I must confess, my journey through the first two installments of Peter Jackson’s greatly expanded Hobbit franchise has felt like something of a forced march. And yet—Tolkien fanboy that I am—I can’t seem to pass up anything Middle Earth-related, no matter how far it may stray from the great fantasist’s formidable vision. And so, while we await the final Hobbit film, sure to be freighted with pummeling CGI spectacle, I’m overjoyed to have discovered this abridged radio dramatization of The Lord of the Rings from BBC Radio 4. Originally aired in 26 half-hour segments in 1981 and narrated by Irish actor Gerard Murphy, the radio drama features Jackson’s original Bilbo, Ian Holm, as the voice of the younger Baggins and ringbearer Frodo. The venerable Bill Nighy (a.k.a. Davy Jones, Rufus Scrimgeour, and of course, Slartibartfast) voices Frodo’s BFF/sidekick/faithful valet, Sam Gamgee, and the cast is rounded out by a couple dozen more excellent British stage and TV actors, as well as the talents of legendary radio sound effects unit, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
This adaptation supersedes an earlier 12-part radio production from 1955-56—which has been lost to time, it seems—and a much-abridged 1979 production for U.S. National Public Radio. I’ve found no online audio of the latter, but it appears, given this description from SF-Worlds.com, that it’s hardly worth the trouble (it’s said to have been “recorded in a bathroom with a microphone taped to a rubber duck.â€) The 1981 production, on the other hand—which you can hear above in its entirety—is most definitely worth a listen. Nearly everyone, whether a reader of the books or not, knows the story at this point, so one might be inclined to skip some of the exposition. But the dialogue is lively, and the sound design highly intriguing. I only wish I’d had these recordings as a young reader of the books. By necessity, the radio production places the focus squarely on Tolkien’s language and rich characterization, and in the well-paced beats and pauses, listeners get to work their imaginative muscles, recreating scenes in their mind’s eye, just as readers must do. If like me, you find yourself grown somewhat weary of those stunningly bombastic Jackson films, this radio adaptation may be just the mental palate cleanser you need.
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Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness.
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Hear a 12 Hour Dramatization of The Lord of the Rings (1981)
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