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 28 February 2013

'Allo 'Allo! on Gold



Well, the title says it all really.

UK TV Gold have started to broadcast 'Allo 'Allo! from the beginning. They're showing it twice a day, plus twice again on '+1' - even so, it could take a while to get to Series 5 when Corporal Caponi makes his debut.


Although my involvement in the show was relatively small, I remember working on it with great affection. It was an honour to work with such a cast of amazing and highly experienced actors; I learned a great deal from them and from the production team. I'll certainly be watching the show on Gold and if you decide to tune in, I hope you'll enjoy watching it too.


Tuesday 19 February 2013

Big Finish Day 3




With just over a month to go before Big Finish Day 3, I thought it about time to 'post the poster'. By coincidence, the convention falls on the final weekend performances of Port and there's a matinee on the day itself, which means unfortunately, I'll only be there for the morning activities. A shame to miss any of the day's events, I'll just have to make the most of the time I am able to be there - really looking forward to it!



For the latest information on who will be attending BFD3, follow this link: tenthplanetevents

 

PS:  I notice that Kim Hartman and Richard Gibson are due to appear. Hope we get the chance to say 'Allo 'Allo! - I haven't seen Kim or Richard since my last episode in 1989!

Saturday 2 February 2013

Vienna & Spaceport Fear

...but which one to start with?

I'm going with The Memory Box, the first ever story in the brand spanking new series Vienna, starring the fantastic Chase Masterson. Here are some details:

Berkeley Silver, one of the richest men in the Earth empire, lies dead in the Penthouse Suite of the Galileo space-hotel. Law Enforcement Officers Detective Captain McGinnis and Detective Sergeant Mead are called in to investigate – but it seems to have been the perfect crime. Even when subjected to a memory scan, everybody in the space-hotel has an alibi for the murder.

 
Which means it can only have been the work of one woman. The most accomplished – and the most glamorous – bounty hunter in the galaxy. 

Her name is Vienna Salvatori. And she has a little rule; nobody gets to hear her name and live...




The Memory Box is the second time I've had the great pleasure of working with Chase and very much hope we'll work together again soon. Just in case you're wondering where you might have seen her before, amongst her many film and television appearances, Chase is possibly best known for her role as Leeta in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.


Chase Masterson Vienna Salvatori  
John Banks McGinnis               
Gemma Whelan Mead         
Tom Price Norvelle Spraggott

Written By: Jonathan Morris
Directed By: Ken Bentley




Both Tom and Gemma were also a delight to work with and again, hopefully, our professional paths will cross again before long. Great thanks too to Jonathan Morris for such a fantastic script and to Ken Bentley for his inspirational direction.

Chase Masterson says:

"The Memory Box is a great romp. As with The Shadow Heart, writer Jonathan Morris takes us on a ride packed with twists and turns and farce - it's big fun. And Vienna is one of my favourite characters ever: the endearingly incorrigible killer we loved to hate in The Shadow Heart - completely unapologetic, even charming about her day job as a mercenary assassin. Plus, she usually manages to land on the side of justice. Vienna's quite a turn-on - I think you'll like her as much as I do."


...and finally, a tweet from Chase:

"Congrats, bigfinish & team #VIENNA! BriggsNicholas David Richardson KenBentley MarkWright PriceTom WhelanGemma John Banks! We ROCKED."

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The second Big Finish release this month, is a very strange and interesting story; Doctor Who: Spaceport Fear, in which I used the most extreme vocal sound I've ever come up with for The Wailers - can't wait to hear what might have happened to it during post-production! 



Welcome to Tantane Spaceport – where the tribes of Business and Economy have been at war for all of four hundred years...
Welcome to Tantane Spaceport – where a terrible creature called the Wailer prowls the corridors around the Control Tower, looking to eat the unwary...
Welcome to Tantane Spaceport – where there is one Arrival: a battered blue Police Box containing the time-travelling Doctor and his companion, Mel...
Welcome to Tantane Spaceport – where there are no Departures. Ever.



 Colin Baker The Doctor   Bonnie Langford Melanie Bush   Ronald Pickup Elder Bones 
Isabel Fay Naysmith   Gwilym Lee Pretty Swanson   Beth Chalmers Galpan - Beauty Swanson  
Adrian MacKinder Rogers - Game Voice   John Banks Wailers - Announcement - Mad Passenger

Written By: William Gallagher
Directed By: Barnaby Edwards 

* * * * * * * * *

Other news this month is that the National Theatre production of Port by Simon Stephens has now opened and is in rep at The Lyttleton Theatre until March 24th and I'm also very much looking forward to getting back into the studio later this month, and again in March, to work on some fabulous upcoming Big Finish stories. By the way, further to my last mention of it, unfortunately my character name in Doctor Who: The Wrong Doctors, which I've just been listening to, has been published on the CD sleeve as 'Ksllak' rather than 'Kallak' - I wonder if that makes them especially valuable somehow?

All for now, more 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