"John Banks is one of the UK's most prolific audiobook narrators, working for the likes of Big Finish, Audible, Random House and Games Workshop.

He is a true multi-voice, creating everything from monsters to marauding aliens.

He is also an accomplished stage and TV actor."

audible.co.uk 2018

Hello...

...I'm John Banks - welcome to my website.

The majority of my working life has been spent in the theatre with companies including
York Theatre Royal, Cheltenham Everyman, Sheffield Crucible, Bristol Old Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange and the National Theatre in London.

Television work includes Emmerdale, Coronation Street, and 'Allo, Allo!'. I have also worked on a number of radio drama and comedy productions with the BBC.

Since March 2009, I have enjoyed playing a huge variety of characters in more than 270* audio-drama stories with Big Finish Productions, together with The Black Library/Games Workshop, details of which can be found in the postings below.


There are also details listed here of the 214* audio books & stories I've recorded since March 2013,
including the unabridged New Revised Standard Version of The Bible, for companies including audible.co.uk, Hachette, Audible Studios, Podium Audio Publishing, HarperCollins, RNIB, W.F. Howes, Little Brown Group, Penguin Random House, Games Workshop, Orion, Fantom Films & Ladbroke Audio.

(*figures at April 2021)

I hope you find something of interest here and come back soon for further updates.


For all posts, reviews and audio samples, please scroll down...

The Runewar Saga: Book 2

The Runewar Saga: Book 2
The Crown of Fire & Fury

The Botanist

The Botanist
Washington Poe Series: Book 5

Skaven Deathmaster

The Babel Books

The Babel Books
The Fall of Babel - click image above for link to audible

Doctor Who: Back To Earth

Throne of Light: Dawn of Fire Book 4

Throne of Light: Dawn of Fire Book 4
Release Date: 13th November 2021

Soul Wars

Media Content

This Windows 10 Googleblog is designed and best viewed on Firefox; unfortunately, some media content may not function properly with other browsers or operating systems.

Search This Blog

Friday 27 July 2012

Mary Tamm

Announced yesterday, 26th July, was the very sad news that Mary Tamm has passed away. I had the great pleasure of working with Mary earlier in the year and news of her death has come as a great shock.

We got along together very well indeed and Mary was always very kind to me. We shared northern roots and her Yorkshire pride was quite evident; sometimes during recording, we'd both slip into heavy Yorkshire accents and make each other laugh.

When working with Mary, I always felt that I needed to be 'on my toes'; I wanted to be as good as I possibly could be simply because she was so good and set such a high standard.

I didn't know Mary well, but I'll certainly remember her with great affection and admiration.                                        

Saturday 21 July 2012

Radio On...

 Series I & II of Graceless are to be broadcast next week on:



A series of linked sci-fi tales by Simon Guerrier about two young but powerful girls cast adrift in a hostile universe. Can they put a troubled past behind them and make a go of their lives? Starring Ciara Janson and Laura Doddington.

Monday to Friday at 6pm and Midnight




Series I is scheduled for broadcast at 6pm and midnight GMT
on 23rd, 24th & 25th July.

This first series was recorded some time ago, before I started working with Big Finish and I had no involvement in it.



I am however involved in two of the three episodes of the second series, The Line and The Flood.

These two episodes are scheduled for broadcast on 26th, 27th July at 6pm and midnight GMT and on 28th at midnight. If that sounds confusing, here's a link to the BBC Radio 4 Extra web site: BBC Radio 4 Extra

As the broadcasts are digital, they should be available globally on-line. If you get a chance to listen, I hope you enjoy the stories.

  
Further details are available in the February posting.

Sunday 1 July 2012

July 2012

And it's July - the beginning of a new month already and quite a bit to look forward to in terms of audio-drama releases.

The 'big news' for July is the first box set issue of an entirely new four part series, Counter Measures.


Here's what Big Finish have to say about it: 

After the mysterious events at Coal Hill School, the British government has created the Counter-Measures group, a specialist team that investigates strange phenomena and dangerous technology. Their first missions will involve a haunted warehouse, a ground-breaking artificial intelligence, a mysterious new town and a threat to the future of the country...


Four full cast audio dramas plus behind the scenes documentary:


Threshold by Paul Finch
A missing scientist and ghostly phenomena bring Gilmore and Allison to a factory in Bermondsey, and the discovery of a science that should not exist. As Rachel Jensen returns to help them, a new future for Counter-Measures is set in motion...


 





Artificial Intelligence by Matt Fitton
Investigating a suicide at the Sen-Gen Facility, the group discovers a new weapon in the Cold War – and Gilmore meets an old flame. Meanwhile Rachel discovers that she can’t trust anyone, not even the sound of her own voice...


The Pelage Project by Ian Potter
A case of industrial pollution leads the group to the new industrial town Pelage, and a dangerous meeting with its leader Ken Temple. And deep within the plant it appears that an alien invasion is already underway...
 






State of Emergency by Justin Richards
There are creatures from another dimension on the streets, and traitors in the halls of Westminster. When the government is in jeopardy, Rachel, Allison and Gilmore take on a faction staging a very un-British coup...

Directed By: Ken Bentley 

In some capacity or other, I worked on all four episodes and enjoyed the experience immensely. As a 'child of the 60's' and a great fan of TV shows such as The Avengers, The Prisoner, Doomwatch etc, this series was right up my street and as usual, I'm really looking forward to listening to it.


l-r: John Banks, Pamela Salem, Helen Goldwyn, Karen Gledhill, Hugh Ross, Stephen Greif & Ken Bentley


"John Banks is lovely, he's a chameleon."   Karen Gledhill   Vortex Magazine


l-r: The Team: Pamela Salem, Hugh Ross, Simon Williams & Karen Gledhill


'Counter-Measures is a triumph for all concerned' - Doctor Who Magazine. 


