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  • Earthsearch

  • The Complete Radio Series I and II (Dramatised)
  • By: James Follett
  • Narrated by: full cast
  • Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (389 ratings)
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Earthsearch cover art

Earthsearch

By: James Follett
Narrated by: full cast
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Summary

The acclaimed BBC Radio 4 space drama arrives in its entirety for the very first time, with a bonus introduction by creator and writer James Follett. The starship Challenger has been on a 115-year-long mission, exploring other galaxies for suitable Earth-like planets to colonise. The present crew of four were born on the ship and have never left it. But when the Challenger attempts to return to the crew's home planet, it discovers that the Earth has vanished!

When they were first broadcast on radio, Earthsearch and Earthsearch II generated a flood of fan letters to Radio Times. Now at last their superb sound is available, digitally remastered for the first time. Also included is an introduction from James Follett, first broadcast as part of BBC7's "Men, Martians, and Machines".

©2004 BBC Audiobooks Ltd. (P)2004 BBC Audiobooks Ltd.

What listeners say about Earthsearch

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

earthsearch suprisingly good

I got this on the strength of a friend having raved about the series 20 years or so ago. Its episodic format is reminiscent of Doctor Who but the story line is good and the whole concept of the story was sound. Some aspects have been covered in other stories by Bova and Asimov but this is a different spin. If you like radio drama, Blake's Seven or Doctor Who you will probably like this.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Stands up to the test of time

I loved this series when it first came out, later I bought the tapes, but as someone mentioned, they were edited down. This version is complete with James doing a little intro. Dispite the story sometimes being a bit too child like it has just captivated me again for the past two days. And the price... Did I mention that its over ?60 on CD at amazon? Its a bargain here!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Let`s Find Earth Together..

Simply great fun!! Well written and extremely well dramatised and read by a fine company. It`s what`s good radio - plays and audiobooks are about. I simply loved this from start to finish - I wish I heard the original radio broadcasts, and as thus, this is a good advertisement.. Anyway, sound effects etc and the quality of 'vocal' drama is well represented here - an absolute triumph - how I wish there was more!!!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Earthsearch part 1 and 2

Earthsearch is good value. In two parts (10 episodes per part)there is around 10 hours of solid, made for radio sci-fi goodness here. The bad news first.... it is a little dated stylistically (the characters are a little less "shades of grey" than in 2009), but this is no real major problem as once you settle in to it you all but forget that it is 30 years old.
This is one of those stories that has the bonus of being even more enjoyable upon the second listening. The basic concept is simple enough in its approach and it works well. The characters are quirky, yet grounded enough with believable personal characteristics that you are easily able to identify with their dilemmas, motivations and somewhat odd circumstances. There are some good twists throughout, and the episodic format gives a nice climax at the end of each half hour. I can definately recommend this full cast sci-fi audiobook. Thanks Audible.co.uk for giving this great production a new audience. I rate this classic BBC Radio Drama as a solid 4 and a half to 5 stars.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Classic Sci-Fi at it's Best

I first heard about EarthSearch when I was reading about something completely different. I looked at the information about it and it sounded interesting. Then I heard it broadcast on BBC Radio 7 in 2009. I liked what I heard and decided to buy it and I'm glad I did. I also like the special intro and outro from James Follett. The format of the story is very similar to that of Charles Chilton's Journey into Space. If you like that, you'll like this. The only thing I was unsure of was the accents of the actors. Nearly all of the actors have BBC accents. However, I still liked the story. Thank you Audible for making it available.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth every penny

Well, I say that, I actually chose it as my free sign-up title ! However, it was this title that actually made me sign up in the first place. Very difficult to get easily, and I especially wanted this radio production.
It's what I'd hoped it would be. Genuinely chilling and absorbing, the cliff-hangers are very well-timed and although it is a little dated, it was still very enjoyable. I'm not a sci-fi fan at all, but I'd heard so many good things about this that I had to get it. And I'm very pleased I did.
The only possible negative point is that the different characters have differing voice levels, which can make you mess about with the volume level for ages. The intro especially, is much louder than the rest of the programme.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Awful, patronising sexist seventies rubbish

had to give up before the end of chapter 4, will be seeking refund. Really of it's time I'm afraid, and boy does it show.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic and in a league of its own.

I initially listened when they came out on the radio when i was 12 years old. Now, at age 43, they still are gripping and simply classic. Forget Dr. Who, Star Treck, or any of that. Beacause i'd heard these, nothing else ever matched up since so i was so excited to find them on audible...and both o them to, i'd not properly heard all of Earthsearch 2 until now. Had been searching for them for years! This is the real deal, the ultimate sci fi, space travelling time traveling journey, and is years ahead of its time in terms of the sound effects and pictures it creates in your mind as you listen. The characters are brilliant and aaah...just get it!!! It is the best sci fi listen i gurantee. I introduced my boyfriend to them, and my young sons too, and they were all hooked very quickly. It appeals to all age groups. The plot is genious. If they had an erthsearch 3, 4, 5, i'd listen to them all with eager excitement.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great fun

Yes it is a bit dated, but I have really enjoyed listening to each episode in my bath.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Did not stand the test of time

40 years on, you'd almost be forgive for thinking it were 100. After dusting this off, wading through the literal monotonous interview with the author, we are launched in to space and find ourselves in a cut down rip off of Battlestar Galactica if HG Wells had witnessed it on a trip through his time machine.
The story revolves around 6 characters - two bickering AIs, who believe themselves in possession of the universe's last humans; and a group of unsubtly caricatured orphans. All traveling through space on a generation ship trying to find Earth.
The AIs are the hen-pecked father figure, and the evil step mother.
And the orphans are:
The Alpha - a man whose only character trait is Leader who serves the AIs.
The Brain - a man whose one character trait is Incel who hates the AIs.
The Woman - a woman who exists to be mansplained at.
And finally the Ditz - a woman who exists to say "oopsie doopsie" and be casually raped.

This series feels like the culmination of cold war fears, and a reaction to the increasing representation of women in the world and media. Where the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy merely pretended women didn't really exist, this series makes a point to present women as either evil, inferiors, or an inconvenience.
And all this is a massive shame, because this series is great in both its imagination, and vision. It is about impending ecological disaster, the search for a new planet for humanity to migrate to, and takes us through various civilisations and future technologies that might arise in the ashes of humanity. This is all overshadowed by a one dimensional main cast, and shoehorning in scenes rather than bothering to do character development.
For example, the writer tied his hands by making the premise be that the orphans were brought up in ignorance and isolation by the AIs, and given puberty blockers to neuter them. So when the author realised he had to find a way to allow the characters to set up a little garden of Eden to begin re-population, he had a problem. The characters have no personality, zero chemistry between them, and were portrayed as neutered. So rather than trying out some character development he went with the Brain suddenly getting the horn, raping the Ditz, and that meant they're a couple. Then did the audio equivalent of a fade to black, and now the Alpha and the Woman are an item too.

Overall, the performance is great, the story itself is of a bleak but rich version of the future. It is science fiction that feels written for men rather than boys, And the whole thing falls apart because despite a decade's career writing radio plays - James Follett apparently can't write characters or dialogue. It's more than listenable for the scenarios, (most of) the supporting characters, and maybe even curiosity as to how the early 80s envisioned the future. But the main cast themselves are somewhere between a massive cringe and a hashtag waiting to happen.

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1 person found this helpful