Neverwhere 1/6 (Nikdykde, 2012, 2013)

Přidal: Přemek |

Listopad 29, 2012

Neil Gaiman. Rozhlasová adaptace a režie Dirk Maggs. Produkce Heather Larmour. Režie Dirk Maggs, Heather Larmour.

Osoby a obsazení: Richard (James McAvoy), Dvířka (Natalie Dormer), Markýz de Carabas (David Harewood), Hunter (Sophie Okonedo), Islington (Benedict Cumberbatch), Pan Croup (Anthony Head), Pan Vandemar (David Schofield), Starý Bailey (Bernard Cribbins), Jessica (Romola Garai), Baron z Earl’s Court(Christopher Lee), Tooley (Andrew Sachs), Abbot (George Harris) a další.

Nastudoval BBC Radio 4/Radio 4 Extra, listopad – prosinec 2012. Premiéra prvního dílu 16. 3. 2013 (BBC Radio 4, 18:00 h.). Vydalo BBC v roce 2013 (1 CD mp3).

Obsah: Episode 1 – London Below (56:29 min.) – Episode 2 – Earl’s Court (27:31 min.) – Episode 3 – The Angel Islington (27:32 min.) – Episode 4 – The Black Friars (27:30 min.) – Episode 5 – Market Afloat (27:35 min.) – Episode 6 – The Key (28:30 min.).

Lit.: Gaiman, Neil: Author meets world. In web Neil Gaiman, 28. 11. 2012 (článek). – Cit.: Hullo world!
I’m currently living in a house Amanda and I have rented in Cambridge MA. She wanted to be out here to be able to be here for her friend Anthony, who is going through some particularly gruelling cancer treatments. It’s a large, strange house, all oak-panelling and odd-shaped rooms we didn’t notice the first time we walked through it. I’m loving it, despite living out of boxes.

Amanda thinks, correctly, that it’s too big, but is humouring me. (She’s using the Cloud Club as an office home-base.)

The thing I’m missing most being out here is the dogs: Cabal is not doing well physically currently. He has Degenerative Canine Myelopathy and his back legs are liable to slip out from under him and he can no longer do stairs. When I got out here I realised that he wouldn’t be able to manage this place and regretfully abandoned my plan to bring the dogs with me. He’s got his world that he loves out there, and so I am going to go back to the Midwest and be with him whenever I can. (Lola, on the other hand, could come out here like a shot, but she’s his company.)

Thanksgiving was spent at Amanda’s mother and stepfather’s, but over the Thanksgiving period all of my kids came in from all over the US.

I’m starting to get writing rhythms back, which is good.

I missed the shooting of my next Doctor Who episode, although I’ve seen a rough assembly already. Warwick Davies is really good in it, and I asked the impossible of Matt Smith and he pulled it off with aplomb. (Watching the rushes of Matt getting gloriously, apologetically, sweary at fluffed takes of some of the dialogue stuff I’d asked him to do made me grin like a mad thing.)

Right now, also due to being in the wrong country — like this minute — I’m missing this, which arrived a few hours ago:

That’s left to right, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Harewood, Natalie Dormer, Dirk Maggs, James McAvoy, David Schofield and Anthony Head, all gathered today to record the BBC Radio 4/Radio 4 Extra production of NEVERWHERE.

(It’ll start on Radio 4 and then go over to Radio 4 extra.) The adaptation is by Dirk Maggs, who did the last three Hitchhiker’s Guide Radio adaptations. He’s co-directing it with producer Heather Larmour, who is the one who went off and made this happen after a small enthusiastic chat in a London coffee shop much earlier this year — the kind of conversation that you have that normally just leaves you feeling happy, but doesn’t actually turn into anything real. This time it did.(…) It will go out in six episodes.

Am I excited? I am. Very much so.

(Also, CHRISTOPHER LEE IS GOING TO BE SAYING LINES I WROTE. This makes me happier than I have any right to be.)

