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Neverwhere: BBC Dramatisation
Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere.
An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into a subterranean world under the streets of London. Stopping to help an injured girl on a London street, Richard is thrust from his workaday existence into the strange world of London Below.
So begins a curious and mysterious adventure deep beneath the streets of London, a London of shadows where the tube cry of 'Mind the Gap' takes on new meaning; for the inhabitants of this murky domain are those who have fallen through the gaps in society, the dispossessed, the homeless. Here Richard meets the Earl of Earl’s Court, Old Bailey and Hammersmith, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington.
Joining the mysterious girl named Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard, Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the clutches of the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family. All the while trying to work out how to get back to his old life in London Above.
A six part adaption of Neil Gaiman’s novel adapted by Dirk Maggs for Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra, sees James McAvoy as Richard lead a stellar cast which includes Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head, David Schofield, Bernard Cribbens, Romola Garai, George Harris, Andrew Sachs, Lucy Cohu, Johnny Vegas, Paul Chequer, Don Gilet and Abdul Salis.
An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into a subterranean world under the streets of London. Stopping to help an injured girl on a London street, Richard is thrust from his workaday existence into the strange world of London Below.
So begins a curious and mysterious adventure deep beneath the streets of London, a London of shadows where the tube cry of 'Mind the Gap' takes on new meaning; for the inhabitants of this murky domain are those who have fallen through the gaps in society, the dispossessed, the homeless. Here Richard meets the Earl of Earl’s Court, Old Bailey and Hammersmith, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington.
Joining the mysterious girl named Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard, Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the clutches of the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family. All the while trying to work out how to get back to his old life in London Above.
A six part adaption of Neil Gaiman’s novel adapted by Dirk Maggs for Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra, sees James McAvoy as Richard lead a stellar cast which includes Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head, David Schofield, Bernard Cribbens, Romola Garai, George Harris, Andrew Sachs, Lucy Cohu, Johnny Vegas, Paul Chequer, Don Gilet and Abdul Salis.
4 pages, Audiobook
First published September 5, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 571 reviews
January 1, 2014
Okay. Allow me to take a deep breath here. This isn't easy for me.
I didn't particularly like this production of Neverwhere.
I feel awful typing that. Worse, I feel stupid. I feel like this is a betrayal.
I've loved Neverwhere for ages. I own, right now, eight unread copies of the paperback. I buy them in bulk and give them away to people who claim they don't like fantasy. I use it as a gateway drug.
What's more, I've loved all the other productions of Neverwhere I've experienced. I enjoyed the old BBC show that I watched *ages* ago back in 1998.
I enjoyed the original audiobook that I listened to back in 2001, narrated by some guy I can't remember.
And I've profoundly enjoyed the even *better* audiobook read by Gaiman himself.
The thing is, this BBC production has a thousand things that should make it awesome. More than that, it should be beloved by me.
I love the fact that it's produced by Dirk Maggs, who did the Brilliant Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio dramatizations, not to mention Sexton Blake. He's the person I'd want doing my radio adaptation if I ever had one.
I love the fact that the voice talent includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Head, and Christopher Lee....
I love the fact that Gaiman cast himself in the bit parts of "The Fop with No Name" and the vaguely pervy security guard whose name I can't even remember.
For these reasons and many others, I've been looking forward to listening to this. I've been all tingly and afluter with anticipation.
But... I just don't care for it.
Part of it is probably due to the fact that I have a bit of a discriminatory hearing problem. So the dramatic sound effects made it harder for me to hear the dialogue.
And part of it was probably that I was listening to it on my phone, where the audio quality is certainly not THX certified.
And part of this is probably that we always love best what we love first, and I've listened to Neil himself reading the audiobook of Neverwhere at least a half-dozen times. It's really hard to top that...
So yes. Part of this is just me having a problem and being a curmudgeon.
But honestly, I don't think it's *just* me.
The truth is, even being a fan of the book, I found the action difficult to follow. The lack of narration hurt the clarity of the story.
Also, the entire production was only about 3 hours long, so the pacing felt... off to me. There just wasn't enough time for tension to develop properly. For example (spoiler alert) Hunter betrays the group, is taken hostage, and his fatally wounded in the space of about 5 minutes. It felt terribly rushed to me, and made her repentance seem oddly false and insincere, which is a genuine shame....
Why am I really writing this? I honestly don't know.
