On The Hour - [1992]

Chris Morris, with Steve Coogan, Rebecca Front, Armando Iannucci, Doon MacKichan, Patrick Marber and David Schneider. Co-devised by Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci.

A spoof series of the BBC’s main evening radio news. Convincingly done in a hyper-realist style. You might swear it was actually the news if you weren’t listening closely to the absurd events and people in the ‘news’. The character of talk show host, Alan Partridge was born here. The INDEPENDENT hailed the series as; “The most brilliant radio comedy to emerge in the last ten years or more…” That was in 1992 and in many ways it remains unequalled to this day.

Blue Jam

Chris Morris

This is definitely not for the squeamish or easily offended! ‘Blue Jam’ was an ambient comedy radio programme produced by Chris Morris that aired on BBC Radio 1 in the early hours of the morning from 1997 to 1999. The programme gained cult status due to its unique mix of surreal monologue, music, synthesized voices, and recurring sketches. Chris Morris is known for skirting the limits of what is acceptable for radio play. Sketches of the series are available via warp records at: www.warprecords.com. Some of the more offensive sketches provide graphic incontrovertible proof of the power of audio to create far more disturbing pictures in your mind than is possible with any visual effects.

Why Bother?

Peter Cook & Chris Morris.

In 1994 BBC Radio 3 recorded five interviews with Peter Cook in character masterfully improvising as his alter-ego Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling, an eccentric English aristocrat. Chris Morris improvises the part of the unsympathetic BBC interviewer. A rare thing: sustained improvisation on radio that works! ISBN 0563 558601

Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge.

Steve Coogan.

In the past decade, Steve Coogan’s character of Alan Partridge has gone on to star in several smash hit TV series, but it all began in 1994 with his incarnation in the radio comedy ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. It’s one of the best examples of comedic writing and performance modelled on the talk show. Absolutely first rate. A 3 tape set is available. ISBN 0563 38896X

PEOPLE LIKE US

PEOPLE LIKE US is the crème de la crème of that quirky genre American's call the 'mockumentary'. Writer John Morton has created a truly memorable character in 'Roy Mallard' the accident-prone investigative BBC radio journalist. In each half hour episode Mallard, wonderfully portrayed by actor Chris Langham, takes his tape recorder along to follow typical people working through the tensions, breakdowns, failures, catastrophes and absurd vicissitudes of their typical dysfunctional days. The naturalistic performances from a strong cast, the wonderfully observed scripts, and the location sound design, all conspire to achieve a perfect stylistic blend of convincing impromptu 'realism' with hilariously absurd events, and comic mishaps. The series has won a Sony Gold Award, a Writer's Guild Award and two British Comedy Awards. Series 2: ISBN 0563 558253 and Series 1: ISBN 0563 389222

Firesign Theatre

Since the late 60’s The Firesign Theatre has been America’s pre-eminent creator of alternative audio theatre. Over the past 4 decades they have created and honed their own distinctive style of audio surrealism. They emerged at the right place at the right time, combining the craft of American OTR with a 60’s counter cultural sensibility to create a new form of stream-of-consciousness, multi-layered audio-comedy.

Link: The Firesign Theatre's albums are available at www.laugh.com

How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You’re Not Anywhere At All? - [1969]

Considered by many to be the classic Firesign work. The album contains ‘Nick Danger Third Eye’, by far Firesign’s most accessible and popular work. Nick Danger is a fast paced lampoon-homage to the genre of the hard boiled American radio detective.

Don’t Crush That Dwarf Hand Me The Pliers - [1970]

I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus - [1971]

Taken as a pair, ‘Don’t Crush That Dwarf Hand Me The Pliers’ and ‘I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus’ constitute the great Firesign epic of a surreal dystopian future or something quite like it. It is here that their unique style of multi-layered production, relentless word play and quirky performance, fully matures. They create an ornate comprehensive alternative reality. Firesign fans most often single out Don’t Crush That Dwarf as the best of all their albums – they’re probably right.

Everything You Know Is Wrong - [1974]

Weirdly prescient of what the decades of the 80’s and 90’s would hold in store. It’s down right eerie to think this album was made in the mid 70’s when computers were the size of boxcars and the sole preserve of Universities.

