"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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Monday 9 May 2016

...new audio samples uploaded; it must be May!

So what's happening? Well, I had a really good time last week, recording a new series of audio drama with the ever fabulous Big Finish gang. As usual, I can't really give any further detail at the moment, although keen Twitter followers might well have joined the dots by now and have a pretty good idea of what's been going on. I will of course spill all the necessary beans just as soon as I'm able, but I'll end on the teasing note of saying how much I enjoyed working with BF friends & acquaintances old and new, some of whom, I haven't seen for quite some time. Great to catch up during working hours and very civilised to wander off together for a quick sherry or two at close of play.

After 26 audio releases so far this year, the pace has eased a little, although there's much more in the pipeline; much more! It 'may' be (May.. geddit? Oh, please yourselves...) that the unabridged NRSV Bible is to be released this month, all 74 plus hours of it and also perhaps, the first of the Malazan Empire novels, Dancer's Lament might be issued on CD. It's currently available as a download only, possibly from both Amazon and Penguin Random House. We shall soon see!

For various reasons, but all to do with self-promotion and getting the next job if I'm honest, I've uploaded some new material to Spotlight and to this web site, in the form of samples taken from some of the Games Workshop recordings I've been working on recently.

I love, I mean, really love recording the Warhammer stories and dramas; they are fascinating and beautifully written. Because both the audio books and dramas deal with such a finely crafted and well documented world and often in fantastic detail and use a language intended to convey the sheer majesty and scale of both the soldiers themselves and the vastness of space they inhabit, they can be unbelievably tricky to do. Giving voice to such larger than life characters such as the many Legions of Space Marines and their even larger than 'larger than life' Primarch's and the variety of other creatures and humans who also feature in the stories, can be a huge challenge.






In order to illustrate the point about the complexity and density of the language, I've just uploaded another audio sample from the opening chapter of The Harrowing, by Rob Sanders, a short story taken from the War Without End anthology, which I narrate in the voice of a character, 'Operative-unit 55/Phi-silon'. I hope you'll give it a quick listen and see what I mean. It's posted below. Allowing the narrative to sound 'conversational' is also quite a challenge, but enormously satisfying - if it all works! The Harrowing is a fantastic story and I really had fun recording it.






And that I think is about all for now. Of course, I couldn't post with out adding a graphic or two - how dull would that be, just acres of text to look at?!? So I've randomly added some Space Marine imagery to liven the whole thing up; two White Scars and two Ultramarines.






* * * * *

As a bit of a 'post script' and because this posting differs from the usual style/content of a regular update, I'm going to add a review for the audio book, Mr. Mac and Me that I happened to come across the other day and here it is:
 
In 1914, young Tom is disturbed, yet fascinated, by how his Suffolk coastal town is affected by the outbreak of war. The energy and enthusiasm of John Banks's performance key into the 13-year-old boy's active imagination and natural curiosity. Tom is especially drawn to the newcomers Mr. Mac--the real-life artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh--and his wife, whose loving marriage is so different from what he sees at home. Banks's excellent use of volume and pacing builds tension as the authorities begin to suspect the Mackintoshes of treason and Tom, who has befriended the couple, is at a loss for what to do or believe. In addition, Banks's characterizations are spot-on; young or old, male or female, he has the inflections down pat.

by Esther Freud Read by John Banks
 
Fiction • 8.25 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2014  C.B.L. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2015]


I am most grateful to 'C.B.L' for taking the time to write such a sympathetic and generous review of a book that I loved and thoroughly enjoyed recording.



Thanks also to C.B.L for a similarly generous review on the same AudioFile web site, for Ali Smith's How To Be Both, which I also narrated - thank you!

* * * * *

At the moment, I have two audio dramas to prepare, but the heat is off in comparison to the last six or seven months; so...


...all for now, more just 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