More from the Beeb's You Tube channel - fun little advert for a few of the audio soundtracks and readings of the Target novelisations:
Showing posts with label audio stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audio stories. Show all posts
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Genesis of the Daleks audio
Another advertising feature that ran for a while in the pages of Doctor Who Weekly (and presumably other publications too) early 1980. This one was to promote the Genesis of the Daleks LP. The record featured a heavily abridged audio version of the television story. [Image grabbed from Altered Vista's 'In The Comics', here]
Subsequently released on cassette, and more recently on CD (together with Exploration Earth) and even given away free with a newspaper, meaning you can pick it up for a couple of quid on ebay if you wanted.
Monday, 27 September 2010
The Invasion!
Having just mentioned the Invasion reconstructions, an excuse to show the covers and talk through this classic second doctor story in more detail...
Even though 'The Invasion' is an incomplete story, with episodes 1 and 4 missing. It is, to date, the only incomplete story to be released in audio CD, video and DVD format (I think!). The story was sold abroad, so the optimistic Who fan can hope that perhaps one day these missing episodes will be recovered from a foriegn TV station clearing out their archives... perhaps.
The Who Script project introduces this story as follows:
The Invasion was to have been a sequel to a story in the previous season, The Web of Fear, and it was also intended to feature the return of two characters from that story, Professor Travers and his daughter Anne. As these actors were unavailable this lead to the substitution of two similar characters, Professor Watkins and his niece, Isobel. Further changes resulted in replacing the Yeti used in "Web" with the Cybermen, and expanding the story to eight episodes. Invasion was the fourth occasion Patrick Troughton's Doctor encountered the Cybermen, more than any other adversary. (Get the story scripts here.)
According to the Who wiki site, the story had a working title of "Return of the Cybermen" and was originally conceived as a four part story - it got expanded to eight when the next story, "The Dreamspinner", fell through (see here).
The audio CD of the original soundtrack was released with linking narration by Frazer Hines.
The video release used linking narration by Nicholas Courtney (again text of which is available on the script project link above). Cover artwork was by Alistair Pearson.
The DVD uses animated versions of the missing episodes 1 and 4 that were made by Cosgrove Hall, which had previously made The Scream of the Shalka. It also contains the linking narration of Nicholas Courtney from the video release.
This last image has been robbed from the Invasion gallery on the Beebs classic series website, here. Strangely, the only way I could get to this page was through google, as I can't find it linked through the site menus.
The Beeb's classic series website doesn't have a 'photonovel' version of this story, which is a shame. But they do have the usual episode guide page with short video clips and the odd 'original paperwork' section which I think is the shooting script (here).
You can read about the reconstruction here.
Even though 'The Invasion' is an incomplete story, with episodes 1 and 4 missing. It is, to date, the only incomplete story to be released in audio CD, video and DVD format (I think!). The story was sold abroad, so the optimistic Who fan can hope that perhaps one day these missing episodes will be recovered from a foriegn TV station clearing out their archives... perhaps.
The Who Script project introduces this story as follows:
The Invasion was to have been a sequel to a story in the previous season, The Web of Fear, and it was also intended to feature the return of two characters from that story, Professor Travers and his daughter Anne. As these actors were unavailable this lead to the substitution of two similar characters, Professor Watkins and his niece, Isobel. Further changes resulted in replacing the Yeti used in "Web" with the Cybermen, and expanding the story to eight episodes. Invasion was the fourth occasion Patrick Troughton's Doctor encountered the Cybermen, more than any other adversary. (Get the story scripts here.)
According to the Who wiki site, the story had a working title of "Return of the Cybermen" and was originally conceived as a four part story - it got expanded to eight when the next story, "The Dreamspinner", fell through (see here).
The audio CD of the original soundtrack was released with linking narration by Frazer Hines.
The video release used linking narration by Nicholas Courtney (again text of which is available on the script project link above). Cover artwork was by Alistair Pearson.
The DVD uses animated versions of the missing episodes 1 and 4 that were made by Cosgrove Hall, which had previously made The Scream of the Shalka. It also contains the linking narration of Nicholas Courtney from the video release.
This last image has been robbed from the Invasion gallery on the Beebs classic series website, here. Strangely, the only way I could get to this page was through google, as I can't find it linked through the site menus.
