The ‘Children of the Stones’ audio podcast is a modern retelling of the classic spooky 1977 children's series and book. I watched the original series in 2015 after hearing lots of people talking about how wonderful and scary the series was and how formative it was in their childhood so I thought if give it a go. I wasn't disappointed and became an instant fan. The general premise is simple- an archaeometrist (person who looks at carbon dating, mathematics and other data to study historical objects and sites) and his teenage son move to Milbury, a village framed by an ancient stone circle. Over the course of a few weeks the new visitors discover that the town is hiding a dark secret and things are not as they seem as people seem unnaturally happy and cheerful (Yup Toto, we were not in Barking anymore)
The original show dealt with heady concepts like time loops, predetermination and time travel but what really got me was the eerie atmosphere and the sense of unease. I was surprised it was a show aimed at kids as it is genuinely unnerving and gets under your skin. So it was with some excitement (and some trepidation) that I listened to the new audio production; would the drama podcast be as good as the series?
Well, the high calibre of voice acting and moody sound design meant that the creeping dread of the original series has been retained. The sonorous, cacophonous sound design gives the whole podcast an unsettling atmosphere which is perfect for the subject matter of old world magic and eldritch otherwordly beings- it drew me right into the world of Milbury again. The story itself remains pretty much the same but the main protagonist, Matthew, is now a girl called Mia. There are also a few mod-cons added to place it in a more current setting; mentions of WiFi, podcasts and mobile phones don't alter the wider story but does give Mia a reason to be carrying out research for her podcast about unusual and paranormal activities.
This is a very British show and when phrases like piss off, bugger me and arse are all dropped it makes me chuckle and proud to be British (in spite of Brexit).
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 or so hours I had with the audio drama and would recommend it. It's no 'The Sandman' but then it's production budget is significantly smaller and it doesn't have an all-star cast, but with a solid story and earnest cast, 'Children of the Stones' is well worth a listen. Oh, Happy Day!
