Turning Terry Pratchett's Discworld into Audiobooks
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
- This documentary follows Penguin Audio's ambitious project of turning the entire Discworld catalog into audiobook format. Click here to find out more: linktr.ee/Discworld
This is Discworld like you’ve never heard it before. With an incredible cast of names from British stage and screen, including Bill Nighy, Peter Serafinowicz, Indira Varma, Colin Morgan, Andy Serkis and Sian Clifford.
This ambitious project, taking 40 unabridged books, containing nearly 4 million words, recording over 135 days and featuring over 420 hours of audio is being produced and directed by Neil Gardner - the multiple award-winning radio writer & director - who is a life-long Terry Pratchett superfan.
The new audio editions will be publishing from April 2022 and are available to pre-order now.
00:00 Intro
03:37 Casting the Discworld audiobooks
06:24 In the studio
08:47 The voices of Discworld
14:51 Mastering the pronunciations
18:00 Cue the music
19:10 The listening experience
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Such an honour to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime project. It's taken a few years to get here, and there's more work to do...but I hope everyone enjoys listening to these audiobooks as much as I've enjoyed directing them :-)
So, let me get this straight: you listened to every PTerry book read out by amazing people and got paid for it…? I’m soooo jealous.
The way I read, if I can help it, is reading the book while listening to the audiobook simultaneously. I absolutely love Discworld but was so sad with the quality of previous recordings, I am so so so excited for these! Thanks for all your hard work Neil!
I've consumed the OG Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs ones over and over... these new versions are very exciting, you're clearly a big fan and obviously recording technology is soo much better now. Glad you got the email of your dreams and I look forward to hearing new spins on old favourites.
@@Skippymoogoose90 It's funny, I always pictured Nigel as Rincewind when they first came out, was a nice surprise when he did the audio books... There were some Tony Robinson ones as well I think.
Really looking forward to these!!
@@njones420 Tony did indeed...my first exposure to Discworld was his abridged Men at Arms on cassette. I bought Night Watch and 5th Elephant after, but the Planer/Briggs ones are unabridged. Also love how Planer puts a bit of Neil from The Young Ones in his Rincewind
I wish to express what these audio books have meant to me. In 2020 I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Back and forth to Boston for treatment and each time my dear husband would play a Disc World audio book. They transported me to another place, a wonderful, funny, amazing place, which made those trips so much more bearable. Now cancer free, we listen for the pure enjoyment. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
Also, how incredible is it that all of the wonderful voice actors are dressed appropriately for their respective series? Such a wonderful touch!
Mr. Morgan in a red suit with golden details and a book brooch -- the wizards with their red robes with golden stars.
Mr. Serkis is rich browns and earth tones with a turtle brooch -- reflecting the sandstone temples and the desert as well as the turtle form of Om.
Ms. Varma in the deep greens with a mirror pendant -- as witches are in tune with nature and plants, also the mirror magic of Genua.
And finally, Ms. Clifford in the deep, deep blues and white lace with Death's big bees as the brooch combo, soooo wonderful I love it!!
Great catch ;)
I think Ms Varma's outfit is based specifically on Magrat's dress which is deep green, rather than general nature themes. It was either that or black that most of the witches wear.
@@adrianthoroughgood1191 Ah yes, I agree. Didn't think of it before
Yeah and the one guy in a sweater!
Ms. Twomey's "galaxy" dress was also spot-on. As senior editor, she is sort of in something of a position of command of the universe (and if there's not a subtle nod to 'wearing midnight,' then there absolutely should be).
As a young man I was *such* a wannabe edge lord. Sir Terry's writing really opened me up to the idea of secular humanism and I think a much better person for it.
Yes indeed😊
I didn't expect to cry throughout the entire segment, it's just nice to know that there are people who appreciate Terry Pratchett as much as I do, and are working to make sure that his legacy continues on. 💛
Have you heard of Discworld Monthly? You might be interested to meet many others who love PTerry & his work as much as you. They have links to groups who meet up irl. The one in the UK, my country, is The Broken Drummers. 🙂
He meant a lot to many of us. I still cry whenever i think about him being gone.
Oh ME TOO! My eyes and cheeks are wet!
same here, I've had a few of my favourite authors pass away, but I'm still not over Terry Pratchett's death.
Ah well. The last line is true.
