Radio Review: War of the Worlds

Drama starring Blake Ritson, Samuel James

BBC Radio 4 2:30 pm Saturday

When you talk of any adaptation of H. G. Wells classic tale of an alien invasion in any medium the conversation will bring in Orson Welles famed radio version, that with it's fake radio news bulletins caused a bit of a stir when it was first broadcast. BBC Radio 4 have just started a much more traditional 2 part adaption of the novel, set in the late 19th century, it takes on ideas like the fear of emerging technologies that can capture a persons image or their voice, another being the fear of a Europe wide war being fought. Of course the main plot line is the invasion of the Martians, the production gives you the sense of the sheer terror the invaders bring through the use of sound effects, in particular the sound of those humans who make the mistake of getting to close and end up getting blasted. With the second part to come this is shaping to be one of the adaptations in any medium that they has been.