In 2004, Big Finish Productions were granted a licence by Dan Curtis Productions to make original audio drama productions based on the 1966-1971 television series.
Full Cast[]
The first full-cast audio dramas were set near the beginning of the 1980s (ten years after the end of the original series and twenty years before the MPI audio drama Return to Collinwood). David Selby, Lara Parker, John Karlen and Kathryn Leigh Scott reprised their roles from the television series with Andrew Collins cast as Barnabas Collins. Additional cast members from televised episodes included: Nancy Barrett, Robert Rodan, Jerry Lacy, Lysette Anthony, Alec Newman, James Storm and Marie Wallace. The second series also featured David Warner as the main antagonist. The first two series of full cast audio dramas were produced by Stuart Manning. The storylines and new characters introduced in these dramas continued on in the 2015 full-cast miniseries Bloodlust, produced by David Darlington and Joseph Lidster.
In June 2016, Big Finish celebrated the 50th anniversary with Blood & Fire, a double-disc release which featured actors from across all 1,225 episodes of the original series and from throughout ten years of Big Finish audio dramas. The story went on to win a Scribe Award.
| Title | Author | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | The House of Despair | Stuart Manning | November 2006 |
| 1.2 | The Book of Temptation | Scott Handcock | |
| 1.3 | The Christmas Presence | January 2007 | |
| 1.4 | The Rage Beneath | Scott Alan Woodard | |
| 2.1 | Kingdom of the Dead, Part One | Stuart Manning Eric Wallace |
July 2010 |
| 2.2 | Kingdom of the Dead, Part Two | August 2010 | |
| 2.3 | Kingdom of the Dead, Part Three | September 2010 | |
| 2.4 | Kingdom of the Dead, Part Four | October 2010 | |
| 3 | Blood & Fire | Roy Gill | June 2016 |
Dramatic Readings[]
Promotional image for 2013 run.
The general ambition of the Dramatic Readings is to tell stories using at least one character that appeared in the original 1966-1971 daytime series. A typical release in the range uses just two actors, a musical score, foley work and sound design, making the end result sit somewhere between an audio book and a full-cast drama. All the plays add to the main characters' televised continuities.
In general, the Dramatic Readings have a fairly standard format. They usually comprise one 60 minute episode, with the emphasis of the story being on the interaction between whichever two actors of that feature. Earlier releases in the range often would have one of the actors perform any other characters that appear. For example, in Echoes of Insanity, John Karlen also provides the voice for Dr. Julia Hoffman as Willie Loomis recalls a particular encounter with that character. As the series has developed there has been a tendency for every character that appears to be voiced by a separate actor. This ranges from three actors appearing in Dress Me In Dark Dreams to Beyond the Grave which features twenty-one. Another example would be The House by the Sea, which contrives a reason why other characters are being imitated, as events are being dictated by the character featured, for the purposes of an audio recording.
Each play can be listened to as self-contained story whilst also linking into the continuity of the TV series. For example, the Leviathan mythos, which featured in televised episodes, is further explored in Curse of the Pharaoh and The Crimson Pearl. Occasionally plot threads between plays link into each other. The events of The Skin Walkers are referred to in Operation Victor. Some plays form loose story arcs. The ongoing story of the Trask family links The Wicked and the Dead, The Carrion Queen, The Poisoned Soul and The Fall of the House of Trask together. Other plays expand upon the known fates of their principal characters. For instance, Josette Collins’ life after her death in 1795 is told across Final Judgement and The Lost Girl. A developing alliance between Tony Peterson and Cassandra Collins features in The Death Mask, The Voodoo Amulet and The Phantom Bride.
