Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in Fantasy

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.

The TARDIS materialises on a spaceship at the edge of the known universe, and the Doctor, Leela and K9 encounter a group of astronauts searching for the lost gene bank of the Minyan race. The craft plunges into the heart of a recently formed planet, wherein the Doctor discovers an awesome secret: the descendants of a previous Minyan expedition have become enslaved to a powerful computer!

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.

Elisabeth Sladen presents another time-travelling journey through the history of Doctor Who on BBC radio and television. Since 1963, Doctor Who has had a massive influence on our popular culture - as this second volume of rare material illustrates. A favourite source of inspiration for comedy programmes including The Mary Whitehouse Experience, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and Dead Ringers, it has also provided a source of features for programmes such as Nationwide, Pebble Mill at One, Woman's Hour and Talkback: all featured here.

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.

First published as an illustrated book in the 1960s and now a collector’s item, Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space sees the Doctor land in the futuristic world of The One. Along with the Mortimer family, whom he rescued from the Great Fire of London, he finds himself recruited to lead a galactic invasion from Andromeda - with the TARDIS instrumental in the plan! In Ten Fathom Pirates, a story from The Doctor Who Annual 1967, the Doctor encounters underwater raiders on a distant planet.

A collection of fabulous tales of genies, heroes, flying carpets and fantastic voyages, The Arabian Nights has enchanted generations of children and adults. Forged in the Islamic Golden Age, it was brought to Europe in the 18th Century, where it became an instant sensation. Included here are seven full-cast dramatisations, starring Carolyn Backhouse as Shahrazad and Derek Jacobi as the King, as well as a bonus edition of In Our Time exploring the story behind the tales.

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.

In this vintage six-part serial, first shown on BBC TV in February and March 1965, a strange magnetic force pulls the TARDIS down to the craterous surface of Vortis. The Doctor and his friends learn that the planet has been invaded, and the parasitic Animus is slowly enveloping it in a web-like domain. The giant ant-like Zarbi are under its control, whilst the butterfly-like Menoptra are battling to reclaim their planet.

David Schofield reads this exciting original adventure featuring the 12th Doctor and Clara, as played by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in the BBC TV series. The Doctor and Clara are called to a mysterious, isolated house on a moonlet in the Asurmian Reach. There they meet the inscrutable Justin Winter and his two assistants, Joey and Carenza. Winter has called for the Doctor's help: he and his friends are trapped in the house, all exits having long ago been sealed.

The inhabitants of the planet Karfel are suffering under the tyrannical rule of their leader, the Borad, who has brought his world to the brink of interplanetary war. Those who dare to oppose the will of the Borad are mercilessly sacrificed to the Timelash, a fate considered by many to be worse than death. When the Doctor arrives on Karfel, he soon discovers the Borad's horrifying plan - and realises he must be stopped at all costs.

Steven Pacey reads this suspenseful novelisation of a classic TV adventure for the Fifth Doctor. When the TARDIS is sabotaged and becomes dimensionally unstable, its internal fabric begins to dissolve, and Nyssa is drawn into a junction with a strangely deserted spacecraft. The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough follow in pursuit, and discover the shocking purpose of Terminus. The Doctor forms an uneasy alliance with two space pirates, whilst Tegan and Turlough become frighteningly enmeshed in the spaceship's infrastructure. 

In a seedy backstreet, in a rotting theatre, the sinister Dr Caligari runs a cabaret with his demonic assistants, Snuff and Anthrax. A riot of a listen, this surreal and macabre comedy follows the smooth-talking Dr Caligari as he encourages unwilling guests to tell their story in his London nightclub. Written by Alan Gilbey, strange encounters and dark mysteries are recounted by guest acts on London’s most bizarre stage.

Materialising to avoid a head-on collision in space, the TARDIS becomes trapped on board an eerily deserted alien spacecraft. The Doctor transmats to Earth to solve the problem - yet when the TARDIS follows on, Tegan and Nyssa find that they have arrived five years too early. While the Doctor enjoys a reunion with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in 1983, in 1977 his companions are confronted by a hideously deformed figure who claims to be the Doctor. Unsure whether or not this is their friend, Tegan and Nyssa must choose whether to answer his desperate pleas for help. 

First published in 1921, Karel Capek's ultra-prescient play R.U.R has become a classic of dystopian literature, giving us the word 'robot' and inspiring movies and TV series from Blade Runner to Westworld. Set in Capek's 1920s version of the future, this radio reimagining blends music, comedy and drama to tell the story of a world dominated by mechanisation and the pursuit of profit.

In the spaces between inner-city Bristol and the netherworld walks Deacon, a mysterious, centuries-old drifter who arrives when least expected to save lost souls. In these three dramas, he comes to the aid of a boxer-turned-petty-criminal, a teenager in danger and a refugee in hiding. Don Warrington stars as the enigmatic Deacon in this gritty contemporary fantasy trilogy.

When Professor Irene Hyde's Monday morning lecture at St Luke's University is rudely interrupted by a man named the Doctor, it's the beginning of an adventure she could never have dreamt possible. Soon they are hurtling backwards in time to 1806, where the crew of the trading ship Favorite, led by the 'Ice King' himself, Frederic Tudor, are being picked off, one by one, by a hideous monster that lurks in the shadows.

A letter arrives at Nest Cottage, warning of danger for all former companions of the Doctor. Intrigued, Mrs Wibbsey begins a correspondence with one Polly Wright - and soon finds herself with an unexpected guest for Christmas. But shadows are gathering in the Hexford snow and old scores are waiting to be settled. With Mike Yates and other friends around her, Mrs Wibbsey must navigate her way between facts and half-truths if she's to keep the Doctor's secrets safe, and live to tell the tale....

Teddy Johnson stars in this atmospheric six-part radio thriller. Korean War veteran and hip Londoner Steve Gardiner arrives in a small Scottish seaside resort, looking for his old friend Jimmy Morton. But he's picked the wrong time for a reunion. The sleepy town is being terrorised by a homicidal maniac dubbed 'the Kind Man'. Stepping off the train after dark, Steve is almost lynched by a terrified crowd, and at the gloomy Morton house he finds Jimmy and his father behaving strangely. Then, waking in the night, he hears a voice whispering verses in his ear.... 

In 1890s Cardiff, reporter James MacFarlane is intrigued by rumours of ‘anaesthesia frolics’, at which gatherings the latest frontier in pain relief is demonstrated to influential guests. After he speaks to someone who attended several such ‘frolics’—and left with a hand and two fingers missing—James realises that the events have a dark side. Contriving an invitation, he is astounded to find another guest also investigating—it’s his old friend the Doctor! Reunited in mystery, the Doctor and James enter the murky underbelly of polite Cardiff society.