Part of it is a sense of fair play. I am lavish and unsparing of my praise of Gaiman's work. I am, to put it plainly, a huge gushy fanboy. So to me, it feels dishonest for me to keep quiet when I have a strong opinion on this version of the story.
Plus, I hope to say to any new fans out there: if this was your first time hearing the story and you enjoyed it. Huzzah. I'm delighted. Welcome to Neverwhere, it's one of my absolute favorite books.
I just want to say, I don't think you've seen it at its absolute, shining best. If you liked this, I beg you, check out the audiobook or the novel.
I'm serious. It will blow the top off your head....
Heretically yours,
pat
I didn't particularly like this production of Neverwhere.
I feel awful typing that. Worse, I feel stupid. I feel like this is a betrayal.
I've loved Neverwhere for ages. I own, right now, eight unread copies of the paperback. I buy them in bulk and give them away to people who claim they don't like fantasy. I use it as a gateway drug.
What's more, I've loved all the other productions of Neverwhere I've experienced. I enjoyed the old BBC show that I watched *ages* ago back in 1998.
I enjoyed the original audiobook that I listened to back in 2001, narrated by some guy I can't remember.
And I've profoundly enjoyed the even *better* audiobook read by Gaiman himself.
The thing is, this BBC production has a thousand things that should make it awesome. More than that, it should be beloved by me.
I love the fact that it's produced by Dirk Maggs, who did the Brilliant Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio dramatizations, not to mention Sexton Blake. He's the person I'd want doing my radio adaptation if I ever had one.
I love the fact that the voice talent includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Head, and Christopher Lee....
I love the fact that Gaiman cast himself in the bit parts of "The Fop with No Name" and the vaguely pervy security guard whose name I can't even remember.
For these reasons and many others, I've been looking forward to listening to this. I've been all tingly and afluter with anticipation.
But... I just don't care for it.
Part of it is probably due to the fact that I have a bit of a discriminatory hearing problem. So the dramatic sound effects made it harder for me to hear the dialogue.
And part of it was probably that I was listening to it on my phone, where the audio quality is certainly not THX certified.
And part of this is probably that we always love best what we love first, and I've listened to Neil himself reading the audiobook of Neverwhere at least a half-dozen times. It's really hard to top that...
So yes. Part of this is just me having a problem and being a curmudgeon.
But honestly, I don't think it's *just* me.
The truth is, even being a fan of the book, I found the action difficult to follow. The lack of narration hurt the clarity of the story.
Also, the entire production was only about 3 hours long, so the pacing felt... off to me. There just wasn't enough time for tension to develop properly. For example (spoiler alert) Hunter betrays the group, is taken hostage, and his fatally wounded in the space of about 5 minutes. It felt terribly rushed to me, and made her repentance seem oddly false and insincere, which is a genuine shame....
Why am I really writing this? I honestly don't know.
Part of it is a sense of fair play. I am lavish and unsparing of my praise of Gaiman's work. I am, to put it plainly, a huge gushy fanboy. So to me, it feels dishonest for me to keep quiet when I have a strong opinion on this version of the story.
Plus, I hope to say to any new fans out there: if this was your first time hearing the story and you enjoyed it. Huzzah. I'm delighted. Welcome to Neverwhere, it's one of my absolute favorite books.
I just want to say, I don't think you've seen it at its absolute, shining best. If you liked this, I beg you, check out the audiobook or the novel.
I'm serious. It will blow the top off your head....
Heretically yours,
pat
September 1, 2016
*Audible edition read by full BBC cast: (Christopher Lee, James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Head ).*
Wow, what an awesome listen! The only problem? I have to go back and get the ebook because the BBC cast version was abridged and I feel like I missed huge chunks of the story.
This is my first experience with an audiobook that is more like a theater production. I felt like I was at a play with my eyes closed. There were sound effects, at least 4 or 5 people in each scene talking, and lots of times where there was action and no words. It was strange for me, as an audiobook lover, to hear an author's words interpreted instead of spoken to the letter. However, it was a pretty amazing introduction to this format.
The story itself was awesome. Tons of action, tons of drama, tons of tension... I was totally sucked in. It was borderline horror at times, which I don't tend to like, but I was overall really enamored with it.
I'm going to have to get me some more Gaiman, STAT. And maybe listen to James McAvoy some more...
February 7, 2017
I have consumed this previously in novel form and the 1996 television series. I have loved it in all its forms and that includes this excellent full cast recording.