It will be broadcast somewhere in the first 4 months of 2013. And you will be able to listen to it wherever you are in the world, using the BBC’s iPlayer.

I’m currently listening to Tor Dot Com’s AMERICAN GODS MIX TAPE while I work on the HBO American Gods pilot episode. http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/11/the-complete-american-gods-mix-tape

Right. Back to work…

Lit.: Anderson, Kyle: Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” Radio Play’s All-Star Cast. In web Nerdist, 5. 12. 2012 (článek). – Cit.: Something really cool for fans of British things (which I, for one, most certainly am): It was announced last week that Neil Gaiman’s TV miniseries turned novel turned comic book Neverwhere can add yet another hyphen to its list of mediums – Radio. Yes, BBC Radio 4 is dramatizing the fantastic story for audio to be broadcast next year. Making it even more awesome is the insane list of performers who’ve been brought in to play the parts. Get ready to geek right the hell out as I give you a rundown of the cast and characters:

James McAvoy as Richard Mayhew The star of Wanted and X-Men: First Class, not to mention the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past, will play Richard Mayhew, the lost Scotsman who, through unfortunate circumstances, is thrust into the nightmarish world of London Below when he helps a hurt young woman. Fish out of water, this guy.

Natalie Dormer as Door Dormer played Anne Boleyn in The Tudors and is one of the six billion characters on HBO’s Game of Thrones, and now she’s tackling the role of Door, the aforementioned young woman who Richard saves and who leads him into the terrifying world under London. She’s very much full of mystery, but protecting her is of utmost import.

David Harewood as the Marquis de Carabas Known to TV fans for his roles on Homeland and Robin Hood, he also played the plot-pointy Joshua Naismith in “The End of Time,” David Tennant’s final two episodes of Doctor Who. In Neverwhere, he’s playing the ubiquitous trickster who helps Door and is basically nasty to Richard, in a fun way.

Sophie Okonedo as Hunter She played Liz 10, the bloody queen, mate, in Series 5 of Doctor Who and will be lending her voice to Hunter, London Below’s most legendary fighter and bodyguard, who is hired by Door for protection.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Islington You may have heard of him; he’s only Sherlock friggin’ Holmes! He’s also the baddie in The Hobbit and Star Trek Into Darkness. Yeah, he’s kind of a big deal. He’ll be playing Islington, a mysterious character that would be a huge spoiler if any more was described.

Anthony Head as Croup The man who played Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a whole heap of other fantastic roles in film and television will play one of the two ruthless murderers sent to assassinate Door. Croup is the talkative one.

David Schofield as Vandemar The venerable film and TV veteran with nearly 100 credits and who was in An American Werewolf in London and all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies plays Vandemar, the other, quieter, nastier assassin.

Bernard Cribbins as Old Bailey A staple of British film and TV for nearly sixty years, Cribbins of course played Wilfred Mott, grandfather of Donna Noble and companion in his own right in Doctor Who. Here he plays Old Bailey, a friend of the Marquis’ and a keeper of pigeons, among other things.

Romola Garai as Jessica The Atonement actress, late of BBC’s The Hour, will play Jessica, Richard’s irritated fiance in London Above.

Sir Christopher Lee as the Earl of Earl’s Court Oh, let’s see… Dracula, Saruman, Count Dooku, a zillion other great and memorable roles. Here he’s playing one of London Below’s tube station-named aristocrats.

With a cast like that, how could we not be excited? Oh, and apparently Neil Gaiman himself will also feature, presumably as a narrator. The play will broadcast in the UK in 2013 and hopefully (please, please, please) will be made available in some format here in the US. Or, they could just decide to make it into a film with this exact cast. Just saying.

Lit.: anonym: London Below. Episode 1 of 6. In web BBC Radio 4, březen 2013 (anotace). – Cit.: Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere.

An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into a subterranean world under the streets of London. Stopping to help an injured girl on a London street, Richard is thrust from his workaday existence into the strange world of London Below.