In The Next World You’re On Your Own - [1975]

The ‘Over The Edge’ soap opera segment on this album displays one of Firesign’s best performances. Deftly paced with excellent use of pregnant pauses and awkward silences balancing tenuously over the rumbling crescendo of a melodramatic subtext which finally erupts to shatter the veneer of middle class restraint and polite decorum. This album hints at what Firesign might be like if they wrote a straightforward narrative comedy.

Dirk Maggs

Arguably the greatest audio producer working today, Dirk Maggs, formerly with the BBC, continues to produce for the Beeb on a freelance basis. He combines the sensibility of American OTR populist entertainment with state-of-the-art digital production, lush soundscapes and music scores that easily rival anything Hollywood produces. His many awards include a Writer’s Guild Award and a Talkie for his production of 'An American Werewolf in London' and an American Audie for 'Superman: Doomsday and Beyond'. Dirk Maggs truly creates ‘movies for the mind’.

SUPERMAN, THE ADVENTURES OF - [1990]

Non-stop, high-octane superhero action. Spectacular sound effects and a thrilling specially composed orchestral score in Dolby Surround Sound. The story follows the origins of Superman, his job at the Daily Planet, and his battles with Lex Luthor. Audio adaptation written and directed by Dirk Maggs. First broadcast on BBC Radio 1. Extremely Slick. ISBN 0563 393

SUPERMAN: DOOMSDAY AND BEYOND - [1993]

This is the Audio movie sequel to Maggs’s first Superman series. First broadcast on BBC Radio 1. ‘Doomsday & Beyond’, maintains Maggs’s rollercoaster intensity and ultra-high production values as Superman battles the monster called Doomsday. ISBN 0 563 40197 4 The BBC versions of Maggs’s Supermans are no longer available. Check out the Time Warner Versions

BATMAN: NIGHTFALL - [1994]

Audio adaptation written and directed by Dirk Maggs. Original music composed and performed by Mark Russel. In 3 parts: Part One: A Knight’s Fall, Part Two: A Hero’s Quest. And Part Three: A Batman Reborn. Originally heard on BBC Radio 1. Batman, Robin, The Joker, Riddler, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Nightwing, Bane. They’re all there. Explosive action comic book adventure. ‘Batman: Nightfall’ has been acclaimed by gnarly, ultra-critical RTÉ producer Tim Lehane as one of the best audio productions of all time. Nuff said.

SPIDERMAN: THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN. - [1995]

This audio adaptation written and directed by Dirk Maggs, is just what you'd hope for from a Marvel Comic Book dramatised for radio. It's a high-powered, fast paced, richly produced and wonderfully performed audio movie, complete with special effects and Dolby Surround Sound. The story follows Peter Parker's accidental transformation into Spiderman. Also appearing along the way are The Fantastic Four, The Sandman, The Submariner, Dr. Octopus, and The Green Goblin. The theme music is by Brian May with an original orchestral score. ISBN 0 563 39160 - X

THE GEMINI APES – [1998]

A superb production, all the more exceptional because it is not only directed and produced but is also an original audio play conceived and written by Dirk Maggs. The story concerns two chimpanzees shot into space who return years later with super intelligence and a mistrust of man. Featuring wonderful performances from a sensational cast including Christopher Lee as the ruthless scientist bent on dissecting the apes. The Gemini Apes is underpinned by lush comprehensive production values and a superlative non-stop cinematic music score from Matthew Strachan.

VOYAGE - [1999]

Stephen Baxter’s science fiction novel dramatised by Dirk Maggs as an audio movie. A ”what if” epic about NASA's efforts to land on Mars in 1986 and the first woman to step on the red planet. Great casting, superb production and an excellent comprehensive music score all in cinematic Dolby Surround Sound. Convincing outerspace Astronaut banter. This is right up there with Maggs's usual stunning production values. ISBN 0563 552417 or ISBN 0563 552417

The Hitch-hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

In terms of production values, performance, cultural impact and of course Adams’s superbly imaginative wit, this production remains one of the most outstanding and significant events in the history of Audio Theatre. Since its’ first appearance in 1978, the series has been broadcast and rebroadcast the world over. The recordings on tape and CD continue to be among the all time best sellers in the genre.

