Daniel Mays talks to loaded Magazine about Audible’s new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
“I just love Treasure Island. I’ve read it as a kid and I’ve read it to my kids,” the BAFTA-nominated star tells loaded. “I also played Livesey in the Sky version, whereas here I got to play Ben Gunn.”
“Every time you do something for audio, you’re in that booth and all you’ve really got to draw on is your imagination,” Daniel Mays explains “It artistically frees you up to try out a lot of different characterisations for the role ahead.”
Download Treasure Island with cast including Daniel Mays, Philip Glenister, Catherine Tate, and Owen Teale at Audible.co.uk or Audible.com
Daniel Mays joins Philip Glenister, Catherine Tate, Owen Teale, and more in an exciting Audible Original Drama of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Audible Originals takes to the high seas to bring to life this timeless tale of pirates, lost treasure maps and mutiny, starring BAFTA-nominated Catherine Tate (The Catherine Tate Show, The Office, Doctor Who), Philip Glenister (Outcast, Life On Mars), Owen Teale (Game of Thrones, Pulse, Last Legion) and Daniel Mays (The Adventures of Tintin, Rogue One, Atonement) amongst others.
When weathered old sailor Billy Bones arrives at the inn of young Jim Hawkins’ parents, it is the start of an adventure beyond anything he could have imagined. When Bones dies mysteriously, Jim stumbles across a map of a mysterious island in his sea chest, where X marks the spot of a stash of buried pirate gold. Soon after setting sail to recover the treasure, Jim realises that he’s not the only one intent on discovering the hoard. Suddenly he is thrown into a world of treachery, mutiny, castaways and murder, and at the centre of it all is the charming but sinister Long John Silver, who will stop at nothing to grab his share of the loot.
One of the best-loved adventure stories ever written, Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1881 novel introduced us to characters such as the unforgettable Long John Silver, forever associating peg-legged pirates with ‘X marks the spot’ in our cultural consciousness. Following the success of the double Audie Award-winning Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories, Audible Originals UK are excited to announce this reimagination of Stevenson’s coming-of-age story that will captivate all of the family.
Treasure Island is available for pre-order now and released on Thursday 17 August.
Audible, The National Archives, and Bloomsbury today debut In Their Own Words, an exclusive collection of largely unpublished letters from throughout history. Covering centuries of protest, scandal, cultural revolution and technological innovation the series gives audiences an intimate window into the past, documenting momentous events through personal letters from well-known figures and ordinary citizens alike. Bringing together some of the world’s most shocking, funny and poignant writing, the collection spans some 500 years including everything from Catherine Howard’s adulterous love notes, to the letter that marked the start of Nelson Mandela’s trial.
Working with some of Britain’s best loved performers, In Their Own Words has been beautifully brought to life by a BAFTA and Tony award winning cast including Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter), Indira Varma (Game Of Thrones), Martin Shaw (Judge John Deed), Daniel Mays (Mrs Biggs), David Haig (Four Weddings & A Funeral), Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey) and Rhashan Stone (Desmond’s) amongst others.
Daniel Mays reads the following letters: Letter from India: K B W Sharland, 26 July 1917, Pashan Camp, Kirkee, India (45:55) Digging for King and Country: Leonard Woolley and T E Lawrence (1 hr 29 minutes) Animals and the War effort: GI Joe the hero carrier pigeon (1 hr 52 minutes) ‘Terrible blow this Parliament’: A warning about the Gunpowder Plot (3 hr 45minutes)
Watch behind the scenes video featuring Daniel Mays reading from ‘Terrible blow this Parliament’: A warning about the Gunpowder Plot – written 26th October 1605:
In Their Own Words is available via audiobook worldwide beginning today, 25 August 2016.
Daniel Mays 
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