Tell me about stuff you like: Audio drama edition.

[xyzzysqrl]

Gabriel Knight's still coming up, we've got the finale of that in store. I'm unsure what'll come next (with Lightning Returns coming out and my hype level all a-flutter there, I may embark on playing the entire Final Fantasy 13 trilogy! Or replaying FF8! Or something else! I don't know!) but I wanted to ask you guys about a thing.

Lately I've been laying around in bed, sprawled and listening to radio shows during that time when it's all dark and cold and crappy outside. (This period is called "Winter" and I'm led to believe it will last many months to come.) What I have loaded up lately are the first seven episodes of these shows:

Black Jack Justice and The Adventures of the Red Panda, both from Decoder Ring Theatre. I'm a big fan of these, I brought them up a couple of years ago, they're really good stuff.

Welcome to Night Vale, found here, which is a big thing that everyone seems to know about. I'm just following the hype on that one. It's good, if a little overwritten at times.

Now I'm just starting on all three of these, so I've got a bit to go. On deck, meaning I've not listened to any of them but will start mixing 'em in when I run out of what I've got, there's The Thrilling Adventure Hour which I'm going to have to figure out how to avoid screwing with iTunes for, there's Alica Goranson's The Mask of Inanna, which is unique among these in that it's actually a completed story in serial form, and I've got a strong interest in a couple of the Kung Fu Action Theatre programs. (D-Ranger and Team Iron Angel in particular.)

So what am I missing out on? Any suggestions for audio dramas? Not too interested in normal "people talk at each other" podcasts or audiobooks, but if they're really good I might try one episode of one.

Comments

[kiruppert.livejournal.com]

The Thrilling Adventure Hour is the only radio play style podcast I listen to, and I already recommended it to you ^.^

[xyzzysqrl]

And I thank you for it!

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

You could try scoping out BBC Radio 4's offerings, which cover quite a lot of ground - one huskyteer recommended as being particularly funny is Cabin Pressure. And of course, there's the inimitable HHGTTG, which I had the great pleasure of enjoying live last year, with almost all the original cast - absolutely brilliant.

I should give Night Vale a try - what I've seen of the tone, by way of the occasional retweet of their twitter feed, seems like it'd appeal. The trouble is, with an audio-only production, I always feel drawn to be doing other things at the same time, with the inevitable consequence of drawing my attention away from the play.

Adventures of the Red Panda? Ooo. =:D ('Course, I suppose it's much too much to hope for that there's any actual furriness, but it's off to a good start with the title)

[jaffa-tamarin.livejournal.com]

If the idea of a panda in an audio drama is appealing you should check out the Iris Wildthyme series from Big Finish. Katy Manning is Iris Wildthyme, traveling the universe, righting wrongs, drinking gin, with the aid of her companion, Panda. A stuffed toy panda. That talks. And not just because of the gin.

@xyzzysqrl: I recommend Big Finish generally if you are at all interested in any of the universes in which they operate (Doctor Who is their main thing, but they have branched out a lot).

[read-alicia.livejournal.com]

If you are wondering where material with the same British offbeat style of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is, I recommend Davy Ferguson's The Bins of Ballywheelie, a dirty soap opera. It's about the conversations between the rubbish bins of the Irish town of Ballywheelie, who reflect their owners after having consumed their refuse for so long.

All of Davy's stuff is like that, but it is kinda spread all over the place. "Bins" is his best, and "Tatoes in Space" is pretty good if you don't pay too close attention and just ride with it.