Release 1 to 14 are produced by Stuart Manning, 15 to 32 are produced by James Goss & Joseph Lidster, 33 and onwards are produced by Joseph Lidster & David Darlington. The following is a complete table of all the plays released to date, the featuring column notes appearance of original series characters:
| Title | Author | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angelique's Descent: Innocence | Lara Parker | Angelique Bouchard | August 2007 |
| 2 | Angelique's Descent: Betrayal | |||
| 3 | Clothes of Sand | Stuart Manning | Maggie Evans | July 2008 |
| 4 | The Ghost Watcher | |||
| 5 | The Skin Walkers | Scott Handcock | Quentin Collins Angelique Bouchard |
November 2008 |
| 6 | The Path of Fate | Stephen Mark Rainey | ||
| 7 | The Wicked and the Dead | Eric Wallace | Gregory Trask Carl Collins |
January 2009 |
| 8 | Echoes of Insanity | D. Lynn Smith | Willie Loomis Angelique Bouchard |
July 2009 |
| 9 | Curse of the Pharaoh | Stephen Mark Rainey | Carolyn Stoddard | September 2009 |
| 10 | Final Judgement | D. Lynn Smith | Josette DuPres Angelique Bouchard |
February 2010 |
| 11 | Blood Dance | Stephen Mark Rainey | Quentin Collins | April 2010 |
| 12 | The Night Whispers | Stuart Manning | Barnabas Collins Willie Loomis |
June 2010 |
| 13 | London's Burning | Joseph Lidster | Quentin Collins | |
| 14 | The Doll House | James Goss | Jenny Collins Beth Chavez |
July 2010 |
| 15 | The Blind Painter | Jonathan Morris | Charles Delaware Tate | May 2011 |
| 16 | The Death Mask | Mark Thomas Passmore | Tony Peterson Cassandra Collins | |
| 17 | The Creeping Fog | Simon Guerrier | Quentin Collins | June 2011 |
| 18 | The Carrion Queen | Lizzie Hopley | Gregory Trask Angelique Bouchard | |
| 19 | The Poisoned Soul | James Goss | Charity Trask | July 2011 |
| 20 | The Lost Girl | D. Lynn Smith | Josette DuPres | |
| 21 | The Crimson Pearl | James Goss Joseph Lidster |
various | August 2011 |
| 22 | The Voodoo Amulet | Mark Thomas Passmore | Tony Peterson Cassandra Collins |
February 2012 |
| 23 | The House by the Sea | James Goss | none | March 2012 |
| 24 | Dress Me In Dark Dreams | Marty Ross | Judith Collins Edith Collins |
April 2012 |
| 25 | The Eternal Actress | Nev Fountain | Amanda Harris | May 2012 |
| 26 | The Fall of the House of Trask | Joseph Lidster | Charity Trask Gregory Trask |
June 2012 |
| 27 | Operation Victor | Jonathan Morris | Quentin Collins | July 2012 |
| 28 | Speak No Evil | Scott Handcock | Tad Collins | 21 August 2012 |
| 29 | The Last Stop | David Llewellyn | Tony Peterson | 10 September 2012 |
| 30 | Dreaming of the Water | Kymberly Ashman | Sebastian Shaw | 31 October 2012 |
| 31 | The Haunted Refrain | Aaron Lamont | Quentin Collins | 17 January 2013 |
| 32 | A Collinwood Christmas | Lizzie Hopley | Jamison Collins | 17 December 2012 |
| 33 | The Phantom Bride | Mark Thomas Passmore | Tony Peterson Cassandra Collins |
29 May 2013 |
| 34 | Beneath the Veil | Kymberly Ashman | Eve | 8 July 2013 |
| 35 | The Enemy Within | Will Howells | Cyrus Longworth Sabrina Stuart |
30 July 2013 |
| 36 | The Lucifer Gambit | Eric Wallace | Amy Jennings | 30 August 2013 |
| 37 | The Flip Side | Cody Schell (formerly credited as Cody Quijano-Schell) | Carolyn Stoddard | 25 September 2013 |
| 38 | Beyond the Grave | Aaron Lamont | Maggie Evans | 31 October 2013 |
| 39 | Curtain Call | David Lemon | Leticia Faye | 31 January 2014 |
| 40 | The Harvest of Souls | James Goss | Nicholas Blair Maggie Evans |
18 February 2014 |
| 41 | The Happier Dead | Adam Usden | Amy Jennings | 21 March 2014 |
| 42 | Carriage of the Damned | Alan Flanagan | Sabrina Stuart Hallie Stokes |
10 April 2014 |
| 43 | The Devil Cat | Mark Thomas Passmore | Tony Peterson Cassandra Collins |
29 May 2014 |
| 44 | The Darkest Shadow | Nev Fountain | Quentin Collins Amanda Harris |
10 July 2014 |
| 45 | Panic | Roy Gill | Quentin Collins | 8 May 2015 |
| 46 | The Curse of Shurafa | Rob Morris | Barnabas Collins | 16 June 2015 |
| 47 | In the Twinkling of an Eye | Penelope Faith | none | 22 July 2015 |
| 48 | Deliver Us From Evil | Aaron Lamont | Cyrus Longworth Sabrina Stuart |
26 August 2015 |
| 49 | Tainted Love | Daniel Collard | David Collins Amy Jennings Hallie Stokes |
23 September 2015 |
| 50 | And Red All Over... | Cody Schell | Burke Devlin Maggie Evans |
27 October 2015 |
Miniseries[]
Bloodlust[]
Bloodlust was 13-part serial that saw Collinsport ripped apart by a brutal murder. The series starred original Dark Shadows actors Jerry Lacy, Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby and Marie Wallace alongside Lachele Carl, Scott Haran, Alec Newman and Matthew Waterhouse. The series was produced by Joseph Lidster & David Darlington and resolved the cliffhanger ending of Kingdom of the Dead.
