1992 Tales from the Perilous Realm (BBC)

Release Date: 1992.08.16
Readers: Full Cast
Language: English
Script: Brian Sibley
Organisation: BBC Radio 5
ISBN: See below
Duration: 2 hours 55 minutes
Unabridged: n/a
Country: UK
Licenced: Yes
Formats: Cassette, CD, Digital

The 1992 BBC Radio 5 production of Tales from the Perilous Realm is a landmark dramatization in the history of Tolkien audio. It was adapted by Brian Sibley – the same writer behind the legendary 1981 Lord of the Rings radio play.

Sibley had always rued the loss of the Tom Bombadil section of The Lord of the Rings, necessary as it was. This project gave him the opportunity to rectify this, however, and thus an adaptation of the three chapters; The Old Forest, In the House of Tom Bombadil and Fog on the Barrow-downs was played out. It wasn’t possible to reassemble the previous cast, although Michael Hordern returned in the role of as Tolkien himself, the narrator of these tales. Also director Jane Morgan and composer Stephen Oliver took up their roles once again.

The adaptation of these three chapters was given the name The Adventures of Tom Bombadil which has been confusing as there was already a published collection of 16 of Tolkien’s poems, published in 1962, under that name, which has been subsequently narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi. In addition, Leaf by Niggle, Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham were also adapted into full cast dramatisations.

Brian Sibley revealed that for this 1992 series, Christopher Tolkien sent the production a private audio cassette. On this tape, Christopher recorded the correct pronunciations for names like Goldberry, Withywindle, and Lúthien to ensure the actors stayed true to his father’s linguistic intentions.

Sibley originally coined the title Tales from the Perilous Realm specifically for this 1992 radio series. He was reportedly quite surprised when HarperCollins later adopted his title for their 1997 book collection and the subsequent Sir Derek Jacobi readings, without permission or even consultation. Their Perilous Realm collection also has Leaf by Niggle, Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham as well as a reading of the 16 poems entitled The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Thus, superficially, they appear to be the same collections but in reality are quite different. To maintain clarity between the two versions on this site, the original has (BBC) appended whilst the later one has (HC) appended, for HarperCollins.

Broadcast History:

The series originally aired on BBC Radio 5 (now Radio 5 Live) in late 1992. It consisted of six ~30-minute episodes divided among the four distinct stories. It was repeated 1995.12.31 – 1996.02.04 on BBC Radio 4. The Radio 5 broadcast was AM/Medium Wave whereas the Radio 4 was in higher quality FM.

Release History:

Cast List:

Further cast details are available in the individual entries for each of these plays.

Other roles across the productions were played by: Jonathan Adams, Matthew Morgan, Nicholas Murchie, Joanna Wake, John Webb. Judy Bennett, Chris Cook, Rachel Crocker, Jill Shilling, Jenny Smythe, Melinda Walker, Ann Windsor, David Holt, Melanie Hudson.