The adventures of H.G. Wells, his wife Amy and his younger brother during the War of the Worlds…

There are numerous versions of Wells’ story available – from the Jeff Wayne musical to assorted movies and TV series – yet it still seems no one is prepared to dramatize the original story exactly as Wells told it. The reason for this may be given almost parenthetically at the end of Nicholas Briggs’ new audio (and I’m not totally convinced he’s right about it), but what this does mean is that every version you hear gives emphasis to different aspects of Wells’ vision.

Briggs, more than most, adheres to events as portrayed in the book, although because of certain changes that he makes, the ending is altered – and is considerably more dramatic. In many ways, he takes the Wells book as a framework and adds considerably to it, with perilous balloon flights, and plucky servicemen in the Royal Navy. Unlike last year’s Radio 4 adaptation, which really used the story as the backdrop for a look at the sociological mores of the time, Briggs magnifies the dramatic possibilities inherent in Wells’ text, perhaps removing his characters a little from their late 19th century roots along the way – but at the same time retains elements of Wells’ original that you rarely see or hear (the narrator’s haggling for the use of the pony and trap, for example).

As director, he’s well served by his cast with Richard Armitage and Lucy Briggs-Owen excellent as Herbert and Amy. Briggs-Owen and Helen Goldwyn’s Agatha demonstrate a hardness that one doesn’t perhaps always associate with female characters of the era but which works very well within the story Briggs tells. Iain Meadows’ sound design and Jamie Robertson’s music maintain the high standard that has characterised the entire run of Wells stories over the past few months.

Verdict: A fine envisioning of Wells’ story and a strong end to the line – for now. 9/10

Paul Simpson