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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Saturday 17 July 2021

Dalek Universe 2

Good afternoon - and what a beautiful hot summer's day it is here in the UK; a weekend complete with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the final stage of this year's incredible Tour de France. I'm very much looking forward to some excellent racing on two wheels and four and maybe, just a bit of history will made on the Champs-Élysées, if Mark Cavendish takes his 35th Stage win; fingers crossed! The climax of the sporting action comes tomorrow afternoon and I shall miss it all, as I'll be driving to a hotel some distance away from home, in order to start work on an audiobook recording on Monday morning; but more of that later.

Checking my diary, I note that in June of last year, I recorded a Doctor Who audio drama from my brand new home studio; only the second time I'd used it and only a few weeks since it had all been set up. Remote recording can be tricky at the best of times and linking up multiple home studios to perform a drama, is an adventure into the unknown and continually offers the possibility of jumping head first into a technological abyss. Mercifully, I stayed hooked up to everyone else and didn't have any problems, although other cast members weren't so lucky and we did have a few enforced 'time-outs' to re-connect.

 


 

By the strangest of coincidences, at the beginning of our recording day, as we chatted amongst ourselves and went through a series of checks on the various bits of gadgetry we were all using, David T, asked why he recognised my voice. I reminded him that we'd worked together before and met a number of times. In fact, he knew all that of course and said that he'd just been listening to my audio version of H.G. Wells' The War of The Worlds and suddenly, there I was, in his ears again. It would have been awkward if he hadn't liked the recording, though he was kind enough to say that he had enjoyed it, which was lovely to hear and kicked things off in a very good way.

So the end result of all our fun and games is this latest box-set release of 10th Doctor stories called Dalek Universe 2 and here are some details:

 

These tales take the Tenth Doctor, Anya Kingdom and Mark Seven deeper into family histories, aboard the strangest of space stations and to a truth that might tear them apart...


2.1 Cycle of Destruction* by Roy Gill

After Mark starts behaving oddly, the Doctor and Anya find themselves on a strange planet with their friend missing. Searching for him they find their way to an isolated research base. The corridors show signs of animal incursions and the scientists are behaving strangely. But a big surprise is waiting for them.

Because this is where Mark Seven came from. They’re about to find out who he is. But is that information too dangerous to know?

 

*This is the cover art for Cycle of Destruction, which is the episode I'm performing in.

 



2.2 The Trojan Dalek by John Dorney

The Doctor, Mark and Anya head for an SSS space station searching for the missing temporal scientist, Arborecc. But the officer in charge denies all knowledge of his presence and demands their departure.

Unwilling to leave so easily, the group split up to investigate... and uncover a heinous plot involving the Doctor’s oldest foes. Or do they?

 

2.3 The Lost by Robert Valentine

When the Doctor’s latest scheme to get back to the future fails, the team’s ship crashes on a strange world, potentially trapping them for ever.

Searching for replacement parts, they find their way to a building where heart-breakingly familiar faces await them.

Lies are about to be exposed. Everyone will learn the truth. And nothing will be the same again.

This boxset release contains all three stories, plus additional behind the scenes interviews.

 

David Tennant (The Doctor) Jane Slavin (Anya Kingdom) Joe Sims (Mark Seven)
John Banks (Crispin Torr / Jason Four) Pippa Bennett-Warner (Fliss Keeley)
Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks) Barnaby Edwards (Arborecc)
Avita Jay (Moran Kez / Hera) Kevin McNally (Merrick Kingdom)
Leighton Pugh (The Lost ) Blake Ritson (Major McLinn) 
Nina Toussaint-White (Mariah Six)
 

 Directed by Ken Bentley & Produced by David Richardson

 4 discs - 240 minutes

* * * * *

 

Other than Dalek Universe 2, work continues apace and as I mentioned above, I'm about to spend a week in a professional studio, recording a densely written and extremely challenging audiobook. I confess to feeling a little nervous about launching in on it, as I often do with the trickier stuff; on the one hand, it offers huge opportunities to have fun as a narrator/performer and on the other hand, a terrific opportunity to screw it up spectacularly! Full details will be available in due course, probably quite soon I would have thought, so I'll go into the particular challenges of the book, once it's done and dusted and I have had the experience of wrestling it into submission...

 

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the new Who adventures, if that's your kind of thing and as usual, I'll wrap up by saying...

 

...that's all for now; more just as soon as it happens!

 

No comments:

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