The Lord of the Rings - Radio Drama | The Shadow of the Past (Episode 1)

In 1981 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a dramatisation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in 26 half-hour stereo instalments. It followed a previous 12-part BBC Radio version from 1955 and 1956, of which no recordings are known to have survived. The Lord of the Rings was dramatised for radio by Sibley and Michael Bakewell. The music was composed by Stephen Oliver. Radiophonic sound was provided by Elizabeth Parker. The series was produced and directed by Jane Morgan and Penny Leicester.

Each of the original 26 episodes received two broadcasts per week - standard practice for many BBC radio serials even today. The 26-part series was subsequently edited into 13 hour-long episodes, restoring some dialogue originally cut for timing (since each hour-long episode is actually around 57 minutes, as opposed to 54 minutes for two half-hour episodes), rearranging some scenes for dramatic impact and adding linking narration and music cues. It was broadcast in 13 episodes in 1982, restoring some dialogue originally cut for timing. The author's son and editor Christopher Tolkien reviewed and approved the final scripts for each episode. He recorded an audio cassette of correct pronunciations for Middle-earth words and names to assist the cast during recordings.

The script attempts to be as faithful as possible to the original novel with many sections of dialogue lifted directly from the source material, such as the conversations between Frodo, Sam and Faramir in The Window on the West. The script also includes an arc where Wormtongue is waylaid by the Ringwraiths, as narrated in Unfinished Tales, a newly-published volume at that time. In the final episode, Bilbo's Last Song, a Tolkien poem which does not appear in the novel, is used to flesh out the sequence at the Grey Havens. However, there are some errors and alterations. For more details check out Tolkien Gateway:
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(1981_radio_series)#Differences_from_the_book

A soundtrack album featuring a completely re-recorded and in some cases expanded, suite of Stephen Oliver's music was released in 1981.

E01. Covering "The Fellowship of the Ring": Book 1 - Chapter 1-2-3
The hobbit protagonists are introduced. Bilbo and Frodo's birthday party, Bilbo leaves the Shire. Gandalf tells Frodo the true nature of the ring, and how it must be taken to Mordor and destroyed. Frodo decides to leave the Shire in order to protect the other inhabitants, and Gandalf suggests that he makes for Rivendell. Sam who has been listening at the window, is told to accompany Frodo. Frodo sells Bag End, and officially is going to move to a house at Crickhollow in the area beyond Bucklebury in Buckland, while he actually plans to disappear without causing too much of a fuss.

Cast & Characters:
Narrator: Gerard Murphy
Frodo Baggins: Ian Holm
Gandalf the Grey/Gandalf the White: Michael Hordern
Aragorn (Strider): Robert Stephens
Sam Gamgee: Bill Nighy (credited as William Nighy)
Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry): Richard O'Callaghan
Peregrin Took (Pippin): John McAndrew
Legolas: David Collings
Gimli: Douglas Livingstone
Boromir: Michael Graham Cox
Galadriel: Marian Diamond
Celeborn: Simon Cadell
Arwen Evenstar: Sonia Fraser
Saruman the White: Peter Howell
Elrond: Hugh Dickson
Bilbo Baggins: John Le Mesurier
Gollum/Sméagol: Peter Woodthorpe
Théoden: Jack May
Gríma Wormtongue: Paul Brooke
Éowyn: Elin Jenkins
Éomer: Anthony Hyde
Faramir: Andrew Seear
Treebeard: Stephen Thorne
Denethor: Peter Vaughan
Lord of the Nazgûl: Philip Voss
The Mouth of Sauron: John Rye
Glorfindel/An Elf lord of the house of Elrond half-elven : John Webb
Haldir/Nazgûl/Nob/Minstrel: Haydn Wood
Gamling: Patrick Barr
Ceorl: Michael McStay
Háma/A Nazgûl: Michael Spice
Éothain/Otho Sackville-Baggins/Ruffian: John Livesy
Halbarad: Martyn Read
Beregond/The Black Rider/Guard: Christopher Scott
Ioreth: Pauline Letts
Gwaihir: Alexander John
Radagast the Brown: Donald Gee
Gaffer Gamgee: John Church
Ted Sandyman/Snaga: Gordon Reid
Rosie Cotton: Kathryn Hurlbutt
Daddy Twofoot: Leonard Fenton
Farmer Maggot/Ruffian: John Bott
Lobelia Sackville-Baggins: Diana Bishop
Farmer Cotton: Alan Dudley
Proudfoot/Orc: Sean Arnold
Elanor Gamgee: Harry Holm
Barliman Butterbur: James Grout
Uglúk: Brian Haines
Shagrat: Christopher Fairbank
Gorbag: David Sinclair
Déagol/Bill Ferny/Orc Captain: Graham Faulkner
Shelob: Jenny Lee, BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Singer (Dream Voice/Bilbo's Last Song): Matthew Vine
Singer (The Bard): Oz Clarke
Singer (The Eagle/Voice of Lothlórien): David James