THE COMING OF THE MARTIANS

The War Of The Worlds has been adapted so many times that you have to wonder what new twist this latest version – directed by Lisa Bowerman (Big Finish’s Professor Bernice Summerfield) – can bring to the table. The answer: nothing.

Not that there’s anything wrong in that. Because – oddly, considering its title – this is a refreshingly faithful adaptation. Starring Merlin’s Colin Morgan as the plucky Victorian scientist caught in the middle of a Martian invasion of the home counties, its key word is authenticity. Even the aliens’ famous yodelling and death rays are very close to how they’re described in the book.

What stops it being more audiobook than audio drama is the atmospheric sound design and compelling acting. The production eschews the usual audio drama tropes of having the actors describe the action, and instead tries to paint aural pictures. Most of the time it succeeds, though occasionally it descends into overlong stretches of abstract noise and histrionic gibbering. The music, though – part Bernard Herrmann’s score for Jason And The Argonauts, part early Danny Elfman – is a real treat.

This is Sherwood Sound Studios’ first release, and, while not perfect, it’s a confident mission statement for a company that clearly wants to stamp its own identity on audio drama. Dave Golder