Which Oliver Twist recording should you buy?
The complete readings of Oliver Twist that we list run 15 hrs 22 mins to 18 hrs 52 mins. Around them sit abridgements that do not all say so in their titles, an Audible Original drama, a BBC full-cast production, an AI voice and an Oxford Bookworms reader for learners of English.
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Short answer
Jonathan Pryce: complete and solo, part of The Audible Dickens Collection. Martin Jarvis, Jonathan Keeble, Simon Vance, David Rintoul and the other complete readings in the table run 15 hrs 22 mins to 18 hrs 52 mins, so nothing separates them but voice. The trouble on this title is the short listings. Alex Jennings and Anton Lesser are abridged, which Audible's data says although their titles do not, so the runtime is the only warning you get. The Audible Original with Brian Cox, Daniel Kaluuya and Nicola Coughlan is an adaptation by Marty Ross, performed by a cast. The BBC production with Adjoa Andoh is a full cast at a fraction of the novel's length, though the catalogue marks it unabridged. The AI Voice Bob edition is a synthetic voice. And the Brett Usher listing is an Oxford Bookworms adaptation for learners.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Pryce Our pick | 18 hrs 16 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. Part of The Audible Dickens Collection. |
| Martin Jarvis | 16 hrs 17 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo, from Audible Studios. |
| Jonathan Keeble | 16 hrs 17 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo, from Naxos. |
| Simon Vance | 16 hrs 7 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| David Rintoul | 17 hrs 27 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Tim Bentinck | 18 hrs 52 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Gerald Dickens | 17 hrs 14 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. Subtitled "Dickens on Dickens". |
| Fiona Hardingham | 16 hrs 14 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. Listed as the AmazonClassics Edition. |
| Nadia May | 15 hrs 46 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Flo Gibson | 15 hrs 22 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| AI Voice Bob | 19 hrs 3 mins | AI narration (Virtual Voice) | The text read by a synthetic voice: Audible's catalogue flags it as a Virtual Voice title. |
| Brian Cox, Daniel Kaluuya, Nicola Coughlan and a full cast | 3 hrs 38 mins | Audible Original, full cast | An adaptation by Marty Ross, performed by a cast. A drama, not the novel. |
| Adjoa Andoh, Pam Ferris, Tim McInnerny, Edward Long and a full cast | 2 hrs 37 mins | BBC full-cast recording, marked unabridged | A BBC production with a full cast, at 17% of the shortest complete reading here. Audible's catalogue marks it unabridged; it is not a complete reading. |
| Alex Jennings | 5 hrs 43 mins | Abridged | ABRIDGED, though the title does not say so. Audible's data marks it abridged. |
| Anton Lesser | 4 hrs 57 mins | Abridged | ABRIDGED, though the title does not say so. |
| Paul Scofield | 3 hrs 5 mins | Abridged | Abridged. |
| Dominic Cooper | 1 hr 8 mins | Abridged | Abridged, listed as "Dominic Cooper Reads Oliver Twist". |
| Brett Usher | 2 hrs 55 mins | Oxford Bookworms graded reader | Not the book: an Oxford Bookworms adaptation (Stage 6) for learners of English. |