"John Banks is one of the UK's most prolific audiobook narrators, working for the likes of Big Finish, Audible, Random House and Games Workshop.
He is a true multi-voice, creating everything from monsters to marauding aliens.
He is also an accomplished stage and TV actor."
audible.co.uk 2018
Hello...
...I'm John Banks - welcome to my website. The majority of my working life has been spent in the theatre with companies including York Theatre Royal, Cheltenham Everyman, Sheffield Crucible, Bristol Old Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange and the National Theatre in London.
Television work includes Emmerdale, Coronation Street, and 'Allo, Allo!'. I have also worked on a number of radio drama and comedy productions with the BBC. Since March 2009, I have enjoyed playing a huge variety of characters in more than 270* audio-drama stories with Big Finish Productions, together with The Black Library/Games Workshop, details of which can be found in the postings below.
There are also details listed here of the 214* audio books & stories I've recorded since March 2013, including the unabridged New Revised Standard Version of The Bible, for companies including audible.co.uk, Hachette, Audible Studios, Podium Audio Publishing, HarperCollins, RNIB, W.F. Howes, Little Brown Group, Penguin Random House, Games Workshop, Orion, Fantom Films & Ladbroke Audio.
(*figures at April 2021)
I hope you find something of interest here and come back soon for further updates.
For all posts, reviews and audio samples, please scroll down...
The Runewar Saga: Book 2
The Crown of Fire & Fury
The Botanist
Washington Poe Series: Book 5
Skaven Deathmaster
The Babel Books
The Fall of Babel - click image above for link to audible
Doctor Who: Back To Earth
Throne of Light: Dawn of Fire Book 4
Release Date: 13th November 2021
Soul Wars
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War-Claw is now available from The Black Library and will become available tomorrow (17th November) via audible; though I have to say, the CD cover and artwork, which I'm grateful to be in possession of, is well worth having; it's quite beautiful in my opinion and there's also a bonus CD of interviews, which I'm listening to as I write - Steve Conlin is making me chuckle...
I'm aware that I often say how much fun various projects were to work on and you might think "oh well, I wouldn't expect him to say anything else" and you would have a point. However, I'm going to say it again now - this was a really fun project to work on with a lovely and talented cast and a great production team in Matt Renshaw and Kylia Whitehead and we had a ball recording it. So, I certainly enjoyed it, enjoyed listening to it and hope, should you choose to give it a listen, that you will enjoy it too!
Here are some details:
Eight Lamentations: War Claw
A Warhammer Age of Sigmar audio drama
Gunmaster
Owain Volkner and his companion Zana Mathos seek an ancient weapon –
but so do their enemies, and in an isolated mountaintop outpost, battle
is joined…
In the wilds of Aqshy, Owain Volker, Gunmaster of the Ironweld, and Zana
Mathos, sellsword and adventurer, seek one of the fabled Eight
Lamentations on behalf of the duardin smith-god, Grungni.
But they are
not the only ones searching for the legendary artefact, and the duo soon
find themselves trapped in an isolated mountain outpost, caught between
a herd of savage beastmen and a pack of monstrous foes.
Tom Alexander Emma Gregory John Banks Cliff Chapman Joe Shire Deeivya Meir Steve Conlin & Matthew Hunt
Written by Josh Reynolds & Produced by Matt Renshaw
I have always been a great fan of 'the short story'; it's quite a skill to relate a fully developed narrative, complete with engaging characters and a credible 'through line' and to achieve this within the strictures of the short story format. I've thoroughly enjoyed the various Black Library short story anthologies I've so far recorded and was delighted to be asked to record this latest collection. It's an enjoyable challenge to create so many varied character voices for such stories; producer Kylia Whitehead and I had great fun with this collection and should you choose to give it a listen, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did.
