Coming June 6th…

Coming June 6th…
The Mercy Chair
"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

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Thursday 3 May 2012

May 2012



And so, it's May and I hardly know where to start on this month's posting. As the Big Finish headline has it, 'The Gate' is indeed reopening with the release of the first trilogy of Stargate SG-1 audio-dramas. If you've seen previous updates from September 2011 and January 2012, you might be aware that my overall involvement in recording this series spanned something like seven months, during which, at some point, I played all the characters, with the exception of 'Thor', who appears in the second trilogy. Consequently, I feel like I've made quite an investment in the project and the months of wondering about how it all might turn out are nearly over. To say that I'm keenly looking forward to listening to the finished recording would be quite an understatement - I can't wait!

 Stargate SG-1 Series 3 Part 1:

Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran)  
Cliff Simon (Ba’al)
John Schwab (Major Hunter)
Andrew Collins (Keto),
Stephen Hogan (Olssen)
Susan Franklyn (Rix)
Alex Mallinson (Airman/Robot/Jaffa)  Paul Hyu (Lt Colonel Yin)
Andrew Whipp (Zoder)
Regina Reagan (Wellan)
Anna Tolputt (La’rath)
John Banks (Korek)







A shooting in the heart of Stargate Command is only the beginning for Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran.
Suddenly it’s friend against friend, none of their allies can be relied upon and they’re the universe’s only hope to foil the latest scheme concocted by the last System Lord, Ba’al.Will Daniel, Vala and a few of Vala’s less than savoury friends be enough to stop a conspiracy that reaches deep into the heart of Stargate Command and threatens to destroy everything they’ve spent years building?

Written By: James Swallow, Sally Malcolm, Steve Lyons
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman and Jason Haigh-Ellery



This photo was taken during our first recording session and features L-R:

James Swallow, Paul Spragg,
John Schwab, Andrew Whipp,    
Regina Reagan, Anna Tolputt                     
& John Banks.









And if that's not exciting enough, there's another release this month that I've been very much looking forward to listening to, Trail of The White Worm:

Tom Baker (The Doctor),   
Louise Jameson (Leela),   
Geoffrey Beevers (The Master), Michael Cochrane (Colonel Spindleton),   
Rachael Stirling (Demesne Furze) 
John Banks (Carswell/Mercenary)
Becci Gemmell (Julie)
Mark Field (John)









Written By: Alan Barnes
Directed By: Ken Bentley 




The legend dates back to Roman times, at least: a great White Worm, as wide as a man, slithers out of the rocks of the Dark Peak Gap to take animals, sometimes even children, for its food.
When the Doctor and Leela arrive in the wilds of Derbyshire, only to get caught up in the hunt for a missing girl, they soon discover that the legend of the Worm is very much alive – even now, in 1979.
Worse still, it seems that the Doctor isn't the only renegade Time Lord on the trail of this deadly and mysterious Worm…

Big Finish's brand spanking new website, created by the deeply talented Richard Dinnick, is now up and running and I would urge you to have a look round the new site. It's very 'user friendly' and there are many new features and much more information about the whole of BF's output. Particularly interesting for me is the new edition of Vortex Magazine, which is available to view or download directly from the website. It has some great features and articles, lots of information on Stargate and has Nicola Bryant looking forward to the latest series of Doctor Who Lost Stories; there'll be more on my involvement in that series here in July.

April was a very busy month for me and May is shaping up to be equally active and I'd love to be able to ramble on about what's happening. Some recent posts mention work projects without providing details of who or what was involved, which is quite frustrating. However, for reasons I'm sure you will appreciate, Big Finish are keen to have full control as to what specific information is released and when and I'm equally keen to respect their commercial integrity. Therefore, I'll try to keep future postings centred around what has actually been announced by them.

By the way, did I mention that Stargate SG-1 is now available?


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