The Hobbit (1968) Dramatisation {Cassette Rip} – BBC Radio, J.R.R. Tolkien Free Audiobook

Written by BBC Radio, J.R.R. Tolkien
Read by Full Cast
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 192 Kbps

True cassette rip in Stereo followed by volume normalization and cleaning of low and high frequency muffling and sharpness.

The radio dramatisation of The Hobbit became a classic when it was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1968 and it continues to delight today. Tolkien’s famous saga, the prelude to the Lord of the Rings, has all the ingredients of fantasy and adventure: dwarves, elves, goblins and trolls, a fearsome dragon, a great wizard, a perilous quest, and a dramatic climax. At the centre is the unsuspecting hero Bilbo Baggins, a home-loving unambitious Hobbit who is suddenly thrust into the biggest, indeed the only adventure of his life.

The Hobbit is a 1968 BBC Radio adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 children’s fantasy novel of the same name.

The radio series follows the plot of the original novel (revised 1951 version) very closely, except for the addition of The Tale Bearer, a narrator whose account of the story is often interrupted and embellished by the protagonist Bilbo Baggins in the role of secondary narrator.

Bilbo is approached by the wizard Gandalf to undertake a dangerous adventure, and despite his initial reluctance he soon finds himself accompanying Thorin Oakenshield and his party of dwarves on a long and difficult quest to recover the dwarves’ treasure from Smaug the dragon. On the way, he encounters trolls, goblins and giant spiders, and finds a magic ring with the power of invisibility.

Part 05 contains 9¼ minutes of additional music, which was taken from BBC records, David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London play music by David Cain recorded in 1971. The tracks include:
Opening and Bilbo’s Theme (1:58)
Elves’ Dances (1:38)
Bilbo’s Lullaby (2:10)
Fanfare and Dance in Esgaroth (3:31)

Main Cast:
Anthony Jackson – The Tale Bearer
Paul Daneman – Bilbo
Francis de Wolff – Smaug
John Justin – Thorin
Heron Carvic – Gandalf
Leonard Fenton – Elvenking
John Pullen – Elrond
Wolfe Morris – Gollum
Duncan McIntyre – Bombur
Lockwood West – Dwalin
Peter Pratt – Balin
Alexander John – Dori
Peter Williams – Bard the Bowman
Denis McCarthy – Great Goblin

Music composed by David Cain
Performed by David Munrow with The Early Music Consort
Special sound effects and voice treatments by David Cain and Dick Mills, BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Produced by John Powell