Hitch-hiker is the last Audio Theatre production in history to burst beyond ‘Cult’ status and penetrate the international consciousness, leaving a vocabulary of terms in the popular vernacular in its wake. This masterpiece remains in the elite group of 3 or 4 productions which have set the superlative gold standard without which Audio Theatre cannot be knowledgeably measured. And besides being 'good for you', the series is a sheer listening delight.

The BBC now offers a deluxe Collector’s Edition which includes the informative documentary ‘The Guide to the Hitch-hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’.

To the British, Douglas Adams is credited as the first person in radio theatre to combine Science Fiction with Comedy, but Americans know that sci fi comedy with a surreal twist has been around since the mid-50’s. Listen to the 1956 CBS Radio production; ‘A Pride of Carrots’ or NBC Radio's; ‘If You Was A Moklin’. Hitch-Hiker's guide can be found using ISBN 0563 477024

Link: ZBS.org

Journey Into Space

Journey Into Space was the title of Charles Chilton’s smash hit 1950’s science fiction adventure series on BBC radio. Media historians note that this was last BBC Radio production which drew larger audiences than the contemporary fare on British television. Between 1953 and 1958 listeners were gripped by the outerspace adventures, time travels and alien encounters of heroic Captain Jet Morgan, Doc Matthews, engineer Mitch Mitchell and harmonica playing radio operator Lemmy Barnet. The simple production, clear writing and great performances make them a joy to listen to. Full of 1950’s retro charm

Operation Luna - the first series

The first mission to the moon is a success but once there, Captain Jet Morgan and his crew encounter a race of time travellers who strand them on a prehistoric Earth! How do they get back ?

The Red Planet - the second series

In this series Captain Morgan and the crew of the spaceship Discovery set out to explore Mars, the mysterious and, as they believe, uninhabited red planet. Once there they encounter the strange residents, who turn out to be…..

The World In Peril – the third series

Captain Jet Morgan and his crew are sent on a secret mission to Mars to discover all they can about the threatened Martian invasion of Earth. But they’re taken prisoner and on board the flagship of the invasion fleet learn the awful secret of the Martian plan. Can they save the Earth in time ?

The Return From Mars - the final series of adventures

Jet and his crew return to Earth after missing for 30 years. Where have they been ? The tape set includes a bonus ‘Making of’ retrospective documentary. ISBN 0563 553618

A Canticle for Liebowitz - [1981]

A 15 part serial radio adaptation of Walter M. Miller, Jr.'s award winning novel A Canticle for Leibowitz. Set in the dark ages of a post nuclear apocalyptic future. It was adapted for radio by John Reed, and produced by Carl Schmidt and Marv Nunn. The play was directed by Karl Schmidt, with special effects by Vic Marsh. The cast is superb. Carol Collins’s soft low-key narration powerfully conveys the arid desert setting of the story. Simply put, this series is one of best things done in post-OTR American Audio, a veritable testament to the adage ‘a good story well told’. The series is available through NPR at:

Link: NPR

Lights Out

American radio’s premier horror series Lights Out began in 1934 and was soon taken over by the legendary Arch Obler the following year. Arch Obler is widely recognised as one of the best writers for audio of all time. He once famously insisted that ‘I write about human beings, not special effects’.

Obler’s work with Lights Out makes this series the precursor of TV shows like Rod Serling’s ‘Twilight Zone’. Part of Obler’s strength was in writing one-to-one, on a personal level, always aiming directly at the individual listener. For example he would write: ‘In a horrific time, in a horrible world, I have been asked to try and horrify you---all in fun, of course. … Now I know that you're not a person who is easily frightened. Monsters, ghosts, the dead. Who gets scared of that sort of thing anymore? You don't. Or do you?…’

Link: Radio Spirits

War of the Worlds

Orson Welles had the voice and force of personality but Howard Koch deserves the credit for the ingenious script adaptation of H.G. Welles’s novel.. The opening half of the play is a landmark marking the emergence of a new form of dramatic presentation modelled on the naturalism, immediacy and presentation style of the then newly born mass media of live radio. Broadcast Halloween 1938 and performed by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre of the Air.

Link: Radio Spirits

The 60 Greatest Old-Time Radio Shows from Science Fiction Selected by Ray Bradbury

This collection is just what it says it is. A fantastic collection of some of American radio’s greatest science fiction productions. A particularly delightful gem is the production of ‘A Pride of Carrots’, a satiric sci fi comedy from a 1956 CBS RADIO WORKSHOP.

