This has become a London Walks Christmas tradition. A London Walks Christmas tradition we’re thrilled about. Actor (and guide) Richard Burnip – he of the honeyed voice – is a professional narrator (for Audiobooks). Every year Richard gifts us – and thus you, London Walkers – with a Dickens story. A Dickens story read and recorded professionally. Not just “read” – narrated. Read as only Richard can read it. This year Richard’s put in our Christmas stocking Dickens’s story, The Wreck of the Golden Mary.
And – an embarrassment of riches – Richard doesn’t throw us in the deep end. He’s also gifted us with a very fine introduction. He has interesting things to say about Dickens and the story – and indeed about his, Richard’s, personal relationship to the piece. It’s vintage Richard Burnip: assured, warm, relaxed, melodious storytelling.
Richard’s intro is all you need, but if you want to “read” a bit more about The Wreck of the Golden Mary, here’s a little primer from Amazon.
“Ingeniously conceived and brilliantly rendered, and set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush, The Wreck of the Golden Mary is a masterpiece of Victorian storytelling. En route to making their fortunes, the passengers of the Golden Mary suffer a terrifying ordeal when their vessel collides with an iceberg. Now the helpless victims of a shipwreck, they turn to the restorative powers of storytelling in a desperate attempt to raise morale. As each takes their turn, from the captain to the first mate, the Dickensian figures of miser and murderer, orphan and ghost, are brought onboard with most remarkable effect. Charles Dickens is one of England’s most important literary figures. His works enjoyed enormous success in his day and are still among the most popular classics of all time.”
This is Part I. Part II will “go to air” on Christmas Eve.