The Beeb's classic series website doesn't have a 'photonovel' version of this story, which is a shame. But they do have the usual episode guide page with short video clips and the odd 'original paperwork' section which I think is the shooting script (here).
You can read about the reconstruction here.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Fury of the Daleks
I don't normally post links to download audios and things which still have a ongoing commercial value, as I don't like to promote the illegal copying of copywrited material - for example the Big Finish audios. Now don't get me wrong - I hate this commercial consumeristic society as much as the next manic mad man, and obviously a meglomanic like myself delights in breaking the law. But I don't want to help you undermine the business of Big Finish and perhaps risk them going belly up, and so bringing to an end their productions.
So you won't find me linking to Big Finish audios, or the Target novelisation audios, or the BBC narrated soundtracks, all of which are highly recommended, but ongoing commercial concerns. It's all out there, somewhere, if you know where to look. Alternatively get a job and buy them!
However with older BBC stuff it's a bit different - firstly, I paid my license fee, so I sort of think I've paid for Who already! Then, after you have bought loads of stuff, you sort of think well, hey, I deserve some freebies. Well, these audio stories have long been deleted, and as such represent a little piece of history which should be preserved for the future, before the plastic tape they were released on crumbles into dust.
In the early 1990's, as part of the Who 30th anniversary, the Beeb released several Troughton adventures in a new test format under the title of 'The Missing Stories'. The original television soundtrack of 'lost' stories (with episodes missing from the BBC archive) were released with linking narration provided by living Doctors (number 3, 4 and 6). These were only released on cassette (vynal was dead and CD's unborn), and as such could easily go the way of the original episodes and be lost to the world forever.
The stories are:
Power of the Daleks (narrated by Tom Baker)
Macra Terror (narrated by Colin Baker)
Evil of the Daleks (narrated by Tom Baker)
Tomb of the Cybermen (narrated by Jon Pertwee)
Fury from the Deep (narrated by Tom Baker)
It's interesting to note that about the same time, Tomb of the Cybermen was rediscovered, and quickly released on video. Good old Tom gives a typically bonkers performance, reading the stories in the first person, which does take a bit to get used to.
Later the format would be developed into the BBC audio stories, released on CD, and with cleaner and better quality audio. All of the above stories were re-done and re-released, except, strangely, the Macra Terror, which was released with Colin Baker's narration.
Anyway, as the format is largely defunct, and the titles long deleted, here's a link to a page where some wonderfully techy type person has transferred them from audio to MP3 and posted for us all to enjoy. (Here's where we say thank you wonderful techy type person!) There's only two stories up there ready at the moment, Power of the Daleks and Fury from the Deep, but as both are total classics, it's well worth trying these out. The others will hopefully appear on the same link in due course.
Alternatively you can pick the stories up second hand on ebay and the like. The used to be mega rare and highly collectable, with a price tag to match, but since the CD releases, their value has dropped to a couple of quid per story. All you need then is a cassette player...
If you've not listened to the audio recordings of the missing stories, then give these a go. They get better with the second wave of releases, which are availbale on CD and cover many first and second doctor stories.
So you won't find me linking to Big Finish audios, or the Target novelisation audios, or the BBC narrated soundtracks, all of which are highly recommended, but ongoing commercial concerns. It's all out there, somewhere, if you know where to look. Alternatively get a job and buy them!
However with older BBC stuff it's a bit different - firstly, I paid my license fee, so I sort of think I've paid for Who already! Then, after you have bought loads of stuff, you sort of think well, hey, I deserve some freebies. Well, these audio stories have long been deleted, and as such represent a little piece of history which should be preserved for the future, before the plastic tape they were released on crumbles into dust.
In the early 1990's, as part of the Who 30th anniversary, the Beeb released several Troughton adventures in a new test format under the title of 'The Missing Stories'. The original television soundtrack of 'lost' stories (with episodes missing from the BBC archive) were released with linking narration provided by living Doctors (number 3, 4 and 6). These were only released on cassette (vynal was dead and CD's unborn), and as such could easily go the way of the original episodes and be lost to the world forever.