Link: Radio Spirits

Dimension X - [1950–1951]

The opening narration ran: ‘Adventures in time and space … told in future tense! … Dimension X' [add the echo and enter the theremin!] Talk about 50’s Sci Fi! This is American radio’s premier series of science fiction tales. Cutting edge for its time, the show boasted the largest sound effects crew in professional radio. The programme’s editors adapted for radio some of the best science fiction writers of the 1950’s. It marked the coming of age of science fiction entertainment aimed at a wide adult audience.

Link: radio Spirits

X-Minus One - [1955 – Jan 1958]

In a sense a continuation of the earlier Dimension X series, X-Minus One earned the reputation for excellence both in it’s production values and for it’s dramatic, sometimes dark and thought-provoking stories. The scripts were adapted for radio from the finest science fiction authors of the day including the likes of; Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Ray Bradbury and Theodore Sturgeon

Link: Radio Spirits

Stars & Stuff

ZBS collection. Since the 1970’s Tom Lopez and his ZBS Foundation have remained at the forefront of contemporary American Audio theatre. The ZBS catalogue is huge and growing. High production values all around. Original scripts from Lopez. Solid acting talent and a penchant for exotic location actualities. Stars & Stuff, a sampler of various ZBS productions, is a good introduction to the huge ZBS catalogue.

Link: Stars and Stuff at zbs.com

Old Time Radio’s Greatest Detectives

A sampler of some of the great American radio detectives. Radio Spirits offer several different detective-themed CD and tape collections.

Link: Radio Spirits

Your’s truly Johnny Dollar with Bob Bailey

Johnny Dollar, the insurance investigator with the ‘action-packed expense account’, was one of the longest running detective series on American radio. In fact it was the last network radio drama to go off the air at the end of September 1962. During its long run the show changed formats and stars several times. The best format was the 15 minute daily episode broadcast each week day and starring Bob Bailey. A wonderful feature in the show was Dollar reading out his daily expense account, this clever device made for seamless exposition and narration.

Link: Radio Spirits

Dragnet

Jack Webb created a distinctive house style of production for his famous long running police series based on the crime files of the L.A.P.D.. Webb insisted on an underplayed, throwaway naturalism thereby fully exploiting the microphone’s potential for intimacy. The underplay also sharpened the poignancy and impact of the drama. Completely at odds with the other detective and police dramas of the time.

Link: Radio Spirits

The Adventures of Sam Spade

Howard Duff played radio’s Sam Spade, the famous swaggering detective created by writer Dashiell Hammett. Hammett actually had no involvement with the radio series. This series was relatively light and often played with a large measure of tongue-in-cheek bravado and comic relief. The Sam Spade series demonstrates that the radio detective genre was lampooning itself from the beginning. Sadly the series was pulled from the American airwaves when Hammett and Duff were blacklisted during the McCarthyist red scare.

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe

Raymond Chandler created the Philip Marlowe character and maintained an involvement with the radio series. This is truly classic detective radio. Far darker than Sam Spade. Of all the actor’s cast in the lead, Chandler was most happy with Gerald Mohr’s (Pictured here) guff portrayal of Marlowe. At one time the show was America’s top-rated dramatic series. For the classic hard-boiled detective, The Adventures of Philip Marlowe provides the definitive radio noir template to emulate or to lampoon.

Link: Radio Spirits

Spillane

Written and arranged by John Zorn. Recorded 1986 Electra/Nonesuch Records. Like a soundtrack for a Mickey Spillane movie that was never made but should have been. Superb music. Atmospheric locations and sound effects. Snippets of narration. A sound art piece that actually works! Brilliant.

SUSPENSE

Several collections of these ‘Tales guaranteed to keep you in suspense’ are available. One of the greatest and longest running American radio series, SUSPENSE featured consistently excellent, finely crafted scripts, supported by strong casts and the very highest production values of the day. A different self-contained suspenseful story each week.

Link: Radio Spirits

Agnes Moorehead

Agnes Moorehead starred in ‘Sorry Wrong Number’ a short play written by Lucille Fletcher. This hit radio play was performed and broadcast several times on SUSPENSE and later made into a film. Orson Welles called the play ‘the greatest single radio script ever written’. ‘Sorry Wrong Number’ is perhaps the supreme example of using the strength of radio. A woman alone in a house making frantic phone calls to prevent an impending murder. Ideally suited for voices. More effective when heard rather than seen – which was indeed Fletcher’s goal. Though the technology and portrayal has dated somewhat, it remains a classic of radio theatre at it’s best.

