Classic Radio Sci-Fi: A BBC Drama Collection

by Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, Karel Kapek

Five seminal science fiction classics are brought vividly to life in these gripping BBC Radio dramatisations, with casts including Robert Glenister, William Gaunt, Carleton Hobbs and Joanne Froggatt.

Frankenstein (1994) is adapted from one of the first science fiction novels, Mary Shelley's tale of a scientist who tries to play God and creates a monster.

The Time Machine (2009) dramatises one of the first stories to feature time travel, HG Wells' thrilling tale of an inventor who discovers a dystopian future.

The Lost World (1975) is based on a classic fantasy adventure story by Arthur Conan Doyle's, whose notion of dinosaurs roaming our world was the inspiration for Jurassic Park.

R.U.R. (1989) is a radio production of Karel Capek's thought-provoking play which introduced the word 'robot' to the English language.

Solaris (2007) dramatises Stanislaw Lem's pioneering ghost story set in space, both a suspenseful thriller and a philosophical meditation on guilt and the human condition.

Accompanying this collection is a bonus PDF file featuring extensive sleeve notes by Andrew Pixley. Duration: 10 hours approx.

Genres: Science Fiction

10 pages, Audio CD

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

After seeing and reading many stories growing up, this version was anti-climatic, save for the last story that proved to be the only interesting one. 4 of 10 stars

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Sci-fi fans will love this!

[Cesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Otroligt ojämn dramatisering av 5 klassiska SF-berättelser. Alla har dom gemensamt att dom är barn av sin tid, vilket i det här fallet innebär en handling med uteslutande träiga vita äldre akademiskt utbildade män, där den ena vet mer och kan mer än den andre och där dom kvinnliga karaktärerna är reducerade till att bara vara ett fåtal och samtliga är mer eller mindre att klassa som antingen hysteriska, okunniga, kvinna i nöd, kärleksintresse eller en kombination av allt. Produktionen må vara rätt bra i en del fall med kompetenta skådespelare och stämningsfull musik och ljudeffekter men det hjälper föga när allt annat känns så förlegat och trist.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leave it to BBC Radio 4 to produce excellent, full-cast dramas from classic science fiction stories. This group of five is outstanding in the overall collection for its contents: "Frankenstein", "The Time Machine", "The Lost World", "R.U.R.", and "Solaris", each well-acted and with full sound effects for an excellent listening experience.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankenstein was excellent.

[Jay Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solaris, to me, is the best of the set.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of my favorite things in audio books are: full cast acting and genre fiction, both of which this collection had. These classic stories were a mix of ones I was familiar with (Frankenstein, The Time Machine, The Lost World) and new ones to me (Solaris and R.U.R.). My favorites ended up being the ones I hadn't heard before. This is probably due to their novelty to me, (Frankenstein and The Time Machine are starting to feel like a popular song played too many times on the radio for me, and I have specific feelings about The Lost World) but at least in the case of Solaris, also has to do with the excellent storytelling. Solaris was above and beyond my favorite out of all of them. I don't generally like horror, except space horror (as long as it isn't disgusting or super violent). There's something about the dark unknown in space that creeps in on arrogant or unsuspecting human explorers that I love. Solaris, even though it is classic, felt fresh and new to me. Especially when surrounded by stories that often showed their age. Even though I also really liked R.U.R., it was left in Solaris' dust because of its major sexism issues. If you like sci-fi, classic or otherwise, this is definitely an audio drama collection worth checking out. The actors for BBC are always phenomenal.