One thing that was done brilliantly by Stephen Briggs, (working with Sir Terry) was regionalising the accents, geographically based on where they were
So people from Ankh Morpork were cockney(ish), the Dwarves sounded Welsh and the Lancre witches were northern English, that way you didn't get a cockney, a northerner and someone with a west country accent, even though they're all from the same place. They seem to have binned that
Yeah, attention to detail in accents adds a lot, Game of Thrones generally did a great job at that,
but other productions like Lord of the Rings had some odd choices, like Pippin having a Scottish accent (which Andy Serkis continued in his recent audiobook version).
I have been blind from the age of 10, and so have always been really an audio book listener. I had barely moved on to big books without pictures when my sight was lost, but I still had a love for literature. My parents, wonderful as they were and still are, bought me audio books on tape to keep my mind active and imagination firing. However, it wasn't until I was in high school, at the age of 12 in the year 2000 when I first landed upon a Diskworld book. It was Feet of Clay, and was being read to me by a very good friend at the time. Later on, when I visitted a Waterstones shop, I purchased it on CD, and fell into the wonderful world of Diskworld. My first introduction to them was in the abridged form, ready by Sir Tony Robinson. A man I had always been a fan of as watching Time Team before going to bed was how I spent my sunday evenings while at Primary school. Sir Tony gives such a fantastic performance, I am very sorry that he was not hired to do the unabridged series, as that would be wonderful to hear. But I wept not. Nigel Planer himself does a teriffic job of reading the Diskworld books, though some of his voices in my mind don't quite marry up with how I imagine the characters would sound. Steven Brigs is a marvel, a wonderful reader who can confidently take your imagination by the hand and lead you through the story. I am glad that new life is being breathed into the old audiobooks, as some of the recording quality of the older novels could do with a little polish. Saying that though, I will always relisten to my Planer and Brigs versions, as they were done so well and are a big part of my mental landscape of the Diskworld. Still, I am quite excited to get my hands on these new audiobooks, and see how they marry up with the remarkable readers who have come before. GNU Sir Terry, thank you for creating such a marvellous multi-fassetted world
„Are a big part of my mental landscape“ nicely put!
I've only listened to the newly narrated books that have Indira Varma narrating, but I cannot imagine that you won't be overjoyed with them. I do know what it's like to get attached to a book read a certain way by a certain narrator, but I've found her narration to be a pure delight. 💜
@@mythserene I listened to the first two and a half. Yes, they are good. But to me, she does not justice to Granny. Both Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs do a way better Granny Weatherwax at least for my taste. But all in all, she does really well with all the different voices.
@@ilkyway5854 I think it probably has most to do with the voice you fell in love with the characters as, because I listened to the Tiffany Aching books with Briggs after four of the books with Indira Varma and all I could do was miss the 'right' Granny W, in Indira's voice. I realized this from the start, of course. Thought about how hard it would be for me to take a new voice on a character I loved and associated so strongly with another interpretation by another voice. It would suck. No question. And I do wish at times that Granny's voice was less harsh and more playful. I haven't heard anyone else's Magrat, but I know I would fight to the end to defend IV's version. I think it's perfect. My primary problem is with the footnotes tbh. By the time I got to Lords & Ladies it made me want to throw something. I understand that they're great footnotes, and they're narrated fantastically, but that's not the point. They *must* find a better way of using them other than interrupting the narrative in the middle of a sentence, sometimes three times in one paragraph. I mean, you've got to be kidding me. It's AWFUL.
@@mythserene
I totally agree about first and second voices and what one is used to. But you also hit the point when you say Grannys voice is playfull in the new audiobooks. The thing is: she is not a playful person. That is exactly what drives me bonkers.
In the foodnotes: I am in two minds on that but I also think, there must be a better way. In the old books they just read them as part of the text and I never even knew there where foodnotes. 😨
Anyway I am very happy for any love TP books get so I will keep buying these books and I will listening to them all eventually. Can’t wait for Watches and Rincewind.
I didn't expect this to make me emotional, but it did.
GNU Sir Terry Pratchett
Me too
GNU Terry Pratchett! What a wonderful project.
Sir Terry was , in my opinion, one of the most important authors of the 20th century. He wrote about serious things artfully disguised as humorous farce. He took the common and the banal and twisted and turned it to show us new angles and views. I can't wait to hear the audiobooks. Thank you so much.
I'm listening to The Colour of Magic right now and I have to say that Colin Morgan did a superb job portraying Rincewind and Twoflower. It's like he actually took the voices out of my head.
nigel planer did a hell of a reading for these books. i hope they give credit to his shoulders cause they are going to stand on them.
Stephen Briggs also did a fantastic job.
i have their voices ingrained into my brain. They Let me absorb the books while working for years.
