The Foundation Trilogy (BBC Radio)
Encyclopedia
Isaac Asimov
's The Foundation Trilogy was adapted in eight hour-long episodes by the BBC
, first broadcast in 1973, and repeated in 1977 and 2002.
, capital of the Galactic Empire, with the meeting of Hari Seldon and Hal Dornick, their trial, and their exile to Terminus
. The action then jumps forward fifty years, to the first Seldon Crisis, where the repercussions of the recent independence of the Four Kingdoms of the Periphery are being felt on Terminus, and are handled by the first Mayor, Salvor Hardin
.
, faces its greatest threat to date.
, the last powerful General of the dying Galactic Empire.
.
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's The Foundation Trilogy was adapted in eight hour-long episodes by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, first broadcast in 1973, and repeated in 1977 and 2002.
1: Psychohistory and Encyclopedia
The opening episode begins on TrantorTrantor
Trantor is a fictional planet in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series and Empire Series of science fiction novels.Trantor was first described in a short story by Asimov appearing in Early Asimov Volume 1. Later Trantor gained prominence when the 1940s Foundation Series first appeared in print . Asimov...
, capital of the Galactic Empire, with the meeting of Hari Seldon and Hal Dornick, their trial, and their exile to Terminus
Terminus (planet)
Terminus is a fictional planet at the edge of the Galaxy in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, home of the Foundation .-Position in the universe:Terminus is the sole planet orbiting an isolated star...
. The action then jumps forward fifty years, to the first Seldon Crisis, where the repercussions of the recent independence of the Four Kingdoms of the Periphery are being felt on Terminus, and are handled by the first Mayor, Salvor Hardin
Salvor Hardin
Salvor Hardin is the first mayor of Terminus, the capital planet of the Foundation in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, and the main protagonist of the second and third parts of Foundation. He is portrayed as a shrewd and ruthless politician, a master manipulator who acts in the interests of the...
.
2: The Mayors
The scene moves forward a further twenty years, as Mayor Hardin faces down the domination of the nearby and most powerful of the Four Kingdoms, Anacreon, whose ruler intends to annex the Foundation by force.3: The Merchant Princes
A hundred and fifty years after the Foundation was established, the now powerful trading nation, guided by master trader Hober MallowHober Mallow
Hober Mallow is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. He is the central protagonist of "The Merchant Princes", the final short story of Asimov's Foundation.-Fictional biography:...
, faces its greatest threat to date.
4: The General
Two hundred years after its creation, the Foundation battles Bel RioseBel Riose
Bel Riose is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. He was the last strong General of the Galactic Empire, Commander of the legendary Twentieth Fleet, who eventually came to be known as "the Last of the Imperials", and earned this title well. His tactical genius was compared...
, the last powerful General of the dying Galactic Empire.
5: The Mule
A further hundred years have passed, and the Foundation is challenged by an unexpected threat named The MuleMule (Foundation)
The Mule is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. One of the greatest conquerors the galaxy has ever seen, he is a mentalic who has the ability to reach into the minds of others and "adjust" their emotions, individually or en masse, using this capability to forcibly enlist...
.
6: Flight From The Mule
During the war against The Mule, with things going badly for the Foundation, some key figures under the leadership of the Foundation's greatest scientist, Ebling Mis, flee Terminus in search of the Second Foundation, to warn it of the danger from The Mule.8: Star's End
Sixty years later a teenage girl is at the centre of the Foundation's renewed search for the Second Foundation.Changes from the Novels
- The conflict between The Foundation and Anacreon takes place 70 years into the Foundation era; in the novels it occurs in year 80 F.E.
- A small segment entitled "Traders" in the first volume, Foundation, has been removed entirely
- General editing of the timescale has been done throughout
- A large, rather comedic, section about farming on Rossem has been gratuitously added to "The Mule Finds"
Cast
- William Eedle as Hari SeldonHari SeldonHari Seldon, a fictional character, is the intellectual hero of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. In his capacity as mathematics professor at Streeling University on Trantor, he developed psychohistory, allowing him to predict the future in probabilistic terms...
