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{{disambig-more|The Lord of the Rings|[[The Lord of the Rings (disambiguation)]]}}In [[1955]], the [[BBC|BBC Radio Third Programme]] aired a treatment of ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' in six episodes. A [[1956|year later]], six episodes on ''[[The Two Towers]]'' and ''[[The Return of the King]]'' followed. Though only the latter six episodes were called thus, the entire series has become known as the 1955 [[:Category:Radio adaptations|radio series]] of '''''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'''''. No recordings of this series are known to have survived. | |||
==Episodes== | |||
;The Fellowship of the Ring | |||
* Episode 1: [[14 November|November 14]], [[1955]]<ref name="CaG"/> | |||
* Episode 2: ? | |||
* Episode 3: "Aragorn", [[29 November|November 29]], [[1955]]<ref name="RT1672">Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1672, [[25 November|November 25]], [[1955]]</ref> | |||
* Episode 4: "Many Meetings", [[4 December|December 4]], [[1955]]<ref name="RT1673">Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1673, [[2 December|December 2]], [[1955]]</ref> | |||
* Episode 5: "The Moria Gate", [[11 December|December 11]], [[1955]]<ref name="RT1674">Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1674, [[9 December|December 9]], [[1955]]</ref> | |||
* Episode 6: "The Breaking of the Fellowship", [[18 December|December 18]], [[1955]]<ref name="RT1675">Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1675, [[16 December|December 16]], [[1955]]</ref> | |||
;The Lord of the Rings | |||
* Episode 1: "Fangorn", [[19 November|November 19]], [[1956]]<ref name="RT1723">Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1723, [[16 November|November 16]], [[1956]]</ref> | |||
* Episode 2: "Rohan and Isengard", [[26 November|November 26]], [[1956]]<ref name="RT1724">Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1724, [[23 November|November 23]], [[1956]]</ref> | |||
* Episode 3: "Into the Dark", [[2 December|December 2]], [[1956]]<ref name="RT1725">Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1725, [[30 November|November 30]], [[1956]]</ref> | |||
* Episode 4: "The Siege of Gondor", [[9 December|December 9]], [[1956]]<ref name="RT1726">Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1726, [[7 December|December 7]], [[1956]]</ref> | |||
* Episode 5: "Minas Tirith and Mount Doom", [[16 December|December 16]], [[1956]]<ref name="RT1727">Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1727, [[14 December|December 14]], [[1956]]</ref> | |||
* Episode 6: [[23 December|December 23]], [[1956]]<ref name="RT1727"/> | |||
==Cast== | ==Cast== | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" | |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" | ||
! | ! Actor !! Role | ||
|- | |||
|[[John Baker]] || Orcs<ref name="RT1723"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Nicolette Bernard]] ||Unspecified (presumably [[Goldberry]]),<ref name="RT1672"/> [[Galadriel]]<ref name="RT1675"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Oliver Burt]] || [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]<ref name="RT1672"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Michael Collins]] || [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]]<ref name="RT1672"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Frank Duncan]] || [[Legolas]],<ref name="RT1674"/> [[Halbarad]],<ref name="RT1726"/> Additional voices<ref name="RT1672"/><ref name="RT1673"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Valentine Dyall]] || [[Treebeard]],<ref name="RT1723"/> [[Théoden]],<ref name="RT1724"/> Orcs<ref name="RT1675"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Robert Farquharson]] || [[Saruman]],<ref name="RT1724"/> [[Denethor]]<ref name="RT1726"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Felix Felton]] || [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]],<ref name="RT1674"/> Voice of [[Sauron]],<ref name="RT1724"/> [[Witch-king|The Black Captain]],<ref name="RT1727"/> Orcs,<ref name="RT1723"/> Additional voices<ref name="RT1672"/><ref name="RT1673"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Garard Green]] || [[Elrond]],<ref name="RT1674"/> [[Celeborn]],<ref name="RT1675"/> Additional voices<ref name="RT1673"/> | |||
|- | |||