Hmmm... I prefer reading them myself when compared with Planar, too much Neil from the Young Ones sounding... I think these new ones will be great. And they won't be a nod to them, because the actors don't want to copy them.
Are we just going to ignore Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs? Their portrayals of the Discworld characters are perfect.
thank you! Briggs recorded with terry present and giving directions. How will you ever top that? Sadly, this sounds much like a money grab by Penguin.
Absolutely no one can be better than Stephan Briggs, but I don’t mind more versions.
@@nicolle3517 Nigel Planer was Very good, too. I really miss Equal Rites and Wyrd Sisters. Ms. Imiri is a fine actress but, she just couldn't do Granny or Nanny.
I absolutely agree with you. Their brilliant work will take some beating.
So glad you mentioned this. I started listening to the books during lockdown and Nigel Planer is so very funny and Stephen Briggs is my idea of Sam Vimes. I wonder who will be narrating Thud! And Snuff?
Managed to not cry until the 'Mind how you go' sign
My first Terry Pratchett book was Mort. I laughed so hard at times I had the whole bus giggling at me. I didn't care, I knew I'd found something magical. That was in 1989. I'm really looking forward to these new audiobooks, since I can no longer hold a paperback or a kindle comfortably. Though Nigel Planer has done a fabulous job - he was always who I pictured for Rincewind - it's great that more enthusiasts are on the job. Exciting stuff! GNU Sir Terry.
I started reading Discworld in my late 20s and it’s one of those things that completely changed my life. Every book, every single one, is a pure joy to experience. Rincewind, Granny Weatherwax, Death, Vimes, Carrot, so many wonderful and unique characters in a world that is utter nonsense and absolutely wonderful in every way. If you are new to this series savour every word 🙂
All these voice actors sound great and seem like perfect casting, but the dream would be to lock all of them in a room with Briggs and Planer and have them all do their best characters in a huge 41 book audio play.
I don't want to hear a copy of the old ones, I want to hear a new production.
Yes, Terry Pratchett's writing is phenomenal in so many ways and it's a great thing to want to bring it to audiobook format but.... I think it's a little unfair to just dismiss the amazing audiobooks that came before this. Yes, they were recorded quite some time ago, maybe in a time, when it wasn't as easy to distribute audiobooks, but they still exist today and are still awesome.
I hope they'll at least give a nod to amazing people like Nigel Planer that shaped the characters for me and I'm sure for other people as well.
Thank you for mentionning this!!! I absolutely love Nigel Planer's reading, the voices he does. His voice is practically the narrator's voice for me. I wish they had talked about these from the start. The way they phrase it, they make it sound like the only one.
i think hes just lamenting the audio quality and production values of previous works
Yes, I was annoyed to find they're replacing the older versions with the new ones on Audible. They should have all the available versions. I loved the Tony Robinson and Nigel Planer ones and would have loved them to have been cast, even if just a little role or cameo-kinda thing.
There's nothing wrong with the quality of the original audiobooks. They are fantastic. Just another way to squeeze more money out of the franchise. I only have to write a note for the milkman and Bill Nighy's agent will be there to suggest I cast him in the screenplay of it
@@ellajando-saul2493 I totally agree!
this entire audiobook is being supported by four elephants and space turtle
Indira is so refined, and she has to sing The Hedgehog Song.
I'm looking forward to that 😂
😄😄🤗
Oh dear God (whoever is listening), i hadn't thought of that! :D:D:D
oh wow, and then interrupt as Granny to tell her off!
And the Hedgehog can never be buggered at all!
I love the Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs ones and I'm looking forward to these too. A new spin on my favourite books
Stephen Briggs has the perfect voice for Sam Vimes, and the rest of the Ahnk city watch to me.
Here here. Planer/Briggs did a great job, despite the so-called ‘limitations’ this feature implies. A little less so on some of the original witches narration. I think some of the original stuff will be difficult to significantly improve upon, but keeping fingers crossed!
@@JamesEPhilp yes my only issue was the Witches books, the characters were made slightly lesser in my opinion.
Indira is the perfect choice for these, her voice has such resonance and love briefly hearing her Granny, Nanny and Magrat.
I feel that these actors will be channeling Briggs/Planer in all the right ways. I sense there's a great deal of respect.
And I love that I will get to choose a favourite version of each character & book, hearing "echoes" as I have with the live action movies.
Nigel Planer is Death, no one can do it better.
Just finished listening to the full Discworld series with Planer/Briggs and loved it. "The Shepherd's Crown" with the passing of Esme was wonderfully sad. "Nation" is another GREAT listen Thank you Terry!
How to know you're not alone in the world: read Terry Pratchett's Discworld books!
