by Jules Verne, adapted by Moya O’Shea

BBC Radio 4, March 26, 2017 and on iPlayer

The world within the Earth pose grave dangers for Axel, the Professor and Hans…

There’s a great deal of action in this second half of Moya O’Shea’s Jules Verne adaptation, with director Tracey Neale and the sound team ensuring that the listener is at the heart of it. There’s one slightly disconcerting section as the explorers are taken up a volcano (you’ll know the bit when you get to it – it feels as if someone is stirring a pot that contains the sound of our heroes not sounding overly heroic!) but overall it’s a faithful and enjoyable version.

Stephen Critchlow and Joel MacCormack bounce well off each other as uncle and nephew, with their characters’ enthusiasm never feeling forced. Gudmundur Thorvaldsson’s Hans stays speaking his native language for much of the time, yet the necessary translations never feel as if they’re padding out – or hindering flow of – the narrative – something which, I’ll admit, I was concerned would happen when it became clear how this aspect was being handled during the first half.

There’s not been any attempt to “modernise” the narrative or try to create a sociological parable – at the end you feel as if you’ve experienced Verne’s narrative in a different medium.

Verdict: As strong as the first part, this is a terrific rendition of Verne’s text. 9/10

Paul Simpson