The BBC Radio 4 Literary James Bond Adaptations (starring Toby Stephens)

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  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,494
    The radio adaptation of 'Live and Let Die' featuring Toby Stephens as James Bond will air on Saturday, 4 May, 2019 at 2:30PM on BBC Radio 4.

    https://bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004sb9
  • Thanks, excellent news.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    Thank you for the advance notice. I'll be recording this!
  • Posts: 40
    Kevin Daniels who is playing Mr Big seems to have a background in comedy I hope this does lead to an over the top performance.
  • Posts: 152
    These adaptations are really enjoyable.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    Kevin Daniels who is playing Mr Big seems to have a background in comedy I hope this does lead to an over the top performance.

    I'm sure he'll make a BIG impression! ;)
  • Posts: 1,165
    Fantastic. Thanks so much for the heads up. It’s a great year for LALD fans, first this, then the graphic novel in Sept, plus there are rumours of a revised Folio Society edition.
  • Posts: 4,023
    Thanks for the heads up.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    Yay! I've loved all these so far.
  • edited May 2019 Posts: 847
    Just for know : can UK user can download the replay on the bbc website ? (The option doesn't appear here in France).
  • Posts: 4,023
    Just for know : can UK user can download the replay on the bbc website ? (The option doesn't appear here in France).

    I couldn't when I tried
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    It would be great if the BBC sold these new radio adaptations on CD for the Bond collector to enjoy in a permanent format. They're really missing a trick by not having done this thus far.
  • Posts: 12,837
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    It would be great if the BBC sold these new radio adaptations on CD for the Bond collector to enjoy in a permanent format. They're really missing a trick by not having done this thus far.

    Well according to a member on here, a different company once came close to doing Bond audio dramas (this was a while back, before they'd started these radio adaptations) for commercial realease, but EON got cold feet at the last minute because they were worried about it affecting DVD sales for some reason. So these radio plays not being commercially available is likely the only reason EON allowed them to happen in the first place.
  • Yes, apparently Big Finish (who are behind a lot of audio drama productions such as Doctor Who, The Prisoner, etc were in talks to produce the original books as dramas until EON raised the concerns over them impacting on home entertainment sales.

    The BBC originally managed to agree a one-off production of Doctor No for the centenary of Flemings' birth. It was so well received that they have been allowed to continue with them as long as they are not downloadable (see further down) or available for purchase from the BBC. As it stands I make it that (including the version of YOLT with Michael Jayston as Bond), the Beeb (or at least Jarvis & Ayres on behalf of the Beeb) have produced 9 out of the 12 full novels. I doubt they'd be able to do a successful adaptation of the original TSWLM, given how the structure is so vastly different to anu other Bond Novel, so that's just CR and TMWTGG of the original Fleming novels left to go! Maybe they'll do a version of Colonel Sun (I can hope).

    Interestingly with LALD, that makes Toby Stephens the actor who's played Bond in the most officially licenced Dramatic presentations, with 8 appearances. Well done Toby!
    As for being able to download the Beeb dramas from iPlayer, there *are* ways of doing it (not that I am suggesting that anyone should try these, of course). There are programs like Get_iPlayer Automator that work with both Windows & Mac that allow folks to download pretty much anything on either the BBC or ITV.

    For the adaptations that are no longer on iPlayer, there used to be copies of them on youtube that you could stream in good quality.
  • Posts: 2,436
    Yes, apparently Big Finish (who are behind a lot of audio drama productions such as Doctor Who, The Prisoner, etc were in talks to produce the original books as dramas until EON raised the concerns over them impacting on home entertainment sales.

    The BBC originally managed to agree a one-off production of Doctor No for the centenary of Flemings' birth. It was so well received that they have been allowed to continue with them as long as they are not downloadable (see further down) or available for purchase from the BBC. As it stands I make it that (including the version of YOLT with Michael Jayston as Bond), the Beeb (or at least Jarvis & Ayres on behalf of the Beeb) have produced 9 out of the 12 full novels. I doubt they'd be able to do a successful adaptation of the original TSWLM, given how the structure is so vastly different to anu other Bond Novel, so that's just CR and TMWTGG of the original Fleming novels left to go! Maybe they'll do a version of Colonel Sun (I can hope).