Both Tony Robinson, Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs are all iconic as narrators of this series, they'll be hard to top! Its a very good cast they've put together, though, I'll be interested to see how it turns out.
I’m three books in, and they’re doing a great job. And I did like the older readers.
Stephen Briggs is my Discworld voice (sorry Nigel). This has a very high bar to cross for myself, but all the best.
Briggs is great. I’m finding I like some things better and some things less, but the quality is certainly much higher over all than the Planer recordings.
Oh my word I forgot Sir Tony (forever Baldric), but I always go for the unabridged versions.
The Tony Robinson audio books are superb.
So glad Ms Varma is reading. She has such wonderful enuciation. Brilliant actress.
Can't wait to see who voices Vimes and the Patrician. That's going to be a huge resposibility and undertaking.
PSA for Audible Members: If you want the original versions of the books, you need to buy them before the new ones are released. It looks like Audible are replacing the old books with the new ones, but if you've already bought them they will remain in your library.
Apparently this will be the reason for me to finally get Audible
I'm SO SO glad these books are being narrated so professionally and having so much work put into them, they deserve it. And I'm glad that new generations are going to listen to these books and have their own era of the what the books sound like and I would never be down on the project. HOWEVER for me Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs will never be beaten and those versions are the definitive ones for me. I've had so many magical times listening to the originals and I fell in love with certain ones that can never be replaced in my mind. Especially Reaper Man. That book is so full of love and adventure and honesty and will always have a special place in my heart. The platonic love affair between Bill Door (DEATH) and Renata Flitworth is beautiful. And Windle Poons death and subsequent adventure and finding himself after living for 130 years and not really being himself all that time. He flourished after death. It's just amazing. And so much Wizardly madness, just brilliant.
I was here just to simp for Colin Morgan but now I'm genuinely excited about this project. Terry Pratchett was a genius and what a cast you got to narrate those wonderful stories 👏🏻
P.S. Andy, hats off to you too, sir!
There are a lot of people throwing water on the fire, running on about previous audio books of the series. They have to realise that this is a new production for the modern age, for a new generation to discover. Just like a new version of a play, with new actors taking the roles. The women narrators are going to be amazing.
This is by far the best news I've heard all year. I am almost finishing my first listen of the original audiobooks with Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs and very much look forward to going through it again when these works of art release. I know they didn't do it for me, but whoever greenlit this has my deepest and most sincere gratitude.
I'm so pleased that they are recording his books and really taking care to do it right. Also Andy Serkis' hair is on point!
Great casting and I can’t wait to listen to the result, but Nigel and Stephen have set the bar so high I feel like their interpretations are going to be impossible to beat…
I discovered these re-recordings when I was completely incapacitated by illness during the ferocious heatwave of July 2022, when even watching anything was more than I could manage. Keeping still and listening was all I could do. They absolutely kept me sane while I recovered, and I've continued working my way through them with absolute delight ever since. Completely outstanding work by everyone involved. 👏🏅
this is great to see, I LOVED Nigel Planer’s narration enormously (and to me he’ll always be DEATH) but looking forward to these.
Can't wait to see who they've got for Vimes, The Night Watch is one of my favourite books ever next to The Truth (would love to see both turned into either mini series or 2 part films, still think Philip Glenister would make an amazing Vimes!)
They did turn the Watch in to a mini series on BBC, you can be forgiven for not realising this because nobody watched it. They completely swapped everything (including the setting taking it from a fantasy quasi medieval setting to a steampunk setting), completely ruined it, got slated by the fans and critics alike (unusual in itself for such a woke production due to the unnecessary shoehorned in race swappping, gender swapping, sexuality swapping and general pandering, sorry inclusivity) and cancelled. Then tried to blame the fans for it failing hard rather than their own arrogance thinking they knew what was wrong with it (nothing imo) and that they were good enough to 'fix it' and deluding themselves that they were more talented than the legend that is Sir Terry. Be careful what you wish for.
@@MCDrB-wq8ed Typical of the BBC and other media producers, when their woke products fail. It's always the fault of the fans. Instead of pandering to minorities, who wouldn't dream of picking up or watching their products, they should be listening to the fans and that way they'd make money and have happy customers too.
Yes, Philip Glenister channeling Gene Hunt would be an amazing Vimes.
Also agree regarding The Watch! Absolute Crap.