| Title | Author | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Snowflake | Joseph Lidster | 31 October 2014 |
| 1 | Bloodlust, Episode One | Will Howells | 9 January 2015 |
| 2 | Bloodlust, Episode Two | Alan Flanagan | 13 January 2015 |
| 3 | Bloodlust, Episode Three | 16 January 2015 | |
| 4 | Bloodlust, Episode Four | Will Howells | 20 January 2015 |
| 5 | Bloodlust, Episode Five | Joseph Lidster | 23 January 2015 |
| 6 | Bloodlust, Episode Six | 27 January 2015 | |
| 7 | Bloodlust, Episode Seven | Alan Flanagan | 29 January 2015 |
| 8 | Bloodlust, Episode Eight | Will Howells | 3 February 2015 |
| 9 | Bloodlust, Episode Nine | 6 February 2015 | |
| 10 | Bloodlust, Episode Ten | Joseph Lidster | 10 February 2015 |
| 11 | Bloodlust, Episode Eleven | 13 February 2015 | |
| 12 | Bloodlust, Episode Twelve | Alan Flanagan | 17 February 2015 |
| 13 | Bloodlust, Episode Thirteen | 20 February 2015 |
Bloodline[]
A second 13-part serial, which began its release in April 2019, follows on from the events of Bloodlust and the Dramatic Readings released in 2015. Written by Alan Flanagan, Will Howells, Aaron Lamont and Rob Morris, it will see a new mystery unfold as family and friends gather at the Collinwood estate for the wedding of David Collins and Amy Jennings. The release date had been pushed back from autumn 2016 to spring of 2019 due to the availability of the actors and rewrites.
| Title | Author | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bloodline, Episode One | Alan Flanagan | 4 April 2019 |
| 2 | Bloodline, Episode Two | Rob Morris | 8 April 2019 |
| 3 | Bloodline, Episode Three | Will Howells | 11 April 2019 |
| 4 | Bloodline, Episode Four | Aaron Lamont | 15 April 2019 |
| 5 | Bloodline, Episode Five | Alan Flanagan | 18 April 2019 |
| 6 | Bloodline, Episode Six | Rob Morris | 22 April 2019 |
| 7 | Bloodline, Episode Seven | Aaron Lamont | 25 April 2019 |
| 8 | Bloodline, Episode Eight | Will Howells | 29 April 2019 |
| 9 | Bloodline, Episode Nine | Rob Morris | 2 May 2019 |
| 10 | Bloodline, Episode Ten | Alan Flanagan | May 2019 |
| 11 | Bloodline, Episode Eleven | Aaron Lamont | May 2019 |
| 12 | Bloodline, Episode Twelve | Will Howells & Rob Morris | May 2019 |
| 13 | Bloodline, Episode Thirteen | Alan Flanagan | May 2019 |
Windcliff[]
A third 13-part serial is planned for release in April 2020. Written by Aaron Lamont, Rob Morris, Penelope Faith and Paul Phipps-Williams, it will center around Collinsport’s local sanitarium.
Thirteen[]
A fourth 13-part serial is planned for release in April 2021. This serial will take place in real-time.
Short Story Collections[]
From June 2016, Big Finish Productions began releasing a series of short story collections set at various points throughout the original series' continuity.