| [[Olive Gregg]] || [[Éowyn]]<ref name="RT1727"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Derek Hart]] || Narrator<ref name="RT1672"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[David Hemmings]] || [[Bergil]]<ref name="RT1726"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Noel Johnson]] || [[Éomer]]<ref name="RT1723"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Basil Jones]] || [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]]<ref name="RT1672"/> | |||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | |[[Godfrey Kenton]] || [[Aragorn]],<ref name="RT1672"/> [[Mablung (ranger of Ithilien)|Mablung]], <ref name="RT1675"/> Additional voices<ref name="RT1673"/> | ||
|- | |||
|[[Eric Lugg]] || [[Gimli]],<ref name="RT1674"/> Additional voices<ref name="RT1673"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Victor Platt]] || [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]]<ref name="RT1672"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Derek Prentice]] || [[Boromir]],<ref name="RT1674"/> [[Faramir]],<ref name="RT1725"/> [[Beregond]], <ref name="RT1726"/> Orcs, <ref name="RT1727"/> Additional voices<ref name="RT1672"/><ref name="RT1673"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Bernard Rebel]] || [[Gríma|Wormtongue]]<ref name="RT1724"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Prunella Scales]] || [[Ioreth]]<ref name="RT1727"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[Gerik Schjelderup]] || [[Gollum]], <ref name="RT1723"/> Orcs<ref name="RT1723"/> | |||
|- | |||
| [[Norman Shelley]] || [[Gandalf]],<ref name="RT1674"/> [[Tom Bombadil]],<ref name="RT1672"/><ref name="L175">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Humphrey Carpenter]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (eds.), ''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 175]] (dated [[30 November|November 30]], [[1955]])</ref> An Old Man,<ref name="RT1723"/> Additional voices<ref name="RT1673"/> | |||
|- | |||
| [[Roger Snowdon]] || Orcs<ref name="RT1675"/><ref name="RT1723"/><ref name="RT1727"/> | |||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
Adapted by [[Terence Tiller]]. | Adapted by [[Terence Tiller]].<ref name="L193">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Humphrey Carpenter]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (eds.), ''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 193]] (dated [[2 November|November 2]], [[1956]])</ref> Music by [[Anthony Smith-Masters]].<ref name="RT1672"/> | ||
= | |||
==Differences from the book== | |||
*In the first six episodes, dialogue was preserved as much as possible, but in the last six, some liberty had to be taken.<ref name="CaG">[[Wayne G. Hammond]], [[Christina Scull]], ''[[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide]] [[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide:Reader's Guide|Reader's Guide]]'', "Adaptations", pp. 8-23</ref> | |||
* The second part of the series had to have a lot of cuts because executives at the [[BBC]] were not as fond of ''The Lord of the Rings'' as the listeners were.<ref name="CaG"/> | |||
*'''Tom Bombadil:''' Considered by Tolkien "dreadful", though it is left unexplained why.<ref name="L175"/> | |||
*'''[[Goldberry]]:''' She was portrayed as Bombadil's daughter.<ref name="L175"/> Tiller later apologized to Tolkien, stating he had thought the age difference between the two too large to portray them as a couple.<ref name="CaG"/> | |||
*'''[[Old Man Willow|Willowman]]:''' He is shown in league with [[Mordor]], rather than just an antagonist of the Hobbits.<ref name="L175"/> | |||
*'''[[Glóin]]:''' He was given a German accent. Tolkien thought he was not too bad, though a bit exaggerated.<ref name="L176">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Humphrey Carpenter]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (eds.), ''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 176]] (dated [[8 December|December 8]], [[1955]])</ref> | |||
*'''The [[Council of Elrond]]''': Severely trimmed, only the base actions and characters remained.<ref name="CaG"/> | |||
{{references}} | |||
{{title|italics}} | |||
[[Category:Radio adaptations]] | [[Category:Radio adaptations]] |
Revision as of 06:17, 24 May 2016
In 1955, the BBC Radio Third Programme aired a treatment of The Fellowship of the Ring in six episodes. A year later, six episodes on The Two Towers and The Return of the King followed. Though only the latter six episodes were called thus, the entire series has become known as the 1955 radio series of The Lord of the Rings. No recordings of this series are known to have survived.