So begins a curious and mysterious adventure deep beneath the streets of London, a London of shadows where the tube cry of ‚Mind the Gap‘ takes on new meaning; for the inhabitants of this murky domain are those who have fallen through the gaps in society, the dispossessed, the homeless. Here Richard meets the Earl of Earl’s Court, Old Bailey and Hammersmith, faces a life-threatening ordeal at the hands of the Black Friars, comes face to face with Great Beast of London, and encounters an Angel. Called Islington.

Joining the mysterious girl named Door and her companions, the Marquis de Carabas and the bodyguard, Hunter, Richard embarks on an extraordinary quest to escape from the clutches of the fiendish assassins Croup and Vandemar and to discover who ordered them to murder her family. All the while trying to work out how to get back to his old life in London Above.

A six part adaption of Neil Gaiman’s novel adapted by Dirk Maggs, sees James McAvoy as Richard lead a stellar cast which includes Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head, David Schofield, Bernard Cribbins, Romola Garai, George Harris, Andrew Sachs, Lucy Cohu, Johnny Vegas, Paul Chequer, Don Gilet and Abdul Salis.

Lit.: anonym: About Neverwhere. In web BBC Radio 4, březen 2013 (anotace). – Cit.: Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere.

A six part adaption of Neil Gaiman’s novel adapted by Dirk Maggs for Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra, sees James McAvoy as Richard lead a stellar cast which includes Natalie Dormer, David Harewood, Sophie Okonedo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Anthony Head, David Schofield, Bernard Cribbens, Romola Garai, George Harris, Andrew Sachs, Lucy Cohu, Johnny Vegas, Paul Chequer, Don Gilet and Abdul Salis.

London Above

London as we know it. Bustling, noisy, the capital city of the United Kingdom. Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Pace, Westminster, Hackney, the City; tourists, black taxis, red buses and post boxes. A place where rats don’t talk and landmarks aren’t known for their conversational qualities.

London Below

A subterranean London, far below the streets of London Above. Populated with people who have fallen between the cracks in society, London Below is a mysterious and murky world of shadows and danger. Here there really is an Earl of Earl’s Court, a Baron at Baron’s Court, shepherds at Shepherd’s Bush and and angel. Called Islington. It is also the home of the Great Beast of London, an ancient and terrifying creature dwelling somewhere deep in the Labyrinth, at the very heart of London Below.