Richard Mayhew, a Scotsman living in London, performs a random act of compassion for a stranger and is plunged into the world of London Below and exiled from the surface world. Now he must help the Lady Door in her mission to find out why her family were murdered, and avoid the brutal killers Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar.
The cast in this is star-studded and all do an excellent job. James Mcavoy in particular plays Richard Mayhew perfectly and Benedict Cumberbatch does a terrific job as the Angel Islington as well. Even small roles such as the Black Friars bring more to those characters than is immediately obvious from the novel and as such I think this may well be my favorite rendition of one of my favorite urban fantasies.
Richard Mayhew, a Scotsman living in London, performs a random act of compassion for a stranger and is plunged into the world of London Below and exiled from the surface world. Now he must help the Lady Door in her mission to find out why her family were murdered, and avoid the brutal killers Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar.
The cast in this is star-studded and all do an excellent job. James Mcavoy in particular plays Richard Mayhew perfectly and Benedict Cumberbatch does a terrific job as the Angel Islington as well. Even small roles such as the Black Friars bring more to those characters than is immediately obvious from the novel and as such I think this may well be my favorite rendition of one of my favorite urban fantasies.
May 29, 2015
I enjoyed listening to this so much. It was so good to be back in this world once more.
I don't think that they could've found a better cast for this. I mean James McAvoy and Natalie Dormer. What's not to love?!
If you're a fan of the book, I would recommend giving this a try. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
I don't think that they could've found a better cast for this. I mean James McAvoy and Natalie Dormer. What's not to love?!
If you're a fan of the book, I would recommend giving this a try. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
July 17, 2025
This full cast BBC audio drama is a decent version of Neil Gaiman's highly enjoyable novel.
While not as good as the book it is far better than the extremely low budget televison version. There's a good plot, plenty of humour & (like the TV version) an excellent cast.
Eight years ago Neil Gaiman said that he had writtten the first three chapters of a Neverwhere sequel, but this has never appeared apart from the possible title of The Seven Sisters. What has happened to it ?! Come on, Gaiman. Get it written!
While not as good as the book it is far better than the extremely low budget televison version. There's a good plot, plenty of humour & (like the TV version) an excellent cast.
Eight years ago Neil Gaiman said that he had writtten the first three chapters of a Neverwhere sequel, but this has never appeared apart from the possible title of The Seven Sisters. What has happened to it ?! Come on, Gaiman. Get it written!
February 4, 2017
I tried one audiobook five years ago and didn't like it. Afterward I always said that I didn't like audiobooks, because it was too hard for me to concentrate on them, falling asleep, getting distracted - but I caved for this BBC dramatization, after listening to a snippet with McAvoy and getting three months of free Audible.
McAvoy as Richard and Dormer as Door were pretty good. The other cast members did great jobs as well, Cumbersnatch and Christopher Lee being the ones I looked forward to the most.
This was fun! I find it difficult to review the story though. Listening to a full cast enacting it was such a different experience from reading a book. I wonder what I missed, only listening to dialogue with background noises. Surely there must have been descriptions of characters, buildings, the markets...
Having places of London come to life below as persons was a great bit of world building, I loved it. The story was fairly straight forward and not terribly complicated. I didn't guess the bad guy, but I was always bad at that. Other than that nothing really took me by surprise. The ending was pretty predictable. Nonetheless, I liked the plot and found it entertaining. London Below was, again, a fantastic bit of world building.
I am now looking forward to the comic book version of Neverwhere sitting on my book shelf. Who knows, I might even get the print edition of the book afterwards.
5 full-cast stars, with wings and teeth.
McAvoy as Richard and Dormer as Door were pretty good. The other cast members did great jobs as well, Cumbersnatch and Christopher Lee being the ones I looked forward to the most.
This was fun! I find it difficult to review the story though. Listening to a full cast enacting it was such a different experience from reading a book. I wonder what I missed, only listening to dialogue with background noises. Surely there must have been descriptions of characters, buildings, the markets...
Having places of London come to life below as persons was a great bit of world building, I loved it. The story was fairly straight forward and not terribly complicated. I didn't guess the bad guy, but I was always bad at that. Other than that nothing really took me by surprise. The ending was pretty predictable. Nonetheless, I liked the plot and found it entertaining. London Below was, again, a fantastic bit of world building.
I am now looking forward to the comic book version of Neverwhere sitting on my book shelf. Who knows, I might even get the print edition of the book afterwards.
