fifthly... The list just goes on and on.

The series was originally broadcast in 26 half hour episodes. These have been re-edited into 13 one hour episodes, each presented on a separate disk. There is a fourteenth disk containing the music form the series. There is also a nice booklet, and a map of Middle Earth, all presented in a nice, sturdy, booklet style case. The sound quality is excellent, and allows the wonderful sound design (especially in the battle of Helm's Deep) and the actors every nuance to really shine through.