Lit.: Randolph, Vanessa: Audio Book Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. In web Fruitless Pursuits, 27. 10. 2013 (recenze). – Cit.: I recently picked up a copy of the new cast dramatised Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I reviewed the graphic novel adaptation earlier here in case you want some background.
Featuring James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Head, David Harewood and Sophie Okonedo it’s impossible to think of a better cast to bring this strange and wonderful tale of London Underground to life.
If you fancy a listen then you can get the book through Audible online.
In the meantime, follow me under the cut for a review of this live cast version of Neverwhere.
Being familiar with the characters and general premise of the story really helped me get my head around the live action dramatisation in this audiobook, because though it is beautifully executed, I wonder if the nuances of the story come across to new listeners who have not read the book. If you do listen to this audiobook without any prior knowledge, let me know how you go.
That small gripe aside, I could not have picked a better cast to bring to life these characters and this story; my one regret is that this wasn’t a live action production.
James McAvoy brings our point of view character and general Londoner Richard Mayhew to life magnificently. I say magnificently because I find Richard to be a little bit of a wet blanket. Although he is really hard done by, in the graphic novel it was difficult to see him as anything other than a scared sulk that one might pity rather than sympathise with. It was difficult in the end, to revere him as a hero of the story. McAvoy’s portrayal makes him more the every man, charming and likeable whilst clearly making some questionable choices; the centre of his own universe but willing to learn that he is wrong. His characterisation is also rationally afraid of things and appropriately firm in disagreement. Almost immediately I found myself engaged with his cheeky banter and caring deeply for his plight in both wanting to return to his old life and knowing that it was never going to be the same.
With this improvement under the belt Natalie Dormer only served to intensify my utter love of Door – our heroine and ass-kicking Lady of Portico. Dormer’s Door is everything I could have hoped she would be; mild and fiery at will, exhibiting strength and vulnerability, wit and fear. She effortlessly engages with her fellow cast members and their characters, which is integral as Door is the one who brings their group together and keeps them together. Her performance with James McAvoy is particularly impressive as they organically build a friendship and connection merely with their vocal intonations. It’s fantastic to listen to it as it unfolds.
I could not imagine David Harwood as the Marquis de Carabas and throughout his performance, although it was more than adequate, I felt disconnected from his character. This might have been deliberate to allow more characterisation and focus on other characters that were perhaps left in the Marquis’ shadow on page. In the graphic novel, de Carabas is one of my all time favourite characters, deeply interesting and intelligent, cunning and unpredictable. I suppose that Harwood did just enough to keep him relevant and on the radar whilst understating the performance. Interestingly, as I mentioned in my previous review of the graphic novel, Neil Gaiman had commented that the Marquis de Carabas was his version of The Doctor (of Doctor Who). This allusion was perfectly executed at the end when Richard finds the Marquis and they have a very Doctor/Companion like exchange. It made me so happy I started grinning in pubic and thought I might have to tell Gaiman that, were he to take over Who in the future, he had his leads!
Assassin Mr. Croup is immiscibly the wonderful Anthony Head who executes the role with real slime and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Angel Islington is wreathed in a hazy and unearthly tone. Sophie Okonedo’s Hunter was a pleasant surprise for me, as I was sure that as much as I loved Hunter, nothing much would be added to her character. Okonedo’s performance was layered with humour, humanity and ferocity.
All up, the audio dramatisation of Neverwhere is a wonderful addition to any audiobook collection, packed with great performances and sure to leave you craving more stories from London Underground.

Lit.: McArdell, Ian: Neil Gaiman’s ‚Neverwhere‘ radio adaptation audiobook review. In web CultBox, 4. 11. 2013 (článek). – Cit.: Neverwhere began life as a six-part BBC Two series in 1996. Sadly, a limited budget restrained its potential and it was in prose that the story truly came alive. Neil Gaiman, then known primarily for his comic work, is now a world-renowned author whose work straddles the worlds of prose, film and television. Neverwhere has never gone away though, with a comic version, stage adaptations and attempts at a movie in the intervening years.

This BBC Radio adaptation sees the story receive the attentions of audio wizard Dirk Maggs. With a career making “audio movies” for iconic characters such as Batman and Superman, as well as his work adapting Douglas Adams’ later Hitchhiker’s books back to the parent medium, we can think of no-one better suited.

The story is fundamentally a quest narrative that begins when our hero, Richard Mayhew, falls into a netherworld beneath the city streets. After an act of kindness, stopping to assist a wounded girl, his life unravels. He becomes one of the dispossessed, mostly invisible and soon forgotten by those he encounters.

The girl in question is Door, a fugitive noblewoman possessed of the ability to open anything and create doors where there are none. She seeks to find the villain behind the murder of her family and enlists the help of the outlandish Marquis de Carabas to assist her.

At Door’s side, looking for a way back to his former life, Richard finds himself immersed in a frighteningly literal London. He crosses the Knights Bridge and meets the Black Friars, as well as encountering the Earl of Earl’s Court, Hammersmith and Old Bailey himself. London Below is also a world full of those who have slipped between the cracks; homeless people who survive though barter and live in a feudal society of baronies and fiefdoms.

The principal roles of Richard and Door go to bona-fide movie star James McAvoy (X-Men) and Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones), with David Harewood (Homeland) as a magnificent Marquis de Carabas, Sophie Okonedo (Doctor Who) as the intimidating Hunter and a delirious Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as the Angel Islington.

The smaller roles round up an embarrassment of talent. Bernard Cribbins (Doctor Who) plays Old Bailey while Anthony Head (Merlin) and Paul Schofield bring the murderous Croup and Vandermar to life. Romola Garai (The Hour) plays Richard’s difficult fiancé Jessica and Christopher Lee (Dracula) is the doolally Earl.