This anthology is quite useful as an introduction to the Age of Sigmar; here are some details:
Within this book you will find Sacrosanct, a fantastic new novella from C L Werner…
A
restless menace threatens the town of Wyrmditt. Stirred from his grave
by fell magic, Sabrodt, the Shrouded King, seeks dominion over the
kingdom he failed to claim in life. So great is the terror inflicted
upon the lands by Sabrodt and his nighthaunts that Sigmar, God-King,
sends a retinue of his warriors most skilled in the art of Azyrite magic
to liberate the town.
The Stormcast Eternals of the Sacrosanct Chamber
are warrior-wizards, imbued with arcane knowledge and the power to wield
the energies of the storm in battle. Leading the retinue is
Knight-Incantor Arnhault, a formidable mage who has studied the
histories of Sabrodt's kingdom. But the fight against the Shrouded King
will challenge Arnhault's mettle like none other – especially when he
discovers that the Undead knows more about his past than he does.
Also
within this book are a host of short stories, giving you a
flavour of the many warring armies that exist in the worlds of
Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.
The Dance of the Skulls by David Annandale Great Red by David Guymer The Sands of Grief & The Volturung Road by Guy Haley Callis & Toll: The Old Ways by Nick Horth A Dirge of Dust and Steel, Auction of Blood & The Prisoner of the Black Sun by Josh Reynolds Wrathspring by Andy Clark Sacrosanct, Shiprats & The Witch Takers by C L Werner
Produced by Kylia Whitehead & Performed by John Banks
Good morning and thanks for stopping by! The impending release of the box set audio drama, Realmslayer, now available, has been an open secret for some time and if anything, the 'progressive' nature of the release has possibly generated more interest than had it been issued in the regular way; ie, as a bit of a surprise.
I think from an internal Black Library viewpoint, Realmslayer represents a ramping up of their committment to the audio element of the business, which seems to be increasingly of interest to an ever growing audience. Good news indeed!
Over the decade or so of my audio adventures as an actor, I've been privileged to work with some remarkable people and it's always an interesting experience to find oneself working alongside someone who, perhaps, has been known and often admired throughout one's life. That's certainly the case for me with Realmslayer and it's lead actor, Brian Blessed.
Brian comes from the same part of the country as I do, between Doncaster and Sheffield and hearing his voice in Z Cars, in which he famously played policeman 'Fancy' Smith, was the first time I remember hearing my native accent on television; I was probably around five or six when the series featuring Fancy was being broadcast and such a seemingly trivial thing, actually had a huge impact on me. Fifty odd years later and there we were, having lunch together and talking about exactly that. Brian is a tremendous raconteur and all it took to launch our conversation was for me to say, quite gently, perhaps tentatively: "Z -Victor One to BD" - the character's police call sign - and he was off!
I was of course, delighted to be asked, (having submitted my audition samples!) by Matt Renshaw to join the cast of Realmslayer and play the part of Snorri Nosebiter, and old pal of Gotrek Gurnisson, Brian's character. It was fun; it was great fun - and despite having recieved an advance copy of the magnificently produced box set, my deferred gratification approach to these things means that I can now, finally, actually listen to it all!
Here are some details and an interesting, (I hope!) 'making of' and interview video:
Realmslayer: A Gotrek Gurnisson Series
A Gotrek Gurnisson audio drama boxed set
The
Slayer returns. Spat out of the Realm of Chaos after an eternity of
battle, Gotrek Gurnisson finds himself in the unfamiliar surroundings of
the Mortal Realms. With no axe, no oaths and no Felix, he sets out to
find his place in this new universe…
Gotrek Gurnisson was the greatest monster slayer of the age, who met his
doom at the End Times. The heroic duardin stepped forth into the Realm
of Chaos to fight the daemons gnawing at the world's ending and satisfy
his death oath, leaving behind his companion Felix Jaeger.
Now Gotrek
has returned, having outlived the old gods and the Old World. Spat from
the ruinous depths with his redemption unfulfilled, he emerges into the
Mortal Realms, a strange new world where gods walk the earth and dark
forces are ascendant. Nothing is as he remembers. His oaths are dust,
and the lands are torn asunder by Chaos.