- Geoffrey BeeversGeoffrey BeeversGeoffrey Beevers is a British actor who has appeared in many different television roles.Beevers has worked extensively at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond upon Thames, both as an actor ; and as an adaptor/director of George Eliot's novel Adam Bede , for which he won a Time Out Award, and Balzac's...
as Gaal DornickGaal DornickGaal Dornick is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. It is Gaal Dornick that introduces the Foundation series, appearing in the first chapter of Foundation, describing his meeting with Hari Seldon. He eventually went on to be his biographer... - Lee MontagueLee MontagueLee Montague is an English actor noted for his roles on film and television, usually playing tough guys.Film credits include: Moulin Rouge, The Camp on Blood Island, The Savage Innocents, Billy Budd, The Secret of Blood Island, Deadlier Than the Male, The Legacy and Brother Sun, Sister...
as Salvor HardinSalvor HardinSalvor Hardin is the first mayor of Terminus, the capital planet of the Foundation in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, and the main protagonist of the second and third parts of Foundation. He is portrayed as a shrewd and ruthless politician, a master manipulator who acts in the interests of the... - Julian GloverJulian GloverJulian Wyatt Glover is a British actor best known for such roles as General Maximilian Veers in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Bond villain Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only, and Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-Personal life:Glover was born in...
as Hober MallowHober MallowHober Mallow is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. He is the central protagonist of "The Merchant Princes", the final short story of Asimov's Foundation.-Fictional biography:... - Dinsdale LandenDinsdale LandenDinsdale James Landen was a British actor known mainly for his television appearances.Landen was born at Margate. He made his television debut in 1959 as Pip in an adaptation of Great Expectations and made his film debut in 1960, with a walk-on part in The League of Gentlemen...
as Bel RioseBel RioseBel Riose is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. He was the last strong General of the Galactic Empire, Commander of the legendary Twentieth Fleet, who eventually came to be known as "the Last of the Imperials", and earned this title well. His tactical genius was compared... - Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
as Ebling MisEbling MisEbling Mis is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. Specifically, he is one of the main characters from the latter half of the novel Foundation and Empire. Mis is the Foundation's greatest psychologist and a very prominent scientist... - Gary WatsonGary WatsonGary Watson is a retired British television actor who started out as a stage actor most notably acting in Friedrich Hebbel's 1962 play Judith at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, England with Sean Connery...
as Toran Darell - Angela PleasenceAngela PleasenceAngela Pleasence is an English actress. She is the daughter of actor Donald Pleasence and his first wife, Miriam Raymond. The surname for both daughter and father has occasionally been miscredited as "Pleasance"...
as Bayta Darell - Wolfe MorrisWolfe MorrisWolfe Morris was a British film and television actor.He played character roles on stage, television and in feature films from the 1950s until the 1990s. He made his film debut in Ill Met by Moonlight. His grandparents were from Kiev and escaped the Russian pogroms, arriving in London in about 1890....
as Magnifico/The MuleMule (Foundation)The Mule is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. One of the greatest conquerors the galaxy has ever seen, he is a mentalic who has the ability to reach into the minds of others and "adjust" their emotions, individually or en masse, using this capability to forcibly enlist... - Cyril ShapsCyril Shaps-Biography:Shaps was born in Highbury, London; he was of Polish ancestry and his father was a tailor.He was a child broadcaster, providing voices for radio commercials at the age of 12. After grammar school and Army service he trained at RADA and then worked for two years as an announcer, producer...
- The Guardian/Preem PalverPreem PalverPreem Palver is a fictional character, part of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. Palver is portrayed as a rather loud and jolly simple farmer. However, in reality he is the mastermind behind the plot to restore Hari Seldon's plan to its original course after the disruption by the Mule... - Carleton HobbsCarleton HobbsCarleton Percy Hobbs was an English actor with many film, radio and television appearances. He portrayed Sherlock Holmes in 80 radio adaptations between 1952 and 1969, and also starred in the radio adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour.Hobbs was born in Farnborough, Hampshire, into a...
as Dr Toran Darell II - Prunella ScalesPrunella ScalesPrunella Scales CBE is an English actress, known for her role as Basil Fawlty's long-suffering wife in the British comedy Fawlty Towers and her award-nominated role as Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question of Attribution.-Career:Throughout her long career, Scales has usually been cast...
as Lady Callia - David Valla as Encyclopedia GalacticaEncyclopedia GalacticaThe Encyclopædia Galactica is a fictional or hypothetical encyclopædia of a future human galaxy-spanning civilization, containing all the knowledge accumulated by a society with quadrillions of people and thousands of years of history...
Read-out
- Heron Carvic as Advocate
- John HollisJohn HollisJohn Hollis was an English actor. He played the role of Lobot in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and the German porter at the chateau in The Dirty Dozen...
as Yohan Lee - Roy SpencerRoy Spencer (actor)Roy Spencer is a British actor and special effects technician who was born in Heanor, Derbyshire, but grew up in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.Spencer has appeared in several films and TV shows, including two roles in Doctor Who, as Manyak in The Ark and as Frank Harris in Fury from the Deep.He also...
as Lewis Pirenne - Rolf Lefebvre as Anselm Rodric and Dagobert IXDagobert IXEmperor Dagobert IX is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Empire. He is one of the last, if not the last, emperor of the Galactic Empire....
