'Microphones in Middle-earth: Music in the BBC Radio Play', Paul Smith

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Renzolicious

I would agree that this is the definitive Lord of the Rings for me, every voice is perfect (with the exception of Arwen). The cuts sit very well with me since I think the Tom Bombadil and the barrow wights are completely unnecessary, other additions and cuts throughout I also think fit very well.
I listen to the whole 13 hours at least once yearly, although I do remember a few minor differences from the cassette version that I got back in the mid 90s.
I would say its largely because of this version that I could never take the movies seriously, with Keith Urban as Eomer being the only good translation to my mind. I only wish they carried on and made a dramatisation of the Hobbit afterwards with some actor cross over, that would have been great.
Also on the music - great. Simple, effective, and epic all at the same time. Theoden's ride to Minas Tirith is personal favourite.

Actually BBC DID do a Hobbit (back in 1968). this is probably why they did not continue on afterward as far as they were concerned, they had DONE a full cast dramaitization of the Hobbit.
However if you are looking for a little "more" than waht was in the box, there is a sort of "extra" episode to the Lord of the Rings (the reason I suspect why some people described the series as 14 hours, as opposed to 13. Some years after the Lord of the Rings dramatization was done, an addional episode was produced, covering Tom Bombadil and the Events in the old forest. The only two actors that crossed over on this were Ian Holm (Frodo) and Michael Hordern (Gandalf) who plays the Narrator (though it is possible the narrator only exists on the disc version) The CD of this (at least, over here in America) is part of a 3 disc set called Tales from the Perilous Realms (the set also has "Smith of Wooton Major", "Farmer Giles of Ham" and "Leaf by Niggle").