@@Thurgosh_OG Exactly this. Properties like Discworld, Wheel of Time (another great IP ruined by wokists try to 'fix' what wasn't broken), Lord of the Rings (ditto), Star Wars (ditto), Doctor Who (ditto), Star Trek (ditto) and countless more already have a built in fanatical customer base. The fans have spent countless hours relishing in the worlds created and spending metirc shit tonnes of cash on merchandise. All you have to do is create something that is as faithful as possible to the original work (obviously changes have to be made as what is written cannot always be translated easily to a visual medium) and sit back and watch the cash roll in. But no, these untalented hacks with a grossly mislplaced confidence in their own nonexistant talent have to bugger about with things and then wonder when it falls flat on it's face.
The amount of times that these adaptions anmd reboots have failed horribly you would think that these idiots would realise that perhaps the problem lies with them and not the fans. But no, they are the worst possible combination of a lack of skill but an ego the size of a planet.
@@MCDrB-wq8ed I have watched "The Watch" and it was like somebody kicking my balls with iron boots... with nails on it... for hours and hours.
Colin Morgan is perfect for this type of thing.
I’ve only just started this, and I haven’t looked into it, but I really hope he gets to read Mort. I think I remember him saying that he wished he could play that character while he was the right age.
Not gonna lie but I know every word, every pause and tape crack on the old disk world audiobooks. I’m intrigued by this production but sir Stephen Briggs’ renditions will forever have my whole heart
I had never read a book all the way through for fun until I picked up "The Carpet people" back in the early 80`s, from there I read the Discworld series. Due to Mr Pratchett`s work I now have an insatiable love of books and devour them at a rate the hurts my wallet, I mainly consume audiobooks nowadays as my eyes aren't what they where AND I can listen whilst doing other things, I`m really looking forward to listening to these and can`t wait to introduce my 13yr old to Terry Pratchett`s work.
I'm realy looking forward to these. The audio tape of The Colour of Magic, voiced by Sir Tony Robinson, is what got me started on the Discworld books.
It makes me so incredibly happy to see so much enthusiasm and respect for the material. I can’t wait to listen each and every one of these! GNU Terry Pratchett ✨🐢
They all sound so spot on! Terry's incredible world deserves to be given an audiobook series.
OMG, you have these amazing guys for our beloved Terry's Discwold???!!! Gosh, Penguin, you have me bursting out in tears of joy!
My most beloved book series of all time, and a master class on how people work. Probably not the usual interpretation, but I learnt more about human interaction and social cues from the Discworld series than I did from any other source.
Same. They were such a huge part of my adolescence and have a special place in my heart. Informed my perspective on the human condition like no other body of literature. Can’t wait to introduce my kids to these audiobooks
Never heard of Indira Varma before, but she's *perfect* for the witches series. Just look at her explaining when she found the voice for Magrat! Her face lights up like a pinball table!
I was delighted when I saw it was her doing the witches as she's got such a good range. From just that clip she's nailed all three for me!
She was n Torchwood and Game of Thrones
I've loved her ever since Kama Sutra. She's just captivating.
@@letarogers6380 and Rome
As pointed out she was in the doctor who spin off Torchwood and game of thrones. She is also going to be in the star wars show Kenobi
Yes, yes, yes always yes! Still forever hopeful of a (proper) Nights Watch series or Unseen Academicals would be brilliant
I discovered these books on cassette tape back in the very early 2000s when I was driving over-the-road. When you are covering 2,500-3,000 miles a week, the radio doesn’t cut it. Since then, I have revisited them many times, now on CD. I look forward to the new productions.
I love the apt lapel pins. Nice touch.
I *think* I'm almost ready to listen to / read Pratchett again. *sniff*
I'm totally getting this new series of audio books narrated by all the best people for all the right reasons! ❤
It's hard to imagine anyone being better than Stephen Briggs. He is so good!
He is, but his vocal range is limited, and it takes me right out of it when I hear Dwarf Voice #1 for three different characters in one conversation.
nigel planer was my fav
I started experiencing this world entirely through the audiobooks this year and I’m about 20 bucks deep. It has been one of the greatest book experiences ever, and I’m now shoving it on all of the people in my life.
I'm not at all into audiobooks normally but for this, I will have to start. It sounds amazing, so excited!
Wow I'm so jealous that u now get to experience his work again
I’m super excited for a complete unabridged audiobook of STPs work. Discworld has been a transformative experience for me and a lot of love and care seems to be put into this!
"Mind how you go"...
GNU Terry Pratchett!
So many fantastic narrators - I have three children under five and just can’t find the time to read physical books any more. My down time is listening to the Discworld novels whilst doing chores and running errands! Each one is a treat, thank you so much to all involved.