Although the story is 17 years old, it remains fundamentally timeless with only a few subtle references to Jedward and The Shard teasing it towards the present day. Additional tracks in the release include a 10-minute sequence of bloopers and outtakes, as well as two extended scenes: the first is the meeting with the Earl and the second a lengthier take on the final confrontation.

Beautifully produced with stunning sound design, haunting choral music and superb performances throughout, Neverwhere is hilarious, thought provoking and macabre.

Now we just need that long overdue sequel!

Lit.: Howe, Jeremy: Neverwhere returns. In web BBC Radio 4, 26. 11. 2013 (článek). – Cit.: Well here is a Christmas treat – albeit quite a dark one – instead of the 12 days of Christmas, Radio 4 are doing the six nights of ‘Neverwhere’, which was a hit for BBC Radio 4 Extra & BBC Radio 4 the earlier this year. Originally broadcast across the two networks, this will be the first time that every episode of the hugely popular series by Neil Gaiman will be on BBC Radio 4.

The six-part adaptation starts on Radio 4 with a 60-minute episode at 11pm on Christmas Day – Wednesday 25 December – and continues with five 30-minute instalments on consecutive nights at 11:30pm, Thursday 26 to Monday 30.

I knew we had commissioned something special when I visited the readthrough – Dirk Maggs (director) and Heather Larmour (producer) were presiding over a gathering of actors which had more star names than a Hollywood red carpet on Oscar Night – at one end of an enormously long table sat Star Trek’s Khan, Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays The Angel Islington, at the other end was Lord of the Rings’ Saruman, Christopher Lee, who at 90 was making his radio drama debut playing the The Earl of Earl’s Court and sandwiched in between were X Men’s James McAvoy, playing our hero Richard Mayhew; Homeland’s resident baddie David Harewood (Marquis de Carabas), Game of Thrones’ not to be wholly trusted Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer plays Door), the even less to be trusted Maggie in BBC1’s current hit The Escape Artist, Sophie Okonedo (Hunter), Buffy’s Watcher Rupert Giles, Anthony Head (Croup), as well as Johnny Vegas, Bernard Cribbins… even author Neil Gaiman was playing a part.

And we weren’t disappointed: BBC Radio 4 & 4 Extra’s Neverwhere is clever, witty and a feast for the imagination, not to mention a really gripping listen, and even if you heard it on its first outing (which I did) it is worth hearing again from start to finish (which I will), and it’s so delightfully, playfully disturbing about London Underground I have given up travelling by tube, just in case I ever have to get out at the treacherous Knightsbridge (well OK, so I admit I have moved house). And audiences seemed to feel the same, with more people catching ‘Neverwhere’ on iPlayer than any other show that month and more than 1.5million visits to the Neverwhere site (which is full of treats and well worth a visit). Enjoy!