Speaking of which, my copy of May's Stargate SG-1 arrived a few days ago, so I'm listening to that quite a bit at the moment and eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Oseidon Adventure, (which seems to have elicited a generally positive response), and the second of last month's releases, The Butcher of Brisbane.

________________________________________________________________

My other audio-drama release this month is The First Sontarans and again, here's what it's all about:

1872. After finding a strange signalling device on the moon, the Doctor and Peri travel to the depths of the English countryside to track down the source of its transmissions. But they're not the first aliens to arrive on the scene.

Old enemies of the Doctor are drawing their battle lines in the forest and the local humans will be lucky to escape the conflagration unscathed.

For hidden within this village is a deadly secret - a secret that could destroy the entire Sontaran race... and reveal the terrible mystery of their creation.





Colin Baker  The Doctor Nicola Bryant  Peri Dan Starkey  Jaka Anthony Howell  Jacob 
Lizzie Roper  Jane Ross  John Banks  The Gentleman - Commander Lork - Rutan 
Cameron Stewart  Major Thessinger


l-r: Ken Bentley, Dan Starkey, John Banks, Anthony Howell, Cameron Stewart, Andrew Smith, 
Nicola Bryant and Colin Baker.



Written By: Andrew Smith
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Reviews & comments:

'...and there’s ubiquitous Big Finisher John Banks; I was saying to John earlier, in the persona of the Gentleman he scares me! Again, it’s on the page and you think, ‘That’s not bad’, but when John takes it…
I think the opening scene is really scary, it really sets it up very, very well. You think, ‘This guy’s nasty, nasty, nasty and off his trolley’ and you wouldn’t want to be in the same room as him.'

Andrew Smith - writer
 
'To say that this is a fun and engaging story would be an understatement. It’s not only one of the finest releases from Big Finish this year but possibly in their whole catalogue.'

                                                                                      Meredith Burdett - Kasterborous Online Magazine


More news as soon as it happens...

Dalek Universe 2

Kragnos Broken Realms

Age of Sigmar Dominion

The Moggotkin of Nurgle

Kragnos Broken Realms

Dawn of Fire Book 1: Avenging Son

The Lore of Direchasm

Direchasm

A C'tan Shard Rises 3

Indomitus: Necrons 2

A Lord Among the Stars 1

Angels of Death Preview

Ultramarines

Psychic Awakening

Warcry: Death or Glory

Warhammer 40,000

Flight. Redefined.

Reviews & comments:

The Malazan Empire

Over the course of this 8 book series, the amazing John Banks has had to create and voice 648 distinct characters!

Neil Gardner - producer

The Door In The Wall & War of The Worlds

Not often I buy another version of an audiobook I own, but after hearing John Banks' narration of The Door in the Wall by Ladbroke Audio, I had to buy their version of The War of the Worlds. Banks has a great reading voice.

Andy Frankham-Allen - writer

The Books of Babel: Senlin Ascends, Arm of The Sphinx & The Hod King

Mr. Banks does superb work, and I recommend the audiobooks wholeheartedly!

Josiah Bancroft - writer

Mervyn Stone: The Axeman Cometh

John Banks is a voice genius...

Nev Fountain - writer

Mervyn Stone... played by the note-perfect John Banks.

Matt Hills - Reviews in Time and Space

Dr. Who: The Sleeping City

I also must draw attention to John Banks who is an exceptional voice artist and in this one story performs more characters that I can count. ... it is listening to episodes like this one that really do let his talents shine through.

Tony Jones - Red Rocket Rising

Highlander:

...playing several parts, was the brilliant Big Finish regular John Banks - it was as if there were about 40 different actors in the other booth.

James Moran - writer

I went for the best of the best and brought in voice artiste extraordinaire John Banks.

Paul Spragg - producer

Vienna:

...also features the mind - bogglingly versatile and reliable John Banks

Jonathan Morris - writer

Dead Funny:

The acting is first rate… wonderfully played by John Banks as Richard – his impersonation of Eric Morecambe is worth the admission money alone.

Beverly Greenberg: Bolton Evening News

Mr. Happiness:

This early and unfamiliar play by David Mamet is a character study of a 1930s radio counsellor, dispensing suave advice to his devoted listeners. John Banks brings out the wry comedy of this – comedy quite unappreciated by the character – with a clever range of gesture and vocal tone.

Jeremy Kingston: The Times


All My Sons:

This is a beautifully crafted piece ...and it affords a wonderful opportunity for John Readman* to do his All-American Boy act as Chris Keller. This most polished and well observed performance as the blighted son of a blighted father must rank as one of his finest accomplishments yet. ( * see Profile)

The Stage

The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes

Kudos should also go to John Banks. Lestrade can be a thankless part, but Banks rose to the challenge, playing a pivotal role in this decades long arc.

Raissa Devereux - SciFiPulse

The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes

John Banks is multi-tasking, both as the superb Lestrade and also the villainous and no doubt moustache twirling Sebastian Moran. They sound completely different and I bow to his talent.

Sue Davies - SFcrowsnest


Further reviews and comments are included with specific postings throughout the site.

The War Doctor

The War Doctor
December 2015