I just hope it lives up to those fond childhood memories! I'm sure my kids will enjoy it anyway, though they were horrified at the antiquated continuity announcements in that video clip!

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There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes

BBC continuity announcements from my childhood are now "antiquated"? Now THAT makes me feel like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. :-)

Its also available on iTunes so I picked it up there instead!

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The Vinyamars on Stage! This time at Bag End

Well, my copy did indeed arrive this morning!

I've listened to the first couple of episodes - couldn't wait! - but will save the rest to listen with my family, maybe in the car, as it's perfect for long journeys...

It is basically a 10-part dramatized audio book reading, with female narrator, (Jan Francis) and the main characters being played by an individual reader, (Bernard Cribbins as Bilbo and Maurice Denham as Gandalf) with David Wood also joining the actors to share the roles of the minor dwarfs and other characters we meet upon the way. I'd say it stands up very well...obviously abridged somewhat but still retaining much of the language and flavour of Tolkien's original.

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There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes

Sounds fantastic. Cannot wait until Christmas now!

Oddly, I thought I had an incredibly clear memory of this programme, but I have no memory of a female narrator at all. I just remember Bernard Cribbins being brilliant as Bilbo, and that there were also some other actors playing the other roles, but I had thought Cribbins narrated the whole thing. It was 35 years ago, though!

I do remember being so taken with Bilbo (probably because Cribbins is so damn likable in everything he does) that when I went on to read "The Lord of the Rings" for the first time, I was very disappointed that Bilbo wasn't the hero any more, and I took a long time to warm to these "Frodo and Sam" characters who had usurped his rightful place :-)

I had the same reaction when I first read LotR, but just from reading The Hobbit. Bilbo still is my favorite hobbit character, and honestly one of the reasons that overall I am pleased with the films is that Martin matches my imagination of the character so well, particularly in the final film. But that obviously is a discussion for another thread.

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In gratitude forever … .

I think this is a common experience (except I didn't listen to the Hobbit broadcast, just read it). The first time I tried to read LotR, I quit when I realized Bilbo was being shoved aside in favor of this young upstart! I tried again a year later and got hooked that time, though it wasn't until many years later that I really appreciated and understood Frodo.

So I finally got to listen to all of this. It's delightful! I much prefer it to the BBC Dramatisation.

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The Vinyamars on Stage! This time at Bag End