Lit.: Jones, Paul: Neverwhere starring Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy comes to Radio 4 for Christmas. In web Radiotimes, 26. 11. 2013 (článek).- Cit.: Neil Gaiman’s star-studded fantasy drama gets its first full airing on the station from Christmas Day, RadioTimes.com can reveal
What better way to see out the final hour of Christmas Day than by turning the lights down low and tuning in to an atmospheric fantasy drama…
Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, about the denizens of the magical realm of London Below, returns for its first full airing on Radio 4, starting at 11pm on 25 December and continuing through the week, RadioTimes.com can exclusively reveal.
The star-studded cast boasts Hollywood A-listers including Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy and Sir Christopher Lee, alongside a who’s who of cult TV, including Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer, Homeland’s David Harewood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Anthony Head and Doctor Who alumni Sophie Okonedo and Bernard Cribbins.
McAvoy is Richard Mayhew, a young businessman drawn into the subterranean world of London Below after he comes to the aid of a girl named Door, played by Dormer. In a place where famous landmarks take on a life of their own, Benedict Cumberbatch is the Angel Islington, an actual angel who watches over the city beneath the city.
David Harewood plays trickster the Marquis de Carabas, with Bernard Cribbins as his friend (and debtor) Old Bailey, and Christopher Lee as the Earl of Earl’s Court. Sophie Okonedo is legendary bodyguard Hunter and Anthony Head is ruthless assassin Mr Croup.
First aired in March on Radio 4 and 4 Extra, Neverwhere is adapted from Doctor Who writer Gaiman’s novel by Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy radio producer Dirk Maggs, who also created the evocative sound-effects that bring London Below to life.
Following its initial broadcast, Neverwhere was the most requested radio programme on iPlayer in March, with over half a million people listening online, suggesting the appetite for a re-run is likely to be significant. It was also named the essential radio drama of the year by Radio Times radio editor Jane Anderson.
The six-part adaptation starts with a 60-minute episode at 11pm on Christmas Day, Wednesday 25 December, and continues with five 30-minute instalments on consecutive nights at 11:30pm, Thursday 26 to Monday 30.
Neverwhere review: „If you listen to one radio drama this year, make it this“ www(tečka)radiotimes(tečka)com

Lit.: Hamerský, Vojtěch: Neil Gaiman – Neverwhere (BBC Dramatization) – Základy BBC zvládlo, zapomnělo však na detaily. In web Knižní kukátko, 6. 1. 2014 (recenze). – Cit.: Kdo alespoň nějakou chvíli šmejdí ve světě fantastiky, musel alespoň jednou slyšet jméno Neil Gaiman. A pokud ho čtenář (v tomto případě tedy posluchač) neslyšel, i tak tohoto pana spisovatele nejspíše zná – Hvězdný prach, Koralína? Á, už jsme doma. I když v případě rozhlasového zpracování od BBC neplatí to známé „na počátku bylo slovo“, protože vše odstartoval stejnojmenný román, dá se říci, že dramatizace kráčí vcelku zdařile v jeho šlépějích.

Ústřední postavou je Richard Mayhew, úspěšný byznysmen, který má v tu chvíli všechno, na co pomyslí. Peníze, snoubenku, jež se profesně daří velmi dobře, a zejména mírumilovný život.

Ten se však otočí vzhůru nohama, když jednoho večera zachrání dívku jménem Door (česky Dvířka) a přivede ji k sobě do bytu. Z dívky se vyklube bytost, která není zcela ze světa lidí. Podle ní existují jednoduše dva světy – London Above (Nadlondýn), v němž žije Richard. A pak také existuje Lodon Below (neboli Podlondýn), z něhož pochází Dvířka.
Ta se stále nachází v nebezpečí, jelikož ji pronásleduje tajemná dvojice, pánové Croup a Vandemar, kteří mají úkol od svého zaměstnavatele.
Dvířka vysílá Richarda, aby k ní přivedl člověka jménem Markýz de Carabas, ten jediný jí v tuto chvíli jí dokáže pomoct. To však ještě Richard netuší, že díky tomu všemu už jeho život nikdy nebude jako dřív…

Obsazení a jejich role v příběhu

Ze začátku by bylo nejlepší seznámit se s herci a postavami, které představují. V první řadě tu máme Richarda Mayhewa, které si v této dramatizaci zahrál James McAvoy, jehož můžou lidé znát z filmů jako Wanted, X-Men: První třída nebo Trans. Následuje Door (Dvířka). Tu někteří znají z Tudorovců, zahrála si také v nových Rivalech. Markýze ztvárnil David Harewood, ten má na kontě také solidní číslo filmů a seriálů, ve kterých hrál, například Krvavý diamant nebo Doctor Who. Jako další se představuje Hunter v zastoupení Sophie Okonedo. Naposledy jsem ji spatřil ve filmu Po zániku Země.
Anděla Islingtona zastupuje další velmi zvučné jméno – Benedict Cumberbatch. Současná hvězda Velké Británie, kterou snad všichni znají jako Sherlocka. Posledním, koho by posluchač mohl znát, je Christopher Lee. Pak už tu máme pouze Croupa a Vandemara, starého Baileyho a opata.