5 full-cast stars, with wings and teeth.
October 25, 2016
I don't like audiobooks, but this, with a full cast was amazing. So fantastic to be able to hear London Below, and of course, the voices were just delicious.
February 28, 2016
From BBC Radio 4 Extra :
Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere.
An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into a subterranean world under the streets of London. Stopping to help an injured girl on a London street, Richard is thrust from his workaday existence into the strange world of London Below.
So begins a curious and mysterious adventure deep beneath the streets of London, a London of shadows where the tube cry of 'Mind the Gap' takes on new meaning; for the inhabitants of this murky domain are those who have fallen through the gaps in society, the dispossessed, the homeless. Here Richard meets the Earl of Earl's Court, Old Bailey and Hammersmith, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington.
Joining the mysterious girl named Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard, Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the clutches of the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family. All the while trying to work out how to get back to his old life in London Above.
1/6: London Below
An act of kindness catapults Richard from his ordinary life into a subterranean world.
2/6: Earls' Court
To learn who kill the Door's family, Richard visits a venerable resident of London Below.
3/6: The Angel Islington
Richard and Door travel to the British Museum to locate the citadel of the legendary angel.
4/6: The Black Friars
Richard heads to the monastery where he must undergo a terrifying ordeal to obtain the key
5/6: Market Afloat
Richard and Door find a guide to led them through the labyrinth beneath London
6/6: The Key
Richard and Door finally discover who ordered the death of the Door's family. Can they escape?
A six part adaption of Neil Gaiman's novel adapted by Dirk Maggs, sees James McAvoy as Richard lead a stellar cast which includes Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head, David Schofield, Bernard Cribbins, Romola Garai, George Harris, Andrew Sachs, Lucy Cohu, Johnny Vegas, Paul Chequer, Don Gilet and Abdul Salis.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r527b
Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere.
An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into a subterranean world under the streets of London. Stopping to help an injured girl on a London street, Richard is thrust from his workaday existence into the strange world of London Below.
So begins a curious and mysterious adventure deep beneath the streets of London, a London of shadows where the tube cry of 'Mind the Gap' takes on new meaning; for the inhabitants of this murky domain are those who have fallen through the gaps in society, the dispossessed, the homeless. Here Richard meets the Earl of Earl's Court, Old Bailey and Hammersmith, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington.
Joining the mysterious girl named Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard, Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the clutches of the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family. All the while trying to work out how to get back to his old life in London Above.
1/6: London Below
An act of kindness catapults Richard from his ordinary life into a subterranean world.
2/6: Earls' Court
To learn who kill the Door's family, Richard visits a venerable resident of London Below.
3/6: The Angel Islington
Richard and Door travel to the British Museum to locate the citadel of the legendary angel.
4/6: The Black Friars
Richard heads to the monastery where he must undergo a terrifying ordeal to obtain the key
5/6: Market Afloat
Richard and Door find a guide to led them through the labyrinth beneath London
6/6: The Key
Richard and Door finally discover who ordered the death of the Door's family. Can they escape?
A six part adaption of Neil Gaiman's novel adapted by Dirk Maggs, sees James McAvoy as Richard lead a stellar cast which includes Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head, David Schofield, Bernard Cribbins, Romola Garai, George Harris, Andrew Sachs, Lucy Cohu, Johnny Vegas, Paul Chequer, Don Gilet and Abdul Salis.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r527b
November 12, 2020
3 Stars for Neverwhere: BBC Dramatisation (audiobook) by Neil Gaimen writer Dirk Maggs performed by a full cast. The story seemed interesting but I had a hard time following it. Some of the dialogue was hard to understand. Maybe it’s better in print.
December 2, 2020
As expected once again a great concept and great execution of that concept by Gaiman.
I am a fangirl of the way gaiman writes and how surreal his stories feel. That is why I wish I had read the book and not just listened to the audiobook of this one.
Don't get me wrong, the audiobook is fantastic with a wide cast of actors reading the book and listening to it was definitely fun.
I will still be reading this one when I can get my hands on a physical copy of this book!
I am a fangirl of the way gaiman writes and how surreal his stories feel. That is why I wish I had read the book and not just listened to the audiobook of this one.
Don't get me wrong, the audiobook is fantastic with a wide cast of actors reading the book and listening to it was definitely fun.
I will still be reading this one when I can get my hands on a physical copy of this book!
