Classic Radio
Sci-Fi: A Fall of Moondust
“Having
failed to make
her routine call, the
tourist-cruiser Selene
has disappeared off
the radar. With no clue
to her whereabouts,
the search is on...”
BASED ON A NOVEL BY ARTHUR C CLARKE, A Fall of Moondust was written
in 1961 and was part of the Radio 4 Saturday Night Theatre plays in an occasional
series that traced the writing of science fiction from the turn of the century
to the present day. It was adapted for radio by Andrew Lynch and was first broadcast
in 1981. A Fall of Moondust, directed by Glyn Dearman, is now available
on CD as a BBC Audio Book.
In the 21st Century passengers board the Selene, a tourist-cruiser piloted by
Captain Pat Harris (David Buck), on a trip to explore the moonscape. The only
other crew member is Stewardess Sue Wilkins (Jane Knowles) who allays the fears
of her passengers and assures them there have been rigorous safety checks. New
Yorkers Myra and Irving Schuster (Libby Morris and Harry Towb) discuss Myra's
dislike
of the heat and Irving dismisses his wife's recurring fear everywhere they go
that they'll get stuck in the sea.
There are a number of catchy throw-away lines — one weight-conscious female
passenger confesses: "I only came here because somebody told me I only weigh
20 kilos up here…"
Sue describes the trip to Crater Lake with its breathtaking view of
the Mountains of Inaccessibility, which have never been climbed, and across
the vast Sea of Thirst made up of the driest dust imaginable. She explains that
most of the Moon is covered in a thin layer of dust which is more liquid than
sand and that flows quicker than syrup but just slower than water.
The craft sets off on its exciting journey, with the passengers — including
Commodore Hanstein (Bill Simpson), who led the first exped-ition to Pluto —
preparing to enjoy their vacation. But as they cross the Sea of Thirst there
is a moonquake and the Selene sinks fifteen metres into the dust.
Can the Selene be found before it is too late? And, if she can be located, how
do they beat the tremendous odds against her recovery? Because there has never
been a rescue attempt mounted under such extraordinary conditions. Twenty-two
lives are dependent upon the rescue team being able to pull off this highly-dangerous
and untested operation.
Hope is fading fast as inside the Selene the temperature is getting hotter and
hotter…
• Barry Foster, Saeed Jaffrey and James Aubrey
are also among the creditable cast in the gripping radio drama A Fall Of
Moondust. This classic radio Sci-Fi is available now on two CDs (duration
90 minutes) at an RRP of £12.99 and was released on 7 January (2008). ISBN CD:
9781405688048. A Fall Of Moondust is also available to download at
an RRP of £6.60 (ISBN: 9781405646277).
BBC Audio Books are available from all good bookshops, online at www.bbcshop.com
or by BBC Audiobooks direct mail on 0800 136 919. These titles will also
be available to purchase as a download from digital retailers such as www.bbcaudiozone.com,
Audible, Audioville, Audio-Read, Overdrive, Mediabay, iTunes, 7Digital, Simply
Audiobooks, Spoken Network, TuneTribe and Plays on the Net.
BBC Audio Books now has over 1,500 titles available digitally.
driven = new MINI John Cooper Works
music = The
Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself
news = The Day The Earth Stood Still
“Having
failed to make