Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in Fantasy

Originally published in 1943, The Glass Bead Game was Herman Hesse’s last novel. It was hailed as his magnum opus, and was instrumental in securing him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. Set in a utopian future society, it explores themes of knowledge, individualism, creativity and spirituality, and has inspired contemporary thinkers from authors to game designers. Narrated by Derek Jacobi, this two-part radio drama tells the story of Joseph Knecht (Tom Ferguson), plucked from obscurity as a young orphan, admitted to the finest elite school and groomed for greatness.

John Leeson stars in this exciting novelisation of a classic adventure for the Fourth Doctor - and the introduction of K9. A mysterious cloud drifts menacingly through space, and the Doctor becomes infected with the Nucleus of a malignant Virus that threatens to destroy his mind. Meanwhile, on Titan, human slaves prepare the Hive from which the Virus will swarm out and infect the universe. In search of a cure, Leela takes the Doctor to the Bi-Al Foundation, where they make an incredible journey into the Doctor’s brain in an attempt to destroy the Nucleus. 

Dan Starkey reads a brand new audio adventure for the Eighth Doctor, set in Victorian Edinburgh. It's the late 1890s, and newspaper journalist James MacFarlane is on the trail of a supernatural entity. He's joined in his investigations by a mysterious stranger, who calls himself the Doctor and professes to know a lot about vampires.

An unabridged reading of this classic novelisation of an adventure featuring the Third Doctor, as played on TV by Jon Pertwee. 'Axos calling Earth, Axos calling Earth....' The creatures stood before them, offering friendship and their priceless Axonite, in return for - what? Only the Doctor remains suspicious. What is the real reason for the Axons' sudden arrival on Earth? And why is the evil Master a passenger on their spaceship? He very soon finds out....

For two decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, every fan of the Doctor hoped to find The Doctor Who Annual in their Christmas stocking. Larger than life and twice as colourful, the stories within were exuberant - and often charmingly naive - in their take on 'the children's own programme which adults adore'. Here, for the first time on audio, Peter Purves (Steven), Anneke Wills (Polly), Geoffrey Beevers (the Master), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) and Nicola Bryant (Peri) read a selection of these tales.

The Doctor and Sarah arrive safely back on Earth—or do they? Why does the mysterious solder march straight over a cliff, and then reappear unharmed? Why are they attacked by sinister mechanics with built-in guns for hands? Why is a picturesque country village at first deserted, then filled with mindless zombies? And why are the Doctor and Sarah's best friends trying to kill them? Will they be in time to defeat the deadly Kraals and their terrifying android invasion of Earth?

Anneke Wills reads this exciting novelisation of a classic TV adventure for the Second Doctor. In the summer of 1966, thousands of young people are taking their holidays with Chameleon Tours - and not one of them is coming back. When the TARDIS lands at Gatwick Airport the Doctor is drawn into a web of intrigue and deception. To add to his troubles, Polly mysteriously vanishes. Or does she? The girl at the Chameleon Tours desk looks like Polly, and even sounds like her, but she claims she comes from Zurich. Who is she really?

The TARDIS lands in a primeval forest, and the Doctor meets Leela, a warrior banished from her tribe. He learns that an ongoing war between the Sevateem and the Tesh was instigated by Xoanon, the god they both worship. In reality, an all-powerful computer, Xoanon, is possessed by a desperate madness directly related to the Doctor - one which only the Time Lord can rectify! In order to do battle with Xoanon, the Doctor must escape, not only from the savage practices of the Sevateem but also from the mind-controlling impulses of the Tesh. 

Five family pantomimes featuring musical numbers, silly jokes and fun for all the family! Enjoy fantastic live performances of these classics tales: Puss in Boots, Aladdin, Mother Goose, Dick Whittington and Sleeping Beauty. The pantos are recorded in front of a live audience, with full musical numbers and an orchestral score. Rousing songs, silly jokes and Widow Twankey all make an appearance! With casts including Terry Wogan, Maureen Lipman, Anita Harris, June Whitfield, Kenneth Connor and Frank Thornton.