Yet when Gotrek learns of human
champions being elevated to immortality for Sigmar’s fight against this
darkness, the so-called 'Stormcast Eternals', he knows why fate has
brought him into this new age.
To find Felix. For only then can he find
the peace in death he seeks. But is there more to Gotrek's apotheosis
than even he can fathom? Has he truly been chosen by Grimnir and for
what purpose?
Running time 4 hours and 15 minutes
5 hours and 28 minutes in total
Performed by:
Brian Blessed as Gotrek Gurnisson, John Banks, Steve
Conlin, Vanessa Donovan, Matthew Hunt, Jonathan Keeble, Toby Longworth,
Connie M'Gadzah, Penelope Rawlins, David Seddon, Joe Shire & Andrew
Wincott
Written By David Guymer and Produced by Matt Renshaw
Before wrapping up this post, a quick online search has come up with a couple of images and some biographical details of my character, Snorri Nosebiter; this is my 'favourite' rendering of him:
...yes, those are nails he's driven into his head; tough guy huh?
* * * * *
The very busy phase of my very busy summer and autumn recording shedule, does at least now have a welcome pause coming up. By the end of this coming week, I need to finish recording my current audio book, start recording another and complete it by Friday. So another Sunday of homework to prepare for another intensive week in the studio and then almost a whole week of prep before the next book, scheduled to record mid November - phew! Which means of course...
Over the course of this 8 book series, the amazing John Banks has had to create and voice 648 distinct characters!
Neil Gardner - producer
The Door In The Wall & War of The Worlds
Not often I buy another version of an audiobook I own, but after hearing John Banks' narration of The Door in the Wall by Ladbroke Audio, I had to buy their version of The War of the Worlds. Banks has a great reading voice.
Andy Frankham-Allen - writer
The Books of Babel: Senlin Ascends, Arm of The Sphinx & The Hod King
Mr. Banks does superb work, and I recommend the audiobooks wholeheartedly!
Josiah Bancroft - writer
Mervyn Stone: The Axeman Cometh
John Banks is a voice genius...
Nev Fountain - writer
Mervyn Stone... played by the note-perfect John Banks.
Matt Hills - Reviews in Time and Space
Dr. Who: The Sleeping City
I also must draw attention to John Banks who is an exceptional voice artist and in this one story performs more characters that I can count. ... it is listening to episodes like this one that really do let his talents shine through.
Tony Jones - Red Rocket Rising
Highlander:
...playing several parts, was the brilliant Big Finish regular John Banks - it was as if there were about 40 different actors in the other booth.
James Moran - writer
I went for the best of the best and brought in voice artiste extraordinaire John Banks.
Paul Spragg - producer Vienna:
...also features the mind - bogglingly versatile and reliable John Banks
Jonathan Morris - writer
Dead Funny:
The acting is first rate… wonderfully played by John Banks as Richard – his impersonation of Eric Morecambe is worth the admission money alone.
Beverly Greenberg: Bolton Evening News Mr. Happiness:
This early and unfamiliar play by David Mamet is a character study of a 1930s radio counsellor, dispensing suave advice to his devoted listeners. John Banks brings out the wry comedy of this – comedy quite unappreciated by the character – with a clever range of gesture and vocal tone.
Jeremy Kingston: The Times
All My Sons:
This is a beautifully crafted piece ...and it affords a wonderful opportunity for John Readman* to do his All-American Boy act as Chris Keller. This most polished and well observed performance as the blighted son of a blighted father must rank as one of his finest accomplishments yet. ( * see Profile) The Stage
The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes
Kudos should also go to John Banks.Lestrade can be a thankless part, but Banks rose to the challenge, playing a pivotal role in this decades long arc.
Raissa Devereux - SciFiPulse The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes John Banks is multi-tasking, both as the superb Lestrade and also the villainous and no doubt moustache twirling Sebastian Moran. They sound completely different and I bow to his talent. Sue Davies - SFcrowsnest
Further reviews and comments are included with specific postings throughout the site.
