Dracula at the BBC - Bram Stoker, Loren D. Estleman, Mary Shelley, Anthony Hinds, Mark Gatiss, Robert Forrest, Nick Fisher, Joseph O’Connor

Written by Bram Stoker, Loren D. Estleman, Mary Shelley, Anthony Hinds, Mark Gatiss, Robert Forrest, Nick Fisher, Joseph O’Connor
Read by Full Cast
Format: MP3
Bitrate: Variable
Dramatization

Dracula at the BBC

A collection of radio dramas and readings about, or relating to Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel. These are all off-air recordings I made from the iPlayer.

1. The Storytellers: Dracula by Bram Stoker [2019]

Starring Michael Fassbender as Jonathan Harker, James D’Arcy as Dr Seward, Gillian Kearney as Mina Murray and James Greene as Dr.Van Helsing. This version preserves the epistolary format of the original novel. Oddly for such a recent production, there was some audible background rumble in some sections, which I have fixed, but there are also some slight stereo anomalies (only really noticable when wearing headphones) which I could not fix. Two hours & ten minutes

2. Dracula’s Guest by Bram Stoker [2012]

A young man sets out on a journey where the elements - and something elemental - are against him. Bram Stoker’s short story read by Bertie Carvel. Twenty minutes.

3. Dracula by Bram Stoker [1991]

A more traditional radio drama version, with seven half-hour episodes, it covers plot events most adaptions leave out for pacing. Stars Phyllis Logan, Sharon Maharaj, Bernard Holley, Crawford Logan and Frederick Jaeger.

4. The Voyage of the Demeter by Robert Forrest [2008]

Robert Forrest’s chilling tale of the supernatural, set on a schooner sailing from Bulgaria to England in 1897. Something very unpleasant is lurking aboard the ship, and the voyage becomes a terrifying ordeal. The character names will seem familiar to anyone who has seen the film Alien. Stars Finlay Welsh as Ripelski, Gary Lewis as Robash, Steven McNicoll as Kanesky, Grant O’Rourke as Bretov and Alexander Morton as Dracula. One hour.

5. Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula by Loren D. Estleman [1981]

The Baker Street sleuth takes on the sanguinary Count. Loren D Estleman’s thriller stars John Moffatt as Holmes and Timothy West as Watson. I’ve given this one a bit of a remaster as it was a bit noisy & lacked dynamics. I think it now sounds quite reasonable for a vintage production. Ninety minutes.

6. The Unquenchable Thirst of Dracula by Anthony Hinds [2017]

Dracula travels to 1930’s India in this celebrated unproduced Hammer Horror feature film script, adapted for radio by Mark Gatiss. With Michael Sheen as the narrator and Anna Madeley, Nikesh Patel, Ayesha Dharker, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Lewis Macleod. Ninety minutes.

7. Playing With Dracula by Nick Fisher [1994]

When Byron Musgrave joins an amateur acting group making horror movies, he seems just a little too anxious to get his teeth into things. Anger gives way to fear when the body count starts mounting… Forty-five minutes.

8. Vampyre Man by Joseph O’Connor [2015]

Drama about the close collaboration and intense friendship between Bram Stoker and the famous Shakespearean actor Henry Irving, who would help inspire Stoker’s most famous creation. Stars Darragh Kelly as Bram Stoker, Amanda Redman as Ellen Terry and Anton Lesser as Henry Irving. Ninety minutes.

9. The Gothic Imagination - Dracula by Bram Stoker [2012]

A faster-paced radio drama version than the 1991 serial, broadcast as part of the Gothic Imagination series. Starring the recently departed Nicky Henson as Count Dracula. Two hour-long episodes.

10. The Gothic Imagination - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley [2012]

And finally, because wherever Dracula goes, Frankenstein’s monster is sure to follow. Also part of the Gothic Imagination series. Starring Jamie Parker as Frankenstein and Shaun Dooley as The Monster. Two hour-long episodes.

Also included are four radio documentaries on the subject of Stoker/Dracula.

And before someone says it down in the comments, yes, I know Dracula sucks.