Excitement has been mounting for our ambitious project to record new Discworld audiobooks. And now, on 28th April, Terry Pratchett’s birthday, you’ll be able to listen to the first titles as we release brand-new audiobooks of the six Witches books, and the stand-alone title, Small Gods.
Indira Varma, star of upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi, reads all Witches books – Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade and Carpe Jugulum. She said: ‘I love the characters of the three witches, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick. Their unconventional style of magic gently pokes fun at tradition. Terry Pratchett has a genius for using humour to make us think, which really appeals to me, and I hope will appeal to the listeners too’
Andy Serkis, star of The Lord of the Rings, reads Small Gods. He said: ‘Bringing Small Gods to life through the medium of audio has been hugely liberating. This is storytelling in its purest form and is perfect for Terry Pratchett’s sharp-edged satire, which is wrapped in silliness but has a real message of compassion. I wanted to capture that and above all share a great story’
The new, unabridged audiobooks feature multiple narrator voices, with the interjecting voice of Death read by Peter Serafinowicz, star of Shaun of the Dead and Star Wars. Terry annotated the Discworld series with his famous footnotes – essentially his own voice commenting on the story – which will be narrated by Bill Nighy, star of Love Actually, About Time and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
This marks the start of the epic 12-month publication programme which will see the Discworld titles in stunning new recordings. featuring an all-star line-up of British acting talent, including Sian Clifford, Colin Morgan, Bill Nighy, Peter Serafinowicz, Indira Varma and Andy Serkis, with more star names to be announced in the coming months.
Rob Wilkins, who manages the Pratchett Estate, said: ‘Every single voice does justice to the wit, warmth and unique genius of Terry’s storytelling’
The new audio editions will be publishing from April 2022 and are available to pre-order now.
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