Career Audio Work

Richard Armitage - Audio

Lords of the North is the third in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicle series set in the time of Alfred the Great. The series tells the story of Uhtred of Bebbenburg, a Saxon warrior brought up by Danes. Lords of the North follows Uhtred on his journey to avenge the death of his foster-father five years before at the hands of a Danish warlord, Kjartan the Cruel. On his journey, spanning nearly three years, Uhtred rescues an enslaved king, falls in love, battles enemy Danes, and is himself enslaved. The audiobook is 12 hours and Richard Armitage performs all 32 main characters as well as several sundry characters, with voices including those of Danes, Irish, women, children, and men. In February 2008, the audio book was No. 3 in the Audio Times Top Ten Ratings.

The 10 cd boxed set may only be purchased through BBC Audiobooks:

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Presented by novelist Jane Feaver, Richard Armitage reads previously unaired letters written by Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, between 1952 and 1972 for the BBC 4 radio program, The Ted Hughes Letters.

Empire's Children is a six-part history series examining the effect of the break up of the British empire on Britain today through the family stories of Diana Rigg, Shobna Gulati, David Steel, Chris Bisson, Jenny Eclair and Adrian Lester.

As part of Remembrance Day celebrations in 2007, Sarah Lancashire presented poetry and songs of those who stayed behind in England, fighting their own kind of war in a BBC 2 radio program, A War Less Ordinary.

For the television docu-drama, The Great Sperm Race, Richard Armitage narrates a dramatised documentary tracing the journey of sperm in the reproductive system.

In 2006, Tiger Aspects/BBC produced audiobooks of the first four episodes of Robin Hood series 1 to complement the series: Will you tolerate this?; Sheriff got your tongue?; Who shot the sheriff?; and Parent hood. Each book, and all the characters, is performed by Richard Armitage. The dvd boxed set also includes four interviews with Richard in which he discusses his role as Guy of Gisborne, life in Hungary and making the audiobooks.

I really, really enjoyed doing it and trying to do all the voices, and it’s been a great experience in storytelling for me, so hopefully I’ll do another one. (Robin Hood 1 audiobook, Parent Hood interview)

In 2009, to complement Series 3 of Robin Hood, Big Finish Productions produced six audiobooks of original stories drawing on episodes of the series. Two, "Witchfinders" and "The Siege" are performed by Richard Armitage.

In Witchfinders, Guy is troubled by dreams and haunted by Marian while Robin must rescue Kate, arrested for witchcraft.

Witchfinders download and audiobook may be purchased at Big Finish Productions.

In July 2009, Naxos released an abridged cd audiobook of Sylvester, a novel written by Georgette Heyer, considered to be the doyenne of historical romantic fiction, and performed by Richard Armitage.

Sylvester, Duke of Salford, travels to Winchester to look over a prospective bride, Phoebe Marlowe - the goddaughter of his mother's old friend. Phoebe, having encountered Sylvester during a brief stay in London, is by no means happy about the idea and, escorted by a childhood friend, runs away to her godmother in London.

"Living the dream isn't always what it's cracked up to be" (New Homes from Hell, March 3, 2009.) Richard Armitage narrates three episodes of this series tracing the disasters that strike new home buyers.

The cds may be purchased through Amazon.co.uk and ABC shop online.They may also be downloaded through iTunes.

Sylvester may be purchased through Amazon.co.uk.

Whenever I’m asked to do audio books, I always jump at the chance ‘cause it’s a real challenge to, to sit still with just a page in front of you and really create a whole, a whole world of pictures and voices and characters.
(The Siege, Robin Hood 3 audiobook, interview)

I think it’s a good thing for an actor to do because you only have your voice and nothing else and so for a start it makes you become kind of more literary aware, you know, with regards to what works and what doesn’t work and, and more discerning when it comes to looking at a script as well ... (The Siege, Robin Hood 3 audiobook interview)

It’s storytelling.
(The Siege, Robin Hood 3 audiobook interview)

The Siege is the second of the Robin Hood audiobooks produced by Big Finish and read by Richard Armitage.

Robin and Guy are together hiding from Isabella's mercenaries in a now deserted castle where Robin spent his childhood.

The Siege audiobook and download may be purchased at Big Finish Productions.

You just have to have an idea of the story that you’re trying to tell and the most clear way you can tell it. It’s very difficult moving between different characters. You have to just pitch very specifically and commit to what you’re doing and know exactly whose voice you’re doing, when you’re doing it, whether they’re male or female, where they come from. And also trying to get variety into all the voices ... (Robin Hood 1 audiobook, Parent Hood interview)

FORTHCOMING

Naxos has announced that Venetia, the second of their Georgette Heyer novels to be read by Richard Armitage, will be released as an abridged version, in April 2010.

Venetia, intelligent, independent, vivacious but at 25 unmarried, meets her neighbour, 'Rake Damerel' whose visit to his country property becomes extended.

Venetia may be pre-ordered through Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.