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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[]

Darkshadowsbeneaththeveil1 image large

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[]

External links[]

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