Well I'm always up for a new interpretation I think the title is little bit misleading after all they have already been audiobook stirred by the beautiful voices of Nigel planer and Stephen Briggs so it's not like we doing it from scratch here or breaking the ground
I've listened to a few of the books now on Audible (it's a great why to buy them). I listen to them when I'm working on my allotment. Indira Varma was an absolute joy in the witches series books that I have so far listened to. Her voice appears to be made of summer flowers and the patter of spring rain! and the characterisation was great. It was thoughtful and lively and clever added so much more to the stories. Also the digital recording was such an improvement on the older taped versions. Andy Serkis was fun in Small Gods and as one of my favourite stand alone books It was great to have a new version. Some of the accent choices were unexpected but I don't want the new versions to be reproductions of the old tapes and the interpretation was artfully executed because well....Andy flipping Serkis. I'm certain that somewhere there must be a God with a Scouse accent. No Emlyn Hughes does not count he's not that kind of a Scouse God.😁
I teared up from this. Loved Terry all my life. It will be great listening to this, what a treat and a half.
I’ve got a lot of the old Nigel Planer narrated audiobooks and they’re marvellous!
The existing Stephen Briggs readings really are superb. I mean, Pratchett's work deserves ongoing renewal, but I'd hate to see Briggs's readings relegated.
I haven’t been able to read a Discworld book since we lost Sir Terry. I used to get the new book for Christmas and it was a tradition that I’d have it finished by Boxing Day. It was a huge part of my life and I eagerly looked forward to it every year. Then I joined audible and saw Hogfather was available. This is, by far, one of my most favourite books in the Series, so I got it. It was an absolute delight. It felt like I’d slipped back in time and was experiencing it all for the first time. It was MAGICAL!
So now, I shall be reliving a tradition. We got one last book with the lost stories which I’ve got but will save for Christmas. But I shall be getting all the Discworld series and the tradition will live on.
Thank you to everyone involved. You have brought magic back into my life and helped find the joy after grief. Also I named my beloved Ragdoll cat, Greebo. He was not mean or anything but the name fitted him so well. I lost Greebo six years ago due to old age but it’s time to visit the witches and enjoy my fave cat’s antics.
This sounds great and I wish it success, but from this you would think that there aren't already audiobooks of Discworld. As far as I know there is an audiobook of all of them, and they are great. The recording quality of the older ones might not be up to modern standards, but they're still fine, and the voice work is outstanding.
I love Colin Morgan and to find that he will be reading my favourite series from the Discworld just makes me so happy!
Sir Tony Robinson's narration of the Discworld Audiobooks were literally the sound of my childhood, but I am quite excited to hear new versions. Listening to Stephen Briggs was like hearing a totally different story compared to Tony's version, it will be so fun to get to hear Discworld be "new" again.
Because I love everyone of my original version audiobooks, I'd decided that, while I was really chuffed that this project was being undertaken, it wasn't for me..
I'm seriously reconsidering based on the performers.
I'm a Geordie, living in Australia, and in my head The Great God Om has always been a Scouser 🤣
Brilliant!
I just went through the audiobooks twice in the last year-ish (just recently discovered GNU Terry Pratchett!), and am 100% looking forward to making it a whole new experience next time we travel together!
IMO one of the least please accents to listen to.
I would have proffered Om as a Brummie, witch has an almost depressed/sceptical tone built in.
Indira Varma's witches are not "ever so slightly more" than you'd expect or want. Her witches are perfect. I am a tough and nuanced critic of audiobooks, and her narration is a pure delight. Granny Weatherwax is my comfort character, but Indira is so right about Magrat's voice. It's so distinct: slightly lost, slightly sharp, and then something uniquely impossible to put into words. The voice makes Magrat funny even when the lines themselves aren't. Sometimes I remember that I'm listening to the Scorpion Lady from Game of Thrones and I'll momentarily try to square it with the beautiful, funny, soothing voice in my ears, and the best part is that I can't. She takes over the imagination until there's no room for anything else. My very first Terry Pratchett book/audiobook was Equal Rites & I had to wait a week for it to be available. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that Indira's voice was my gateway.
The last part with mentions of Oblivion and James Hannigan was so and delightful
Agreed! I love knowing that Terry was a fantasy game fan. James Hannigan is a great fit for Discworld as he's worked on things like Harry Potter and RuneScape, not to mention the Sandman.
I can and will promote the hell out of this undertaking. This is how you respectfully expand an artists work. Not by creating shitty reinterpretations, but rather taking the original content and using brilliant people who all care about the art and the creators legacy to breathe new life into a beloved series! Amazing work!
Oh Colin Morgan I love you.