Episodes
- The Fellowship of the Ring
- Episode 1: November 14, 1955[1]
- Episode 2: ?
- Episode 3: "Aragorn", November 29, 1955[2]
- Episode 4: "Many Meetings", December 4, 1955[3]
- Episode 5: "The Moria Gate", December 11, 1955[4]
- Episode 6: "The Breaking of the Fellowship", December 18, 1955[5]
- The Lord of the Rings
- Episode 1: "Fangorn", November 19, 1956[6]
- Episode 2: "Rohan and Isengard", November 26, 1956[7]
- Episode 3: "Into the Dark", December 2, 1956[8]
- Episode 4: "The Siege of Gondor", December 9, 1956[9]
- Episode 5: "Minas Tirith and Mount Doom", December 16, 1956[10]
- Episode 6: December 23, 1956[10]
Cast
Actor | Role |
---|---|
John Baker | Orcs[6] |
Nicolette Bernard | Unspecified (presumably Goldberry),[2] Galadriel[5] |
Oliver Burt | Frodo[2] |
Michael Collins | Merry[2] |
Frank Duncan | Legolas,[4] Halbarad,[9] Additional voices[2][3] |
Valentine Dyall | Treebeard,[6] Théoden,[7] Orcs[5] |
Robert Farquharson | Saruman,[7] Denethor[9] |
Felix Felton | Bilbo,[4] Voice of Sauron,[7] The Black Captain,[10] Orcs,[6] Additional voices[2][3] |
Garard Green | Elrond,[4] Celeborn,[5] Additional voices[3] |
Olive Gregg | Éowyn[10] |
Derek Hart | Narrator[2] |
David Hemmings | Bergil[9] |
Noel Johnson | Éomer[6] |
Basil Jones | Pippin[2] |
Godfrey Kenton | Aragorn,[2] Mablung, [5] Additional voices[3] |
Eric Lugg | Gimli,[4] Additional voices[3] |
Victor Platt | Sam[2] |
Derek Prentice | Boromir,[4] Faramir,[8] Beregond, [9] Orcs, [10] Additional voices[2][3] |
Bernard Rebel | Wormtongue[7] |
Prunella Scales | Ioreth[10] |
Gerik Schjelderup | Gollum, [6] Orcs[6] |
Norman Shelley | Gandalf,[4] Tom Bombadil,[2][11] An Old Man,[6] Additional voices[3] |
Roger Snowdon | Orcs[5][6][10] |
Adapted by Terence Tiller.[12] Music by Anthony Smith-Masters.[2]
Differences from the book
- In the first six episodes, dialogue was preserved as much as possible, but in the last six, some liberty had to be taken.[1]
- The second part of the series had to have a lot of cuts because executives at the BBC were not as fond of The Lord of the Rings as the listeners were.[1]
- Tom Bombadil: Considered by Tolkien "dreadful", though it is left unexplained why.[11]
- Goldberry: She was portrayed as Bombadil's daughter.[11] Tiller later apologized to Tolkien, stating he had thought the age difference between the two too large to portray them as a couple.[1]
- Willowman: He is shown in league with Mordor, rather than just an antagonist of the Hobbits.[11]
- Glóin: He was given a German accent. Tolkien thought he was not too bad, though a bit exaggerated.[13]
- The Council of Elrond: Severely trimmed, only the base actions and characters remained.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Wayne G. Hammond, Christina Scull, The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide Reader's Guide, "Adaptations", pp. 8-23
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1672, November 25, 1955
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1673, December 2, 1955
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1674, December 9, 1955
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Radio Times, Volume 129, No. 1675, December 16, 1955
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1723, November 16, 1956
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1724, November 23, 1956
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1725, November 30, 1956
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1726, December 7, 1956
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1727, December 14, 1956
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 175 (dated November 30, 1955)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 193 (dated November 2, 1956)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 176 (dated December 8, 1955)