Which Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban recording should you buy?
Stephen Fry's reading and Audible's Full-Cast Edition are the whole book both times, 31 mins apart in length, and completely different things to listen to.
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J.K. Rowling · 2 Audible UK recordings compared
Short answer
Stephen Fry if you began the series with him: he reads the whole series, so one voice carries you to the end. The Full-Cast Edition is not an abridgement and not a radio play. It is the complete text performed by a large cast — Hugh Laurie, Matthew Macfadyen, Riz Ahmed and Simon Pegg are among the names on the listing — and it suits a second listen, or anyone who started the series in that edition. Jim Dale's American reading did not appear in Audible UK's results for this title when we searched on 19 October 2026.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Fry Our pick | 12 hrs 3 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. Fry narrates the whole series. |
| Full cast — Hugh Laurie, Matthew Macfadyen, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Gomez, Simon Pegg and others | 11 hrs 32 mins | Full-cast edition | Not an abridgement: the whole book with a large cast, marked unabridged. "(Full-Cast Edition)" is part of the listing title. |