OMG - Thank you so much for this vid - The Discworld Audio Collection is a comfort to my life and has been for the past 12 years~
I just watched Colour of Magic and Hogfather live action movies over the last two days with my niece and beige! UA-cam must be paying attention ;)
The first Discworld book I read was "Lords and Ladies" back in 1998. I bought it because I was amused by the blurb...
And I finished it that very evening...
After that I hunted all his books far and wide, because there was no storyteller like him.
I missed you Sir Terry Pratchett. Your works had a special place in my heart and bookshelf 😔
I'm excited to see Discworld receiving this kind of attention, given that Penguin could have just taken the approach of "we've already got audio books of that series". The voice cast is great and i can't wait till these start being released!
Any time a new or improved way for the Discworld to be shared comes along, i consider it a positive step for everyone - the world always needs a little more Discworld in it.
I've read all the books multiple times, but I can't wait for this!!!
I discovered Discworld just 18 months ago. I have read all the books and was so sad to reach the last one. Unlimited genius and many an hour smiling and laughing out loud. I created the voices in my head and imagined the towns and buildings. The thing about books is you need to concentrate and when I've tried audio books before I find myself looking out the window and my mind starts working and I stop listening at one level. When having a physical book in your hands its an activity, turning pages, going back and reading a section again. Audio books have never kept me focussed for very long.
However, I will give these a try as they sound a level up from the norm
To be honest, Michael Fenton Stevens, Steven Briggs and Nigel Planer have already performed the ultimate narration for those books. I was always hoping the estate would at some point just have someone feed the old recordings of downright unlistenable audio-quality into some fancy AI upscaling machine learning algorithm to pull those tinny, compressed-to-death files into the sonic present, but... this is fine too, I'm sure. Certified introvert that I am though, I'm always weary of nowadays tendency to over-perform and over-produce... however: more Terry Pratchett = better world.
I'll certainly give these a listen, but I doubt they'll mean as much to me as the Planer and Briggs books.
As you say, it can all get a bit over performed. But at least they didn't do that intolerable thing where they have multiple people in on book doing the voices.
I've never liked Planers versions, they are too Neil from the Young Ones. You also need to be open minded. These are great performers that they've hired. Times changes, you have to change with them. As they said in the video, the old recordings were in mono and Terry wasn't all that bothered by them.
How is times changing in anyway relevant? Just because there is a new version being released doesn't mean we need to discard and reject the older versions that many of us have greatly enjoyed.
I mean, times change sure, but there is no mandate that anyone change with them.
They’re good performers, absolutely and I’ve especially loved Indira for a decade and a half. I’m just wary that it turns in to a performance rather than a narration.
We’ll see and I’ll pick them up on Audible as I get credits but Planer and especially Briggs, whatever Pterry might have thought, were brilliant.
You beat me to it. I found an old Isis Audio Books on Tape (and I do mean tape) version of Masquerade read by Planer at my public library in about 1998 and my family couldn't get enough of them. I've listened to all of them multiple times and with a few of my favorites even dozens of times. I was sad when Nigel was ditched for Briggs but in time I came to appreciate Steven's attention to detail with the characters and even prefer his Watch books. But I've seen several of these promotional videos and am surprised they have titles like "Finally" and "At last" completely ignoring the three decades we've all been listening to Nigel and Steven.
The right reader makes a HUGE impact on the success or failure of an audio book. So, glad Penguin took the care with Pratchett's books.
As much as I appreciate the whole project, I would have been happy with Nigel Planer or Steven Briggs to do the audiobooks they haven't read before. The books they read are marvellous. As a matter of fact I'm listening to Wyrd Sisters right now
It's good to see Terry Pratchet's legacy is in the right hands. Thank you.
*No matter how many times I read Terry Pratchett's books*
*It is always a celebration for the senses*
[...]
- Is this the moment when my whole life passes before my eyes?
NO, THIS MOMENT WAS BEFORE A MOMENT.
- When?
THIS IS A MOMENT, said Death, BETWEEN YOUR BIRTH AND YOUR DEATH.
Mr. Tulipan's conversation with Death.
this is amazing. Since growing up and becoming busy and stressed, I've gotten really into audiobooks as a way to read and am increasingly terrible at reading physical books. I had decided not to read audiobooks for Terry's books since I love the footnotes and seeing how they are separate from the rest of the text, so works perfectly since it does show them as different. Sounds like a perfect way to get the exact same experience as you would get reading, just auditory instead.
That said, I adore Bill Nighy doing the footnotes and I can't wait to hear the full project, it sounds like an epic undertaking!