September 30, 2017
Por algunos comentarios que había leído, temia no poder seguir la historia, ya que no leí el libro. Pero no fue así. Pude seguirla y disfrutarla mucho. El elenco es destacable, especialmente Richard, y Angel Islington (del cual me hubiera gustado más participación pero no estoy siendo objetiva jaja). Las actuaciones son destacables , y junto con la historia me mantuvieron prendida todos los episodios. Me pregunto si el final en el libro es igual o va más allá.
August 30, 2015
Again, heard - not read.
I read the book in January this year so I knew what the story was about and already had a mental picture of everything. However, after the wonderful dramatization of Good Omens, which I listened to around Christmas / January 2015, I got curious when author Neil Gaiman tweeted about Neverwhere getting a make-over too. This is not the first dramatization of the story, but definitely the first with this sort of cast! I mean, look at the names!
As I said before, I'm usually not into audiobooks (the old falling-asleep or not-being-focused problem) but since this has Benedict-jaguar-in-a-cello-Cumberbatch ... *sigh* ... well, that voice ... you get my point.
And just as hoped, I was not disappointd by ANY of the voices. Maybe it wasn't always 100% as I had imagined it while reading the book, but it was still great. Perhaps the fact that I've read the book first and then listened to the audiobook helped. Anyway, the BBC did a marvellous job again by not just using a great cast but also paying attention to all the details in Gaiman's story, making London Below come to life!
I read the book in January this year so I knew what the story was about and already had a mental picture of everything. However, after the wonderful dramatization of Good Omens, which I listened to around Christmas / January 2015, I got curious when author Neil Gaiman tweeted about Neverwhere getting a make-over too. This is not the first dramatization of the story, but definitely the first with this sort of cast! I mean, look at the names!
As I said before, I'm usually not into audiobooks (the old falling-asleep or not-being-focused problem) but since this has Benedict-jaguar-in-a-cello-Cumberbatch ... *sigh* ... well, that voice ... you get my point.
And just as hoped, I was not disappointd by ANY of the voices. Maybe it wasn't always 100% as I had imagined it while reading the book, but it was still great. Perhaps the fact that I've read the book first and then listened to the audiobook helped. Anyway, the BBC did a marvellous job again by not just using a great cast but also paying attention to all the details in Gaiman's story, making London Below come to life!
August 30, 2014
I thought that this production was a bit of a Steampunk/fantasy done masterfully by the narrators. A great story about a group of people that are thrown together unexpectedly and realize right away that it is imperative that they work together if they are to survive the perils at hand. This was by far my favorite Neil Gaiman book to date, it is full of great, strange places and wonderfully, rich characters. A fantastically, dangerous adventure that incorporates two parallel worlds, is great for Tweens on up, and has no bad language so it easy to recommend. This would be perfect for a car ride as it is done like a radio show. Buckle up, have fun and enjoy the ride.
February 3, 2017
I am really not into audiobooks. I tend to dream away and at some point completely stop paying attention to the story at all.
My daydreaming only took place twice with this book. The story was really interesting and the character of Richard (James McAvoy) was super funny.
I had some issues with McAvoy's accent but I don't complain. It was still understandable.
My daydreaming only took place twice with this book. The story was really interesting and the character of Richard (James McAvoy) was super funny.
I had some issues with McAvoy's accent but I don't complain. It was still understandable.
February 7, 2017
Oh, this STORY!!! It took me yesterday and this morning, while driving, to get through the whole thing. It was SPLENDID!
Goodness gracious, Dr Xavier as Richard! I confess, I even became a tad bit emotional during the Black Friar Ordeal! And the Rapping Monks? Why, they were just a BONUS! :0)
Cannot recommend this enough, especially for those who are familiar with the Neverwhere story. It made me yearn for the novel again.
Lindsay? You're awesome for taking the time to get me to this adaptation. Thank you.
Goodness gracious, Dr Xavier as Richard! I confess, I even became a tad bit emotional during the Black Friar Ordeal! And the Rapping Monks? Why, they were just a BONUS! :0)
Cannot recommend this enough, especially for those who are familiar with the Neverwhere story. It made me yearn for the novel again.
Lindsay? You're awesome for taking the time to get me to this adaptation. Thank you.
December 31, 2018
Fantastic all the stars!
I never imagined I would ever read/listen, let alone love this Neil Gaiman book, as it’s just not the type of book or genre that I go anywhere near.
