BBC

In the United States, audio theater on commercial radio almost died out after the arrival of television. In Britain, with the state-sponsored British Broadcasting Company, radio drama was allowed to thrive, and remains popular.

With big budgets, a commitment to quality, and a spirit of innovation, the BBC has brought us some of the best contemporary English-language audio theater, occasionally jumping the pond to the U.S. market.

We offer some of the best, and best-known BBC productions available this side of the pond.

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide series gained a cult following after the first two parts aired on the BBC, and repeated on NPR, in the late 1970s, and early 1980's. Written by Douglas Adams, what started as a radio play, expanded into books, television, computer games, and even a major motion picture.

In 2004 and 2005, the BBC commissioned Dirk Maggs (who was hand-picked by Douglas Adams before his death) to complete the radio series, following the 5 books now in the Hitchhiker's Guide "trilogy."

Tertiary Phase
Arthur Dent, displaced earthling, finally escapes being stranded on pre-historic earth, just in time to find himself in the middle of a rather explosive cricket match. It can only mean one thing -- off to save the universe again... The third in a 5 part "trilogy."

Quandary Phase
Arthur Dent, displaced earthling discovers that the Earth, previously destroyed by Vogons, has miraculously reappeared and Arthur returns to his home, and falls in love with the girl of his dreams. But here is something very fishy about his girlfriend's feet, and what has happened to all the dolphins?

J.R.R. Tolkein

John Ronald Reuel Tolkein (1892 – 1973) was an imaginer of worlds. It is the richness and completeness of the worlds he created which has drawn millions of readers to his work. A professor of Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and of English language and literature at Oxford from 1945 to 1959, Tolkein's background aided him in investing his creations with extensive histories, and complete languages.

Add to this the epic sense of adventure, and his works are a perfect marriage to the art of audio drams, and the impressive production of the BBC.

The Hobbit
Bilbo Baggins leaves his nice dry hobbit hole, travels past Mirkwood, and heads down into the gullet of the dragon Smaug’s stolen mountain fortress. An awfully big adventure for a hobbit.

Lord of the Rings
The ultimate epic adventure of the modern age