    Interestingly with LALD, that makes Toby Stephens the actor who's played Bond in the most officially licenced Dramatic presentations, with 8 appearances. Well done Toby!
    As for being able to download the Beeb dramas from iPlayer, there *are* ways of doing it (not that I am suggesting that anyone should try these, of course). There are programs like Get_iPlayer Automator that work with both Windows & Mac that allow folks to download pretty much anything on either the BBC or ITV.

    For the adaptations that are no longer on iPlayer, there used to be copies of them on youtube that you could stream in good quality.

    There is software that will record your screen ... audio and video ...
  • Yes, apparently Big Finish (who are behind a lot of audio drama productions such as Doctor Who, The Prisoner, etc were in talks to produce the original books as dramas until EON raised the concerns over them impacting on home entertainment sales.

    The BBC originally managed to agree a one-off production of Doctor No for the centenary of Flemings' birth. It was so well received that they have been allowed to continue with them as long as they are not downloadable (see further down) or available for purchase from the BBC. As it stands I make it that (including the version of YOLT with Michael Jayston as Bond), the Beeb (or at least Jarvis & Ayres on behalf of the Beeb) have produced 9 out of the 12 full novels. I doubt they'd be able to do a successful adaptation of the original TSWLM, given how the structure is so vastly different to anu other Bond Novel, so that's just CR and TMWTGG of the original Fleming novels left to go! Maybe they'll do a version of Colonel Sun (I can hope).

    Interestingly with LALD, that makes Toby Stephens the actor who's played Bond in the most officially licenced Dramatic presentations, with 8 appearances. Well done Toby!
    As for being able to download the Beeb dramas from iPlayer, there *are* ways of doing it (not that I am suggesting that anyone should try these, of course). There are programs like Get_iPlayer Automator that work with both Windows & Mac that allow folks to download pretty much anything on either the BBC or ITV.

    For the adaptations that are no longer on iPlayer, there used to be copies of them on youtube that you could stream in good quality.

    There is software that will record your screen ... audio and video ...

    There is indeed. However, for ease of creating a simple mp3 for radio program or video file of a TV show, Get_iPlayer Automator is (I hear!) the simplest way. I couldn't, of course, say that I use it regularly to save radio broadcasts like LALD (along with the other BBC Radio Bond dramas), I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, etc or TV shows like Dr Who, QI, Endeavour, and many more besides. Seriously, I suggest you check it out.
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,494
    I managed to download all of the radio plays thus far using an archive page, but I can't remember how I found it.

    If anyone is after a specific one, I still have them all saved ;)
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    Yes, apparently Big Finish (who are behind a lot of audio drama productions such as Doctor Who, The Prisoner, etc were in talks to produce the original books as dramas until EON raised the concerns over them impacting on home entertainment sales.

    The BBC originally managed to agree a one-off production of Doctor No for the centenary of Flemings' birth. It was so well received that they have been allowed to continue with them as long as they are not downloadable (see further down) or available for purchase from the BBC. As it stands I make it that (including the version of YOLT with Michael Jayston as Bond), the Beeb (or at least Jarvis & Ayres on behalf of the Beeb) have produced 9 out of the 12 full novels. I doubt they'd be able to do a successful adaptation of the original TSWLM, given how the structure is so vastly different to anu other Bond Novel, so that's just CR and TMWTGG of the original Fleming novels left to go! Maybe they'll do a version of Colonel Sun (I can hope).

    Interestingly with LALD, that makes Toby Stephens the actor who's played Bond in the most officially licenced Dramatic presentations, with 8 appearances. Well done Toby!
    As for being able to download the Beeb dramas from iPlayer, there *are* ways of doing it (not that I am suggesting that anyone should try these, of course). There are programs like Get_iPlayer Automator that work with both Windows & Mac that allow folks to download pretty much anything on either the BBC or ITV.