Echoes of the Past[]
| Title | Author | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trask the Exorcist | Jerry Lacy | Jerry Lacy | June 2016 |
| 2 | The Missing Reel | Ian Farrington | David Selby | |
| 3 | Lunar Tides | Philip Meeks | Kathryn Leigh Scott | |
| 4 | Confession | Paul Phipps | Lara Parker |
Haunting Memories []
| Title | Author | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hell Wind | Marcy Robin | Kathryn Leigh Scott | December 2016 |
| 2 | Communion | Adam Usden | Jerry Lacy | |
| 3 | The Ghost Ship | Lara Parker | Lara Parker | |
| 4 | A Face From The Past | Kay Stonham | Marie Wallace |
Phantom Melodies[]
| Title | Author | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Last Orders at the Blue Whale | Rob Morris | Matthew Waterhouse | February 2017 |
| 2 | The Scarlet Bride | Ian Atkins | Andrew Collins | |
| 3 | On The Line | Ian Farrington | Nancy Barrett | |
| 4 | In A Broken Dream | Penelope Faith | Stephanie Ellyne |
Dreams of Long Ago []
| Title | Author | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Reflected Man | Alan Ronald | Lisa Richards | May 2017 |
| 2 | Old Acquaintance | Matthew Waterhouse | David Selby | |
| 3 | Devil's Rock | Kate Webster | Andrew Collins | |
| 4 | Cobwebs | Aaron Lamont | Christopher Pennock |
Love Lives On []
| Title | Author | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuesdays and Thursdays | Cody Schell | Matthew Waterhouse | July 2017 |
| 2 | The Velvet Room | Antonio Rastelli | James Storm | |
| 3 | Behind Closed Doors | Paul Phipps | Marie Wallace | |
| 4 | The Suitcase | Alan Flanagan | Lisa Richards |
Shadows of the Night []
| Title | Author | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trio | Nick Myles | Nancy Barrett | December 2017 |
| 2 | Honeymoon From Hell | Antoni Pearce | Christopher Pennock | |
| 3 | Retreat | Daniel Hinchliffe | Stephanie Ellyne | |
| 4 | 1:53 AM | Lila Whelan | James Storm |
The Tony & Cassandra Mysteries[]
From 2017, Big Finish Productions began releasing a spin-off series titled The Tony & Cassandra Mysteries as four disc box-sets. The stories are set inbetween the dramatic readings The Last Stop and The Phantom Bride, with Jerry Lacy and Lara Parker reprising their characters.
Series 1[]
| Title | Author | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mystery at Crucifix Heights | Philip Meeks | October 2017 |
| 2 | The Mystery of La Danse Macabre | Zara Symes | |
| 3 | The Mystery of Flight 493 | Alan Flanagan | |
| 4 | The Mystery of Karmina Sonata | Aaron Lamont |
Series 2[]
| Title | Author | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mystery of Stone Heart Studios | Philip Meeks | November 2018 |
| 2 | The Mystery of West Vale Sanitarium | Joshua J. Price Tanja Milojevic | |
| 3 | The Mystery of Apartment 493 | Alan Flanagan | |
| 4 | The Mystery of the Soulmates Hotel | Grace Knight |
Series 3[]
| Title | Author | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mystery of the Grandest Order | Aaron Lamont | October 2019 |
| 2 | The Mystery of the Fisherman’s Wife | Jessica Smith | |
| 3 | The Mystery of a Mother’s Love | William Proudler | |
| 4 | The Mystery of the Jack-in-the-Box | Zara Symes |
Maggie & Quentin: The Lovers' Refrain[]
In June 2018, Big Finish Productions released a spin-off series titled Maggie & Quentin: The Lovers' Refrain as a four disc box-set. The stories take place after the MPI audio drama Return to Collinwood, with David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott reprising their characters.
| Title | Author | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Girl Beneath the Water | Lila Whelan | June 2018 |
| 2 | The Sand That Speaks His Name | Mark Thomas Passmore | |
| 3 | The Hollow Winds That Beckon | Cody Schell | |
| 4 | The Paper to the Flame | Alan Flanagan |
Special Releases[]
| Title | Author | Released |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend Reborn | Stuart Manning & Joseph Fox | May 2007 |
| Music from the Audio Dramas | Nigel Fairs | July 2010 |
| Music from the Audio Dramas - Volume Two | Nigel Fairs, David Darlington & Mike MacLennan |
August 2011 |
| Dark Shadows - The Music | David Darlington & Sean McGhee | October 2015 |
Podcasts[]
| Title | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dark Shadows Special 2010 | Stuart Manning & Joseph Lidster | April 2010 |
| 2 | Dark Shadows Special 2011 | James Goss & Joseph Lidster | September 2011 |
| 3 | Listeners' Questions Answered | Joseph Lidster | 31 October 2012 |
| 4 | Dark Shadows Special 2014 | Joseph Lidster & David Darlington | 27-29 January 2014 |
| 5 | Bloodlust | Joseph Lidster, David Darlington Will Howells & Alan Flanagan |
28 January 2015 |
| 6 | Bloodlust Final | 20 March 2015 | |
| 7 | Dark Shadows at Big Finish Day | Stephanie Ellyne, Lachele Carl Matthew Waterhouse, David Darlington, Simon Guerrier, Jason Haigh-Ellery & Joseph Lidster |
3 October 2015 |
See also[]
- Big Finish Audio Dramas, Characters A-Z: An index of every character to feature or be referenced.
- Chronology (audio dramas): A timeline covering the continuity of the original televised series incorporating the Big Finish audio dramas.
- Vortex: A monthly magazine published by Big Finish.