The stories are:
Power of the Daleks (narrated by Tom Baker)
Macra Terror (narrated by Colin Baker)
Evil of the Daleks (narrated by Tom Baker)
Tomb of the Cybermen (narrated by Jon Pertwee)
Fury from the Deep (narrated by Tom Baker)
It's interesting to note that about the same time, Tomb of the Cybermen was rediscovered, and quickly released on video. Good old Tom gives a typically bonkers performance, reading the stories in the first person, which does take a bit to get used to.
Later the format would be developed into the BBC audio stories, released on CD, and with cleaner and better quality audio. All of the above stories were re-done and re-released, except, strangely, the Macra Terror, which was released with Colin Baker's narration.
Anyway, as the format is largely defunct, and the titles long deleted, here's a link to a page where some wonderfully techy type person has transferred them from audio to MP3 and posted for us all to enjoy. (Here's where we say thank you wonderful techy type person!) There's only two stories up there ready at the moment, Power of the Daleks and Fury from the Deep, but as both are total classics, it's well worth trying these out. The others will hopefully appear on the same link in due course.
Alternatively you can pick the stories up second hand on ebay and the like. The used to be mega rare and highly collectable, with a price tag to match, but since the CD releases, their value has dropped to a couple of quid per story. All you need then is a cassette player...
If you've not listened to the audio recordings of the missing stories, then give these a go. They get better with the second wave of releases, which are availbale on CD and cover many first and second doctor stories.
Saturday, 24 April 2010
The Runaway Train
Now I like a freebie, especially one as good as this - a new who audio, read by the new Who, Matt Smith, free with The Daily Telegraph today.
"Arriving on Earth in the midst of the American Civil War, the Doctor and Amy must get a posse together to help them retrieve an alien artefact that has fallen into the clutches of the Confederate Army. The terraforming device belongs to the Cei, a race of invaders who plan to use it to turn the planet into a new home world.
But neither the Army nor the aliens are keen to let the Doctor and his gang interfere with their plans, and give chase across the Wild West. The only hope of escape for the Doctor and friends is to catch the 3.25 to Arizona and race along ther newly-built transcontinental railroad."
This title will be officially released by BBC in October (pre order from their online shop here) and at just over an hour long it looks like we have the full unedited version. The first in the series, Ring of Steel', is released in August.
I'm listening to it at the moment and am very impressed with Matt Smith, who is a joy to listen to.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Free Who BBC audio CDs
From this Saturday, April 24, claim free Doctor Who stories on CD, with The Daily Telegraph.
A brand new, exclusive story - The Runaway Train - read by new Doctor, Matt Smith. The Runaway Train also features his companion, Amy Pond.
Then inside The Sunday Telegraph - Part One of Pest Control, a thrilling story read by David Tennant and featuring the Doctor's companion, Donna Noble.
From Monday, April 26, you can claim a further five free CDs at WHSmith using a voucher printed each day in The Daily Telegraph - take each day's voucher to your nearest high street WHSmith to claim.
Saturday, April 24 - The Runaway Train - An original story, read by Matt Smith.
Arriving on Earth in the midst of the American Civil War, the Doctor and Amy must get a posse together to help them retrieve an alien artefact. The duo are chased across the Wild West by the alien race, their only hope of escape catching the 3.25 to Arizona.
Sunday, April 25 - Pest Control - Part One. An original BBC audiobooks story, read by David Tennant.
Monday, April 26 - Pest Control - Part Two. An original BBC audiobooks story, read by David Tennant.
Tuesday, April 27 - Slipback - Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Valentine Dyall star in this BBC Radio 4 adventure from 1985.
Wednesday, April 28 - Exploration Earth - Tom Baker and Sarah Jane Smith star in this special BBC School Radio episode from 1976.
Thursday, April 29 - Geneisis of the Daleks - Tom Baker narrates an abridged audio version of the 1975 television adventure.
Friday, April 30 - Mission on the Unknown - The soundtrack to a Doctor Who adventure from 1965, but which famously does not feature the Doctor himself, with linking narration by Peter Purves.
Whilst the new story, featuring Matt Smith, is obviously welcomed, you have to wonder why they are giving away stories like 'Slipback', and the odd 'Exploration Earth'. Is the idea to put people off buying audio dramas? Why don't they give away some good stories instead of these left-over oddities?
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