I listened to this in the car whilst I was driving around the island and I have to say that it was brilliant. Every-time I’d come to the end of my journey I was trying to think of reasons to go back out so I could listen to more of the story. Richard was a brilliant main character and James McAvoy perfect at playing him. I really also liked Door and the Marquis. Croup and Vandemar were the perfect villains played expertly by Anthony Head and David Schofield, they really did make my skin crawl.
I loved the story and the thought of an Under London, although I wouldn’t like to visit any time, except to listen again and hopefully in a sequel that keeps being hinted at.
If like me you’re not too sure about entering the literary world of Neil Gaiman, this really is the perfect introduction and one that I thoroughly recommend.
I never imagined I would ever read/listen, let alone love this Neil Gaiman book, as it’s just not the type of book or genre that I go anywhere near.
I listened to this in the car whilst I was driving around the island and I have to say that it was brilliant. Every-time I’d come to the end of my journey I was trying to think of reasons to go back out so I could listen to more of the story. Richard was a brilliant main character and James McAvoy perfect at playing him. I really also liked Door and the Marquis. Croup and Vandemar were the perfect villains played expertly by Anthony Head and David Schofield, they really did make my skin crawl.
I loved the story and the thought of an Under London, although I wouldn’t like to visit any time, except to listen again and hopefully in a sequel that keeps being hinted at.
If like me you’re not too sure about entering the literary world of Neil Gaiman, this really is the perfect introduction and one that I thoroughly recommend.
May 29, 2022
Lovely dramatization of one of my fave novels! I do wish they hadn’t chopped it so much, but I’m sure that was a time factor.
March 5, 2020
This was a fun way to revisit this book. Great cast.
July 5, 2017
I listened to this while I was at work doing the mindless stuff like filing out spreadsheets. It was a fun way to pass the time and made it go back way more quickly. The voice acting is phenomenal and there are sound effects to go along with it like rain sounds, walking sounds, door knocking. I really enjoyed it and it made the story much more interesting than if i had just read it on my own. The story itself is really original and you can find it for free on the BBC website, you can also find many other free audiobooks on there! It's also available on audible.
September 20, 2014
A fabulous cast doing one of my all time favourite stories. Pretty sure the all dialogue, no exposition or narration style would not work as a first exposure to it though. Watch the TV show, or read the book, and revisit later with this, because without already having an idea who the characters are, and where the plot is going, this is probably pretty incoherent.
I still loved it unabashedly though.
I still loved it unabashedly though.
March 20, 2016
That was impressive! So, I found out that while I'm not an audiobook person, I can enjoy these. The fact that the story is played rather than being told, with all the background noises, made it so much easier to focus on the story :)
I guess it is now time to give the book itself a go!
I guess it is now time to give the book itself a go!
September 26, 2017
Despite a wonderful cast (which includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Natalie Dormer, James McAvoy, Christopher Lee, and David Harewood, to name a few), this didn't really work for me. The six episodes were very short (less than 30 minutes, except for the first one, which was longer) and the pacing just felt off to me. Also, "chapter 7" was a half hour of outtakes and unused material.
I think I got the gist of the story, but I'm betting there is so much more to London Below than they were able to show here. I might have to read the book at some point to make sure.
I think I got the gist of the story, but I'm betting there is so much more to London Below than they were able to show here. I might have to read the book at some point to make sure.
July 7, 2021
Loved the performances and also the story. I always have had my grievances with how Hunter is treated in this story (I've seen the 90's tv show) but that didn't take away from this adaptation. At the very least it's a 4.5 stars.
July 26, 2020
Exceptional! I can't recommend this enough. I think it might be a bit confusing for people who aren't already fans of the novel, so I wouldn't suggest this as a first listen. However, as someone who already loves the book, this was absolutely delightful.
October 22, 2020
Neverwhere is one of my all-time favorite books. I finally listened to this production while driving to my parents. It was amazing! You had me at Benedict.
August 15, 2021
4.5/5.00
August 5, 2022
This was perfect and my crush on James MacAvoy and his beautiful accent is satisfied
September 30, 2023
3.5 - September book club pick. Have to say I did quite enjoy listening to this radio drama version, not sure if I would have enjoyed reading it as much as I did listening to it.
January 12, 2024
This was a joy and adventure to listen to. The cast was fantastic, the story is wonderful, and it's so easy to misplace 4 hours of time listening to this.
Would make a great road trip listen!
Would make a great road trip listen!
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