    For the adaptations that are no longer on iPlayer, there used to be copies of them on youtube that you could stream in good quality.

    For that statement alone I salute you, @Fearless_Fred! May I extend a warm welcome to you to our MI6 Community! I can already tell you will be a valuable addition to the ranks.

    You know I'd never even considered the possibility of these BBC radio plays doing one of the Bond continuation novels as well! However, with Kingsley Amis' Colonel Sun being as near to an honorary part of the Fleming canon as you can get it would be great to see it get a radio adaptation!

    Something that does give me hope (as a longtime advocate of the Bond continuation novels and their film adaptation) is the fact that the last Bond film Spectre (2015) contained a scene that adapted and quoted verbatim from the torture scene of Colonel Sun. That was the first overt use of a continuation novel as a source for a Bond film script. If that precedent is anything to go by (see my thread on that subject here: https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/18579/has-the-use-of-the-colonel-sun-torture-scene-in-spectre-set-a-precedent-for-future-james-bond-films) then a radio adaptation could well be on the cards.

    I'd certainly heartily endorse such a radio adaptation and if Jarvis & Ayres or the BBC are perchance reading this post I'd say just more one thing: Do it!
  • Dragonpol wrote: »
    For that statement alone I salute you, @Fearless_Fred! May I extend a warm welcome to you to our MI6 Community! I can already tell you will be a valuable addition to the ranks.

    You know I'd never even considered the possibility of these BBC radio plays doing one of the Bond continuation novels as well! However, with Kingsley Amis' Colonel Sun being as near to an honorary part of the Fleming canon as you can get it would be great to see it get a radio adaptation!

    Something that does give me hope (as a longtime advocate of the Bond continuation novels and their film adaptation) is the fact that the last Bond film Spectre (2015) contained a scene that adapted and quoted verbatim from the torture scene of Colonel Sun. That was the first overt use of a continuation novel as a source for a Bond film script. If that precedent is anything to go by (see my thread on that subject here: https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/18579/has-the-use-of-the-colonel-sun-torture-scene-in-spectre-set-a-precedent-for-future-james-bond-films) then a radio adaptation could well be on the cards.

    I'd certainly heartily endorse such a radio adaptation and if Jarvis & Ayres or the BBC are perchance reading this post I'd say just more one thing: Do it!
    Thanks for the welcome! I've often popped in to the discussion forums to browse, but decided this time to actually comment. Been a *LONG* time Bond fan ever since I saw my first Bond Film (YOLT) when it was (I believe) first shown on British TV in 1977. I used to have a full 15 book set with the "Girls with Guns" covers. Sadly my parents got rid of them when I went to college, so I have to make do with the Penguin set from 2006.

    I have a doubt that the Radio adaptations will include any continuation novels, sadly. I just think that EON will consider that a step too far. However, it'll depend on the precise legal terms between EON and Ian Fleming Publications Ltd & The Ian Fleming Estate. The former hold the Film rights, the latter two hold the Book rights (hence the recent novels from Faulks, Deaver, Boyd, & Horowitz). If (and it's a BIG if) the terms allow IFP Ltd & IFE to produce an audio dramatisation of any published works, then there's a hope. They already hold the rights to Audiobook versions, but I somehow doubt that on its own is enough to cover a full-blown dramatised version.

    They'd also have to consider how to handle the role that Martin Jarvis plays in the production. He's effectively the Narrator, but it's billed & announced as "The voice of Ian Fleming". Do they switch to "The Voice of XXX XXXX"? Or what about "Extra Narration by Martin Jarvis"?

    Anyway, let's keep out fingers crossed that they *can* somehow keep going with these audio versions.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,350
    I'm so glad these are still being made and are always the same high quality.

    People always ask for the films to be set in the 50's/60's but this is it. You couldn't get closer or do better. The lack of action and increase of dialogue would never work unless you remarketed what Bond films were. I'm so pleased they exist and hope the last four are made.
  • Posts: 12,837
    Samuel001 wrote: »
    I'm so glad these are still being made and are always the same high quality.

