Tales from the Perilous Realm, J. R. R. Tolkien
Tales from the Perilous Realm, J. R. R. Tolkien
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Tales from the Perilous Realm
Four BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien, Brian Sibley

Narrator: Full Cast, Michael Hordern, Brian Blessed, Brian Sibley, Alfred Molina, James Grout, Nigel Planer

Unabridged: 4 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/02/2017

Categories: Fiction, Fantasy


Synopsis

Four BBC radio dramatisations starring Michael Hordern as Tolkien – plus a special archive compilation exploring Tolkien’s life and work

The tales in this collection all reflect an aspect of what Tolkien himself called ‘the perilous realm of Faerie’. Adapted for radio by Brian Sibley, co-writer of the acclaimed BBC radio production of The Lord of the Rings, they are rich in myth, magic and adventure. Among the supporting cast are Brian Blessed, Nigel Planer, Sorcha Cusack, Paul Copley and James Grout.

In Farmer Giles of Ham, having accidentally shot a giant, Farmer Giles’ brave reputation is tested by Chrysophylax the dragon. In Smith of Wootton Major, a young boy eats a piece of cake containing
a silver star, and is granted access to the magical land of Fäerie. Leaf by Niggle is a thought-provoking allegory of the creative process, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil features Tom and the Hobbits in scenes from The Lord of the Rings which were not included in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation.

Also included is J R R Tolkien: An Audio Portrait, in which Brian Sibley draws together interviews from radio and television programmes featuring the author himself, his original publisher Rayner Unwin, his biographer Humphrey Carpenter and many others torelate the story of both Tolkien the man and the worlds he created.

Duration: 5 hours 50 mins

Reviews

Goodreads review by Lou on July 23, 2025

Story Enjoyment Rating: 7/10 Christian Faith Rating: 1/3 I recently listened to Tales from the Perilous Realm, an audiobook collection featuring dramatised versions of Tolkien's work with multiple voice actors. It's essentially a compilation of various short stories and a non-fiction, documentary-sty......more

Goodreads review by Betsy on September 14, 2019

Loved the quality of the production! Spot on voice acting, music, sound effects--everything. Highly recommend to any Tolkien fan.......more

Goodreads review by Laurel on September 29, 2019

This excellent BBC Radio dramatization of four of Tolkien’s tales features Michael Hornden as narrator. Included: Farmer Giles of Ham/Smith of Wootton Major/Leaf by Niggle/The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.......more

Goodreads review by Grace on January 01, 2025

I know I have tried to read Farmer Giles of Ham but didn't really get into it. But listening to the audio version was delightful.......more

Goodreads review by Vicki on November 15, 2024

Some stories were better than others.......more