Lord of the Rings (BBC Radio Version)

BBC Audiobooks Ltd (7 Oct 2002)


Duration: 13 hours 15 minutes



This radio dramatisation is remarkable. The music is excellent (though I'm not crazy about the songs, but that's just me), the story adaptation is great, and the casting is superb.


Peter Woodthorpe in particular is excellent as the snarling, stammering, schizoid Gollum.


Ian Holm who plays Bilbo in Peter Jackson's films is Frodo in this production and John Le Mesurier plays Bilbo.



I actually prefer this to the films. The wonder of the books, for me as a 10 year old boy, was the places it took my imagination to. This re-creates that effort, rather than having Peter Jackson do it for me. Just close your eyes and step through the door of your imagination into Middle Earth, my precioussssss.



Cast and credits:


* Narrator: Gerard Murphy
* Frodo Baggins: Ian Holm
* Gandalf the Grey/Gandalf the White: Michael Hordern
* Aragorn (Strider): Robert Stephens
* Sam Gamgee: Bill Nighy
* Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry): Richard O'Callaghan
* Peregrin Took (Pippin): John McAndrew
* Legolas: David Collings
* Gimli: Douglas Livingstone
* Boromir: Michael Graham Cox
* Galadriel: Marian Diamond
* Celeborn: Simon Cadell
* Arwen Evenstar: Sonia Fraser
* Saruman the White: Peter Howell
* Elrond: Hugh Dickson
* Bilbo Baggins: John Le Mesurier
* Gollum/Sméagol: Peter Woodthorpe
* Théoden: Jack May
* Gríma Wormtongue: Paul Brooke
* Éowyn: Elin Jenkins
* Éomer: Anthony Hyde
* Faramir: Andrew Seear
* Treebeard: Stephen Thorne
* Denethor: Peter Vaughan
* Lord of the Nazgûl: Philip Voss
* The Mouth of Sauron: John Rye
* Glorfindel/A Hobbit: John Webb
* Haldir/Nazgûl/Nob/Minstrel: Haydn Wood
* Gamling: Patrick Barr
* Ceorl: Michael McStay
* Háma/A Nazgûl: Michael Spice
* Éothain/Otho Sackville-Baggins/Ruffian: John Livesy
* Halbarad: Martin Reed
* Beregond/The Black Rider/Guard: Christopher Scott
* Ioreth: Pauline Letts
* Gwaihir: Alexander John
* Radagast the Brown: Donald Gee
* Gaffer Gamgee: John Church
* Ted Sandyman/Snaga: Gordon Reid
* Rosie Cotton: Kathryn Hurlbutt
* Daddy Twofoot: Leonard Fenton
* Farmer Maggot/Ruffian: John Bott
* Lobelia Sackville-Baggins: Diana Bishop
* Farmer Cotton: Alan Dudley
* Proudfoot/Orc: Sean Arnold
* Elanor Gamgee: Harry Holm
* Barliman Butterbur: James Grout
* Uglúk: Brian Haines
* Shagrat: Chris Fairbank
* Gorbag: David Sinclair
* Déagol/Bill Ferny/Orc Captain: Graham Faulkner
* Shelob: Jenny Lee, BBC Radiophonic Workshop
* Singer (Dream Voice/Bilbo's Last Song): Matthew Vine
* Singer (The Bard): Oz Clarke
* Singer (The Eagle/Voice of Lothlórien): David James
* Dramatisation: Brian Sibley and Michael Bakewell
* Music: Stephen Oliver
* Radiophonic sound: Elizabeth Parker
* Produced and directed by Jane Morgan and Penny Leicester