Katy Manning reads this exciting classic novelisation of a Third Doctor TV adventure. The Doctor and Jo land on a cargo ship crossing the Indian Ocean in the year 1926. Or so they think. Far away on a planet called Inter Minor, a travelling showman is setting up his live peepshow, watched by an eager audience of space officials. On board ship, a giant hand suddenly appears, grasps the TARDIS and withdraws.

Written by an anonymous storyteller in the 13th Century, and describing events between 960 and 1020, Njáls saga is one of the great works of medieval literature. The longest and most celebrated of the Icelandic sagas, it deals with family honour, vengeance and a vicious blood feud spanning almost 50 years. Based on the classic translation by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Pálsson, this gripping dramatisation centres around two friends.

A dynamic trio of stories by Paul Magrs, inspired by comic strips first published in Doctor Who Annual in the 1970s. In 'Dead on Arrival', Jo Grant finds out what it's like to be a ghost when she realises that no-one can see her. In 'The Traitor', the Fourth Doctor and Sarah help rescue the survivors of a crashed spaceship, only to discover that they are scientists deliberately marooned on a distant planet. In 'The Power', the Doctor and Leela are among those invited to the wedding of Princess Azula on the planet Shem.

Fleeing from the rising tide on a distant planet, the Doctor and his friends are attacked by a swarm of what appear to be tiny insects. Wracked by hallucinations, Jamie is transported back to his home in the Highlands whilst Victoria sees her late father. The travellers meet the survivors of Elysian Fields, a travelling hospital that offers patients a choice between the Blade of Longing and the Angel of Forgetting. When next the spaceship lands, the TARDIS crew are offered the chance of a lifetime.

An unabridged reading of this classic novelisation of a Sixth Doctor TV adventure. Disturbed by the time travel experiments of the evil Dastari and Chessene, the Time Lords send the Second Doctor and Jamie to investigate. Arriving on a station in deep space, they are attacked by a shock force of Sontarans, and the Doctor is left for dead. Across the gulfs of time and space, the Sixth Doctor discovers that his former incarnation is very much alive.

Matthew Waterhouse reads this classic novelisation of a Fourth Doctor TV adventure.The Doctor, Romana and K9 are heading for Gallifrey when they temporarily lose control of the TARDIS. The significance of this event is only revealed when they land, not on Gallifrey but on Alzarius. The planet's legendary Mistfall is approaching, a time when giant scaly creatures emerge from the swamps and go on the rampage, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.

The TARDIS lands in England and Sarah, the Doctor's companion, looks forward to going home. A freak accident in a quarry leaves the unconscious Sarah clutching an enormous stone hand. The only surviving remnant of Eldrad - an alien super-being expelled from his planet, Kastria - it has the power to control the human mind.

When the TARDIS materialises on Earth in the year 2084, the Doctor meets an old enemy - the Sea Devils. Once the masters of this planet, they are now forced to live in the murky depths of the sea. But their intention is to reclaim their position of domination. The Sea Devils' associates in this dastardly plan to attack humanity's defences are the Silurians, also known to the Doctor of old.

It's July 1966, and Ben and Polly have just said goodbye to the Doctor at Gatwick Airport. Now they must return to their old lives - but things at home aren't quite right. Polly's cat is behaving oddly, and both she and Ben soon realise they are under close scrutiny. To complicate matters further, the pair must acknowledge their true feelings for each other. When they find themselves transported against their will to a far-flung destination, what matters most is their loyalty to each other - and to the Doctor.

Many thousands of years ago, strange crystalline creatures came down from the stars and settled on the planet of the Gonds. Over the years they educated the Gonds through teaching machines in the great Hall of Learning. In return, the Gonds periodically selected their two most brilliant scholars to become the ‘companions’ of these mysterious beings. But when the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive on the planet, they soon discover the true evil purpose of the aliens and learn what it really means to be companions of the Krotons.

First published in 1976, The Amazing World of Doctor Who thrilled fans with short stories and strips featuring the Fourth Doctor, Sarah and Harry in brand new adventures. It also supplied the low-down on the Doctor's past history and some of the foes he'd encountered to date.