    People always ask for the films to be set in the 50's/60's but this is it. You couldn't get closer or do better. The lack of action and increase of dialogue would never work unless you remarketed what Bond films were. I'm so pleased they exist and hope the last four are made.

    I agree that this is probably the closest we'll get, as EON don't seem bothered about branching out/franchising, but there is another avenue where it could work. TV. I think you're right, people have certain expectations from Bond films now that'd make faithful adaptations of the books impossible. And to be honest I wouldn't want the films to go down that road either. Bond has always moved with the times. That's how the films have gone on so long and it should never change.

    But a TV series would be a different thing altogether. If made and marketed towards the right (adult, post watershed) crowd, it'd have none of the blockbuster expectations that the films do. TV drama in general is much more slow burn anyway, and we're in a golden age of it right now in terms of production values, famous actors, writing quality, etc. It's not an inferior medium anymore. So I reckon the BBC (I'd kill for a Moffat/Gattiss Bond series) or HBO or someone could do a brilliant job of adapting the novels if given the chance.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,350
    With TV being ‘free’ and film something you have to pay for, I believe film will always be seen as the grander of the two and would rather that type of production be made for cinema screens. With an extra hour on top of these radio dramas EON could give it a good go, set in today’s world. Maybe this is what Danny Boyle would have done as coming into from the books you’d have a different view but we’ll never know. ‘Not enough action’ would always be a sticking point.

    Back to these radio plays, it will be great to listen to them in order when the set is complete.
  • It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out as it's probably one of the novels that is the most dated.

    I'm looking forward to hearing Toby Stephens' portrayal in YOLT. His performance really rings true to Bond from the books.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    Are they doing another one of these BBC radio plays? I'm a bit out of the loop I'm afraid.
  • Dragonpol wrote: »
    Are they doing another one of these BBC radio plays? I'm a bit out of the loop I'm afraid.

    From what I heard, the original plan was to cover all.of Fleming's works. I think they're more sporadic now but we can hope that they'll eventually be completed.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    Ryan1991 wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Are they doing another one of these BBC radio plays? I'm a bit out of the loop I'm afraid.

    From what I heard, the original plan was to cover all.of Fleming's works. I think they're more sporadic now but we can hope that they'll eventually be completed.

    Yes, it looks like they're going to do all of the Fleming Bond novels and maybe even the short stories too somehow though that remains to be seen of course.

    I just thought that with the revival of my thread I'd perhaps missed an announcement on the next Radio 4 adaptation! :)
  • Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ryan1991 wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Are they doing another one of these BBC radio plays? I'm a bit out of the loop I'm afraid.

    From what I heard, the original plan was to cover all.of Fleming's works. I think they're more sporadic now but we can hope that they'll eventually be completed.

    Yes, it looks like they're going to do all of the Fleming Bond novels and maybe even the short stories too somehow though that remains to be seen of course.

    I just thought that with the revival of my thread I'd perhaps missed an announcement on the next Radio 4 adaptation! :)

    Sorry to get your hopes up. I can't imagine YOLT will be far away. They've done practically all the others.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    Ryan1991 wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ryan1991 wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Are they doing another one of these BBC radio plays? I'm a bit out of the loop I'm afraid.

    From what I heard, the original plan was to cover all.of Fleming's works. I think they're more sporadic now but we can hope that they'll eventually be completed.

    Yes, it looks like they're going to do all of the Fleming Bond novels and maybe even the short stories too somehow though that remains to be seen of course.

    I just thought that with the revival of my thread I'd perhaps missed an announcement on the next Radio 4 adaptation! :)

    Sorry to get your hopes up. I can't imagine YOLT will be far away. They've done practically all the others.

    Don't worry about that. Yes, I'll be looking forward to them doing YOLT even though BBC Radio did a good version of it back in 1990 with Michael Jayston as Bond.
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