Audio~books have certainly come a long way. This presentation of the novelisation of the classic 1964 story,
The Dalek Invasion of Earth, is no simple
man~in~a~booth~reading~a~book. Oh no, this is so much more. The production values on this release from
BBC Audio are a joy to behold; from the 'simple' evocation of the Dalek saucer~ship and ambience of war~torn London to the sounds of the persistent pepper~pots themselves.
Not only that, at the helm of this behemoth (running time of over four hours!) is
William Russell - the actor who played one of the original companions, Ian Chesterton. Russell's various voices and accents are superb; clearly delineated from the narration, exuding personality for each separate character. In particular, his 'impersonation' of William Hartnell's Doctor amuses and enthralls in equal measure; coming off as an intergalactic Professor Yaffle.
Oddly, his own voice (that of Chesterton's) isn't quite that of the teacher we're familiar to but the fact that Russell is slightly older (only about 46 years or so) that's to be expected. Even odder is the fact that his narration sounds not unlike Michael Palin (though that's not a bad thing at all). New series fans will recognise the tone of
Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks and, as always, he pitches the dialogue perfectly.
With four CDs to take in you certainly get value~for~money with this release and you'll be drinking it in for some time. An epic story presented with a reading and production to match.