Neverwhere vs Neverwhere

Ten, kdo knihu již četl nebo si poslechl audioknihu, načtenou samotným Neilem Gaimanem, se neubrání porovnávání BBC dramatizace a knihy. Nelze se tomu divit – posluchač má již zažitou představu, jakým způsobem mluví krysy v Podlondýně, jak Dvířka otevírá nové dveře, jak úlisně a slizce mluví Croup a Vandemar. Vždy se tedy musí počítat s těmi, komu takovéto adaptace nesednou čistě ze subjektivního hlediska. Někteří se budou pohoršovat nad velkým zkrácením příběhu. Vzhledem k rozhlasovému zpracování je to sice pochopitelné a tři a půl hodiny jsou ještě stále luxusem, ale oproti audioknize to je enormní pokrácení, které se ne každému bude líbit. Dramatizace se úspěšně drží knižní předlohy. Obsahově nepřidává nic nového, pokud to není absolutně nutné, přeci jen je čtenář ochuzen o všeříkající Gaimanovy popisy, tudíž je odkázán na protagonisty, jenž musí scénu nějak zahrát. Navíc díky fantastickému žánru, do kterého Neverwhere spadá, je mnohdy dost složité posluchači něco vysvětlit pouze skrze zvukové efekty. Proto do scénáře logicky dosazují slovní dodatky, aby plně pochopil, co se zrovna děje.
Palec nahoru zaslouží také práce zvukařů, kteří si s dramatizací nepochybně nemálo vyhráli. Každý díl je jimi doslova protkaný, ale přitom jsou do nahrávky zakomponovány tak, aby posluchače nijak nerušily, což je v dnešní překombinované době umění. Efekty pak také mnohdy podkreslují jednání hlavních hrdinů, kupříkladu Carabasovo zachrčení a následné žblunknutí jeho těla do vody. Je hezké poslouchat, jak na tyto zvukové efekty dokážou herci zareagovat – konečný výsledek je pak super.

Herci a jejich výkony

Bezpochyby vůbec největším lákadlem k poslechu jsou zvučná jména herců – McAvoy, Lee a Cumberbatch. Všichni podávají velmi dobré výkony, v mnohých chvílích dokonce excelentní. Scény s andělem Islingtonem jsou prostřednictvím Cumberbatchova hlasu doslova mňamózní. Markýz de Carabas také není po herecké stránce zrovna k zahození. James McAvoy jako Richard Mayhew si nepočíná špatně, avšak má své světlé a tmavé chvilky. Nezdá se však, že by za to mohl on sám, na vině je spíše scénář. Při různých situacích, u nichž by člověk na nějaké vyjádření sotva popadal dech, se Richard Mayhew hloupě zasměje. A dělá to tak téměř pokaždé, což posluchače může šokovat i pobuřovat zároveň. Kromě těchto nesmyslných úsměšků je McAvoy perfektní Richard Mayhew. Velká herecká jména jsou také základním kamenem úrazu Neverwhere. Lidé předpokládají epickou show, té se však nedočkají. Ano, jsou tu skvělí herci, podávají dobré výkony, ale faktem je, že dramatizaci chybí nějaké kouzlo, které by posluchače přišpendlilo a donutilo ho s otevřenou pusou sednout na zadek.

Neverwhere z toho vychází dobře. Velkou roli však hrají následující věci:
1) zda posluchač již předtím Neverwhere četl a příběh zná
2) co vše od rozhlasové hry očekává

Čert vem občas chaotické situace, ty jsou přeci i v knize a i přesto ji lidi milují. Malým neúspěchem rozhlasového Neverwhere je délka, která čítá tři a půl hodiny, což děj značně urychluje a dost smrskává. I přesto je BBC dramatizace skvělým počinem, která lze doporučit jak příznivcům Gaimana, fantastiky celkově nebo i lidem, jenž jsou tímto žánrem nepolíbení.