The Shadow

The Shadow was American radio’s highest rated daytime series for nearly 20 years. Several different actors played the lead during that time, including for one season, a 22 year old Orson Welles. The Shadow’s psychic ability to achieve invisibility through the power of hypnotism is a perfect example of using the unique imaginative strengths of radio.

Link: Radio Spirits

Norman Corwin

Universally hailed as the ‘poet laureate’ of American radio. Corwin wrote and produced powerfully dramatic works often of great erudition and popular appeal. He stands as one of the great original founders of a theatre specifically created for Audio. Corwin was at the forefront of realising the potential of the medium. His writing and productions fully exploited radio theatre’s unique ability to leap, shift and layer scenes, voices and presentation styles to create flowing kaleidoscopic sound pictures and meditations of immense dramatic effect.

Link: Lodes Tone

Vincent Price

Star of the award winning radio production ‘Three Skeleton Key’ on the series ‘ESCAPE’. The Escape series ran from 1947 to 1954 and presented dramas of high action and adventure. In ‘Three Skeleton Key’, 3 men are trapped inside a lighthouse surrounded by hordes of hungry rats. This production is a testament to audio’s power to create terrifying pictures in your mind with a combination of fine writing, a strong cast and clever sound effects.

Link: Horror-Wood

Superman collection

Much of the Superman lore originated on the radio before appearing in the comic book. Including the opening cries of; ‘It’s a bird, It’s a plane, It’s Superman!’ and long running characters such as Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and a strange glowing substance known as ‘kryptonite’. Corny Action Hero fun, over flowing with camp retro-charm

Link: MC ANTIQUES

The Hobbit – [1968]

Performed by full cast with music composed by David Cain of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and performed by David Munrow with The Early Music Concert. Wonderful performances. Excellent adaptation and dramatisation for audio. Knock out voice casting. Gollum, Gandolf, Bilbo, all excellently portrayed. A stunning dramatization in which every element conspires to evoke Tolkien's richly imagined Middle Earth, featuring an original score written for Renaissance-era instruments, outstanding ensemble acting and innovative sound techniques designed to present a hobbit's-eye view of Bilbo's adventures. Certainly one of the best productions BBC ‘radio drama’ has ever done. ISBN 0563 389990

Lord of the Rings – [1981]

BBC full cast. Overall this production is not as focused as The Hobbit. This is due at root to the gargantuan epic sweep of the books. It’s just so much to cover in a radio series. And though the production isn’t as lush as The Hobbit it is still full of wonderful moments. ISBN 0563 388129

Wind In The Willows. - [1994]

BBC full cast adapted by Alan Bennett. The classic Kenneth Grahame tale of the adventures of Ratty, Mole and the eccentric Toad of Toad Hall. Wonderfully dramatised for radio by Alan Bennett from his acclaimed adaptation for the National Theatre. Directed by David Blount. Lush production values all around. Richard Briers as Rat is brilliant. BBC radio drama pulls out all the stops to make this production a pure gem that beguiles and delights. ISBN 0563 393866

Under Milkwood - [1954]

‘A play for voices’ by Dylan Thomas. This lyrical study of lives of the inhabitants of a Welsh fishing village is the poet Dylan Thomas’s most popular and famous work. Richard Burton performing the ‘First Voice’ monologue which opens the play is absolutely hypnotic. One of the best voices of the 20th. century giving an intoxicating performance of a memorable poetic text. ISBN 0563 388609

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - [1999]

The Hollywood Theater Of The Ear. Dove Audio. Written for audio produced and directed by Yuri Rasovsky. In a brilliantly clever move, Rasovsky has taken a classic silent film and created a wonderful audio adaptation. Reminiscent of Poe, the drama starts off slowly establishing an opening tempo with a preponderance of finely crafted prosaic language. But the tempo soon begins to imperceptibly build as events unfold, atmospheric effects enter and the dialogue quickens. The overall effect is a steadily rising tempo and mounting tension in the plot until the denouement of the horrific climax. Lorna Raver’s portrayal of the undead zombie-like Cesare is superb.