Thank you! Thank you so much for doing this. I am literally tearing up watching this. Your choices are marvelous, and I can't wait to hear them all!
I don't even like audiobooks, but I feel like I have to check these new ones out! I'm so glad that Pterry's work will keep finding new readers. GNU.
Just read Terry's work - It's magnificent . These actors did a great job and I love them all 😁
I probably missed it, but did they show/say who'd be narrating the City Watch books? Or is that the next phase of the project, along with hopefully Moist von Lipwig and Tiffany Aching?
No, 😔 I was really hoping Andy would to The Watch😕.They didn't say anything about the those groups.
@@massagebyconstance5665 That was my first thought, too... SO hoping Andy was on The Watch. Can't wait to find out who is narrating them.
They didn't, though I'll be excited to hear who, as City Watch are by far my favorites, followed by Moist and tiphony and of course Death!
@@massagebyconstance5665 Andy would be perfect
The level of respect and love for the source material here should be an example for every other media these days. You have my coin.
Great work altogether - only one rather minute nitpick: In the Wizard's books, Ridcully sounds like an older version of Rincewind. Which, by itself, works and all. But to me the ideal voice for Ridcully always will be Brian Blessed. I would bet money on Terry having him in mind when he wrote the character. "BURSAAAAAR!"
At the age of 12, carpet people and Mort opened my eyes to the first step of such a journey. With each of his brilliantly written books, I saw life through different eyes. Life is a turtle cruising through space.... I look forward to hearing the love and emotion and energy that these amazing people will bring to these beautiful stories. And hopefully open the eyes of another 12 year old somewhere in this world.
So excited for this- I have spent hours and hours listening and re-listening to audiobooks of Pratchett-
and a lot of them are brilliant- but also digitized from the cassette tapes-
so they'll be very quiet- and then there are moments during intense emotional scenes they'll be this sudden deafening blast of kooky techno jazz like you've been placed on hold- and it's the end/intro music of tape 5 or whatever. Real immersion killer.
I had to edit out all the music and those kooky techno jazz sounds from my MP3s as they'd violently wake me up, just as I was peacefully drifting off to sleep. I think the with The Light Fantastic and Wintersmith, especially so! I'm not sure about the new versions if there's too much music and acoustics as I generally listen to these as I go to sleep!
Indira Varma is such a brilliant narrator, I had no idea. Incredible range and real ease of delivery. I'm a full time professional audiobook narrator so while that doesn't necessarily make my opinion any more valid, it's definitely not a casual judgement.
She's a brillant voice actor. She has provided the voices for a number of games and animation as well as being a love action actress.
I had been hoping for full cast audiobooks, but these still sound promising.
Stephen Briggs and Nigel Planer have been putting me to sleep for years now - basically I can't sleep without my bedtime story by now. So big boots to fill but i'm absolutely looking forward to new adaptions, especuially a couple of the old ones I have are in poor quality, like sourcery and equal rites and a new take on the witches will be nice, no disrespect but they are functionally not as good as "sleeping pills" as the others
I generally don't listen to audiobooks but rather prefer to read. However, I think I will listen to Discworld as well. The approach they are taking to making this, with certain voices being present through the entire series is quite brilliant.
Can;t wait! It is a great challenge after Nigel Planer and Steven Briggs
why do I always have to cut onions when I watch something about sir Terry?
All great - but let's remember Nigel Planer did a wonderful job originally. Brilliant stuff.
Storytelling is as old our race. Long before we wrote things down, we listened. This appeals to something deep within. I'm so glad to hear this is being done!
Insanely beautiful! Listen to the audiobooks every single night- have done for years!
Looking forward to hearing some of these. I've still got some very listened ones on tape by Tony Robinson and loved them back when I still had a tape player!
GNU Terry Pratchett. And happy birthday to him too.
Can't wait to listen to more of the new audiobooks. Hogfather was absolutely amazing.
I LOVE Hogfather! Can't wait for the rest.
Sian NAILED Susan and The Wizards
@@NotEnoughBooks totally agree.
@@ractenor ☺
this is incredible ❤ honestly 👏 and thank you to the team and cast for doing this!! im Currently on "The Truth" book so im quite far ahead, but maybe one day I'll come back and listen to these audiobooks 🥰🤗
I've been listening to the original series of Discworld audiobooks and just love them. Terry Planer did an amazing job in the originals as did most of the others.
I'm looking forward to these new ones, especially because they are concentrating on the subseries of books! That's going to be amazing. Anyway, off to check out the link provided! Great work Penguin Books - I'm stoked!