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Audio drama recommendations

I love these audio dramas and serials. For each there’s a short description, and where to find it.

I’m working through recommendations from https://www.reddit.com/r/audiodrama/ and the associated Discord, as well as material on https://archive.org/details/radioprograms I’ll add future finds to the list if I feel they’re worth your time.

Curious Under the Stars (BBC)

A young man and his wife leave London to return to his childhood home Glan Don, a wild and mysterious village perched on the Welsh coast. There, they buy the ruined pub. Similar rural-fantasy/magcal-realist feel to Pilgrim but lighter in tone. Some comedy, with a beautifully realised Welsh village and beautiful Welsh voices.

Where to get it: Internet Archive (free), BBC Sounds (free) or Audible

Pilgrim (BBC)

The best audio drama ever made - if that changes I’ll edit. BBC production values meet urban/rural fantasy in Sebastian Baczkiewicz’s tales of the fae, old gods and Billy Pilgrim - a very British immortal.

Where to get it: Internet Archive (free), BBC Sounds (free) or Audible

Tumanbay (BBC)

Game of Thrones scale meets The Mamluk Sultanate in four huge production series. Big budget production and the very best sound engineering and performances.

Where to get it: The series site has audio and the actual scripts (free), Internet Archive (free), BBC Sounds (free) or Audible

Wooden Overcoats

Wonderfully warm comedy superficially about rival funeral directors, but later about much more, set on an imaginary Channel Island. Evokes the particular feel of the Channel Islands, plus characters you’ll come to love.

Where to get it: https://www.woodenovercoats.com/

Wolf 359

Starts as sci-fi comedy a little like Red Dwarf in feel, but soon finds its feet as a dystopian drama with horror touches.

Where to get it: https://wolf359.fm for the original podcast eps (free)

The Lord of The Rings (1980s, BBC)

Thirteen episodes of perfection. This had more influence on Peter Jackson’s films than almost any other telling. Michael Hordern and Ian Holm (as Frodo in this version) excel.

Where to get it: Avoid the Audible re-hack! They cut it into three and added a bunch of awful crap to make three purchases. Try BBC Sounds, Internet archive or other less reputable download locations to find the original.

Star Trek: Outpost

Professional quality but fan-produced drama taking advantage of ST’s lenient view of fan content. The tribulations of DS3, an almost forgotten Federation deep space base, and its crew and visitors. Tailed off in later series but the initial few series are excellent.

Where to get it: https://giantgnome.com/our-shows/audio-drama/star-trek-outpost/ for the original eps (free)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy (BBC)

Not an adaptation; it was an audio drama first! This is the original! Hear the programmes that spawned the novel and all its sequels and a cultural phenomenon.

Where to get it: Try BBC Sounds, Internet archive or other less reputable download locations to find the original.

Earthsearch, Earthsearch Mindwarp (BBC)

Slightly dated but still gripping. A tale of young people who are the final survivors on a generational colony voyage gone wrong. Sinister A.Is make imperfect parents, with unsettling motives. Mindwarp is a shorter prequel, comissioned for BBC Radio 7 when it existed.

Where to get it: Internet Archive (free), BBC Sounds (free)

Left Right Game

A creepypasta tale from Reddit converted into a high-quality audio serial starring Tessa Thompson, who’s excellent.

Where to get it: https://qcodemedia.com/theleftrightgame

TANIS

Urban/rural dark/creepy contemporary fantasy set in the Pacific Northwest USA, with a strong sense of place and high production values. Sadly, while it starts strong, it suffers from the Lost fate of not knowing from the start where it’s going, and wandering far past its natural conclusion. Worth it for the first 2 or 3 series though.

Where to get it: http://tanispodcast.com/how-to-listen/

Limetown

A tightly plotted dark mystery. One night 300 people disappear from a worker’s town/research base in Tennessee. Journalist Lia Haddock has a family connection and investigates for public radio, finding dark secrets along the way. Later made into a TV series with Jessica Biel (never seen it so can’t comment on the TV quality.)

Where to get it: https://twoupproductions.com/limetown/podcast

Impact Winter

Post-apocalypse meets vampires. Rather like the Van Helsing TV series, the world is a place where vampires are able to avoid all sunlight, and prey on scattered human settlements. An audible original.

Where to get it: Only on Audible

Various BBC sci-fi, fantasy and crime adaptations

If you have a favourite genre book or tale, the BBC have probably adapted it for radio broadcast. Usually these are abridged single reader versions for the Book at Bedtime slot, or full cast adaptations for the weekday drama slots. Some of my favourite BBC adaptations are:

  • Neuromancer; The Blue Ant Trilogy
  • Good Omens; Guards! Guards!
  • Rendezvous with Rama
  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
  • Solaris
  • A Wizard of Earthsea; The Left Hand of Darkness
  • The Didius Falco and Brother Cadfael mysteries
  • Inspector Morse
  • The Big Sleep; The Maltese Falcon
  • There’s daily darama, the best put out as a weekly podcast

Where to get it: Internet Archive (free), BBC Sounds (free)

The Archers

I don’t feel this is cheating. Everyone needs a soap they love, and this is mine. I’ve gone off it at times, and like any soap it has good and bad days, but I’ve pretty much been hooked since the 1980s.

Where to get it: BBC Sounds (free)

Midnight Burger

Oh my gosh this is capable of making me say, “Oh my gosh.” I’m through series 1 and even if there’s now some sort of drop in quality, which I doubt, my life is better and more cosy for having listened to it.

Where to get it: https://www.weopenatsix.com/ (free)

Where the Leaves Fall Purple

A tightly plotted whoddunit/what-was-done with thrilling twists and turns right to the end. Ends in a satisfying way without pointing to a second series that will drag too little story over too many series, like some podcasts do now. Some clunky writing in the framing device/narrative voice but otherwise great.

Where to get it: https://www.wtlfp.com/ (free)

Current and future listening

I dunno if these are good but I’ll move them above if they are.

  • The White Vault Good first series, subsequent tale strung out beyond interest like Tanis.
  • Derelict and Derelict: Fathom https://www.derelictpodcast.com/
  • Forest 404, BBC
  • Supermarket
  • Who Killed Avril Levine?
  • Tower 4
  • Sanctuary
  • The Mangnus Archves
  • The Leviathan Chronicles
  • Versus Dracula