- Ronald Herdman as Lord Dorwin
- Brian Haines as Tomaz Sutt and Huxlani
- John RoweJohn Rowe (actor)-TV:*BBC Television Shakespeare - Henry VIII *Juliet Bravo *When the Boat Comes In *Chambers *Agatha Christie's Poirot...
as Jord Fara and Student Planner (Second Foundation) - John Samson as Sef Sermak
- William FoxWilliam Fox (actor)William Hubert Fox TD was a British character actor and writer. Fox enjoyed early success on the stage playing juvenile roles...
as Poly Verisof and Cleon IICleon IIEmperor Cleon II is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. He is the last strong monarch of the Galactic Empire, and reigned during the time when Bel Riose, the last great Imperial general, was engaging in a successful campaign against the early Foundation... - William Sleigh as Doktor Walto
- Michael KilgarriffMichael KilgarriffMichael Kilgarriff is a British actor, born 16 June 1937 in Brighton. As an actor he is well known for two things: his rich voice, leading to much radio and voice over work; and his height. At six feet seven inches tall, he is sought for certain roles, the most notable of which has been The Cyber...
as Theo Aporat, Lieutenant Vrank and Tubor - Francis de WolffFrancis de WolffFrancis de Wolff was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television....
as Prince Regent Wienis - Terry ScullyTerry ScullyTerry Scully was a British theatre and television actor.After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work...
as King Lepold I and Oval - Anthony JacksonAnthony Jackson (actor)Anthony Thomas Jackson was an English actor, who reached his widest audiences as founder of the eponymous ghost hiring agency in the long-running BBC children's comedy series Rentaghost. Jackson began his career with the Birmingham Repertory. He studied at Rose Bruford College and won the BBC...
as Jorane Sutt - Peter Williams as Ankor Jael
- Robin Browne as Jaim Twer and Orum Palley
- Fraser Kerr as Comdor Asper and Meirus
- Gail MacFarlane as Commdora Licia
- Douglas BlackwellDouglas BlackwellDouglas Blackwell was an English actor with many television and film credits.Douglas blackwell is also the name pod many children it is the 17 most common first namee...
as Onum Barr and The Governor (Rossem) - David GoodersonDavid GoodersonDavid Gooderson is a British actor who has appeared in several television roles. As well as portraying Davros, creator of the Daleks in the Doctor Who serial Destiny of the Daleks, he has appeared in Lovejoy, Mapp & Lucia and A Touch of Frost amongst other roles...
as Tech-man - Martin Friend as Ammel Broderig
- Michael HarbourMichael HarbourMichael Ninian Harbour usually credited as Michael N. Harbour, was a British actor.In a career spanning forty years from 1969 until his death, he took on roles in television programmes such as Heartbeat, Casualty, Doctors, Dixon of Dock Green and Midsomer Murders.Michael Harbour also lent his...
as Lathan Devers - Ronald Herdman as Sennett Forell and Elder (Rossem)
- Haydn Jones as First trader
- John Ruddock as Second trader, Mayor Indbur III and Elder (Rossem)
- Peter HowellPeter Howell (actor)Peter Howell is a British actor.A regular in 1950s television hospital drama series Emergency Ward 10, he has made guest appearances in The Avengers, The Prisoner, and Doctor Who. He played the prison governor in the 1979 film Scum. He played Saruman in the 1981 BBC Radio production of The Lord of...
as Ducem Barr - John JustinJohn JustinJohn Justin was a British stage and film actor.John Justinian de Ledesma was born in London, England, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his father's ranch, he was educated at Bryanston School, Dorset...
as Han PritcherHan PritcherHan Pritcher is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. He is an important character in the second part of Foundation and Empire and the first part of Second Foundation.- Fictional history :... - Nigel Graham as Franssart
- Lewis Stringer as Randu
- Nigel AnthonyNigel AnthonyNigel Anthony, is a British theatre and television actor, who has also worked notably in radio with many broadcasts to his credit He is married to the actress Kate Binchy and is also an accomplished drummer with a wide knowledge of jazz.His theatre work includes The Taming of the Shrew, Happy...
as Prince Dagobert - Trader Faulkner as Bail ChannisBail ChannisBail Channis is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. He is described as a handsome and popular character, very self-confident and intelligent.- Fictional history :...
- Sarah Frampton as Arkady DarellArkady DarellArcadia "Arkady" Darell is a fictional character, part of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series. She appears in Second Foundation...
- Gabriel WoolfGabriel WoolfGabriel Woolf is an English film and television actor.-Career:His roles include Sir Percival in the 1953 film,Knights of the Round Table and Sutekh in the 1975 Doctor Who serial Pyramids of Mars....
as Pelleas Anthor - David March as Homir Munn
- Peter PrattPeter PrattPeter Pratt was an English actor and singer who is best remembered for his comic roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas....
as Lord Stettin - Katherine Parr as Mrs Palver